Night was falling, and pedestrians were growing scarce.
Fang Yu couldn't be bothered to pay any more attention to this ungrateful wretch, keeping her gaze fixed firmly on the end of the alley.
Such a virtuous and obedient demeanor left Zhou Mingli consumed with envy.
Back when he was studying medicine at Baicao Hall, he had already harbored a secret fondness for the clever and ethereal Fang Yu.
After Fang Baiyao died, he had planned to take control of Baicao Hall, reduce Fang Qi to a cripple, and then logically take Fang Yu for himself.
Yet Fang Yu insisted on staying with Liu Yunxiu, willingly enduring abuse and exploitation at the hands of the gambling addict Fang Qi.
When he heard not long ago that Fang Yu had caught the eye of a local gentry's son in the village, Zhou Mingli had felt a pang of regret.
But now, the situation had somehow turned out like this.
People always loved watching others fall from grace, yet loathed seeing them rise back to the top.
Besides, the Fang family's descent from wealth to utter destitution owed more than a little to Zhou Mingli's "assistance."
"Brother!"
Just as Zhou Mingli was lost in his wild thoughts, Fang Yu bounded forward with joyful leaps, throwing her arms around the returning Fang Qi, her face brimming with deep attachment.
"You're a grown young lady now, why are you still so reckless?"
Fang Qi laughed as he rubbed Fang Yu's head, slightly ruffling her maiden's hair.
The moment she saw Fang Qi, Fang Yu felt as though she had found her backbone, her expression radiating a trace of smugness.
It seemed that as long as he was around, there was nothing that couldn't be solved.
Leading Fang Yu back into the medical clinic, Fang Qi caught sight of Zhou Mingli leaning on his crutches and immediately offered a faint smile.
"Senior Brother, why aren't you healed yet?"
Asking the obvious! Zhou Mingli felt a strong urge to fling his crutches to the ground.
Barely a day or two had passed; even with the best medicine, the injuries on his body would take ten days to half a month to subside.
Seeing the look of absolute confidence on Fang Qi's face made Zhou Mingli's anger flare up instantly.
A ruined gambler—instead of acting like a useless waste, he actually dared to defy the heavens and change his fate?
"Fang Qi, stop gloating over my misfortune! If Fang Baiyao hadn't left a trick up his sleeve, I wouldn't have ended up like this!" Zhou Mingli said bitterly.
The mockery in Fang Qi's eyes gradually faded, replaced by an icy aura that made even Fang Yu feel somewhat unaccustomed to him.
At this moment, Fang Qi felt utterly unfamiliar.
He was neither the hysterical gambler nor the gentle, breeze-like brother.
"Father fed and clothed you, and taught you the medical arts. In the end, are you really unwilling to call him master even once?" Fang Qi's voice was frighteningly low.
Zhou Mingli choked for a moment, then doubled down.
"Master? He doesn't deserve it!"
"I started studying medicine at age six, pouring tea, serving water, cleaning up filth and urine—worse than a slave! I lived through that kind of life for over ten years!"
"In the end, he still held back from me and taught all his ultimate skills to you!"
Fang Qi could only shake his head helplessly.
Fang Baiyao had indeed poured his all into teaching him, even treating him like a biological son.
Those ultimate skills were part of the Divine Physician Qihuang Inheritance that Fang Qi had acquired, not something that came from Fang Baiyao.
After living together for over a decade, good or bad, genuine or false.
If Zhou Mingli couldn't even tell the difference, what was the point of explaining?
"Zhou Mingli, take care of yourself!"
Fang Qi led Fang Yu back into the clinic, not sparing Zhou Mingli another glance.
Faced with such utter indifference, Zhou Mingli shouted at Fang Qi's retreating back: "Did you find out that no one is willing to sell medicine to you? Even though I didn't do it, just hearing about it makes my heart leap with joy!"
"Hahaha!"
His laughter drifted away on the wind, and the only response Zhou Mingli received was the moderately muffled sound of a closing door.
Liu Yunxiu had finished cooking and had been waiting for a while. Seeing the siblings return, she picked up a plate to reheat it in the back kitchen.
Not wanting to cause Fang Qi too much anxiety, Fang Yu smiled and said, "Brother, Mother made your favorite Kunlun purple melon today. The steamed aroma is so sweet and fresh!"
