Shoubo took out a letter from his body and handed it to Long En, saying, "Young Master, please take a look at this. This was specially prepared for you by the palace."
"What is this?" Long En asked, taking the letter from Shou Bo's hand and quickly opening it. He saw a portrait of a beautiful young woman who looked like a fairy.
Uncle Shou cautiously looked around, then lowered his voice and said seriously, "This is the portrait of the Guardian of Xiqin that Lu Xian of Xiqin Academy just finished restoring. Young Master should have heard of it; 'He who possesses this power will rule the world.' Therefore, the most important thing for Young Master right now is to do everything in your power to find this woman as soon as possible and take her for yourself, so that she can lend you a hand later..."
"The guardian of Western Qin... really didn't die? She was actually a woman?" Long En focused his gaze on the portrait of the woman in his hand, examining it carefully while listening to Shou Bo's words. Suddenly, he looked up and stared at him in astonishment.
Uncle Shou nodded silently, then continued, "Now, the restored portrait of the Guardian has been sent to the palace. The Emperor has ordered a full-scale search for its whereabouts, and even the Prince of Qin has begun his operation. Therefore, young master, you must find it faster than them! If the Guardian falls into their hands first, it will be very difficult for us to take action against it!"
Upon hearing this, the two of them fell into their own deep thoughts.
After a long while, Long En slowly came to his senses, folded up the portrait and put it away. He then stood up and said goodbye: "In that case, I will go back immediately and send people to inquire everywhere. I will definitely have the power of the Guardian before them. Take care, Uncle Shou. Farewell!"
However, after taking only a couple of steps, he stopped and turned back to him with a slight smile, saying, "By the way, there's a jar of excellent Daughter's Red wine on the table. It's the latest and finest brew from the winery. Uncle Shou, please have a taste!"
After saying that, he turned around and strode down the mountain without looking back.
Shoubo got up and walked to the pavilion, watching the tall figure gradually disappear into the deep night. He sighed deeply and shook his head. Then he went back to the stone table, picked up the jar of wine and the box, and walked unsteadily back towards the West Qin Academy.
As soon as he entered his room in the dark, he locked the door from the inside and was about to tidy up before going to bed.
Suddenly, a knocking sound rang out on the door.
He asked, "Who is it?" as he hurried over to open the door.
Just then, a gentle and refined male voice came from outside the door, asking, "Excuse me, Uncle Shou, have you retired for the night?"
Upon opening the door, he exclaimed in surprise to the person outside, "Dean Lu, it's so late, why...why have you come to our servants' quarters? Quickly, please come in and sit down!"
As Lu Xian was invited inside and seated, he feigned a sigh and tentatively asked, "Alas, these past few days, with Tianlin and Tianjiao away from the academy, I've been worried sick and haven't been able to sleep. I just got up and wandered around a bit, and seeing that only your light was still on, I came to check on you. I'm usually so busy with academy affairs that I haven't had a chance to say a word of concern to you. I wonder if you've been settling in well at the academy these past few years, Uncle Shou? If you need anything, just tell me, and I'll do my best."
Uncle Shou brought over a bowl of hot water and respectfully presented it to Lu Xian with both hands. Standing beside him, he smiled and said, "Dean Lu is so busy every day, I didn't expect you to care about the daily lives of us servants. It's really rare. This old servant is doing very well here. I have no worries about food, clothing, or shelter. Thank you for your concern, Dean Lu."
Seeing that Uncle Shou's legs were weak and he was still standing while talking, Lu Xian quickly advised him, "There are no outsiders here. Uncle Shou's legs are weak, so please sit down and talk. There's no need for such formalities."
Upon hearing this, Uncle Shou did not refuse any longer. He sat down beside him and thanked him, saying, "This old servant thanks Dean Lu for his consideration."
Lu Xian smiled and suddenly asked, "By the way, how long has Uncle Shou been at Xiqin Academy?"
Unexpectedly, Uncle Shou blurted out, "It has been eight years now."
Upon hearing this, Lu Xian immediately turned to Shou Bo's face, which was full of feigned kindness and amiability, and exclaimed in feigned surprise, "Eight years already?! So Shou Bo is truly an old man of the academy. You must have had a hard time these past eight years!"
"Of course, of course. Eight years ago, if it weren't for Miss's kindness in bringing this old servant back to the academy on the way and arranging an easy job for him, this old servant would probably not have lived much longer in this world, and how could he be here today! Therefore, this old servant will never leave the academy in this life; the academy is this old servant's only home." Uncle Shou's acting skills were indeed quite good, and his words were so sincere that they were impossible not to believe.
Lu Xian smiled as he secretly observed him, but suddenly his gaze fell on the man's legs. He looked at them for a while, but for some reason, he felt that something was wrong. So he asked, "By the way, what's wrong with Uncle Shou's legs?"
Upon hearing this, Uncle Shou hurriedly reached out and rubbed his knee, sighing bitterly as he said, "Alas, when I was young, I was working and accidentally bumped into a heavy object. My family was poor and couldn't afford to see a doctor, so I just found someone to examine me. But the more I was treated, the worse I got, so I gave up."
