Chapter 408: You Won’t Die If You Don’t Seek Death
"They say we should fear not a godlike opponent, but a pig like teammate who adds to the trouble! Look at Miss Du: she can’t help in the least, and she’s only causing trouble!"
"No, you’re too young, what do you know about medicine? I can’t just stand by and watch you mess up. I’m going to town to get the doctor," Du Fuling declared, heading for the door.
Bai Ruozhu thought to herself, you’d better get lost, then I can finally save someone in peace.
However, Du Fuling was not completely foolish. She stopped in her tracks and turned to the coachman who was helping in the room: "You go to town to get the doctor; I’m staying here to keep an eye on her."
"Fuling, stop the nonsense. I trust Ruozhu. Besides, what decent doctors are there in this small town? Just stop causing trouble," Du Zhongshu weakly protested. Had Bai Ruozhu not asked him to remain silent, he would’ve scolded Du Fuling a long time ago.
"The coachman can’t leave; I have tasks for him. Du Zhong’s poisoning will reach his Heart Meridian within 15 minutes. If we let this happen, even a Divine Doctor won’t be able to save him," Bai Ruozhu calmly replied with a huff.
No sooner had she finished speaking than Du Zhongshu vomited a mouthful of blood. Even the coachman was now panicking. He pleaded, "Miss, please let Miss Bai start the treatment, or it’ll be too late."
Bai Zepei also began to worry about the well-being of Du Zhongshu, his fellow disciple. He told the coachman, "Take your Miss out for a break. Don’t bother the doctor while she’s treating him!"
Du Zhongshu nodded slightly, and the coachman had a gloomy look on his face as he escorted Du Fuling outside. Bai Ruozhu took her chance to approach, opened Du Zhongshu’s shirt, and revealed his slim torso.
"What are you doing? There’s a distinction between men and women, have you no shame?" Du Fuling seemed to have realized something, "Oh, I see, you want to marry into our Du Family! Dream on, someone of your status wouldn’t even be worthy enough to be his concubine!"
Having already begun her needle procedure, Bai Ruozhu couldn’t divert her attention to pay her any mind. Du Zhongshu, unable to speak because of the needle, wanted to reprimand his sister, but he could only glare at her. Unfortunately, Du Fuling simply didn’t get the hint.
Bai Zepei wouldn’t allow anyone to insult his sister that way. He gave Du Fuling a cold glare and ordered firmly, "Get out, don’t make me say it twice!"
Unable to suppress a shudder, Du Fuling wondered why the seemingly gentle Scholar Bai looked so intimidating now, making her want to hide away in fear.
"Rest assured, my sister has no interest in your Du family, and she certainly won’t become anyone’s concubine! I’ll let this go this time because I respect Brother Du, but if you continue your disrespectful remarks, don’t blame me for being unfriendly," Bai Zepei’s voice was chillingly cold. Even though he spoke softly to avoid startling Dengdeng, who he was holding, his authority was enough to intimidate Du Fuling.
She took a few steps back in fear. At this moment, a servant arrived with a large bag of medicinal materials. Out of breath and dripping with sweat, he reported, "The herbs have arrived."
Once Bai Ruzhu finished the needle procedure, she took the bag of herbs, checked each kind, and after ensuring everything was correct, threw all the materials into a large bathtub. She ordered people to heat it with water. As soon as the herbs were soaked in warm water, they released a strong medicinal scent.
"Zepei, take Dengdeng out. He’s too young to be inhaling these fumes," Bai Ruozhu instructed.
Bai Zepei nodded. He gave Du Fuling a glare, carried Dengdeng, and walked outside of the room. He didn’t go too far, still keeping a close eye on the situation inside the room.
When the water seemed sufficient, Bai Ruozhu removed the silver needles from Du Zhongshu’s chest one by one. She then ordered the coachman and the servant, "Help your Master undress and get him into the bath. Make sure he sits cross-legged. If he can’t sit still, you must hold him."
As she walked towards the door, she added, "There should be enough water just over his shoulders. If there’s too much, scoop some out. If there’s not enough, add more. Stir it once you’ve added water. Call me when it’s done."
The servant promptly acknowledged her instructions. As soon as Bai Ruozhu closed the room door behind her, the servant and coachmen began removing Du Zhongshu’s clothes without hesitation.
Du Fuling too followed them out of the room. Despite him being her brother, both were not children anymore, so propriety dictated she leave the room.
"Are you trying to cook my brother alive?" Du Fuling wanted to vent her frustrations on Bai Ruozhu seeing the heated preparations in the room.
Bai Ruozhu didn’t deign to look at her, lest she reduce her own intelligence by association. However, this made Du Fuling feel as though she was hitting a cotton wall, thereby causing more frustration.
"Are you deaf? I’m asking you!" Du Fuling raised her voice.
Bai Ruozhu glanced at her lazily and commented, "Can’t you see I’m resting? Your brother’s poisoning isn’t cured yet. Are you sure you want to disturb me and stop me from detoxifying him?"
Suddenly, Bai Ruozhu had a seemingly enlightened expression on her face, "Oh, now I get it. You must be the one who poisoned him. That’s why you keep hindering me from detoxifying him. Oh no, are you planning to kill me now to destroy the evidence?"
Bai Zepei almost laughed. His sister was trying to infuriate Du Fuling. If it really was Du Fuling’s doing, Bai Ruozhu wouldn’t dare say it so plainly.
True enough, Du Fuling’s face turned purplish-red as she retorted, "What nonsense are you spouting? He’s my biological brother. Why would I harm him?"
Bai Ruozhu curled her lips in disapproval, "In these wealthy families, siblings killing each other for money and power isn’t uncommon. Who knows what you’re up to? I advise you not to cause any trouble. The people inside have all heard it. Even if you kill me, someone else will know about your misdeeds."
Infuriated, Du Fuling began to stamp her foot, yelling, "Shut up, I didn’t do anything! I’ll teach you a lesson you won’t forget!"
With that, she lunged at Bai Ruozhu. Bai Ruozhu had learned some self-defence moves in her past life. If she couldn’t even dodge an unarmed woman, what was the use of her training?
She merely sidestepped, but her withdrawal was slow. When Du Fuling charged forward, she conveniently tripped over Bai’s foot and with a scream, she landed flat on her face, in what could only be described as a ’five points prostration.’
Bai Zepei standing at the side had the corner of his lips twitch. They were on the second floor, and the impact had made the entire floor shudder. That fall was harsh!
Bai Ruozhu held back her laughter and pretended to be in agony, shouting, "Ouch, my leg! Miss Du, were you trying to break my leg to prevent me from treating your brother?"
There was no response from Du Fuling who was lying on the floor. After a while, she let out a cried and started sobbing. When she finally lifted her head, her face was bloodied and her nose was bruised and bleeding so much that her hand could not stop it.
Bai Ruozhu couldn’t help but laugh quietly. With her nose broken, how much more could she say now?
Du Fuling, covering her nose, continued crying while spitting out some blood. Along with the blood came something white. Seeing that, Bai Ruozhu finally broke into laughter.