Meng Qi: Last will? Rejected!
To the west of Qinghu Town was an ancient forest.
The roots are entangled more than three feet above the ground and the bottom is full of dead branches and leaves. Winter is better but in the summer, there’s an unpleasant stench. Few people come here even in the cold winter, so many birds nested here.
Hu Zi carried the cloth bag close to his body and prepared to use his arms and legs to climb the tree roots. As a result, he suddenly hung in the air. Frightened, he quickly hugged the cloth bag full of herbs and stared at Mo Li in a daze.
“Is he in the forest?”
The child quickly nodded.
Physician Mo frowned. It’s wet and cold here, not a good place to recuperate.
“There are so many empty houses in the town, why don’t you find one but hide in this kind of place instead?” Mo Li felt it was very strange.
It’s not easy for ordinary people to enter these woods, let alone a very sick person hiding here. Is there some sort of secret?
Hu Zi stammered and replied: “Uncle Lin said that the town is dangerous and we cannot stay there.”
Mo Li guessed that the child didn’t know much, so he bypassed the topic and gestured to the forest: “Which direction is it?”
Hu Zi pointed forward and then watched enviously as Mo Li leaped to a high place with ease.
Although the roots of these trees are connected and can barely be regarded as a road, because of the snow and ice, they’re very slippery. Hu Zi had been running around here since he was a child, and only then has he mastered some tricks to avoid falling to the ground. With his small arms and legs, he can’t jump over when there’s a big gap. He can only slowly crawl along the roots.
Now being held by someone, his eyes rounded upon seeing Meng Qi cross the most difficult place with just a light step and his shoulders not even moving.
“This child is bold.” Meng Qi lightly chuckled.
When other children were held in such a way, they’re either scared to death, or screaming and jumping in excitement, but Hu Zi was still in the mood to observe how they moved.
“If he didn’t have the courage, how can he dare steal herbs from the temple of the Holy Lotus Shrine?” Mo Li wasn’t surprised.
Stealing herbs looked easy, but a reckless person can’t do it.
Hu Zi’s face flushed, and after walking for a while, he hurriedly called out for them to stop.
“It’s there.”
It was an ancient tree that’s about to die. Seems like because the trunk was empty, it couldn’t support the weight of the canopy, so the entire trunk was tilted and rested on the branches of several nearby trees.
Hu Zi pulled open the vines that covered the withered tree, revealing a tree hole the size of a child.
“…”
Mo Li didn’t know what to say. Saying that this is tightly hidden is correct, but Hu Zi, at such a young age, wouldn’t know how to hide his traces. If someone was looking for it, it wasn’t safe at all. To hide in this tree, that person should dig three feet deep.
Even if they’re afraid of the Holy Lotus Shrine, those people are not gods. With so many empty houses in Qinghu Town, it’s not difficult to find one to hide.
Hu Zi happily hugged the cloth bag and went into the hole. Mo Li reluctantly told Meng Qi: “You wait outside.”
After that, he bent over and entered the tree hole. Because the hole was too small, it was too tight that he could only temporarily use a bone shrinking technique.
To Mo Li’s surprise, only the point of entry was narrow since the tree hole was so deep that he could barely straighten up. Mo Li took a closer look and found that this wasn’t just the empty trunk of the ancient tree, but also the gap formed by it on the branches of other trees, cleverly forming an almost closed space.
There are some gaps on the sides, which are all blocked by cotton wool.
Two simple wooden boards formed a bed, and a man slept on it, coughing constantly while wrapped in a quilt.
“Uncle Lin!” Hu Zi stretched out his hand and shook the person on the bed. Seeing that the other person didn’t respond, he turned to look at Mo Li at a loss.
Mo Li walked over and looked at the patient’s face first.
“He has a fever.”
His lips were whitish and his forehead flushed.
“Is there clean water?” Mo Li asked.
Hu Zio nodded, ran to the corner of the tree hole and took a jar, then went to get a bowl.
After pouring the water into the bowl, Hu Zi realized that something was wrong and hurriedly said, “The water is cold. I’ll find wood to make a fire.”
Mo Li reached out to stop him, frowned, and asked, “The forest is full of wet wood. Where would you go find firewood?”
“T-town…”
“Sit still.” Mo Li shook his head, and took the bowl from Hu Zi’s hand, “Has this water been boiled? Or is it just natural water?”
“No, no, it’s boiled, but now it’s cold.”
Mo Li carefully looked at the water in the bowl and smelled it again, finding that it didn’t look like unboiled water. The water was also clear and not turbid.
Hu Zi said: “Originally we had charcoal, but it was too cold and we had to boil the medicine, so it ran out within a day after we came here. I always went to the abandoned houses in town to find some unnecessary tables and chairs to demolish and burn…huh?”
The bowl in Mo Li’s hand was hot.
Although his internal strength hasn’t fully recovered, it’s not a problem to dry his clothes or warm a bowl of water. It’s not enough to boil the water, but it’s enough for drinking.
