The Scent of the Orchid in the Forest of Secrets (密林兰香)

Chapter Ten

Above all, Shu Haolin dreaded the days when she had to sit for hours with her butt obediently plastered to her heels and listen to Mu Qianqing drone on about concepts that she only half-understood. Not only did he like to give long-winded and slightly repetitive lectures, he also often asked confusing and seemingly random questions, often catching her off guard. He had a penchant for coming up with things like "in your opinion, do you think that Confucius would've found the culture of the jianghu dissatisfactory?" or "how do you think Laozi's eating patterns would've changed the content of his writing?". These bewildering questions often left Shu Haolin wordless, but Yu Jielan always seemed to have an answer. Normally, Mu Qianqing would let off Shu Haolin if she didn't have an answer, but today, he insisted to hear her response.

"Haolin, what is most important to you?"

Shu Haolin quickly patted down the corner of the sitting mat that she'd been playing with. "I... I'm not sure." She plastered an apologetic smile on her face, even though the thing she really wanted to ask was, "how the hell is this related to my literary studies?"

"You must know. Think about it—what is most important to you?"

Shu Haolin stayed silent for a long time, considering carefully. "I think... my little brother's health is most important to me."

Yu Jielan gazed at Shu Haolin wordlessly, but a thought seemed to be brewing in her head. Later, after Sir Mu dismissed them, Yu Jielan intercepted Shu Haolin before she could leave.

"What was your real answer?"

"Huh?"

"To the question Sir Mu asked in class."

"Which one?"

"What is most important to you?"

Shu Haolin blinked dumbly. "That was my answer. It is most important to me to cure my little brother's curse." But Yu Jielan didn't seem satisfied with the answer.

"How are you planning to lift your little brother's curse?"

Shu Haolin pressed her lips together. Yu Jielan furrowed her brows, "you don't want to tell me?"

Shu Haolin was about to object when her little brother's words suddenly came to mind. You need to trust that I have the ability to conquer my own obstacles and challenges on my own. Was that it—she didn't trust Yu Jielan enough to tell her? But now she thought about it, how much had Yu Jielan done for her already? She had witnessed the assassination back in her countryside home of Suzhou, and she had stepped out to save her. Not only that, she had stepped forward to support her little brother to get him medical help and defended her from her father, Yu Ziyan. If she couldn't tell Yu Jielan, if she couldn't trust her, who else could she trust?

Shu Haolin took a deep breath, chewing on her words for a little longer before saying, "I have two options. I must find the caster of the curse, and force them to lift the spell. If I can't," her mouth twisted slightly, "I have to kill them."

Yu Jielan gripped Shu Haolin's arm. "Don't be so hasty. Are you sure there aren't any other ways to break the curse with force? The person behind your parents' death is likely a big figure in the Baiyu Alliance, not to be underestimated. How could you possibly kill them?"

"No matter. At most, I'll put my own life into it. Either I die, or they die." Shu Haolin's tone was so light it was as if she was merely discussing what she would eat this morning. On the contrary, for a second, a cloud seemed to pass over Yu Jielan's face, revealing a gloom as weighty as heavy winter snow. There seemed to be many things she wanted to say, but in the end, none of them left her mouth.

Perhaps it was due to the fact that Shu Haoyang's words had come to mind earlier, but that evening, after leaving Yu Jielan's residence, her footsteps led her to the medicine wards. She was thinking of seeking out Chen Linfeng for a chat, but as soon as she got there, she found Shu Haoyang, facing away from her, attentively adding herbs to stew in a small medicine pot. He didn't even need to reference the prescription lying on the table next to him, weighing the herbs expertly in his hands and adjusting the heat. Shu Haolin was so lost in thought as she watched her little brother that she didn't notice the way all of the disciples made a wide berth around her, casting terrified glances to each other.