Volume 3, Chapter 180 – Farm Girl

“Sister Chi…” The black-haired country girl looked at Chi Xiyan like an abandoned puppy, her gaze pitiful.

She gripped Chi Xiyan’s hand tightly, her watery eyes filled with pleading.

Chi Xiyan was somewhat speechless. This girl really was…

“Son-in-law!!” The old woman clutched Chi Xiyan’s hand tightly. “I know I’ve done many wrong things in the past…”

“But Shuangshuang is my only daughter!”

“I’m already someone who died once, son-in-law. What do I, this bag of old bones, need to do for you to forgive me and agree to take good care of Shuangshuang?”

The old woman gripped Chi Xiyan’s hand, tears streaming down her face.

Yu Lizhi on the side was still looking on pitifully.

At this moment, Chi Xiyan’s face was full of helplessness.

Yu Lizhi cared so much about her mother. If Chi Xiyan refused at this moment, wouldn’t it break this girl’s heart?

So, under the old woman’s cloudy gaze, Chi Xiyan raised one hand and gently pressed Yu Lizhi’s hand.

“I…” Chi Xiyan’s mouth opened slightly.

“You’ll what?!” Lu Zhuxin stared with watery eyes, looking at Chi Xiyan full of anticipation. “Sister Chi…”

Being stared at like this by this girl, the corner of Chi Xiyan’s eye twitched slightly.

She had lived for over ten years and had never experienced anything like this.

Although she knew this was just acting, actually saying “I’ll take care of you for life” to a girl was still far too embarrassing.

She felt like she was stuck between a rock and a hard place.

Really… why was she doing this for a farm girl with no knowledge or ability?

“Sister Chi…” This canine-like girl’s sobbing voice with a crying tone entered Chi Xiyan’s ears again.

Chi Xiyan could even see tears beginning to overflow from the corners of this girl’s eyes.

Was this girl going to cry again?

Chi Xiyan hated it most when women cried.

Several black lines appeared on Chi Xiyan’s forehead again.

Her mouth twitched slightly. If one looked carefully, they would see a tic mark forming on her forehead.

“I…” Her throat moved. Her mouth was inexplicably dry, her throat seeming blocked by something, making it difficult to speak.

But these were all psychological effects.

“Sister Chi…” The injured puppy squeezed out a tear from the corner of her eye, her face full of dejection.

Chi Xiyan suddenly closed her eyes and spoke as if facing execution. “I… I’ll take good care of her, please rest assured.”

“Mother…”

She said it! In the end, she still said it!

Chi Xiyan tilted her head slightly, her face full of resignation.

“Thank you, Sister Chi!” The black-haired country girl gripped Chi Xiyan’s hand firmly.

The zero-distance skin-to-skin contact made Chi Xiyan instinctively furrow her brow.

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The small hand of a sixteen or seventeen-year-old girl in her prime was softer than Chi Xiyan had imagined.

This girl’s hands were different from the rough, thick hands of country women Chi Xiyan remembered.

Although they appeared somewhat yellowed and rough from lack of care, they were unexpectedly soft and delicate to the touch, nothing like the hands of a farm girl.

This surprised Chi Xiyan.

No wonder Yu Lizhi and her mother had such a good relationship. It seemed that before the family incident, she had also been pampered and raised at home.

“Wonderful! Wonderful!!” The old woman wept with joy, her body trembling with excitement.

“It seems heaven didn’t let me die in that cursed place so I could make up for past mistakes!”

“Daughter! Son-in-law! No matter what happens in the future, you must both be well…”

“People who love each other must support and care for one another. You shouldn’t harbor suspicions or doubt each other.”

“Mm! Mother, I’ll always love Sister Chi and be a good wife!” the black-haired girl said joyfully.

She looked at Chi Xiyan, her beautiful eyes curving into crescent moons.

This girl was too easy to fool.

Chi Xiyan could even imagine a fluffy tail wagging behind this girl.

Right now, this canine girl was tugging at her sleeve with her little paws.

Chi Xiyan understood what she meant.

This girl was pushing her luck!

Chi Xiyan’s mouth twitched as she unnaturally responded softly.

“Mm… I… I’ll take good care of my wife.”

After saying this, Chi Xiyan felt her toes could dig out a three-bedroom apartment.

“Wonderful… wonderful!” The old woman raised her head, her complexion ruddy, her eyes full of joy.

“Heaven… has not treated me poorly!”

“ Cough, cough …”

Suddenly, the old woman’s expression changed dramatically. She clutched her chest and began coughing.

