Chapter 6: It Was the Breath of Death

“Trying won’t harm you in any way.”

Lu Zhaoling shifted her gaze and spotted his jade pendant.

“Let’s use that one—it’s decent quality.”

Doctor Fu was surprised as he picked up his jade pendant. It had been a gift from his grandson and was quite fine. If she had been raised in the countryside, could she speak so calmly, dismissing the jade as merely ‘decent’?

“Your medical skills are impressive; it’s a pity to lose you like this,” Lu Zhaoling added.

Doctor Fu chuckled softly, removed the pendant, and handed it to her.

Well, this young lady was intriguing. He might as well indulge her; after all, she was younger than his grandson.

“Sit down.”

Lu Zhaoling took the jade pendant in her left hand and lightly traced the air with her right. Her fingers pressed against his forehead.

Under her gaze, the wisp of dark qi swirling around Doctor Fu’s forehead seemed to come alive—twisting and struggling like startled earthworms.

Yet, it was held firmly by Lu Zhaoling’s fingers and soon became motionless, winding around her hand.

Almost immediately, Doctor Fu felt the dull, heavy pain that had weighed on his head for days lift and lighten.

The contrast was too stark to ignore.

Lu Zhaoling gently pressed her finger to the jade pendant and traced it softly. The dark qi slowly seeped into the pendant.

She placed the jade on the table.

“Watch closely.”

Doctor Fu’s eyes fixed on the pendant.

Suddenly, “Crack!”

The jade pendant shattered right before his eyes!

What had been perfectly intact instantly fractured into countless pieces, as if sliced by a spider’s web.

“This!” Doctor Fu was stunned.

The pendant had been fine in his hands, and Lu Zhaoling only held it gently before setting it down softly.

Even a martial artist with deep inner strength couldn’t have done this, could they?

“It’s done. Your headache won’t trouble you anymore,” Lu Zhaoling said.

Doctor Fu reached to touch his forehead. Even when the pain wasn’t flaring, there was always a dull ache there, more obvious when pressed.

Now, as he rubbed the spot, the dull pain was truly gone.

He looked up sharply at Lu Zhaoling.

Though she was merely a young girl in her teens, he saw in her expression a calm and inscrutable maturity beyond her years.

---

Doctor Fu asked in astonishment, “Miss Lu, what exactly was that just now? I couldn’t see anything.”

“Death Qi.”

“Death Qi? Where did it come from?”

Lu Zhaoling reminded him, “Some people do generate Death Qi when their life nears its end, but that’s not your case. Think carefully—before your headache began, did you visit any strange places or come into contact with anything unusual?”

Her head began to spin; her stomach rumbled. Extracting even a small wisp of Death Qi just now had left her feeling drained of strength and spirit.

She had yet to recover—she was still far too weak.

“If the Prince of Jin sent you here, then I shall borrow his authority. Please have Lu Ming prepare another courtyard for me, stew some ginseng chicken soup, and arrange for a clever maid to attend me,” Lu Zhaoling said, then collapsed weakly onto the table.

Doctor Fu cried out in alarm, “Madam Lu!”

Lu Ming hurried in.

“Doctor Fu, this wicked daughter of mine—”

Doctor Fu cut him off with a string of reproaches, “Madam Lu, you’ve truly opened my eyes! Is Miss Lu really your biological daughter? Has your family fallen so low?”

Lu Ming was taken aback. “No, that’s not true. Where did you get that idea?”

“If you weren’t so miserly, just look at this shack where Miss Lu is staying. The Prince of Jin expressly instructed you to care for her well, and yet this is how you do it? If I report this to the prince, can you withstand his wrath?”

Lu Ming’s expression changed.

“Immediately move Miss Lu to a better room, prepare ginseng chicken soup with thirty-year-old ginseng, and assign a clever maid to care for her!”

Doctor Fu looked at Lu Zhaoling, slumped on the table, and genuinely felt some sympathy for her.

“I will give her the medicine. Her injuries are severe, so the herbs must be high-quality and aged. The treatment will be expensive, Madam Lu—you must prepare the funds!”

“This room just needs tidying up; the household doesn’t have any spare rooms anyway,” Lady Lu said plaintively from outside the door.

Doctor Fu snorted. “Isn’t there another Miss Lu who’s uninjured? If there truly are no other rooms, have them swap.”

Lu Zhaoyun’s face darkened.

You want her to give up the Qixia Courtyard?

“Mother!” Lu Zhaoyun tugged at Lady Lu’s sleeve.

Lu Ming glanced at Doctor Fu, realizing this matter could not be ignored today. He couldn’t help but glare at his wife.

There were other courtyards in the residence; why assign Lu Zhaoling to such a dilapidated old nurse’s room?

Such negligence would disgrace him if word got out!

“Send the second young lady to Tingnuan Pavilion. Lady Lu, aren’t you going to instruct the kitchen to prepare ginseng chicken soup for Zhaoling?”

Seeing Lu Ming’s angry expression, Lady Lu knew this was no time for quarrels. She swallowed her anger and agreed. Then she told Lu Zhaoyun, “Help your second younger sister over there.”

---

Lu Zhaoyun clenched her teeth.

Doctor Fu, still uneasy, followed them to Tingnuan Pavilion.

This warm chamber was built on the south wing of the Lu residence. Though not large, it was elegantly decorated and comfortable, with a window overlooking a garden filled with flowers and plants—a rather pleasant place.

Lu Zhaoyun helped Lu Zhaoling onto the bed, then whispered fiercely beside her ear, “You won’t last here more than a few days.”

Lu Zhaoling glanced at her but said nothing, lying down and closing her eyes.

She could finally rest.

But Lu Zhaoyun continued nagging.

“Don’t think that climbing up to the Prince of Jin will save you. I’ve heard he’s cold and merciless—he wouldn’t rescue someone halfway and send them home. He probably hasn’t decided what to do with you yet, but once he does, you’ll suffer.”

“Who injured your head? Did those people do anything else? If you don’t tell me, rumors will spread, and no one at home can help you.”

“Get out,” Lu Zhaoling said coldly.

Lu Zhaoyun ground her teeth, stomped her foot, and stormed out.

She had to find out where things had gone wrong.

---

Prince of Jin’s Mansion.

The steward and the entire household gathered at the gate to welcome him.

“Welcome back to the capital, Your Highness!” The steward’s eyes brimmed with tears.

“Your Highness!” A meticulously groomed nanny arrived with two composed senior maids, also with tears in their eyes.

“Nanny Qing,” the prince glanced at her, then shifted his gaze to the two maids.

Seeing the prince’s attention on them, Nanny Qing brightened. Could it be that the prince had taken notice of these young women?

She quickly said, “Your Highness, these are two senior maids I have trained for you. They belong to the Qingfeng generation and are named Qingling and Qingyin. Henceforth, they will serve you.”

Qingling and Qingyin stepped forward and bowed, “We humbly greet Your Highness.”

“Skilled in martial arts?” the prince asked coldly.

“I excel at swordsmanship,” Qingling replied.

“I am proficient in lightness skills,” Qingyin added.

The prince nodded. “Pack your things and go to the Lu residence. From now on, stay by Second Miss Lu’s side.”