Chapter 28: Fortune After a Great Disaster
When Fu Yunzhi opened his eyes, he saw an old man and some young physicians sitting beside him.
“Teacher, Master Fu is awake,” a young physician said, nudging the old man who was resting with his eyes closed.
The old man stood up and took Fu Yunzhi’s pulse.
“Qi Xiao…” Fu Yunzhi said in a hoarse voice.
“General Qi is fine!” the young physician immediately replied. “He’s recuperating in the room next door right now!”
Fu Yunzhi was in so much pain he couldn’t move. He strenuously turned his head to look around. The furnishings and layout of the room were very similar to the pirate leader’s house. As for what kind of layout it was, he sneered inwardly. A layout with no sense of beauty, that’s what! The style was a jumble, and the luxury items were placed so abruptly, as if they were deliberately trying to show off.
It seems we won the battle, he thought. The leader was captured, so Langxuan has taken over their houses.
“You have anesthetic powder in your system right now, which can help relieve the pain,” the old physician said. “But if it’s still unbearable, tell me, and I’ll give you some more.” With that, he slowly left. Although this physician was old, he was highly respected, and his medical skills were the best among them. He probably had other patients to supervise, like the Great General next door.
While enduring the pain, Fu Yunzhi asked the young physician who had been left to watch over him, “Qi Xiao’s injuries are more serious than mine, aren’t they?”
The physician nodded.
“Then he must be in more pain than me, right?”
The physician didn’t dare to answer.
Fu Yunzhi closed his eyes. His head was groggy, but he didn’t want to sleep. So he said to the physician, “Tell me what happened after the boulders fell.”
The young physician was happy to chat with him. After all, just standing guard was very boring.
“After you and the others were buried by the boulders, Inspector Qi and Alliance Chief Shen led the men to the rescue. At that time, almost all of Langxuan’s forces were at Tongzi Mountain. The other physicians and I were also there, treating the wounded. Later, Alliance Chief Shen and Cult Leader Mu said they were going to check inside the stone cave, but not long after they went in, the entrance collapsed.”
“Have they come back?”
“It’s been a day since they went in, but there’s still no news of them. Inspector Qi and the others have cleared all the stones from the cave entrance, but they found it was a dead end. It’s really strange! There’s clearly only one path, and it ends at a stone wall, but they can’t find anyone. Young Master Duanmu said it’s because of a mechanism!”
Fu Yunzhi frowned. “So what are they doing now?”
“I’m not sure,” the young physician said. “Young Master Duanmu seems to be looking for a way to break the mechanism… Oh, right!”
“The Qi family army found the auction items that the pirates stole from Yinshui City in Qu Zheng’s room. I also saw the legendary Thousand Dragon Slash. Personally, I don’t think it’s anything special. It’s just an old, broken piece of iron…”
Crack!
Just as he was speaking, a crisp cracking sound came from the room.
The physician jumped in fright and saw that a wooden tile near the bed had suddenly been pried open. The floor began to crack, and a large hole appeared.
Then, a head popped out.
“A ghost—!” the young physician shrieked, grabbing a teacup from the table and throwing it.
Shen Linye reached out and caught the teacup. “It’s not a ghost,” he said helplessly. “It’s me and Linglong.”
Only then did the physician see clearly that there were two complete people standing in the hole. It was Shen Linye and Mu Linglong.
“You… how are you here?”
The two of them helped each other climb out of the hole and dusted themselves off. “It’s a long story,” Shen Linye said. “Go and inform Inspector Qi and the others that we are here.”
“Yes!” The physician ran out excitedly.
Shen Linye pulled out a chair for Mu Linglong and even poured him a cup of tea. “Rest for a while. It was quite tough in there. We’re finally out.”
Seeing that both of them were covered in dust, especially Mu Linglong in his white robes, Fu Yunzhi asked, “Are you injured?”
Shen Linye shook his head.
“This dust is from a fall. But you and General Qi, it’s good that you’re alright. We were all very worried.”
Just as they were speaking, the physician returned with Qi Shaoling and Duanmu Ling. Their efficiency and speed were astonishing. The physician knew that the people in the room were important figures and that it was not convenient for him to listen to their discussion, so he tactfully withdrew and even closed the door for them.
Duanmu Ling looked at the hole in the floor, surprised. “An underground passage? The passage in that cave actually leads here?”
Shen Linye nodded and began to recount their experience. Fu Yunzhi needed to rest, and the others were busy with many things, such as preparing to return to Yinshui City, so he only gave a brief overview. Not long after he and Mu Linglong had entered the stone cave, they had accidentally triggered a mechanism that had blocked the entrance.
They had then wandered around inside, looking for a way out, but found that it was much larger than they had imagined, and the paths were as tangled as a maze. There were many mechanisms in the passages, but they seemed to have been built by their ancestors and were old and not very deadly. They had fumbled their way to the bottom of the room where Fu Yunzhi was, and upon hearing his voice, they had used their internal energy to break through the thin earthen wall above them.
“We believe the king has already left this island,” Shen Linye said. “The underground passages are complex and numerous. It’s reasonable that one of them leads to the sea.”