"Ah, then we'll have to eat a bit more."
Fang Qi wore a similarly relaxed expression, showing not a shred of worry over the clinic's inability to source medicines.
At this, Fang Yu grew puzzled instead.
Her dark, rolling eyes spun twice as she probed, "Brother, is it really true that no medicine merchant is willing to sell herbs to us?"
Sitting at the table, Fang Qi smiled instantly. "Don't worry, I have a way."
"What way?" Fang Yu leaned in, her pretty, large eyes blinking rapidly.
Without changing expression, Fang Qi pushed her back gently and smiled, "I haven't figured it out yet."
"Huh?"
Fang Yu pouted, playfully swatting at Fang Qi's arm. "You're bullying me!"
"Hahaha!"
Amused by Fang Yu's girlish antics, Fang Qi chuckled, "Just thought of it."
"Really!" Fang Yu's eyes shone with anticipation and excitement.
"I'm not telling you!" Fang Qi's single sentence drew a coquettish huff of annoyance from Fang Yu.
Liu Yunxiu, carrying the hot dishes over, couldn't help but reveal a smile upon seeing the two of them so close.
Spotting his mother, Fang Qi gave two fake coughs to signal Fang Yu that it was time to eat and they should stop playing around like children.
Fang Yu immediately straightened up into a serious posture, her eyes shifting with a captivating, moving beauty.
......
"Come, Brother Luoping! Let me propose a toast to you, little brother!"
"Brother Zhou is too kind!"
In a private courtyard, Zhou Mingli and Luoping were eating braised beef and drinking the finest Two-Year Spring from the Zhuoyu Pavilion.
Zhou Mingli was flushed with alcohol, pulled off the gauze on his forehead, and pointed to the bruised swelling on his face.
"Brother Luoping, look, this is what that bastard Fang Qi did to me!"
Luoping was incensed by the sight, declaring sternly, "Brother Zhou, rest assured! With me here, I will never let him act so arrogantly!"
"Then I am counting entirely on Brother Luoping!" Zhou Mingli said deferentially.
Emboldened by the alcohol, Luoping thumped his chest heartily, wearing a smug expression.
"With my scholar's literary rank, how could I possibly be compared to a lowly wretch like Fang Qi?"
"Before long, once I pass the Xiucai exams, and then the Juren exams, embarking on a smooth and prosperous path, even when Fang Qi sees me, he'll have to kneel and kowtow, calling me Master Luoping!"
"A toast to Master Luoping!" Zhou Mingli fawned.
Raising his cup, Zhou Mingli flashed a trace of hidden disdain in his eyes.
He knew all too well how much genuine talent Luoping actually had; passing the preliminary child scholar exam had already been a struggle.
As for the Xiucai and Juren exams, without pulling some strings, there was simply no way he could pass!
Yet the problem was precisely here—Luoping had somehow stumbled upon incredible luck, actually catching the eye of the Su family, a wealthy and influential clan in Fengxia Commandery.
During a spring outing, the young miss of the Su family had even singled out Luoping to accompany her with poetry.
With the Su family operating behind the scenes, Luoping might genuinely manage to pass the Xiucai or even the Juren examination.
Without the Su family, what on earth was Luoping anyway!
Seeking reassurance, Zhou Mingli asked once more, "Brother Luoping, are you certain this is foolproof?"
Luoping set down his wine cup with a trace of displeasure, patting Zhou Mingli on the shoulder. "Of course!"
"Without a word from me, which herb farmer or medicine merchant would dare sell medicine to Baicao Hall? Unless they don't want to survive in Fengxia Commandery anymore!"
"That fellow surnamed Fang doesn't practice sorcery, does he? Can he just conjure herbs out of thin air?"
"Or do you doubt me, Brother Zhou?"
Zhou Mingli hurriedly raised his cup in apology. "How could I dare!"
He was just terrified that Fang Qi might actually know sorcery!
Back when treating the young miss of the Liu Estate, he had assumed Fang Qi stood zero chance.
Yet somehow Fang Qi was the one who saved Liu Xiaoxiang and ended up getting him punished instead.
What if Fang Baiyao really had left another trick behind......
At this thought, whether from the heating effect of the alcohol or a sudden chill of sweat, Zhou Mingli shivered.
Let's just hope this time goes smoothly and strips Fang Qi of any chance to ever rise again!