Disease rights policy

Qiao Ran fiddled with it for a long time by herself, and every now and then she would try to see if her internal energy was still there. She tried several times and was sweating profusely, but she still couldn't help but want to try again.

"Your internal energy is unstable. Forcing yourself to circulate it will damage your foundation. Rest."

Suddenly, Chen Jiu spoke up, and Qiao Ran felt as if she had been doused with a bucket of cold water. She quickly obeyed and sat down obediently, turning her head to look at Chen Jiu, who had closed his eyes as if he were asleep.

"Chen Jinzhou?"

A moment of silence fell over the car as it drove at a steady speed through the streets of Sichuan, the wheels making a soft rustling sound. Qiao Ran pressed her ear against the window as children chased and played on the street, running around with candy figurines in their hands.

The woman, rushing home to cook, yelled loudly as she caught the running child and brought him back. Then she turned around and started arguing with the man buying groceries next to her.

Qiao Ran smiled knowingly; it was truly full of everyday warmth.

“I used to think that I would do nothing, just laze around at home every day, and when I got bored, I would go out for a walk, greet the neighbors, and play with the neighbor’s kids. If I wasn’t bored, I would just lie in bed and daydream.”

This happened a long, long time ago. Qiao Ran had lived a life of constant danger for too long, so she wanted to leave the organization and bought a place to live in a small town. She almost made it happen.

Unfortunately, fate played a cruel trick on us.

Qiao Ran continued talking to herself, her hands behind her head swaying slightly from side to side with the carriage. She glanced at Chen Jiu, wondering when he had woken up and was looking at her.

No matter how many times Qiao Ran looked into those eyes, she would be drawn in. The corners of the eyes were slightly upturned, and the pupils were a deep black. But upon closer inspection, they seemed different from when she first saw them. However, Qiao Ran couldn't quite put her finger on what was different.

She also noticed that Chen Jiu's lips were thin but did not appear harsh. When she showed her teeth, she looked like a gentle breeze, but when she pursed her lips, she had a different kind of aloofness. Her face was also thin, with a bone-sharpening effect.

Qiao Ran examined Chen Jiu as if admiring a work of art, and finally burst out laughing.

Chen Jiu only saw the smile on her lips, so he also shifted to a more comfortable position and leaned back. "What are you laughing at now?"

"I'm laughing at you," Qiao Ran said with a smirk. "I've been staring at you for so long, and you haven't shown any expression at all, you idiot."

Chen Jiu shifted his gaze back and gave a soft "hmm".

Qiao Ran laughed again, "Who would admit to being an idiot? I know you're not an idiot. You figured out the reason for Yang Min's death so quickly, otherwise I would have had to take the blame. You're so smart, it's just that others don't know it."

Chen Jiu squeezed his palms with his fingers under his sleeves. He suddenly felt that his condition had worsened in the past two days. He was about to start feeling dizzy and lightheaded after taking one dose of medicine. Now his vision was even more blurred. He could only see Qiao Ran as a blurry figure and could barely hear anything.

The slight pain brought him back to his senses, and he said, "What's the use of being so smart? It's fine to be muddleheaded too."

"Of course it's useful. You'll see how useful your intelligence is once you're better."

Chen Jiu countered, "Will I get better?"

If he still had a sliver of hope, he wouldn't have pushed himself so hard all these years. Now, he might truly be the "smart" person in Qiao Ran's eyes.

Qiao Ran was afraid that Chen Jiu would be sad, so she encouraged him, "It will definitely be alright. I'm a member of Tuoyue Pavilion now. In ten days, I'm going to the Snow Region with the leader and the others. Do you know why we're going?"

After a short while, Chen Jiu could no longer hear clearly, and he vaguely replied, "I don't know."

Qiao Ran wondered, hadn't Wu Yang told Chen Jiu yet? She said, "The leader has found the whereabouts of the Moon Fox Relic. Once we return from the Snow Region, you will definitely get better. 'Spring and Autumn' is a divine object, and so is the Moon Fox Relic. They can definitely save you."

"Ah."

