1 doctor

◎【Zhouzhou and Amo's first encounter, check-in!】◎

As dawn breaks and the light of day has yet to pierce the clouds and illuminate the field ridges, wisps of smoke rise from the village chimneys, where women are preparing breakfast for their families. With the Awakening of Insects approaching, spring plowing is in full swing. For most villagers in Wuling Village, this is the most important time of the year, requiring them to work from dawn till dusk.

The wooden door creaked open and then closed again with a loud crowing of a rooster. Ying Jianhua ate the thin pancakes he had made the night before as he walked; they were already cold, but he lived alone and didn't want to waste firewood by cooking in the morning.

"Dr. Ying, you're going to gather herbs again?" "Yes, it's likely to keep raining, so I need to stock up on some during this time."

Behind the village is an unclaimed mountain. It used to belong to someone, but its owner had his heart eaten by a monster a few years ago. The whole family moved far away, abandoning most of their property, and naturally couldn't take care of this remote property.

That's why he was able to go up the mountain to dig for medicinal herbs. This mountain had grown unchecked for decades, almost untouched except by its former owner who occasionally came to hunt. Countless creatures thrived here, basking in the sun and drinking the morning dew, producing countless rare and precious fruits, which naturally benefited people like Ying Jianhua.

It rained all night, leaving muddy footprints with every step. He walked along the country lanes, silently wondering what herbs would sprout after the rain, what the prices were like at the herbal medicine shops in the city, and how to treat Uncle Huang's leg injury next door. Life in the village was uneventful, but as an unknown doctor, he still had many worries about making a living.

As he passed through the fields, groups of villagers looked up to greet him, warmly calling him "Doctor Ying." One overly enthusiastic villager even said that he had seen the people from Prince Chengduan's residence searching for doctors when he returned from the city the day before, and strongly recommended that he also give it a try.

“I’ve heard that they’ll pay this much if you can cure the prince’s illness! Doctor Ying, your medical skills are so good, you should give it a try.” This was a man from the north, speaking with a strong Shandong accent. Before Ying Jianhua could refuse, he was slapped by his father-in-law.

Uncle Zhao glared angrily and shouted, "What's it to you? Finish your work in the fields and go carry manure! Stop spouting nonsense and making a fool of yourself!"

The man didn't know what he had said that displeased his father-in-law, and having nowhere to reason with him, he could only shoulder his hoe and continue working.

Uncle Zhao kept apologizing, but Ying Jianhua shook his head, indicating that he hadn't taken what he had just said to heart, and he finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Seeing him carrying a bamboo basket and looking like he was about to go up the mountain, Uncle Zhao quickly asked, "Doctor Ying, are you going to the back mountain to collect herbs?"

Ying Jianhua nodded, then noticed his expression suddenly change and asked, "What's wrong?"

Uncle Zhao hesitated for a moment, then looked around to make sure no one was watching before whispering, "As you know, my house is right next to the back mountain, so I can hear everything. To be honest, there seemed to be some unusual noises mixed in with the rain last night."

After saying that, as if recalling the strange sound from last night, a look of fear appeared on his face.

After hearing this, Ying Jianhua first thanked him, and then asked, "Second Uncle, do you know clearly from which direction the sound came?"

Uncle Zhao thought for a moment and replied, "It's probably on the west side of the village, near Tiger's Blood Pool. That place is already mysterious, Doctor Ying, you must not go near it!"

The villagers were kind and simple. Ying Jianhua thanked him for his kindness, carried her bamboo basket back, but took a different route to the back of the mountain.

He had been to Tiger Pool many times but had not found anything strange about it. Most of the villagers in Wuling Village were illiterate and, apart from farming, seemed ignorant in other aspects of life.

However, upon seeing a more secluded forest than usual, he still took out a knife from the bamboo basket.

————

"Mica, sweet and neutral in nature, is used to treat dead skin and muscle, stroke, chills and fever, and to dispel evil influences, especially when in a vehicle or boat..."

Sure enough, after the rain, a batch of herbs sprang to life, eagerly sprouting from the sand and crevices of the rocks. Ying Jianhua unloaded his bamboo basket and began picking the herbs while muttering incantations, reciting their medicinal properties.

When he looked up to find the sun, he realized that he had unknowingly walked to the edge of Tiger Pool.

The mountain wind rustled through the forest, and water droplets fell into the valley, creating an echo.

In a daze, something was getting closer and closer.

He remembered Uncle Zhao's words and gripped the knife in his hand.

Suddenly, the wind stopped, the water stopped, and his heartbeat seemed to stop too.

"Uh..." Ying Jianhua suddenly turned around, swung her sharp wood-chopping knife down, but missed.

His eyes sharpened, and he gripped his machete tightly, searching for the source of the sound. Suddenly, he caught a strong smell of blood, mixed with a faint scent of herbs.

Panax notoginseng can stop bleeding, disperse blood stasis, and relieve pain. People who know how to use medicine should be human.

With a half-hearted resolve, he followed the scent. The area was densely wooded, requiring a machete to proceed. He wondered how the man had ended up here, and what his chances of survival were.

