Distress (Part 3)
"Why, you don't remember? I don't know who had a nightmare as a child, with tear marks all over his face. Oh, he ran into my room in the middle of the night, tugging at the corner of my clothes, with a bitter face, and refused to go back..."
He Shu was completely sober. When he heard Xuan Tongzi revealing Li Qingshan's embarrassing stories, the corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl up, and a light laugh escaped his lips.
"Brother He, you're awake!"
"How are you, feeling better?"
Seeing Li Qingshan's eyes instantly light up and his undisguised concern, his heart warmed slightly, but he looked away a little embarrassedly:
"Well... don't worry, I just have an old headache. It's okay. Look, I'm fine now, right?"
He Shu pretended to be relaxed and patted Li Qingshan's shoulder, comforting him softly.
"I didn't expect you to be so timid when you were little."
"Oh, little guy, even though Qingshan has grown up, he's still very timid. You just fainted for a while, but he was scared to death."
Xuan Tongzi, who was sitting on the mat, saw He Shu wake up, stood up and walked to the bedside, raised his hand to brush Li Qingshan away, sat down on the seat where the other person was sitting, and stretched out his hand to take the pulse of the bedridden patient.
He Shu didn't know what kind of magic medicine was smeared on the mountain god's fingers, but he just felt warm all over, as comfortable as soaking in a hot spring. He almost couldn't control himself, and the crane feathers on the back of his hand couldn't help but show some fuzz.
"Look at this pulse, it's strong and stringy, much healthier than yours."
Soon, Xuan Tongzi let go of He Shu's hand, turned his head to look at Li Qingshan, grabbed his wrist and pulled him closer, taking his pulse, frowning slightly.
“Tsk—”
"It's difficult to smooth your bowel movement, and your qi is stagnant and your blood is stagnant. Did you not take your medicine on time again?"
As he spoke, he glared at Li Qingshan with a look of displeasure, as if he was disappointed in him.
"Alright, alright. I'll let you off the hook this time for the sake of us being here. Now go to the pharmacy and get some warming herbs like astragalus, codonopsis, and wolfberry to nourish this little guy. Don't forget to bring your own portion along, according to the prescription I wrote out earlier. Take both to the medicine boy and have him boil the medicine before you bring it in. I want to see you drink it with my own eyes."
Li Qingshan had to leave the meditation room as he could not disobey his master's order.
He Shu watched him walk away and looked around the house.
This Zen room is not big, but it is kept very simple and clean. It is filled with a faint scent of pine wood and old books, mixed with the fragrance of grass and trees wafting in from the window, making it particularly peaceful.
"Qingshan has gone far away..."
Xuan Tongzi stood up and sat back by the window, continuing to taste the tea that had already cooled down. There was a faint tea stain on the edge of the coarse porcelain teacup, and a small jar of tea leaves was sealed with cotton paper next to it.
He Shu's gaze followed and moved to the window. He found that in addition to the small couch under him, there was also a low couch under the wooden lattice window of the Zen room covered with semi-transparent cotton paper.
There was a straw cushion on it, the edges of which were a little worn, obviously someone had sat on it often. Beside the couch stood a narrow table, on which was placed a ceramic oil lamp with the embers of the wick still burning.
"Just say what you want to say, little crane."
When his identity was revealed, He Shu's heart skipped a beat. He subconsciously straightened his body and restrained his previous carelessness.
"Lord Mountain God..."
"Hey, hey, stop, stop, this is the mortal world, not heaven, walls have ears, don't let me reveal my identity, just call me Taoist priest."
“…”
He Shu was speechless for a moment, and thought to himself: This old baboon has so many things to do.
He secretly complained, thinking about finishing the business quickly and leaving, as he still had personal matters to deal with.
He Shu forced a decent smile, walked up to Xuan Tongzi as he was told, bowed slightly, lowered his voice and said seriously:
"Master, I am Heshu, a servant of Madam Xi, the March Flower Goddess. Madam Xi has reported that a drought has appeared in the north, requiring several days to address, and the timing of the flowers blooming has changed. However, the celestial messenger from Luzhu Mountain has not responded, so I was sent here to inform you."
The ease on Xuan Tongzi's face disappeared in an instant. He put down the teacup and his fingertips tapped unconsciously on the narrow table.
"Hanba?"
He repeated in a low voice, his brows knitted into the shape of the Chinese character "川".
"How could there be no signs in the North? Madam Xi went there in person? Strange... Really strange..."
He pondered, his eyes seemed to penetrate the wall, looking towards the distant north, then turned to look at He Shu and continued:
"I already know about this. As for this immortal envoy... she seems to be busy overcoming the tribulation recently, so I can't contact her. Don't bother looking for her anymore. If she succeeds in overcoming the tribulation, Luzhu Mountain will have to replace the immortal envoy. I will notify you then, so don't find the wrong person next time."
"I understand, Master Shan...Master Daoist."
"Then I will go back and report. Goodbye."
"Hey, Xiaoshu, don't be anxious. Stay a little longer. At least drink the medicine before leaving."
He Shu's eyes rolled when he heard this name.
"My mortal name is Wuming. Taoist Priest, you must be careful not to call me by the wrong name in the future, lest Brother Li get suspicious."