“Didn’t we faintly hear the sound of waves in one of the passages earlier?” Mu Linglong said to him.
“Exactly.” After a pause, Shen Linye said, “We also found something rather… special down there.”
“What was it?”
“A portrait of the Emperor.”
Fu Yunzhi frowned and confirmed, “A portrait of the King of Langxuan?”
“Yes.” As if recalling, Shen Linye propped his chin on his hand and said slowly, “It was a luxurious and magnificent room, with no dust, and it looked like it was frequently used. There were many valuable treasures and household furniture, such as a bed, a table, and a tea set. From its layout and style, it seemed to be a woman’s room.”
A woman’s room, Fu Yunzhi thought. Perhaps it belonged to that pirate king. But why would the Emperor’s portrait be there?
He couldn’t figure it out and decided it was best to ask the Emperor himself when he returned to the capital.
“That’s about it,” Shen Linye said. “If necessary, I can take Inspector Qi to see that room later. Linglong and I won’t disturb your rest any longer. We’ll take our leave now.”
Everyone stood up to leave, but Mu Linglong said, “Master Fu, may I have a moment of your time?”
Fu Yunzhi nodded.
After everyone had left, Mu Linglong said, “Master Fu, you have the Flower Moon Gu in your body. Did you know?”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Cult Leader Mu.”
“Master Fu, my medical skills may not be the best in the Jianghu, but they can be called one of the best. For things like Gu poison, I can give an accurate answer with just one look or one sniff.”
After a moment of silence, Fu Yunzhi finally said, “Don’t tell anyone else.”
“If you don’t remove it soon, your life will be in danger, Master Fu.”
“I know,” Fu Yunzhi said. “I came to Yinshui City this time to get the Wuluo Grass.”
The Wuluo Grass was the catalyst for the antidote.
“The antidote made from Wuluo Grass can only provide temporary relief,” Mu Linglong said. “At most, it can let you live for a few more years, but it doesn’t treat the root cause.”
“How am I supposed to treat the root cause…” A hint of frustration flashed in Fu Yunzhi’s eyes. “Cult Leader Mu, you know how this Gu can be removed…”
Mu Linglong pondered for a moment before saying, “In the future, if you want to remove the poison and have found a suitable person, you can come to me for help.”
This poison will never have a chance to be removed in this lifetime, Fu Yunzhi thought.
“After a great disaster, there will be good fortune. I believe you will find a solution in the future, Master Fu. I will also pay more attention when I go back and try to find a way for you.”
“Then I shall take your good words to heart. And thank you for your concern, Cult Leader Mu.”
“My master used to lecture me every day about a physician’s benevolent heart. It’s what I should do,” Mu Linglong smiled. “A physician, after all, saves one life at a time.”
Fu Yunzhi smiled wryly. But you’re a demonic cult leader! The legendary demonic cult leader who killed without batting an eye and was cruel and bloodthirsty, yet in Mu Linglong’s generation, he was a physician who practiced medicine to save the world and had a compassionate heart… Wouldn’t the founding ancestors of the demonic cult be so angry they would rise from their graves…
Before leaving, Mu Linglong said, “I will keep an eye out for the Wuluo Grass for you, Master Fu. You can rest assured and recuperate on the way back. I guarantee the Wuluo Grass will not fall into anyone else’s hands.”
“I am eternally grateful,” Fu Yunzhi smiled.
Although Mu Linglong was only helping him out of a physician’s code of ethics, Fu Yunzhi was still very grateful for his sincere and warm attitude.
“No need. I’ll be taking my leave now.” Mu Linglong bowed slightly and then left.
After he closed the door for Fu Yunzhi, Shen Linye, who had been waiting nearby, came up to him. “What did you talk to Master Fu about? You were talking for quite a while.”
“A secret.”
Shen Linye raised an eyebrow, hugged Mu Linglong, and bit his ear.
“Keeping secrets from me, I see. This must be punished.”
“Didn’t you also have a heart-to-heart with General Qi all night and not let me know what you talked about?” Mu Linglong smiled.
Shen Linye cleared his throat, let go of him, and instead took his hand. “That… shall we go get a late-night snack? You must be hungry too.”
Mu Linglong smiled helplessly. This man.
The moon hung high above the willow branches, its gentle light stretching their shadows long.
And although Qi Xiao and Fu Yunzhi were not in the same room, they were both looking at the same bright moon in the sky. Tonight was a full moon, which should have been a symbol of completeness and perfection.
Qi Xiao lay on the bed. The old physician had given him a dozen packets of anesthetic powder, but he was still in pain. His body ached, and his heart was restless. After regaining consciousness, he didn’t think about the war; there was nothing to think about. Langxuan had won. What he thought about was the words he had blurted out in a moment of impulse…
That sentence. He had not forgotten that he had said it, and Fu Yunzhi had not forgotten either.
Forget it, Qi Xiao thought. Right now, neither of us can even get out of bed. We’ll probably be carried around until we get back to the capital, so we won’t see each other. After we get back, I’ll plan things slowly…
