visiting the sick
When the first snow fell in the capital, Taoist Xiwei, who had traveled to Nanhua Mountain to find an antidote, finally sent a message.
The person who came to deliver the letter was Xingzhou, a young Taoist priest from Liuquan Temple. It was Xingzhou who had delivered the message when Qin Yousi went to Liuquan Temple to ask Taoist Xiwei to come out of seclusion.
Seeing the boat heading to the capital, Qin Yousi thought that something happened at Liuquan Temple and that Taoist Xiwei was looking for him. Upon asking, he learned that Taoist Xiwei had already returned directly to Liuquan Temple from Nanhua Mountain, and he couldn't help but feel confused.
Xingzhou carefully took out a wooden box wrapped in oilcloth from his bag and presented it to Qin Yousi, saying, "My uncle ordered me to hand this over to you. He said it was a matter of life and death and asked me to be extra careful."
The box probably contains the antidote for the blood-drying poison.
But Qin Yousi was in no hurry to open the box. Instead, he asked, "Besides this, Taoist priest, do you have anything else to tell me? Why did she go straight back to the Taoist temple? Did something urgent happen on the mountain?"
Qin Yousi knew Taoist Xiwei best. If it wasn't absolutely necessary, she would never give something that concerned her life to someone else.
Xingzhou nodded and said, "My uncle said she had an appointment with someone to discuss the sutras, and she forgot to tell you before. She asked you to take care of yourself. She will come to the capital to look for you next spring."
After he finished speaking, his expression showed a little hesitation, but Qin Yousi asked a few more questions but couldn't get anything out of him.
Qin Yousi thought about it for a moment and decided not to ask him directly. She had to go see Taoist Xiwei herself. Something must have happened in Nanhua Mountain.
Having made up her mind, she arranged for Yu Huan to take Xingzhou down to rest first, but Xingzhou came and went in a hurry, saying that they had to return to the mountain before the snow closed the mountain, and they left as soon as they put down their things.
Qin Yousi saw the anxiety in his expression and did not force him to stay. After he said goodbye, he said to Yu Huan, "Follow him quietly. I always feel that he is hiding something from me."
Yu Huan agreed and left with nimble steps.
After about an hour, Yu Huan rushed back and said worriedly, "After the little Taoist went out, he went to four or five pharmacies, bought a lot of medicine, and then left the city with it on his back."
Most of the medicinal herbs were available in Yuan's Clinic, but Xingzhou didn't even mention it and wanted to buy them somewhere else. It was obvious that he was deliberately hiding it from her.
Qin Yousi's face darkened. "The mountain is about to be closed off by heavy snow. How could Master be discussing sutras with others at a time like this? He's clearly lying to me! Master must have been injured in Nanhua Mountain and didn't want me to know!"
The blood-drying poison is the secret medicine of the Nine Sects. The Nine Sects will definitely not hand over the antidote easily. Taoist Xiwei probably fought with the people of the Nine Sects.
Thinking of this, she couldn't sit still for a moment, so she asked Gu Wu to tell Baili Hongyuan a message, and then went to the inner courtyard to look for Fuying who was still in the capital.
When Baili Hongyuan heard that the antidote to the withered blood poison had been found, and also learned that Qin Yousi was leaving the capital for Liuquan Temple, he immediately came to Yuan's Medical Clinic without waiting to leave the government office.
When he saw Qin Yousi, he immediately asked with concern, "Have you really found the antidote?"
Qin Yousi had already looked at the contents of the wooden box and said, "Master has obtained the secret formula for the antidote to the withered blood poison, but because the manufacturing process has been lost, it will take some time to develop the antidote."
Even so, Baili Hongyuan was overjoyed.
But Qin Yousi's expression remained calm. Baili Hongyuan knew she was worried about Taoist Xiwei, so he consoled her, "Since the messenger didn't say it directly, I guess the situation isn't particularly dire. Don't worry. I've already ordered Gu Wu to find the precious medicinal herbs. When the time comes, she'll bring the people and the medicine and escort you there."
