After saying goodbye to Ren Yunzhou, the brother-eater, Jiang Bai slowly drove his empty donkey cart home.
Before they even left the city gate, several burly men approached them.
The men seemed to be targeting Jiang Bai, their eyes fixed on her.
Jiang Bai swallowed nervously, hesitating whether to abandon the donkey cart and run away. Her mind raced for a few moments before the man was already in front of her, forcing the donkey cart to stop with brute force.
Jiang Bai's expression was cold and stern as he asked, "What do you want to do?"
"My husband and wife invite you to a gathering," said the man in the lead.
After he finished speaking, without waiting for Jiang Bai's reply, he led the donkey cart and walked away on his own.
Jiang Bai looked around at the people surrounding him, knowing that escape was hopeless. He sighed and obediently sat in the car to conserve his energy.
She couldn't resist trying to get information out of him: "Who are your husband and wife? Do I know them?"
"You'll know when you see it," the leader said, his words perfectly tactful.
Jiang Bai asked again, "Where are you taking me? I have two hungry children waiting for me at home, otherwise they will starve to death."
"Don't worry, we'll take you home before evening."
Looking at these men, Jiang Bai noticed their steady breathing, upright posture, and solid steps. They seemed to be trained martial arts practitioners who had received systematic training. Jiang Bai couldn't help but guess that their most likely identity was that of soldiers.
Since they can command soldiers, the status of the master and mistress they speak of must not be underestimated.
Jiang Bai pondered all the way, but couldn't recall ever encountering such high-ranking officials and dignitaries. She simply leaned back comfortably in the car, preparing to improvise as the situation unfolded.
Led by its leader, the donkey cart traveled further and further into the remote region, finally stopping at the entrance of a vast manor.
The leader stopped the donkey cart and said to Jiang Bai, "Miss Jiang, we've arrived. Please get off."
His mention of Jiang Bai's surname at this moment clearly had a deterrent effect, meaning that we have figured out Jiang Bai's identity and he should not have any improper thoughts.
Jiang Bai pouted and jumped out of the car.
She looked up and saw someone she knew.
—Xiao Lian, the maid who had previously sought medical treatment at the clinic but was kicked out, stood at the door.
Upon seeing her, Xiaolian smiled sweetly and said to the leader, "Why did it take so long? I've been standing at the door for ages, and my legs are getting sore."
The man blushed slightly, smiled, and didn't reply.
Xiaolian knew his taciturn nature, so she wasn't angry. She took out a purse of loose silver from her pocket and handed it to the man: "You and your brothers have worked hard today. Take this money and buy some wine."
Before the man could refuse, she curtsied to Jiang Bai: "Miss Jiang, the master and madam have been waiting for you for a long time."
Ever since Xiaolian came out, Jiang Bai knew that the person who had called her over was that woman who suffered from heart disease and was frail and sickly.
She followed Xiaolian into the inner courtyard, her thoughts racing.
After walking several hundred meters through winding paths, a large courtyard appeared, and the view suddenly opened up before us.
Jiang Bai thought to himself: Sure enough, when a lady of such high status falls ill, she has to call more than one doctor.
At this moment, a dense row of people were kneeling in the courtyard, roughly thirty or forty in number. In just a short while, another old man pushed open the door, shook his head, and came out, saying to the people inside, "Please forgive me for being powerless to help, the lady's illness is truly..."
"Get out!" a rough male voice interrupted him.
The door slammed shut, the old man sighed, looked around at his surroundings, and then knelt down on his own.
Xiao Lian went inside first to take a look, then waved for Jiang Bai to come over, and said softly, "Only Master and Madam are inside now. Madam's health has been deteriorating these past two days, and she's reached the point where she can't eat anymore..."
At this point, Xiaolian paused sadly.
Then she continued, "The master found all the doctors within a ten-mile radius, and then remembered that the madam had once mentioned you to him in jest, so he brought you here."
This gentleman was so desperate that he took even a few casual remarks seriously, grasping at straws.
Xiaolian said, "I still don't believe you, but if you can cure my wife, I'll serve you like a slave for the rest of my life."
Jiang Bai waved his hand: "I'll go take a look first."
She approached the bed in the bedroom. The lady was lying on the bed, covered with a thick quilt. She was terminally ill and her breathing was very weak.
Jiang Bai's entire process of observation, listening, questioning, and palpation truly resembled that of a peerless master.
She looked at the person on the bed and said firmly, "I can try."
Dozens of doctors had come to see them before, and they all said there was no hope and to accept the loss. Now, hearing different replies, the old man and Xiaolian were filled with disbelief.
Xiao Lian couldn't help but say, "Are you sure? If anything happens to Madam, I won't let you off the hook..."
Jiang Bai looked at Xiao Lian impatiently: "Now you have no choice but to believe me."
She walked to her desk, picked up a pen and paper and wrote down a prescription that included Sichuan lovage root and camphor, the main ingredients of quick-acting heart medicine.
After finishing writing, Jiang Bai blew on the still-wet ink a few times and handed the prescription to Xiao Lian: "Go get the medicine right away, and I'll cook it myself when you get it back."
Xiao Lian ran out the door and returned in less than fifteen minutes.
Jiang Bai used no water, but boiled the medicine entirely with spiritual liquid, and fed it to the patient.
Jiang Bai was then kicked out of the room and made to wait in the courtyard.
She sidled up to the kneeling doctors, sat down on the ground, and quietly asked, "Old sir, who exactly are this master and lady?"
The old man slightly raised his head, his mouth hidden by his beard, but his voice still came out: "Nonsense, you don't know who's in the room, yet you dare to prescribe medicine so casually?"
“It wasn’t just a random prescription; it was a very serious one,” Jiang Bai retorted, displeased.
The old man was taken aback for a moment, then replied, "Inside are General Lin Yong and his wife."
Jiang Bai was stunned.
The book mentions Lin Yong, whose family had been generals protecting the country for generations. In this generation, he was the only son left, fighting on the battlefield for the imperial power and the people.
Because of the machinations of court officials, he suffered a defeat and was demoted to a remote area as a prefect. By chance, he met the male protagonist Zhao Yi and became Zhao Yi's protector.
Later, he will return to the capital and shine brightly, but his wife has no role in the book.
Unexpectedly, the place where General Lin Yong was exiled was Zhao Yi's hometown. Zhao Yi's golden finger just happened to hit her. Is this the beginning of her stealing the protagonist's aura?
No, now that Lin Yong is here, according to the storyline, Zhao Yi should soon be able to do him a big favor.
—So Zhao Yi is coming back soon?
Jiang Bai pursed his lips nervously, not yet able to come up with a good solution, when the crisp sound of a teacup shattering came from inside the room.
Xiao Lian's startled cry echoed through the sky: "Madam, you're awake!"
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