Chapter 2960 - 2961: Midnight Emergency

Chapter 2960: Chapter 2961: Midnight Emergency

"Master, the Eldest Miss is just outside the gate. She fainted the moment she got down from the horse carriage," the gatekeeper said.

"Walk faster!" Master Xue’s steps quickened a few degrees.

Xue Zhi slowly came to, and the moment she opened her eyes she saw her father hurrying out through the gate.

"Father!" She called out once and then burst into loud sobs.

"Zhizhi." Master Xue rushed over, and father and daughter clung to each other, weeping bitterly.

"Your daughter is unfilial, I’ve come back too late. Is it really my mother?" Xue Zhi refused to accept it, still hoping she’d misunderstood.

Master Xue wiped away his tears. "Your mother passed last night. She kept talking about you, told me over and over that I must find you a good husband."

"Last night?" Xue Zhi wailed, "Just one night—Mother, why couldn’t you wait for me?"

"Zhizhi, how have you grown so thin?" Master Xue said in distress. "Don’t cry anymore. If your mother knows in the netherworld, how grieved would she be?"

Xue Zhi cried till she could hardly breathe; her body went limp and she fainted again.

"Zhizhi!" Master Xue was horrified. How was it that in such a short time his daughter had passed out twice already?

Bai Ruozhu hurried forward. "Master Xue, I am Bai Ruozhu. At Lord Xue’s request, I escorted Miss Xue back. Don’t panic. Miss Xue has been low in spirits lately, unable to eat or drink properly. Her fainting is due to physical weakness. Send her back to her Room to rest and let her have a good sleep."

Only then did Master Xue really notice the newcomers. Forcing himself to pull together, he bowed to Bai Ruozhu and the others and led them inside.

Xue Zhi was carried back to her boudoir. Bai Ruozhu looked at her again and couldn’t help letting out a sigh.

Such a filial, good girl; a pity they were one step too late.

If they had arrived a day earlier, perhaps Madam Xue could still have been saved.

Of course, perhaps they still would have been powerless to turn things around; after all, neither she nor Gao Zhou were gods.

By the time they entered the main hall, Master Xue had washed his face and come back again.

One look and it was obvious he was just forcing himself to stay upright; the grief in his eyes had nowhere to hide.

"I have neglected all you honored guests; I truly beg your pardon." Master Xue bowed. "Many thanks to all of you for escorting my little girl home. Xue is endlessly grateful."

"It’s what we ought to do," Gao Zhou replied with a return bow. "I had meant to come see how your esteemed lady was faring, but I didn’t expect we would still be one step late. I’m truly sorry."

At his words Master Xue’s eyes reddened again. "It’s her fate to enjoy few blessings. The illness came just like that. We invited so many doctors, yet none could say what was wrong. Before Zhizhi went to the Capital her mother was perfectly fine; it’s only been a few days."

Everyone felt a touch of rue. This was probably fate.

Afterwards Master Xue invited Bai Ruozhu and the others to stay. Since Bai Ruozhu and her party were already here, they ought to attend Madam Xue’s funeral at least, offer a stick of incense before leaving.

The journey here had been too rushed; now they could finally sleep with their feet on solid ground. Everyone was exhausted and, after washing up, went back to rest.

Just after the third watch, an urgent knocking sounded. "Lord Bai, Lord Bai, I fear my Miss is not well. Please come look at her quickly!"

Bai Ruozhu jolted upright in bed. Little Dengdeng was startled awake and asked drowsily, "Mother, what’s wrong?"

"Be good. You and your father go back to sleep. Mother is going to treat someone." She patted her son’s head, got out of bed, quickly dressed, and headed out the door.

Xue Zhi’s maid had cried till her eyes were swollen. When she saw Bai Ruozhu, she couldn’t be bothered with propriety anymore; grabbing Bai Ruozhu’s arm, she said, "Lord Bai, my Miss suddenly started breathing rapidly, and her eyes rolled back. I fear she’s not going to make it."

