Chapter 37 Reunion with an Old Friend from Qi
Chu Tianlin led them to the small hut where Wen Yuanru was temporarily staying.
Wen Yuanru lay on the bed, near death. Wen Shan sat beside him, wiping away tears but still tending to his father: “Father, are you thirsty? I’ll get you some water.”
“Shan’er…” Wen Yuanru weakly reached out to touch Wen Shan’s head. “You’ve suffered so much.”
“No!” Wen Shan shook his head, tears streaming down his face. “It’s my fault, Father! I’m so foolish!”
“Don’t say that. Father doesn’t blame you.”
Seeing this, Qi Xiaojun couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. Regardless of whether Wen Yuanru was a good man or not, he was certainly a loving father.
Chu Lianmo entered, placing a thick stack of silver notes on the table. “This should be enough for you to live on for a while.”
“…Your Highness, Prince Rui, how did you find this place?” Wen Yuanru’s eyes grew wary upon seeing Chu Lianmo.
“No need to be nervous, I’m not here to harm you.”
Chu Tianlin added, “That’s right, Fourth Uncle is a good person. He’s here to help you.”
“Good person?” Wen Shan sneered. “Didn’t you two conspire to harm my father?”
“Shan’er! Stop!” Wen Yuanru shouted sternly. “Don’t be disrespectful to His Highness, Prince Rui!”
Chu Lianmo knew he was afraid for Wen Shan’s safety, so he merely smiled indifferently. “I won’t hold it against you.”
Then, his expression turned serious. “Yes, I orchestrated this, but you used Yin Mei to frame me first. Right and wrong, I believe you can judge for yourselves.”
“Let’s not talk about that now,” Qi Xiaojun turned to Wen Shan. “What did the doctor say? Is your father in danger?”
Wen Shan’s eyes welled up. “I could only afford a common doctor. He said Father is seriously injured and an infection would be life-threatening. He told me to carefully care for him and leave the rest to fate.”
Qi Xiaojun frowned, turning to Chu Lianmo. “Your Highness, perhaps we should help them find another doctor.”
Chu Lianmo understood his intention and readily agreed. “Good. But he’s no longer a court official, so we can’t easily call a court physician. Let’s go to the market and find a good doctor at a clinic.”
“Good.” Qi Xiaojun nodded.
“You…” Wen Yuanru looked dubious. “You don’t need to be so kind to a commoner.”
But Wen Shan said, “Father, whatever their motives, if they want to help you find a doctor, let them. I’m so worried about you!”
“…Very well.” To alleviate his son’s worry, Wen Yuanru agreed.
It was evening. Chu Lianmo and Qi Xiaojun hurried to the nearby market to find a doctor.
They arrived at a renowned clinic, only to find a long queue next door.
The queue wasn’t for the clinic, but for a stall with a sign that read: “Specialized in Difficult and Complex Illnesses.”
Chu Lianmo found it unbelievable—why would people queue for such a seemingly fraudulent stall?
Qi Xiaojun, however, found the style vaguely familiar.
Because the stall was too crowded, Chu Lianmo went into the clinic to inquire, “Doctor Lin, who’s that person setting up a stall next to you?”
“Oh, it’s infuriating!” The elderly Doctor Lin was furious, his wrinkles deepening. “I warned that kid when he first set up there, and he boldly said, ‘This spot isn’t yours, what right do you have to control it?’ He almost made me furious! Young people nowadays don’t respect their elders!”
“So it’s a young doctor?” Chu Lianmo mused. “Then how is his business so good?”
“That makes me even angrier!” Doctor Lin fumed. “They say he’s a famous traveling physician from Qi, only coming to Chu once every few years, a chance not to be missed… Pfft! Just a twenty-something-year-old brat, what’s so famous about him?”
“A famous traveling physician from Qi?” Qi Xiaojun exclaimed. “I have to see who it is.”
Qi Xiaojun then forcefully pushed through the crowd to the end of the queue.
A familiar handsome face met his eyes.
The young doctor had the same expressionless look Qi Xiaojun remembered. “Are you blind? Do you know what ‘Specialized in Difficult and Complex Illnesses’ means? I don’t treat ordinary ailments.”
“You refuse to treat people just like that?!” A burly man at the end of the queue glared. “Do you know how long I’ve been waiting? I’m not short of money!”
He slammed a gold ingot on the young doctor’s table.
The young doctor sneered coldly. “Don’t you know my rules? Anyone I dislike, I won’t treat, no matter how much money they offer. Fine, I’m closing up shop for today. Please leave.”
“What!” The people behind started protesting. “There’s no such thing as a doctor like you!”
“That’s how I am. If you want treatment, come back tomorrow morning. Otherwise, scram.”
“Damn you!” The burly man raised his fist to hit the young doctor.
“Stop!” Qi Xiaojun shouted. “Who dares to act recklessly in front of His Highness, Prince Rui?”
The young doctor silently put away a poisoned needle he had been holding. He couldn’t fight, but he had ways to protect himself.
“His Highness, Prince Rui?” The burly man was startled, looking at Qi Xiaojun. “Where is His Highness?”
