Chapter Forty: Self-Persuasion

"Of course it doesn't hurt. The medicine Master Jiang prescribed for you contains pain-relieving ingredients." Duan Yue tucked the blanket in for Duan Qi and sat at the head of the bed to talk to him.

Duan Qi looked at Duan Yue with curiosity and exclaimed, "Come to think of it, before I left, my brother was still heavily injured and unconscious. Now he can even get out of bed and walk!"

"Indeed. Although young, Master Jiang possesses extraordinary medical skills. If not for her, I'd probably still be bedridden."

Duan Qi's eyes were filled with awe and gratitude. At the time, he had led an expedition specifically to find a legendary divine herb for Duan Yue—one rumored to be able to bring the dead back to life and regenerate flesh on bones. Legend had it that this miraculous herb grew in the Eastern Mountains of the frontier border, capable of curing all manner of wounds, able to save anyone as long as they still drew breath.

They had ventured out to find the medicine for Duan Yue, who at the time had been given up for dead by numerous physicians. However, they had not anticipated the treacherous terrain of the Eastern Mountains and the ambush of bandits. Not only had he failed to find the divine herb, but he had also nearly perished in those eastern mountains, with every single member of his expeditionary party perishing save for himself. "Brother, your injuries were severe. What on earth did Master Jiang do to make you recover so quickly?"

"I am not entirely certain how Master Jiang treated me initially, as I was unconscious at the time. However, I have witnessed several treatments after waking up. You should have seen it—that miraculous acupuncture technique and those peculiar healing methods. When she administered the needles for me, I could feel a warm current flowing through my body, as if repairing my damaged meridians. Though the process was somewhat painful, the results were truly remarkable. In just fifteen days, I am already able to get out of bed and walk."

Duan Qi listened, utterly absorbed, and could not help pressing further: "What is Master Jiang's background, exactly? She is so young; how can she possess such advanced medical skills?"

Duan Yue shook his head, a trace of puzzlement flashing in his eyes: "I am not sure either. She said she learned her skills at a small medical clinic in Pingcheng."

"Even a small clinic in Pingcheng is that formidable?" Duan Qi gasped in amazement. Just how incredible must the large medical establishments be, then?

"Perhaps it is a case of true masters hiding away in the mundane world," Duan Yue speculated, imagining how mysterious and unfathomable the place where Jiang Bai had studied must be.

"Then why did your expression look so conflicted?" Duan Qi recalled the look his brother had given Jiang Bai earlier—a complex mixture containing a hint of gratitude, a hint of paternal affection, and a hint of exasperation at his failure to live up to expectations, which had given him goosebumps all over.

"Ah, do you know that it was Master Jiang who carried you down the mountain?" Whenever Duan Yue brought this up, he grew angry. Why couldn't this Master Jiang ever listen to him and take better care of herself?

"What?" Duan Qi hollered, "Didn't they say a large group of people protected me down the mountain? How did they let a frail, petite young lady carry me?"

"That is correct, but the others were all severely injured in the ambush. Master Jiang was the only one unhurt. To ensure your wounds were not aggravated by rough movement, she had no choice but to carry you herself." Duan Yue sighed. This girl—upon hearing that Duan Qi was Duan Jing's younger brother—had disregarded her own safety to such an extent.

"Even so, she shouldn't have been carrying me. They should have sent someone else to search for me." Duan Qi still felt somewhat awkward. After waking up, Duan Yue had already described to him how perilous the situation had been. Though he understood it had been a measure of last resort, he still felt uneasy.

"You know just how dangerous it was at the time." Duan Yue shot Duan Qi a sideways glance. When lives were at stake, who cared about conventional boundaries between men and women?

"Still, even disregarding gender, those hands that save lives shouldn't have been used to carry me!" Duan Qi now felt boundless admiration for this young lady, whose abilities surpassed even the divine herb. How could those hands and that back be used for such heavy, rough labor as carrying him?

"Would you rather have been left abandoned on the mountain, then?" Duan Yue couldn't even be bothered to entertain Duan Qi's nonsense. With numerous pursuers pressing in, who cared whether it was a physician or a soldier carrying him?

"B-but..." Duan Qi thought of his own weight and wondered if he had crushed the young lady's frame.

"But what, no 'buts'." Duan Yue smacked his younger brother on the head. Why was this fellow acting so tedious today?

"Actually, it's nothing." Duan Yue reconsidered and said, "Who knows, we might even become relatives in the future."

"Huh?" Duan Qi was stunned by the news. How on earth would they become relatives?

