Free Web NovelChapter 217: Chapter 217: Unfinished Matter, He Promised Me
The clinic was in a prime location, with a constant stream of pedestrians outside.
Ji Qingwu had just stepped out when she was nearly run into. Fortunately, she dodged in time, taking two steps back.
"Miss, are you alright? I couldn’t see where I was going."
The young servant, who had thick brows and large eyes, was holding a massive food box. It completely blocked his view, which was why he hadn’t seen her.
Ji Qingwu’s gaze, however, was drawn to the man standing behind the young servant.
’Wasn’t this the Imperial Merchant from Xijin that Duan Mingfeng had just mentioned?’
The young servant asked with concern, "Are you hurt anywhere, miss? Do you need me to find a clinic for you?"
Ji Qingwu shook her head. "I’m fine. You didn’t hurt me."
At that moment, the man with the gray-blue eyes spoke. "You came out of the clinic. You must work here."
His voice was gentle and soothing, but up close, his eyes were like the surface of the sea beneath overcast skies, carrying an oppressive weight.
Ji Qingwu didn’t answer, instead asking, "Judging by your accent, sir, you don’t seem to be from around here."
Yu Wen Tianqing said, "I am a merchant from Xijin. I have long admired Beili’s cuisine and have come to learn a few things about the trade."
Seeing him state his identity so directly—and confirming what Duan Mingfeng’s investigation had uncovered—Ji Qingwu’s wariness toward him lessened slightly.
He exuded an air of leisurely wealth, the kind that was obviously built on a mountain of gold and silver.
Ji Qingwu glanced at the food box in the servant’s hands. "Food is best eaten hot," she said. "I won’t keep you."
With that, she stepped aside to let them pass.
Yu Wen Tianqing didn’t move. Instead, his gaze shifted past her to the still-unmarked clinic.
"Now I remember. We’ve met."
"We had just arrived in Lin’an City and went looking for the famed Tianxiang Restaurant, only to find it had been sold and turned into this very clinic. You were also there that day."
Ji Qingwu nodded. "You have a good memory, sir."
Yu Wen Tianqing’s gaze settled on her face. "Are you, by chance, one of the Five Divine Doctors from Nanchu?"
The faint smile on Ji Qingwu’s lips disappeared. "Why do you ask that, sir?"
A touch of sorrow crossed Yu Wen Tianqing’s face. "To be honest, I came to Lin’an with some unfinished business."
’He traveled all this way to find me, and he has unfinished business...’
Ji Qingwu’s gaze traveled down from his face, sweeping over his entire body.
’He looks perfectly healthy. Don’t tell me he’s another one who can’t have children?’
As she lowered her head, the gray in Yu Wen Tianqing’s eyes deepened. "Five Divine Doctors, may we speak in private?"
*
「Inside the clinic.」
The table was covered in white porcelain shards and powder.
Duan Mingfeng sat there, watching Mo Lingling, who was shaking like a leaf.
He poured a cup of tea. "Why are you so afraid of me?" he asked. "Am I that horrifying to look at?"
Mo Lingling had twisted the cleaning cloth in her hands into a wrinkled ball.
When she didn’t answer, Duan Mingfeng slammed the teacup down on the table with a CLANG. Mo Lingling’s shoulders flinched again.
She quickly shook her head. "No."
Based on looks alone, Duan Mingfeng was far from horrifying. In fact, with his sharp brows and bright eyes, he was quite handsome.
As a child, he had been very popular with the other girls. Mo Lingling had been one of them.
But when the Duan family was wiped out in an act of revenge, Duan Mingfeng’s personality turned dark overnight. Mo Lingling had borne the brunt of his cruel words.
She still had a scar on her knee from that time—he had lost control and pushed her down, causing the injury.
His face grim, Duan Mingfeng stared past her. "What are your plans now?"
Mo Lingling said quietly, "I’ll stay here at Miss Ji’s clinic. It’s better than Liangxiang Pavilion. There’s not so much scheming, and the Shopkeeper and the others here look after me."
He looked up. "And you’re no longer planning to clear Lord Mo’s name?"
Mo Lingling could never forget that her father had died a wronged man.
"Of course I am!"
A sorrowful look crossed her face. "I’m all that’s left of the Mo family. But I have to stay alive first if I’m ever going to clear my father’s name."
Duan Mingfeng asked flatly, "And how will you do that? Are you still going to find Li Chengxun?"
Mo Lingling seemed dazed for a moment, not having heard that name in a long time.
Then, she whispered, "He promised me."
That night, he had whispered so firmly in her ear that one day, he would have her father vindicated.
Even though she had whispered, those three words still bored into Duan Mingfeng’s ears.
He crushed the cup in his hand.
Ji Qingwu walked back in just in time to see it happen.
The veins on the back of Duan Mingfeng’s hand bulged as the cup in his palm dissolved into a pile of powder. ’I wonder how their talk went...’
’With that kind of strength, I wonder if I could hire Duan Envoy for a side job grinding medicinal powders for the clinic...’
Duan Mingfeng and Mo Lingling both stared at the person behind her.
Ji Qingwu turned. "This is a merchant from Xijin. His name is—"
"Yu Wen Tianqing."
"Right, Young Master Yu Wen."
Ji Qingwu explained, "He’s the clinic’s first patient, and we haven’t even officially opened yet."
Everyone’s expressions instantly turned strange. Mo Lingling’s gaze went straight to his crotch.
The corner of Yu Wen Tianqing’s mouth twitched. "Miss Ji, you’ve misunderstood."
"Could we speak in private?"
A patient’s privacy was important, so Ji Qingwu nodded.
She then exchanged a look with Duan Mingfeng, and he and Mo Lingling went to wait in the hall on the first floor.
Ji Qingwu asked, "Young Master Yu Wen, if you’re not unwell, then why exactly did you seek me out?"
Yu Wen Tianqing sat down, leaning back in his chair with a relaxed air.
"I heard that one of the Five Divine Doctors was lost as a child and was only found by her family in the last half-year."
Hearing him bring up her past, Ji Qingwu said coolly, "It seems you know a great deal about me, Young Master Yu Wen."
Sensing the wariness in her eyes, Yu Wen Tianqing said, "Five Divine Doctors, please don’t be alarmed. I didn’t mean to pry into your personal life."
"It’s just that everyone in Lin’an City knows about the Fifth Missy of the Ji Mansion. I’ve heard her story mentioned by other patrons in restaurants several times."
’That’s a plausible enough excuse.’
Right now, if you took all the stories about all the other young ladies of noble families in the city—both the reputable and the scandalous—their combined reach wouldn’t be as wide as the tales about Fifth Miss Ji.
Ji Qingwu said, "Young Master Yu Wen, since you address me as a divine doctor, you should know I charge a consultation fee. I don’t make small talk for free."
"If Miss Ji can help me with what I need, you can name your price," Yu Wen Tianqing said magnanimously.
A glint appeared in Ji Qingwu’s eyes. "And you’re not afraid I’ll name an outrageous price?"
Yu Wen Tianqing replied even more freely, "As long as you have the skill to get it done, money is no object."
’Just what you’d expect from a wealthy Imperial Merchant.’ A professional smile returned to Ji Qingwu’s lips.
She asked, "Then what is it you came for, sir? You can speak freely."
Yu Wen Tianqing stopped beating around the bush. "I have a younger sister, three years my junior. She went missing when she was a child."
’Just like me,’ she thought. ’Lost as a child.’
