Arrival at Divine Doctor Valley
The carriage went up the rugged mountain road, and the official road had long been left behind. On both sides were primitive dense forests that covered the sky, with towering ancient trees and twisted vines, and filled with some unknown strange fragrance.
Pei Miaoyin personally drove the car to lead the way: "After going around the next few bends, you will see the valley entrance."
Shen Qianyue's carriage followed closely behind. The road was bumpy, and Xie Shangjia stayed close to Shen Qianyue, fearing that she would fall if she lost her balance.
When the carriage finally drove out of the winding road with difficulty, the view in front of us suddenly opened up.
Looking around, you can see layer upon layer of terraced medicinal gardens, with exotic flowers and plants, rare medicinal seedlings, carefully planted in sections according to their different habits.
The carriage drove slowly into the valley along a man-made gravel road. Occasionally, herbal farmers or disciples could be seen working in the herb garden. They did not seem very curious about the carriage that drove in, and it was obvious that they were already accustomed to visitors.
Although the Divine Doctor Valley has been secluded from the world, there are still many people with extraordinary skills who can be found, and senior sisters and brothers who have already completed their apprenticeship will occasionally come back.
Pei Miaoyin shouted loudly to the young disciple who was tending to the herbs in the medicine garden next to her.
"Junior brother, where is the master today?"
The young man raised his head when he heard the voice, revealing a simple but clever face. When he saw that it was Pei Miaoyin, a smile of surprise immediately broke out on his face.
"Senior Sister Pei, you're back! Master is at Xuanhulu now. Senior Sister, please go there quickly. Master was just thinking about you a few days ago."
Pei Miaoyin smiled and nodded: "I understand. Come to me later to get snacks from the capital."
The carriage drove along the trail towards the roaring waterfall. The terrain gradually rose, forming a relatively flat cliff platform.
On the edge of the cliff, several gnarled ancient pines are rooted in the cracks of the rocks. On top of the cliff is a hut made of bamboo, with its back to the waterfall and facing the valley.
The eight guards were all thrown into the living room and asked to clean up the bedroom where they would stay at night.
The carriage stopped in the open space outside the hut.
Pei Miaoyin got out of the car first and walked a few steps to the half-open bamboo fence door. She did not push the door open immediately, but took a deep breath and raised her hand to gently knock on the half-open bamboo door.
"Master! Miaoyin is back with guests."
Her voice penetrated the roar of the waterfall and was clearly heard in the quiet bamboo hut.
Shen Qianyue and others were waiting quietly behind her.
The bamboo door was opened from the inside with a creaky sound.
The figure that appeared behind the door was a lady wearing a well-tailored smoky-colored brocade long dress, with her black hair tied up. Her face was obviously old, but it was even more gentle and charming with the passage of time.
Shen Qianyue bowed naturally, with the demeanor of a noble lady from an aristocratic family: "Master Shen, my name is Shen Qianyue. I heard that you are a master doctor, so I came to seek treatment."
Xie Shangyu also saluted respectfully: "I have heard of the great name of the Valley Master for a long time, but seeing is truly believing."
Pei Miaoyin had already pounced on her like a young swallow returning to its nest, and affectionately held the woman's arm.
"Master, look at the dumbest one, that's the famous Minister Xie, and the one next to him is his brother."
Shen Yanhui's gaze first fell on Shen Qianyue, and his voice was like the collision of warm jade.
"Miss Shen's military strategy is also very famous in this barbarian land of Jiangnan. I didn't expect that she would be so generous."
Shen Qianyue was stunned. "Valley Master, you are so knowledgeable. You even know a little about the things happening on the border."
Shen Yanhui didn't say much, but just stepped aside to make way for the door. He said in a gentle voice, "You've had a hard time along the way. Don't stand outside. Come in and have a cup of hot tea to drive away the cold."
Xuanhu Pavilion is spacious and bright, with an extremely elegant and quiet layout. The furniture is all made of the finest bamboo and wood. There is a half-person-high medicine stove in the corner, and a few yellowed volumes of old medical classics are casually spread out on a low table next to it.
Shen Yanhui led everyone to sit on the bamboo armchairs and cushions by the window, picked up the purple clay teapot warmed by a small red clay stove on the table, and poured tea for everyone one by one.
"Miaoyin, go back and tell A Ling that a distinguished guest is coming. Prepare a decent feast and get a jar of pine wine from the cellar."
Pei Miaoyin responded straightforwardly, turned around and walked out: "Okay, Master!"
Shen Yanhui's gaze fell on Xie Shangjia: "Master Xie, don't be nervous. After dinner, take a rest for a while, and I will take your pulse carefully. This place is quiet and peaceful, and it is very nourishing. Just take it as a way to relax."
Her attitude was friendly and natural, making people feel like they were in a spring breeze, and it dissolved Xie Shangjia's current restraint.
Xie Shangjia nodded: "Thank you for your concern, Valley Master."
During the conversation, two female disciples came in carrying steaming dishes and carefully placed them on the round bamboo table in the middle. The dishes were mainly light and fresh, with a sweet and authentic taste of the mountains.
Pei Miaoyin also came back with a small jar of wine sealed with mud. When she opened the mud seal, a unique aroma of wine mixed with the coolness of pine needles and the fragrance of Poria cocos immediately filled the air.
Shen Yanhui smiled and invited everyone to take their seats. He personally served the dishes and poured wine for them, with an attitude as friendly as if he were entertaining his own children and nephews: "Everyone is tired from the journey, please make sure to eat well, don't be polite."
It was already Youshi when they arrived, and after dinner, it was getting dark.
