Chapter 1096 – A Surprise Counterattack (4)
“If only there were a second or third Sun Zaidao, he would definitely excel in this.”
Wei Ci shot a glance at Feng Zhen and remarked, “It’s better to rely on oneself than on others.”
Feng Zhen shook his head vigorously as if trying to shake off a headache—his small frame was incapable of handling such tasks!
“Zixiao’s heart is truly wicked; Beiyuan is known as the Northern Land of Ice and Snow, warm for only a few short months each year, the rest buried in thick snow and ice. If he were to go there, I fear he might not even convince anyone—their bodies would already be frozen solid!” Feng Zhen’s eyes sparkled with mischief as he added, “In my honest opinion, Zixiao’s silver tongue makes him an excellent candidate. I hear the common folk of Beiyuan, regardless of gender, are robust and strong, and with Zixiao’s striking appearance, I can only imagine how he would be received.”
The earlier words were fairly serious, but by the end, they had taken a turn that prompted Wei Ci to stride away, uninterested in banter with Feng Zhen.
“Ahem, Zixiao, don’t walk so fast!”
Seeing Wei Ci’s icy demeanor, Feng Zhen sighed inwardly; indeed, a good-natured person couldn’t take a joke.
He quickened his steps to catch up, only for Wei Ci to come to a halt.
“Zixiao, you’re such a kind-hearted person, you know…”
But before Feng Zhen could finish, his playful expression faded as his gaze landed on a man not far away—one whose looks bore a resemblance to Wei Ci’s but with a more amiable and solid demeanor. This was Wei Ying, the older brother of Wei Ci. What was he doing here?
“Elder Brother—” Wei Ci stepped forward to pay his respects. Before he could rise, Wei Ying’s icy right hand seized his wrist, quickly leaving several red marks on his skin—a clear sign of the urgency he was under. “Brother, what has happened?”
Why was the usually calm elder brother so flustered?
Feng Zhen observed Wei Ying from the side and noticed a hint of green under his eyes and an air of fatigue about him.
“Zixiao, help your brother with something—” Wei Ying said, his tone laced with tension.
Wei Ci lowered his gaze, concealing the emotions swirling in his chest, “Elder Brother, don’t rush; let’s walk and talk.”
Wei Ying didn’t invite Feng Zhen along, yet he didn’t refuse him either, so Feng Zhen shamelessly trailed behind them.
Wei Ying picked up his pace, his strides long, the fabric of their clothes rustling with a distinct sound.
In the past, he wouldn’t have been so undignified, but today, he didn’t care.
“Zixiao, you’ve studied medicine; can you diagnose ordinary colds and fevers?”
Wei Ying knew Wei Ci had medical skills; as the saying goes, prolonged illness hones one’s healing prowess, and Wei Ci had developed his craft this way.
Wei Ci nodded, “My skills may not rival renowned physicians, but I can handle minor ailments.”
Feng Zhen asked, “If someone is ill, why not seek a Young Doctor?”
“Not trustworthy.”
Wei Ying’s three words turned his expression several shades darker, a heavy and oppressive atmosphere surrounding him.
Feng Zhen blinked in shock—he didn’t trust the Young Doctor he brought along, but believed in the younger sibling from a rival faction?
What kind of trust did this elder brother have in Wei Ci’s integrity?
Did he fear Wei Ci might tamper with the prescription, creating some miraculous elixir of doom?
As Feng Zhen’s curiosity spiked about the patient’s identity, Wei Ci quickly deduced who it was.
Considering the world at large, aside from family, only Nie Liang could make the elder brother so anxious and unhinged.
A rare find in a close friend, the Nie Liang of a past life had passed away early, leaving the elder brother in desolation for over a decade until he himself succumbed to disease.
Keeping pace with Wei Ying, Wei Ci and Feng Zhen entered the Nie Clan’s residence where they were staying.
Before even stepping into the courtyard, they caught a whiff of the medicinal herbs in the air; Wei Ci subtly twitched his nose, frowning deeply.
