Death Spell

<Extinction of the Immortal Spirit, Chapter [-] of the Tang Dynasty>

Because it was the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the servants of the Ruan family had already prepared their sedan chairs and waited outside the hospital.

Shopkeeper Wang saw it, and went outside the bead curtain, and saw Ruan Pingyu carefully flipping through the medical books, reading with great interest.

"Miss...Master Ruan sent someone to pick you up."

After hearing the sound, Ruan Pingyu closed the medical book. Since An Ya left, she has been checking those side books that only record intractable diseases, but she has not found a similar cause like Anya.Helpless Ruan Pingyu glanced at the sky outside, it was getting late.

"Understood, I'll be fine right away." Ruan Pingyu got up and went to the study room of the medical center, sorted out the few medical books she needed, and planned to go back to Ruan's mansion to discuss with her father, and then simply searched for a few , then turned and left.

Shopkeeper Wang took the book from Ruan Pingyu's hand and passed it to the servants. Seeing Ruan Pingyu coming out, the bearer immediately opened the curtain of the sedan chair, for fear that the young lady would be frozen.

Ruan Pingyu got into the sedan chair and said softly, "I've been waiting for a long time, come back soon."

All the servants in the Ruan Mansion know that Miss Ruan is not only gentle and refined, but also treats others with courtesy, even the servants are very kind to her.

So even though it was difficult to do it in the ice and snow, the servants still sent Ruan Pingyu back to the mansion before dinner.

The Ruan Mansion is decorated with lanterns and festoons, and there are different kinds of lanterns almost every two meters under the corridor.Ruan Pingyu walked through the front hall, handed the medical book in her hand to the servant girl Xiaohuan, raised her hand to take off the cloak and handed it to her, asking, "Where are daddy and the others?"

Xiaohuan smiled and said: "Back to Miss, Master and Madam decided to have Lantern Festival dinner in the Snow Pavilion."

Ruan Pingyu laughed and said, "It must be Fengling's intention to be so elegant."

"Eh?" Xiao Huan followed behind, and said, "How does Missy know?"

Ruan Pingyu just smiled and said nothing.

Before she stepped into the snow-appreciating pavilion, she heard her parents chatting with her younger siblings about family affairs.When they saw Ruan Pingyu coming, they sat around the round table together.

As soon as Ruan Fengling sat down, she held her chin, raised her eyebrows and said, "Elder Sister agreed to accompany me to see Luomei today, but she broke the appointment. How can I compensate me?"

Mrs. Ruan seemed to understand, she nodded, looked at Ruan Pingyu, and sighed: "Yu'er, look at you, you are going to get married in a year, and you are not afraid of Yuan's bitter taste. The young master dislikes it."

Ruan Pingyu raised her arms and sniffed around, smiled gently, but did not respond to this topic.

"When my mother married my father, she also smelled of bitter medicine. Did my mother dislike it?" Ruan Fengling took the words jokingly, "I see that the third son of Yuan has been in love with the eldest sister for a long time, let alone the eldest sister. It smells like bitter medicine, and I really like the smelly one!"

Ruan Pingyu frowned when she saw this younger sister who was so outspoken when talking about the third son of the Yuan family, she frowned and said, "You're talking nonsense!"

Madam Ruan glanced at her second daughter, and when she was about to say something more, the servants took out the prepared dishes from the kitchen and put them on the round table one by one.

Ruan Pingyu knew that her mother had a lot to say, so she got up and took the jug from the servants and filled her father with wine.

"Hahaha..." Ruan Pingyu's father, Ruan Yun, knew that his daughter was asking for help. Holding a cup carved from rhino horn, he took a sip of plum blossom wine and said with a smile, "Yu'er is not young, and many things come from her heart." There are quite a few. Fortunately, Your Majesty (sympathetic, allowed me to go after the reunion banquet, otherwise, I won’t be able to see each other for several months.”

The three children asked together: "Daddy wants to travel far?"

Mrs. Ruan sighed: "Yes, when you go to court today, Your Majesty will send your father to Lincheng to see a doctor and deliver medicine to some village."

