“Master, I see that Miss Fang Rou’s injuries are not simple; they seem to be knife wounds.”
And that Master Fang, his cultivation is profound, having already reached the minor completion stage of the internal organs; those who could harm them are probably no ordinary people.”
After a long silence, Lu Qing spoke.
His special ability allows him to see through the information of all things in the world.
However, the information obtained is not infinite and has a certain degree of randomness.
Just like this time, he was unable to learn the reason why Fang Rou was injured from Fang Tao and the others.
"It doesn't matter who it is. We doctors have always focused on treating the sick and saving lives. As for those grudges and feuds, we should ignore them if we can avoid them," the old doctor said.
"Disciple understands." Lu Qing nodded.
He sensed the peculiar aura surrounding him and couldn't help but exclaim, "Master, your innate domain is truly wondrous. I wonder when I will be able to reach such a level."
"Stop being so glib. Your talent and aptitude far surpass mine. With the spiritual energy about to recover, it probably won't be long before you catch up to my level," the old doctor said with a laugh.
He knew Lu Qing's talent for cultivation better than anyone else.
He even suspected that his disciple's delay in reaching the Innate Realm was not due to an inability to break through, but rather a deliberate act.
Otherwise, it would have only taken him a few months to go from just starting to cultivate martial arts to reaching the Inner Strength Realm.
It makes no sense that two years have passed and he still can't break through to the Innate Realm.
However, the old doctor knew that Lu Qing had always had his own plans regarding cultivation, so he didn't inquire about it.
After chatting for a while, the master and apprentice went to sleep.
As for Xiaoyan, she had already fallen asleep while holding Xiaoli, and even Wei Zian was asleep.
Magu was responsible for keeping watch at night, and Lu Qing would get up to relieve him in the middle of the night.
After all, one should always be wary of others; when traveling, one must be careful in everything.
While Lu Qing and the others lay down to rest, Fang Tao and the others were whispering among themselves in the inner hall.
"Master, we are trapped here by this heavy rain, and my junior sister is seriously ill and unconscious. What should we do if the people from the Flowing Cloud Sect come after us?"
The disciple named Da Shi whispered.
"Probably not." Fang Tao pondered for a moment before saying, "The route we took this time was quite remote, and this heavy rain has washed away all our traces. It won't be easy for the people from the Flowing Cloud Sect to find us."
"That Liuyun Sect is truly despicable. Our manor provides them with so much money every year, and they turn their backs on us like this. That damned young sect leader even wanted to take my junior sister back as his concubine. Master, why didn't you let me chop him down with one stroke back then!"
"I'm indignant," Da Shi said.
“If we kill that young sect leader, we will truly be doomed and have no way out,” Fang Tao sighed. “The Liuyun Sect has an Innate Realm ancestor in charge, and they are already domineering. That young sect leader is the only great-grandson of the Innate Realm ancestor of the Liuyun Sect. If he dies, the Liuyun Sect will be furious, and in this vast world, there may truly be no place for us to hide.”
"But if we don't kill that young sect leader now, we'll still be hunted down by the Flowing Cloud Sect. Does it make any difference, Master?" Da Shi asked, puzzled.
"Since we haven't formed a blood feud, there's still room for negotiation. I have some past connections with an elder of the Guiyuan Sect in Qingzhou. If we can escape to Qingzhou and pay a price to get the Guiyuan Sect to intercede on our behalf, perhaps we can turn hostility into friendship with the Liuyun Sect."
The large stone remained silent.
He recalled the young sect leader of the Flowing Cloud Sect's face that day and wondered if his master was being too optimistic.
Given that scoundrel's vengeful nature, after suffering such a great loss, would he really be willing to reconcile with them?
According to him, it would have been better to have killed that scumbag with one blow that day, so that even if they all died in the end, at least one of them would have taken the fall with him.
Thinking of the scene inside the manor where the guards and servants were brutally murdered by the disciples of the Liuyun Sect, Da Shi felt waves of anger surge within him.
If he weren't so weak, he would have loved to storm the Flowing Cloud Sect alone and avenge the guards he knew!
But this was his master's decision, and as a disciple, no matter how unwilling he was, he could only obey.
"However, this is just my hope after all," Fang Tao added. "If we are caught up by the Liuyun Sect before we reach Qingzhou, then we will have no choice but to fight to the death."
"Da Shi, if the people from the Flowing Cloud Sect come to the Taoist temple in the next two days, remember to sever all ties with Doctor Chen and his group. They've been kind to us; we can't repay kindness with enmity."
