chapter 6

It’s very quiet in the room . After a long while, Duan Bai Yue said harshly, "Get out!"Get . . . out?! Duan Yao still has not recovered from the shock he got just now, and can't respond yet .

With the pair of eyes opposite him staring very intently at him; Duan Bai Yue becomes more and more agitated, and flicked his sleeve, wanting to simply leave . Duan Yao held onto him fiercely from the back . On his forehead, Duan Bai Yue's veins start to pop .

"Who is it?" Duan Yao is not letting this go . Duan Bai Yue has a headache; even he himself cannot figure this out ; why did he commit such a stupid mistake .

"Like I was saying, it must be something considerable for you be to so concerned about the changes in the royal palace . " Duan Yao felt he hit the target; he thought previously that this big brother of his wants to be the emperor . Now looking at this situation, there must be another reason for it . After some thinking, he started again, "But knowing your character, no matter who is it that you like, ignoring that they're from the palace; you will still drag them out even if they're from Peng Lai Celestial Mountain; and yet you are showing such restrain this time?"Duan Bai Yue remained speechless; the truth is that he absolutely doesn't want to have to explain this . Duan Yao said, surprised, "Don't tell me you like the empress?"Duan Bai Yue: " . . . . "Duan Yao belatedly realized, "That's not right, I have never heard of Chu having an empress . "Duan Bai Yue clenched his fists . Duan Yao noticed this and retreated a couple of steps, and said, "Fine fine fine, I won't ask anymore . "Duan Bai Yue humphed coldly, and stepped out . Duan Yao continued on his train of thought; no wonder he was in a bad mood when he heard that Emperor Chu is out of the palace; the person he likes is most likely also gone . After coming so far and yet unable to meet; just the thought of it is pitiful .

After a few days, even Duan Nian was wondering what happened with the lord and young master; they are not even eating at the same table . Everything is as usual, and he didn't hear that they quarreled either . \nJiang Nan in April has many showers; the scenery is naturally beautiful; it's just that it's so muddy it's annoying . Deep in the greenery in the mountains, there is a young man, with his cheeks in his hands, currently carrying a backpack . He plans to continue picking his herbs after the rain has stopped . With pale skin and elegant features, it can be seen that he is a bona fide gentleman . "Aiyo . . . " A moan came from behind him; in the silent and hushed forest, it leads one to slight panic .

The man turned around in shock, and saw that an old man has suddenly appeared out of nowhere; the tattered clothing makes him seem like he's a beggar . "Aiyo . . . . aiyo . . . . . " Upon seeing the young man turn towards him, the old man's expression became even more pained, " Help . . . . "

Is this a ghost or a human . . . . . the young man stood up, and took out a wooden rod made from a plum tree and has been boiled in dog's blood, and poked him a little . Old man: " . . . . . "No changing of forms . The young man put back his wooden stick, and after checking him all over for injuries, then did he drag him into the shelter away from the rain .

"Is this gentleman here a physician?" The old man asked . "Yeah . " Ye Jin grind his freshly gotten herbs into a paste . The old man quickly offered out his hand . Ye Jin applied the paste onto his own wrist . Old man: " . . . . . . "So he's not going to help heal my wounds?

"These herbs are poisonous; I'm trying out their effects . " Ye Jin then took out a bottle of medicinal powder to help him cover his wounds, "Did you come here while escaping from a disaster?""Yes, yes . " The old man nodded, "You are truly a good Samaritan . "Ye Jin helped him to bandage his wounds . The old man sucked in a cold breath; he's in so much pain until his five features has changed: "Just that your physician skills are a bit rusty . " His hand has almost reached its breaking point .

"You dare to say that my skills are rusty?!" Ye Jin said angrily . Surprised by the volume, the old man’s head hurt; only after a while did he state: "It's not rusty, not rusty, it's as if you are the reincarnation of Hua Tuo . " (1) 

Ye Jin humped, and took out a biscuit: "Fill your stomach with this first, wait for me to finish picking the herbs, then I'll bring you to the charity hall in the city . "

The old man nodded in thanks, and saw him stand up and pat off the dirt on his body; a jade green maple leaf hung at his waist; a "Jin" character is carved on it .

He is really the legendary physician of Jiang Hu . . . the old man rubbed his chin, and watched him leave with interest .

There is a brilliant red flower that grows on the cliffs; after trying three, four times, Ye Jin still did not manage to acquire it . He knows martial arts, and his Qing Gong(2) is also not that bad; but after the rain, the cliff is slippery, and so he does not want to be careless either . In the end he gave up reluctantly, and carried his backpack back to the shelter, and accompanied the old man down the mountain .

The town at the bottom of the mountain is quite big; there are also multiple charity halls; the elderly inside are abandoned by their children, and it is hard for their bodies to be without illnesses . Ye Jin arrived in this town while on a journey to collect herbs, and so he often takes a look at the old people; the charity halls all have a deep respect for him . This time, upon seeing that he has sent an old man over, they accepted him without hesitation, and even prepared new blankets and food to let him recover .

After sending the old man away, Ye Jin simply forgot about this matter, patted his sleeves and went home . During this journey, he plans to stay in this town for at least three to five months; until the mountain is full of blooms and he has picked up enough herbs to his satisfaction, then will he go back to Qiong Hua Valley .

