My Lady Always Lacks Ambition-Chapter 1007 - 980: Wherever You Go, We Will Follow

Having resolved the Soul-devouring Gu, Qin Liuxi gently dressed the little girl’s small clothes, then blocked others’ view and removed her lower clothing.

As soon as the small pants were taken off, an indescribable smell wafted out.

Zuo Zongjun, snapping back to reality, awkwardly said, "As soon as Han’er cries, she can’t hold back her feces and urine, so now she has to wear a diaper tightly. She might have gone just now. Shall I have the wet nurse come to clean her up?"

"Hmm, have her bring warm water for a wash," Qin Liuxi agreed, although she didn’t mind, she didn’t want to examine the child in a messy state.

Zuo Zongjun quickly called for someone, and after a flurry of cleaning, Qin Liuxi checked the child’s condition. Meanwhile, Teng Zhaodu took the prescription handed by the servant and reviewed it, murmuring several formulas aloud.

It wasn’t entirely inappropriate, but with the Soul-devouring Gu inside her, the child was disturbed by the poisonous insect and unable to find peace, continuously crying, thus unable to recuperate.

Qin Liuxi took the pulse and told Zuo Zongjun, "Little Hanhan’s illness isn’t a big problem in itself; it’s mainly due to the mischief of the Soul-devouring Gu, making conventional medicine ineffective, and weakening her vitality. How long has she had this illness? Two months?"

"Exactly. Two months ago, she went out to a banquet with Tang’er and caught a cold upon returning, leading to vomiting and diarrhea. It was terrifying; we were all dumbfounded then. We never imagined she’d been cursed with a Gu. Several imperial doctors looked at her but none diagnosed it," Zuo Zongjun explained, his voice choked.

"Yes, children have deficient blood and energy, with underdeveloped organs. A severe cough with vomiting from a cold, coupled with frequent diarrhea, places a continuous strain on the abdomen, and constant crying further weakens the anal muscles, causing prolapse and disordered excretion. Children, being delicate, have incompletely developed organs; thus, they get this illness," she explained.

She touched the child’s full forehead and soft hair, saying, "With this illness untreated and having the Gu, the discomfort damages Divine Soul, causing her to cry incessantly, and making any medicine useless. Actually, as children grow older, this anal prolapse will gradually heal."

Zuo Zongjun clenched his fists, "So are we supposed to stop her medication and just wait for her to grow?"

"Of course not. With the Soul-devouring Gu eliminated, the plan is to treat the illness according to the symptoms and nurture her back to health." Qin Liuxi smiled, "If we were to wait idly, she’d grow into a truly frail beauty, which would be troublesome later on."

Fragile women often meet short-lived beauty; even if lucky to survive, childbearing is difficult and a mere cold could be deadly.

So waiting isn’t an option; an illness must be treated.

"Don’t worry, without the Gu causing trouble, she will recover. To heal quickly, there’s a formula, but it might be too much for a child. We need another way," Qin Liuxi assured.

"What formula?"

"A chili formula. Eating lots of green peppers can treat it, but that’s too hot for one so young. I’ll first perform acupuncture while I ponder the formula." Qin Liuxi untied the large bag from her waist and handed it to Teng Zhao.

Teng Zhao took it, opened the needle bag, and placed it aside.

After washing her hands, Qin Liuxi instructed him to light a calming incense, then took silver needles, targeting Bai Hui, Zu San Li, Changqiang, Chengshan, and other points.

Zuo Zongjun watched the silver needles glistening on his daughter’s body, his heart aching unbearably; his eyes teared up, quickly wiped away.

While the needles were left in place, Qin Liuxi went aside to prepare the prescription. The child was too young for eating chilies, so she needed to grind them into powder, mix them into medicinal soup or congee, making the taste palatable enough for the little one to consume.

Soon, Qin Liuxi worked out a balanced prescription suitable for children, handing it to Zuo Zongjun, "Boil the medicine according to the prescription. The physical issues are treatable through nurturing, but as the Soul-devouring Gu has lingered within her, damaging her Divine Soul, healing her soul is paramount."

Zuo Zongjun knelt, "Junior Temple Master, please show my daughter a way out. She just turned one, and has suffered greatly, it’s heartbreaking."

Little Ginseng glanced at Teng Zhao, explaining, "She has been promoted to Temple Master. The current Junior Temple Master is Zhaozhao."

Zuo Zongjun was momentarily taken aback.

"Yes, I’ve taken up the role of Temple Master." Qin Liuxi didn’t elaborate, saying, "For nurturing the Divine Soul, visiting temples and Daoist Temples helps. If you follow us on the journey back to the capital, you could find a temple there and stay with the child daily to listen to sutras before Buddha, calming her soul. If not returning to the capital, Qingping Temple is an option—the Daoists’ daily lessons there will be protected by the Grandmaster. Certainly, since the little girl is so lovely, I’ll give her a Peace Jade Talisman to wear, calming and nurturing her body."

Zuo Zongjun, overjoyed, repeatedly thanked her; reflecting on the chance meeting, he asked, "Are you heading to the capital?"

"Yes."

Zuo Zongjun couldn’t decide whether to follow to the capital or directly proceed to Qingping Temple, and after thinking, said, "I’ll discuss it with Tang’er when she wakes."

"I’m awake." Lin Qingtang sat up from the bed, teary-eyed, her trembling hand brushing her daughter’s small foot, then jerked back as if shocked, looking at Qin Liuxi, "We wish to stay near the Temple Master. If you go to the capital, we’ll follow."

She gazed at her daughter’s thin, sallow face, filled with fear. If not for deciding to travel south, they’d never have uncovered the terrifying Soul-devouring Gu—the doctors consulted had missed it, showing its insidiousness.

The very name "Soul-devouring Gu" evoked dread; if, as Qin Liuxi said, the illness was treatable but the soul destroyed, wouldn’t she become a simpleton?

If we hadn’t chanced along our journey, would our daughter suffer death attributed to illness, rather than the Gu?

Lin Qingtang turned pale, yet felt a stroke of luck; they headed south, and even before reaching Qingping Temple, encountered Qin Liuxi, discovering their daughter’s lingering illness. Surely, this was her blessing and fate linked with Qin Liuxi, saving her life.

Otherwise, had they traveled south and Qin Liuxi north, if not for stopping in this town, they’d have surely missed each other. 𝚏𝐫𝚎𝗲𝕨𝐞𝐛𝕟𝚘𝐯𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝗺

This must be her daughter’s blessed fate.

Thus, wherever Qin Liuxi is, there they shall be; only by staying near her, can they find peace, as she is their daughter’s benefactor.