Qiu Jing: I want that swordsman, I also want the information, and I have money.
The swordsman endured the pain of dislocated joints in his limbs, staring expressionlessly at the two opposing sides.
Mo Li knew that this man couldn’t wait for them to start fighting, preferably until both sides were badly injured.
The swordsman’s intentions were so blatant that anyone could see it at a glance.
Qiu Jing couldn’t help but laugh and clap, saying, “This brother from Piaoping Pavilion, we will not draw swords to fight over you. Hey, we roam the jianghu to make a living, and who knows when we might need the divine doctor to save our lives, so how dare we offend Doctor Mo?”
The swordsman was taken aback and looked at Mo Li.
Although this person had just diagnosed him, tried to treat him, and even spoke of his kidney failure, his behavior was really strange, completely unlike a doctor.
Would a divine doctor ask for two pieces of clothing as a consultation fee when someone was already almost naked?
Would a divine doctor interrogate without severe torture, without using acupoints or poison, and reveal someone’s childhood experiences through pulse diagnosis? Wait, this method does sound like a divine doctor. But why not care about the killer’s origin and instead ask if there were mountains near his hometown?
Thinking that Mo Li was competing with Fengxing Pavilion for him, perhaps only to know about the mountains, the swordsman’s scarred face suddenly twisted.
Mo Li looked at the bag, pondering what posture would be most convenient for picking it up and running.
Although there were many people on Fengxing Pavilion’s side, none could stop Mo Li.
Yuan Zhi stood by, reciting scriptures, pretending to be neutral.
Seeing the situation was not good, Qiu Jing decisively said, “Since the doctor is unwilling to let go, there is another way. May I say a word?”
Mo Li looked up, and Qiu Jing coughed dryly, pointing at the bag:
“You can take the person first, and Fengxing Pavilion will come to take over after one day, how about it?”
As soon as the words fell, Fengxing Pavilion’s people started to stir, obviously dissatisfied.
Not to mention a day, even giving Piaoping Pavilion’s assassin a quarter of an hour, this person might be dead beyond revival. It wasn’t that they didn’t trust Mo Li, but Piaoping Pavilion’s people were just that sinister.
Moreover, they had traveled a long way, made great efforts, and finally chased this lead, only to miss the account books of the Si family’s rice shop by one step. Yesterday, they clashed with Piaoping Pavilion at the Si family’s rice shop, and the swordsman killed several of their people. Almost everyone present was injured, including Lord Qiu, so how could they give up?
“Master, this…”
“Why are you in such a rush? Doctor Mo’s medical skills are exceptional. Haven’t you all heard about them?” Qiu Jing said while giving his subordinate a look.
The experts of Fengxing Pavilion paused for a moment, then immediately understood.
“That’s right, we were originally looking for a famous doctor to find out what kind of drug these assassins from Piaoping Pavilion had taken to make them either go mad or die, leaving no survivors.”
Actually, they had sought out doctors before. There were people in Fengxing Pavilion who had some medical knowledge, but none could figure out what was wrong with the assassins from Piaoping Pavilion. They couldn’t even tell if they were poisoned or had fallen ill.
In the civilian areas of Taijing and Qiantang, there were indeed some highly skilled doctors, but they were all elderly men with white hair who rarely made house calls and couldn’t endure the long journey to bring someone over. Besides, there was no certainty of capturing an assassin from Piaoping Pavilion in time. Any delay would mean the famous doctors would only be able to examine corpses.
These highly skilled doctors had tempers too. If they found out that Fengxing Pavilion had called them to examine corpses instead of live patients, they would leave in anger.
Fengxing Pavilion was just an information-selling organization in the martial world, not high-ranking officials. They could find ways to get these famous doctors to come for a house call, but they couldn’t force them to determine the cause of death of a corpse. That was the job of a coroner, a profession looked down upon.
With no other options, they had to seek out highly skilled doctors from the martial world.
Martial world doctors excelled at treating external and internal injuries, and a few could even detoxify poisons and curses. The downside was that the more skilled the doctor, the more elusive they were. Fengxing Pavilion was not afraid of not finding them but feared that these doctors wouldn’t want to offend Piaoping Pavilion!
