Chapter 284 Years in the Mountains
Time passes quietly in the mountains.
Xiao Lang found Xiao Yan very strange.
He found that Xiao Yan's mindset was truly calm, as if she hadn't thought about anything outside. Every day she helped her mother-in-law clean the house, do laundry and cook, select medicinal herbs, change her dressings, and soak her feet.
They have absolutely no sense of identity.
What's even stranger is that Xiao Yan, given her upbringing, shouldn't be able to do these things, yet she does them with ease.
Xiao Lang observed her every day.
At first, Xiao Lang was unwilling to let her change the dressing. He knew his own leg too well and didn't want to look at it himself.
But Xiao Yan persisted. She showed no unusual expression when she saw those ugly, withered legs, which only made his rage and anger seem even more ridiculous.
She treated his legs exactly as her mother-in-law instructed, even more strictly and diligently than he did himself.
She no longer speaks softly and cautiously to him like she did in the palace. Now she pushes him out to sunbathe, taps his legs to ask if they hurt or itch, stops him from hurting his legs, and yells at him when she gets impatient, treating him like a normal person treats family.
It's ridiculous, how could he have a family?
Their bodies are filled with filthy blood!
Xiao Qing flicked his forehead sharply, "What are you thinking about with your eyes so wide open? Don't cry out if you burn your eyes."
Xiao Lang snapped out of his deep reverie and glanced at her indifferently.
Aren't you worried about something happening outside?
Xiao Qing casually sat down on a rock next to her. "Something is bound to happen. Since we can't get out anyway, we might as well heal your leg first, so that our trip won't be in vain."
She was thinking about the herbal recipe for her foot bath that night, and her mind drifted away.
"I don't even care about these legs myself, so why do you care?" This was what Xiao Lang couldn't understand the most.
Xiao Qing glanced at him and said, "Then you should care more about it."
Xiao Lang was even angrier.
He sneered, "I don't have time for your brother-sister act. And don't pretend like this in front of me; I'll still kill you once we get out!"
Xiao Qing looked at his increasingly irritable expression, and saw his clear, bright eyes.
"Then why did you pull me down? There are plenty of people in the water who want to kill me, what are you doing down here?"
Xiao Lang looked away, realizing he must have been out of his mind back then.
If he doesn't go into the water, his men will definitely kill Xiao Yan underwater. If he does go into the water, his men will have some reservations and won't make a move.
"Xiao Chongle is still looking for you, isn't he? He doesn't seem like someone blinded by hatred, yet he's willing to orchestrate things in Nanhua for your sake. So what's next? You want the throne of the Great Xiao?"
It's not that I can't give it to her; she didn't want it in the first place anyway.
Xiao Lang sneered with a straight face, "Who cares about that piece of junk?"
Xiao Qing turned his wheel around to face himself.
"So what grudge do you have against me? I was just a child when you went to Langzhou. I had no power to affect your affairs. It was someone connected to me who hurt you?"
Xiao Lang's mind was flooded with those perverse and dark thoughts again.
Xiao Qing covered his eyes with her hand. "Brother, you even hate yourself. You don't want to live, so you don't consider the consequences of your actions. Why?"
Xiao Lang slapped her hand away and sneered, "You're meddling too much." He refused to communicate.
Xiao Qing smiled, not in a hurry.
She leaned against the rock, looked up at the sky, and reached out to look at the bell on her wrist.
Xiao Lang glanced at the bell out of the corner of his eye, and for a moment his heart was still.
He naturally knew the origin of the bell, and he also knew that this was the glimmer of hope they spoke of.
But why does he live? Why does he live every day in despair, pain, and self-loathing?
After basking in the sun for a while, Xiao Qing pushed him back home.
The old woman was sorting medicinal herbs in the yard. When she saw them return, she beckoned to Xiao Qing, "Come here."
Xiao Qing went over happily. "Mother-in-law, is there a way?"
The mother-in-law turned her head and glanced at Xiao Lang: "Yes, there is. Are you willing? Is your brother willing?"
“He agrees!” Xiao Qing made the decision for him.
If it can be cured, of course it should be cured; there's no need to hesitate.
The old woman smiled and said, "You are a girl who truly cares about your brother, but his inner conflict runs too deep. Although there is a cure, I am not entirely confident. There are some medical records from our ancestors, and only those with strong willpower can succeed."
Xiao Lang frowned, quite surprised. His leg injury was an old one, and although it had been treated by a famous doctor before, the results were not ideal.
The old woman looked at Xiao Lang and asked, "Wasn't it Li Changting who treated your leg?"
Xiao Lang then looked at her mother-in-law, her eyes filled with surprise and doubt.
The old woman snorted coldly, "You don't need to overthink it. He does have some skill; even with such serious injuries, he managed to save your bones. Although broken tendons are difficult to set, he didn't completely give up. Where is he now?"
Xiao Lang was silent for a moment, "Senior Li has passed away. He left behind a prescription before he left, but..."
"It's just that you didn't want to live, so you didn't follow the prescription for internal and external treatments."
“I have no ambition to live, but I have not squandered the efforts of my predecessors. Although I am not diligent, I still maintain it regularly.”
The mother-in-law looked away and sat down, leaning on the table for support.
She remained silent for a long while before saying, "He was my senior brother. Back then, he devoted himself to studying wound healing techniques, and went to the battlefield without telling his family. I never imagined... how he died?"
Xiao Lang concealed the bloodshot look in his eyes. "Due to the war, the accompanying military doctor was unable to return to the city... However, Senior Li's remains have been collected and buried in Langzhou. If Grandma wishes to visit them, I can take Senior Li there."
The old woman nodded, seemingly composing herself. "When I saw the incision in your leg bone, I knew he had treated these legs. The prescription he left for you was also to prepare for future bone repair and tendon reconnection, but unfortunately you didn't follow his instructions."
Xiao Lang lowered his eyes, speechless.
Since he had long ago resolved to die, he naturally wouldn't prepare for life. The reason he regularly used the prescription was simply because he couldn't bear to waste his predecessors' efforts, and also because his close attendants insisted on it.
“Mother-in-law, if that’s the case, then it’s still possible to cure it by opening the bones and tendons, right?” Although Xiao Qing also felt it was a pity, she felt that there was definitely still hope after hearing this.
The old woman nodded. "It can be cured. First, we need to detoxify him, then we need to open his bones and tendons. If his will isn't strong enough, he won't be able to persevere to the end. With his current determination, there's no need to even try. He's already passed the optimal time for treatment, so it's impossible for him to fully recover. He'll need careful care, and even after his bones and tendons have healed, he'll only be able to walk like a normal person and won't be able to practice martial arts."
The mother-in-law glanced at the two of them and said, "You two discuss it yourselves." Then she went inside.
As night deepened, the old woman sat alone by the window, staring at a small wooden plaque. After what seemed like an eternity, she murmured, "To bring the dead back to life and heal the wounded is no ordinary feat. You have lived a life without wasting a moment, and you have lived up to the Li family's ancestral teachings. Even though we are separated by death, I will help you fulfill your wish."
At the same time, Xiao Qing was helping Xiao Lang soak his feet in medicinal herbs.
The foot bath tub reached up to the knees and had a lid, with the entire kneecap enveloped in the steaming liquid.
Xiao Qing pressed here and tapped there, asking Xiao Lang if he felt any discomfort, while mentally calculating the time to soak his feet.
Xiao Lang watched her work in silence, his gaze softening unconsciously.
She possesses a magical, serene yet stubbornly upward-striving strength.
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