Dig a hole, it's time to bury it.
This seems a bit difficult.
Qi Guanlan probably felt traumatized after being falsely accused and deceived by Yang Congyu and her mother. Wen Ru clicked her tongue, just as she came to her senses, her thoughts were interrupted by the sound of footsteps. She glanced at them out of the corner of her eye and nodded without hesitation.
The deerskin boots she absolutely refused to change were now in front of her, even the slightly curved hooks at the toes exuding arrogance. Qi Guanlan had walked over at some point. Did she believe him? She looked up expectantly.
With her reddened palm right in front of her, Wen Ruo subconsciously looked into Qi Guanlan's eyes. Was he being so kind, or did he intend to give up halfway?
Qi Guanlan and the others' expressions grew increasingly grim. Wen Ruo grabbed his hand and stood up with the help of his strength. There was no retaliation as expected.
Wen Ruo felt a pang of sadness and a surge of emotion, but her gaze towards him became even more resolute. "Brother, don't worry, if anyone dares to lie to you in the future, I'll kill their entire family, leaving no one alive."
To everyone's surprise, after hearing this, Qi Guanlan threw her hand away and left with a pale face.
His temperament is truly unpredictable.
Scarface looked in the direction he left. "Your older brother is quite amusing." Such a grown man, still needing his younger brother to coax him. How unreliable he must have been before.
Wen Ruo wiped her hands behind her back, then shyly clasped her fists together, a blush rising on her face. "I'm sorry to have made you laugh, brother. I've been physically weak since childhood, and my brother is naturally unruly and hard to change overnight. If I have really made a mistake, please forgive me and leave some descendants for my family. That way, I can at least give an explanation to our deceased father."
"If you agree, I will serve you with utmost loyalty and devotion until my dying breath."
It was cold and damp, and they couldn't even light a fire in the thatched hut. The sun gradually disappeared behind the mountain, and a cold wind was blowing. They had already put on the cotton-padded clothes they had stolen, and they huddled together to keep warm.
Qi Guanlan seemed to still harbor resentment and was angry with her. She glanced at the distance between the two, then tucked her fingers, which were wrapped tightly around her thigh, into her sleeve. The wet clothes felt stiff, cold, and rough to the touch.
On a rainy day, the snails were moving to a new home, moving incredibly slowly. Wen Ruo rested her head on her knees, feeling as if her brain had turned to mush.
She stood up unsteadily and walked to Qi Guanlan's side. The two looked at each other, like brothers who had lost their hearts and wouldn't even stick together for warmth.
"Brother, I think I'm sick,"
Before she could finish speaking, Wen Ruo collapsed to the ground. Qi Guanlan hurriedly picked her up. Wen Ruo's eyes were closed, and she mumbled a few words from time to time, which were indistinct and unintelligible. His cool palms touched her forehead. "So hot!"
The robbers huddled together, idly munching on biscuits. Some closed their eyes to rest, while others held their hands and listened to the sound of raindrops. Scarface was used to life and death, let alone the newcomers who had just joined and had no sense of loyalty.
"Quick, my brother is sick, get a doctor to take a look at him!" Qi Guanlan's voice was so loud that it disturbed everyone's rest, but it also attracted everyone's attention, and even the neighbors next door could hear it clearly.
Scarface's lips were purple, and his breath steamed as he spoke. "Now you know how to feel sorry for him? It's too late. Your brother is weak and probably won't make it."
"Impossible!" Qi Guanlan carried her to the itinerant doctor. "Aren't you a doctor? Quickly save her."
The itinerant doctor stroked his beard, placed his hand on the wrist, then paused, startled, "He's not long for this world!"
"She's not going to live much longer, that's just a lie. How could that be?" Qi Guanlan cursed, "You quack! She just caught a cold. You don't even know how to prescribe Guizhi Tang or Mahuang Tang? Do I have to teach you?"
The doctor's fingers twitched slightly, and his brows gradually furrowed. "He is born with a deficiency in both qi and blood. Has he been injured recently? With this kind of physical condition, it will be difficult for him to survive this cold. Even if he does, he may have difficulty having children in the future."
So that's the reason. Scarface looked thoughtful. Qi Guanlan licked his dry lips in astonishment, looked down at Wen Ruo, hesitated for a moment, his Adam's apple bobbing slightly, and he managed to utter a difficult voice, "Is what you said true?"
"I have practiced medicine for decades and I never lie to anyone."
After handing Wen Ruo over to the itinerant doctor, Qi Guanlan headed straight next door and finally found the medicine pouch under the buttocks of a long-faced man in the corner. The robber was thin and naturally not as strong as Qi Guanlan. Qi Guanlan took a big step, grabbed the robber by the collar and threw him aside. The robber fell face-first into the mud, his face covered in mud.
The brother, who was watching the spectacle from the side, suddenly found his dry hair soaked with water, which dripped onto his body and was freezing cold. The long-faced robber, enraged, shouted, "Who do you think you are, a coward?"
Taking advantage of Qi Guanlan's inattention, someone kicked him hard. Qi Guanlan's knees buckled, and a whistle came from above. Instantly, the expected show did not happen. Qi Guanlan lay on his back on the ground, tightly hugging the box. There were a chorus of sighs and boos from the corner, their tone extremely disappointed.
In a moment of panic, he used the strength of his feet to roll over and fell heavily into the mud. From beneath him, a sour smell of decaying things wafted from his damp back.