Hearing this, not to mention that Ruan Pingyu didn't understand, even Ruan Fengling felt strange, "Why does your majesty ask daddy to see a doctor in a village?"

Ruan Yun put down his wine glass, looked at Ruan Fengling, and gave a slight "sneer", "What do you know, girl?"

"Could it be that His Majesty sent Dad to Lincheng for something else?" Ruan Pingyu asked curiously.

Ruan Yun bowed to the sky, "Your Majesty arranged for me to go to Lincheng. Naturally, there is His Majesty's reason. Is it something that the courtiers can discuss?" He raised his wine glass and took a sip, "And since I am a doctor, no matter what the status of the patient is, , I should go to the doctor."

"Yes yes yes... What Daddy said is very true..." Ruan Fengling got up and picked up the chicken leg, put it in Ruan Yun's bowl, and said with a smile.

Now that the empress has not been on the throne for a long time, it is inevitable to think a lot, so the current civil and military officials are very cautious in dealing with things.

Although the conversation quickly turned to other places, for Ruan Pingyu, this reunion banquet was both warm and worrying.

When she returned to her room and saw the medical books in front of her, she remembered Anya's illness, so she went to her father's study with those medical books in her arms.

Ruan Pingyu knew that if her father did not read a few medical books every day, he would not be able to sleep peacefully, so she made fun of her father.

——"If dad reads all the medical books someday, wouldn't dad need to sleep?"

——"You girl, medical books are like poets' poems, how can you finish reading them? Even if you finish reading them, you can read them again..."

Thinking of this, Ruan Pingyu pushed open the door of the study with a smile on her lips, saw that the candles were brightly lit inside, and whispered: "Daddy."

Ruan Yun put down the medical book, saw the eldest daughter holding the medical book, stroking her beard, and said with a smile: "I didn't go outside with your Tang Yan to watch the lanterns today, but did I encounter any intractable diseases?"

"Father knows me, and the second brother is still young, so he is more playful." Ruan Pingyu put the medical books on the table, stood aside and stated the basic situation of Anya, and asked: "Daddy has practiced medicine for many years, has he ever Have you ever encountered this disease?"

Ruan Yun thought deeply, stroked his beard, and shook his head inexplicably: "I have been a doctor for decades, but I have never seen this disease. According to Yu'er, does that person look healthy?"

"If she wasn't healthy, my daughter wouldn't be so curious."

Seeing her eldest daughter's serious face, Ruan Yun smiled with relief.In the Ruan Mansion, the only person who can discuss medical skills every day is Ping Yu.So for her curiosity, no matter what, Ruan Yun will keep it in his heart.

"It's okay, there are many imperial physicians in the imperial court. When I come back, I will ask you a question."

Ruan Pingyu was surprised and said, "Daddy will leave tomorrow?"

Ruan Yun nodded: "Your mother has packed my bags for me."

"Father, daughter... also want to go together."

"Impossible." When Ruan Yun heard his precious daughter say this, he immediately denied it, waved his hand, and said, "There is a village on the border of Lincheng, which is closed to the outside world. No one can enter or leave at will without His Majesty's order."

Ruan Pingyu frowned: "Closed? Why are there still closed villages in this era?"

"I heard that this village was built in the third year of Zhenguan. It was orphaned by Emperor Taizong's soldiers who fought hard for the world. However, due to some things, it was closed to the outside world. People inside are not allowed to come out, and people outside are not allowed to enter at will." Ruan Ruan Seeing the worried look on the eldest daughter's face, Yun Yun comforted her and said, "Don't worry, it's not really closed to the outside world. I heard from the imperial doctor who went there before that every year before winter, people would go out of the village to hunt and collect animal fur. , will choose to send people to Lincheng to buy crops and seeds, exchange some special handicrafts for cloth, and learn the current craftsmanship. And His Majesty sent me this time just to deliver medicine, that's all."

"Daughter doesn't understand, why do you have to go in person for such a trivial matter as delivering medicine?"

"Is there any trivial matter in this world?" Ruan Yun got up and came to her daughter, and said earnestly: "Yu'er has been studying medicine all year round, so she should know the heart of a doctor. She should not only have the curiosity to explore the cause, but more importantly, Be patient and careful. So is it a trivial matter to see a doctor?"