"Of course, but Master, what if the people from the Flowing Cloud Sect insist on attacking Doctor Chen and the others?" Da Shi asked.
Da Shi could never forget how barbaric and unreasonable the people who were chasing them were.
Fang Tao was taken aback, then gritted his teeth and said, "Then let's fight them to the death and buy time for Doctor Chen and the others to escape!"
...
Lu Qing, lying on the ground with his eyes closed as if dozing, had a slight smile on his lips.
Although Fang Tao and the others spoke softly, in front of a martial arts master like Lu Qing, it sounded like they were plotting loudly.
Hearing that Fang Tao and the others truly had no ulterior motives, Lu Qing finally felt at ease and went to sleep.
The night passed without anything unusual happening, and everything was peaceful.
There was nothing unusual about Fang Tao's daughter either; she didn't come over to disturb Lu Qing and the others in the middle of the night.
Because Lu Qing was in charge of keeping watch during the second half of the night, he was able to prepare breakfast earlier, so when everyone woke up, they could smell the aroma.
"Young Master Lu, you're up so early?"
Fang Tao was somewhat surprised to see Lu Qing busy at work.
“I’m used to it,” Lu Qing said with a smile. “Perfect timing, Master Fang. I’ve also prepared your breakfast and this medicinal meal for Miss Fang. I reckon she should wake up soon.”
"Really......"
Fang Tao was overjoyed and was about to ask more questions when the woman named Qianlin ran out of the main hall.
"Master, Junior Sister is awake!"
"Xiao Rou really woke up?"
Fang Tao was overjoyed, both by the joy of his daughter waking up and by the astonishment at Lu Qing's accurate prediction.
"Young Master Lu, please excuse me for leaving."
"Wait, Master Fang. Now that your daughter has woken up, you can take this bowl of medicinal food in. She is still weak after recovering from a serious illness and needs to replenish her nutrition."
Lu Qing brought over a bowl of medicinal porridge.
"Thank you very much, Young Master Lu."
Fang Tao gratefully accepted the medicinal porridge and hurriedly went into the main hall.
Then I saw my daughter sitting there, half-reclined.
"Father."
Seeing Fang Tao enter, Fang Rou called out weakly.
"Xiaorou, you're awake! How are you feeling now?"
Fang Tao quickly stepped forward and asked.
"I feel much better, Daddy. Where are we now?"
Upon hearing this, Fang Tao knew that her daughter had no recollection of what had happened before.
That's true. Before arriving at this Taoist temple, my daughter was already in a semi-comatose state, so it's normal that she doesn't remember anything.
"We are now in an unnamed Taoist temple. You were injured and then invaded by the cold air, and your situation was very critical. Fortunately, Dr. Chen, who was also taking shelter from the rain in this temple, came to your aid and saved you from danger."
Fang Tao explained to his daughter.
"The clothes on that daughter..."
A blush crept onto Fang Rou's face.
When she woke up, she discovered that the clothes she was wearing were not her original ones, but what appeared to be men's clothes.
But just as she was about to ask, her senior sister excitedly ran out to inform their father.
"The clothes you are wearing were also lent to us by Dr. Chen and the others. They are all men, so they only have men's clothes. But don't worry, your senior sister changed you into these clothes."
Upon hearing this, Fang Rou breathed a sigh of relief: "In that case, this Dr. Chen has truly done my daughter a great favor. I must thank him in person."
"No rush. After Dr. Chen and the others get up, I'll go with you to thank them."
"Um."
Fang Rou responded softly. Suddenly, she smelled a very peculiar scent. Her eyes searched around and she realized that it was coming from the bowl in her father's hands.
"Dad, what are you holding in your hand? It smells so good!"
Fang Rou's throat moved slightly.
She hasn't eaten a single grain of rice since yesterday. She hadn't felt it before, but now, attracted by the aroma, she suddenly felt waves of hunger.
"Oh, I almost forgot, this bowl of medicinal porridge was specially cooked for you by Lu Xiaolang, the disciple of Doctor Chen. He said you should wake up this morning, and I didn't expect you to wake up right after he said that outside. He really is a prophet."
Fang Tao handed the medicinal porridge to his daughter: "Xiao Rou, you haven't eaten for almost two days. Drink this porridge while it's hot."
"Medicinal porridge?"
Fang Rou looked at the porridge in the bowl with some surprise.
In her memory, almost everything related to medicine was bitter and unpalatable, so it was strange that this medicinal porridge was so fragrant.
