What could be more comfortable than snuggling into the doctor’s arms to sleep?
The sand rat said, nothing.
The muscles under its paws were moderately firm and warm.
The summer clothes were thin and breathable, slightly open at the collar, and the chubby rat couldn’t help but nudge it twice.
Mo Li felt the sand rat wriggling restlessly inside.
“Meng Qi?”
The doctor couldn’t help but give a low warning to someone.
The sand rat paused, then slowly poked its head out, staring straight ahead seriously, as if it had just been stifled.
However, the lapel of the garment was hard to secure, so it had to grab a piece of fabric tightly with its paws, hanging there in mid-air.
In winter, the clothes were thick and the gaps between the clothes were small, so the sand rat wouldn’t fall through. Now it was different.
After a while, the sand rat slipped down a bit, instinctively kicking its hind legs twice to return to the “lookout spot.”
When the sand rat kicked its legs for the fifth time, Mo Li stopped walking, silently took it out, and placed it on his shoulder.
Mo Li turned his head to meet its gaze, but the fluffy sand rat looked innocent, completely unaware of what had happened.
“……”
The sand rat’s ears twitched, and its fur suddenly stood on end. It jumped off Mo Li’s shoulder at lightning speed.
At the same time, Mo Li heard a gust of wind behind him.
An ambush?
He turned sharply, raising his palm to deflect the incoming force, using his internal energy to throw the attacker onto a nearby dead tree.
It was a pitch-black owl with sharp beak and claws. It had been hiding among the branches and leaves high up in the trees, looking for prey. In the darkness, it could see everything clearly, but it didn’t recognize the round thing on the human’s shoulder. However, it was especially plump and exuded an irresistibly enticing aroma.
This feeling was like what it encountered many years ago in a mountain in the south, where the prey was delicious. This chubby little thing was even better than all the delicacies the owl had ever eaten!
The owl silently spread its wings. The moment it took off, before it could even extend its sharp claws to firmly grasp the prey’s fur, the delicious little thing noticed it.
This was supposed to be a sure-win hunt, with speed comparable to the top experts in the martial arts world.
But the prey ran away, leaving behind an afterimage. The owl realized it too late to change its stance, desperately flapping its wings, and at this moment, it was pushed by a great force, flipping six times in the air.
“Bang.”
The owl hung on the fallen dead tree, feathers flying everywhere.
Even after fainting, the owl didn’t understand what had happened.
Mo Li suddenly realized, this was his oversight!
He should never have let the sand rat stick its head out, let alone place it on his shoulder! It ended up being targeted by the owl.
Meng Qi first turned into a sand rat during the three-year drought in Yongzhou. Anything edible had been scavenged by starving people, and it was rare to see large wild beasts or raptors in populated villages. Later, in Taijing, the only concern in the capital was house cats.
Mo Li hurriedly searched for the sand rat on the ground.
What he saw next left him breathless.
A gray-brown striped snake with a flat head was coiled on a rock, hissing at the chubby rat.
Too close, the distance was too close.
The snake might have been resting, and the sand rat didn’t notice its presence. To avoid the owl, the sand rat dashed to a crevice in the rocks covered with dead leaves, startling the snake inside.
Mo Li slowly gripped the knife hidden in his sleeve, preparing to take action when the sand rat suddenly turned its body and, with a kicking motion, fiercely kicked a piece of rubble beside it.
“Snap.”
The venomous snake, just about to strike, was hit accurately by a stone.
Because this was no ordinary sand rat, the snake’s head was half-crushed.
Mo Li: “…”
Is the benefit of being chubby that you’re strong?
The doctor conveniently ignored the fact that he was also quite strong as a fish.
Actually, at times like this, the most useful solution was to turn back into human form. However, the snake was too close at that moment, and the difference between a sand rat and a human was too great. The result would be that Meng Qi might end up unclothed, crushing a snake to death.
Of course, this would be the best-case scenario.
In a less favorable case, the snake might bite Meng Qi just before dying.
That would be troublesome…
Although as dragon veins, they had higher poison resistance than ordinary martial arts experts, and their spiritual energy would slowly expel the toxins, it would take time. The stronger the poison, the longer it would take.
Mo Li could provide treatment to speed up recovery from poisoning, but he did not want to see Meng Qi’s face turn dark with poison.
Nor did he want to see the chubby rat lying motionless in his palm.
“I should have covered you with a bamboo tube,” Mo Li said to the sand rat.
The bamboo tube would barely count as a layer of armor, at least enough to block the venomous fangs.
The sand rat scurried off, deliberately avoiding the dead tree with the owl hanging on it along the way.
Mo Li didn’t wait for it to run over; he grabbed the sand rat and stuffed it into his chest.
The chubby rat, with its muddy paws, curled up, unsure if it should touch the doctor’s chest.
—Its whole body was stiff.
This made Mo Li nervously pull the sand rat out to check it over again.
Could it have already been bitten by another snake?
In this awkward moment, the sand rat’s ears perked up again, turning its head to look at the darkness on the left side of the forest.
Mo Li quickly covered the sand rat with his hand, concentrating his internal energy to carefully listen for any movements there.
The forest grew increasingly silent, with only the sound of the wind rustling the leaves.
No, there was a place where the wind didn’t pass through!