As the chopping continued, the stench of blood assaulted his nostrils, making even Ying Jianhua, who was accustomed to all sorts of smells, feel nauseous. He tore off a small piece of his robe to cover his mouth and nose, then picked up a long twig and poked the man on the ground from a distance of about ten feet.

It was barely recognizable as human. There was a long trail of blood beneath it, indicating that it had sensed human voices and climbed here, but had completely exhausted its strength before finding him.

The man was covered in blood, with obvious fractures in all four limbs, and most critically, his neck appeared to be broken as well... After a quick glance, Ying Jianhua quickly concluded in his mind: There was no hope.

Since he couldn't save her, he wouldn't waste any more time. At most, he'd go back and mention it to the villagers to see if anyone was willing to bury her.

Yes, even though she was shattered into pieces, he could still tell at a glance that she was a woman.

Age... he couldn't tell for a moment. With doubts in his mind, he couldn't help but look back again, only to find a line of small words on the blood-stained front of his clothes.

Dengxian Mountain.

His steps faltered slightly.

The sunlight suddenly became blinding, and in an instant, he felt dizzy and the world spun around him. He heard a muttered voice that sounded like a sigh, but he couldn't make out what it was. He only felt a buzzing in his head, and the pounding of his heart drowned out everything else.

He tried to calm himself down and observe his surroundings, but it was all in vain. The strange noises grew louder and louder, as if they had taken root in his mind.

Finally, he could hear what the voice was saying:

[Sobbing, it's still so heartbreaking to read it again... Zhouzhou and Amo were so in love, why did they end up being separated by death? Author, give me back my tears!]

Ah Mo?

The fear in his heart reached its peak, and Ying Jianhua's eyes turned red and his teeth were clenched tightly together.

Amo is his nickname, and no one knows it except his deceased parents. How did this person know it?

No, the person on the ground is clearly unconscious! They can't speak at all! Unless, unless there are other people present?

Or... a monster.

The thought of this possibility sent a chill down his spine.

If it were a human, he might be able to fight back. But if it were a demon... He quickly walked to the woman lying on the ground, bent down, picked her up, and carried her away.

The voice persisted, now tinged with a hint of pleasure: "Hey, Zhouzhou and Amo's first encounter, check-in!"

Ying Jianhua paused, his gaze falling on the face of the unconscious woman.

So, this guy is Zhouzhou?

————

Du Zhijin felt as if he had slept for a very long time, so long that the golden core in his body had collapsed and disappeared, and all his cultivation had regressed again and again, back to before he entered the Dao.

The last time I had this feeling was when I almost didn't survive the tribulation lightning... Could it be that she broke through again? Was it when she was punched into the water by the Flame Demon?

No, the Flame Demon is indeed dead, but her final attack consumed half of her cultivation. So, she's really dead? Is this the underworld?

A belated will to survive erupted at this moment. She suddenly stood up, ignoring the pain in her limbs, and subconsciously tried to clear away the obstacles in front of her.

"Hiss..." The sound of a living person pulled her back to her senses. As consciousness returned and her vision gradually cleared, she couldn't help but widen her eyes after realizing what she had done.

A young man lay on the couch, his long hair spread out like water lilies, his neck slender like the stem of an orchid, glaring angrily at her.

"Get up!" The voice was as clear as pearls falling on an ice plate, but it carried obvious impatience. Du Zhijin reacted and hurriedly tried to pull away, but due to exhaustion, he fell back uncontrollably halfway.

Their eyes met, one awkward, the other bewildered.

He was taken aback at first, then his anger flared up, and he shouted at her, "Are you crazy?! Your injuries haven't healed yet, how dare you..." "Don't rush to scold me..." She blinked, a pleading look on her face mixed with a hint of shame, "The wound on my chest seems to have reopened."

The image should be: "..."

I would rather have had my heart eaten by a monster than bring her back!

After another flurry of frantic efforts to stop the bleeding and bandage the wound, Du Zhijin obediently lay flat, letting him do as he pleased. At first, Ying Jianhua was so engrossed in the tension that he didn't notice anything amiss in their position. But once the tension eased, he was suddenly startled, his gaze freezing as he hesitated to look up or down.

Du Zhijin noticed his unusual behavior and asked, "Are you done?"

Ying Jianhua was about to blurt out "What's so good about it?", but her gaze shifted slightly and landed on something she shouldn't have. Unable to do anything else, she tightly closed her eyes, her eyelashes trembling slightly. "You...put your clothes on yourself." Having practiced medicine for many years, he wasn't unfamiliar with the bodies of women; in a doctor's eyes, there was no distinction between men and women. But perhaps influenced by that strange voice, he seemed easily moved by her...

Du Zhijin agreed, but then found himself in a dilemma: "Uh... I think my clothes are unwearable." "What do you mean?" He instinctively opened his eyes and saw a body covered in wounds, devoid of any allure.

At that moment, he forgot he needed to avoid suspicion; only one thought occupied his mind:

With so many injuries, how did she survive until now?

[Author's Note]

Recommended pre-orders: "My Ex-Husband Who Died Early After Marrying Up Returns" and "Water Mirror, Water Mirror Tells Me".

