Flower of Azure

Chapter 7 - Qinzhu Lan Shu

The aroma of the wine in the cup is strong, and the spring scenery makes one even more intoxicated. I enjoy the spring while drinking, the beauty of flowers more intoxicating than wine.

I follow my servant as I watch and drink with great interest. Who can relate to my joy?

My servant guides me through the green mountains. On the way back, although I was slightly drunk, I was not tired at all. I walked briskly, as if walking in the wind, ecstatic.

...

When Luo Xuan woke up, the first thing he saw was Liu Li's look of surprise.

"He's awake, he's awake!" Liu Li exclaimed excitedly to the slender, elegant and gentle man clad in green next to her.

Lan Shu slowly turned around and looked at Luo Xuan with a smile. His smile was so gentle that it could melt all the ice and snow. Liu Li felt her whole body warming up, and couldn't help but drool over him again.

Luo Xuan twitched the corner of his mouth weakly before he slowly sat up with Liu Li's support.

“Who would have thought that Luo Xuan, the divine physician, would end up like this.” Lan Shu gave the medicine to Luo Xuan. “Drink it. I made it according to your prescription. What happened? It's only been a day, yet now the whole world is looking for you!”

“What?” Luo Xuan gave him a confused look. “Why? I was also wondering why the officials had come to arrest me. They said that I stole something.”

Lan Shu looked a bit solemn, but he was still smiling. “Wan Shui Villa announced to the martial arts world this morning that the divine physician Luo Xuan had stolen half of the 12 Treasured Chapters that the leader of the Villa's Heavenly Tower kept on behalf of the various factions in the world last night. They also announced that you were injured by the various hidden weapons in the tower, suffered from poisoning and that your meridians have been broken. Soon after, a formal order was issued to call on all martial artists to arrest you. I’m afraid the whole world is looking for you right now.”

Luo Xuan immediately understood the situation. Because of what happened last night, Xuanyuan Zhan slandered him by saying that he stole the 12 Treasured Chapters. Not only did he ruin his reputation, he also took this opportunity to get others to do the dirty work for him. When he thought of how upright Xuanyuan Zhan had always been and yet he would go to such lengths to hate him just for Ban Ruohua, he couldn't help but feel bitter and sad. He didn’t know how Ban Ruohua was coping right now, but there were two reasons why he asked Xuanyuan Zhan to take care of her at the beginning. One was because the poison that he was carrying was not one that Ban Ruohua could take on. If the poison is not cured, at most their meridians would be broken. Although he couldn't obey her as it would go against his principles, he really couldn't bear to watch her lose everything she worked so hard for. Thus, he could only leave Xuanyuan Zhan to detoxify her. Even if she hates him and is left in despair, at least she would still be alive. Secondly, it was because he was aware of Xuanyuan Zhan's admiration for her, and knew that he would treat her well in the future. He could take this as a blessing in disguise, and extinguish Ban Ruohua’s love for him.

But now, Xuanyuan Zhan absolutely despised him, so much so that he did all this just to harm him. Could it be that Ban Ruohua was angry at him afterwards and was reluctant to compromise, hence why they were seeking revenge on him?

The drawings of the 12 Treasured Chapters which they claimed he had stolen was said to be a peerless martial arts treasure left by an ancient figure named Gu Changxin. Unfortunately, for some reason, only half of the drawings were left, and the other half was nowhere to be found. Since these drawings had caused too much bloodshed before, it was decided by the various martial arts sects that it would be secretly kept by the leader of the martial arts world. Either way, it was useless to possess only half of the drawings, but this decision could stop the various sects from fighting against each other. Although everyone kept their eyes on it, they were afraid of Xuanyuan Zhan’s power and the hidden weapon mechanism in the Heavenly Tower, hence they have been at peace for the past few years.

Now that Xuanyuan Zhan has done this, not only has he sullied his reputation, he also made him a target of public criticism. It would be fine if this happened a few days ago as everyone would still be afraid of his martial arts skills. But Xuanyuan Zhan even told everyone that he was seriously injured when he forced himself into the Heavenly Tower. It made sense as he was the only one who had mastered the five elements and various methods of defense, and no one else but him would dare to venture into the Heavenly Tower. However, it could not be denied that he was really poisoned, and he had no ability to fight back. Now there were more people looking for him as both people from the good and evil sects were involved. With Xuanyuan Zhan’s prestige combined with everyone’s selfish desire, there was no way he could clear his own name. It was truly a critical situation. However, the most important thing to do now is to find a way to get rid of the poison.

