Chapter 3 Is That You?
The next day, the sun was already high in the sky when Xiaoliu finally woke up. Pushing open his door, the warm spring sunlight was a bit dazzling. He yawned, stretched lazily, and squinted out at the courtyard—it felt just like every post-hangover noon from years ago.
Tian'er was still sitting in the courtyard. Seeing Xiaoliu get up, she hurriedly greeted him:
"Brother Liu is up? I kept some food warm on the stove for you, I'll go fetch it!"
Xiaoliu replied:
"No need! No need! I'm not that hungry, we can eat together at noon!"
Xiaoliu washed up simply and went to the front medical clinic.
There were quite a few people at the clinic today, and Asheng was already examining patients at his desk. A long queue of patients was already waiting to collect their medicine. Hearing yesterday that the assistant normally responsible for filling prescriptions at the clinic had to take a few days off because his elderly mother wasn't feeling well, Xiaoliu stepped in to help as an assistant, swiftly and deftly filling the prescriptions. After a while, the queue gradually dispersed, and Asheng finally caught a breather.
"Thanks to Doctor Liu's help today, I really would have had a hard time managing alone," Asheng said while wiping his sweat.
"Think nothing of it, just a small favor. But why are there so many patients today? There was hardly anyone here when I came yesterday," Xiaoliu asked.
"Oh, it's normal. In spring and summer, this place of Qingshui Town is hot and humid, and people easily fall sick. It's been like this every year during this season for as long as I can remember. The symptoms are always the same recurring ones, mostly treated with these few remedies, adjusted with a few herbs depending on the specific case, and it passes quickly." Seeing Asheng's confident expression, Xiaoliu didn't say anything more.
However, starting from noon, the number of patients coming for consultations kept increasing. They only had time for a hasty bite to eat before resuming consultations. While filling prescriptions, Xiaoliu learned that this round of illness was primarily characterized by high fever, striking fast and fierce. Within an hour, body temperatures would soar rapidly, accompanied by severe, agonizing pain all over, quickly leaving patients bedridden. During this time, Xiaoliu personally checked a few pulses, and could not help but knit his brows deeply.
"What is it, Doctor Liu? Is something wrong?" Asheng asked.
"Compared to usual, is there anything different about this illness?"
"It is indeed different. Fevers are common, but I've never seen one come on so quickly before. And this kind of intense, all-over body pain has never happened in the past either. Do you have any insights, Doctor Liu?" Asheng's tone was somewhat anxious.
"Insights are hardly the word, but I'll adjust the prescription in a moment. Your formula is too mild; its effect against the current high fever is far too slow, and patients are easily put in danger. Furthermore, Asheng, come over here."
Xiaoliu led Asheng to a nearby bench, had him lie down, and said:
"If there are patients whose pain is truly unbearable and who show signs of fainting, you can use needles to puncture these few spots in sequence, which might relieve it."
With that, Xiaoliu pointed to three spots on Asheng's upper arm, abdomen, and waist. However, Asheng knew very little about the art of acupuncture. Back then, Sang Tian'er had only learned the bare basics from Wen Xiaoliu. On the other hand, Xiaoyu had spent her free time over the years discussing acupuncture with physicians on Xiyan Mountain, studying hard on her own and reading numerous ancient texts, making great strides in the field of acupuncture.
Seeing the troubled look on Asheng's face, Xiaoliu said:
"How about this? Let's go back to seeing patients first. I'll teach you carefully tonight when things quiet down. This current batch of patients probably won't reach that critical stage just yet."
After a whole afternoon of bustling about, once the very last patient was seen off, Asheng collapsed limply into his chair.
"Doctor Liu, your prescription is brilliant; the combination of these herbs is simply marvelous. To be honest, when you offered to teach me earlier, seeing how young you were, I was somewhat unconvinced in my heart. But looking at this formula—a true expert shows their skill the moment they make a move—your medical skills are vastly superior to mine. I hope you won't grudge your guidance in the future."
At this moment, Old Mu came out from the back courtyard to call them for dinner. Xiaoliu stood up and said to Asheng:
"Let's eat first, and then I'll teach you acupuncture. There'll likely be severe cases coming to our door tomorrow."
"It sounds like Doctor Liu was well-prepared for this epidemic?" Asheng asked with some puzzlement.
"Before I came to Qingshui Town, I traveled to Haoling and encountered a similar epidemic, so I have some experience dealing with it," Xiaoliu replied casually.
Asheng wore an expression of sudden realization.
After dinner, Xiaoliu began teaching Asheng acupuncture hand-in-hand. From needle placement, force, to technique, every single detail was carefully taught. By the end of the evening, Asheng had benefited immensely and kept insisting on taking Xiaoliu as his master, only to be smilingly and tactfully refused.
At midnight, after taking a bath, Xiaoyu comfortably leaned back on a reclining chair in the courtyard, with several jars of Yushan immortal peach wine placed on the table beside her. Everyone else had already gone to sleep. She hadn't changed her appearance, nor was she wearing men's clothing; she had merely concealed the peach blossom mark between her brows, draped herself casually in a sheer gauze dress, her waterfall-like long hair still dripping with water beads as it spilled over her shoulders. Her face was completely free of powder or paint, and she wore no hair ornaments of any kind. Bathed in the moonlight at this moment, she looked as delicate and fresh as a lotus flower after the rain, breathtakingly beautiful and otherworldly.
