Apart from the cascading waterfall, the water's surface was only lightly rippled. Suddenly, Chang Jingyun emerged from the pool, his right arm still firmly holding Hua Caiyi, never loosening his grip. He carried her to the shore, saw that she had fainted, and quickly laid her down. Gently pinching her nose and mouth, he began administering breath after breath. Moments later, Hua Caiyi's body seemed to respond as she coughed up a few mouthfuls of water and slowly opened her eyes.
She leaned weakly against Chang Jingyun's chest, glanced around in confusion, and, with a soft voice, asked, "Brother Chang, what happened?"
Chang Jingyun replied, "That liquor we had was indeed suspicious. After you fainted, we were ambushed by a group of men dressed in black. We exchanged a few blows, but they outnumbered us. Left with no choice, I had to carry you and flee. Before I realized it, we had reached a waterfall."
"So that's what happened," Hua Caiyi muttered. A shiver ran through her as a cold wind blew past.
Noticing her discomfort, Chang Jingyun immediately picked her up and placed her on a dry spot, then went off in search of some firewood.
After about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the fire began to crackle. The harsh midday sun had also softened, and Hua Caiyi was slowly regaining her strength. Glancing at Chang Jingyun, she noticed that he had fallen asleep on a large rock not far away. Summoning her strength, she sat up, but her legs, having been motionless for so long, tingled with numbness.
Resigned, she rested a bit longer. Once she felt able to walk, she approached the still-sleeping Chang Jingyun but did not have the heart to wake him. She then surveyed their surroundings and soon realized there seemed to be no path leading out.
Her gaze drifted to the pool, where fish were swimming freely. Judging the water to be clean, she waded in, caught a few fish, and skewered them on sticks to roast over the fire.
As Chang Jingyun slept, the enticing aroma of grilled fish stirred him. Rubbing his eyes, he woke to see Hua Caiyi by the fire, grilling fish. Delighted, he exclaimed, "So this is what smells so good—it's grilled fish!"
"Did I wake you, Brother Chang?" she asked softly.
He chuckled, "Strictly speaking, it was the aroma of the fish that woke me. I had just been dreaming of sitting in a tavern, drinking wine, but I was starving. Unfortunately, the tavern only sold wine, no food. So, I kept drinking and drinking until, suddenly, the scent of something delicious caught my attention. I followed the smell and woke up to find you grilling fish!"
Hua Caiyi laughed, handing him a perfectly roasted fish, "Brother Chang, eat it while it's hot!" She then turned back to continue grilling another fish.
As night gradually fell, Hua Caiyi added more wood to the fire. The two of them lay on the rocks, gazing up at the sky, where the moon shone brightly, accompanied by only a few scattered stars.
"Brother Chang, there seems to be no way out of here. How are we going to get back up?" Hua Caiyi asked.
"There's always a way," Chang Jingyun replied. "When the time comes, we'll find a path."
With a sigh, Hua Caiyi said, "I wonder how my master is faring. If I'm gone too long, he'll surely come looking for me."
Chang Jingyun sighed in turn, "If only we could forget the worries of the world. I wouldn't mind spending my days here, watching the stars and moon with you." Realizing the implications of his words, he quickly changed the subject, "The water issue at Qianqiu Lake must have been orchestrated by someone. I wonder who those black-clad pursuers were."
"Maybe they were just after money," Hua Caiyi suggested.
"What do you mean?" asked Chang Jingyun.
"There was a time when I was traveling with my master, and we encountered something similar. A rogue doctor spread a disease in a small town, a sickness only he could cure. As people began to die, he emerged as the savior, demanding exorbitant fees for his treatments, profiting from their misery."
Chang Jingyun nodded, "By that logic, those black-clad men could very well have been hired by the real culprit!"
"It's just a theory," Hua Caiyi said. "We'll need to get out of here to uncover the truth."
And so, they stayed at the base of the waterfall for over ten days, surviving on fish from the pool. Then, one day, a heavy rain began to pour, and with nowhere to take shelter, they huddled against the rock face to escape the downpour.