When the water was warm, Physician Mo helped the patient up and skillfully fed him water.
“Cough cough.” After drinking the water, the man opened his eyes in a daze.
Mo Li took his pulse, ignoring him.
This man has a face full of beard, his hair messy, and he can hardly see his original face. Mo Li took his pulse and discovered that this man wasn’t old and had practiced martial arts. It’s such a superficial one that for Mo Li, it’s almost the same as him not having it.
“He’s in good health, but he suffered some losses recently, maybe cold or starvation.” Mo Li just asked casually. Not waiting for Hu Zi to answer, he continued, “his illness came quickly and violently, so you can’t use strong medicine. Show me the herbs you got today.”
Hu Zi handed the cloth bag.
The bearded man woke up and coughed violently, struggling to push Hu Zi aside.
“Who are you?” The bearded man was wary.
“I am a physician.”
Mo Li rummaged through the herbs without lifting his head.
“How could there be a physician in Qinghu Town?” The bearded man was very anxious. He looked at Hu Zi reproachfully and said, “Didn’t I tell you before that it’s dangerous to bring outsiders over? Why don’t you listen?”
Hu Zi lowered his head, saying while crying, “But Uncle Lin, you were very ill, so I can’t help it…”
The bearded man was about to say something when he was pushed back on the bed by Mo Li. He stared, only to find that he was dizzy and so sick that he had no strength at all.
“There’s no charcoal in this tree hole so you can’t even drink hot water. If you want to die, you can die alone, but don’t drag the child with you.”
Mo Li spoke very rudely. He didn’t like troublesome patients.
This person didn’t want to live in a good house, so he hid in a tree hole and got frozen. Even with him being so ill, he was on guard upon seeing a stranger beside the child. Mo Li knew that they were hiding their identities without even thinking about it.
Maybe to avoid enemies or they’re holding a treasure, who knows, but anyway, Physician Mo wasn’t interested.
The bearded man took a breath, then looked at Hu Zi with mournful eyes.
“Uncle Lin, I was wrong, don’t be mad.” Hu Zi moved beside him, shaking him slightly, “I will study hard and listen to you, but you can’t leave me behind like them.”
The bearded man wanted to stop the child from continuing to speak, but he was so sick that he didn’t even have the strength to speak loudly, so he could only sigh.
Hu Zi cried harder.
“Wipe your tears and take the medicine.” Mo Li took out a pill from his bag and stuffed it to Hu Zi.
When the bearded man saw that, his eyes widened and he struggled to get up.
“Hu Zi, why are you just eating that? What did I tell you…”
Before he could finish, he was gently tapped back by an invisible force.
Mo Li looked at the entrance of the tree hole because it wasn’t by his hand.
“Didn’t I tell you to wait?”
“I want to see what kind of patient dared to yell at the physician.” Meng Qi bent down and said with a big smile, “I begged for a long time before physician was willing to treat me but this person was so rude, I naturally feel unhappy.”
Mo Li divided the herbs into portions, put their weight together, and said without looking up: “He is indeed rude, and his brain isn’t very bright, but if he dies, no one would look after Hu Zi, and he didn’t want to die.”
After Meng Qi came in, the bearded man looked at him in shock and even rubbed his eyes.
Seeing Mo Li and Meng Qi acting so familiar, he couldn’t help but look at Hu Zi lying in front of his bed. After several embarrassments, he finally gritted his teeth and raised his voice: “State Teacher!”
“…”
Mo Li was a bit surprised, but didn’t speak and continued to be busy.
Hu Zi looked blank, obviously not knowing what his Uncle Lin was talking about.
Meng Qi turned his head and lazily looked at the bearded man, not even seeing what the man looked like.
The other party was very excited and his voice trembled: “I know you are State Teacher Meng, please help…”
“I’m not…”
Meng Qi interrupted him, and the bearded man was dumbfounded, not knowing how to react.
“You are talking about Meng Qi, the former State Teacher, right? I heard that he died long ago.” Meng Qi rubbed his chin and solemnly said, “Even if he’s still alive, he should be an old man with white hair and wrinkles. How could it be me?”
The bearded man no longer hid his identity and whined: “State Teacher, I am from the Lin family in Bazhou. My name is Lin Dou. In the past, Lin Fuyin from the Great Capital’s Lin family was my father. Since the fall of the previous dynasty, we have been living here helplessly so we ask for your help. State Teacher, I know that you have great magical powers that other people can’t have..”
Meng Qi solemnly refused: “Wait, no magical powers can rejuvenate a person! You are sick and confused! I haven’t done any of those things! The physician is here, so let’s get the physician to talk about the possibility of this kind of thing!”
The corner of Mo Li’s mouth twitched.
He wanted to laugh but held back.
“Uncle Lin.” Hu Zi looked at Lin Dou worriedly, obviously thinking that he’s feverish and babbling nonsense.
