Chapter 41: and ===GLOSSARY===

Deep night, heavy dew, the moisture in the forest grew ever colder in the darkness, seeping in through the window in layers, penetrating Gu Jiu Ling's skin. She lay stiffly on the icy ground, having taken medicine beforehand; the soporific drug was utterly useless to her now. Her fingers slowly moved, a sharp surgical knife glinting coldly between them, she carefully cut the rope binding her wrists, but the rope did not come loose from her body, still retaining the shape it had when it tied her. Even awake, Gu Jiu Ling dared not move a muscle; along the way the man had stuffed her into a sack and carried her to the monastery at the mountain's base. This place housed the daughters of lesser nobility, and she dared not open her eyes to look. Suddenly the door creaked, footsteps approached, then low voices spoke from the doorway. Immediately the sack covering Gu Jiu Ling was undone from above, revealing half her body outside. Gu Jiu Ling almost couldn't hold back, but when she heard that triumphant, sharp voice in her ear, her heart steadied instead. "You guys are guarding outside!"

Gu Nanxiang's cold, sharp voice assaulted, piercing the ears painfully. "Yes!"

The servants withdrew from the warm pavilion and closed the door from outside. They knew the Second Miss hated the Eldest Miss to death; even if they were to send the Eldest Miss to such a place, they would torment her cruelly. Gu Jiu Ling had long seen through Gu Nanxiang's venomous heart and her talent for pretense. Even when she acted against her, she did not like others watching, for a bloody scene would damage the image of the Gu family's gentle and lovable Second Miss. Gu Jiu Ling had figured this out, which is why she dared to take the risk and play along with her. The room fell silent at once, and Gu Jiu Ling heard Gu Nanxiang's teeth-gritting voice: "Gu Jiu Ling, you never expected this, did you? You too have today?"

"Hmph! I haven't treated you badly; sending you to that low-class brothel's back door to enjoy yourself, you ought to thank me instead!"

Gu Jiu Ling listened to that woman's ravings, chills running through her. If she, pregnant, were sent to that place, she feared the first night would be a tragedy of three lives lost. A blade edge was pressed against Gu Jiu Ling's face this time; her hand twitched slightly, exchanging the surgical knife for a syringe filled with anesthetic, and she could hardly bear it any longer. "Gu Jiu Ling, even if you snatched the dowry, what does it matter? Even if you became the Princess Consort of Rui, what can you do?"

"After I ruin your face, even if you become the lowest of prostitutes, you will have to wear this disgusting face!"

"Gu—Jiu—Ling! Go die!!" Gu Nanxiang's wrist turned slightly, the blade slicing toward Gu Jiu Ling's face. Her eyes were filled with utter madness, a strange smile on her face; so overwrought was she that even her formerly beautiful visage twisted. Just as the knife in her hand was about to fall on Gu Jiu Ling's face, the Gu Jiu Ling who had been lying unconscious on the ground suddenly shifted sideways to dodge, then lifted her hand and struck at her, something piercing directly into her neck. The change came abruptly; Gu Nanxiang was utterly stunned, the scream in her throat cut off, a creeping numbness spreading from her neck, making her feel both alien and terrified. She opened her mouth, staring in disbelief at the Gu Jiu Ling who had sat up before her, yet could not utter a word. All one could hear was her saying something about arterial puncture, the anesthetic taking effect quickly. What exactly was she saying? What anesthetic? What puncture? She even collapsed into Gu Jiu Ling's embrace, where Gu Jiu Ling steadied her, even taking the dagger from her hand without making a sound. The room fell silent; those outside had no idea such a mishap had occurred in the warm pavilion. In that instant, Gu Nanxiang felt a twinge of regret—she really should have listened to her brother this time. Before losing consciousness, Gu Nanxiang even wanted to kowtow to Gu Jiu Ling, begging for mercy, asking to be spared. But the words Gu Jiu Ling whispered into her ear sent her plummeting into hell. Gu Jiu Ling produced the human-skin mask she had hidden in her space; in the past few days she had suddenly discovered that the space she carried could actually be upgraded. Not only could she retrieve medicines from it, she could also store things from here inside it, though only small items, which was already enough. Gu Jiu Ling placed her own human-skin mask over Gu Nanxiang's face and whispered low: "Sister, going to the back door to find men—you probably enjoy that sort of thing, so I won't compete with you."

