Chapter 156 Osmanthus Cake

Chapter 156 Osmanthus Cake

Time passed slowly, and Fang Rushi was still working late into the night.

Tonight, they couldn't leave Bazhenlou. Fang Rushi and Lu Wenqu were in that small carriage, and the oil lamp reflected Fang Rushi's busy figure on the carriage window.

It's still unknown how long it will take, and no one dares to urge Fang Rushi.

Fang Rushi's eccentric temper, his willingness to save people, and in the words of Old Master Weng, Old Fang considers Su Mo as his only family.

"What do you mean?" Huo Ling asked curiously.

He grew up in Qingyun Manor, but because of his poor health, he spent most of his time recuperating in the manor and rarely had contact with the outside world. He only met Fang Rushi because the old man asked Uncle Ding to take him down the mountain this time.

He had witnessed Fang Rushi's temper for several months, but he did not know what Fang Rushi was like before. He had only vaguely heard that his reputation was the same as his temper.

“I want to hear it too.” Duan Wuheng also widened his eyes and looked at Old Master Weng with his chin in his hand.

He was new to the martial arts world and knew very little, but he had heard of Fang Ru's reputation as the number one divine doctor in the martial arts world.

They were both junior members of the martial arts world, and he was just as curious as Huo Ling.

In particular, among these senior figures, Old Master Weng was in Zhenhu Division. Rumors in the martial arts world are sometimes credible and sometimes not, but if they come from Old Master Weng, they are certainly much more reliable than rumors heard through other channels.

Huo Ling and Duan Wuheng were already sitting on either side of Grandpa Weng, their chins propped up on their hands, looking at him expectantly like two little squirrels.

In fact, others had heard about Fang Rushi's story back then to varying degrees, but they didn't know the specifics. They only knew that Fang Rushi was captured by the enemy and forced to treat the enemy commander's illness, and he was willing to cut off three of his own fingers to show his resolve.

Jiang Yutang also said, "Grandpa, I haven't actually heard of this part either. Do you know about what happened to our grandmaster back then?"

Yes, Fang Rushi was rescued by Jiang Yutang's grandmaster, the all-knowing scholar of the martial arts world, but Jiang Yutang didn't even know it.

Could there be some hidden story behind this?

While the martial arts world certainly has its share of chivalrous deeds and righteous indignations, there are also stories hidden behind these acts of chivalry and righteous indignation.

Perhaps because Jiang Yutang spoke up, Old Master Weng pondered for a moment and then sighed softly: "So much time has passed since then, and it is related to your grandmaster Bai Xiaosheng. It is not against his wishes that you ask about it."

Jiang Yutang crossed his arms, casually inserting his sword into his arm, also looking puzzled.

"The all-knowing man of the martial world, I met him in the martial world and traveled with him for a while. At that time, there was also an old friend with me..." At this point, Old Master Weng paused slightly, as if he remembered something, and suddenly felt emotional.

Everyone looked at each other, not daring to interrupt Old Master Weng's deliberation.

After a moment, Old Master Weng seemed to have gathered his thoughts and continued, "That was a thing of the past. Young heroes roam the martial world, and though the world is treacherous, they will also meet companions. They travel through mountains and rivers, fight against evil and uphold justice, and also learn from each other. Many years later, it may still be a beautiful story from their youth. The young Bai Xiaosheng traveled the martial world with a group of people, and you should have already guessed one of them."

Duan Wuheng and Huo Ling were completely bewildered. They... they guessed it?

Zhao Tong and Jiang Yutang exchanged a glance, unsure of what to do, but a vague idea was forming in their minds.

Grandpa Weng looked at Jiang Yutang: "Yutang, what do you think?"

Jiang Yutang sighed softly, "That's right."

"Huh?!!" Huo Ling and Duan Wuheng were stunned.

Neither Zhao Tong nor Bai Cen were surprised, after all, it was Bai Xiao who ultimately agreed to go to the enemy camp to rescue Fang Rushi. This act of righteousness was truly admirable, but it also concealed a deep sense of loyalty and affection.

Therefore, it is not surprising that this person is Fang Rushi.

"What about the other person?" Jiang Yutang asked curiously, after all, what happened back then was related to her master.

At this point, Grandpa Weng took a deep breath and then looked at Bai Cen: "Little Bai, have you guessed it?"

All eyes turned to Bai Cen. Indeed, Bai Cen was one of the quickest-thinking people in the Eight Treasures Restaurant, but it seemed that Old Master Weng trusted Bai Cen the most and had confidence in him.

