The Great Song Dynasty's Soul-Forging in Progress

Qin Tiehua's struggle on the brink of life and death became the most urgent testament to all these assumptions. Her willpower was stronger than anyone expected. At the height of her fever, she trembled all over, her teeth clenched, yet she never gave up the instinct to swallow her medicine. In the occasional moments of lucidity, her gaze was unfocused, but she always managed to search with difficulty until she caught sight of Wang Zhonghua, at which point a faint light would flash within her, and she would struggle to utter a few words:

"cold……"

"pain……"

Or they might just silently move their lips, and the shape of their mouths could be interpreted as "Brother Zhonghua".

It was this strong will to survive, coupled with Liu Jueming's more targeted treatment plan (combining Wang Zhonghua's "disinfection" concept with the old man's own antidote), the rich nutrition provided by the "Dark Arrow" team members such as wild rabbits and wild sheep, and the meticulous care of Wang Zhonghua and Liu Xinyi, that finally, at dawn on the fourth day, Qin Tiehua's body temperature began to slowly drop, his drowsiness gradually became stable, the ashen look on his face faded, and a very faint trace of life appeared.

After taking her pulse again, Liu Jueming let out a long sigh of relief and nodded to Wang Zhonghua, whose face was haggard, his stubble unruly, but whose eyes shone brightly: "The most dangerous hurdle has been overcome. This girl's will to live is truly something I have never seen before in my life. What follows is a long period of recuperation and recovery."

At this point, the last trace of hesitation in Liu Jueming's heart vanished. He looked at the unprecedented brilliance in his granddaughter's eyes, then at Qin Tiehua, who was stubbornly struggling against fate on the bed, and then thought of the magnificent picture painted by Wang Zhonghua that pushed medicine from experience to empirical evidence, and from personal inheritance to systematic research. Finally, he sighed with emotion.

"Enough, enough. Only now, with half my body in the grave, do I know the wonders of alcohol disinfection. To have encountered the Wang family's young man's novel medical concepts and to be able to participate in such pioneering endeavors is already a blessing. Not to mention, I can also do my part for such an extraordinary woman."

He turned to Wang Zhonghua, his expression solemn, "Young Master Wang, Xinyi and I will accompany you to Hulu Bay. We hope to fulfill the promise of 'Three Lives Abode' together!"

On the day they left, the clouds dispersed and the mountains became clear. Qin Tiehua was able to lean against Wang Zhonghua's chest, and although weak, she finally opened her clear eyes and looked at everything around her. Wang Zhonghua carefully wrapped her in a thick cloak, his movements incredibly gentle.

Liu Xinyi placed an exquisitely embroidered sachet with a rich medicinal fragrance into Qin Tiehua's hand, and then handed her a sturdy wooden cane that had been hastily made with a forked tip: "Sister Qin, if you get bored on the way, look at the mountain scenery. You can use this cane when you've regained some strength."

Qin Tiehua looked at Liu Xinyi, then at Wang Zhonghua, who was directing his team to carefully move the precious books and specimens from the medicine hut. He forced a slight but genuine smile to his pale lips and whispered, "Thank you... Sister Xinyi."

Wang Zhonghua took one last look at the secluded valley that had given his beloved hope for a new life, his gaze sweeping over the simple yet magnificent medicine hut, then steadily picked up Qin Tiehua, turned around, and walked resolutely down the mountain path.

The descent was slow. Wang Zhonghua deliberately steadied his pace, afraid of jolting Qin Tiehua in his arms. Birdsong filled the forest, and dappled sunlight filtered through the leaves, creating a much more relaxed atmosphere than the heavy, desperate struggle they had endured on the way there.

Although Qin Tiehua was weak, his spirits were much better than in the previous days. Leaning against Wang Zhonghua's strong and warm embrace, his bright eyes quietly watched the changing scenery along the way, occasionally exchanging a faint smile with Liu Xinyi, who was walking beside him to keep watch. However, walking in silence for a long time was still somewhat exhausting for someone who had just recovered from serious injuries.

Although she longed for Wang Zhonghua's embrace and feared that he might overwork himself, Qin Tiehua lay down on the makeshift stretcher that Wang Zhonghua had prepared.