Qi Guanlan, who had just been stuck in the mud for the first time, immediately lost his temper. Instantly, a murderous aura emanated from him. He got up, an invisible flame engulfing his reason, and countless voices in his mind clamored, "You're courting death, this young master will grant your wish!"
His sharp, cold gaze seemed to want to grind these people to dust. Scarface, who had come to watch the show, glanced at him and coughed unconsciously. "We'll be eating from the same pot from now on. I don't mean we'll be together through thick and thin, but we can't just stand by and watch people die. Go and save them."
The long-faced man awkwardly withdrew his hand. The word "help" was like cold water poured over Qi Guanlan's head. He stood there stunned for a moment, holding the box, before rushing to the traveling doctor.
The traveling doctor carefully wiped the medicine pouch. Urged by Qi Guanlan, he finally took out the silver needles. Half an hour later, Wen Ruo slowly woke up. The heat wafted over her cool clothes, and she subconsciously moved closer. She was puzzled again. When was the fire started?
"woke up."
Wen Ruo froze, then slowly raised her head and saw Qi Guanlan looking at her with concern. He guessed that she had frightened him and was still a little resentful. He thought that she could be coaxed away. But then Qi Guanlan's question came crashing down on her forehead, "Why didn't you say you were sick?"
"He said you're unlikely to have children, do you know that?" He lowered his voice, but Wen Ruo could see the veins on his neck, clearly he was suppressing his anger. Wen Ruo was a little confused and pursed her lips. What was there to be angry about? "I know, and Father knows too. Otherwise, why do you think I would tolerate you?"
Still putting on an act, Qi Guanlan was stunned as if struck by lightning. Was it really necessary to call this doctor? In this wretched place, where could he possibly survive a night without needing a traveling doctor? "Don't you want to outlive your mother?"
Wen Ruo's face darkened, then she suddenly laughed self-deprecatingly, "Now that things have come to this, do you think you can still turn yourself in?"
"Why not?"
“Then our family line will end.” Wen Ruo sat up, trying to get out of his arms. Seeing that she was unrepentant, Qi Guanlan had no choice but to patiently cooperate. He rolled his eyes and thought of a plan. “I will go back and beg General Gu to ask him to invite the imperial physician to save you.”
"Imperial physicians?" Wen Ruoxin was intrigued for a moment. Imperial physicians treated the royal family and were arguably the most skilled doctors. Qi Guanlan immediately nodded, "Yes, imperial physicians are much better than this old man. Didn't you say you would listen to everything I said? Are you going to go back on your word?"
The itinerant doctor immediately bristled and glared, "Where am I old! Imperial physicians are nothing special."
Wen Ruo immediately turned her face away, her slightly stiff expression regaining its radiance, her eyes sparkling. Qi Guanlan's brows twitched, and an unnamed fire began to burn in his heart, burning him with a pain in his chest. What was the point of saving her? He would be driven to his death by her sooner or later.
Hearing a pained murmur in his ear, Qi Guanlan was stunned for a moment before realizing that he had been gripping Wen Ruo too tightly. He quickly let go.
Wen Ruo then came to her senses, moistened her lips, and whispered, "Divine Doctor, my arm is a little itchy, why is that?"
The traveling doctor's expression immediately changed, and he took a few steps back. "Young man, I advise you to stay away from her. In my experience, her illness may have serious consequences. I've been observing her for a while now, and I've noticed that she occasionally scratches her arm. This cold is probably a sign of smallpox before it breaks out, probably in the next two or three days. This disease can be fatal. I was just guessing at first, but it turns out to be true."
Qi Guanlan didn't move, but the scarred man next to him directed the robbers to quickly move away from the three of them.
The dilapidated thatched hut was empty in an instant. A dense, cold wind blew in through her collar. Wen Ruo subconsciously shrank her neck and looked at Qi Guanlan blankly. She blinked her eyes. How could he be so disheveled after only a short time?
She struggled to get out of his arms again. Things had gotten out of control, and she didn't want to hurt Qi Guanlan.
Qi Guanlan grabbed her arm and wouldn't let go, "The needle hasn't been removed yet, sit properly!"
Wen Ruo and Qi Guanlan faced off for a moment. A persistent pain came from her head. She turned her head and caught a glimpse of silver needles on the cloth. The doctor wrapped them in cloth, walked to a distance, dug a hole, buried the silver needles, and sighed deeply, lamenting the impermanence of life.
"I was just going out to see a doctor, and I was kidnapped, which was bad enough, but I also encountered smallpox."
"Brother, stay away from me too." Wen Ruo pushed him away, stood up unsteadily, and everyone around her covered their noses with their sleeves, their eyes fierce, warning her not to come any closer.
Qi Guanlan ran over and grabbed the itinerant doctor's hand, saying forcefully, "You're not allowed to leave. Since you recognize this disease, you'd better cure him for me."
"This disease is highly contagious. You should be glad that I am kind-hearted. If it were anyone else, they would not dare to go near this godforsaken place. I am helpless in the current situation. Although you are strong and healthy, you will probably be sick soon. You should dig a hole as soon as possible."
Wen Ruo was stunned, she hadn't expected her body to be so weak. Qi Guanlan stood there helplessly. The itinerant doctor left two bottles of typhoid medicine, picked up his medicine bag, and walked towards the scarred man. He looked around and coldly smiled:
“I don’t think we need to rush back to the village. Some people might not be able to open their eyes again after one night. We might as well find a place to dig a hole and bury ourselves while we can still breathe.”
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