Since he had been called out, Bai Cen had no choice but to speak up: "It's that enemy marshal, isn't it?"

"ah?!!!"

Huo Ling and Duan Wuheng were stunned once again.

This time, not only Huo Ling and Duan Wuheng, but also Jiang Yutang and Zhao Tong were stunned. This...

The group looked at Old Master Weng, who nodded and said, "Not bad."

Everyone turned to look at Bai Cen. How did he guess that?!

Bai Cen coughed lightly twice, clenching his fist, and said in a low voice, "The enemy camp is so heavily guarded, and there's fighting going on. No matter how powerful Bai Xiaosheng is, how could he possibly break into the enemy camp by himself and take Fang Rushi away? The enemy camp isn't a temple where you can enter and leave based solely on your faith..."

Everyone suddenly realized: "..."

really.

However, these kinds of folk tales are often assumed to be imbued with a heroic aura, so it's normal to overlook some of the actual facts.

Indeed, it was a bit much for Bai Xiaosheng to infiltrate alone.

"Brother Bai Cen, how are you so smart!" Duan Wuheng said to him in a low voice, full of admiration.

Huo Ling also looked on with admiration. Although he didn't express it like Duan Wuheng, his eyes said it all.

It seems that she suddenly accepted that he could appear in her father's study to discuss matters.

There's still something on me...

Bai Cen was exasperated: "I think that back then, they met by chance in the martial world, unaware of each other's identities. But they met in their youth, went through hardships together, became confidants, and roamed the martial world together, forging a bond that no one else could match. At that time, there were no enemy marshals, only Fang Rushi, Bai Xiaosheng, and another young hero..."

Bai Cen's words put everyone at ease; it must be so.

Grandpa Weng nodded with satisfaction.

When Cen Wenting was seventeen, the emperor personally selected him as the third-ranked scholar and appointed him as an official in the Ministry of Revenue. His son naturally inherited his intelligence.

Grandpa Weng continued: "The young man who was traveling with Bai Xiaosheng and Fang Rushi at that time was named Yan Guanjie. Among the three, Fang Rushi was proficient in medicine, Bai Xiaosheng was good at gathering information, and Yan Guanjie was the best in martial arts and also proficient in military strategy. But at the time, no one thought much about it. A young man traveling in the martial arts world, who didn't know much about anything in the martial arts world, but was proficient in military strategy."

Zhao Tong realized, "Because he's not from the country, he only has a superficial understanding of many things. He must have been born into a military family in an enemy state and was traveling abroad."

Grandpa Weng nodded: "That's right. We have always been hostile to the Northern Barbarians. For more than a hundred years, there have been constant border wars. The two countries have been hostile for a long time and have had almost no contact. Therefore, Yan Guanjie secretly came out to travel without his family's knowledge. He changed into Han Chinese clothes and, because he was born into a family of military generals, he learned some Chinese, but he is not fluent. So he listened more and spoke less."

"The three met and traveled together. Fang Rushi was still a compassionate doctor at that time, while Bai Xiaosheng was responsible for gathering information, smoothing things over, and concealing their whereabouts, because fighting for justice and upholding the law could also make enemies. Even though Yan Guanjie was a good fighter, the three of them couldn't keep getting beaten up. In this way, the three of them each did their part, and over the years, they formed a deep friendship."

"After a while, Fang Rushi discovered that Yan Guanjie was poisoned. Yan Guanjie told her about his childhood. She had never seen this kind of poison before. Fang Rushi tried her best to save him, but the poison could not be cured in a short time. So Fang Rushi focused on research. If she couldn't cure it, she would suppress the toxicity. Yan Guanjie's poisoning became more and more severe. Fang Rushi studied it from morning to night. In the past, she used to be a doctor with a compassionate heart, but later she was no longer able to do it."

"Gradually, he realized he no longer had as much time to save other patients. His time was limited; if he saved one, he couldn't save another; if he saved one, he couldn't save this one. He was single-mindedly focused on saving his brother. If he couldn't even save his own brother, what was the point of studying medicine?"

"Later, Fang Rushi also began to save people, but he only treated difficult and complicated cases. There are countless doctors in the martial arts world, and doctors are everywhere outside of it. He wanted to use his time on the edge of the knife. It was from that time that Fang Rushi's eccentricities, along with his practice of only treating difficult and complicated cases, spread throughout the martial arts world."

