Qin Lu: Fortunately, the heart protection pill has a long-lasting effect.
Tang XiaoTang gently touched the walls and curiously looked towards the hall.
In this broad daylight, Mo Li suddenly closed the doors and windows, then shut himself in the room. Obviously, there’s some kind of secret.
What could this secret be? Tang XiaoTang thought hard. He wanted to eavesdrop, but he didn’t dare get too close.
Ai, his martial arts isn’t good enough to listen through the walls, ah! Tang XiaoTang sagely shook his head. He rolled his eyes, then suddenly ran back to his room and found a slingshot. He then aimed at the icicles under the eaves and shot them down one by one.
The crackling sounds were like the ice falling after it melted.
Uncle Ge saw Tang XiaoTang being naughty from a distance, and only smiled without stopping him. The melting icicles could easily hurt people, so it’s better to get them down earlier. Anyway, this is his own house, and no one’s walking in the courtyard, so he’s not afraid of accidental injury.
Tang XiaoTang approached a few steps, then ran away, just like this, back and forth, like a playful child.
Seeing that the icicles are almost all hit, Tang XiaoTang quietly approached the window. Although he didn’t have the talent to learn martial arts, he still learned some skills every day. Coupled with his young age and good health, it’s the time when his eyes and ears are the sharpest.
“…I will take care of Xiao Tang, and I can also come to the pharmacy for consultation.”
This shocked Tang XiaoTang. What’s Elder Qin talking about? Is Physician Mo going to leave?
Panicked, his foot slipped, and his forehead slammed on the window lattice.
There was a sudden silence in the room.
Mo Li reluctantly opened the door and brought in the cowering Tang XiaoTang.
Tang XiaoTang shrank his neck, but still kept looking around, taken aback at seeing the bathtub in the room.
“Look at your forehead.” Elder Qin was both kind and angry.
He looked humorous. The little white forehead became red and swollen, bulging in the blink of an eye. It was obvious that the bump wasn’t light.
Mo Li had already patted the snow off Tang XiaoTang’s body, and now he’s busy looking for swelling ointment.
Absorbed in thinking about fishes, Qin Lu didn’t notice the movement outside. Seeing Tang XiaoTang’s guilty appearance, he couldn’t understand why for a moment, then realized and scolded him: “Really good, even learning to eavesdrop.”
Tang XiaoTang bit his lip, and hesitantly asked: “Physician Mo is leaving Zhushan County?”
Mo Li’s actions stopped, then he looked back at his little junior disciple.
“I’ll just go out then come back.” Mo Li stroked the child’s head.
Tang XiaoTang’s spirits lifted. He suddenly smiled and allowed Physician Mo to apply ointment on his forehead.
“Are you going to gather herbs? Is it something that Zhushan County doesn’t have? Physician Mo, how long will you be gone?’
Seeing the little child question one after another, Qin Lu snorted, pretending to be displeased: “It seems that you only look forward to Physician Mo’s return as soon as possible and can’t wait to be disciplined by me.”
Tang XiaoTang stood up straight and said nothing more.
Mo Li quickly took Tang XiaoTang out, comforting this junior brother as he walked.
“Although Elder Qin has strict requirements on his disciples, he’s not a strict person. You just have to recite the prescription and recognize the herbal medicine as usual. Do you understand? When I come back, don’t call me Physician Mo anymore, and just call me Senior Brother.”
Tang XiaoTang nodded, then looked at Mo Li with expectant eyes.
This baffled Physician Mo. Tang XiaoTang waited for a long time. Receiving no response, he finally couldn’t help but say: “Every time Xiao Mutou’s father from the East Street of Cloth Village goes out to buy goods, he’d bring him something. It was a clay figure last time…”
Mo Li laughed. It turned out to be asking for something.
Zhushan County was small with few craftsmen, so there are no such toys.
“Okay, I’ll bring back clay figurines and interesting things for Xiao Tang.”
Tang XiaoTang received a promise then left happily. This was the first time he requested something from Physician Mo.
Looking at the child’s happy back, Mo Li went silent.
When he turned around and went back into the room, Qin Lu angrily said: “I said he was a monkey before, even howling for a long time. Now even after smashing such a big bulge on his forehead, he didn’t even shed tears.”