"Oh, you'll find out in the future." After some thought, Duan Yue decided against telling his reckless younger brother. He couldn't let this "truth-telling" fool ruin a good thing.

"Relatives?" Duan Qi muttered to himself. Somehow, thinking of Jiang Bai's miraculous medical skills reminded him of his paternal aunt who had run away from home long ago. Could this Jiang Bai be related to his aunt?

Hiding away in the study, Duan Jing looked at the jar of ointment and the bowl of dissolved medicinal liquid delivered to him, feeling a mixture of happiness and complex emotions.

He had not expected that after so many days, Jiang Bai still had not given up. He had even heard that upon learning Duan Qi was his younger brother, Jiang Bai had disregarded her own frail physical condition and carried him the entire way without uttering a single complaint. Duan Jing recalled the complicated emotions he felt when he first received this news.

He was angry that a young girl could be so careless with her own body, carrying such a heavy load up and down the mountains, yet he was overjoyed that she valued him so deeply—so much so that she had taken his younger brother to heart.

However, matters of the heart could not rely solely on affection; one also had to consider whether other conditions matched. Mismatched pairs seldom lasted, and the gaps in their age, life experience, and social status were not insignificant.

Setting aside everything else, purely in terms of age, he was eight years older than Jiang Bai. With such an age gap—as the old saying went, a three-year gap constituted a generation—he had no idea how many chasms he would have to cross to catch up to Jiang Bai's mindset. Yet, involuntarily, Duan Jing recalled the ease and pleasure of his recent conversations with Jiang Bai, wiping away this reason for incompatibility.

Duan Jing had never imagined that someone as young as Jiang Bai could possess such extensive knowledge and extraordinary intellect, holding unique insights on many matters. Furthermore, because she was not a pampered young miss raised by an aristocratic or prominent family, she was free of those tedious formalities and constrained rules. Building upon her erudition and intelligence, she possessed an extra measure of untrammeled freedom. Whenever Duan Jing spoke with her, he always experienced an unprecedented sense of relaxation and delight.

He recalled their long conversation a few days ago when Jiang Bai had come to change his bandages.

That day, he had been studying an ancient text, particularly focusing on the records concerning border defense engineering. Yet, after reading through it, he still felt the methods documented in the book were unsuited for the frontier, failing to come up with any better ideas at the moment. Just as he was vexed, Jiang Bai arrived. With a few light, casual words, she pointed out the crux of what he found strange and proposed feasible suggestions.

Duan Jing had initially assumed she only excelled in border defense engineering problems, but once they began talking, they ended up chatting for an entire afternoon. From border defense engineering to court policies, from historical allusions to folklore, Jiang Bai's entry points were exceptionally clever, her phrasing sharp. On certain issues, her viewpoints even brought a breath of fresh air to Duan Jing.

At that moment, Duan Jing suddenly realized that Jiang Bai was not merely a clever girl capable of seeing through his stratagems; she possessed maturity and wisdom far beyond her years. Her thinking was agile, her logic clear, and in certain aspects, her insights surpassed those of many strategists under their command. Duan Jing could not help looking at her with new respect, a subtle sense of admiration and reverence growing in his heart.

Yet the more this was the case, the more complex Duan Jing's feelings became. He clearly understood that the gap between himself and Jiang Bai was not just age and status, but also the responsibilities and missions he bore on his shoulders. His original background posed a major problem, whereas Jiang Bai was merely an ordinary girl whose world was simple and pure. Duan Jing dared not imagine what kind of distress and pressure it would bring her if he truly fell for her.

He picked up the bowl of cooled medicinal liquid and took a small sip, the bitter taste spreading across the tip of his tongue. Duan Jing frowned slightly at the bitterness, yet a trace of warmth inexplicably arose in his heart. Young though Jiang Bai was, her attentiveness and consideration gave him an incomparable sense of reassurance. She always managed to notice shifts in his mood unintentionally and silently did whatever was within her power for him. For instance, this bowl of medicinal liquid; for instance, that bottle of scar-removal ointment; and for instance, how every time she chatted with him, she always managed to dissolve his worries and stress at just the right moment.

Duan Jing put down the medicine bowl, his gaze falling upon the book resting on the desk. The cover bore the four characters *Military Classics Compendium*, the pages yellowed from frequent reading—it was a volume Duan Jing consulted often. He flipped open a page at random; the blank margins were densely covered with annotations in her handwriting. Every single note was written with care and meticulousness, and in certain places, she had even sketched simple schematic diagrams to help him better understand the text. She had written these annotations for him simply out of fear that if he exerted himself writing marginal notes, it might reopen the paper cuts on his fingers.