With such troubles, Fengxing Pavilion was about to give up and have their own people bury their heads in medical books.
Now, with Qiu Jing’s reminder, everyone’s eyes lit up, and they hurriedly nodded in agreement.
“This is really fortunate.”
— No need to seek out those famous doctors and look at their faces anymore!
“I’ve heard that the doctor cured many martial artists of chronic illnesses in both Yongzhou and Taijing, his medical skills are extraordinary. He is an esteemed guest whom we couldn’t usually invite.”
— Closely associated with the former imperial advisor! A hidden divine doctor!
“The Master thinks far ahead, we were impatient.”
— A doctor who is not afraid of offending Piaoping Pavilion!
Everyone’s faces were filled with joy, as if they had just shed a huge burden or solved a major problem. They couldn’t wait to come over, respectfully invite him to the seat of honor, add tea, serve water, and fan him, just to avoid having to read ancient medical books.
Mo Li: “…”
Fengxing Pavilion was an expert in gathering information, and these people in front of him were the best among them. If they didn’t want to, no one could read anything from their faces.
How happy must they be to abandon even their habit of concealing their emotions?
“Alright,” Qiu Jing said, her mouth twitching as she raised her hand to signal everyone to be quiet.
Mo Li seemed to understand.
Oh, this was for their master’s benefit.
It seemed that the poison used by Piaoping Pavilion to control their assassins was very tricky, so much so that even Fengxing Pavilion couldn’t find a doctor to solve it.
Mo Li thought, if Meng Qi were here, he would probably be raising his price right now.
“A day is too short, how about three days? In three days, I will return the person to Fengxing Pavilion,” Mo Li said, pointing at the swordsman.
“No, no, the longer the night, the more dreams, and unexpected events might occur.”
Qiu Jing coughed dryly, a smile appearing on her lips.
Being able to “negotiate” was a good sign. If there was no room for negotiation, then there would be no business at all.
“If the doctor can solve the poison controlling Piaoping Pavilion’s assassins and give us a prescription for peace of mind, then three days is fine. It’s no big deal.”
Mo Li slowly shook his head and said, “This person is not poisoned. There’s nothing to be seen from him.”
Qiu Jing leisurely shook the paper fan in her hand, confidently saying, “This person brought many subordinates. They should have scattered and fled by now. Fengxing Pavilion has placed a lot of manpower here. Once we catch them, we’ll immediately bring them to the doctor. If the doctor doesn’t mind, we have a place for you to stay, ensuring comfort, with hot meals, hot water, newly prepared clothes, and everything needed for detoxification and interrogation. Fengxing Pavilion can provide all these.”
Mo Li: “…”
This was not just handing the person over to him, but clearly trying to bring him along with the swordsman to Fengxing Pavilion’s branch.
“Master Qiu’s kind offer is appreciated, but…”
“It doesn’t matter if the doctor doesn’t think much of it. Just please let us know your temporary lodging so we can send the captured assassins there. This is a serious matter. As long as the doctor agrees, Fengxing Pavilion is willing to owe you a favor and also offer a hundred taels of silver. For any other martial world secrets you want to know, Fengxing Pavilion will answer three for free.”
Mo Li hadn’t reacted yet, but Monk Yuan Zhi’s eyes widened.
A generous offer indeed!
“Hmph, a waste of effort.”
The swordsman looked disdainful. How could the poison used by his master be easily resolved?
Mo Li was not angry at all and directly admitted, “I am not well-versed in the art of poisoning, Master Qiu should think this through.”
Qiu Jing was a bit surprised because Mo Li only needed to agree verbally, and if he couldn’t find a solution later, Fengxing Pavilion couldn’t do anything about it.
Having seen so much haggling and deceit, encountering someone who spoke so honestly made Qiu Jing very uncomfortable.
She looked at Mo Li again and suddenly had a suspicion.
With the skill of reviving the dead, unparalleled martial prowess, elegance, gentlemanly demeanor, modesty, and integrity, never having done anything shameful… This description sounded so much like a certain martial arts elder.