Ruan Pingyu lowered her eyebrows, how could she not know this truth...

"Father can't blame Eldest Sister, Lincheng is far and remote, Fengling is also worried." Ruan Fengling walked into the study with tremella soup in hand, raised her eyebrows and said: "Besides, Eldest Sister has never forgotten Father's teaching, just take today as an example, Elder Sister My sister missed my daughter's appointment just to see a doctor, and most importantly, I missed the meeting with Mr. Yuan San."

When Ruan Pingyu heard this, he suddenly said, "You, it turned out that it was a lie to ask me out, but it was the truth to let me meet him."

"You girl...worrying about Yu'er and Zishu's marriage all day long, I don't know, I thought you were in a hurry to get married!" Ruan Yun looked at the two precious daughters in front of him, and laughed again.

Ruan Fengling pursed her lips and twitched a little: "Daddy and Eldest Sister know how to laugh at me."

Ruan Yun saw that the elder daughter's brows were tightly frowned: "Yu'er, don't worry, I will tell you what happened there when I come back, how about it?"

Ever since she was a child, Ruan Yun would always tell Ruan Pingyu what she saw and heard as a story, and her expression lit up, "Really?"

Ruan Yun stroked his beard: "Have I ever lied to Yu'er?"

"But Dad transports the medicinal materials. Doesn't it take two or three months to go back and forth?" Ruan Pingyu is used to talking about medical books with her father every night, and there is no one to talk to at once, which seems a bit boring.

"Father, don't worry, I will take good care of elder sister." Ruan Fengling took Ruan Pingyu's arm and said, "Even if I get lazy occasionally, I will ask Mr. Yuan San to take care of him. Mr. Yuan has planted plum blossoms in the backyard." , Waiting for elder sister to go and see."

Ruan Pingyu knew that there was something in this girl's words, so she said helplessly, "If you have time, you can study those medical books with me, and you can take good care of me."

Ruan Fengling immediately spread her hands and begged for mercy: "I beg my eldest sister to let me go, I haven't found a good family yet, and I don't want to scare away my future husband with the smell of herbs."

"You……"

Ruan Yun laughed out loud.

……

After half a month, Zhuo Yao decided to leave the bamboo house where Anya lived because her health improved.

"Thank you Miss An for saving your life, and for taking care of Zhuo Yao these past few days." Zhuo Yao raised her hand in a bow.

"Saving someone's life is better than building a seven-level pagoda. It should be so. Miss Zhuo doesn't need to take it to heart." Anya raised her hand to stroke her long hair on her temples, and said calmly, "But why doesn't Miss Zhuo set off in the daytime? Now... it's getting late .”

"I've been missing for half a month, and I can't bear my parents' worries. I'm in good health now, and I just want to go home as soon as possible." As she spoke, she paused again, and suddenly said, "Although I'm not very young, I also know how Miss An is. Keep a low profile and don't like to be disturbed... Zhuo Yao knows that her abilities are limited, if one day Miss An needs Zhuo Yao, she will go through fire and water."

"Miss Zhuo, although she is not very experienced in the world, she should know why she was poisoned." Seeing Zhuo Yao's eyebrows raised, Anya continued: "I am an outsider in the affairs of the family, so I shouldn't interfere. But since Miss Zhuo's life was saved by me , I can only say... If Miss Zhuo has something to ask, I will definitely not refuse."

Zhuo Yao didn't expect to hear these words, and immediately said with a smile: "Thank you."

"It's hard to walk at night due to the snow, Miss Zhuo, please be careful." Anya nodded.

Zhuo Yao bowed again, turned and left.

The sunset is full of sky, reflecting the white snow, the scenery is really beautiful.

In the bamboo forest courtyard, there was only Anya alone. After a long time, Anya held the white jade gourd in her hand and asked in confusion, "Why didn't you tell her that you saved her life and you took care of her daily life?"

Sang Xie's figure appeared behind Anya at some point, looking at the direction where Zhuo Yao left, and said calmly: "I don't want to add to her troubles."

Anya smiled slightly, and looked at Sang Xie: "Her troubles already existed the day she met you, so I'm not afraid to add more."

