Chapter 9 The Uninvited Guest: Who is he calling old, weak, sick, disabled, or stupid?
The candle flame popped open with a "pop".
When You Mingjiang looked up, her gaze met the cold, gleaming sheathless sword.
An uninvited guest sat quietly above the beam.
Blood droplets the size of elm seeds dripped down the roof beam and landed on the ground with a "plop".
His face was pale, and his eyes were fixed on You Mingjiang with an indescribable focus.
Lu Xiaojia.
It's that unpredictable Lu Xiaojia again.
The oil lamp emitted a pale yellow glow, the flame flickering gently and occasionally making a soft "crackling" sound.
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Hai Si Die's broadsword trembled, the blade striking the ground with a soft cracking sound as he protected the children behind him.
The temple gate was tightly shut, with a door bar blocking it. Hai Si's father really couldn't figure out how Tong Xiaojia had gotten in.
Lu Xiaojia's gaze swept over everyone present: the Hai family father and daughter, Tie Pinggu, and the group of five orphans...
In my heart, I made a conclusion: the old are old, the young are young, the sick are sick, and the disabled are disabled.
When his gaze finally landed on You Mingjiang's face, his heart softened, and he quietly added the word "foolish" to his name.
Only someone as foolish as this would struggle to survive in this difficult world, carrying a bunch of burdens.
At this moment, You Mingjiang stood under the roof beam, looking up at the beam, her face bare.
She was dressed as a farmer, in straw sandals and a gray short jacket, so simple that it didn't even qualify as a simple cloth dress.
Like the oil lamp on the altar, simple and peaceful.
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You Mingjiang pressed down on Hai Sidie's trembling hand and threw the bamboo medicine basket onto the faded prayer mat.
She subtly shielded her people behind her, her fingertips gripping three silver needles coated with anesthetic.
"You Mingjiang." He broke the silence first, drawing out the last syllable, "Dr. You."
Clearly, Lu Xiaojia had overheard You Mingjiang and Gao Jiping's earlier conversation and remembered her name.
"I dare not accept the title of 'miracle doctor'," You Mingjiang replied politely. "Why are you sitting on the beam so late?"
"You can see better from up high." Lu Xiaojia crushed the peanut shells into powder, and the fine powder drifted down from between her fingers.
"Dr. You?"
"Um."
"Help me heal my wounds."
Lu Xiaojia's left shoulder was soaked with blood, yet she could still flick a peanut with her blood-stained fingertips.
The crunching sound of peanuts echoed clearly in the silent mountain god temple.
Xiao He stared at Lu Xiaojia's puffed-out cheeks, swallowed hard, and whispered, "Sister, he has peanuts to eat..."
Lu Xiaojia paused in her peanut-chewing motion, looked up, and flicked a peanut shell with her finger. The shell landed on the roof beam with a "plop," creating a small dent in the wood.
He said coldly, "If you keep looking, I'll use you as a peanut bomb."
Xiao He burst into tears, but Gao Jiping quickly covered her mouth.
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Watching this scene with cold eyes, You Mingjiang suddenly spoke up, "Seven Stars Illuminating the North?"
The silver needles were hidden in her sleeves, ready to be used.
Lu Xiaojia tilted her head and tossed a peanut into her mouth: "Is this how you check incisions? You itinerant doctors... do you need to check incisions just to have a consultation?"
You Mingjiang ignored him and continued to ask, "The Azure Dragon soars and coils around the twin towers?"
"If Wei Zhuang knew that his poems were being used as a secret code..."
Lu Xiaojia smiled, his smile like an ice cube under the sun, "Maybe I'll be brought back to life from the misty willows of Baqiao."
They are not members of the Green Dragon Society.
You Mingjiang breathed a slight sigh of relief, nodded gently, and agreed: "Yes, those idiots really should find a private tutor to give them some extra lessons, or replace them with a scholar as their leader as soon as possible."
It seems he's just here for medical treatment, which means we've eliminated a potential threat.
The situation isn't too bad.
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Suddenly, the sound of clothes fluttering came from the beam, and Lu Xiaojia was hanging upside down!
