Chapter 118: I Do Not Mind

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Unlike the Apothecary, which has many talented disciples, few truly devote themselves to the Medical Pavilion. It may be one of the most visited places in the Eternal Flame Clan, but any advancement that can be achieved there can be more easily attained through other divisions. The Medical Pavilion cannot be compared to one of the four pillars of the Eternal Flame Clan. It is a healing station and not much else.

That is why it is so easy for the Apothecary to take it over.

Not that they are calling it that, of course.

After learning of Elder Cheung’s wrongdoing, the Apothecary clearly needed to secure the Medical Pavilion. It wasn’t that they were overstepping their bounds. Not at all. The situation demanded prompt action. There had been no time to consult with anyone else. Who knows how many disciples could have suffered had they waited? To say nothing of the evidence that could have been destroyed had they given Elder Cheung time to prepare!

If Apothecary disciples are now patrolling the halls and standing guard outside the building, it is only because them not being there would be irresponsible. Elder Xue could not possibly leave the Medical Pavilion leaderless. It was her who had taken Elder Cheung under custody; thus, it was her responsibility to keep order.

Clearly.

“Why, oh why, do I sense you had something to do with this?”

Lu Mei is not going to attack him. Liu Jin knows this. She is not foolish enough to do so under the circumstances. Even if she did, he is completely capable of defending himself.

Still, as her amber eyes bore into him, Liu Jin cannot help but feel very uncomfortable.

“Good intuition, I’d wager.”

Lu Mei’s glower intensifies. Liu Jin sighs.

The charmed disciple is nowhere to be found. The door is closed and has been sealed with a few talismans to further ensure their privacy. Beyond that, it is the same room as always, a simple windowless white room with wooden furniture located on the lower level of the Medical Pavilion. Liu Jin and Lu Mei were making ointment here just a few days ago.

And yet, the atmosphere now is completely different.

“I found evidence Elder Cheung was experimenting on some disciples.” Liu Jin shrugs as he says it, trying to underplay the importance of his actions, futile though it may be. “I may have brought the information to Elder Xue.”

“How… impressive.” The disdain Lu Mei manages to fit into so few words is almost laudable. “The Medical Pavilion has been turned upside down, and the rest of the Eternal Flame Clan will soon follow. Is this what you meant when you said you’d change things?”

“It is a start.”

“A start.” Lu Mei repeats the words slowly, tasting them. Her eyes grow colder still. “How unimaginably bold of you.”

“Do you dislike boldness?”

“On the contrary, any proper lady likes a bold man.” Lu Mei’s eyes narrow by a fraction. “Being lied to, however, is not as attractive a quality. I am sure you understand.”

Liu Jin winces.

Technically, he had never lied. He had certainly never tricked Lu Mei like she had him. Their relationship is something that came about due to her maneuvering, after all. However, he knows better than to point that out. Despite everything, Lu Mei had shown enough consideration to warn him about associating with Feng Hao.

That is a consideration he failed to show to her.

“I do not mind being dragged into fights between disciples,” Lu Mei says, crossing her arms. “Showing those lesser than us their place is an activity I do not mind sharing with you. However, the feud between Patriarch Feng Zhang’s sons is a fight between Emperors. I told you I want nothing to do with it. I warned you about getting close to it!”

The wind picks up as Lu Mei slams her hand on the table, her face set in a furious scowl. For a moment, it seems as if her eyes have become a more brilliant shade of gold.

“You have put me right in the middle of it.”

Liu Jin looks away. “I did not wish for you to be here.”

Lu Mei scoffs. “And yet, here I am.”

“I could say it all happened too quickly, but that would be a poor excuse. I should have tried to warn you before going to Elder Xue. I didn’t,” Liu Jin admits. Something roils inside him.

Is it anger?

Frustration?

Shame?

Had Liu Jin warned Lu Mei ahead of time, she could have simply not gone to the Medical Pavilion for a few days or weeks. That was all it would have taken for her to avoid this. However, he hadn’t done that. Even though Liu Jin had known her being here was a possibility, he still chose against telling Lu Mei.

“Did you not go to me because you feared there was a chance warning me would give something away?” She raises an eyebrow. “Or because you feared I would betray you?”

“The former,” Liu Jin replies instantly. “Betraying me would mean involving yourself in the conflict.”

Lu Mei stares at him.

“In situations like this,” she says, walking up to him until there is barely any space between them, “you are supposed to say you trust me to never betray you.”

“If you found it amusing and there was no real danger, I believe you would do so.”

Lu Mei’s hand rises and clenches around his robes, slowly but with force. Her face is dangerously close to his, yet he senses no intimacy from the gesture.

“Being overly blunt now will not make up for failing to do so earlier. You do understand that, right?”

“I am trying to say I failed to meet that standard,” Liu Jin says, meeting her eyes. “I am sorry.”

She huffs. “At least you finally said it.”

Neither says anything for a while. They just stand there in silence, Lu Mei’s hands holding onto his robes, her face close to his. Liu Jin’s hands twitch every now and then. He doesn’t know what to do with them. Holding Lu Mei seems like the natural choice, yet he is not sure how welcomed that gesture would be right now.

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

In the end, it is Lu Mei who breaks the silence.

“What is our plan?”

He blinks.

“Our? I thought you were angry with me?”

The flat stare she gives him is all the answer he needs.

“Fighting or arguing with you right now would be idiotic and counterproductive. Rest assured, I will take out my anger on you in several subtle ways later. Right now, you and I are conqueror and conquered. Acting the part is the best I can do.”

Before Liu Jin can reply, someone outside bangs on the door. Though old, the door neither trembles nor rattles. The talismans ensure it remains upright and locked. Moments later, shouting voices come from outside, a fist hits flesh and a body falls to the floor. Lu Mei and Liu Jin look at each other, instantly coming to a silent agreement. A wave of Liu Jin’s hand deactivates the talismans as the two head for the door.

“What is the meaning of this?”

A disciple lies on the floor. Two disciples from the Apothecary stand around him. Even without looking at the bruise on the fallen disciple’s cheek, it is not hard to piece together what had transpired.

“Well?” Liu Jin asks, his voice snapping everyone to attention. “Have you lost your voices? Are your mouths only there as decorations?”

“B-brother Qing!” One of the disciples says. He flinches when Liu Jin’s red eyes flick over to him. “W-We were ordered to search this floor to look for evidence of Elder Cheung’s crimes.”

Elder Xue’s orders, no doubt.

“Yes!” The other disciple says, nodding several times. “That door was locked, so we thought something was being hidden there. That is why we were trying to get that disciple to open the door.”