“Guangshan, Zixiao has arrived.”
Feng Zhen observed this sneaky business with displeasure, yet he was secretly relieved to be along. If he hadn’t followed, Wei Ci would have been taken alone by Wei Ying to this place, and a knowing individual might spread gossip to Jiang Pengji, potentially raising the Lord’s suspicions.
Upon entering the room, the medicinal odor intensified, intertwined with an indescribable sour stench.
As soon as Wei Ying finished speaking, the duo heard a heart-wrenching cough echo through the room.
Wei Ci froze momentarily; this was only a few days apart, how could Nie Liang’s condition have deteriorated so drastically?
Nie Liang lay on the bed, his complexion ghostly pale, lips cracked and tinted with a faint blue hue.
“How did you change so much in just a few days?”
Struggling to sit up, Nie Liang looked as if everything vital had been drained from him, appearing utterly weak.
He forced a smile, “How did Zishun manage to invite your little brother here? The Young Doctor has already seen me; it’s not a serious illness—”
Upon saying that, he apologized to Wei Ci and Feng Zhen, “I regret my poor health preventing me from entertaining you both. Please, make yourselves comfortable.”
Wei Ying said, “Zixiao’s medical skills are commendable; no matter what, let him take a look. If there’s really nothing wrong, Ying will also feel at ease.”
Nie Liang couldn’t refuse his close friend’s insistence and offered Wei Ci an apologetic smile, “Sorry for troubling you to come, Zixiao.”
Wei Ci nodded, lifted the blanket, and asked Nie Liang to extend a hand for a pulse check.
Nie Liang’s condition was severe; his pulse was significantly weaker than normal—at times strong, at times faint.
“This pulse—” Wei Ci paused, then turned to Wei Ying, “What have the other Young Doctors said?”
“They only said it was a common cold and prescribed a few remedies, but Guangshan’s cold hasn’t improved at all.”
Wei Ying frowned and divulged how Nie Liang had secretly discarded the medicine he’d been given.
Nie Liang, lying on the bed, turned his face away, feeling embarrassed—
“A few days ago, the Young Doctor prescribed a new set of medicine for Guangshan, and I watched him drink it. But shortly afterward, Guangshan’s condition worsened dramatically. After examining the prescription and the herbal dregs, they were all targeted for treating a common cold—everyone’s opinion was too in sync, raising my suspicions. I feared it might alert the wrong people, so I had to ask Zixiao to check the pulse and figure out what was going on.”
Wei Ci remarked, “So Nie Liang has had some suspicion.”
“What do you mean?”
“He was poisoned. Although the toxin is mild, long-term ingestion of tainted substances will undoubtedly lead to accumulation within the body, weakening him significantly.” Wei Ci stated, “The prescriptions given were all for treating a cold, which must mean they were of no use—drinking them only harmed him.”
Nie Liang wasn’t suffering from a common cold; he had been poisoned.
Nie Liang’s expression flickered with shock, while Wei Ying clasped his sleeves tightly, unable to keep his composure.
“Poisoned?”
“I’ll need to look over what the other Young Doctors prescribed to see where the mistake lies. I’m not certain.” Wei Ci added, “Elder Brother should also keep a close eye on the Young Doctor accompanying you; a competent physician should be able to identify such a common pulse. Their unified claim that Nie Liang is suffering from a cold doesn’t add up—”
Wei Ying restrained his rising anger, expending great effort to suppress it, before getting up to retrieve the prescriptions prescribed by the Young Doctor.
“Never expected that Zishun would bring you here—”
Taking advantage of Wei Ying’s absence, Nie Liang smiled softly, a hint of joy breaking through his weak features.
“Your character is most admirable; I greatly admire it.”
If Wei Ci desired his demise, he only needed to conceal the condition’s symptoms, and nobody could contest it.
Wei Ci lowered his gaze, distantly cold as he replied, “I only think that living is better than dying.”