“Mother! What’s wrong? Mother?!” Lu Zhuxin immediately stepped forward and grabbed the old woman’s hand.

A trace of demonic power silently seeped into the old woman’s body.

“Sister Chi! Come look quickly… what’s wrong with my mother?!”

Chi Xiyan also grabbed the old woman’s wrist.

The situation was urgent. She couldn’t worry about such things now.

After a brief pulse check, Chi Xiyan furrowed her brow.

What was happening? This old woman’s physical condition was deteriorating faster than Chi Xiyan had imagined.

She quickly took out a pill and fed it to the old woman.

Then she took out silver needles and, using spiritual power, administered several needles to the old woman.

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After a moment, the old woman’s complexion improved somewhat. Her coughing also became lighter.

She lay on the bed with her eyes closed, but her hands kept gripping Chi Xiyan and Lu Zhuxin.

She kept muttering, “Son-in-law… daughter… You must be well… live good lives…”

“May heaven bless… peace and prosperity.”

As the old woman murmured, she fell into a deep sleep.

Only then did Lu Zhuxin raise her head and look at Chi Xiyan. “Sister Chi… my mother, what’s her condition now…”

“…” Chi Xiyan pressed her lips together and fell silent.

The old woman’s condition was worse than before.

Previously, Chi Xiyan had been sixty percent confident she could cure her. However, after the earlier medication accident, she might not even have ten percent confidence now.

And that confidence was just to save the old woman’s life.

Chi Xiyan had seen just how deep the bond between Yu Lizhi and her mother was.

Precisely because of this, she didn’t know how to tell Yu Lizhi.

Excessive medication was Chi Xiyan’s mistake.

Misdiagnosis wasn’t uncommon among physicians. But if a patient lost the possibility of treatment because of misdiagnosis… then for a physician, this was an unforgivable mistake.

And now, such an accident had happened to a successor of Medical Immortal Valley.

Chi Xiyan could imagine how angry her teacher would be if she found out.

Chi Xiyan lowered her eyes slightly.

“I’m sorry…” she said quietly.

“Sister Chi…” Lu Zhuxin looked at Chi Xiyan and bit her teeth lightly. “Why are you apologizing…”

She stepped forward and gently grasped Chi Xiyan’s clothes. “Sister Chi, what does your apology mean?”

This time, Chi Xiyan didn’t push the girl away.

She only let out a soft sigh. “The promise I made earlier, I couldn’t keep. Now, she might…”

Chi Xiyan couldn’t continue. She could feel the girl before her trembling slightly.

“Sister Chi…” The black-haired girl’s eyes brimmed with tears. “Right now, I want to hear the truth.”

Chi Xiyan remained silent. She was hesitating.

She was struggling with how to say it.

Should she tell this girl directly that, because of Chi Xiyan’s diagnostic error, her mother was beyond saving?

Or should she deceive her with lies, letting her accompany her mother through her final journey full of hope?

Chi Xiyan remained silent.

And the girl before her had already noticed the change in Chi Xiyan’s expression.

The girl’s face paled slightly. “Sister Chi, you don’t need to worry too much about my feelings… I can handle it.”

“Zhizhi…” After hesitating for a moment, Chi Xiyan finally said, “You can spend time with her in peace. In this small courtyard, no one will disturb you.”

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The black-haired girl froze for a moment. After turning pale, she forced a strained smile back onto her face.

“I see. I understand.”

“Thank you… Sister Chi…”

…

When Chi Xiyan walked out of the courtyard, her steps had become much heavier.

She had successfully gained Yu Lizhi’s trust and firmly grasped this true, legitimate bloodline of the Chi family in her hands.

This should have been a good thing, but Chi Xiyan didn’t feel happy.

Why was that?

Chi Xiyan thought that after all these years in the Chi family, she should have long lost such emotions.

For merchants, being swayed by emotions was taboo. Merchants should only see profit and advantage in their eyes. This was what Chi Jingwen had taught her.

As an avenger bearing a blood debt, she couldn’t harbor any woman’s kindness. That was merely a sign of weakness and incompetence. This was what her aunt Qin Qingfen had taught her since childhood.

Chi Xiyan knew she shouldn’t indulge that girl so much.

Whether as a merchant or as a physician, she should have appeared more rational.

But now, Chi Xiyan couldn’t say that the old woman might only have months to live.

Nor had she been able to tell Yu Lizhi that it was Chi Xiyan’s misdiagnosis that had cut off the old woman’s chance at life.