Seeing this, Hai Sidie brandished his broadsword and slashed at it, but a flash of cold light appeared, and the broadsword in his hand broke into several pieces. He groaned and took two steps back.
You Mingjiang's expression hardened, and he raised his hand to flick out several silver needles.
"Boom boom boom—"
The silver needle pierced the roof beam, and Lu Xiaojia landed lightly, her clothes fluttering as she swept away the thick layer of old incense ash accumulated on the altar.
Before everyone could react, he had already picked up the cold, hard bun on the altar and taken a bite.
"Good needlework." Lu Xiaojia leaned to the side, resting her left elbow on the altar, and stuffed a cold steamed bun into her mouth with her right hand. "It's just that the accuracy was a little off."
A poorly aimed needle technique? Was he mocking him? You Mingjiang frowned, slipping a silver needle between his fingers.
He glanced at You Mingjiang's silver needles: "Can a doctor carry a weapon with him?"
Yu Mingjiang shielded everyone and solemnly said, "Even the butcher has two castration knives. Your unsheathed sword is far more dangerous than my silver needles."
He tossed the cold bun back onto the offering plate, and a flash of sword light appeared. A silver needle suddenly pierced the blade, only to be deflected away!
Lu Xiaojia lazily sheathed his sword, and a few smooth peanuts fell into his palm.
He scoffed, "Are all doctors as fierce as you?"
You Mingjiang said in a deep voice, "If you dare to make any more rash moves, the next needle won't just be a nail-piercing sword!"
Lu Xiaojia clicked her tongue.
You Mingjiang caught a whiff of the wound medicine, his eyes darting around, and said, "Your wound medicine is quite good, with Jiulongchuan for stopping bleeding, Muxiang for relieving pain, and Douchijiang for removing necrotic tissue and promoting tissue regeneration... but it doesn't seem to work well when sprinkled on the wound, does it?"
Lu Xiaojia's fingers, which were supporting the altar, tightened slightly with each new medicine name she heard.
Suddenly, he coughed violently, which caused the wound to reopen, and the bloodstains spread even wider on his white clothes.
Looking up again, it was as if I had discovered a new continent.
This itinerant doctor was indeed capable; he could even discern the ingredients of the wound medicine he had previously used from the blood and qi.
He straightened up, his phoenix eyes glancing at her sideways. "But I wonder, with your miraculous skills and kind heart, can Doctor You heal my wounds?"
"I am but a wandering healer, how dare I accept your title of 'miracle doctor'?" You Mingjiang said calmly. "Your wound needs stitches, and those stitches won't be done for nothing."
Lu Xiaojia pulled off the money pouch from her waist, weighed it in her hand a couple of times, and raised an eyebrow, asking, "How much do you want for the consultation?"
“Let’s talk about the consultation fee later,” You Mingjiang shrugged, pointed to Xiao He who had been scolded and cried because he was craving peanuts, “Please, sir, calm my child down first.”
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A big pot of peanut and millet soup is ready.
After testing the poison, Meng Xinghun, Shi Qun, and Xiao He sat obediently on the haystack, drinking peanut and millet soup.
The three of them swung their short legs, each holding a bowl of soup, gulping it down, their cheeks puffing out.
With each sip, the children exclaimed with satisfaction, "Wow, this is delicious! I wish I could drink it every day!"
Hai Hongzhu and Gao Jiping's gazes remained fixed on You Mingjiang and Lu Xiaojia.
Hai Hongzhu gripped the handle of the fire-starting pot, Gao Jiping picked up the stick used to prop up the door, and Hai Sidie pretended to trim the mule's hooves while holding a hammer tightly in his hand and placing a broadsword beside his leg.
They were ready to fight Lu Xiaojia to the death at any time.
The eye of the storm is often the calmest place.
Lu Xiaojia chuckled softly, finding the group of elderly, weak, sick, and disabled people quite amusing.
If he really wanted to kill them, he could make sure that not a single one of the Mountain God Temple survived.