“Who’s there?”
Mo Li’s finger wind caused the grass and leaves to flutter, and a wild rabbit jumped out of the darkness, fleeing in panic.
Mo Li wasn’t fooled.
Despite the other party’s good concealment, he still sensed the feeling of being watched like in the wild inn.
“Following us all the way here, what do you seek to teach?”
The sand rat peered through the gaps between the doctor’s fingers.
Mo Li immediately stuffed it back, then released his hand.
At the same time, he quickly speculated about the identity of this unexpected guest.
Was it an assassin from Piaoping Pavilion, someone from Fengxing Pavilion seeking secrets, or a master from the elusive Holy Lotus Sect that everyone speculated about but no one found?
He didn’t consider the four gangs, twelve associations, or other forces like the Qi dynasty’s Jinyiwei because this hidden person’s martial arts were extremely high. In the wild inn, there were still traces, but in this mountain forest, the presence was like decayed wood, very difficult to detect.
How did that saying go? “A small temple can’t house a big Bodhisattva.” With such strength, this person could possibly compete with Gong Jun or even the Ancestor Qingwu.
The branches rustled.
A figure slowly stepped out, wearing a gray robe, with a bald head and a face covered with messy white beard.
“Amitabha.” The old monk clasped his hands together in a gesture of respect and lowered his eyes in prayer, “Benefactor, this old monk greets you.”
Mo Li: “…”
The temple and Bodhisattva metaphor was just something that came to mind. He never expected an actual monk to appear.
“Master, instead of chanting sutras before the Buddha, why are you following travelers into the mountains in the middle of the night?” Mo Li frowned, his expression growing increasingly solemn.
The sand rat sensed the doctor’s right arm tensing up, muscles pulling at his shoulder and back. The internal energy that usually flowed through his meridians like a gentle stream suddenly surged, as if awakening every fiber of his being, ready to unleash a dazzling strike at any moment.
This change was hard to detect from the outside.
Meng Qi was somewhat fascinated.
He heard Mo Li’s heartbeat, different from any other time.
It was the “seriousness” when facing a strong enemy.
Meng Qi tried to focus on the strange monk outside, but his mind was filled with memories of his first encounter with Mo Li.
—They had fought immediately, battling through the night until they fell into Qing Lake, three hundred miles away.
—Back then, when Mo Li faced him, the situation under his robes was just like now.
The sand rat, pressed against the doctor’s chest, couldn’t help but let its thoughts wander.
“Benefactor, there’s no need to be nervous. This old monk is just an unknown itinerant monk.”
The old monk had a fierce appearance, but his breath was kind and broad. When he lowered his eyes and clasped his hands together, there was an air of transcendental wisdom and understanding.
This was proof enough to make Mo Li’s grip on his knife relax.
Although the gathered internal energy didn’t dissipate.
One was a compassionate monk who believed in resolving things peacefully, and the other was a gentleman who treated others with courtesy as long as they didn’t commit evil deeds, so a fight wasn’t going to happen.
“The old monk’s junior brother once took on the task of caring for a child with a troubled life, entrusted by an old friend. The child grew up with many misfortunes, weak and often ill, but survived thanks to the Buddha’s protection. He was born with a strange illness and has now left the temple. I, as an itinerant monk, visit him from time to time. To be honest, although I know some remedies for minor ailments, I am no doctor and cannot treat serious illnesses.”
At first, Mo Li thought the monk was here to seek medical help.
His travel bag contained medicinal herbs, and his body carried a faint herbal scent from years of handling them, something that couldn’t be hidden from martial arts experts.
Unexpectedly, the monk changed his tone, bowing his head and clasping his hands together, saying, “Benefactor, you saved this child’s life. The old monk is truly grateful.”
“Master?” Mo Li was still a bit bewildered, how did it suddenly change from seeking medical help to expressing gratitude?
Who had he saved?
Along the way, to earn money for the chubby rat’s chestnuts, for inn stays, herbs, and clothes, he had treated many patients in Pingzhou, Yongzhou, and Yuzhou.
However, a troubled life? A strange illness?
Mo Li thought of someone but wasn’t sure.
“May I know your Dharma name, Master?”
“The old monk’s name is Yuan Zhi. I just visited Stone Mountain Village last month.”
A look of regret, relief, and sigh appeared on the monk’s fierce face, “Thanks to the doctor’s diagnosis of intestinal abscess, otherwise Yan Cen would have… Amitabha.”
Mo Li gave a short response, momentarily at a loss for words.
What a coincidence.
“…Master, there’s no need for such formalities. However, I am curious, how did you recognize me?” Mo Li wondered if someone in Stone Mountain Village had a knack for drawing accurate portraits.
Yuan Zhi the old monk smiled slightly, reminding Mo Li of his own teacher.
If Elder Qin were here, he would surely say, “I’ve seen many people with these eyes and never mistaken one. Besides, how many young, skilled doctors with remarkable appearances are there in the martial world?” It made sense.
Instead, the old monk said, “Shamefully, this old monk bought the information from Fengxing Pavilion.”
Mo Li: “…”
“Following you at night was improper. I originally intended to see where the doctor would rest and then visit in person.” The old monk glanced at Mo Li’s lapel.
He accidentally saw that the doctor kept a strange rat.
