"Quick, there's a Taoist temple up ahead, let's go in and take shelter from the rain!"
"Xiaorou, hang in there a little longer, we've found shelter from the rain!"
"Once we get to the Taoist temple, we'll make a fire to keep warm. You'll be alright!"
...
Amid the commotion, five or six people burst into the main hall. All of them were soaking wet, carrying bundles on their shoulders, and some even had weapons. They were clearly not ordinary people.
One of them had a girl on his back.
The group entered the main hall and were taken aback to find that there were already people inside. However, they quickly forgot about it.
After nodding to Lu Qing and the others, he hurriedly walked to the other side and put the girl he was carrying down.
However, the girl's condition did not seem to be very good at this moment.
His face was pale, his lips were bluish, his whole body was trembling, and there was a faint smell of blood emanating from him; he had fallen into a semi-comatose state.
"Xiaorou, Xiaorou, wake up!"
The middle-aged man who carried her in shook the girl's shoulders, trying to wake her up.
However, the girl only managed to open her eyes and glance at him, then slowly uttered "Father" before falling unconscious again.
"Xiaorou!"
The middle-aged man was shocked and shook the girl again.
He became even more anxious and his eyes turned red as he saw the girl's breath growing weaker.
"Master, what should we do?"
The others also became anxious.
Unfortunately, their luggage was lost halfway through the journey, and they didn't even have any medicine on them, so they were completely helpless.
"Sir, may I take a look?"
Just as the group was getting extremely anxious, a gentle voice rang out.
The group looked up and saw a kind and gentle-looking old man standing in front of them.
It was Dr. Chen.
In fact, the doctor's expression turned serious the moment he saw the girl.
Seeing that the girl had fainted, the middle-aged man and his companions seemed helpless and finally couldn't help but speak up.
"Who is this old man?"
The middle-aged man asked hesitantly.
"I am a doctor, and I have some experience in treating illnesses and injuries, which may be of some help," the old doctor said kindly.
"Sir, you are a doctor? That's wonderful!" The middle-aged man was overjoyed upon hearing this and quickly made way for her. "Please, sir. My daughter was already injured and has been soaked by this heavy rain for a long time. She is currently unconscious. I hope you can save her. I will reward you handsomely."
"Let me check on your daughter first."
The old doctor bent down and began to take the girl's pulse, but his expression changed the moment his fingers touched her wrist.
"Aqing, immediately prepare the medicine, one dose of Baoxin Decoction, boil it over high heat, and be quick!"
"Xiaoyan, bring me my medicine box!"
"Yes, Master!"
Seeing his master's urgent tone, Lu Qing knew that the girl's condition was probably very bad, so he immediately took out some herbs from his bag.
Xiaoyan, being very sensible, went and brought over the old doctor's medicine box.
Seeing this, the middle-aged men relaxed their guard considerably.
Since there are so many herbs in the bag, and also a medicine box.
Clearly, the old man in front of them was indeed a doctor.
The old doctor took the medicine box and took out the needle pouch from it.
First, they injected the girl with several needles.
She raised her head and said to the middle-aged man, "Sir, your daughter's condition is not good. I must give her acupuncture immediately. In addition, her wet clothes must be changed. Who can help with this?"
Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man immediately said, "Qianlin, come and help your junior sister change her clothes."
“Yes, Master!” A woman in her early twenties stepped forward.
However, a troubled look appeared on her face: "Master, we have lost all our luggage, and our packages have been completely soaked by the heavy rain. I'm afraid we don't have any dry clothes."
The middle-aged man then realized what was happening and could only look to the old doctor for help.
The old doctor pondered for a moment and said, "We do have clean clothes, but they are all men's clothes. I don't know if that's appropriate."
Apart from Xiao Yan, all the other members of Lu Qing's group were men, so naturally they wouldn't be wearing any young women's clothes.
"We are men of the martial world, not bound by formalities. We would be grateful if you could lend us a few sets of clothes, which we can buy ourselves."
Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man immediately replied.
"There's no need to be so polite when you're in a hurry. Zian, go and get a few sets of clean clothes."
"yes."
Wei Zian quickly retrieved the clothes, and the woman named Qianlin, carrying the young girl, followed the old doctor into the main hall.
Even Xiaoyan was called in by the old doctor to help.
Upon seeing this, the middle-aged man was completely relieved.
The old doctor was old enough to be his grandfather, and with a little girl by his side, he obviously wouldn't have any ill intentions towards his daughter.
