Chapter 295: Chapter 217: The Inside Story and Confession_2
“Young Master Lu, you’re up so early?”
Fang Tao was surprised to see Lu Qing busily engaged in his tasks.
“It’s a habit,” Lu Qing smiled. “Just in ti, Sect Master Fang, I have also prepared your portion of the morning al as well as this dicinal congee, intended for Miss Fang. I expect she will probably wake up soon.”
“Really?”
A surge of joy filled Fang Tao’s heart. Just as he was about to inquire further, the girl nad Qian Lin ran out from the main hall.
“Master, Junior Sister has awoken!”
...
“Xiao Rou is truly awake?”
Fang Tao was greatly surprised, his delight at the awakening of his daughter mixed with astonishnt at Lu Qing’s accurate prediction.
“Young Master Lu, please forgive my abrupt departure.”
“Hold on, Sect Master Fang, now that your beloved daughter has awakened, it would be ideal for you to bring in this bowl of dicinal congee. She has just recovered from a serious illness, her body is weak, and it is precisely the ti for her to replenish her nutrients.”
Lu Qing brought over a bowl of dicinal congee.
“Thank you, Young Master Lu.”
Gratefully taking the dicinal congee, Fang Tao hurriedly made his way into the main hall.
There he saw his daughter, sitting up weakly.
“Father.”
As Fang Tao entered, Fang Rou called out feebly.
“Xiao Rou, you’re awake, how do you feel now?”
Fang Tao quickly approached to ask.
“I feel much better, father. Where are we now?”
Upon hearing his daughter’s words, Fang Tao realized that she had no recollection of their earlier ordeal.
Which was to be expected. She had been semi-conscious before they arrived at the Daoist temple and not rembering was natural.
“We are currently in an unnad Daoist temple. You were injured before and had cold energies invading your body, the situation was very critical. Fortunately, Old Doctor Chen, who was also taking shelter from the rain here in the temple, stepped in to help and saved your life, turning danger into safety.”
Fang Tao explained to his daughter.
“And the clothes on my body…”
A hint of blush appeared on Fang Rou’s face.
When she had just awoken, she had noticed that the clothes she wore were not her own and seed to be n’s clothing.
But before she could ask about it, her senior sister had excitedly run straight out to inform her father.
“The clothes that you’re wearing, were also lent to us by Old Doctor Chen and his group. They are n, so there were only n’s clothes available. Don’t worry, though, your senior sister is the one who changed you into them.”
Fang Rou, relieved upon hearing this, said, “It seems then that this Old Doctor Chen really is greatly indebted to . I must personally thank him.”
“There’s no rush. Later, when Old Doctor Chen and the others wake up, father will accompany you to express our gratitude.”
“Mm.”
Fang Rou responded softly, then suddenly, she caught a whiff of a very special aroma. Her gaze searched around, realizing that it was coming from the bowl in her father’s hands.
“Father, what are you holding? It slls so good!”
Fang Rou’s throat contracted slightly.
She hadn’t eaten a single grain of rice since the previous day, and although she hadn’t felt it before, now, with the aroma tantalizing her senses, she was suddenly overwheld by hunger.
“Oh, I almost forgot, this bowl is a dicinal congee specially made for you by Elder Chen’s disciple, Young Master Lu. He said you would likely wake up this morning, and just as we were discussing it outside, you did. It’s truly as if he’s got a divine insight.”
Fang Tao handed over the dicinal congee to his daughter: “Xiao Rou, you haven’t eaten for almost two days, hurry up and drink this congee while it’s hot.”
“dicinal congee?”
Fang Rou was sowhat surprised as she looked at the congee in the bowl.
In her mory, anything related to dicine was invariably both bitter and difficult to drink, yet this dicinal congee slled so fragrant, it was indeed strange.
With curiosity, Fang Rou scooped a spoon of the congee into her mouth to taste it, and almost imdiately, her eyes lit up, and she began to consu the congee spoon by spoon.
Seeing this, Fang Tao knew the taste of the congee must be agreeable to his daughter’s palate, and he was put at ease.
Before long, Fang Rou had finished the entire bowl, sowhat reluctantly passing the bowl back to her father.
She felt that she could probably drink a few more bowls, but she also knew that since she was still ill, she should not overeat.
