I appreciate your kind words.
A doctor's word can decide life or death, and no one dares to disbelieve it. In all things, it's better to be safe than sorry.
After he finished speaking, he was met with a chorus of questions and doubts. If anyone hesitated even slightly, a trail of footprints would immediately appear around him, leaving only broken branches and half-dead earthworms struggling to wriggle.
After a stick of incense had burned, more than ten people gathered together, looking at each other in bewilderment. Scarface, hiding five feet away, had a grim face and pointed at the group, saying, "You pack your things, we're going to the nearest village to spend the night."
"Brother, what about us brothers?"
One-Eyed immediately refused to be left behind. Despite his aching pain, he took the lead and picked up a weapon. If he was the one to take the lead and his elder brother stood by and did nothing, what kind of loyalty would that be? He had come to the village to survive.
To survive, they would do anything. The robbers' cold and disheartened eyes immediately turned fervent, and they followed suit with red eyes and heavy breathing.
The group of twenty or thirty people immediately fell apart, and there were signs of them killing each other. Seeing that things were not going well, Scarface glared at One-Eyed and said angrily, "Who told you to bring back a menace?"
The reproachful gaze shifted instantly, and One-Eyed gripped the hilt of his knife tightly, regret creeping up his spine and into his eyes. "Everyone joined in this way. This is no excuse to abandon your brothers. What if the old man was just lying to you, and you fell for it? How are you going to explain that to the second-in-command?"
Scarface said coldly, "I'm the boss, why would I need to explain myself to a pretty boy like him?" His expression shifted, and he continued:
“As the leader, I naturally won’t abandon you. However, I can’t let the other brothers suffer as well. You can keep your rations. Zhuxi Village is the closest, so you can go ahead and find a place to stay. The rest of us who are in better physical condition can go to another place.”
A rustling sound came from the surroundings. Without even listening, one could guess that the second-in-command they were talking about was more adept at winning people over than Scarface.
Wen Ruo glanced thoughtfully at the center of the crowd. The scarred man's smile was deliberate, and he spoke of righteousness, but the bulging veins on the back of his hand and the murderous intent gathering in his eyes revealed his true thoughts.
Anyone who dares to disobey will be killed.
Wen Ruo looked intently and met his gaze. Scarface sighed again, "As for you two brothers, I don't think he wants to leave either. Since that's the case, I'll leave you some food. As for the rest, leave it to fate. Consider it a way to accumulate some good karma for the brothers."
Qi Guanlan sneered, a terrifying aura enveloping his entire body. He looked intently at Wen Ruo, "I will definitely beg the imperial physician to cure you. We don't need to see this quack."
Wen Ruo lowered her head and pondered for a moment, then discussed with the scarred man, "If that's the case, I won't ask for medicine anymore. Could you please ask the divine doctor to leave me a prescription? It would be a memento. In exchange, don't you want to know how I suddenly got this disease? And why are you so sure that the divine doctor has a prescription?"
It was just a prescription; for these people who risked their lives, it was a sure thing. Scarface was delighted and agreed without hesitation.
With a knife to his neck, the itinerant doctor had no choice but to take out paper and pen. In no time, the prescription was in Qi Guanlan's hands. He picked up the prescription and his face lit up with joy. He looked at the itinerant doctor in disbelief.
The itinerant doctor stroked his beard, his face filled with grief. "Too much wisdom is bound to bring misfortune. Young man, it's truly fate that you died young. You've caused me so much suffering. Now I really have to go with you to the bandits' den."
Wen Ruo didn't even have the strength to move her fingers. She forced a smile and said, "My brother and I were on our way to escape the disaster. We passed through several villages. Before Brother One-Eyed, we went to Huangshi Village and Zhuxi Village to beg for food. Unfortunately, the people there were too stingy. We happened to run into Brother One-Eyed, who had stolen our food. We thought we might be able to steal some, and that's how we met you heroes."
"I don't know who I met to contract this disease. Brother One-Eyed and his brothers must have also been in contact with him, but the one they had the most contact with was this itinerant doctor. He is still fine now, but I still advise you all that if you want to stay overnight, it's best not to go to those two villages. It might be bad luck."
Before Scarface could speak, One-Eyed placed the knife against the doctor's neck again, his cloudy, yellowish white eye radiating murderous intent.
The vulnerable spot was right next to the blade, but the healer remained unfazed, still complaining, "It's your bad luck to have chosen these two villages."
One-Eyed: "Give me the medicine."
“I’m not having good luck either,” the itinerant doctor said with a pained expression. He pulled out two bottles, carefully wiped off non-existent dust, closed his eyes, and tossed them over. “One pill per person. Avoid alcohol and anger.”
Upon hearing this, Qi Guanlan also ran over. However, he was no match for the robbers and was pushed aside by the two groups. Then, the two groups started fighting. The empty bottles were thrown on the ground, upside down, and he was covered in mud.
After the medicine was distributed, the itinerant doctor stood with his hands behind his back, looking every bit like a hermit. Seeing that the pills were empty, he chuckled and said, "This medicine only lasts for two days. I'll leave you an address so you can let me go back and I can save your lives. I guess your village is far away and it's not convenient for you to buy medicine. If you go back and forth, it will be too late."
"There is a temple called Yan'an Temple, with fewer than ten people inside. The abbot is old and frail, and there is only one able-bodied monk under his command. The rest are only about ten years old. Instead of going to the village, we might as well try our luck. We can definitely get there before dark."
"Take advantage of the darkness and seize the opportunity. I heard there was a noble person in the temple before, apparently a princess. Once you replace her, with a little trickery, worshippers will automatically bring gold and silver to your door. Wouldn't that be better than sleeping on the streets and robbing people down the mountain?"