"I see." Huo Ling understood.

Zhao Tong remarked, "A person's character is not formed for no reason. A doctor's energy is limited, and he also has things he wants to do. Time is never enough for him, so he really has to make choices. The idea of ​​only treating difficult and complicated diseases is not unfounded; there are stories behind it all."

Bai Cen also crossed his arms and took a deep breath, finally understanding why Fang Rushi had refused to treat Lu Wenqu even if she tried.

Lu Wenqu was seriously injured, but as the other party said, it wasn't something that would take up his energy. He didn't want to do it because he had been used to it his whole life.

If you frequently interrupt your principles because of certain things, you will have no principles at all.

That's why Uncle Weng said that Wang Sumo was a relative to Fang Rushi.

Similarly, Bai Cen took a deep breath. Wang Sumo wouldn't easily break the rule of not visiting Bazhenlou, but he did for Lu Wenqu.

She should be, and is also, a very important person...

Bai Cen's thoughts drifted elsewhere.

Jiang Yutang continued, "And then what happened?"

Grandpa Weng continued, "All good things must come to an end. After traveling together for several years, someone from Yan Guanjie's family came looking for him, leaving a letter before leaving. They had suspected it before, but hadn't called anyone out on it. It wasn't until this letter that they truly confirmed that Yan Guanjie's contact was a Northern Di person. The country was constantly at war with the Northern Di, yet the three of them had been inseparable. Perhaps it would have been best for them to part ways and forget each other in the world. But fate is fickle..."

"For more than ten years afterward, Fang Rushi devoted herself to medicine, her temper became increasingly eccentric, and she refused to travel with anyone, always remaining alone. Fang Rushi's reputation as a divine doctor and an eccentric doctor grew ever more renowned; and it was from then on that Bai Xiaosheng began to aspire to become the all-knowing doctor of the martial arts world. Over the years, he traveled the martial arts world, met many people, built his own network of informants, and laid his own plans, thus seizing the opportunity to rise to power. But after a long time, there was no news of Yan Guanjie until the Northern Di invaded, and countless people died on the border..."

"Back then, like the Lu family of Jiangnan, many martial arts families sent their sons to the army. This battle was extremely fierce. Fang Rushi told Bai Xiaosheng that he owed three favors in his life. The first was the Lu family of Jiangnan. That's why the Lu family's sons died one after another on the battlefield. Fang Rushi went north to take the place of the army doctor. That's why Fang Rushi appeared at the border."

"Secondly, Master He of Qingyun Manor, so Huo Ling, Fang Rushi can cure your illness, he owes Master He a favor."

Huo Ling had his own guesses; Ding Bo brought him here, and Fang Ru Shi met him.

I heard that Fang Rushi has difficulty even meeting people; it turns out it really is the old man.

"Thirdly, Fang Rushi owes..." Weng He paused here, probably because the name was difficult to say, but after a moment, he said with reminiscence, "Thirdly, she owes the Jiang family of Yuzhong a favor."

Upon hearing this, Jiang Yutang's eyes flickered slightly, and she suddenly looked at Old Master Weng.

Jiang family in Yuzhong District...

That's my maternal grandmother!

Grandpa Weng knew the Jiang family in Yuzhong District, right? Was she really his maternal grandmother?

Jiang Yutang took a deep breath, her heart filled with a mixture of anticipation, longing, disappointment, and doubt, her expression and eyes reflecting a complex blend of emotions.

But he didn't interrupt Mr. Weng.

She also wanted to know what happened to her master later.

Grandpa Weng continued, "Fang Rushi was a military doctor at the border, and he had long since disregarded life and death. Once, Fang Rushi went with them, but it was on that occasion that Fang Rushi met Yan Guanjie in the enemy camp."

Duan Wuheng rested his chin on his hands, sighing with regret: "Before, we were as close as brothers, fighting side by side. One of us would study medicine day and night to save the other's life; now it's the battlefield, the enemy has killed countless soldiers and civilians. Enemies meeting are bound to be filled with hatred. Just thinking about it..."

Duan Wuheng let out a long, heavy sigh.

It was rare for Zhao Tong to ask on his own initiative: "Grandpa Weng, and then what?"