“Brother . ” In the capital, Duan Yao knocked on the door of the study carefully .  Duan Bai Yue said harshly, “What’s the matter?” “I won’t ask you about the stuff in the palace again . ” To avoid getting chased out, Duan Yao clarified first outside before opening the door to the study .  Duan Bai Yue: “ . . . . . ”

“There’s two things . ” Duan Yao stuck out his fingers, “After I finished saying them I’ll leave . The first thing is, teacher stole a corpse again . ” Duan Bai Yue rubbed his temples .  “But this time he didn’t return to the manor, and no one knows where he went . ” Duan Yao said, “Aunt has already sent people on a search, and tells us to be on alert too . ” “The second thing?” Duan Bai Yue asked .  “You asked me to observe the recent festivities at Liu Manor, saying that Liu Gong is celebrating his birthday . ” Duan Yao said, “There’s all sorts of people from many backgrounds; there’s people discussing in the study all the time; it’s hard to anticipate his actions . ” 

“Is he really only celebrating his birthday?” Duan Bai Yue asked . “I cannot confirm . ” Duan Yao complained, “He is truly an old fox, when discussing matters he’s always near the stage, surrounded by people and noise; nothing can be heard clearly . ” “If he doesn’t have a few tricks up his sleeve, how can he still dare to eye the royal throne?” Duan Bai Yue smiled, “You really didn’t hear anything?” 

“ . . . . . What are you thinking of doing again?” Duan Yao said cautiously .  

“In this city there is a entertainment parlor called Ran Yue Lou; the caretaker is Gu Yun Chuan . ” Duan Bai Yue sized him up .  Duan Yao thought internally, please don’t say they’re your mistress .

“Liu Gong has a son, Liu Fu De; he’s one of Ran Yue Lou’s regulars . ” Duan Bai Yue said . “If you dress up a little, you can still look presentable . ” Duan Yao: “You dare to ask me to ‘fetch customers’?” Our parents will come out from the ground to bury you!

“It’s an tasteful place, how can you ‘fetch customers’ there . ” Duan Bai Yue shook his head, “At most you will sing a couple of songs; there’s even money to be made . ” It doesn’t seem like Duan Yao is at a disadvantage here; he even stands to gain from this .  Duan Yao really wants to put his brother’s head into the bottle of five poisons . Duan Bai Yue: “So it’s decided . ” Duan Yao: “ . . . . . . ”

“Is there anything else?” asked Duan Bai Yue .  “There is . ” Duan Yao sat down sloppily in front of him, “even if Liu manor is up to no good; they are targeting the emperor of Chu; there’s no connection with Xi Nan at all, why are you even intervening in this?”Duan Bai Yue replied: “Because I’m a busybody . ”  With this kind of answer; Duan Yao felt his chest tightened .

“After everything is over, there will be benefits . ” Duan Bai Yue tempted him . “What benefits?” Duan Yao is hooked . “I will teach you the Bodhi Heart Sutra . ” Duan Bai Yue patted his head . Duan Yao grumbled: “I just know that teacher secretly taught you!”There’s no need to show him this much favoritism; every time teacher steals a corpse and revives, the person who fills up the grave with soil is me!

“The Bodhi Heart Sutra?” In a small town in Jiang Nan, Ye Jin said while drying the herbs, “I don’t want to learn it . ” 

“You will regret refusing it in the future . ” The old man continued his nagging . He called himself Bai Lai Cai, and said that he came all the way here from Xi Nan . Ever since he has recovered at the charity hall, he often goes to Ye Jin’s courtyard, and even said that he has a secret martial arts manual: it’s extremely good; a lot of people want it .

“I have no interest in dancing with swords or handling spears . ” Ye Jin sat down and drank some tea . “A man who doesn’t know how to use swords or spears, how can he protect the one he loves in the future?” The old man tried presenting a good side .  Ye Jin didn’t expect to find that he actually saved such a troublesome man . If he was just an average commoner, he would have chased him out with a broom a long time ago . It’s just that this time it’s a white haired, frail old man who seems to have at least seventy, eighty years of age; he can’t be too harsh, and can only hear but not listen, and complain about the nagging deep inside .

At his insistent rejection, the old man held his tattered and torn book, and started crying; his sobs are unrelenting .  “Fine fine, I will learn . ” Ye Jin also can’t bear to see him like this, and added on, “Many thanks . ” 

Suddenly all smiles again, the old man passed The Bodhi Heart Sutra to him, and took a pastry from a plate and went back to the charity hall with a smile .  

The books in his hands is torn and oily, and emanating a sour smell; Ye Jin could barely stand to hold it . He took a piece of wax paper, and used it to flip open the first page . This sutra can let the person who master it gain great internal energy, only that there’s one drawback… . it’s afraid that… . .

“Pa!” the book closed with a sound; Ye Jin does not want to open it a second time . What kind of rotten martial arts is this; training one’s internal energy may cause infertility .  Don’t know if just looking at it will affect me . If he knew this would happen, he would have bought some pomelo leaves from the south to wash away this bad luck .  

With twilight approaching, the banks of the river are lit up with fires . Chu Yuan, sitting on the boat deck, pulled his coat closer; his thoughts are far away .  

“Emperor . ” Shen Qian Fan came forward, “I just received a dispatch from the palace, the Xi Nan King is currently in the capital; he’s staying in Jin Xiu Fang . ” Chu Yuan nodded; he doesn’t seem to be surprised .

“Are you really going to just let him be?” Shen Qian Fan asked hesitantly .  

“How is this letting him be . ” Chu Yuan can’t help but laugh, “if we really truly want to let him be, I wouldn’t have allowed his men to come and go as they please in the palace . ” 

“This time, however, it concerns Liu manor; the matter is of great importance . ” Shen Qian Fan said, “ A moment of slight carelessness will alarm the other party . ” After planning for so many years, the goal is to eradicate Lius from the court . Such a big matter…and it’s handed over to the Xi Nan King?

“We have our intentions, general does not need to worry . ” Chu Yuan patted his shoulder, “If he doesn’t succeed, it’s still not too late for our men to act . ” 

(1) Hua Tuo: 华佗 – legendary physician from ancient times (2)Qing Gong: lit . light work . Allows user to jump high distances etc .