Filled with curiosity, Fang Rou scooped a spoonful of porridge into her mouth and tasted it. Soon, her eyes lit up, and she began to drink the porridge spoonful by spoonful.
Seeing this, Fang Tao knew that the porridge must have suited her daughter's taste, so she was relieved.
Soon, Fang Rou finished the whole bowl of porridge and reluctantly handed the bowl to her father.
She felt she could drink a few more bowls, but she also knew that she was still ill and should not overeat.
"Master, Doctor Chen is here."
Just as Fang Tao took the bowl, his disciple Da Shi came to report.
"Quickly, invite him in!" Fang Tao said hastily.
“Master Fang, I heard that your daughter has woken up, so I came to see her.”
The old doctor smiled as he came in.
"Indeed, my daughter just woke up not long ago and drank a bowl of medicinal porridge cooked by Young Master Lu. Please ask Doctor Chen to take a look and see if her body is alright."
"Let me take her pulse first."
When the old doctor came to Fang Rou, the young girl felt an instant sense of warmth upon seeing the gentle and kind-looking old man, and involuntarily reached out her hand.
The old doctor placed two fingers on the girl's wrist, carefully sensing it for a while before withdrawing his hand.
"Congratulations, Master Fang. The coldness in your daughter's body has been basically eliminated, and the wound on her shoulder has begun to heal. Next, she will be fine after resting for a while."
"Thank you so much, Dr. Chen!"
Upon hearing this, Fang Tao finally felt a huge weight lifted from his heart and bowed deeply to Doctor Chen.
"Thank you so much, doctor, for saving my life."
Fang Rou also wanted to get up to thank him, but the old doctor gently pressed her down: "There's no need for such formalities. Your illness has just improved, you should rest more and not move around too much."
Then he added, "Master Fang, my apprentice has prepared some breakfast. If you don't mind, you might as well come and have some with us."
Fang Tao and the others were naturally very grateful for this, and soon they gathered around the fire and began to eat their breakfast.
Lu Qing's breakfast was simple: a big pot of cured pork rice and a jar of wild vegetable soup.
But Fang Tao and his apprentices still ate very comfortably.
It wasn't just because Lu Qing's cooking skills were excellent and the food was delicious, but also because for Fang Tao and his group, being able to have a hot meal and a bowl of hot soup while facing a life-or-death chase was already an extremely rare thing.
"Doctor, judging from the rain, it looks like it will continue for another day or two. What are your plans?"
After finishing breakfast, Fang Tao asked.
"What else can we do? We're traveling in a carriage, and it's not advisable to travel in the rain. We can only wait until the rain stops before we continue," the old doctor said.
Upon hearing this, Fang Tao was unsure whether to feel worried or happy.
Frankly speaking, if the senior doctors and their colleagues have to travel in the rain, it's not good news for them.
The daughter's injuries and illness meant that she could no longer get wet in the rain or get cold.
If they are the only ones left to stay in this remote Taoist temple, their days will probably be much harder to endure.
However, if the old doctor and his group continue to stay at the Taoist temple, no one can guarantee when the people from the Liuyun Sect will catch up with them.
If they implicate the old doctor and others, he might have a guilty conscience for the rest of his life.
The struggle between personal interests and morality left Fang Tao speechless for a moment.
After thinking it over, Fang Tao felt that given the intensity of yesterday's rain, the people from the Flowing Cloud Sect probably wouldn't continue their pursuit until the rain stopped.
So he decided to keep the matter a secret for the time being.
"In that case, I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you again in the coming days. I have some gold leaves here, though it's not much, but please accept them as a small token of my appreciation."
Fang Tao took out a small stack of gold leaves from his pocket and handed them to the old doctor.
The old doctor looked at the stack of gold leaves, which weighed at least several ounces. He smiled and simply took one leaf out.
"There's no need for so much. The medical fees and medicine costs for your daughter are more than enough with this gold leaf. You can keep the rest, Master Fang."
"But doctor..."
Fang Tao was about to say something when he saw the old doctor shake his head slightly and say, "Master Fang, we doctors treat the sick and save lives according to our conscience, not for the purpose of making money."
Seeing that the old doctor insisted, Fang Tao had no choice but to take back the remaining gold leaves.
But in my heart, I also developed even greater respect for the old doctor.
At the same time, the feeling of guilt deepened.
With a look of struggle on his face, Fang Tao finally decided to confess.
"Dr. Chen, there's something I must explain to you..."