Qiao Ran thought Chen Jiu had taken her words to heart and was overjoyed. Suddenly, she remembered Min Heyu's drunken ramblings and tentatively asked, "So, Chen Jinzhou, are you still planning to go back to Kyoto?"

"Ah."

The rising emotion slowly subsided, and Qiao Ran said quietly, "That's your home. I should have guessed you would go back. Once you're feeling better, your parents will probably call you back, right?"

Chen Jiu rubbed his temples, his eyes brightening slightly. He didn't know what Qiao Ran had said, and fearing she might notice something amiss, he nodded gently in agreement.

“Once you return to Kyoto, I may not be able to see you again,” Qiao Ran confessed. “I don’t really like that place, so I won’t come to see you. Take good care of yourself.”

Chen Jiu remained silent. For the first time, he felt that the carriage in the manor was moving slowly. Qiao Ran was not a quiet person. If he kept talking and didn't respond, she would notice. So he leaned back and pretended to close his eyes.

"Look at me, why am I talking to you so much, knowing you must be exhausted by now."

Qiao Ran picked up the incense chopsticks from the small table in the carriage and lightly traced them in the incense burner. "Chen Jinzhou, if you were still in Kyoto when you were twenty-eight, I would definitely come to see you then."

After saying this, Qiao Ran leaned against the carriage wall and fell asleep. When she woke up, they had arrived at the villa, and Chen Jiu was no longer in the carriage.

She jumped off the carriage. "Where is your young master?"

Mu Xiang said, "Young Master went back to rest first. I was just about to wake you up when you woke up.

"I actually fell asleep too," Qiao Ran said, rubbing her temples. After returning to the house, she called Zhou Mu over and asked him about Qin Huai's whereabouts.

Zhou Mu and his men sent people to leave Qiao Ran's mark in various places every day, but they didn't hear a word about her.

Qiao Ran couldn't help but feel disappointed, guessing that Qin Huai might have already left Shu.

-

That night, Chen Jiu woke up on the bed. Old Master Qu took his pulse and looked worried. "Young Master has been working hard for two days and has not taken his medicine on time. His condition has been fluctuating. If this continues, it will become more serious in the future."

Chen Jiu lay quietly for a while, listening to Old Qu recount all the dangers before saying, "Has the previous prescription become less effective? Let's change the prescription."

Upon hearing this, Old Master Qu's beard stood on end. "Absolutely not! Young Master has been using a mild prescription for the first half of this year, but then Qiao..." Old Master Qu choked up, paused for a moment, and then sighed before continuing, "Now he's switched to the old prescription with stronger effects. Switching to an even stronger prescription would cause too much damage to the body. It won't work."

Chen Jiu said, “Before, if I missed one dose of medicine a day, I could last for two days. Now, if I miss one dose, I can’t even last for two hours. Elder Qu, tell me, how am I supposed to stay awake at all times?”

Old Master Qu knelt tremblingly by the bed, his eyes red-rimmed. "The medicines you are using will damage your five senses and six perceptions. I do not agree to change to a stronger prescription. Please do not worry about other things. Just rest and recuperate. I will do my best to help you recover."

Chen Jiu knew he couldn't persuade Master Qu this time, so he went along with him, "If you don't want to change it, then don't change it. I'll listen to Master Qu."

It would be good to take care of Wenwen, but Chen Jiu knew that he didn't have that much time to do so. He had a lot of things to do, countless conspiracies to devise, and countless traps and fires to brave. He had to finish all of this before he became a complete cripple.

Chen Jiu ate less porridge that evening. Xie Laoshi knocked on the door and came in, "Young Master, we've found out."

"explain."

"Helian Xiaoxuan is the illegitimate daughter of Helian Jin, a collateral descendant of the Helian clan of Pingjing. Helian Jin had also given away a daughter in his early years, who was Helian Xiaoxuan's older sister. Her whereabouts are now unknown."

Chen Jiu coughed, clutching his handkerchief, his face pale. "I see."

Helian Xiaoxuan came to Daliang not only to find what Kong Ji had, but also to find her sister who had been lost for many years.

If that's the case, could the portrait of the woman that Qiao Ran saw at Wuting Hall be the one that Helian Xiaoxuan has been searching for? But who took that portrait, and where is the person in the painting now?