劍問蒼天 - 第16章 私傳 - 清風書屋

This beautiful young woman was, of course, Tian Lingsu. Seeing that Zhang Qingyue had been wounded, she had grown worried and slipped quietly over to visit him, never expecting to find her mother there as well. So she had hidden herself outside the door, and only emerged after Su Wan had gone.

Now, seeing Zhang Qingyue standing there as if struck dumb, she could not help scolding him: "What are you standing there for?"

Zhang Qingyue came to his senses, his face flushing red. He was just about to invent some excuse to explain himself when he saw Tian Lingsu lower her head—Dahuang had come running over and was rubbing its head affectionately against her leg.

Tian Lingsu bent down and stroked Dahuang's head. The dog stuck out its tongue and licked her jade-like hand.

"Chee-chee-chee-chee!" came the cry of the monkey Xiaohui. The two of them and the dog all turned to look at once, and saw Xiaohui dart behind Dahuang, seize that great bushy tail, and haul backward on it, as if trying to drag Dahuang away from Tian Lingsu. Feeling Tian Lingsu's startled gaze upon it, Xiaohui looked up and suddenly bared its teeth at her in a fierce grimace.

Tian Lingsu was not angry in the least—she even made a face right back at the monkey. Ever since Xiaohui had come back with Zhang Qingyue, it had gotten along tolerably with everyone else, but it bore a particular grudge against her. Yet when she saw that Dahuang, which had always been on bad terms with Xiaohui, had turned around and, instead of flying into a rage, was playing and romping affectionately with the monkey, she was taken aback.

"What's going on here?" Tian Lingsu asked Zhang Qingyue, pointing at the monkey and the dog tangled up in their play.

Zhang Qingyue explained how Xiaohui had been won over with meat bones. Tian Lingsu burst out laughing and scolded him merrily: "I never thought this wretched monkey had that trick in him!" Then her bright eyes shifted, her gaze falling on Zhang Qingyue and sizing him up from head to toe. "By the way, my father struck you today. Are you feeling any discomfort?"

Zhang Qingyue shook his head. "It's nothing now, Senior Sister."

Tian Lingsu said, rather indignantly, "Father really is too much. If he's feeling out of sorts, why take it out on you?"

Zhang Qingyue hastily said, "No, no—it was my own stupidity that made Master angry..."

Tian Lingsu glared at him, and Zhang Qingyue immediately could not go on, his mouth half open. Tian Lingsu gave a little huff and said, "It had nothing to do with you at all. It's just that my father saw how gifted those two were and felt unbalanced, so he..." She got halfway through the sentence, glanced at Zhang Qingyue, and thought to herself that this was as good as saying her junior brother was stupid. So she changed tack and said instead, "What did my mother come over for just now?"

Zhang Qingyue answered honestly, "Martial Aunt came to see how I was doing too, and she gave me two 'Dahuang Pills.' They're wonderfully effective—I took one and was completely healed."

"Dahuang Pills?" Tian Lingsu seemed startled.

"That's right," Zhang Qingyue said, looking up at her. "What is it?"

Tian Lingsu looked at her young junior brother a moment longer, then said, "Those are my father's treasures. Mother told me they're refined from twenty-three kinds of spiritual herbs, with wondrous powers. None of the senior brothers—myself included—has ever been lucky enough to taste one."

Zhang Qingyue's mouth fell open. Tian Lingsu's eyes darted about, and she murmured to herself, "Could it be that Father actually regards you differently? But somehow that doesn't look like it either."

Zhang Qingyue said, "It must be that Master is compassionate and, seeing me wounded, graciously bestowed the spiritual medicine on me. He truly is broad-minded!"

Tian Lingsu laughed aloud. "My father, broad-minded... heh, never mind, I won't say it. Eh—why is there the sound of rain?"