"Enjoy yourself properly—"

Gu Nanxiang wanted to scream, but she sank into deep darkness and lost consciousness entirely. Gu Jiu Ling stripped her clothes off and put them on herself, quickly swapping their hairstyles as well—fortunately Gu Nanxiang had tied a half-updo for convenience, so it was fairly simple. She tightened the sack's mouth, rose, and placed Gu Nanxiang's mask on her own face. Although she was now pregnant, she was only a little over a month along, not yet showing, and her figure was much like Gu Nanxiang's, after all they were both the flesh and blood of that scoundrel Gu Shijie. She rose slowly, picked up the dagger from the ground, and curled her lip in a cold smirk. Gu Jiu Ling had always been the type to repay a grudge to the letter! How could you be so obstinate as to insist on making trouble for me? Gu Jiu Ling walked slowly to the door and opened it. Outside stood two brawny men who looked unfamiliar, not like anyone from the Gu minister's residence. Moreover, the mask made by Ghost Hand Seven was no mere show in the jianghu, so naturally no flaw could be seen. Gu Jiu Ling said nothing, simply raised her hand in a crisp, decisive gesture and tossed a sack of silver over. The two men's eyes lit up; they hurriedly whispered, "Miss Gu the Second, rest assured, we'll see to this errand perfectly."

Gu Jiu Ling nodded and strode forward. The two men rushed into the warm pavilion, and before long they were hurrying through the night with a sack on their shoulders. Gu Jiu Ling left the pavilion and came to the woods, whistling. Jiu Yue burst out from the grass, her face gone pale; this time the Eldest Miss had really been too bold—several of them had almost dared not hide, wanting to rush over and snatch her from those villains' hands. In the moonlight, Jiu Yue stared at Gu Jiu Ling's face and jumped in fright; Gu Jiu Ling removed her mask, and Jiu Yue's eyes reddened as she hurried over. "Master!"

Jiu Yue's voice trembled. Gu Jiu Ling grasped her hand and whispered, "How are the few servants of the Gu family?"

"In reply to Master, following the dosage you previously ordered, one needle per person should keep them asleep until tomorrow morning."

Gu Jiu Ling leisurely took off Gu Nanxiang's clothes and handed them to Jiu Yue: "Tie these garments with stones and throw them into the lake."

"Yes!"

Gu Jiu Ling tidied her hair again; these past days, for today's performance, she had specially had Li Qi'er invite a hairdresser to teach her how to style these hairdos. While speaking with Jiu Yue, her hair was finished, and Gu Nanxiang's vermilion hairpin was slipped into the bundle of clothes to be discarded; Jiu Yue hurriedly handed over the Eldest Miss's own head ornaments. Gu Jiu Ling, now dressed, looked at Jiu Yue and asked, "Has the Harmony Grand Princess arrived?"

"In reply to Master, the Grand Princess is already waiting in the forward palanquin."

Gu Jiu Ling nodded. The Harmony Grand Princess is the current emperor's sister; her prince consort is General Cheng Kun of the Wuwei Army, who died in battle on the western Rong border half a year after marrying the princess. The Harmony Grand Princess, carrying General Cheng's posthumous child, never took another prince consort, and later gave birth to a son. Originally the princess's mansion was filled with joy and bustle, but when the boy reached seven or eight years old, he discovered his lower abdomen swollen like a drum. The imperial physicians prescribed many medicines, yet none could cure it. Now General Cheng's son, Cheng Ming, has undergone the coming-of-age ceremony, but the strange illness remains uncured; the handsome young man constantly looks like a pregnant woman, his belly protruding, and people regard him as a monster. The Harmony Grand Princess is now so worried her hair has turned white. The last time she personally saw Gu Jiu Ling revive the dead at the imperial hunt, she seized this opportunity of coming to Wulong Mountain to pay homage to the Buddha to tactfully propose that Gu Jiu Ling examine her son's illness. Unexpectedly, Gu Jiu Ling first put forward a request—to accompany her in acting tonight!