"Xiaoyan, go help her dry this lady off and change her clothes."
The old doctor reached out and removed the silver needles that had been inserted into the girl's body, then turned his back and gave instructions.
Okay~
Xiaoyan answered obediently.
The woman named Qianlin initially wanted to refuse when she saw Xiaoyan's petite figure, but it was indeed difficult for her to change her unconscious junior sister's clothes by herself, so she eventually acquiesced.
Then, when Xiaoyan actually helped, the woman was surprised.
This little girl may look small, but she is quite strong. With her help, she easily changed her junior sister's clothes.
After the girl changed her clothes, the old doctor turned around, took out his silver needles, and began to formally administer acupuncture to her.
The old doctor was highly skilled and had an incredibly rich medical experience, so his ability to identify acupoints was naturally remarkably accurate.
Even through clothing, he can still apply needles with unparalleled precision.
Soon, after he performed a set of acupuncture techniques, the girl's breathing finally calmed down, and a trace of color returned to her pale face.
After the acupuncture, the old doctor continued to take the girl's pulse, but the expression on his face became increasingly serious.
The woman named Qianlin was terrified and almost couldn't help but ask about her junior sister's condition.
"Master, the medicine is ready."
Fortunately, Lu Qing's voice rang out from outside at that moment, which eased the old doctor's expression.
"Bring it in."
After the old doctor gave the girl the medicine and brought Xiao Yan out from the back room, the middle-aged man and his companions immediately came to greet them.
"Father-in-law, how is my daughter?"
"Fortunately, you arrived in time. Your daughter's condition has stabilized for now, and her wounds have been treated with ointment. However, she still needs to be observed for a while and take two more doses of medicine," the old doctor said.
"May I go in and see her?"
"It's possible, but it's not advisable to let too many people in at once."
Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man immediately said, "Da Shi, you guys wait outside now, I'll go in and check on your junior sister."
When the middle-aged man went inside and saw that his daughter's condition had indeed improved a lot, he was very pleased.
He came out and walked up to the old doctor, bowed deeply, and said, "Thank you, sir, for saving my daughter's life. I will remember this kindness forever."
The middle-aged man was truly terrified when he recalled how his daughter had acted before.
Seeing her so weak and barely breathing, he almost thought his daughter was about to die.
"There's no need for such formalities. Treating the sick and saving lives is simply our duty as doctors," the old doctor said gently. "But sir, may I, this old man, also take your pulses?"
"Do we need to take your pulse too?" The middle-aged man was taken aback.
He did not feel any discomfort in his body.
Although the rain was heavy, with his cultivation level, he wouldn't fall ill from just getting a little rain.
"Your Excellency should not think that because you have abundant qi and blood, you can resist everything. You should know that people's injuries and illnesses often start from the smallest things, and sometimes you are just unaware of it," the old doctor said seriously.
Upon hearing this, the middle-aged man recalled the old doctor's medical skills and also felt that it made a lot of sense.
He immediately extended his hand: "Then I'll have to trouble you, sir."
The old doctor extended two fingers and gently placed them on the man's wrist. At the same time, a wisp of innate true energy silently probed into the middle-aged man's body.
After a while, the old doctor withdrew his inner energy, his expression unchanged. "May I ask your disciples to take my pulse as well?"
The middle-aged man had even let the old doctor examine him, so naturally he wouldn't refuse.
He immediately shouted, "Da Shi, all of you come here and let the old man take my pulse to see if I have caught a cold."
“Yes.” The middle-aged man’s three male disciples immediately came over.
The old doctor took their pulses one by one.
Lu Qing, who was standing to the side, noticed that his master's behavior today seemed a bit strange.
He had already used his special ability to investigate the identities of these people, and there were no major problems; they were not evil people.
He decided to ask his master again later.
"How is it, old man?"
After the senior doctor had taken everyone's pulse, the middle-aged man asked.
"Fortunately, everyone is in good health. They've just been exposed to a bit of cold. A bowl of herbal soup to dispel the cold will do the trick," the old doctor said with a smile. "Aqing, later you can make a pot of ginger soup and give these people some to drink."
“Yes, Master,” Lu Qing replied.
"Then thank you very much, sir." The middle-aged man quickly expressed his gratitude and bowed to Lu Qing at the same time, "Thank you for your trouble, young master."
They had been soaked in the rain for a long time and definitely needed something hot to warm them up.