Qi Xiaojun pointed to Chu Lianmo standing behind the crowd.
“Greetings, Your Highness, Prince Rui!” The man recognized Chu Lianmo’s bearing and didn’t doubt his identity.
Chu Lianmo smiled at Qi Xiaojun, amused. “I enjoy you using my name to intimidate others.”
Qi Xiaojun’s face flushed slightly. He would never have done this before, but now he and Chu Lianmo were as one in his eyes, so what did it matter to borrow his name?
Chu Lianmo’s gaze turned cold as he looked at the man. “Dare to assault someone in the street? Do you think Chu’s laws don’t exist? Go to the yamen and receive twenty lashes.”
“…Yes.” The man dared not argue and obediently left.
The others dared not make trouble and dispersed.
Qi Xiaojun smiled at the young doctor. “A Hua, long time no see.”
“…Who are you?” Ji Hua, the doctor, looked dubious.
“Uh…” Qi Xiaojun realized his current appearance wasn’t recognizable. He approached Ji Hua and lowered his voice, “I’m an old friend. Can we talk privately?”
Ji Hua looked him over suspiciously. “Old friend? I don’t remember you. Fine, let’s hear what you have to say.”
Qi Xiaojun led Ji Hua to a deserted alley and whispered, “A Hua, I’m Qi Xiaojun.”
“…Are you joking?” Ji Hua looked at him as if he were a liar. “A Yun is dead!”
“What’s your relationship?” Chu Lianmo interrupted coldly. “Why are you addressing each other so intimately?”
“…I said, don’t get jealous now,” Qi Xiaojun rubbed his temples. “In Qi, I used the name ‘Qingzhu Xia’ (Green Bamboo Hero) in the martial arts world. A Hua is a physician I met then. We’re just ordinary friends.”
“You really are Qi Xiaojun?!” Ji Hua was shocked—only a few people in Qi knew that “Green Bamboo Hero” was Second Prince Qi Xiaojun, and he was one of them. “What’s going on?!”
Qi Xiaojun recounted his incredible experiences for the third time that day. Since Chu Lianmo easily accepted his confession, he didn’t feel it was such a secret anymore. Those who believed him would.
Ji Hua stared at him, then a hint of relief crossed his usually expressionless face. “I didn’t expect you to be alive. I mourned your death for nothing.”
Qi Xiaojun smiled faintly. “So you mourned for me, A Hua? I’m honored.”
“Let’s get down to business,” Chu Lianmo saw them laughing and chatting, and his heart was still sour. “Since your friend is a physician, and he seems pretty good, let him examine Wen Yuanru.”
“Who is Wen Yuanru?” Ji Hua asked. He wasn’t someone who would treat just anyone and had the “glorious title” of a physician who “let people die.”
“I’ll explain later. Just think of him as my friend. Please help him for my sake?” Qi Xiaojun gave Ji Hua a slightly coquettish smile.
This made Chu Lianmo even more jealous—Qi Xiaojun rarely showed him such an expression!
“Fine, I’ll go with you.” Ji Hua agreed.
They then took Ji Hua to Wen Yuanru’s residence.
“You found such a young doctor?” Wen Shan looked distrustful of Ji Hua.
Ji Hua coldly glanced at him, ignoring him. He sat down and examined Wen Yuanru’s injuries and took his pulse.
After a moment, Ji Hua spoke confidently, “It’s not serious, no broken bones. In addition to an external ointment, I’ll prescribe some internal medicine, three times a day, and he should improve soon.”
“Is that true?” Wen Shan was surprised but incredulous. “But another doctor said there’s a risk of death if Father’s wound gets infected!”
Ji Hua said, “Can a superficial wound become infected under my care? As long as you apply the ointment I prescribe, there should be no problem.”
“…” Wen Shan looked at Ji Hua suspiciously, still not entirely believing him.
Qi Xiaojun interjected with a smile, “Wen Gongzi, rest assured, my friend is renowned as a divine physician in Qi, able to handle any difficult or complex illness.”
“Is that so?” Wen Shan realized appearances could be deceiving. “Alright, I’ll follow your advice.”
Ji Hua wrote two prescriptions, one for external application and one for internal use.
Chu Lianmo said, “I’ll arrange for someone to get the medicine and prepare it. I’ll also temporarily assign a servant from Rui王府 to take care of you.”
“…Why are you so good to us?” Wen Shan’s dubious gaze shifted to Chu Lianmo. “Don’t think I don’t know, some of Father’s injuries are from you.”
“Shan’er, I told you not to be disrespectful to His Highness, Prince Rui.” Wen Yuanru felt a headache coming on with his son’s bluntness.
Chu Lianmo said indifferently, “It’s alright.”
In fact, he had already been lenient with Wen Yuanru during the interrogation. He could tell that Wen Yuanru was firm, and no torture would work if he didn’t want to talk.
“However, if you truly believe I have ulterior motives, I won’t deny it.” Chu Lianmo stated his intentions directly. “Wen Da Ren, I only want to hear the truth from you.”
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