“Teacher!” Mo Li was helpless. Elder Qin always liked to tease Xiao Tang. Xiao Tang was also afraid of Qin Lu.
“Xiao Tang, this kid, is good at everything. He just cowered too much. Whenever something happens, he’ll dive into the arms of others. He trembled more in front of me in the early years. At least this time, he’s a bit better.”
Qin Lu shook his head again and again, obviously not quite used to it.
Mo Li sighed and persuaded: “When Xiao Tang’s parent’s died, he’s already sensible. We are neither his relatives nor the elders in his village. Teacher paid for his parent’s medicine and burial money and now the pharmacy paid for his food and clothing expenses. Little children don’t understand everything like the others, but they have deep thoughts and sometimes think too much. He didn’t know how to repay our kindness, and he’s afraid of losing his current life. After suffering gains and losses, he naturally can’t let go.”
Qin Lu frowned and muttered: “You weren’t like that when you were a kid.”
When Mo Li can’t eat a meat bun, he’d be very careful, and didn’t dare eat more.
“…Teacher, I’m not human.” Mo Li thought for a while, but still reminded in a low voice.
It’s not difficult for spirits to repay a favor.
Elder Qin choked at his disciple’s words. He weakly rubbed his forehead. Why is Mo Li a fish? There are real spirits in the world and Elder Qin began to wonder if the alchemists he saw when he traveled the world were truly liars.
“Ai, I read many books and traveled around the world for forty years. In the end, I’m still blindfolded and watched the sky from a well. This world is quite different from what I know.”
After hearing Qin Lu’s words, Mo Li was about to nod his head when he suddenly felt something was wrong. He hadn’t said anything about the dragon veins, so what is his teacher talking about?
At this time, Qin Lu paused with his hand stroking his beard and reacted in time. His mind turned sharply and hurriedly turned changed the subject: “Teacher feels weird. How come the Great Capital’s dragon vein came here as well to find you?”
“There’s another reason for this.” Mo Li’s tone was heavy.
Qin Lu was puzzled, and he subconsciously felt something bad from his student’s eyes.
This truth seemed to be incredible.
Elder Qin quickly recalled what Mo Li said just now.
——what do you mean by traveling to the Great Capital and that the Great Capital’s dragon vein is a golden dragon that’s as big as a mountain?
Then yesterday, a black dragon appeared in Zhushan County. Mo Li is a black fish. When he was young, he was very interested in jumping through the dragon’s gate.
Qin Lu suddenly became uneasy. Didn’t he save a fish from the water? Did he accidentally abduct the black dragon’s child? Now the parents of his student have come to the door to get their relatives?
Also, can dragon veins have children?
Elder Qin got lost in his thoughts.
According to the legend, dragon veins are alive to this day and took a long time to grow. Not to mention spirits, even humans have to rely on the land to live, rely on the mountains to eat, and rely on the water to drink. If the dragon vein has offsprings, it could be ginseng buried deep in the soil, or a fish in the water.
Qin Lu used to think that Mo Li was ill since he always liked to talk about spiritual qi. Thinking back, those words must be true. Spiritual qi is of great benefit to the creatures in the mountains. Since Mo Li could use spiritual qi, and dragon veins can nourish all beings, there’s no doubt that——
“Shi Zhi, you’re not a fish spirit, but a dragon…”
“Teacher is right. I am the dragon vein of Qi Mao Mountain, and the real body I showed in the Great Capital is a black dragon.”
Mo Li looked at Elder Qin with admiration. As expected of his teacher. He guessed the truth with only those clues.
Elder Qin was already shocked but still expressionless.
——the effect of the heart protection pill is still there, and my sealed acupoints hadn’t been unraveled. Everything is fine.
Qin Lu first experienced his student transforming into a fish, and finally accepted the fact that there are spirits in this world and that Mo Li was one of them. Suddenly, he was told that his proudest disciple was not only not a human, but also a dragon vein.
Not right, ah!
Why did the mountain flood flush out the dragon vein? Although it’s said that dragon veins would appear if there are natural and man-made disasters, what’s this true portrayal where the dragon vein is washed out by the flood? Elder Qin thought dazedly. So when he reached out, what exactly did he fish out from the water?
