CH 3

If she had to change Yi Ling Long’s fate, then she should avoid the jianghu from the very beginning. Even though she was a huge fan of wuxia novels in her previous life, Hua Rong Yue didn’t want to be any bit associated with the jianghu in this life if possible. 

Hua Rong Yue could replay any part of Yi Ling Long’s past life. In fact, she could even re-enact what had happened in her head, as though she’d entered into another realm. This ability only served to reinforce the one fact she had came to realise — whatever the case was, she must avoid taking the same path as Yi Ling Long did in her last life. 

The person that came down today however had Hua Rong Yue slightly surprised. This was her first time seeing Yan Sheng in real life. She paused for two full seconds. It was until he returned her stare with a thoughtful glance did she finally return to Earth.

“Make sure you close your windows tightly at night before you turn in. If you meet any strange people on your way back to the apothecary, don’t go back, you should go straight to the Yamen.” Yan Sheng briefly went through some preventive measures that would tide them through this period. At the same time, he discreetly observed the youth’s reaction, a little vexed by himself. 

Did he seemed too scary earlier, that’s why the youth was frightened?

Hua Rong Yue turned around; her calm expression was a facade that hid away the hallucinations that sprung up before her eyes the moment she saw Yan Sheng. A blade seemed to have ran itself through her chest, she could almost smell the reek of blood. At the same time, she heard another voice that originated from her body. 

”It hurts ahhh!” She could hear her body shrieking in agony.

”Blood! It’s my own blood ahhh!”

”We weren’t able to kill him.” A cold voice sounded from a distance as it neared. “I need help, we need more people…”

This was how Yi Ling Ling died in her previous life. It was not just the individuals from jianghu, those that hunted her down included skilled individuals from the Doors of Six*. The chief of the  mission was this very person standing before her now.

* 六扇门: literally means six doors; refers to the special police/military force (in Wuxia settings specifically), they are also associated with Yamen

This well-known Doors of Six Chief held vastly different attitude towards a fugitive and a normal civilian. When speaking to Hua Rong Yue, Yan Sheng was much more gentle. At this current point in time however, it was evident that Yan Sheng had not become the Chief yet. 

”Is Physician Qi here?” Yan Sheng asked. Seemed like he knew Physician Qi. 

”It’s just me now.” Hua Rong Yue pulled herself from her previous trance. Right now, she was not Yi Ling Long, rather, she was an apprentice of the apothecary. “Physician Qi told me to record the patients that are coming in today, and note their symptoms down. I’m also preparing the medicine herbs for patients that are here to collect their medicine.”

”You’re on your own?” Yan Sheng was evidently surprised. He knew Physician Qi very well, if it wasn’t someone he had full trust in, there was no way he’d up and leave the apothecary in that person’s hands. “Seems like Physician Qi found himself a capable apprentice.” 

At his compliment, Hua Rong Yue only managed to return a smile. Memories of the past life of Yi Ling Long was clouding up her vision, and mixing itself up with the reality before her right now. They were two completely different experiences in comparison before her; it was too novel a situation for her.

While Yan Sheng flipped through the patients record in search for anyone who came in with strange symptoms, Hua Rong Yue sat in the main hall and poured herself a cup of tea to calm down. She wanted to collect herself, so that she wouldn’t appear strange when interacting with Yan Sheng. 

The hallucinations that appeared before her eyes were really too sudden, but it didn’t pose any dangers to her body, neither would she feel any pain. If she were to describe this feeling, Hua Rong Yue felt that it acted more like a “reminder”, a reminder of her fate. This was not exactly good news, she really didn’t want to meet anyone that Yi Ling Long had met in her past life. 

”Are you curious about the jianghu?” Yan Sheng suddenly asked. 

Hua Rong Yue who had been drinking tea paused, and turned to look in the direction Yan Sheng was looking at. There were a number of picture books piled on the table. There were some that wrote about the Holy Sword-Wielder, some about romance and revenge, but they were all about the jianghu. However, these books were completely unrelated to the gentle, and well-attired Hua Rong Yue.  

”Me? I’m not very interested in the jianghu actually .” Hua Rong Yue spoke from her heart, “these are Xiao Lian’s books.”

She was passionate about it, but at the same time fearful of it. But Hua Rong Yue herself did not know the jianghu inside out, she had only familiarised herself because she had no other options if she wanted to survive. 

Yan Sheng nodded his head in understanding. Hua Rong Yue looked at the grave, stern man; he was very observant. 

She recalled the hallucinations she saw, it was quite a deranged imagery. You could hear the pain in the person’s screams, as though she had lost all rationality. For a woman in love, it was indeed easy to get caught up in the moment and end up in such a hysterical state.  

Yan Sheng’s search did not last long. It was interrupted by something that suddenly cropped up. A person rushed in and spoke into his ears. “…a female corpse was found near the Eighteenth Pavilion. She seemed to have been tortured before her death, probably by a Maniac that is a martial arts practitioner.”

”Eighteenth Pavilion?” Yan Sheng frowned. 

Hua Rong Yue continue drinking her tea quietly, as though she didn’t hear anything.

This was quite a messy world. Hua Rong Yue had not heard of this novel before. After she had gained a deeper understanding of this world, she realised that this world seemed to have referenced many wuxia literature and systems. 

For example, the act of going Mad, seemed similar to the calamity of love in Huang Yi’s novel. Those that were unable to overcome their calamity would become Mad. But once they went Mad and were a Maniac, their situation seemed like what was depicted in Jin Kang’s novel. There were usually two outcomes, they either die, or they become very strange — both their appearance and their way of thinking would greatly differ from that of an normal person.

T/N: just to clear up some doubts about the terms~ the exact phrase used in the raws is 走火入魔. In the wuxia context, this phrase is used to describe a cultivator who becomes misguided in his/her cultivation, practice or meditation, said cultivator usually becomes possessed by demonic powers or influences, and hence experience serious negative physiological and psychological changes. Depending on the novel setting, this effect may or may not be reversible. 

In CHH’s context, this process (走火入魔) is used specifically to describe someone who (literally) has gone mad (疯了), i.e. translated as going Mad. This cultivator is then known as a madman 疯子, i.e. translated as Maniac. The novel will shed more light on this situation Madness as we progress into the plot.