A sudden clap of thunder echoed outside the window, and the heavy rain arrived without warning, battering the glazed roof tiles and the flowers in the courtyard.
Red petals scattered across the ground like blood that even the rain couldn’t wash away.
The sky darkened instantly.
A cold wind, laced with the chill of the rain, seemed to pierce through the tightly shut doors and windows, slowly invading the room without mercy, swallowing up all warmth and bringing an endless chill.
Duan Ling wore only thin clothes, but he didn’t feel cold.
He stood by the couch, watching Lin Ting.
Madam Feng’s eyes showed worry, though she tried to remain calm.
“Ziyu, what’s going on?”
She had heard a little about Duan Ling always bringing Lin Ting along, how inseparable they were.
He should know Lin Ting’s condition well.
He didn’t reply.
Seeing this, Madam Feng turned to the doctor and said, “Doctor, please check her again.”
She herself doubted whether the doctor had made a mistake.
Lin Ting rarely fell ill and looked like a healthy child.
How could she suddenly have so little time left?
The doctor knew their status and didn’t dare be negligent.
As Madam Feng wished, he took Lin Ting’s pulse again, just as the previous doctors had.
Yet the conclusion from the pulse remained the same—her days were numbered.
He had no choice but to repeat his earlier words, unwilling to sound too absolute.
“Perhaps it is my own limited skill, madam. You may seek other good doctors to examine the young lady.”
Madam Feng closed her eyes tightly and instructed the servant to escort the doctor out.
Duan Father paced in the room, worried Madam Feng might become overly anxious and fall ill herself.
So he said, “Don’t worry too much. I have sent someone to invite other doctors from Jingcheng.”
He came to Madam Feng and took her hand and said, “This doctor himself said he may be lacking in skill and couldn’t find a cure for Leyun. Your health isn’t good; go rest first. I’ll inform you as soon as I hear anything.”
Madam Feng said nothing, pushed his hand away, and sat down on a nearby chair, waiting for Lin Ting to wake.
Duan Father remained silent.
After a long moment, Duan Ling seemed to finally react.
“There’s no need to look for more doctors.”
Madam Feng couldn’t believe it.
“What do you mean by that? If Leyun really is ill, we have to find a doctor for her…”
Duan Ling smoothed Lin Ting’s quilt and replied, “I have looked. They all said there is no cure.”
Duan Father slammed the table, standing up in anger.
“You looked? When did you do that? Why didn’t you tell us? Don’t think that just because you’ve become the Imperial Guard’s Deputy Commander, you can handle everything yourself.”
Madam Feng, worried about Lin Ting’s condition and unable to stand Duan Father still putting on the old man’s stern attitude to scold his son, lost her composure for once and shouted, “Shut up!”
“What did I say wrong? Something this serious, how could you hide it from us?”
At these words, she looked at him with undisguised hatred and said slowly, word by word, “Who gave you the right to lecture Ziyu? Didn’t you also hide from me that you sent him to be a Medicine Man?”
Duan Father was speechless.
After a while, he whispered, “I did it for Ziyu’s own good.”
He just hadn’t expected things to develop like this.
Madam Feng faced him coldly.
Duan Ling didn’t look at them.
“You’re disturbing her rest. Can you please leave?”
Duan Father scowled, “You!”
“Then we’ll leave for now. When Leyun wakes, make sure to tell us,” Madam Feng said, her gentle nature vanishing as she shot Duan Father a warning glance and turned to leave.
Duan Father followed them out.
The room fell silent again, but the sound of wind and rain outside mingled with the faint crackle of burning charcoal inside.
Duan Ling sat down by the couch and gently stroked Lin Ting’s long hair spilling over the soft pillow.
Then, following the strands upward, he touched her face.
“Lin Leyun.”
Lin Ting didn’t respond.
She could no longer hear what Duan Ling said, nor see his expression.
After a while, Duan Ling called her name again, but still no response.
He took the hand Lin Ting had warmed beneath the quilt, intertwined their fingers.
A sharp ache slowly spread through Duan Ling’s heart, radiating through his body, even more painful than when he was a Medicine Man.
Yet his expression hardly changed as he pressed his face to hers.
She remained motionless.
No one knew how long passed before Duan Ling lifted his head and stared at Lin Ting.
Suddenly, he smiled and asked, “You hid this from me, couldn’t tell me this was happening?”
Death.
Lin Ting was dying.