“Sigh…”

Chi Xiyan didn’t know when she’d become so sentimental.

She’d even performed such an absurd act with that girl.

She’d always done so well before.

Chi Xiyan rubbed her head.

Was it because seeing that girl’s appearance reminded her of herself?

Chi Xiyan had lost her parents at a young age and grown up in the hatred instilled by her aunt Qin Qingfen.

Although she could now control her heart and emotions well and make the most rational judgments in various situations, in truth, Chi Xiyan’s heart still yearned for certain things.

Yu Lizhi was willing to pay any price for her mother, even doing many irrational things.

And that old woman, even with confused memories, even having forgotten her daughter’s name… still remembered her daughter’s happiness and prayed to heaven.

Was this true mother-daughter affection?

Chi Xiyan looked at the azure sky, but a dark tint welled up in her eyes.

Chi Xiyan had no parents. She never knew what blood kinship was, nor had she ever experienced truly selfless care.

Old Master Chi treated her well, but Chi Xiyan could always see some distance in that merchant’s eyes.

Aunt Qin Qingfen’s treatment of Chi Xiyan also wasn’t as pure as imagined.

Chi Xiyan suddenly felt somewhat tired.

After seeing the mother-daughter bond between Yu Lizhi and her mother, a long-lost, unfamiliar emotion surprisingly emerged in Chi Xiyan’s heart.

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“Young Lady.” Lin Xiu, the Fifth Realm peak martial artist, approached.

His gaze briefly glanced toward the room. “That young lady, who exactly is she?”

Chi Xiyan put away that inexplicable feeling in her heart. “Lin Xiu, you’ve been observing that girl for quite a while, right? What conclusion did you reach?”

Lin Xiu hesitated for a moment. “Young Lady, let’s go outside to talk.”

“So mysterious?” Chi Xiyan laughed softly, though she didn’t object. “Then let’s go.”

Chi Xiyan and Lin Xiu came to the outer area of the manor.

“Let’s talk here,” Chi Xiyan said.

“Young Lady.” Lin Xiu pondered. “I find that girl somewhat strange.”

“Strange?” Chi Xiyan was surprised. “For example?”

She was very familiar with Lin Xiu. Although he was a rogue cultivator, he had once traveled the world with his exceptional body cultivation skills. His experience and knowledge far exceeded those of ordinary people.

If not for a chance encounter where Chi Xiyan helped Lin Xiu save his wife and daughter, Chi Xiyan wouldn’t have had the opportunity to recruit him.

“That girl doesn’t seem like a farm girl,” Lin Xiu said. “Young Lady, you should know that before I embarked on the cultivation path, I was born into a farming family.”

“So I’m more familiar with farming customs than ordinary people.”

“Farm children aren’t like wealthy families who raise daughters in their chambers. Farm women aren’t as delicate as rich young ladies.”

“But that Miss Yu Lizhi, although her dress and appearance are no different from a farm girl, and even her words and actions are extremely like those of a farm girl… but…”

“But a farm girl who’s acting will ultimately differ from a real farm girl?” Chi Xiyan picked up Lin Xiu’s thread.

She had grown up in the Chi family. As a wealthy young lady, she was even less likely to know what real farm girls should be like.

Lin Xiu continued, “Farm girls generally marry at fourteen or fifteen and bear children. At sixteen without being betrothed is already considered a late-marrying old maid.”

“That Miss Yu Lizhi… she’s very beautiful. Both her body and personality appear quite delicate… The feeling she gives me doesn’t quite match what a seventeen-year-old farm girl should be like.”

“She’s more like a wealthy young lady who’s never actually done farm work.”

Chi Xiyan knitted her brow and thought about all the details since meeting Yu Lizhi.

She really didn’t understand these things and couldn’t distinguish between an acted farm girl and a real farm girl.

“So you think she’s most likely pretending?” Chi Xiyan asked. “What would be the point of pretending to be a farm girl?”

“I don’t know.” Lin Xiu shook his head.

Chi Xiyan pondered.

If Yu Lizhi was pretending, what would her purpose be?

Right now, Chi Xiyan could only think of the Chi family’s wealth.

If that were true, then how did she know the secret of the Chi family’s young lady? Where did she get that jade hairpin?

“Does she have cultivation?” Chi Xiyan asked. “Or does she show signs of having cultivated?”

Lin Xiu thought for a moment and shook his head.

“Not at all. That young lady’s words and actions are completely those of an ordinary person, without a trace of cultivation.”