The Divine Doctor of Xuanhu, Qin Lu, once the world’s greatest master.
Thinking of this, Qiu Jing hesitated to speak.
What concerned her was not that Mo Li might be Qin Lu’s disciple, but the possibility that he might be Qin Lu himself… It wasn’t impossible. Master Meng was of the same age as Qin Lu, and what did Meng Qi’s face look like? Too young, unnervingly young.
Since the end of the Chu Dynasty, there had been no news of Qin Lu, and everyone assumed that the divine doctor was no longer alive.
Counting the years, the time Qin Lu retired from the martial world was not far from the time Master Meng resigned and disappeared.
Qiu Jing’s expression changed rapidly. Sometimes she thought her suspicion was reasonable, other times she berated herself for being foolish. There is no such thing as immortality in this world, only unique martial arts. It was understandable for one person like Meng Qi to practice such a technique, but what about Qin Lu? Wasn’t the internal skill he practiced the Haoran Qi? Martial arts techniques could be changed, famous weapons could be discarded for new ones, but how could internal skills be altered without destroying one’s own martial arts?
“No, no, definitely not,” Qiu Jing denied it.
Thinking about the reports from Fengxing Pavilion, it mentioned that Mo Li was closely associated with Meng Qi, traveling together in the same carriage, sitting in the same room at the inn…
Qiu Jing felt a bit dizzy.
“Dare I ask… Is Master Meng the doctor’s patient?” Qiu Jing asked cautiously.
“Hmm?” Mo Li was quite baffled, seeing Qiu Jing standing there with a grim face, wondering why she was bringing up Meng Qi again.
“No matter.”
Qiu Jing laughed it off, feeling more at ease.
Sharing meals and accommodations, it could be either close friends or a doctor needing to take care of a patient.
“Is Master Meng also chasing those assassins from Piaoping Pavilion?” Qiu Jing said, shaking her folding fan leisurely. “In that case, why not consider it as Fengxing Pavilion seeking the help of both of you? The price is negotiable. If you can provide an antidote, great; if not, we won’t force it. The doctor just needs to do his best. During the three days, we will avoid being present during interrogations. Any information you get from them will be yours. If you want to sell it to Fengxing Pavilion, we’ll pay ten percent above the market price. If you don’t want to share, we won’t compel you.”
The conditions were quite generous.
Mo Li thought for a moment. He could leave with the swordsman at any time and wasn’t afraid of Fengxing Pavilion pulling any tricks.
Most importantly, it seemed like he could get Meng Qi a new set of clothes?
“I heard there’s a place called Run County nearby. I agreed to meet Meng there.”
“Go, arrange it immediately,” Qiu Jing ordered her subordinate. “Find a secluded, inconspicuous place. I and the master and doctor will follow with the person.”
Monk Yuan Zhi, seeing the matter settled, finally relaxed and said to Mo Li:
“Amitabha, rest assured, benefactor. Fengxing Pavilion’s actions will be flawless.”
An hour later, Mo Li, carrying a cloth bag, arrived with the others at the “secluded” place arranged by Fengxing Pavilion.
“This, this is also a branch of Fengxing Pavilion?” Mo Li’s eyes glazed over.
Qiu Jing tapped her folding fan and smiled, “This place was modeled after some of the best spots in the south. It’s not just this, inside you can eat, stay, and even listen to operas, very comfortable.”
A nearby attendant quickly added, “There are no other guests now. Hearing that the master would come, we cleaned it inside and out. All unrelated people were sent away. We told outsiders that it was booked by merchants from Yangzhou. Honored guests, please come in.”
Mo Li looked at the signboard above, which read “Sweet Spring Bathhouse”.
He thought blankly, he was carrying an assassin, with a monk, and a female disguised as a male martial hero, staying in a bathhouse?
And waiting for Meng Qi in a bathhouse?!
Author’s Note:
There were high-end bathhouses in ancient times, but the problem was that only men could enter.
Sorry the main characters didn’t meet this chapter, they definitely will in the next one OTZ