Synopsis: Marrying Up

Guan Yao married Fang Xiu twice. The second time, he said—

Things shouldn't happen more than three times.

When Guan Yao was thirteen, her mother, Guan Chan, married into the Yang family as a concubine. Because she could not compete with the others, she was poisoned the following year.

Before she died, she told Guan Yao that she was actually the daughter of a wealthy family and asked her to go to the capital to find her relatives and avenge her. Guan Yao agreed, and before she even found her relatives, she avenged her that very night.

Flames raged above the Yang residence. After kowtowing, she took the token and embarked on her journey to find her relatives.

Traveling alone in chaotic times is dangerous, so she decided to take a bodyguard with her, and Fang Xiu was the one she chose.

He's tall, strong, and most importantly, easy to fool.

Guan Yao had tricked the free man Fang Xiu into becoming her servant at the Yang residence, and now she wanted to trick him into becoming her bodyguard. Having been fooled before, Fang Xiu was wary, so she coaxed him by saying she liked him.

He actually believed it.

They depended on each other for survival during the chaotic times. When she was sixteen, the imperial court collapsed completely. Guan Yao thought there was no hope of going to the capital, so she married Fang Xiu.

The wedding was simple, but Fang Xiu still spent all his savings to make her a heavy gold hairpin. He vowed to protect her and to let her live a peaceful life with him.

She agreed. But a year later, Fang Xiu was conscripted into the army and disappeared without a trace as the war reached the small town. When she was on the verge of death, her mother's keepsake saved her life.

The man in fine clothes, who called himself Xie Duan, recognized her as the daughter of his father's old friend based on a token and offered to take care of her. Guan Yao was transformed into a cousin of a noble family and became engaged to Xie Duan.

Every Ghost Festival, she would secretly burn paper money for her deceased ex-husband, hoping he would live a good life in the afterlife. It would be better if he came back to life; it was better if he were dead.

Unexpectedly, on the very day of her wedding to Xie Duan, the general returned to the capital in triumph, and the bridal sedan chair passed right by the armored steed.

The carriage curtain was slightly lifted, and sitting steadily in the passenger seat was none other than her ex-husband, who had been her husband for several years.

———

Fang Xiu was deceived by Guan Yao twice.

The first time Guan Yao told him that the indenture from the Yang family was only for five years, he was illiterate and pressed his fingerprint on it to pay off his debts, only to later find out that it was a permanent contract.

Two taels of silver, to buy him to be her dog.

The second time Guan Yao tearfully confessed that Xie Duan had forced her, and that she had never intended to marry anyone else. He believed her and meticulously planned to use his military merits to secure a marriage, only to hear her say with his own ears—

"How could Fang Xiu, so vulgar, compare to Xie Lang?"

She lied to him time and time again, and he forgave her time and time again.

Text: "Water Mirror"

Xu Congjin found a water mirror.

As the saying goes, "No one should pick up lost items on the road," and she was about to hand over her belongings when she suddenly noticed a line of text appearing on the mirror, which was the very essence of the teachings she had long struggled to comprehend.

Suddenly enlightened, she was surprised. Could this be the legendary opportunity?

After taking the water mirror back, she could glean a few words of "guidance" from it every day. Sometimes it was about which place in the sect had the richest spiritual energy, sometimes it was about what was being prepared in the lunch hall...

After verification, it was found that everything was accurate, even the fact that the sect leader had a mole on the sole of his foot was true.

Xu Congjin became increasingly convinced that this was an opportunity bestowed upon her by Heaven. Although Shui Jing would occasionally utter a few ambiguous "guidances," such as "[A bunch of ordinary mortals, mulberry dumplings are the ultimate delicacy]," or "[Why are so many people asking Song Lin out for Qixi Festival but no one asking Yue Ya out]," or "[It's so cold on the mountain, I'm a little homesick]," she believed it without a doubt and followed it all, no matter how bizarre or difficult it was.

Until one day, she saw this line of text:

Will Junior Sister Cong Jin accept my confession tomorrow?

Xu Congjin: Ah, me?

————

Yueya lost a water mirror.

It wasn't anything precious; he could just buy another one. He continued to use the newly bought water mirror to record the events of each day, writing down whatever came to mind:

On a certain day, the head chef finally decided to make mulberry dumplings, but no one paid any attention to them! Oh, except for that disciple named Xu Congjin, who at least has good taste.

One day, Song Lin from next door came over again, bragging that his fellow disciples had asked him out on Qixi Festival (Chinese Valentine's Day) and he couldn't go to the training ground with them. Ha! How utterly foolish! How can a cultivator let petty love interfere with their cultivation? The Great Dao is ruthless... Heavenly Venerable, Junior Sister Xu actually asked me out! Where did my sword tassel made of phoenix feathers go?

On a certain day of a certain month, I saw my inner demons again... It's so cold on the mountaintop, and I feel a little homesick.

If only Junior Sister Jin were here.

Who's that person down there, running around outside so late at night instead of sleeping... Wait, is that... Junior Sister Cong Jin?

Talkative, reserved senior brother x straightforward, single-minded junior sister