Shen Yanhui offered to take Xie Shangjia's pulse.
Xie Shangjia lay on the bamboo couch, his eyes slightly closed, his wrist resting on the pulse pillow.
Shen Yanhui placed three fingers on his Cun, Guan and Chi.
Time passes by little by little.
The expression on Shen Yanhui's face gradually became solemn, his brows furrowed tighter and tighter, and the fingers taking the pulse moved slightly, almost imperceptibly, as if he was repeatedly confirming something.
Shen Qianyue sat upright on a bamboo chair beside her, her hands folded on her knees already wet with sweat.
Pei Miaoyin stood behind her master, waiting for instructions at any time.
Xie Shangyu sat in the shadow of the corner, staring closely at every change on Shen Yanhui's face, his heart beating heavily in his chest.
Shen Yan withdrew her hand and did not speak immediately. Her eyes slowly swept over Xie Shangjia who was lying on the bamboo couch in a daze.
"How?" Shen Qianyue's voice sounded, with a hint of barely perceptible tension.
Shen Yanhui was silent for a moment, as if she was considering her words. Finally, she spoke slowly.
"Amnesia is caused by external forces and cannot be cured by medicine. The only way is to calm your mind and wait for it to heal on its own. This may take time or a long time."
To some extent, this result was not beyond Shen Qianyue's expectations.
The tension in her eyes seemed to relax for a moment, but then it was shrouded in a deeper haze, and she couldn't recover for a while. How would she handle the burden of the Shangshu Mansion...
The Xie family was originally only a seventh-rank official family, but now the Shangshu Province is a second-rank one. He fought hard alone to get to this position, and no one except his offspring can inherit it. What if he fails to recover his memory during the rest period?
If I learn from scratch, can I really fool those old foxes in the court?
Shen Yan's tone became extremely serious when he replied, "This young master has another cold and virulent poison in his body, lingering in his internal organs but not yet penetrating his bones."
"What!" Xie Shangjia sat up suddenly, his face turning pale instantly.
Xie Shangyu's body also straightened instantly.
Shen Yanhui's voice was solemn: "This poison is extremely vicious and overbearing. It comes from the bitter cold land of the Western Regions. It is called the cold poison. It will not kill people immediately. The poisoned person will not show any obvious abnormalities at first.
This poison is like a maggot in the tarsal bone, gradually eating away at one's vitality. In the later stages, it causes blood and qi to stagnate. Once the poison penetrates the bone marrow, no medicine or medicine will be effective. Eventually, one will be reduced to emaciated form, and die in agony...
"Cold poison..." Shen Qianyue murmured repeatedly, and a huge horror clearly appeared in her icy phoenix eyes.
Her eyes felt a little sore, and she looked up at the roof and forced back her tears.
There had actually been such a terrible poison lurking in his body... and he had never mentioned it before he lost his memory.
Shen Yanhui turned his gaze to Shen Qianyue again and asked directly.
"Miss Shen... do you and he have any children?"
Shen Qianyue's pupils suddenly contracted, and she opened her mouth but didn't answer.
Pei Miaoyin's voice carried a knowing tone as if she had known this for a long time.
"Yes, I took the child's pulse. The poison is still mild and latent. My disciple has already used medicine to suppress its spread. I have sent people to find the antidote, but I dare not act rashly."
Shen Qianyue felt her vision suddenly go dark, the veins on her hand holding onto the armchair bulged, her voice trembled, and she felt unprecedentedly out of control.
"What about my husband? How serious is his poison now?"
"Chen Qianyue." Xie Shangjia ignored the fear of being poisoned, stood up and walked to Shen Qianyue, half-knelt in front of Shen Qianyue's armchair, held her hand with one hand, and touched her pale face with the other hand.
Shen Qianyue's body was trembling. She raised her hand to hit his shoulder, but she couldn't bear it, so she put her fingertips on his heart.
"As expected of the scheming Lord Xie, you even hid it completely from the person next to you. You really are..."
Shen Yanhui wrote down the patient's condition in the file and said gently, "Don't worry. His condition isn't incurable yet. It's just that the herbs are hard to come by."
Shen Qianyue looked up suddenly: "What medicine? Now that I know the location, I'll go find it."
Shen Yanhui sighed, "The snow-capped mountains of the Western Regions are located on the cliffs near the top of the snow-capped mountains. Even though we know the location, it's still difficult to pick them."
Pei Miaoyin wanted to say that she had sent people there countless times, but no one could bring back the medicine. Its rarity was the least noteworthy thing about it. The difficulty was its preservation, and the journey was too long, and it had to be kept at a low temperature during the period.
Shen Yanhui took them to the house where the guests were accommodated, asked Xie Shangjia to lie down, and took some tranquilizer medicine. He gave him acupuncture to release some blood. Under the effect of the tranquilizer, he soon fell into a deep sleep.
Xie Shangyu walked out silently and followed the medicine boy to the guest house arranged for him in the valley.
The night is as deep as thick ink that cannot be dissolved.
After everyone left, Shen Qianyue sat quietly on the small couch by the window, her eyes red, obviously shedding tears alone.
The leader of the guards stood outside the window. He didn't know what had happened, but he knew how vulnerable Shen Qianyue was at the moment.
"Ma'am, don't be unhappy."
"Quiet." Shen Qianyue's voice sounded, hoarse and low, without any emotional ups and downs, but with an unquestionable command.
The leader of the guards opened his mouth, looked at Shen Qianyue's icy profile, and finally swallowed his words. He silently stayed at his post and gently closed half of the window.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com