The weather is getting worse and worse. It has snowed in the capital, and the situation in the mountains must be even worse.
From Baili Hongyuan's selfish point of view, Qin Yousi was in poor health and he didn't want her to go on this trip, but she should go both morally and logically. Baili Hongyuan couldn't persuade her, so he could only try his best to help her prepare.
If possible, he would really like to send her off in person, but now he has accepted an assignment from the Ministry of Justice and cannot leave Beijing for a moment, so he is really too busy to do so.
Qin Yousi had no intention of mobilizing a large force, he just wanted to leave as soon as possible.
But no matter how anxious you are, you must not lose your composure. Before leaving Beijing, you still have to arrange the things that must be done.
She entrusted the care of Princess Bao's health to Madam Yuan and Yu Huan. As long as they took the medicine according to her prescription and consulted with her on a daily basis, there would be no problem in the short term.
Other matters were also being handled by their respective people, but the matter of recruiting Tianying and Wu Bo for his own use had not yet been finalized, so Baili Hongyuan had to do it personally.
"I think only these two people know what dirty deeds Duan Weiming has done for the emperor. We need to find a way to get them to speak up as soon as possible. I promised them that I would take them to see Duan Zheng off on the first day of the twelfth lunar month. Please arrange it for them."
This was just a small matter for Baili Hongyuan. After agreeing, he took the initiative to ask, "Do you need to arrange for someone to investigate Nanhua Mountain?"
On the one hand, it was to find out what happened between Taoist Xiwei and the Nine Sects, and on the other hand, it was to prevent the Nine Sects from seeking revenge on Liuquan Temple because of the loss of the secret recipe. If they happened to run into Qin Yousi who went to visit the patient, many dangerous things would happen.
Qin Yousi also thought of this and said, "I have asked the people from the Fuying Sect's Oujiang Boat Gang to inquire in the Jianghu. I knew very little about the Nine Sects before, and now I am indeed a little passive."
Baili Hongyuan said, "The Oujiang Boat Gang travels by water, so their manpower in Nanhua Mountain is probably limited. Song Yiping previously served as the commander-in-chief of Nanzhou, and General Yin Song is currently in Nanzhou. While they aren't from the Jianghu, they must have some connections with various local forces. I'll write to them and ask them to find out a little bit."
Qin Yousi agreed: "That would be even better."
Because Qin Yousi planned to leave early tomorrow morning, Yu Huan was helping her prepare her luggage in the inner room behind the bead curtain.
After Baili Hongyuan finished discussing important matters, he warned Yu Huan, "You can't go with your daughter this time. Although Gu Wu is a woman, she is a warrior after all, and I'm afraid I won't be able to take good care of her. You need to explain everything to Gu Wu tonight."
Yu Huan smiled at Qin Yousi and replied, "Don't worry, Governor. Gu Wu and I will do our best."
She was a very clever person, and guessing that the two of them still had something to say in private, she made an excuse to check the carriage and left.
Qin Yousi didn't think much about it and said to Baili Hongyuan, "I'll be back in five or six days at the fastest, or ten at the slowest, after I find out about Master's condition. You don't have to worry so much, sir."
But Baili Hongyuan thought otherwise. He said, "We both know the strength of Taoist Xiwei's martial arts. If she was truly injured in Nanhua Mountain, the enemy's strength should not be underestimated. If you encounter any unexpected situations during this journey, you must prioritize your own health. Don't act recklessly right now. Let Gu Wu send a message to me, and we'll discuss everything."
Qin Yousi always had her own ideas, but in order to reassure Baili Hongyuan, she agreed without hesitation.
The next day, as soon as the city gate opened, Qin Yousi, escorted by six plainclothes secret guards, left the city and headed southeast for Liuquan Mountain.