Looking at those annotations, Duan Jing was filled with myriad emotions. Jiang Bai's formidable medical skills commanded his admiration, while her intelligence and talent in other areas left him astonished. He suddenly realized that the gap in age and experience between himself and Jiang Bai might not be as vast as he had imagined. Though young, her mental maturity and perception far exceeded her years. She was not some fragile maiden in need of his protection, but a partner capable of standing shoulder to shoulder with him to face the winds and rains together.

Thinking of this, Duan Jing's mood suddenly became much lighter. He no longer obsessed over the gaps in age and status, instead beginning to consider whether he should bravely take that step to pursue what his heart truly desired.

Meanwhile, Jiang Bai—being discussed by the two brothers—sneezed several times. She had a lingering sensation that her back felt chillingly drafty, as if someone were plotting against her. Recalling Jiang Hui's parting words that he would return, Jiang Bai uttered a silent curse, mentally guessing who was gossiping about her.

What she could now confirm with absolute certainty, however, was that Jiang Hui was truly immobilized for the time being. Through Duan Yue, she had learned that the Jiang family was no ordinary aristocratic clan; Jiang Hui's grandfather held a first-rank official post as the current censor-in-chief, and Jiang Hui's father served in the Ministry of Revenue. While other senior relatives held lower official ranks, they all held positions, and though Jiang Hui himself lacked an official title, he already wielded tight control over the household's power.

Had Duan Yue arrived even a step later that day and allowed her to finish the deed, the consequences would have been unthinkable. Forget about just her; the entire city of Pingcheng might have been razed by this powerful family.

Only now did she realize that Jiang Ye, whom she had killed, was the youngest son of the Jiang family's eldest branch. Jiang Ye was deeply favored by the supreme, high-ranking matriarch of the Jiang clan. According to Duan Yue, the mother of Jiang Hui's grandfather was a formidable figure, seventy-three years of age this year, in robust health and long since bestowed with a noble title.

A major reason why Jiang Hui had slaughtered those offended by Jiang Ye was actually to put on a show for this formidable old matriarch of the Jiang family. Put that way, the fire at the granary might indirectly be blamed on her after all. Had she not lost her composure, acted rashly, and only investigated the situation around Jiang Ye, subsequent troubles might have been averted.

Walking back, Jiang Bai rubbed her brow in vexation, wondering if she and Jiang Ye—the two surviving fish that slipped through the net—would eventually be hunted down by those people.

"Master Jiang." Jiang Bai heard a child calling her from ahead.

Lifting her gaze, Jiang Bai saw Xiao Luobu, who worked in the Duan household, standing right at her doorway. "Xiao Luobu, it's you. Are you settling in well here?"

"I am settling in well. General Duan and Military Advisor Duan are both very kind to me, and the chores assigned to me are very light." Xiao Luobu followed Jiang Bai into the room. He knew very well that although he had been bought as a maidservant, Duan Yue and the others never actually made him do heavy work, at most letting him help out with odd jobs.

"Really? It seems you're adjusting nicely, then. Just stay here and don't worry; the adults will handle whatever happens." Jiang Bai offered Xiao Luobu some pastries. Watching the child—disguised as a little maidservant, lowering his head to eat seriously—she couldn't help reaching out to touch his bound hair bun.

"Master Jiang, I heard the General say Jiang Hui and his people have left. Is that true?" Xiao Luobu eagerly stretched his head forward to make it easier for Jiang Bai to tug at his topknot. Hearing this news stirred excitement within him—did it mean he finally no longer had to live in constant fear?

"They have. However, he left some people behind here, so you must still remain cautious and avoid going outside if possible." Jiang Bai worried that the child might take the news too lightly and let down his guard.

"Mm-mm, don't worry, Master Jiang. I won't go out until his men leave." Xiao Luobu remembered the warnings he had been given and readily agreed.

"To be safe, we had better continue dressing you as a little girl. Until Jiang Hui is overthrown, I must wrong Xiao Luobu by making you keep this up." Jiang Bai offered a few more words of caution, genuinely worried that the child might grow tired of dressing as a girl and switch back to boy's clothing, taking care to soothe him.

"Master Jiang, I understand." Xiao Luobu actually found that he had grown accustomed to these clothes; they were quite comfortable, and he had completely adapted to the point of no longer caring about gender.

"Then I worried needlessly, fearing you wouldn't want to wear them anymore." Jiang Bai's mind was set at ease. Xiao Luobu was only seven years old, three years younger than Jiang Ye. Normally, a child of this age would still be somewhat willful, yet he was so obedient that the words Jiang Bai had prepared to persuade him died on her lips.