Zhutian: Starting from the Space-Time Merchant

Chapter 514 Daiyu remained silent, only shedding tears.

Lin Ruhai resolutely refused Lin Dao's suggestion that Lin Dao help his sister become his disciple and thus his junior sister.

In the words of this scholarly family, a noble household.

"A well-bred young lady only needs to be well-versed in 'Admonitions for Women' and 'Biographies of Exemplary Women'."

"Playing the zither cultivates one's character."

Chess cultivates wisdom.

"Books cultivate one's character."

'Painting is used to convey meaning.'

That's enough.

No need to seek a master to learn from~

From the perspective of the times, Lin Ruhai's words were not wrong.

Furthermore, Lin Daiyu's extensive reading of various books was something that many daughters of wealthy and powerful families in that era could hardly achieve.

Apprenticeship?

Why would you want to become a disciple? You're joking.

Do you know~

"You ruined your daughter's great opportunity!"

Lin Dao laughed in exasperation.

The First Emperor wanted to become my disciple, but I didn't even introduce him to me!

I took the initiative to suggest it this time, and you're not going to give me face?

Okay, very good.

Without saying a word, he immediately took his leave.

You'll regret this later!
The matter concerning the salt administration was quickly resolved.

That Li Niang disappeared, and no one knows where she is. In any case, no one has seen her since she was dragged away.

I only heard that her parents' house and courtyard were demolished, and the two elderly people were left to wander the streets and beg for a living.

The porcelain bottle containing refined aconite powder was found, and it is said that Lin Ruhai kept it, perhaps intending to force it on his enemy when the opportunity arose.

The steward, along with the salt workers, thoroughly cleaned up the yamen (government office).

It is said that several were captured, beaten to death, and their bodies were thrown into a mass grave.

As for those who came from their hometown of Suzhou, they were sent back home.

Upon hearing this, he gave Lin Ruhai a small amount of travel expenses, presumably still angry about the remarks made about dividing the family property that day.

Lin Ruhai's concubines were all excluded.

Lin Daiyu was in charge of preparing daily meals and serving medicine.

If someone can poison their spouse, surely they wouldn't poison their only daughter too?
As for Jia Lian, after the initial shock and fear, as the situation gradually calmed down, his philandering nature became active again.

The city of Yangzhou was so prosperous that the name of the "slender horse" (a euphemism for prostitutes) was known throughout the world.

He was always out and about, going to brothels and drinking brothels, the kind of person who would go out in the afternoon and not come back until noon the next day.

As for Lin Dao, he was nowhere to be seen all day.

Lin Ruhai, who truly cared about him, only knew that this person spent his days in seclusion cultivating and only occasionally showed his face once a day.

He couldn't see through this person and kept scheming in his mind.

But the one who was truly anxious was Lin Daiyu.

Miss Lin personally served her father the medicine, following the prescription written by Lin Dao.

Just as Lin Dao said before, drugs like atropine have extremely serious side effects.

Lin Ruhai himself had been poisoned for a long time, and his body had already been severely damaged.

Each time I take the medication, I experience dry mouth, blurred vision, rapid heartbeat, trembling hands and feet, and so on.

It can be said that they suffered greatly.

Watching his father lying on the bed, groaning softly and convulsing in pain.

Lin Daiyu's tears fell.

After several trials and tribulations, Lin Daiyu, her eyes red from crying, finally made up her mind to go and find Lin Dao.

And then, I couldn't find it.

Zijuan went several times, knocking on the door and calling out, but there was no response from inside.

Left with no other choice, Lin Daiyu decided to go and find him herself.

After all, we've already met before. Once we've had the first meeting, it doesn't matter how many more times we meet.

Similarly, they still couldn't find it after searching for Lindao.

Lin Daiyu may seem frail, but at this moment she grits her teeth and perseveres.

Zijuan called the old women to bring over a stool, and Lin Daiyu sat on the stool and waited outside.

And so they waited until the sun set.

Lin Daiyu, who hadn't eaten for a long time, was both tired and hungry.

My tummy is starting to rumble~
But the thought of her father's suffering made her wait with tears in her eyes.

'Crunch~'

With a screeching sound as the hinges turned, Lin Dao's door finally opened.

Lin Daiyu lowered her fan, her reddened eyes meeting Lin Dao's gaze.

It must be said that in Cao Xueqin's world, almost all the beauty and wonder of heaven and earth are concentrated in the young ladies of the Jia family.

The sight of Lin Daiyu with red, tearful eyes, tears streaming down her fair cheeks, truly stunned Lin Dao.

The old women standing nearby instinctively wanted to step forward.

After all, Miss Lin's face had been seen clearly by the outsider!

"The silver-plated spearhead has never been wrong in judging a girl."

"You definitely look better when you cry."

"This is truly a pear blossom in the rain."

One sentence was enough to make Lin Daiyu stop crying.

Looking away, Lin Daiyu raised her fan again, stood up, and bowed.

"Greetings, my benefactor!"

"Oh." Lin Dao nodded. "Is there something you need?"

"I have something important to discuss with my benefactor," Lin Daiyu replied softly, lowering her eyelids.

"Just say it."

"I'm listening."

"My benefactor," Lin Daiyu's voice grew weaker, "I wish to speak with my benefactor in person."

Lin Dao glanced at her, "This is a request you made yourself."

He turned and went inside. “Miss!” Zijuan, looking anxious, stopped Lin Daiyu, who was about to follow him in. “How can you be in the same room with a man?”

Don't even mention not being married yet; it's even worse if you are married~
Despite her seemingly delicate appearance, Lin Daiyu held a firm belief at this moment: "I'm doing this for my father!"