Although there was rain and snow on the road, it was still smooth. On the third night, the group finally arrived at the mountain gate in the dark.
After half a year, he came back to Liuquan Temple. Perhaps because it was already dark and the weather was gloomy with rain and snow, Qin Yousi felt extremely depressed.
The gate of Liuquan Temple was closed. Gu Wu went forward and knocked on the door. After a long while, someone finally answered.
The person who opens the door is still sailing the boat.
The young Taoist priest was very surprised to see Qin Yousi, but a look of joy appeared on his face.
He took the initiative to ask, "Why did Miss Sang come up the mountain at this time?"
Because of his status, Qin Yousi couldn't explain to the people at Liuquan Temple why he was Taoist Xiwei's disciple, so he said politely, "Taoist Xiwei traveled all the way to Nanhua Mountain to seek medicine for me. I haven't been able to see her, and I feel really uneasy. After thinking it over, I think I should come and visit her in person. Please help me pass on the message."
They traveled non-stop day and night and only returned yesterday. Calculating their pace, the two groups arrived one after the other, which showed that Qin Yousi was very anxious and sincere.
Previously, Xingzhou had some resentment towards Qin Yousi because of the matter with Taoist Xiwei, but now that prejudice has been eliminated, he said rashly: "If I inform you, Uncle Shi will definitely find an excuse to not see you. Just come with me!"
There was a faint light coming from Taoist Xiwei's room. As soon as Qin Yousi arrived in the courtyard, she smelled the scent of medicine, just as she had guessed!
Xingzhou whispered, "Master just drank some medicine after dinner, so he shouldn't have rested yet. You can go in directly."
Qin Yousi felt heavy in his heart. He walked forward quietly, knocked on the door twice, and pushed it open.
Taoist Priest Xiwei sat cross-legged on the simple wooden bed, meditating without opening her eyes. She thought it was the Taoist boy who came to collect the medicine bowl. He said in a weak voice, "Add two more grams of Ganoderma lucidum to tomorrow's medicine."
Ganoderma lucidum is a magical medicine that replenishes the heart blood. Compared with Taoist Xiwei's pale and almost transparent face, it can be seen that his physical condition is very poor.
Qin Yousi had never seen her so weak and frail before. His eyes suddenly turned red and he shouted, "Master..."
Taoist Xiwei opened his eyes in surprise. Seeing that it was her, he knew that he had failed to hide it. He sighed helplessly and said, "It's windy and snowy. What are you doing here?"
Qin Yousi stepped forward and asked, "What do you think? How can I feel at ease if you hide from me and conceal things from me?"
Taoist Master Xiwei originally thought that the heavy snow would soon block the mountain and stop Qin Yousi's journey. He would wait until she recovered and talk to her next spring, and things would be much better. However, he did not expect her to come so quickly and regardless of anything.
"No big deal, just the cold weather. I caught a cold on the way back."
Qin Yousi didn't believe it: "You have practiced martial arts for many years, how could I not know your physical condition? How could it be a cold? You must be injured!"
After that, she asked with a stern face: "Did someone from the Nine Sects hurt you?"
Just as the disciple knows the master, the master also knows his disciple very well.
Xiwei knew she couldn't fool Qin Yousi. If she didn't explain clearly, she would definitely feel guilty. So she could only say, "This time when I went to Jiuzong, I met an old friend. We talked about some old stories and exchanged a few moves. It wasn't because of you, and the injury wasn't serious. I know what happened."
Qin Yousi was still worried: "If it's really not serious, why did you hide it from me?"
After saying that, he went to take her pulse.
Taoist Xiwei pushed a few times but couldn't resist Qin Yousi, so he had to let her succeed.
When Qin Yousi felt the pulse, he panicked and tears were about to roll out.
She was never a crybaby, but she was frightened by the injuries of Taoist Xiwei. It looked like his meridians were broken and his martial arts skills were lost!
“How, how could this happen?! Who did this?!”
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