At that moment, the rain grew heavier, and Hua Caiyi was pressed tightly against the rock face. Suddenly, her foot slipped, and she fell backward with a splash into a small puddle. Struggling to get up, she realized she had discovered the entrance to a cave. Chang Jingyun noticed as well, and the two, overjoyed, headed toward it. However, the cave was pitch dark, and without any torches, they had no choice but to feel their way forward. Hua Caiyi, feeling uneasy, stayed close behind Chang Jingyun, who sensed her fear and gently took her hand, reassuring her softly, "Don't be afraid, I'm here with you."
Chang Jingyun continued guiding them by feeling along the cave wall, but the darkness remained impenetrable. Hua Caiyi, growing more anxious, whispered, "Brother Chang, where do you think this cave leads?"
"I have a feeling this cave will take us out," Chang Jingyun replied. "We'll find an exit soon."
An hour passed, and both were growing weary, so they sat down to rest. Hua Caiyi, surrounded by the oppressive blackness, felt a surge of fear and instinctively leaned into Chang Jingyun's embrace. Surprised, Chang Jingyun thought to himself, "She must be frightened," and held her gently in his arms. After resting for half an hour, they stood up and continued onward. The cave widened as they progressed, filling them with renewed hope. Soon, the faint sound of water reached Chang Jingyun's ears. Elated, he exclaimed, "Do you hear that? It's the sound of running water—we're almost out!"
Hua Caiyi focused and, sure enough, the sound of water became clearer. Before long, the ground grew damp, and puddles began to form as they pressed forward. The dim light ahead brightened with each step. Hand in hand, they quickened their pace, and before them, the exit appeared, with a brilliant rainbow arching across the sky.
With a sigh of relief, Chang Jingyun beamed, "The rain has stopped, and the sky has cleared."
"Yes, what a beautiful rainbow!" Hua Caiyi agreed, glancing at Chang Jingyun before breaking into a sudden fit of laughter.
Chang Jingyun, puzzled, said, "It's understandable to feel joy after surviving such an ordeal."
Hua Caiyi shook her head, still laughing, "That's not why I'm laughing." She led him to the water's edge and urged him to look at his reflection.
Chang Jingyun looked and couldn't help but laugh along. His face was smeared with dirt, making him resemble a disheveled beggar. Hua Caiyi took out a handkerchief and gently wiped the dirt from his face, while Chang Jingyun found himself gazing at her intently. In that moment, his heart stirred, and he impulsively grasped her hand, saying, "Miss Hua, there's something I've been meaning to tell you."
Hua Caiyi blushed and tried to pull her hand away, replying shyly, "Let's talk about it when we're back in Jiaxing."
Chang Jingyun glanced at the fading rainbow, realizing it would soon vanish. Determined to speak his mind before it disappeared, he asked, "Miss Hua, would you marry me?"
Hua Caiyi laughed, "Who asks a girl to marry him like that? My master always says only a rogue would do such a thing."
Flustered, Chang Jingyun quickly explained, "I'm no rogue! I just… I really like you, Miss Hua. Maybe I'm being a little too hasty."
Hua Caiyi turned away, her heart secretly delighted, though she kept her feelings hidden. "Do you say such things to all the girls?" she teased.
Chang Jingyun, confused, asked, "What do you mean?"
"You really are clueless," Hua Caiyi said playfully. "I'm asking if you've ever liked another girl."
Chang Jingyun scratched his head and laughed sheepishly, "No, you're the first."
Hua Caiyi let out a soft "Oh" and looked away, her tone teasing, "Why should I marry you?"
Chang Jingyun replied earnestly, "Since the day we parted at Fanhua Valley, I haven't been able to stop thinking about you. Seeing you again only made me more certain of my feelings. I truly like you… do you feel the same?"
A smile crept across Hua Caiyi's face, her blush spreading to the tips of her ears. She whispered, "You'll have to ask my master about that," before running off, embarrassed.
Chang Jingyun, still confused, called after her, "But I'm in love with you, not your master! Why ask him?"
Hua Caiyi had already run far ahead and didn't hear him. In the distance, she called back, "Go to Fanhua Valley to propose!"