Wang Zhonghua noticed her drooping eyelashes, as if she were weary, and thought of something to say to cheer her up and dispel the loneliness of the mountain path. His gaze swept over Liu Xinyi's snow-white profile, so strikingly similar to Yang Mi'er's, and a thought struck him—Liu Xinyi looked so much like his high school crush. Although he had felt a flutter in his heart upon their first meeting, at that time Qin Tiehua was on the verge of death, and he was solely focused on saving someone. Now, on this long mountain path, that strange feeling involuntarily welled up in his heart. He slowly began to speak:

"Tiehua, Xinyi, this journey through high mountains and dense forests reminds me of a widely circulated tale of a strange and wondrous event, somewhat related to this landscape and medicine. Would you like to hear it?"

The two girls' attention was immediately drawn. Qin Tiehua nodded gently on the stretcher, while Liu Xinyi's eyes lit up: "What Young Master Wang is saying must be an interesting story."

Even Lü Maoyi and several other team members tilted their ears.

Wang Zhonghua cleared his throat and began to tell the legend, shrouded in mist and rain for a thousand years, in a low and soothing tone:

"It is said that on the distant shores of West Lake, during the misty Qingming Festival, a young apprentice at a pharmacy named Xu Xian encountered two stunningly beautiful women by the Broken Bridge—the one dressed in pure white, named Bai Suzhen, and the one dressed in vibrant green, her younger sister Xiaoqing..."

He recounted the love story, beginning with the exchange of an umbrella, and ending with the dramatic events of the Dragon Boat Festival; from the theft of the immortal herb and the flooding of Jinshan Temple, to the heartbreaking separation at Leifeng Pagoda. He described Bai Suzhen's gentleness and fierceness, Xu Xian's cowardice and deep affection, and Fahai's obsession and majesty, eloquently telling the ancient tale of gratitude, love, struggle, and perseverance.

At first, Qin Tiehua and Liu Xinyi listened quietly. But as the story unfolded, their expressions gradually became more vivid.

Upon hearing that Bai Suzhen had risked her millennia of cultivation to sneak into Kunlun to steal the immortal herb in order to save Xu Xian, Qin Tiehua's pale face flushed with excitement, her breathing became slightly rapid, and she couldn't help but murmur softly, "She...she's really foolish, yet so brave..." It was as if she saw a familiar stubbornness in that white snake, a stubbornness that would do anything for the one she loved.

Liu Xinyi gripped the hem of her clothes tightly, her eyes filled with tension and admiration: "The Lingzhi Immortal Herb! Grandpa said it's a legendary holy medicine with the power to bring the dead back to life... To save her husband, Lady White dared to face the Crane Boy and Deer Boy, and even the Antarctic Immortal!" Her healer's instincts made her focus on the immortal herb, and the fervent emotions in the story resonated deeply within her.

When the story reached the part where Fahai forcibly imprisoned Bai Suzhen under Leifeng Pagoda, and Xu Xian, heartbroken, became a monk but willingly spent his days sweeping the pagoda, Qin Tiehua's eyes welled up with tears, which silently streamed down her face, soaking Wang Zhonghua's clothes. She seemed to be able to personally feel the pain of that forced separation and the tiny glimmer of hope that clung to even in despair.

Liu Xinyi listened intently, her steps slowing as she became completely absorbed in the tale of joy and sorrow. Having lived in seclusion with her grandfather since childhood, she had mostly been exposed to medicinal herbs and scriptures; she had never heard such a poignant and moving love story before. The deep affection in the story, which transcended the boundaries between humans and demons, life and death, and even challenged the authority of gods and Buddhas, stirred up ripples in her calm heart like a pebble thrown into a still lake.

"And then? Young Master Wang, what happened next?" Seeing Wang Zhonghua stop, Liu Xinyi couldn't help but ask anxiously, even forgetting to change her way of addressing him.

Looking at Qin Tiehua, her eyes brimming with tears in his arms, and then at Liu Xinyi, whose eyes were filled with expectation and sorrow, Wang Zhonghua felt a sense of satisfaction from telling the story, but also a strange sense of emotion. These stories, so popular in his previous life, had such an astonishing power to move these two girls, who were in different circumstances but equally passionate and sincere, in this era.

"Damn it, if I run into that old Fahai, I'll cut off his bald head!" Lu Maoyi cursed.

