Ji Qingwu had transmigrated to this place in soul only.
She had taken over the body of an official's daughter. Coincidentally, that young lady's surname was also Ji and she shared the same face. However, this Miss Ji had been lost as a child and later adopted by an old doctor in the mountains.
'If these people are from the Ji Family...'
Ji Qingwu's heart pounded in her chest.
If she had one particular talent, it was that her greatest fears always came to pass. Her woman's intuition was uncannily accurate.
For instance, that night she had tied the man to the bed, they had only done the deed once. But as she walked out of the military tent, her back and legs aching, she just knew she would end up pregnant.
Ji Qingwu paused and looked toward the entrance.
She had hung a white gauze curtain over the clinic's entrance to keep out the sand, dust, and insects.
The visitor reached out and brushed the curtain aside. A pair of black official's boots stepped into the main room, belonging to a tall young man with a handsome profile.
The woman waited at the entrance. When she saw him enter, she called out respectfully, "Sir."
Ji Changlin gave a slight nod.
"Just as you predicted, Sir, this Doctor is quite skilled. My condition is a congenital deficiency—exactly the same as the diagnosis given by the divine doctor, Le Xi, in Lin'an City."
One glance told Ji Qingwu that the official before her was a man of remarkable talent. His features were well-defined, and he carried himself with an air of unimpeachable integrity.
Ji Changlin clasped his hands in a formal bow. "Doctor, my surname is Ji. I am passing through on business in Nanchu and heard the locals sing high praises of your medical skills. I was hoping to ask you to examine a relative of mine."
Ji Qingwu's heart was filled with apprehension, but she kept her expression calm.
She glanced at the woman who had been posing as a patient and said with deliberate coolness, "In that case, Sir, why the need for a test? Besides, Nanchu and Lin'an City are thousands of miles apart. The journey is long, and I dislike such ordeals."
He carefully looked Ji Qingwu up and down once more. While the doctor wasn't strikingly beautiful, she had a gentle disposition, a particularly soft voice, and a graceful figure that her simple clothes couldn't entirely conceal.
However, her fingers were currently twisting together, a clear sign of a troubled mind. It seemed she was hiding quite a few secrets.
Ji Changlin grew suspicious and continued, "Doctor, Nanchu is a desolate land, after all. From your accent, I gather you are also from Lin'an. The new emperor has been on the throne for three years now, and the people of Lin'an City all live in peace and contentment. Why not return to your hometown?"
The Monarch of the Da Liang Country had been debauched and cruel; by the time she transmigrated, the nation was already on the brink of collapse.
Now, the new emperor of Beili ruled Lin'an City.
Ji Qingwu hadn't paid much attention to the news, but the talk on every street and corner was of how incomparably heroic this new emperor was.
How he led the Eight Capital Soldiers across the river to ambush the enemy, how he beheaded the enemy commander in his own camp, and how he dealt with the treasonous officials and remaining insurgents with swift and decisive measures.
Seeing her lost in thought, Ji Changlin pressed on, "With your medical skills, establishing yourself in Lin'an would be no problem at all. If you need any help, the Ji Family owns many properties. We could rent one to you cheaply, or even send people to help you get settled."
'He's offering such a huge favor right off the bat.'
'Just who in the Ji Family is infertile?'
Ji Qingwu toyed with her little finger, her tone soft. "Mr. Ji, perhaps everyone loves the splendor of the capital city, but I prefer the unique charm of a small border town."
Ji Changlin raised an eyebrow and sat down across from her.
He had already given the clinic a thorough, discreet inspection. He had noticed a picture book on the corner of the table—the kind used as a primer for young children.
'This doctor must have a child of three or four at home.'
He inquired, "Oh? Do you not care for your child's future, then?"
Ji Qingwu's expression froze. 'He figured out I have a child.'
But her daughter wasn't at the clinic right now.
When she first arrived, she had been so busy trying to make a living that she had found a trustworthy family to help.
During the day, she would send her precious daughter, Jiu Jiu, to be looked after, then work at the clinic, and pick her up in the evening to bring her home.
Ji Changlin casually picked up the picture book from the table. After flipping through a few pages, he said languidly, "Parents who love their children must plan far ahead for them. A little picture book is hardly a sufficient primer. One must hire a proper tutor."
Ji Qingwu's throat went dry. She licked her lips, then picked up the teacup on the table and drained it in one go.
If there was one drawback to being in Nanchu, it was that her Jiu Jiu was already four years old—the age when she should be starting her schooling.
It was just that the people here had to worry about survival and putting food on the table first; a child's education naturally came second.
Ji Qingwu had always wanted to find a good tutor for Jiu Jiu, someone who could at least teach her the principles of how to secure her place in the world.
Seeing her resolve waver, Ji Changlin pressed on, "I surmise your child is at an age where they need to begin their studies. Why not return to Lin'an City with us? You could be reunited with your family as well."
At the mere mention of the word "family," for some reason, the face of that man was the first thing that popped into Ji Qingwu's head.
She shook her head vigorously, and when she looked up, she found Ji Changlin staring at her, a thoughtful expression on his face.
Sweat beaded on Ji Qingwu's forehead. She picked up a linen cloth from the table and wiped her brow, revealing a flash of her dazzlingly white wrist.
Ji Changlin's eyes fell on the brown stain left on the cloth. He leaned in slightly, a small smile playing on his lips. "Doctor, why don't you dare to show your true face?"
'Is this man a reincarnated fox spirit?!'
Her secrets were crumbling before him, one by one.
Annoyance flashed in her eyes. "Sir, I simply happen to like this style of makeup. Surely that's not against the law?"
"Of course it isn't."
In a town on the border between two nations, many people were refugees fleeing famine.
Ji Changlin's gentle tone vanished, replaced by a serious one. "However, do you and your child have household registration papers? Is your residence here legal? Those without papers are to be expelled from the border, and they will also be subjected to punishment by branding."
'Branding... having words carved onto your skin. How could she let that happen?'
'He's threatening me!'
Ji Qingwu might look soft and delicate, but that was only when no one crossed her.
She slammed her hand on the table.
The square sandalwood table shattered on impact, sending splinters flying through the air.
Shocked that she possessed enough strength to shatter a wooden table with a single blow, Ji Changlin stumbled back a few steps.
The woman who had pretended to be a patient deftly moved to stand in front of him, clearly his guard. She rebuked, "Insolent wench! How dare you show disrespect to an envoy of Beili!"
Ji Qingwu snorted. 'So he's an envoy from Beili. No wonder he's so silver-tongued and observant.'
She glared at the two of them without a shred of fear.
Over the years, every time she successfully treated a patient, she had used her "system" to redeem skills. She had mostly chosen self-defense techniques. In terms of raw strength, the two of them combined were no match for her.
Just as the atmosphere grew thick with tension, a small figure ducked out from behind the door curtain.
She looked to be three or four years old, yet her steps were remarkably steady.
The little girl had a chubby, cherubic face that seemed to be perpetually smiling. Cradling something in her hands, she toddled on her short legs straight for Ji Qingwu.
Ji Qingwu desperately tried to signal her daughter with her eyes.
"Mama!"
The cry was exceptionally loud.
'As if she were afraid people wouldn't know whose child she was.'