Old Mu walked over slowly and sat down on the reclining chair next to Xiaoyu. Xiaoyu tossed him a jar of immortal peach wine.
"Is this your true appearance?"
"Mm-hm!"
"All these years, I didn't notice a thing."
"I have a divine artifact inside me that deliberately hides my true appearance, making it hard even for the Queen Mother to tell."
As she spoke, Xiaoliu tilted her head back and took a drink of wine.
"You recognized me quite quickly, though!"
"A person's gaze cannot deceive, and besides, you didn't deliberately try to hide it from me, did you?" Old Mu smiled.
"The wine of Yushan—you belong to the God Clan, drinking it will prolong your life and let you live another hundred years."
Old Mu nodded, smiled as he took a sip, and continued:
"Your identity...?"
"It is!"
"I never imagined that Mazi, Chuanzi, and I would actually spend all those years living together with a Royal Princess." Old Mu shook his head with emotion.
"Mazi and Chuanzi—were they doing well when they left?" Tears welled up in Xiaoyu's eyes.
"They were both doing fine. With Tian'er's medical skills, they didn't suffer much. You could say they lived out their natural lives and passed away peacefully."
Old Mu took a sip of wine and went on:
"It's just that right before they passed, they were still regretting not getting to see Brother Liu one last time."
Old Mu pursed his lips, raised his eyes to gaze silently into the distance, and after a moment of silence, sighed:
"Ah! People, you know—birth, old age, sickness, and death; it's unavoidable."
Xiaoyu fell silent for a long time. Suddenly, a biting wind drifted through the air, sending a sudden shiver through the spring night. Xiaoyu's chest stirred. Swiftly and nonchalantly, she scanned her surroundings, seeing nothing unusual aside from a gust of wind blowing past.
"How long do you plan to stay this time that you're back?" Old Mu asked next.
"I'm not leaving for now; I plan to live here permanently."
Just as her words fell, a wave of sweetness seemed to surge through Xiaoyu's chest, vanishing almost as quickly as it appeared.
"With your identity, how can you live long-term in a place like Qingshui Town?"
"If I say I'm staying long-term, I naturally have a way. Stop worrying yourself blind. Surely you aren't worried I'll freeload and sponge off Huichuntang for free food and lodging?"
Xiaoyu put on Wen Xiaoliu's rogue expression once more. Old Mu raised his hand as if to strike her, but seeing her fair and delicate young-woman's face, he silently lowered his hand again.
"What made you suddenly think of returning to Qingshui Town to live permanently?"
"Naturally because I'm happy in Qingshui Town! Whenever I was stuck in the royal palace, thinking back on my days in Qingshui Town always made me feel especially happy. That palace is just a world enclosed by high walls, suffocating to death. There's no reason why my status should become noble only for me to grow less and less happy. Moreover..."
Xiaoyu paused, took a slow sip of wine, and continued:
"In Qingshui Town, aside from you folks, there is someone I care about."
"What about up on the mountain...?"
Xiaoyu remained silent, neither confirming nor denying it.
"But your identities..."
"He is very important to me," Xiaoyu said, looking up at the sky with an earnestness that sounded almost like talking to herself.
After a long while, she turned her head and looked cheekily at Old Mu:
"I say, Old Mu, you really are getting old! You stutter when you speak, and you worry like a fussy mother hen. Even if you drank this immortal peach wine like water, you'd still be a nagging old man."
Old Mu cursed and raised his hand again. Xiaoyu burst into hearty laughter:
"Hit me! Hit me! My skin is thick enough! Hit me all you want! Hahaha!"
"Doctor Liu! You... you... you're a woman?!"
The night air was filled with Xiaoyu's unrestrained laughter. Neither of them had noticed that Asheng had walked into the courtyard.
At this moment, Asheng stood frozen on the spot, staring in a daze at Xiaoyu under the moonlight. Remembering how earlier that night he had inevitably had some physical contact with Doctor Liu while learning acupuncture, he hadn't cared because he thought they were both men. But facing such a delicate and charming beauty beneath the moonlight, Asheng instantly turned crimson red and was struck speechless.
A ripple stirred in Xiaoyu's heart. *That look... please don't...*
Old Mu looked over at Asheng: "Not sleeping in the middle of the night, what brings you out here?"
Asheng still looked as if he were in a dream, his gaze glued unblinkingly to Xiaoyu without uttering a word. A moment later, a cold breeze swept by, chilling Asheng's body to the bone. He shuddered and sneezed several times in a row.
Xiaoyu stood up and walked toward her room, saying lazily:
"Old Mu, I'm a bit tired, I'm going back to rest first."
Up on the mountain, a few patrolling soldiers were whispering among themselves...
"Have you noticed? The military strategist seems to be in a really good mood today!"
"You noticed too? Just now I saw him coming back from his night patrol—look at the corners of his mouth, he seemed to be smiling. Hasn't it been over a year since we last saw the strategist smile?"
"No kidding! He used to only smile occasionally when he was dyeing his hair, but not like today, those corners of his mouth look like he can't keep them down. What on earth happened?"