He tore open his shirt to reveal his left shoulder; the wound was open, the flesh rolled outwards, and fresh blood was still seeping out.
You Mingjiang fetched some lightly salted water and rinsed the blood off Lu Xiaojia's wound while responding to the children's question: "How about I steam some cured meat for you later?"
"Wow! Steamed cured pork!" The children's eyes lit up immediately, full of anticipation.
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You Mingjiang hesitated at first.
Because Lu Xiaojia arrived at an inopportune time, she was just about to steam the cured meat she had received from her husband's family to nourish her own family. After all, people can't live without meat, and a diet consisting of only clear soup and water for a long time would weaken the body.
That piece of cured pork was top-quality pork belly, about two feet long and an inch thick. It was sliced thinly, steamed until translucent, and when you took a bite, your mouth was filled with oil and it was incredibly fragrant.
She planned to cut the cured pork in half, take a small piece to steam, and leave the rest for Tie Pinggu.
There wasn't much cured meat to begin with, and now with Lu Xiaojia joining the family, there's even less cured meat for everyone to eat.
However, Lu Xiaojia was dressed in white silk and linen, and You Mingjiang knew at a glance that they were not from the same world.
She thought to herself: He's dressed so elegantly, he probably wouldn't even look at such an ordinary piece of cured meat.
So she stopped hiding it from Lu Xiaojia and told the children the good news about eating meat.
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"You keep staring at my sword," Lu Xiaojia said suddenly, the sword resting on her lap, "Are you afraid I'll suddenly kill someone?"
You Mingjiang took out a roll of sterile medical gauze, tore off a piece, and gently wiped his wound.
If we really don't have any iodine-soaked cotton balls, this is the only way we can disinfect them.
"A sword without a sheath is a deadly sword," she said calmly.
Lu Xiaojia turned her head to the side and quietly looked at You Mingjiang, her eyes slightly lowered, her gaze falling on You's hands.
You Mingjiang held a silver needle over the candle flame and heated it.
Her fingers were long and slender, with full nails, but they weren't delicate or fair enough.
Although she often applies Ziyun ointment, her fingertips and palms are still covered with a thin layer of calluses.
Even the side of his right middle finger had developed a pale yellow callus, smooth and thick.
It's probably because of a bad pen-holding posture, which developed over time.
These hands, though not those of a beauty, exude a reassuring warmth.
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Yu Mingjiang's needle unexpectedly pierced his wound.
A sharp pain shot through Lu Xiaojia, causing her body to stiffen abruptly. Veins bulged on her forehead, and a flash of murderous intent crossed her eyes.
With quick reflexes, You Mingjiang pressed down on his shoulder while stitching up his wound.
Be prepared to respond to his counterattack at any time.
If stitches are done without using anesthetic, he will inevitably be in so much pain that he will be unable to move for a while.
But You Mingjiang couldn't help but be on guard.
Lu Xiaojia is an assassin, and the temple is full of the elderly, weak, sick, and disabled. How could anyone sleep peacefully?
Lu Xiaojia gritted her teeth, gripping the prayer mat tightly with both hands until her knuckles turned white, choosing to endure.
He could sense You Mingjiang's wariness and understood his own current situation.
Not only will the wounds not be properly treated, but the person will also be surrounded and attacked by a multitude of unruly individuals.
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Each time the thread pierced through the flesh, Lu Xiaojia's teeth would crush a peanut.
"In ancient times, there was Hua Tuo who scraped the bone to remove poison," Lu Xiaojia said, stuffing an unpeeled peanut into her mouth and enduring the pain, "and now there is me, Lu Xiaojia... um!"
Before he could finish speaking, the needle pierced the skin, and the silk thread, boiled in water infused with cork tree bark, deftly moved back and forth on both sides of the wound.
The peanut shell was instantly crushed into powder.
Lu Xiaojia tensed her body, large beads of sweat rolling down her forehead. Silk threads wove together into fine, neat stitches on the wound, stitch after stitch, gradually closing it up.
As You Mingjiang sewed, she said, "This is Huzhou silk, which is of superior quality. It's tough and smooth, and it's also less irritating. It won't be too much trouble to remove the stitches later."