Having said that, he bypassed Zijuan and followed her into the house.

The old women in the courtyard were terrified.

He hurriedly stepped forward, wanting to follow her in, but was stopped by Zijuan.

"Don't disturb the young lady."

Although she also felt it was inappropriate, Zijuan still chose to help since the girl was determined to do something.

Inside the room, Lin Dao sat in a chair and simply asked Lin Daiyu, who had followed him in, "What is it? You can tell me now."

“My father suffers unbearable pain every day after taking his medicine.”

"May I ask if my benefactor has any way to alleviate this?"

Lin Dao immediately shook his head, "You should understand that good medicine tastes bitter."

"Being able to be of use is already an immense stroke of luck."

"If he can endure it, he can endure it; if he can't, it's his own fate."

Undoubtedly, Lin Dao was still angry about Lin Ruhai's previous suggestion that he and Lin Daiyu become sworn siblings.

"Imperial Censor Lin is already very lucky. If Liniang had continued to take the medicine, she would have died long ago."

Even after being soaked and diluted, aconite remains highly toxic.

Even if the dosage is extremely small, continuous use will cause it to fail within a month.

That's why Lin Ruhai has been able to hold on until now, as Lin Li Niang only releases the fruit once or twice a month.

Of course, the real reason was not because he was soft-hearted.

How could a woman who would commit such a heinous crime as murdering her own husband for the sake of her brother be a soft-hearted person?

This must have been the instruction from the person who gave her the medicine.

The reason is simple: to avoid being suspected of being poisoned.

Dying of illness and being poisoned are two completely different things, and they are related to the struggle for the position of Salt Inspector.

Upon hearing this, Lin Daiyu bowed again.

Her voice trembled slightly as she pleaded, "Please, my benefactor, help me! I am willing to do anything, even serve you like a cow or a horse!"

"Stop, stop, stop~"

Upon hearing this, Lin Dao waved his hands repeatedly, both amused and exasperated.

"Please don't say anything like 'I'd repay your kindness with kindness' or 'I'd be your servant,' those are just ways of rejecting an ugly man."

"Huh?" Even the intelligent Lin Daiyu didn't understand what Lin Dao meant.

"I told you, good medicine tastes bitter." Lin Dao shrugged. "I have no other choice."

"Imperial Censor Lin is currently only experiencing side effects. He's already incredibly lucky that these side effects haven't taken his life."

These words made Lin Daiyu even more anxious. Could she possibly die from taking the medicine?!
As expected, Lin Daiyu once again shed tears and bowed.

"Please, my benefactor, lend me your help."

"My benefactor once said that if there is any lapse in diligence, I would be willing to ask my esteemed teacher for assistance."

"Oh~" Upon hearing this, Lin Dao understood.

This is a pretext to ask me to ask my master for help.

Although Miss Lin looks beautiful when you shed tears, I cannot bother my master because of that.

Although he was said to have great supernatural powers.

Even a monkey that springs from a stone can be taught to wield the "Sea-Stabilizing Needle," a pillar that requires the combined efforts of countless cultivators, like a windmill.

But after all, they are separated by dimensions.

Why go through all that trouble to treat them?
Lin Ruhai was nothing more than a mortal. What did his family's four generations of marquises and the title of third-ranking scholar mean to him in the Cave of Slanting Moon and Three Stars?

And this old bastard actually wants to be my father!
I'm so mad!

"My benefactor~~~"

With tears streaming down her face, Lin Daiyu, choking back sobs, bowed to Lin Dao and pleaded, "Please, my benefactor, help me!"

"Little girl~"

"This humble woman..."

"Stop, stop." Lin Dao stood up and gestured, "Don't say anything, I can try to help you."

"However, let me be clear from the start, I cannot guarantee whether it will work out."

Lin Daiyu, with tears streaming down her face, is indeed incredibly alluring.

Lin Daiyu was overjoyed; it was finally a success.

In this way, the father would no longer have to suffer every day.

Lin Dao kept his word; he did indeed express this meaning in his dreams.

However, just as he said, whether things succeed or not depends on his master's will, and he has no say in it.

After all, projecting influence across dimensions is an extremely difficult task, even with Lin Dao, the only transmigrator in all the worlds, acting as the catalyst.

If there were no forest paths that allowed free passage through all the heavens and myriad worlds.

No matter how powerful a cultivator is, even Pangu, he cannot project his influence across dimensions.

Not even a tiny bit is possible.

Therefore, Lin Dao always believed that he was lucky to be able to become a disciple of Lingtai Fangcun Mountain and Xieyue Sanxing Cave.

Little did they know how many sages with extraordinary abilities were green with envy for this!
He may be called a saint, but he's nothing more than a king ruling from inside a box.

Even the slightest opportunity to leave the box, or even just the slightest leak of influence, is a demonstration of their pursuit of the supreme path.

Over the next few days, Lin Daiyu, who was overjoyed, did not see any improvement in her father's condition.

He still looked sickly all day long, and the medication still caused severe reactions and made him feel extremely painful.

Lin Daiyu visited Lin Dao again.

"I've already taken care of it."

Lin Dao shrugged. "But my master didn't help, so there's nothing I can do."

Daiyu remained silent, only shedding tears.

Her crying wasn't the usual wailing of a woman, which was quite disturbing.

Instead, it's like a gentle hammer, lightly tapping the heart.

Even Lin Dao, who had tasted the finest delicacies, could only sigh helplessly.

"How about this, I'll take on the role of apprentice on behalf of my master."

"Let's see if you can receive guidance from your master~"

"If things go well, I think your master will lend you a hand."

Daiyu wiped away her tears and smiled through her sobs.

(End of this chapter)