Wang Zhonghua smiled slightly and continued the story's ending: "Later, Bai Suzhen and Xu Xian's son, Xu Shilin, grew up, became the top scholar in the imperial examination, moved Heaven with his filial piety, and finally sacrificed himself at the Leifeng Pagoda to save his mother. The Leifeng Pagoda collapsed, the West Lake dried up, and the family was finally reunited."

Upon hearing the words "reunion," Qin Tiehua let out a long sigh of relief, his tense body relaxing slightly as he buried his face deeper into Wang Zhonghua's embrace, as if drawing warmth and strength from this ending.

Liu Xinyi also smiled with relief, but the thoughtful look in her eyes did not fade. She sighed softly, "Where there's a will, there's a way. The emotions in this story are more real and moving than the principles in many medical books. Brother Wang, if this story were written into a storybook, it would be so popular that storytellers would fight tooth and nail for it."

Just then, the mountain breeze rustled through the gaps in the forest, stirring the tender leaves on the trees, creating a soft, natural harmony.

A surge of inexplicable joy welled up in Wang Zhonghua's chest. He took Qin Tiehua from the stretcher, glanced at Liu Xinyi beside him, who was dressed in a simple blue robe and had misty eyes, and suddenly laughed loudly. He opened his throat and sang the melody that was deeply rooted in his memory in a tone that had never been heard before in this era:

"The West Lake is beautiful in March—"

Spring rain is like wine, willows like smoke—

Those destined to meet will find each other even from a thousand miles away.

Though we are destined to be apart, we cannot hold hands even when we are face to face.

It takes ten years of cultivation to share a boat ride.

It takes a hundred years of cultivation to share a pillow in sleep.

If one has good fortune over a thousand years,

"May we grow old together, our hearts united, right before our eyes..."

His voice wasn't top-notch, but it was exceptionally moving because of his unreserved sincerity and the lingering affection of the story. His singing echoed gently through the valley, intertwining with the babbling brook and chirping birds, creating a strangely harmonious sound. The lyrics were straightforward, yet they seemed to contain a Zen-like wisdom about fate and beautiful wishes.

In his arms, Qin Tiehua's initial melancholy, caused by her pain and the story's ending, was gently lifted by the clear, warm singing. She closed her eyes, no longer looking at the bumpy mountain road, only feeling the song, along with the steady heartbeat of his chest, striking her heart again and again. An almost extravagant, romantic thought, like a tender sprout quietly emerging from the ground in early spring, grew uncontrollably:

If time could stop at this moment, with this song, this embrace, and this peaceful companionship, how wonderful it would be to walk this road forever...

Liu Xinyi's steps unconsciously slowed and became lighter. She tilted her head slightly, listening to the unfamiliar melody, savoring the lines, "Ten years of cultivation brings us to share a boat ride, a hundred years to share a pillow in sleep," feeling as if her heart had been gently tickled by the softest feather—itchy, warm, and tinged with an indescribable melancholy and longing. The mountain breeze ruffled her hair and the hem of her clothes. Gazing at Wang Zhonghua's tall, straight back and Qin Tiehua nestled in his arms, her clear eyes reflected the dappled sunlight filtering through the forest, and for a moment, she was lost in thought. The same thought, like ink spreading in water, silently permeated her heart:

And so, listening to stories, singing songs, and walking along the endless mountain path, it seems... not so bad.

After Wang Zhonghua finished singing, the lingering sound seemed to still echo in the verdant valley. He looked down at Qin Tiehua's serene, slightly flushed profile, then looked up to meet Liu Xinyi's gaze, a mixture of admiration, emotion, and a hint of hazy longing. Amidst the mountain light and cloud shadows, with warmth and fragrance in his arms and elegance beside him, he felt a momentary daze, as if he were in a beautiful and vivid dream.

These two women, one fiery and resolute, willing to face any danger for him; the other gentle and tender, saving his beloved from peril. The figures of Bai Suzhen and Xiaoqing from the story, so deeply devoted and inseparable in life and death, seemed to overlap with the person before him, making it impossible for him to distinguish them, nor was it necessary to—

Which one is the lingering mist and rain of Jiangnan from a past life?

Which wisp of moonlight and gentle breeze lingers in the mountains in this lifetime?