"How could it be like this? Have you reported it to your master?" Bai Ruozhu knew Xue Zhi was heartsick, but it shouldn’t have been fatal.

"We’ve already sent someone, but I know only you can save her. Besides, at this hour of the night, who knows when other doctors could even get here," the maid said.

Bai Ruozhu quickened her pace and soon reached Xue Zhi’s Room.

She sniffed lightly. There was no smell of Poison, but the Room was damp and carried a kind of desolate, or rather deathly, scent.

She rushed into the Room and took one look: Xue Zhi’s eyes were rolled white as she gasped desperately for air, a muffled groaning in her throat; she was so thin she looked like a bundle of dry sticks.

Something clenched in Bai Ruozhu’s chest. Was this still the same bright, pretty girl from a few days ago? How could she have changed so much?

"Zhizhi, Zhizhi, how are you?" Master Xue’s voice sounded as he rushed into the Room like a gust of wind.

Seeing Xue Zhi’s condition, he couldn’t help bursting into tears, then his own eyes rolled back and he collapsed in a dead faint.

Bai Ruozhu hurriedly had someone help him onto the nearby couch. She thought of how he hadn’t even emerged from the grief of losing his wife before his daughter was also on the brink of death; anyone would break under that.

The maid dropped to her knees with a thud. "Lord Bai, I beg you, you must save our Miss!"

"Get up first. Have someone prepare some hot water," Bai Ruozhu said rapidly. The situation was extremely critical.

"Yes, yes." The maid ran out at once.

Bai Ruozhu took out her silver needle and inserted it into Xue Zhi’s acupoints, putting her into a temporary deep sleep.

She reached out to feel Xue Zhi’s pulse. Her body was very weak, anemic, and her Heart Meridian was somewhat damaged, but how did that lead to what had just happened?

She checked again carefully. It wasn’t Poison.

All of a sudden Bai Ruozhu’s eyes widened. It was a Curse!

"Someone!" she shouted. "Quickly send for the Yin Yang Master who came with me to do Astrologer work, and also for Lady Ao Song!"

If it were illness or Poison, she could still try to think of a way, but when it came to a Curse, that was not her specialty.

The Xue Family servants were moving too slowly, making her anxious; she regretted not bringing Jianqi along.

Given that it was the dead of night and she was treating an unmarried young lady, it really wasn’t appropriate for an outside man like Jianqi to come along.

Helpless before Xue Zhi’s condition, she first inserted a Needle into Master Xue. He slowly came to.

"Lord Bai, I beg you, you must save my daughter. Otherwise how can I face her mother?" Master Xue said, agitated.

"Master Xue, don’t get worked up yet. She’s been targeted by a Curse. Think carefully—does your family have any enemies, or has she offended anyone recently?" Bai Ruozhu asked.

Master Xue shuddered. "What, a Curse? Isn’t that sorcery?"

Bai Ruozhu nodded. "On the road earlier she was already unwell, but that was because she missed her mother too much and stopped eating, so her strength declined. Today, hearing of her mother’s death after getting home was indeed a heavy blow, but that alone shouldn’t have pushed her into such mortal danger."

"I only hold a leisurely, insignificant post, and my daughter rarely goes out. How could she have offended anyone?" Master Xue was nearly in tears from anxiety.

Just then footsteps sounded outside. The Astrologer and Ao Song had been brought over.

"Sister Ruozhu, what’s going on? How did she get hit by a Curse?" Ao Song asked.

"Go and take a look. From how she was just now, I’m eighty to ninety percent sure of it," Bai Ruozhu said.

The Astrologer was not suited to go too close; having Ao Song look should be enough.

As she examined Xue Zhi, Ao Song muttered, "We ran into her on the Boat before, and she didn’t look cursed then. Otherwise there’s no way I wouldn’t have noticed."