Lan Shu looked at him with a faint smile. “Don't you want to explain something to me?”

Luo Xuan shook his head weakly. “If you didn’t believe me, I wouldn’t be lying here right now."

Lan Shu said helplessly, “But how did you get into such trouble with Brother Xuanyuan? Why were you poisoned? You should tell me what happened in the past few days.”

Luo Xuan shook his head. What could he say about Ruohua? Not to mention it related to her reputation.

Seeing as he refused to answer, Lan Shu stopped asking. After all, he understood his temperament, having been friends for many years. “Then this poison in your body, can you cure it by yourself?”

Luo Xuan shook his head again. Lan Shu frowned. Who can cure a poison which even Luo Xuan cannot cure?

“But is there a cure?”

Fortunately, Luo Xuan nodded. “The blood of a dragon.”

Lan Shu tilted his head. “Is there really such a thing?"

“Yes, I saw a dragon ascend to heaven once in Sky Mountain 10 years ago. Every year on the night of the full moon on August 15th, carps from all over the world will rush to the East China Sea, and those who have crossed the dragon gate can be transformed into young dragons. Then after they have practiced and cultivated their strengths for a few years, they will shed their skin, turn into a fully-fledged dragon and ascend to heaven. I observed the celestial phenomena of the skies for the past few days. On August 15th of this year, there will be a dragon ascending to heaven at the top of Sky Mountain. It may be my only chance to live.”

Lan Shu appeared melancholic. “The dragon is a demigod. How can it be so easily slaughtered? What's more, I think you only have 10% of your power left. I can't help you when I’m a mere scholar who can’t even catch a chicken. Also, now everyone in the martial arts world is looking for you. I’m afraid that the people you used to call friends are also unpredictable and untrustworthy. There are very few people who can help you. What are you going to do?”

“I’ll have to take it one step at a time. I’ll do what I can and leave the rest to fate. If the gods have forsaken me, then I have nothing to say.”

"But killing a dragon will harm your yin energy!”

“So I hope I’ll only have to get the dragon’s blood.”

Liu Li was stunned as she listened to all this. Stealing, curing, killing, and even dragons! Sure enough, these are the grievances of martial artists. How exciting. She felt the blood in her body boiling as she imagined how she would slay demons and devils with her dear husband in the future.

Lan Shu shook his head helplessly. Suddenly, he pointed his finger at her. “Then can you tell me who this girl is? You can’t have found a new lover, have you? She’s still so young.” Lan Shu said to this oddly clothed girl. She cried and slammed at the door of his house, and then pulled himself hard while asking him to save Luo Xuan. When she entered his house, she acted as if she was looking at some sort of miracle. He was very curious about this girl who danced around as she ‘visited’ his house.

Luo Xuan: "..." What was her name again? He thought for a long time. “Ah, her name is Liu Li. She said she has no relatives and no home. I just happened to bump into her. Fortunately, she made the move to... um... help.”

Then, he looked at Liu Li with a rare touch of emotion. Finally, she did a good thing. “Miss, thank you so much for sending me to Qinzhu Pavilion.”

Liu Li squatted by the bed with her hands propped on her cheeks. She looked up at him cutely, and said with a smile, “Oh no, it was nothing. I simply found some silver in your pocket, called for a palanquin and said Qinzhu Pavilion. Then they sent me here!”

Please, I'm not as stupid as the heroines on TV. I won’t cry half to death, and then carry or drag his heavy body over the mountain, as if I’m living in a tragedy.

Luo Xuan almost couldn’t catch his breath. He had to calm himself down. “Then shall I ask this young man to find a place to stay for you?”

Lan Shu also smiled in interest. “It just so happens that I have a servant who has returned home, so you can take his place. You can eat, live, and earn money."

And there are handsome guys too! Liu Li thought. But when she looked at the otherworldly Luo Xuan, whatever Shu Shu Lan Lan had long been tossed out of her mind.

She immediately lay down on Luo Xuan’s bed and cried, “I don’t want that... Hero, please let me follow you and wait on you. You saved this little girl from the hands of the officials(??). The chance for such rebirth is unforgettable. I’m willing to be even a slave or a maid. In this life, let me be at your beck and call. Please take me in and let me follow you. You can beat and scold me, you can even blame me for anything that happens! I can also cook and clean! Please don't leave me behind…”

Lan Shu was dumbfounded at how her expression changed so fast. He crossed his arms with an interested expression. Luo Xuan could only sigh helplessly. Luo Xuan was accustomed to coming and going alone, so how is it possible for him to bring a woman with him while he travelled? It’s fine if this was during normal times, but at this moment, he was caught in quite a bind and was hunted down by the entire martial arts world. It would not do for a weak female to follow him into such danger.

