During the ti it took to finish a al, Zhu Yu had heard quite a bit about the Divine Doctor, which only made her more curious.
However, they had co out this ti with a task at hand, and naturally couldn’t ddle in other matters randomly. If they provoked any trouble and wasted ti, the consequences could be unimaginable.
After finishing their al, the four of them returned to the inn. By now, the sky was completely dark, yet the line of people at the entrance hadn’t decreased at all compared to before.
Once inside the inn, Fu Lu asked the young attendant who ca up to greet them for so hot water for washing, and asked in passing, "Did anyone manage to catch the eye of the Divine Doctor today and received treatnt?"
The young attendant held back a laugh and shook his head, "You must have heard people talking outside, right?
To tell you the truth, not a single person today!
These people, honestly! In the first few days, there were people who were really very ill, with strange illnesses indeed, and the Divine Doctor treated them. But these days, they all co hale and hearty.
The most ridiculous ones are those who obviously have money but deliberately dress in rags, walk steadily to the entrance, and as soon as they enter our inn, they start staggering—it’s really a sight to behold."
Lu Qing listened from the side, then gestured for Zhu Yu to follow him upstairs. When they got to the second floor, just as Zhu Yu was about to turn to the east corridor, Lu Qing pulled her toward the west.
"Where are you going?" she asked softly, sowhat bewildered.
"To see the Divine Doctor," Lu Qing replied.
"Who’s sick?" Zhu Yu asked, puzzled.
"I’m sick, you’re sick, aren’t we both just recovering from a serious illness, and one of us is still unwell?" Lu Qing said with a bit of jest.
Zhu Yu thought Lu Qing wasn’t the type to ignore important tasks just to indulge a personal curiosity and stir up trouble unnecessarily.
There must be a reason for his sudden actions.
Even including Fu Lu, who had a straightforward and sowhat stubborn nature, he wouldn’t idly inquire about matters unrelated to his master.
Very quickly, the two reached outside the Divine Doctor’s room, where a crowd surrounded them, layer upon layer. Zhu Yu, being comparatively tall among won, was still shorter than most n, especially here in Li State, where people were generally taller than those from Congzhou and the Capital. In the midst of the crowd, all she could see were the backs of heads.
Lu Qing stood behind her, with the surrounding people being at least a head shorter than him, so his view wasn’t obstructed.
He stretched his arms forward, shielding Zhu Yu completely in the middle. He didn’t seem to use much force; a slight push here and there, and Zhu Yu moved forward. Before long, they had effortlessly pushed their way to the door.
The doors of the bedroom were wide open, but inside was equally crowded, with everyone stopping at a screen. It seed to be a rule set by the Divine Doctor, forbidding anyone to cross it without permission.
But once inside, they could hear the voice of the Divine Doctor from the other side of the screen.
It was clear that the Divine Doctor was not particularly pleased today; the voice sounded cold, and beneath its seemingly emotionless tone lay a hint of anger: "Get out. I won’t treat such minor ailnts."
There was a thud from behind the screen, sounding like soone had knelt down, followed by a plea: "Divine Doctor, I beg you, my family is so poor we can’t even make ends et. I have no money for dicine!
All I wish for is a miraculous cure for my root illness. My family has both elders and children to care for and is counting on to earn money to feed them!
Please, be rciful and take a look!"
The voice sounded utterly heartbroken, moving Zhu Yu to think that the person was really in a predicant.
Other people outside the screen exchanged glances, wondering if the Divine Doctor would be moved.
Then ca the cold voice again: "I’ve seen your face and sensed your aura. The timid ailnt of impotence is beyond my treatnt; just take so tonic yourself."
As soon as he said this, those outside the screen burst into laughter.
The man, who had just been feigning pitiful, erged from behind the screen, furious and embarrassed, his face flushed. As he walked, he cursed: "Nonsense! What kind of Divine Doctor are you! Just a wandering charlatan, a trickster!
You, you’re impotent! Your whole family is timid!"
The angrier he beca, the harder the crowd laughed, and the more humiliated he felt. He covered his face with his sleeve and hurriedly pushed through the crowd to leave.
While others were still enjoying the spectacle, Lu Qing quietly pushed Zhu Yu towards the screen and slipped behind it when no one was watching.
Finally, Zhu Yu saw the Divine Doctor’s true appearance.
Right through the screen, she could tell he wasn’t an older man, and now seeing him, she found he looked even younger than she’d guessed, about the sa age as Lu Qing.
He had a handso face, wore a light teal wide-sleeved robe, and a simple jade hairpin atop his head. He sat calmly by the table, unaffected by the earlier insults, exuding an air of soone detached from worldly affairs.
But this was just the first impression that ca to Zhu Yu’s mind upon seeing him.
When he saw the two who had co in, his celestial deanor vanished.
He leapt from his chair and, after a single glance at Lu Qing, walked to the screen and said to those outside, "You should all leave now! Soone with a strange illness has arrived; you should all depart quickly.
This person, though not suffering from a plague, can still pass it to others, so hurry and leave!"
Upon hearing this, the crowd beca frightened, not caring about anything else, and rushed to leave, afraid of catching the illness.
As they walked, so cursed under their breath, blaming the two for not following the rules, bringing sickness when it was said no plagues would be seen!
The room that had been packed was now quickly quieting down, with just the distant sound of footsteps down the stairs remaining.
This left Zhu Yu feeling a bit uneasy; there was nothing uncomfortable about her condition from head to toe. She looked at Lu Qing, her eyes filled with confusion and a hint of doubt.
In contrast, Lu Qing appeared quite calm, smiling at her and gesturing for her to relax.
"Brother," the Divine Doctor said to Zhu Yu, as he saw the people nearly gone, "could you please go and carefully close the door, bolt it if possible, and ensure no one enters?"
User Comments
0 comments from readers