Chapter 301

Chapter 301: Being a Woman Is Original Sin

In truth, it was not just that mocking middle-aged woman. Many people in the crowd carried traces of black on them. Most had misty gray-white around them. Only a small number showed white light. As for gold, only two people had it: Yu Zhi Yi and Xia Ming Xia.

Compared to Yu Zhi Yi’s glow, Xia Ming Xia’s gold was weaker. But compared to everyone else, it was still enough to dazzle.

Jiang Liu Yun looked down at himself and saw only a tiny bit of white light, with the rest a hazy gray. It did not look good. He glanced at Jiang Liu Bin and saw a band of very dark gray, almost black, circling him. Then he looked at Chen Xin Yue and froze. Black threads coiled around her.

Yu Zhi Yi spoke at the right time: “The colors on a person show their moral record. Gold means a kind heart and many good deeds-many lives saved. White means you have helped some people, though not many. Gray means you carry no karmic debt; you may have killed, but not by starting evil-only by defending yourself. As for black…” Her eyes turned deep: “It means this person is tied to deadly cause and effect. Whether on purpose or not, someone died because of them. They may not have killed with their own hands, but the victim’s death is absolutely related to them.”

Chen Xin Yue could see the black threads on herself just as clearly as the others could, and she snapped: “You’re lying! I have never harmed anyone!”

Yu Zhi Yi lifted a shoulder: “If you say you haven’t, then you haven’t.”

She admitted to herself that she was beating the bushes to stir the snakes. She hoped the person behind it would not disappoint her.

Jiang Liu Bin raised his hand and asked weakly: “Then what about me, sister? What is this on me? I truly never hurt anyone on purpose!” At most he had struck back when provoked, and once or twice he had killed attackers while being ambushed. The dark, murky ring around him was different from Chen Xin Yue’s black, but it was just as unpleasant.

He was close to tears. He was a man of the Martial World and had his share of fights, but he had not set out to kill.

Yu Zhi Yi gave him a glance and said evenly: “Oh, yours is not karmic debt. It is deathly energy.”

“?!” Jiang Liu Bin felt even more spooked.

Ignoring her startled “brother,” Yu Zhi Yi walked to Xia Ming Xia’s side. This young miss had borne too much injustice and filth poured on her. No one had ever spoken up for her. Even her family disliked and shunned her, wishing they could cut ties. Now someone stood up for her in a way that felt almost unbelievable, and she could not recover for a long while.

Xia Ming Xia tried to speak, her voice stumbling: “Second Miss Jiang, you… I…” She had not spoken warmly with anyone in a long time. Her chest was full of thanks and excitement, but she did not know how to say it.

Yu Zhi Yi smiled: “Don’t be nervous. Do you have time? I want to talk with Physician Xia.”

Xia Ming Xia’s heart jumped. She was a physician. Everyone knew it. But all these years, no one had ever called her “Physician Xia.” Even those she had saved only called her “Miss Xia.” This was the first time someone addressed her as a physician. Her eyes lit up, yet she also felt nervous.

Because of her bad name, her ties in the Martial World were poor. Some people simply looked down on her and ignored her, or mocked her from afar. Others found joy in shaming her. They approached her on purpose, claiming they wanted friendship or treatment. After she tested them and lowered her guard, they showed their true faces and laughed at her ignorance and wishful thinking: “How could anyone be friends with you?” If they had money for better-known physicians, why would they choose a notorious “bad woman” like her?

At first, she believed people truly needed her help. After being fooled several times, she understood: the only person in the world who did not despise her might be herself.

She often thought: [If only I were a man.] A man could treat men and women both. A man treating a woman drew no gossip. If trouble followed, people would still blame the woman, not the male physician. Women, it seemed, were born only to stay inside the house, bear children, and teach them. They were not allowed to have their own goals or ideas. She asked again and again: [But why?] She questioned others and herself, and found no answer.

She was nervous now. But when she met that pair of eyes, deep at first and then clear, she could not help thinking: [One last time. Believe one last time.]

She said, “Okay.”

The Grand Horse Racing Meet had to stop midway after the ground collapsed and dozens died. Even so, the first-round results were posted. Yu Zhi Yi ranked first. Jiang Liu Bin and Jiang Liu Yun ranked third and fifth. The meet used average scoring. In the individual race, Yu Zhi Yi was the rightful champion. In the team event, the three scores averaged together still put them in first place.

Some people’s secret hopes fell apart. Yu Zhi Yi would not get scolded for losing or holding the team back. Instead, she had been saddled with a “no-name debuff” before this, and now the meet had taken dozens of lives. Thanks to Yu Zhi Yi’s warning, many more avoided death or injury. All these things stacked together, and her name rang out everywhere at once. Everyone now knew the Jiang Clan’s newly found second miss was not some ordinary girl who knew nothing. She was strong. At least, when the Jiang Clan’s eldest miss had competed in past meets, she had never taken first place. She had only blended into three-person teams and, at best, not dragged them down.

On top of that, the few who had seen the colors around people now kept very quiet about Yu Zhi Yi. Some noticed that, after the meet, the social map of the Martial World shifted. Friends who had once been very close grew distant for reasons unknown. They did not turn into enemies, but they stopped visiting in private. Only at events with many guests did they nod from afar.

The biggest change was the Xia family’s legend, Xia Ming Xia. Somehow, her name slowly improved. At first, a small handful showed her goodwill. People follow crowds. When there is a first, there is a second, then a third. Before long, the word spread that Xia Ming Xia’s medical skill was high and her heart was kind.

That, however, came later.

Right now, Xia Ming Xia sat inside Yu Zhi Yi’s carriage. The wheels rumbled along, and Xia Ming Xia asked with some worry: “Second Miss Jiang, what do you need from me?”

Yu Zhi Yi poured her a cup of tea and said: “Don’t be nervous. I mean no harm. I’ve seen your skill, and your way of healing is different from other physicians. I want to ask if you are interested in developing your career in the Capital City.”