“You’re a dragon vein, but why don’t you know yourself?” Qin Lu asked weakly.
“This is exactly this student’s doubt.” The Great Capital’s dragon vein asked Mo Li to find him. Mo Li then talked about what he saw in the Great Capital in detail, only concealing the details of the Great Capital’s dragon vein deceiving him by becoming a fat mouse.
Although shocked, Qin Lu tried his best to calm down and help his student with his worries.
“Shi Zhi, you turned into a dragon in the Great Capital, but you can’t do it in Qi Mao Mountain?”
“Exactly.”
Qin Lu asked again: “Yesterday, did you feel that there was something in the sky, and that your consciousness was out of your body for a moment? Then the clouds cleared, and the dragon appeared?”
Mo Li nodded solemnly.
Qin Lu suddenly felt that the problem was very difficult as he kept stroking his beard.
He didn’t speak, and Mo Li didn’t bother him, only watching quietly.
Elder Qin raised his head and met Mo Li’s eyes. He didn’t know why he suddenly remembered the way the fish looked at him in the tub just now.
“Ahem!” Qin Lu kept coughing.
Mo Li hurriedly poured a cup of hot tea, helped Elder Qin drink it, and also helped pat his back.
With a complex expression, Qin Lu thought that the legends about dragon veins are definitely wrong, not to mention the Great Capital’s dragon vein. According to Mo Li’s personality, how can they bless the country and dominate the luck of a dynasty?
No one in Zhushan County wants to rebel at all.
The rebellion to claim the Emperor’s position would meet Qin Lu’s disdain and Magistrate Xue would even doze off at hearing it.
Elder Qin said in a deep voice: “To understand why you can’t transform into a dragon, you have to start from two aspects. First of all, when the black dragon appeared for the first time in Qi Mao Mountain, you are here…you’ve been following me for more than ten years.”
“What does teacher mean?”
“If natural and man-made disasters would make the dragon veins appear, is the heavy snow a natural disaster?”
Mo Li thought about it.
Qin Lu continued: “The Great Capital XianYang has changed its master three times in just a few hundred years, shattering the country and making waves. The Palace you saw was once infected with the blood of countless previous Imperial families along with many innocent lives. Isn’t this a man-made disaster?”
Mo Li’s face changed slightly.
“There are fools in the world saying that the dragon vein blessed their family name, and defended the mountains and rivers for thousands of miles…I’m afraid, it’s the other way around.”
The more people die, the stronger the dragon veins are.
Zhushan County is a small place, and Mo Li is an inconspicuous little black dragon.
“…teacher’s guess is very reasonable.” Mo Li couldn’t help smiling bitterly. If so, he would always be a fish.
Elder Qin patted Mo Li’s hand, looked at him, and said: “Don’t go to the Great Capital, I think it’s very dangerous there. You can look elsewhere. Maybe there will be dragon veins, or other spirits. Shi Zhi, you are my student. As a teacher, I can only hope that you’ll be safe on your journey. You can be a physician respected by everyone in Zhushan County or you can travel around the world and be as famous as teacher back then, but no matter what you do, you are you. Whether you’re a dragon or a fish, it’s “you” that matters, not what you are. Ordinary people aren’t burdened by a catchy title, but you’re an extraordinary person, so you’ll have more than the others.”
Mo Li held Qin Lu’s old palm, and agreed in a low voice.
Qin Lu said with satisfaction: “Go, you can go to the county government office and give your greetings before you leave. This is the general etiquette of society. The ones I know are outdated, so go and ask Magistrate Xue.”
The author has something to say:
Natural and man-made disasters can make the dragon veins appear, Elder Qin’s thoughts are as follows:
During a flood, it suddenly flushed out Mo Li, and he reached for a fat baby.
After digging the mountains, he suddenly woke up the dragon vein, and a dazed fat baby was sitting in the mine tunnel.
After three years of severe drought and where the people didn’t have a lot of livelihood, a fat baby was sitting on the dry and cracked ground, howling.
…
No more, where’s the heart protection pill, give me one.