An indescribable wave of emotion crashed over Duan Ling, and his smile faded.
At the same time Madam Feng sent someone to notify Li Jingqiu at the Lin Family, unable to hide the news from Lin Ting’s mother.
The moment Li Jingqiu received the message, she rushed to the Duan residence, trembling slightly but walking fast—faster than even the strongest servants could keep up.
Entering the yard, Li Jingqiu immediately saw Tao Zhu crouched by the door, crying.
Even though she roughly knew what had happened, she still had to ask to be sure.
“What happened to Leyun?”
Tao Zhu sobbed uncontrollably, unable to form a complete sentence.
“Third Madam!”
Li Jingqiu was frantic.
She grabbed the weeping Tao Zhu and asked, “I’m asking you, what exactly happened to Leyun?”
Wiping her tears, Tao Zhu choked on her words, stumbling, “Third Madam, Seventh Miss suddenly collapsed… The doctor said Seventh Miss is ill and has little time left. No medicine can cure her.”
Tao Zhu had just learned the news herself and couldn’t accept it, crying ever since.
Li Jingqiu’s eyes reddened.
“Impossible! You’re all just conspiring to trick me! Leyun is getting braver by the day, even daring to joke about something like this. I’ll skin her alive!”
Tao Zhu sobbed.
She hoped it was a lie too, but the truth was Lin Ting really was ill.
Li Jingqiu almost lost her balance, staggering.
Tao Zhu hurried to steady her.
Li Jingqiu took a breath and said, “Take me to see her.”
Tao Zhu quickly led her to Lin Ting.
Lin Ting had been unconscious for two hours and still hadn’t woken, lying quietly.
Li Jingqiu slowed as she approached, then hurried again to the bedside.
“Leyun.”
Duan Ling, sitting by the couch, finally turned and looked up and said, “Mother.”
Li Jingqiu hurried forward, eyes filled with faint hope.
“Ziyu, tell me, did Leyun have you lie and deceive me?”
His thin lips moved, “No.”
Instantly, tears fell from Li Jingqiu like broken strings of pearls.
She let go of Duan Ling, her lips trembling, “She was fine not long ago. How did she suddenly become ill?”
Before she could finish, Lin Ting woke.
Her hand was held by Duan Ling.
When Lin Ting moved, he felt it.
He looked back at her and their gazes met.
“You’re awake.”
“Mm.”
Lin Ting saw Li Jingqiu’s tear-streaked face, the swollen red eyes of Tao Zhu, and understood—they all knew.
She sat up, “Mother, Tao Zhu.”
Li Jingqiu felt unbearable pain, as if a knife was cutting her flesh.
Her daughter wasn’t even twenty years old, so young—heaven was too cruel.
She wished she could take the illness and short days herself.
“How do you feel? Is there any discomfort?”
“No.”
Lin Ting reached out with her other hand to hold Li Jingqiu’s icy cold one.
The mother had been rushing here and sweating; the cold wind after leaving the carriage had chilled her.
Li Jingqiu sat beside the couch and studied her carefully.
“If you feel uncomfortable, tell me. Don’t hold it in—we’ll figure it out together.”
“There really isn’t.” Lin Ting insisted because she truly felt no pain—just fainting spells—and didn’t want them to see her suffer.
That would only make them feel worse.
Li Jingqiu cried again, thinking Lin Ting’s words were meant to comfort her.
All these years, even when Third Master Lin hurt her and she was wronged, Li Jingqiu rarely cried.
She just wanted her daughter safe.
But fate was unkind.
Li Jingqiu couldn’t accept Lin Ting’s impending death.
It felt as if someone was carving her flesh with a knife.
Words welled up in her throat but wouldn’t come out, turning into a single utterance: “Leyun.”
Lin Ting took out a handkerchief and wiped Li Jingqiu’s tears, “Mother, don’t cry.”
Li Jingqiu hugged Lin Ting tightly and whispered, “It’ll be alright. I’ll find doctors to treat you. If one can’t cure you, then two. If two can’t, then three.”
Whether those words were meant to comfort Lin Ting or herself, no one could say.
Lin Ting hugged her back.
Long after, they finally parted.
Li Jingqiu gently touched her face, speaking softly and rarely.
“I have a handkerchief to entrust you with. I was seriously ill before, and a certain Doctor Ling cured me. I’ll go find her and see if she’s still around.”
Lin Ting: “No need. I…”