Ash saw Aubrey in the crowd. His fiery red hair was quite eye-catching.
This man must have stayed up all night last night. He had two dark circles under his eyelids, but he did not look tired. He was standing on tiptoe and looking forward with great energy.
"Aubrey." He walked over and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Ash?" Aubrey heard the familiar voice, turned around and smiled, "Hey! Thanks for last night!"
"You're welcome," Ash said, "What are you doing here? Where's Shanna?"
"I sent Shanna home to rest." Speaking of his girlfriend, Aubrey put on a silly smile again. It took him a while to remember Ash's question. He pointed to the front and said, "There is an outsider coming to the village. He is a pharmacist and he is very good. Uncle Nathan's left foot was bitten by a poisonous snake before, but the toxin was not completely expelled, so it has been festering all the time, right?"
"The new guy supposedly cured Uncle Nathan's foot by giving him a bottle of what he called a 'very common' antidote."
Aubrey counted on his fingers: "In just a short while, Aunt Donna, Brother Ibby, and Colvin were all cured by that man."
Aunt Donna's lung disease has reached the advanced stage and she should have only a few months to live. Big brother Ibby was injured in a hunting accident and fell into a coma. He has been sleeping for two years. Little Colvin is three years old this year, but unfortunately he has had an eye disease since birth and cannot see clearly.
All the difficult problems that Teacher Nathan was helpless to solve were easily solved in this man's hands.
Ash was surprised and amazed, but in the midst of his surprise and admiration, he also felt inexplicably flustered and uneasy.
Especially unsteady.
Teacher Nathan was the most amazing pharmacist he knew - of course, it might also be that his vision was too narrow, as the farthest place he had traveled since he was born was just a few villages and towns near Duogu Village.
Now a strange and highly skilled pharmacist has suddenly come to the village. Ash, who is used to the peaceful day after day in the village, feels as if his peace has been broken and is about to lose control of his heart.
He doesn't like suddenness or change.
But the person Aubrey was talking about made him feel an inexplicable tremor of impending storm.
Perhaps it was because the ease and powerful strength displayed by the opponent in every move made him feel a huge gap that was unpredictable and impossible to estimate, so he felt uneasy?
Ash touched his chest in confusion, wondering about his suddenly faster heartbeat.
"I'll go in and take a look." He heard his own voice sounding rarely anxious.
He continued walking inside.
When the villagers saw him coming, they all made way for him.
"Morning, Ash."
"Ash, a great pharmacist has come to our village."
"Yeah, Ash, you have to be smart today! You'd be lucky if you could get the favor of this pharmacist!"
"Everyone in front, make way, let Ash pass first..."
…
Ash made his way through the crowd without much effort.
There is a small flower bed outside Nathan's house, which is planted with various common medicinal herbs.
Ash walked in through the open gate and first saw Ibby's parents beside the flowerbed. They were holding Ibby, who was awake, and sobbing with joy. Aunt Lali, who was holding Colvin, also cried with red eyes, while little Colvin opened his eyes wide and looked around curiously.
He did not disturb them, walked along the gravel path in the flower garden, pushed open the half-open door, and entered Teacher Nathan's home.
As you enter the door, you will see a spacious living room on the first floor. The rooms next to it are a kitchen and a medicine room.
Outside the pharmacy, Mr. Nathan stood straight, talking to a white-haired old man with a big hooked nose. Next to them, Aunt Donna, who had been very haggard due to lung disease, was in much better spirits, and was bowing to the old man with gratitude, saying thank you.
He walked quietly to Nathan and called out "Teacher".
Nathan noticed him then and turned around. On his usually serious face, a rare happy smile appeared: "Ash, this is Master Rachel. He will stay in our village for a while and promised to teach us some more advanced knowledge of pharmacy during this time. What a tolerant and enthusiastic person..."
He looked at the old lady named Rachel and said again with emotion: "Thank you for your magnanimity and generosity."
Ash knew what Teacher Nathan meant and hoped that he would express his gratitude to him as well.
But when Ash looked at Master Rachel's aged skin and cloudy eyes, he couldn't feel close to her or grateful even though she was smiling gently and harmlessly.
He felt endless coldness in the wrinkles of the skin and beneath the smile hidden in the eyes, which made him shudder.
The palpitations I had felt before not only did not stop after I saw him in person, but became even more intense.
This person is very dangerous and will definitely destroy the peace of the village.
Thinking of this, Ash could no longer express sincere gratitude.
He is even less capable of speaking false and ceremonial words.
Looking at Aunt Donna who was rescued, and the ecstatic Iby and Colvin families, he could not express his vigilance and worries without basis.
So I can only remain silent.
"He's an introverted kid." That was the only way Mr. Nathan could explain it to him. "But he can stay focused when making potions and is very reliable."