So he refused without even thinking about it. As a result, Liu Li cried louder, practically acting like a child.

Lan Shu smiled with the deliberate intention to make the situation worse. “It's fine, Brother Luo. Since this girl is not afraid of anything and wants to repay you for saving her life, let her follow you to Sky Mountain. Anyway, your poison will surely be triggered during your trip. It would not do if there is no one there to take care of you when you are unconscious. I don’t have any martial artists around me who can help you, and I am reluctant to ask my weak servants to accompany you to death. You should just take this girl with you! Whether it’s a blessing or a curse, that’ll be up to fate.” Then he turned to Liu Li and asked, “Girl, this will be a long journey north to Sky Mountain, and Hero Luo here has been poisoned. There may be many people who will chase after him with the intent to kill. You may be killed as well if you are not careful. Are you not afraid?”

Liu Li stopped crying immediately. She looked at him excitedly and yelled, “I’m not afraid!”

Lan Shu’s body went stiff. He quickly avoided her shining eyes. He was shocked. How can there be such a girl in the world? Her eyes were clear and innocent, and her face was clear and refined, like an innocent baby surrounded by ice and snow. Her round, flushed face looked so pitiful, and her cute little mouth was like a cherry, no one would be able to resist the desire to taste it. She had, under the weird thing (glasses?), a pair of big eyes which were abnormally agile, black like the bottom of a lake, and they seemed to be reflecting a clear blue light. When she smiled, they looked more like water waves, affecting the hearts of anyone who saw it.

Judging from her appearance and posture, her childishness had yet to disappear, she was obviously just a child of 13 or 14 years of age. When Lan Shu became the target of those clear eyes, he caught his breath and secretly scolded himself for such absurd thoughts. However, he couldn't help but exclaim mentally, ‘There are such clear eyes in this world. Turns out this is what they mean by ‘eyes clear as spring, brimming with life’.’ There seemed to be some deep magic in it, and he was accidentally sucked in. Yes, this girl has something that does not belong to this world. It is unpredictable yet extremely addictive. Who is she? Where did she come from? Lan Shu was very curious.

“Well, I'll leave Hero Luo to you, you have to take good care of him!" Lan Shu started to get excited. There was a hint of undetected cunningness in his eyes. Although Luo Xuan didn't say anything, he knew some pharmacology, so there was no way he wouldn’t know what poison he was given. Haha, now that there is such a girl by his side, let's see what Luo Xuan, who has always been pure-hearted and stayed away from the female sex, will do. He was overjoyed when he thought of the possible look on Luo Xuan’s face once things went out of his control. Haha, there will be a good show in the future.

"Okay!" Liu Li nodded resolutely. Of course she would, he is her dear husband! Haha, I am confident that no matter how difficult and dangerous the journey is, I will definitely get through it! Because generally the love that travels through time and space has a happy ending! How can the heroine die before the movie ends?! Haha! Life has to be like this in order for it to be exciting. Not to mention the fact that I can strengthen my relationships with my husband along the way! This is really great!

Luo Xuan was the only one looking absolutely helpless. But he also knew that Lan Shu was terribly stubborn, and he didn't have the energy to argue with him.

Suddenly, a servant hurriedly ran up and whispered in Lan Shu's ear.

Lan Shu quickly ordered him to go to the backyard to prepare the carriage, clothes, silver and some food.

“Brother Luo, you and Miss Liu Li will have to leave at this instant. Xuanyuan Zhan has already arrived with a group of people. He must have known that you would hide at my place as I am your only trusted friend in Hangzhou. I will ask a servant to bring you to Tianshan. Miss Liu Li, your outfit is far too eye-catching, you ought to change your outfit in the carriage. It would be even better if the both of you can put on a disguise during your journey. Brother Luo is far too weak now, so I'll have to leave him in your care. As long as the poison is cured, I believe that nothing will take down Brother Luo! Take care, and I hope to see you again in the near future!”

Luo Xuan hurriedly got up, acting swiftly and calmly. “Yes, we shall see each other soon!”

After that, he and Liu Li said their goodbyes, got on a carriage in the backyard and left Qinzhu Pavilion.