"Okay, okay, Wuming, Wuming... By the way, who gave you this name? It's so empty and lonely. Not good, not good."
Xuan Tongzi frowned in disdain, and He Shugang's slight pride in having the upper hand in the issue of address was instantly extinguished.
His breath was stuck in his chest, and the words he wanted to refute were stuck in his throat. He couldn't spit it out or swallow it. His face turned a little red, and he felt extremely aggrieved.
Looking at the mountain god's "kind-hearted" face, it seemed to be filled with the word "hateful" in his eyes. Seeing his lips opening and closing, He Shu couldn't hear a single word.
"Wuming, I just checked you out. Although the magic in your head isn't life-threatening, it does cause significant damage every time it strikes. Didn't you say this wasn't the first time it struck? If this continues over time, it'll eventually damage your foundation."
"So don't be like that brat and refuse to take your medicine. Listen to me, an old man, and be careful. Otherwise, if your body becomes weak, even a god will get sick."
"Master...how could you say bad things about me behind my back?"
Li Qingshan walked in as he spoke, and the medicine boy following behind him placed the two bowls of medicine on the tray on the narrow table, said hello to the two people in the room, and then left.
"How can it be a bad word? Besides, I can say it even in front of you."
"Which bowl is mine?"
He Shu interrupted the bickering between the master and the disciple. He wanted to finish his drink quickly and leave. He had just sent a message to He Qi, but received no response. He guessed that he was still busy, so he could only return to the inn first.
The one-day deadline will end at noon tomorrow. He will see Heqi at the latest by then. After reporting back, he can concentrate on handling personal matters.
"This is the bowl, Brother He. Be careful, it's hot. Let it cool down before drinking."
"Nothing, I'm not afraid of the heat."
"But--"
He Shu took the black bowl of medicine, and a strong and choking sour and bitter smell rushed into his nose, causing his throat to spasm and he almost vomited on the spot.
He groaned inwardly, quickly blocking his sense of taste, smell, and even most of his sense of touch, and drank the medicine in one gulp.
In the past, in the Ninth Heaven, he had only eaten pills made from decoctions, and he had never suffered such pain when swallowed raw with rain and dew.
Seeing that He Shushu drank the medicine calmly without even frowning, Li Qingshan also picked up the medicine bowl. However, as soon as his lips touched the medicine soup, he shuddered from the burn.
"Brother He, is your mouth okay?"
"It's okay, it's a little hot, but it's no big deal."
He Shu put down the medicine bowl and just as he lifted the seal, an indescribable bitter aftertaste suddenly rose from the root of his tongue, and he quickly sealed it again.
“It’s really bitter!”
He sucked in a breath of cold air, his whole face wrinkled, as if the medicine was bitter, and his voice was trembling.
“Good medicine tastes bitter.”
Li Qingshan blew on the medicine twice but still didn't drink it. He sighed and put down the medicine bowl. He took out an oil paper package from his arms, opened it, and handed a piece of preserved fruit to Heshu.
"Take one, it will reduce the bitterness."
"Hey, you're not a child anymore. Why do you need someone to coax you to take medicine?"
Xuan Tongzi was at a loss whether to laugh or cry when he saw the preserved fruit. He picked up the medicine bowl and urged Li Qingshan to drink it quickly while it was hot.
"Master, Brother Qingshan, I have something important to do back at the inn, so I'll leave first."
He Shu ate the preserved fruit, but it tasted like chewing wax to him because he had not yet released his blockage. He swallowed it without any taste. Then he felt the time was almost right, so he said goodbye and started to leave.
"Brother He, wait a minute!"
Li Qingshan quickly followed,
"It's getting dark, and the mountain road is difficult to travel on. It's dangerous to go down the mountain now. Brother He, why don't you stay here for a night before going back?"
"No, no, Brother Qingshan, don't worry. I'm a faster walker and can get down the mountain before it gets completely dark."
Seeing that Heshu didn't stop, Li Qingshan immediately said:
"Then I'll accompany you. If we go together, we can have someone to look after us..."
"Brother Qingshan."
He Shu interrupted him, turned around and grabbed Li Qingshan's shoulders, and with a little force, stopped him from following.
"Actually, I'm a martial artist. I have martial arts skills, so I can protect myself more than enough."
He Shu took a half step back as he spoke, casually tapping his toes on the ground. His body then slid back more than a foot like a feather, stopping steadily in the courtyard. He turned his head and gave Li Qingshan a sly smile:
"By the way! Tomorrow afternoon, I'm going to visit your mountain cabin. See you there..."
"...Okay, Brother He, please be careful on the road. If you really get into trouble, don't try to be tough."
"I understand—"
Li Qingshan's body swayed slightly due to the familiar force. He ignored the dull pain in his chest and chased to the door with weak steps, but the figure had already disappeared in the twilight outside the courtyard gate.
The cool mountain breeze made his throat itch, and the suppressed cough could no longer be held back and spilled out from the corner of his mouth. His sleeve brushed against the corner of his mouth, leaving a dark red blood mark.
"These two brats..."
Xuan Tongzi took a sip of herbal tea, looked at the empty doorway, and narrowed his eyes thoughtfully.
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