"I can see that he's a good boy," Master Rachel said, her gentle eyes falling on Ash.
Ash pursed his lips. He sensed the malice beneath the gentle shell, cold, sticky, and full of greed.
He became even more alert and uneasy.
But what should he do? What can he do?
Why were Mr. Nathan and everyone in the village unaware of such obvious malice?
Ash thought of the stone tower, something, some existence that only he could sense... Could it be the same this time?
Outside the half-open door, the morning breeze rustled the herbs, and Ash's fingertips trembled slightly like leaves being touched by the morning breeze. He lowered his eyes and quietly retracted his uncontrollable fingertips into his wide sleeves, making Nathan's explanation of him as "an introverted child" seem more appropriate.
He had only one thought in his mind, and he himself didn't even know why he was so sure -
He had to make this man leave the village and stay away from it.
Otherwise, Duogu Village will no longer be peaceful.
However, Ash is only a teenager who is about to turn sixteen. All his past life experiences took place in this gentle and simple village. To put it nicely, it is ordinary and simple; to put it bluntly, it is unremarkable.
He lacked knowledge and experience and could not defeat the old fox from outside.
In just a few days, the old woman named Rachel had become the most popular person in the village.
Including young and energetic boys like Aubrey, they were conquered by Rachel's stories about the distant outside world one after another.
The people of Duogu Village continue their farming and hunting practices as their ancestors have done for generations; even if they go out, the distance they travel never exceeds a month's journey.
Occasionally, outsiders come to the village, but these outsiders are only a few towns away from them, so they do not make them feel "distant" and "strange", "novel" and "yearning".
Rachel was different.
The world and stories he described were far beyond what Aubrey and the others could have imagined.
That's the real "outside".
He said that the place where Duogu Village was located was called the "Broken River Plain" because this vast plain was surrounded by a wide, turbulent river, which was daunting.
In recent years, the river has tended to dry up, so he and many other talented people dangerously crossed the river and set foot on this isolated plain.
The edge of the plain was deserted and desolate. He originally thought that no one would live on the Broken River Plain, but after persisting in going deeper for several months, he finally saw a village.
He talked about the outside world, which was rich and colorful, prosperous and lively. He also had a bottomless knowledge reserve. In terms of potions, a casual remark from him could be regarded as a criterion by Teacher Nathan and recorded in his notes like a treasure.
He won everyone's love and respect. The boys in the village wished he could settle down in the village, or vice versa. They wanted to leave with him and see the glamorous outside world that he talked about.
Ash did not refuse contact with Rachel and listened to the story she told.
He wanted to find Rachel's loopholes and flaws, to expose him, to expose him, and to drive him away. But as he listened to Rachel's story, he had to admit in frustration that what Rachel said was not a pure lie.
Just as he could sense the malice beneath Rachel's gentle exterior, he could also tell if Rachel's words were genuine.
Most of what Rachel said was true. "Outside" was indeed a wonderful place, and Broken River Plain had indeed been isolated from the world for a long, long time.
But Ash was also certain that Rachel was hiding more than what she was saying.
Because he became increasingly uneasy.
Even if I sleep next to the stone tower at night and my spirit enters that mysterious space, I will no longer feel at ease.
In the previously quiet space, there was a constant stream of whispers, echoing in his ears, one urgent warning after another, making him panic and confused.
The beautiful and peaceful dream seemed to be infected by darkness, making him restless even in his dream.
Danger! Danger! Danger!
A mysterious voice was giving him a warning.
No, I have to protect the village and everyone...
He struggled hard in his dream.
So what do you want to do? the voice asked him.
He took a deep breath and said, I want that person to disappear from the village. No matter what method is used.
At this moment, his eyes flashed with a cold and sharp light, and he was terrifyingly determined.
Countless streams of light surrounded him, and in the pitch-black space, there seemed to be a force pulling him to drive away the darkness and break free from the shackles.
——Since Rachel's arrival, Ash struggled hard like this in his dreams every night. After waking up, he was exhausted both physically and mentally. He only vaguely remembered the sense of urgency that was constantly urged in his dreams, and he forgot everything else.
But he still insisted on sleeping next to the stone tower.
The stone tower always brings him fearless courage, firm belief, and unparalleled sense of security.
What he didn't know was that every night when he couldn't sleep, there was a team of people singing and dancing, walking on the Broken River Plain. In the team was an old man wearing a star robe, holding a transparent crystal ball in his hand, accepting guidance from the starlight.
"In that direction," he said.
The hand was pointing in the direction of Duogu Village.
Every night, the old man adjusted the direction of the team, constantly moving closer to Duogu Village.
They too are outsiders, coming from outside the raging river.
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