"This time, we fell into an enemy ambush, and all the soldiers, including the Lu family, died by sword. Yan Guanjie recognized Fang Rushi and, on the pretext that he was a divine physician, spared his life and brought him back to the army. Yan Guanjie's real name is Yan Muduo. He comes from a family of military generals of the Northern Di tribe. His father was the commander of the troops this time, but he was wounded by an arrow on the way. Yan Guanjie was appointed commander in a time of crisis."

“Fang Rushi is indeed a highly skilled doctor. Yan Guanjie saved him out of brotherly affection and also because he wanted him to treat his father. He knew that Fang Rushi’s medical skills were definitely up to par. Fang Rushi looked at him and thought of the Lu family’s children and the countless border soldiers who died one after another on the battlefield. Fang Rushi said no.”

"Yan Guanjie wanted to speak, but Fang Rushi took out a dagger and cut off one of his fingers to show his resolve. He would not save any of the Northern Di people, not now, and not in the future. The people around wanted to kill Fang Rushi, but Yan Guanjie stopped him and continued to persuade him. Fang Rushi then used the dagger to cut off his other two fingers. Everyone in the tent was stunned and dared not step forward."

"Yan Guanjie's father was poisoned by an arrow, and no one could cure him except Fang Rushi. Fang Rushi was his lifeline. If all of Fang Rushi's fingers were lost, even a celestial being couldn't save him, so the enemy dared not move easily. Thus, Fang Rushi was trapped in the enemy's camp for more than a month, but she never gave up. Yan Guanjie dared not persuade her, for fear that Fang Rushi would lose another finger."

"And so, upon hearing the news, Bai Xiaosheng risked coming to the border. Bai Xiaosheng had a wide network of connections, so he could find out any secret he wanted in the martial arts world. Even in the Northern Di, Bai Xiaosheng's information network still had its uses."

"Everyone heard the rumor that Bai Xiaosheng went to the enemy camp alone to rescue Fang Rushi. But that's not true. No matter how capable Bai Xiaosheng is, even if he could think of going alone to make Yan Guanjie lower his guard, he wouldn't have been unaware that they couldn't rescue Fang Rushi without backup. So, Bai Xiaosheng wasn't alone, but he hid all the information to protect the other two."

"There are two more people?" Huo Ling asked in surprise.

Zhao Tong frowned as well: "Two people?"

Jiang Yutang suddenly clenched her fist.

"Xiao Bai." Old Master Weng called out again, and everyone understood that he was testing whether Xiao Bai could guess.

Bai Cen sighed softly, "Old Master Weng, you just said that you met Bai Xiaosheng in the martial arts world and traveled with him for a while. There was also an old friend with you at the time. One, two, three, isn't that exactly three people?"

Surroundings: !!!

yes!

Bai Cen continued, "After Bai Xiaotong rescued Fang Rushi, he was shot and died. How could you possibly have had the time to go with him? So I guess it was the three of you who went to rescue Fang Rushi together."

Surroundings: ? ? ?

this! !

Bai Cen: "Bai Xiaosheng concealed all information to protect the other two, so no one else, including Fang Rushi herself, knew that you had appeared, or rather, you were only helping with the rendezvous and cleanup. You also never saw Fang Rushi. So I guess it was just the three of you. And..."

Bai Cen looked at him with a gentle gaze: "You said that Fang Rushi owed three favors, the last of which was to the Jiang family of Yuzhong. So I guess the people who went with you to rescue Fang Rushi were Bai Xiaosheng, you, sir, and this old friend from the Jiang family of Yuzhong."

Everything around: !! !! !!

Jiang Yutang's fingers, hidden in her sleeve, clenched so tightly they almost dug into the flesh of her palm.

Yes, he is...

Grandpa Weng lowered his head and nodded, smiling and sighing, "Indeed, the student has surpassed the teacher."

But apart from Bai Cen, everyone was in shock and didn't think carefully about the hidden meaning behind the old man's words.

Before the story was finished, Old Master Weng continued: "Just as agreed before, Bai Xiaosheng used an excuse to persuade Fang Rushi to infiltrate the military camp, then kidnapped Yan Guanjie and took Fang Rushi away. Jiang Yuan and I met up in different places and lured the pursuers away in different directions, which allowed Bai Xiaosheng to escape with Fang Rushi."

"The reason this journey has been so smooth is because Jiang Yuan is familiar with the surrounding terrain. He used to be a spy in the Northern Barbarians and couldn't reveal his identity. As for me, I am a close minister to the current emperor. The struggle for the throne in the country is equally turbulent. My presence here would bring something unpredictable to the emperor. Therefore, from beginning to end, Bai Xiaosheng has never revealed any information about me or Jiang Yuan."