Lin Dou was so angry that he almost vomited blood, but he didn’t dare attack. He could only struggle to push Hu Zi in front of him, saying while shaking: “The first emperor was old and confused and did a lot of wrong things, but you saw the Crown Prince Zhao Hua grow up. The prince is wise but unfortunately died early. The clan that stayed in the Great Capital was dead and wounded. This child is the only child of the prince that survived. I beg you, for the sake of Prince Zhao Hua, pity him.”
Having said that, he pulled out a cyan jade pendant from Hu Zi’s neck. The jade pendant was warm and moist with a dragon on it.
Lin Dou gasped as he said: “This child fled with us as soon as he was born, from the Great Capital to Bazhou, and finally to Pingzhou, with many guards and retainers. In the end, I was the only one left, hiding in Qinghu Town for a long time, and the result was…ai, now I’m going to die too. This poor child doesn’t know anything, but the Imperial Qi family’s want for him has never stopped. State Teacher, I am desperate, please…”
“Who said you’re dying?” Mo Li suddenly interrupted the verbal and affectional last will. He waved his hand and threw the processed herbs into the empty bowl, disdainfully saying, “You just got sick a bit, as long as you take the medicine, you won’t die.”
Meng Qi couldn’t bear it and directly smiled.
Lin Dou’s eyes looked straight ahead. It took him a long time before he recovered, his throat was itchy and he gave another violent cough.
He grabbed Hu Zi’s hand and still looked at Meng Qi pleadingly.
This time, without waiting for Meng Qi to speak, Mo Li coldly said: “I am a physician, only in charge of treating diseases. I’m not interested in who you are or who this kid is. When you’re illness is cured, you can leave Qinghu Town with the child to find another place to live. When the time comes, you might want to tell this child his birth, but hope that he lives like an ordinary person all his life, but that’s all your business.”
“But…that thief Lu Zhang plotted to usurp the throne and burned the Imperial City to kill the whole clan…”
“Years ago, the previous Emperor you mentioned was also a minister of the Chen Dynasty, but rebelled.” Meng Qi slowly said, “I think you understand this truth.”
Lin Dou’s eyes filled with disappointment, wanting to say something but finally letting go of Hu Zi’s hand.
Mo Li casually pulled some dry vines, used his internal force to dry the water inside, and then called Hu Zi to go out and make the medicine for Lin Dou.
The child hesitated, went outside the tree hole, took the jade pendant on his neck, and said to Mo Li: “Physician, I have no money, only this. If you like it…”
“No, you got the herbs yourself, and you’re making the fire. It didn’t cost me anything.”
Mo Li was very fond of this kind of patient who takes the initiative to take the medicine. He took out a few pills and told Hu Zi to swallow them every day.
“Your illness is not serious, but I’m afraid it’ll take root, so you should still take some medicine. You can’t take your Uncle Lin’s medicine, okay?”
Hu Zi obediently nodded.
Mo Li looked at the child, and when it came to the Crown Prince Zhao Hua of the previous Chu dynasty, he naturally thought of Tang XiaoTang at home.
Physician Mo stretched out his hand and touched Hu Zi’s head. Seeing the mole on the child’s earlobe, he thought this should be the reason for the mistake. The JinYiWei Kun Qi, who pretended to be a traveler, actually regarded Tang XiaoTang as a descendant of the former dynasty who was on the run. He’s simply blind.
Couldn’t a top master like Qin Lu just want to live in the mountains and forests in peace? Do experts have to chase fame and fortune? Would they never do nameless and unprofitable things, and as long as they’re anonymous, they’re protecting someone important?
Just like the case of the previous dynasty’s treasure trove. Magistrate Xue went to the poor countryside to become an official there because he knew the secret to the treasure? That’s why he deliberately disappeared from the public eye?
What a load of crap!
Mo Li thought to himself, could this be the mediocre fools that his teacher said? Like gauging the heart of a gentleman with one’s own mean measure? In their logic, everyone has a purpose in doing things.
If there’s no purpose, they’ll fabricate a purpose and take it seriously.
“…fortunately, Kun Qi’s information didn’t spread, and it didn’t cause trouble for your teacher.”
Seeing that Hu Zi went away, Meng Qi appeared behind Mo Li.
“My little junior brother is an ordinary child, and his parents and relatives are from Zhushan County. What kind of person he is, teacher and I know better. How could he be a descendant of the former royal family? Kun Qi just mistakenly recognized him. One is because of my teacher, and the other is that the child also has a mole on his earlobe. How big can a mole be? Even with my eyesight, if I didn’t look for it, I wouldn’t even find it in Hu Zi’s earlobe.”
The more he thought about it, the more ridiculous he felt. He couldn’t help but sarcastically say, “How many people have moles on their earlobes in this world? Maybe thousands!”
The author has something to say:
There’s more today, I wonder if I can update tomorrow OTZ.
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Happy new year, may you have peace and joy.
Xiao Tang: Papa_I’m_wronged.JPG
Mo Li: Be good, go back and play.