"What do you mean by what you just said?"

Anya raised her finger to the sky, staring at the crescent moon that was about to rise in the distance: "This is a secret. Yesterday I watched the stars at night, and the sky in the east was faintly black. Before March, there will be changes in Zhuoyuan Escort. If she comes Asking for my help, are you still planning to avoid it?"

Sang Xie stood there until Anya returned to the bamboo house, but she didn't respond.

……

As the night gradually darkened, Anya pushed open the bamboo window, saw the bright moonlight outside the window, went outside with pear blossom wine in hand, and leaned on the bamboo chair in light clothes.Surrounded by white snow, a pair of melancholy eyes looked at the crescent moon, took a sip, and then put it down, the wine made a "crash" in the flagon, and raised his hand to wipe away the wine stains.A jug of wine was like clear water, and it quickly drained away. Just as Anya wanted to get up to get the wine, another jug ​​of wine that had just been opened was handed to her.

Anya glanced at Sang Xie, took the wine, and smiled innocently: "I think, you and I haven't been drunk for a long time."

Sang Xie thought for a while, "The last time I was drunk, I remember it was with Brother Nie, and Brunei..."

Whenever talking about those people who passed by, the two of them unconsciously lowered their eyebrows.The people they are familiar with, and things, the streets of Xianyang City, are now... too far away from them.Although life was hard at that time, in retrospect, it was the happiest.

No baggage.

"Times have changed. Sang Xie, tell me... Brother Nie and Brunei, have they reincarnated? Is it possible for you and me... to meet them again?" As she spoke, Anya took a big sip and passed the wine Returning it to Sang Xie, he sighed helplessly, "...Even if we meet, we are still like strangers, it is better not to meet at all."

Sang Xie took the wine, and pulled another bamboo chair far away with a soft whip, and sat side by side with Anya, looking at the crescent moon together, took a sip, and handed it to Anya.

Anya frowned while drinking, and continued: "... But what's the difference between being alive and being dead?"

"It is said that people miss the past when they are old. You are always like this, but is it because of old age?" Sang Xie's lips curled slightly.

"Could it be, aren't you?"

Sang Xie turned her head to look at Anya, her question was not answered: "Ya, you know what's on my mind, so your... would you like to explain it to me?"

Anya paused for a while while drinking, but said nothing.

"...The other day when you came back from Dr. Ruan's hospital, you lost your mind. What's the matter?"

Seeing that Anya was silent, Sang Xie looked like someone who had come here, and smiled slightly: "But, do you want to stay away from her?"

Anya: "..."

"You also said just now that there is no difference between you and me living and dying, so why don't you just follow your heart?" Sang Xie drank the wine and looked at the crescent moon: "The moon waxes and wanes, but it can still be full." Come back, let alone a guy like you and me who are neither human nor ghost."

After hearing these words, Anya finally lowered her eyebrows, "It's easier said than done..."

……

For Anya and Sang Xie, a hundred years have passed in the blink of an eye, but slowly...the end of life cannot be seen.

In a blink of an eye, it was already March.

The spring rains have awakened the sleeping earth in winter. An Ya is in the shed, using a shovel to take care of the flowers and plants she planted, and the sound of hurried footsteps treading water can be heard in the distance.Anya put down the shovel in her hand and raised her eyebrows.

I saw the wind chimes outside the bamboo gate making crisp ringing.

"Miss An!" Zhuo Yao slipped on the soles of her feet and almost fell, but An Ya raised her hand to support her. Zhuo Yao was in a mess, and when she saw Anya, she said, "Please...help my father."

Anya helped Zhuo Yao into the house, poured a cup of hot tea and handed it to her: "Miss Zhuo, drink the tea first, just speak slowly."

Zhuo Yao didn't have the heart to drink tea at all, her eyes were red, "My father...he picked up a bodyguard a month ago and went to Lincheng, but the bodyguard brothers who came back from there said that there... zombies appeared over there, And...and my father...they...are missing!"

Zhuo Yao put down her teacup, looked at Anya and said, "I know Miss An is not an ordinary person, please... help my father."

Anya stroked her long hair from her temples, and raised her eyebrows: "Zombie!?"