Wen Ruo used all the strength she had accumulated here. Scarface overheard something while fighting, and with a thought, he withdrew from the fight, glanced at her without making a sound, and then said with a regretful look, "You are quite clever."
Ling Yi stomped his feet in anger, shook his head and cursed, "You're full of bad intentions and have no morals at all. You two brothers are truly from the same root."
"I also wish to wreak havoc for a thousand years, but unfortunately my life is too short."
Wen Ruo pulled Qi Guanlan back from attacking. Amidst the flashing swords, she stared intently at the scarred man's tightly clenched fist. "I wonder if you, elder brother, could grant me two days to live, considering my suggestion? I'll stay away from you."
As soon as she spoke, Scarface's eyes changed several times, and his clenched fists were naturally behind his back. This man's eyesight and intelligence were definitely superior to the second brother's. If she took him back...
Others' objections were insignificant, but asking him to give up the medicine was something he simply couldn't do. With a dark expression, he squeezed out two words through gritted teeth, "A traveling doctor!"
A small booklet, no bigger than the palm of a hand, was thrown at him. "The medicine is gone. This is just something I scribbled down on the spot. Consider it a reward for your heinous idea. Don't blame me if you kill it. Even the heavens couldn't stand it anymore."
A flock of crows flew across the sky, leaving only the two of them in the desolate wilderness. Wen Ruo looked at the small bag of cakes left on the stone, feeling like crying but unable to. She never expected to see this scene when she left the temple.
Qi Guanlan seemed to have forgotten his current predicament, and sighed, "What's wrong with your brain? People actually think I'm a menace. If you had my family background, I wonder how bad you would have become."
With such an unsophisticated air, no wonder others dislike you. It's your privilege to have the best of everything, born into royalty yet never experiencing intrigue. You're truly blessed. Wen Ruo said coldly, "Thank you for your kind words, young master. In my next life, I also hope to be born into a good family."
"Young master, could you please check what's inside? Is there anything that can cure leg ailments?"
Pages of paper fluttered in the wind, and the flamboyant handwriting leaped into view like a shadow puppet, but Wen Ruo couldn't understand it.
Qi Guanlan stared at her with curiosity, then touched her forehead. "Have you lost your mind? You're about to die and you still want a prescription to break a leg? I heard you're not their biological child?"
Wen Ruo slapped his hand away and said irritably, "The kindness of giving birth is kindness, but isn't the kindness of saving a life and raising a child also kindness? If it weren't for my actions in court, young master, why would you have come to accompany me to seek medical treatment?"
"You get bolder when you're about to die, huh? You dare to lay a hand on me." Qi Guanlan shook her shoulder, trying to clear the water out of her head.
His shaking intensified Wen Ruo's headache, as if countless tiny silver needles were pricking her brain, making it impossible for her to open her eyes. "Young Master, be careful not to infect him."
"Come on, I didn't see any worry from you, stop pretending." Qi Guanlan said, but when he looked down, he saw a thin layer of cold sweat on her hair, and she was in great pain. He immediately let go of her fingers.
Wen Ruo bit her lower lip, enduring it for a long while. There wasn't even a bird around; all she could hear was the two of them breathing heavily, their hearts pounding in unison. Frustrated, she closed her eyes and suddenly spoke:
"Young Master is so willing to risk his life, Wen Ruo is extremely grateful, but I think you shouldn't be infected, right?"
"Young master, please take a look, or I will die with my eyes wide open in disbelief."
The patient's condition was paramount, and Qi Guanlan had no choice but to withdraw his hand, carefully flipping through the book. The records inside were dazzling, so he threw the book into his lap and said, "Nothing!"
Wen Ruo lowered her head. The drizzling rain fell on the ground. She rolled up her dry sleeves, and the red rash on her arms was shocking. She only glanced at it before covering it up again. She reached up and rolled up her trouser legs. What seemed real was also fake. Could she really be short-lived?
Seeing her heartbroken expression, Qi Guanlan suddenly made a sarcastic remark, "So you sneaked away, now you know you can't act impulsively, right? Don't think you're invincible just because you're a little clever. Is a leg more important than your life?"
"Young Master, you can leave on your own."
Wen Ruo's shoulders twitched slightly, her voice trembling with fear. Qi Guanlan immediately fell silent. What was the point of saying this now? He hurriedly turned to a page, pointed at the little figure on it, and began to make up stories.
Wen Ruo slowly raised her head, like a tabby cat that had just crawled out from under a pot. She stretched out her paws and licked herself for a long time, removing most of the black powder. Her face, which had been smug, was full of smiles.
"You're itching to set traps for others, aren't you? You're so petty. How come I never noticed before? You think you can lie to others but others can't lie to you? I haven't even blamed you for insulting my reputation yet."
Qi Guanlan reluctantly loosened his clenched fist, but for the sake of his last bit of authority, he wanted to say a few more words, but when he glanced at her frowning face, he couldn't continue.
There was nothing that could be done; her voice was barely audible, and her face was deathly pale—she looked as if a gust of wind could blow her away.
Anyway, they're just fooling bad people, so why worry about it? Wen Ruo wrapped the book up and put it in her pocket without a care in the world. "We should catch up now. I'm afraid I really won't be able to hold on after dark."
Qi Guanlan grabbed her arms with both hands, and couldn't help but click his tongue at her petite frame. "Don't worry, you just have a cold, you won't die. Your mother is still at the temple, aren't you worried that bad people will hurt her?"
Wen Ruo's eyes were half-closed. "With a general in front and an abbot behind, they can't even deal with a few bandits. I'll curse on behalf of His Majesty and the people of Qi. It's useless."
Fortunately, Gu Yu wasn't there. This unbridled behavior is truly courting death, Qi Guanlan thought to himself.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com