Realization dawned on Chang Jingyun, and with a wide grin, he hurried to catch up with her.
Upon returning to Jiaxing, they found the streets bustling with people. Where once the streets had been desolate, they were now lively with long queues. Curious, they approached to see what was happening. Hua Caiyi asked a passerby, "Excuse me, what is everyone waiting for?"
The person replied, "A miracle doctor came to town yesterday and cured the strange illness that had been plaguing the town!"
Hua Caiyi's heart sank, exchanging a glance with Chang Jingyun. It was just as she had suspected—someone had deliberately caused the illness to make a profit.
She asked again, "How much are the medicines?"
"One hundred taels per prescription," the person answered.
Hua Caiyi exclaimed in surprise, "A hundred taels? That's outrageous!" This clue further confirmed her suspicions.
Thus, Chang Jingyun and Hua Caiyi decided to investigate the so-called miracle doctor's home that night.
As night fell, they stealthily approached the traveling doctor's house. Suddenly, the sound of clinking cups echoed from inside. Chang Jingyun poked a hole in the paper window and peered in. He saw a man in his thirties, raising a wine cup and saying to the others at the table, "Today's earnings were quite good—three thousand taels in total, all thanks to everyone's efforts. Let's drink to that!" As soon as he finished speaking, the others joined in, toasting with abandon. Before long, they were all drunk and unconscious. Chang Jingyun whispered, "Caiyi, let's tie them up."
In a flash, the two swiftly tied up all eleven men inside. Then, Chang Jingyun fetched a bucket of water and began splashing it onto their faces one by one to wake them from their drunken stupor. As expected, the men awoke immediately, bewildered to find Chang Jingyun and Hua Caiyi standing before them.
Chang Jingyun demanded, "Speak! Who are you, and why did you tamper with the water at Qianqiu Lake?"
The middle-aged man leading the group pleaded, "Mercy, great hero! I'm just a humble traveling doctor. How could I commit such a heinous act?"
Hua Caiyi retorted, "You dare speak of medical ethics? A single dose of medicine, and you charge a hundred taels? You have no right to call yourself a doctor!"
Chang Jingyun sternly added, "Will you tell the truth or not?"
Seeing that he was trapped, the man quickly gave in and begged, "If you two heroes spare my life, I'll split the profits with you—half of what we've earned in recent days."
Chang Jingyun, seeing the man's refusal to repent, turned to Hua Caiyi and said, "It seems we'll have to call the townspeople here to witness their shameless faces."
Hua Caiyi agreed, finding the idea fitting. Soon, the entire town of Jiaxing was gathered. An elderly woman, puzzled, asked, "Isn't this the miracle doctor? Why does he look like this now?"
Chang Jingyun responded, "Granny, let the so-called miracle doctor explain himself."
Surrounded and with no way out, the middle-aged man confessed. His name was Yu Zhide, a third-generation physician, but his family had long lost its reputation due to unethical practices. Shunned by the locals, he turned to wandering the land, scheming to make money wherever he could. This time, he seized the opportunity brought by the drought in Jiaxing. Exploiting the townspeople's difficulty in fetching water, he had poisoned Qianqiu Lake with a drug called "Cold Breath Pill." The symptoms it caused resembled a common cold, misleading doctors into treating it as such, but the poison couldn't be cured that way. Yu Zhide then posed as a miracle healer, offering the antidote while charging exorbitant fees, all to line his pockets. However, the sudden appearance of Chang Jingyun and Hua Caiyi disrupted his plan. To cover his tracks, he hired ten assassins to silence them, but they narrowly escaped. And now, they were standing here, exposing his treachery.
Upon learning the truth, the townspeople erupted in fury, rolling up their sleeves, ready to take out their anger on the culprits. But Hua Caiyi intervened, saying, "This man is unworthy of being a doctor. Let us hand him over to the authorities and let the officials deal with him."
In the end, thanks to Hua Caiyi's persuasion, Yu Zhide was escorted by the townspeople to the local magistrate. As they watched the crowd disperse, Chang Jingyun and Hua Caiyi exchanged a relieved smile, feeling a great weight lifted from their hearts.