Chapter 9 Wind Crane: Passing Out
Qi Jianqiu curled her lip, upset at her friend’s apparent disinterest in the subject, focusing all her energy onto the dishes in front of her instead.
“Do you find the dessert too sweet? I thought-” Before she could finish her sentence, she heard a loud thud and turned to find Feng Luodi collapsed on the table.
“What? Are the dishes poisonous?” She panicked and rushed over to Feng Luodi, trying to wake her from her stupor. “Luodi? Luodi?” She shook Feng Luodi’s unconscious body and called her name again, but Feng Luodi remained lifeless.
“Right! I should call for the physician immediately!” Qi Jianqiu tried to lift Feng Luodi’s body, but her physique was too weak and could barely move the body at all. Agitated and frantic, she thought of leaving Feng Luodi to call for a physician, but worried for her safety. Just as she was on the verge of tears, a bright voice came from the door.
“Miss? Is something the matter? I heard your calls across the corridor; do you need help?” Qi Jianqiu almost wept in relief at the voice. Hurriedly, she strode across the room and threw the door open.
Standing outside was a man with an earnest smile on his face. Despite being dressed in casual clothes, one could tell from the way he held himself that he was a soldier. He was rather good-looking, not in the way that demanded your attention, but made people more at ease just by looking at him. With a start, she realised that this man was one of the Four that they had just been talking about: Xue Yiqi, the Defender-in-chief of the kingdom.
She looked behind him and through the open door on the other side of the corridor. Inside the spacious room were three handsome men: one was sharp and dashing, another gentle and quiet, and the last had the look of a flirtatious man. All three of them were looking at her quietly.
Oh god, Qi Jianqiu thought to herself, it's the Four Masters of Chang’an! Her face turned a shade of bright pink as she remembered the fervent admiration in her voice when she talked about them, just a few minutes ago. Even though there were two doors and a spacious corridor between the two rooms, she couldn’t help but feel embarrassed, as if they had overheard her words.
“Miss? Miss, is anything the matter?” Xue Yiqi was dumbfounded by the woman before him, whose thoughts have apparently wandered off at such a time, despite sounding so frantic a moment ago.
“Right! My apologies, sir, I do need your help. If you may, please come on in.” She turned and led Xue Yiqi into the room, and requested his assistance in moving Feng Luodi onto the lounge sofa in the corner. She then watched over Feng Luodi worriedly as Xue Yiqi called for a physician on her behalf. Why is this happening to her? She was completely fine just moments ago! She looked healthy; why would she just pass out like that?
Meanwhile, Feng Luodi found herself back in a familiar place. She was standing in the middle of a circle of light, enveloped by the darkness. “Why am back here?” She wondered aloud, “If I’m in the spiritual state right now, what is going to happen to my body?”
It took a moment for Phantom to reappear like before: three feet off the ground and the same emotionless face. “It happens sometimes; your soul has yet to completely synchronise with your host body. It’ll take about a month before it completely stabilizes.
“You’re saying that this problem of me passing out regardless of time and location will recur randomly for another month?” Feng Luodi thought that her body was well enough to move about after resting for a few weeks, as instructed by the physician.
“Yep, that’s about it.” Phantom nodded, “Just remember not to go anywhere alone for the next month. Bring someone you know along, wherever you’re going, in case something like this happens again.” He paused for a moment, and looked around a bit. “I’ll have to go now; just stay here for a little longer and your soul would return back to your body soon.” With that, he left just as suddenly as he came.
At the same time in the material plane, the physician summoned by Xue Yiqi had just finished checking up on Feng Luodi’s vitals. To the worried Qi Jianqiu who sat at the side, he said calmly, “This lady’s health is in good condition; her unconsciousness might have been a result of her past sickness. Just let her rest for a while; she should wake up shortly.”
What? Nothing wrong with her? Qi Jianqiu almost wanted to grab the physician by his collar with his very unhelpful diagnosis. But she had an image to maintain, now that she was dressed as a lady. Anyone vaguely familiar with the court officials could easily recognise her as the daughter of the Right Minister. She could not disgrace her father, especially now that Xue Yiqi was just beside her.
When the physician left the room escorted by Xue Yiqi, Qi Jianqiu casually glanced across the corridor and into the other dining room. The other three men were idly sitting around and chatting amicably, obviously waiting for Xue Yiqi to return. Before her thoughts could wander off again, Feng Luodi stirred on the sofa, and to the delight of Qi Jianqiu, opened her eyes.
Before Feng Luodi had time to think, she was held in a tight hug by Qi Jianqiu.
“I was really frightened just now. I thought you had stopped breathing!” Qi Jianqiu sighed in relief. Feng Luodi smiled amusedly at her expression and patted her back lightly, feeling the warmth of her embrace.
When Xue Yiqi came back to this scene, he quietly closed the door, and returned to his own dining room.