Healing

"Physician Xu!"

Xuxian sighed and laid down the fan he had been using to fan the small earthen pot on the fire. Getting up, he hurried out of the kitchen to see Madame Liang waving at him from the gate. Under her arm was a sulky looking hen.

She held the chicken out to him. "There. You make soup for Suzhen. She needs it. I know you only have one chicken, but my brood hen just hatched a batch of chicks. We can spare one hen surely. Ah, don't refuse it! It's so scrawny, I'm embarrassed of it. There, take it. Don't say anymore."

The sulky hen uttered a cross squawk as she shoved it generously, if unceremoniously, into Xuxian's arms. He smiled gratefully at her. "Thank you. I will remember your kindness."

Madame Liang lingered, clearly not in a hurry to go. "How is Suzhen now? Any better?"

Xuxian nodded and opened his mouth to give a detailed analysis as only a physician could, when she hurried on, "So how did she get hurt?"

A shade fell over Xuxian's face. "It seems that she met some bandits on the mountain."

Madame Liang's eyes widened. She leaned forward over the fence excitedly. "Talking about those bandits, now! It must be justice from the gods, no less. You will never guess, Physician Xu. My husband stumbled across them this morning. All of them, lying in a valley. Dead!"

"Dead?" Xuxian stammered. His mind went blank for a moment.

"Dead!" hissed Madame Jiang, settling herself comfortably against the fence. "And who do you think killed them?"

Xuxian shook his head dumbly. The hen took advantage of his distraction and tried to escape but without even looking at it Madame Jiang shoved it impatiently back into his arms.

"It's the demon," she said in a hushed voice. "The same one who killed Zheng Haoran. Their hearts were ripped out and eaten! It was a horrible sight."

"No," breathed Xuxian. He felt sick to his stomach. "Again?"

Madame Liang sighed. "I hate their guts. They deserved to die, the bastards. But all the same, it's a different thing when a demon eats your hearts. No one, even the bravest and most reckless man, would be able to face a death like that without shuddering."

She paused significantly. "And that holy man, Fahai? He was so sure it was a demon, wasn't he?"

Shaking her head, she whispered, "It's my thinking that he was their next victim. Granny Hong said he set off for the mountains yesterday and hasn't come back since. She says he must have been meditating again, like the last time, but I'm sure he went to hunt the demon. He must be lying somewhere in the snow like those bandits. Liang Guo says we should go look for him, but at a time like this, wouldn't that just be exposing ourselves to the demon?"

"Fahai?" Xuxian said blankly. He was trying to take it all in.

"Xuxian!"

Suzhen's voice floated out from the house.

Madame Liang perked up. "I'll just drop by to see her, since she's up." She reached out to unfasten the gate for herself, when Xuxian's hand stopped her.

"Madame Liang," he said lowly and urgently. "Don't tell Susu about this yet. I don't want her to be frightened, or to brood on it. She ought to focus on recovering now."

An amused smile slowly spread over her lips. "Well, you're a considerate man, aren't you. Don't you worry. I won't mention any of this bloody business to her if you don't want me to."

Xuxian watched her hurry up the path until the disgruntled hen tried to peck at him. Heaving a sigh, he looked meditatively at it. The thought of all those bodies lying motionless, the snow dyed red with their blood, was unsettling. He knew that the news was probably all over the village already, and that it was just a matter of time before everyone knew--and fear kicked in.

With an effort he pushed it from his mind. "Once the red date tea is done I'll slaughter you and make some chicken soup," he murmured to the chicken. "You don't have a name, so it'll be simple this time."

By the time he had finished with the unfortunate chicken, Madame Liang was just leaving. He watched her fasten the gate and turned to Suzhen, who was sitting at the table. She was able to sit up and move around now without pain, as long as she was careful. The colour had started to come back into her face, and Xuxian credited it to the multiple different herbs he had her taking every day. There was a new restfulness about her that made an impression on him. He wondered why, when he caught her watching him contentedly at his work for hours on end, a small smile on her lips. She seemed happy, and more at peace than she had been for a long while. Even though she was injured. He could not understand why, but he was happy for that. If he could, he would prolong this peacefulness as long as he could.

"Niangzi," he said teasingly, placing his hands on her shoulders. "How's your appetite today? We have something good for dinner. You'll never guess."

Suzhen's hands had him by his collar in an instant. "You didn't kill Dan Dan."

"Of course not. Stop glaring at me like that. Dan Dan is alive and well. Madame Liang very kindly brought us a chicken just now, so someone else is stewing over the fire in Dan Dan's place right now. That little wretch better behave herself, she had a close shave." Xuxian loosened her hands and patted her cheek. "You must be recovering if you had the strength to collar me like that," he added dryly.

"How could I dare not to, after all the effort you put into nursing me and cooking for me, brewing herbal tonics and whatnot all day?" she smiled. "Wouldn't that be ruining your reputation as a doctor?"

It had taken her so long to heal naturally. So many days of simply sleeping, waking up to eat and sit watching Xuxian work, having all the time in the world to talk to him. So this was what it was like to be human, to be at the mercy of your body, to have to wait patiently for it to build itself back, step by crawling step, each day. In the past no one had ever nursed her before. The worst injuries she had ever received had been when she was still young and inexperienced, before she had cultivated to her current level. She had fought against a malicious fox spirit who was much more cunning than her, and barely escaped with her life. Seriously injured, she had crept into her grotto, using the last of her energy to seal the entrance, and stayed there to meditate, knowing she could only die in there if she could not restore herself.

This time it had been so different. She had enjoyed just sitting there, listening to Xuxian singing until she too had learnt the words by heart. Watching the snow fall, and how the steam from the hot bowl of soup curled upwards into the air so delicately like a blossoming plant. Falling asleep and waking up the next morning to realize Xuxian had carried her to bed so as not to disturb her.

She gave a small, contented sigh. Life was so good. So simple, and peaceful. She closed her eyes happily. It had not been easy, but she knew it was worth it.