The wind howled outside, but Shen Muqing's voice was swallowed by the storm.
"Brother Shen?" Mo Lixia asked again, pulling her cloak tighter.
"It's nothing. Let's hurry," Shen Muqing shook his head and quickened his pace.
Soon, they arrived at the three small wooden huts at the foot of the mountain.
Pushing open the door, a wave of warmth hit them. The room was small but surprisingly tidy. What caught Mo Lixia's attention immediately wasn't the furniture, but the books.
Piles of books.
They were everywhere—on the table, on the crude shelves, even stacked in corners.
Mo Lixia glanced at Shen Muqing with new appreciation. In such a difficult environment, he still persists in his studies. No wonder he has that scholarly air about him.
"Cough... cough cough..."
A series of violent, heart-wrenching coughs came from the inner room.
"Mother! Lixia is here!" Shen Muqing rushed inside, placing the lantern on a table.
Mo Lixia followed him in. The inner room was dimly lit. Aunt Shen lay on the bed, her face flushed a sickly red, gasping for air between coughs.
"Aunt Shen," Mo Lixia called softly as she sat by the bedside.
Without wasting time, she placed her fingers on Aunt Shen's wrist to check her pulse.
Shen Muqing stood to the side, his hands clenched nervously, watching Mo Lixia's every move. He held his breath, afraid to disturb her.
A moment later, Mo Lixia withdrew her hand.
"How is she?" Shen Muqing asked anxiously.
"It's an invasion of wind-cold that has turned into heat in the lungs," Mo Lixia explained calmly, opening her medicine kit. "Her internal fire is blazing, causing the cough and fever. It's serious, but treatable."
She took out her silver needles.
"I need to perform acupuncture to clear the heat and stop the coughing. Brother Shen, please bring a basin of warm water and a towel."
"Right away!"
Shen Muqing hurried out and returned quickly.
Mo Lixia sterilized the needles over the candle flame. With practiced ease, she inserted them into specific acupoints on Aunt Shen's chest and arms.
Her expression was focused and serene. Under the candlelight, her side profile looked exceptionally beautiful, glowing with a gentle, professional aura.
Shen Muqing found himself staring. For a moment, he forgot his worry, mesmerized by the girl saving his mother.
After the needles were in place, Aunt Shen's breathing visibly eased. The violent coughing subsided into shallow, rhythmic breaths.
"Is... is she asleep?" Shen Muqing whispered.
"The acupuncture helped soothe her lungs. Sleep is good for her recovery," Mo Lixia whispered back, removing the needles one by one.
She stood up and walked to the outer room to write a prescription, but then remembered she had brought some medicine with her.
"I have some pills here that Master made before he passed," Mo Lixia took out a small porcelain bottle from her kit. "Give her one pill every four hours with warm water. She should feel much better by tomorrow morning."
Shen Muqing took the bottle as if it were a precious treasure. "Thank you, Lixia. I... I will pay you for the consultation and medicine as soon as I sell my next hunt."
Mo Lixia shook her head with a faint smile. "We are neighbors, Brother Shen. Master always said, 'A healer's heart is like a parent's heart.' Don't mention money right now. Let Aunt Shen recover first."
Shen Muqing looked at her, his eyes filled with gratitude and something deeper—an emotion he didn't dare to speak aloud.
"I'll walk you back," he said firmly. "The snow is deep."
Mo Lixia nodded. It was indeed dangerous to walk alone in this weather.
The journey back was silent, but it wasn't awkward. Shen Muqing walked ahead, using his body to shield her from the biting wind, his footprints leaving a path for her to follow in the snow.