"It's nothing. By the way, may I ask your name?" the old doctor said.
"My surname is Fang, and my given name is Tao, the Tao of pottery figurines. May I ask your honorable name, sir?" the middle-aged man said respectfully.
"My surname is Chen, you can just call me Doctor Chen..."
The old doctor chatted with Fang Tao for a while, and Lu Qing also cooked ginger soup. Knowing that Fang Tao and the others had lost their luggage on the way, he cooked another pot of hot porridge and shared it with them.
Seeing how considerate Lu Qing was, Fang Tao and the others were even more grateful.
They had been running in the rain for a long time and were starving, so they immediately started drinking.
Then, they were all amazed.
"Young Master Lu, what did you put in this porridge? It's absolutely delicious!"
The tall, strong young man whom Fang Tao called Da Shi couldn't help but shout.
"It's just some homemade salted meat, nothing special," Lu Qing replied with a smile.
"I never expected to find such delicious meat porridge in this remote Taoist temple. Young man, your porridge-making skills are truly superb," Fang Tao exclaimed.
As for the other disciples, they were so drunk they couldn't even lift their heads.
Because of this bowl of meat congee, the atmosphere between the two sides became much more harmonious, and they started chatting and laughing.
Time passed slowly amidst the casual conversation of the group.
The rain outside had lessened a bit, but it hadn't stopped, and it was still raining until dark.
During this time, the old doctor visited the girl several more times and gave her another dose of herbal medicine.
"Master Fang, your daughter's health is much better now. She should wake up tomorrow morning. As long as she rests well, she will recover without any problems," the old doctor said.
"Thank you so much, Dr. Chen!" Fang Tao said happily.
"Alright, it's getting late. We've been traveling all day, so it's time to rest. If your daughter has any problems in the middle of the night, Master Fang can come and call me."
"Take care, Dr. Chen."
After the old doctor left, Magu came in carrying a quilt.
“Master Fang, this quilt was specially set aside by my master for Miss Fang. He said that Miss Fang is ill and has caught a cold, so it is not advisable for her to be cold at night. However, we did not bring many quilts, so we cannot give you more. Please forgive us.”
Lu Qing and his group concealed their identities during this trip; Ma Gu's identity was that of a groom.
Therefore, in front of outsiders, he always addressed the old doctor as "Master".
"That's enough, that's enough. Please thank Dr. Chen for me when you get back."
Fang Tao was overjoyed and deeply grateful when he saw the bedding.
He was worried about the chilly night and what to do with his daughter.
This bedding is a godsend.
As for him and his other disciples, they were all strong and healthy, and staying up all night wouldn't be a problem for them.
Just as Fang Tao was making the bed for his daughter, on the other side of the main hall, separated by a curtain, Lu Qing was sitting opposite the old doctor.
A peculiar aura emanated from the old doctor, enveloping the two people in a two-meter radius around them.
"Master, you took the pulses of Master Fang and his disciples one by one earlier. Is there anything wrong with them?" Lu Qing asked.
Strangely, his voice was trapped beside the two of them and did not travel out; even Wei Zian and Ma Gu, who were not far away, did not hear it.
"Indeed, I detected a trace of cold, malevolent energy within their bodies, especially in the injured Miss Fang, where the accumulation was even more severe," the old doctor nodded.
"A chilling aura?" Lu Qing was startled.
"Well, logically speaking, they only got caught in the rain, at most they would catch a cold, but now they have been invaded by the cold evil energy, which is probably not a good sign." The old doctor's expression was solemn.
Lu Qing's heart skipped a beat: "Master, you suspect it is..."
"Today's heavy rain was already unusual, and now it can invade the human body with its cold energy, which is probably quite extraordinary," the old doctor said.
“Ah Qing, you once said that the world was about to undergo a great change, and that spiritual energy would revive. However, judging from today’s rain, I am worried that in addition to the revival of spiritual energy, there are other things that will also revive under the changing rules of the world.”
Lu Qing fell silent.
What Master said is not impossible.
After all, his understanding of the spiritual energy revival came from the casual notes of the carefree hermit.
However, the carefree hermit had never experienced the revival of spiritual energy, so no one knew exactly what changes had occurred after the rules of heaven and earth changed.
Judging from today's heavy rain, it's not just a simple revival of spiritual energy.
Lu Qing then thought of the warnings his master had sensed from heaven and earth, and his heart became somewhat heavy.
For a moment, both master and apprentice fell silent.