Lu Xiaojia kept her right hand on the sword hilt, her knuckles turning white, but she gritted her teeth and didn't utter a sound.
Halfway through the suturing, Lu Xiaojia suddenly spoke up: "You should ask."
"What do you want to ask?"
"Why didn't you ask me who I killed and why I was injured? Especially the nature of my injury. ① When treating an illness, one must examine the lower body, feel the pulse, observe the patient's will and intentions, and understand the illness itself. Isn't this the duty of a physician? Why didn't you ask?"
"I'm here to heal the sick, not to solve cases..." You Mingjiang hesitated for a moment, "Alright, then let me ask you, how did you get injured? How did you end up here?"
"It's nothing..." He lowered his eyelids, suddenly feeling somewhat listless, and didn't want to talk anymore. "It was just a coincidence."
happen?
What a coincidence!
He made a point of inquiring before finding out where You Mingjiang and her group had gone. He helped her clean up the mess before heading this way, but ran into the newly appointed prefect of Kaifeng and his guards. He underestimated them and was injured.
You Mingjiang shrugged. See? He won't tell you even when asked.
Lu Xiaojia coughed lightly twice, seemingly casually mentioning, "By the way, have you heard? The Prefect of Kaifeng has been replaced by Bao Zheng. This Judge Bao also has a bodyguard known as 'Southern Hero' Zhan."
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In recent days, the entire city of Kaifeng has been in a state of panic, and the government offices have been extremely busy.
The emperor was furious, and the new official was demoted to a malarial land to serve as a military advisor shortly after taking office.
It all stemmed from a "bee killing case".
The person who reported the case was the village head who governed the village.
That day, not to mention the young constables, even the experienced coroner couldn't help but vomit after seeing the scene.
It wasn't that they had never seen a dead person before, but rather that they had never seen such a horrifying death.
The house where the incident occurred was tightly sealed, and the doors and windows had been coated with tung oil. The bees inside were agitated and flew around wildly. The people put on thick raincoats and finally managed to singe the bees off with fire.
Upon entering the house, a pungent, sweet stench of decay filled the air, and a huge beehive lay on the floor.
The constables searched for a long time but couldn't find the body.
It wasn't until a clumsy young man accidentally kicked the beehive that the body was discovered—the deceased was wrapped in a honeycomb filled with honey, and was already unrecognizable.
As soon as the beehive was opened, foul-smelling bodily fluids immediately spilled onto the ground.
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The authorities initially determined that the murderer was a human slave trader.
According to the villagers, the deceased had made an agreement with a slave trader to sell a girl, but more than ten days ago, the slave trader went to the deceased's house and left in a hurry, carrying a large sack with him.
Considering that the pots, pans, grains, and cured meats in the deceased's home had also disappeared, the authorities speculated that it was highly likely that the two parties had failed to reach an agreement on the price, and the slave trader, harboring resentment, had accidentally killed the person.
Moreover, the deceased's youngest daughter has also disappeared.
Everyone guessed that the little girl might be inside the sack.
Just as the authorities were about to launch a full-scale investigation into the whereabouts of the human trafficker, his body was discovered in the river.
The so-called murderer is also dead.
The murder case reached a stalemate and could not be solved.
It is currently the sixth month of the lunar calendar, and the weather is unusually hot. As a last resort, the body has to be cremated.
This matter thus became an unsolved mystery.
Just when everyone thought the matter was over, some busybody started stirring things up behind the scenes, spreading rumors that a vengeful ghost was claiming lives.
In an instant, all sorts of rumors and gossip spread like wildfire.
Just then, the Yellow River breached its banks at Shawan, and a group of peasants seized the opportunity to rise up in rebellion.
The imperial court was furious and immediately demoted or exiled all the officials in Kaifeng Prefecture, both high and low-ranking.
Even some of the dishonest lower-level officials were laid off.
You Mingjiang's eyelashes didn't even tremble: "That's wonderful. I've heard that Bao Zheng is extremely discerning, which is a blessing for the common people."