Lu Xian hurriedly said, "I also know a little about medicine. How about I take a look at you?"
Upon hearing this, Uncle Shou seemed completely unashamed and said frankly, "In that case, I'll have to trouble the Dean! But after so many years, it's probably beyond saving!"
"Whether it can be saved or not, we have to see first. If it can be saved, wouldn't that be even better? Then, Uncle Shou can take a good walk and see this beautiful land. Why should he spend his whole life here, wasting his precious time tied to these flowers and plants?" Lu Xian said with a smile as he helped him roll up his trouser legs.
After much subtle questioning and a thorough pulse diagnosis, Lu Xian finally slowly opened his eyes.
At this moment, Uncle Shou pulled down his trouser leg and asked, "How is it? Is it beyond saving? Actually, when I met Miss Lu eight years ago, she had already treated me. But because so much time has passed, I'm afraid even a miracle worker couldn't save me!"
Upon hearing this, Lu Xian quickly came to his senses, a look of surprise flashing across his face. He asked in astonishment, "Uncle Shou just said that my daughter also treated you eight years ago?"
"Miss Lu truly lives up to her reputation as Dean Lu's precious daughter. At such a young age, she has already mastered Dean Lu's skills. Her diagnostic methods for this old servant are exactly the same as Dean Lu's, practically identical," Uncle Shou exclaimed.
Lu Xian pondered silently for a while, then smiled faintly at him and said, "Actually, Uncle Shou, there's no need to worry too much. Perhaps it's because Lu Xian's medical skills are not proficient enough. If there are better doctors to treat leg ailments in the future, Lu Xian will definitely learn more from them before treating Uncle Shou. Uncle Shou, please put your mind at ease."
Shou Bo immediately stood up, went over to wet a cloth to wipe Lu Xian's hands, and thanked him solemnly, saying, "Dean Lu, please don't say that. This old servant really doesn't deserve it. I am already extremely grateful that Dean Lu has taken me in. I really don't dare to trouble myself any further. I am just an old man in my twilight years. I am already lucky to have such a comfortable life. How could I dare to ask for anything more!"
However, Lu Xian had already half-closed his eyes, lost in another heavy and fearful thought. He thought to himself, "This person's pulse is much stronger than the average person's; he's clearly someone who has practiced martial arts for many years. And his leg ailment isn't caused by a heavy impact as he claims. He's sealed several acupoints in his legs with his internal energy, which is why he seems to walk with a slight limp. But why would he do that? Eight years... He actually managed to hide his identity like this right under my nose at the Xiqin Academy. And initially, was this a... self-inflicted injury ruse, staged specifically for the prodigies?"
At this thought, he couldn't help but sigh deeply, his face seeming to grow even more grim. He looked out at the bright moon, utterly perplexed: "However, such obvious pulse signs and methods, even the prodigy of eight years ago, could not possibly have failed to diagnose or understand them!"
"Tianjiao...Tianjiao..." Lu Xian gazed at the bright moon, silently repeating Lu Tianjiao's name in his heart again and again.
Just then, a voice suddenly rang out above his head: "Dean Lu, wipe your hands!"
Lu Xian then snapped out of his daze, looked away, and stood up abruptly, saying, "Oh, no need. It's getting late, and there are many things to take care of at the academy tomorrow. I'll head back now. You've had a long day, so you should get some rest too!"
As he spoke, Lu Xian hurriedly got up and walked towards the door. Suddenly, he looked up and caught sight of the jar of Daughter Red wine made by Chengnan Zuixian in the corner of the doorway and the black box. The black cloak hanging on the wall had not yet been taken down. Only then did he remember why he had come into this room in the first place.
Suddenly, he stopped, turned around, and asked with a smile, "By the way, Uncle Shou, do you have any other relatives or friends you frequently visit in this world?"
Upon hearing this, Uncle Shou seemed to have memorized it perfectly. Feigning helplessness and pitifulness, he blurted out, "My ancestors were poor farmers from the Northwest. A few years ago, there was a locust plague in the Northwest, and almost everyone in the village starved to death. I was the only one left in my family, and I have been homeless ever since, barely surviving until now. If it weren't for meeting you, Miss, I would really be..."
Uncle Shou pretended that he couldn't say anything more and silently wiped away his tears.
Seeing this, Lu Xian sighed and said, "In that case, from now on, treat this place as your home. Don't worry, everything will be alright."
As soon as he finished speaking, he stepped over the threshold and walked out, his hands behind his back. He thought to himself, "It seems the person who came down the mountain through the side gate just now must be Uncle Shou. But who exactly is the man he met with in secret? This top-quality Daughter's Red wine from Zuixianfang isn't something just anyone can buy. I hope Tianlin can find that girl as soon as possible. Yi Shangkun, Yi Shangkun, just how many secrets are you hiding? I really underestimated you!"
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