“Master, Old Doctor Chen has arrived.”
Fang Tao had just taken the bowl when she heard her disciple Da Shi reporting.
“Please invite him in quickly!” Fang Tao urged.
“Miss Fang, I heard your beloved daughter has awakened, so I ca to see how she is doing.”
The elder doctor said with a smile upon entering.
“Indeed, my daughter just woke up not long ago and drank a bowl of dicinal congee prepared by Young Master Lu. May I ask Old Doctor Chen to see if her health is now without trouble.”
“Let check her pulse first.”
The elder doctor approached Fang Rou, and the young girl, seeing the kindly faced and mild-mannered old man, instinctively felt a sense of warmth and extended her hand without thinking.
With two fingers resting on the girl’s wrist, the elder doctor carefully sensed for a mont before withdrawing his hand.
“Congratulations, Miss Fang. The coldness in your daughter’s body has mostly been cleared, and the wound on her shoulder is also beginning to heal. From now on, with rest and proper care, she should recover without issue.”
“Thank you, Old Doctor Chen!”
Hearing this, Fang Tao finally let the heavy weight in his heart drop and bowed deeply to Old Doctor Chen in gratitude.
“Thank you, elder doctor, for saving my life.”
Fang Rou, too, tried to get up and express her thanks but was gently pushed back down by the elder doctor: “No need for such formalities. You’ve just started to get better; you need to rest more and move less.”
Then he added: “Miss Fang, my disciple has prepared so breakfast. If it’s not too much trouble, you and the others are welco to join us.”
Fang Tao and his disciples were naturally very grateful, and soon, everyone gathered around the fire to start their al.
The breakfast that Lu Qing prepared was quite simple, consisting of a large pot of cured at rice and a jar of wild vegetable soup.
However, Fang Tao and his disciples still found it very satisfying.
Not only because Lu Qing’s cooking was excellent and the food was delicious, but more so because, in the face of imminent life and death threats, being able to have a warm al and hot soup was already a rare blessing.
“Elder doctor, judging by the rain, I’m afraid it will continue for another day or two. Do you have any plans?”
After finishing breakfast, Fang Tao inquired.
“What else can we do? Our carriage isn’t suitable for travel in this rain, so we can only wait until the rain stops before we leave,” the elder doctor replied.
Fang Tao wasn’t sure whether to be relieved or worried upon hearing this.
Frankly, if the elder doctor and his party insisted on braving the rain, that would not be good news for them.
His daughter’s injury and illness ant that she couldn’t afford to get wet and catch a chill for the ti being.
If they were forced to stay in this secluded Taoist temple, the days ahead would likely beco much harder.
At the sa ti, if the elder doctor and his party continued to stay, no one could guarantee when the Flowing Cloud Sect might catch up to them.
If the elder doctor and others were implicated by their presence, Fang Tao feared he would be forever burdened with guilt.
Caught between self-interest and moral principles, Fang Tao found himself uncertain about what to do.
After so thought, Fang Tao decided that, given the downpour from the previous day, it was unlikely that the Flowing Cloud Sect would continue their pursuit before the rain ceased.
Thus, he chose to keep the truth hidden for now.
“If that’s the case, then I’m afraid we’ll have to trouble the elder doctor for so ti to co. I have so gold leaves here; they’re not much, but please accept them as a small token of my gratitude,” Fang Tao said as he drew a small bundle of gold leaves from his breast and handed them to the elder doctor.
The elder doctor looked at the stack of gold leaves, which must have weighed several ounces, smiled, and rely took a single leaf from it.
“This many really isn’t necessary. The consultation fee and dicine costs are more than covered by this single gold leaf. Please take the rest back, Miss Fang.”
“But elder doctor…”
Fang Tao started to say sothing but saw the elder doctor already shaking his head lightly, “Miss Fang, as doctors, we save lives following our conscience, not for the sake of accumulating wealth.”
Seeing the elder doctor insist, Fang Tao reluctantly took back the remaining gold leaves.
In his heart, his respect for the elder doctor grew even more.
And so did his sense of guilt.
With a conflicted expression, Fang Tao finally decided to co clean.
“Old Doctor Chen, there’s sothing I must explain to you…”
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