Lu Xiaojia said calmly, "Bao Zheng is intolerant of any nonsense. If he were still in office, he would never tolerate any bee-related murder case where the time of death was faked. Even if you, a quack doctor, escape to the ends of the earth, you will still be... Hiss!"
"You flatter me." She deftly cut the thread. "I'm just a humble doctor, where would I get such supernatural abilities?"
Lu Xiaojia raised an eyebrow, her eyes filled with undisguised mischievousness.
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After the suturing was completed, You Mingjiang took out a bottle of thrombin lyophilized powder, mixed it with a little saline, and gently sprinkled it on his sutured wound. Finally, he wrapped it tightly with a roll of sterile medical gauze.
She put one acetaminophen tablet and two amoxicillin capsules into Lu Xiaojia's mouth.
Since I didn't have tetanus antitoxin on hand, I could only prescribe a formula called Fangfeng Baifuzi Tang to dispel wind and relieve exterior symptoms.
You Mingjiang instructed him: "You can't get it wet, and you can't do any strenuous activity. You should stay calm for the next few days."
Beads of sweat slid down his jawline and into his neck. He stared intently at You Mingjiang: "You did this on purpose, didn't you?"
Without saying a word, You Mingjiang raised his hand and pierced Lu Xiaojia's Qihai acupoint with a needle.
This acupuncture treatment aims to consolidate qi and blood, and restore yang to reverse the adverse condition.
Lu Xiaojia grabbed her wrist holding the needle, leaned close to her, and breathed on her face with the scent of peanuts. His voice was hoarse as he said, "Go down another half inch, and you'll know the difference between an assassin and a gentleman."
Without changing his expression, You Mingjiang abruptly withdrew his hand, the silver needle drawing a line of blood on his lean waist and abdomen.
Lu Xiaojia groaned, and fine beads of blood seeped from her wound.
Yu Mingjiang held a silver needle between her fingers and said with a smile, "If you keep talking, I'll sew your mouth shut."
Lu Xiaojia held a peanut between her fingers, bit it open, and said, "Your hand should be holding a sword, not a needle."
"What's it to you?"
"Just saying."
"Don't be too casual."
Do you always have to be so harsh with your words?
"Do you really have to be so nosy?"
After saying that, she got up and was about to walk towards the place to wash her hands when suddenly her sleeve was grabbed.
“Everyone who sees this gets a share. Give me two slices of cured meat,” he straightened his clothes and handed her a few blank travel permits. “How about I trade them with you? If things ever come to light, at least we can use them.”
You Mingjiang said calmly, "I don't understand what you're saying."
Lu Xiaojia ignored her and handed the blank travel permits in her hand to her again.
"To take it or not?"
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Just then, a "crack" was heard, and Xiao He broke the bowl in his hand, spilling peanut and millet soup all over the ground.
Xiao He's eyes reddened, and she looked like she was about to cry. She wiped the corners of her eyes with her thin, bony hands.
Seeing Lu Xiaojia frown, You Mingjiang's heart clenched. He thought Lu Xiaojia was going to scold the child again, but to his surprise, Lu Xiaojia just sighed softly, took out a handful of peanuts from his satchel, and tossed them to the little guy with a flick of his wrist.
Little He stopped crying and smiled, holding the peanuts in her little hands, and said in her childish voice, "Thank you, big brother."
You Mingjiang had a sudden thought.
After much deliberation, she finally took the blank road pass, looked up at Lu Xiaojia, and said, "I want it! Deal!"
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A note from the author:
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[Good Luck Lianlian] Quoting from ancient texts: "To treat a disease, one must observe the lower part of the body, the pulse, the patient's will and intention, and the disease itself." This quote comes from "Suwen: On the Differentiation of the Five Viscera".
[Good Luck Lotus] Quoting an ancient poem: "The Azure Dragon Soars and Coils Around the Twin Towers" comes from Wei Zhuang's "Remembering the Past in Xianyang" from the Tang Dynasty.
[Purple Heart] 25.4.3 Update: Redesigned the romantic pairings and added more story elements. [Pat Head]
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