Grandpa Weng shook his head: "Actually, just as they were about to reach our front lines, Bai Xiaosheng was shot through the heart by a pursuing soldier's arrow..."

Upon hearing this, everyone fell silent.

"Yan Guanjie wanted to save Bai Xiaosheng, but the bleeding wouldn't stop and he couldn't be saved; the pursuers wanted to kill Fang Rushi, but the soldiers in the army were afraid that the Northern Di were plotting something and dared not rush to save Fang Rushi. Later, Yan Guanjie stood in front of them with his sword, and the pursuers dared not go forward. The generals at the time were undecided, but the other party was Yan Guanjie, who was also the enemy commander-in-chief, Komudo. The generals at the time ordered the arrows to be fired!"

"Yan Guanjie was hit by several arrows, but he was too far away for anyone to see clearly. Before he fell, he pressed down on Fang Rushi, shielding her from all the arrows."

Once again, the surroundings fell silent.

This time, everyone's expressions were even more complicated than before.

Grandpa Weng: "So, Fang Rushi went through a lot. After that, Fang Rushi always had an eccentric temper and was unwilling to make friends with anyone in the martial arts world. He always kept to himself. A person's personality is largely shaped by his experiences. So, Fang Rushi only treated strange diseases, so he didn't have much time to interact with people or meet many people."

Finally, Huo Ling spoke first: "No wonder he has such a temper..."

Huo Ling suddenly understood.

The world of martial arts is vast, and the code of honor and grudges among its members have never been settled.

Everyone embodies a microcosm of the world of martial arts.

But the martial arts world is still there.

Bai Cen also turned to look at the carriage, where he could still see Fang Rushi's busy figure through the window.

Fang Rushi has been unwilling to form deep friendships with people for a long time. Just look at how Wang Sumo interacted with Fang Rushi back then. Fang Rushi was willing to save the old man, and today she is willing to save Lu Wenqu as well...

A gentleman's friendship is as pure as water, though Fang Ru is no longer at the Eight Treasures Pavilion.

But he thought that the time he spent with Wang Sumo had been Fang Rushi's salvation in life...

With that thought, Fang Rushi jumped off the carriage with a fierce smirk, then glared at Wang Sumo, baring her teeth: "The last time!"

Wang Sumo was startled.

Fang Rushi retorted angrily, "Even if you die in front of me, I won't save you!"

Wang Sumo wasn't annoyed: "I do the 'wake-up exercise' every day. Who said that doing the 'wake-up exercise' can make you live to ninety-nine?"

Fang Rushi: "..."

Wang Sumo leaned closer and whispered, "Didn't we agree? You'll live to ninety-nine, and I'll live to one hundred. After you pass ninety-nine, I'll take your ashes back to our hometown and bury them next to your parents. I'll also plant an osmanthus tree next to you, since you love the fragrance of osmanthus. And your medical books and notes—if you don't have an apprentice by then, I'll find a reliable person to pass them on to, even if I'm just leaning on my cane."

Fang Ru looked at her, and although she was very angry just now, it seemed that most of her anger had gradually dissipated.

Especially when I heard the part about leaning on a cane.

Fang Rushi found it both infuriating and amusing.

Wang Sumo continued, "How about we plant two osmanthus trees? Don't you like osmanthus cake? When the osmanthus blooms, I'll come to see you, and I'll plant one tree on each side, picking some osmanthus flowers from each to make osmanthus cake for you. Two plates! One plate from each tree!"

Although she knew she was making it up, Fang Rushi still laughed.

Then, his expression changed, and he said impatiently, "Go, go, go, go!"

"Those who are clever with words and flattering in appearance are rarely benevolent! The one inside is wrapped up, go see for yourself." Although Fang Rushi was covered in sweat, he still smiled and stroked his beard as he turned around.

He only smiled for a moment before his smile froze.

What is he laughing at!

After laughing to death, will there be osmanthus cake to eat?

Fang Rushi's expression changed. So annoying! This girl only knows how to make empty promises!

But it seems she's the only one who would make empty promises to him...

Fang Ru sighed softly. While bandaging Lu Wenqu, he seemed to have a sudden flash of inspiration. He seemed to know where to start with Bai Cen's pathology!

No time left, let's continue!

[Author's Note]

There will be more tonight, barring any unforeseen circumstances! Wait for me!