After Being Mistakenly Taken for a Fellow Traveler by Emperor Long Aotian - Chapter 74

Zhou Xun pushed open the door and entered the room. Inside, he saw Aunt Lu sitting next to her son, holding an envelope, and saying something.

“…This is what I painstakingly managed to get for you!” Following this was the sound of the envelope being torn open, “The Holy Maiden said your leg injury is related to the meridians. The control of the meridians lies in the central soul of the three souls and seven spirits. Now, this central soul is tainted, unclear, and darkened, which has led to the impairment of your leg! It’s like a beautiful jade covered in dust; you need to find a way to remove the dust. Therefore, you need to burn these fourteen talismans into ash, mix it with dew collected at the hour of Yin, and drink it continuously for fourteen days. This will cure your leg…”

“Mother, can this really work?” Lu Bin asked doubtfully as he stared at the talismans, “It looks so messy…”

“What messy nonsense! Don’t question it! The gods and immortals are watching, don’t be ignorant like my child.” Aunt Lu’s face turned pale with fear. She clasped her hands together in front of her chest and chanted, then scolded her son, “You don’t understand. When you fell into the sea, everyone said you were dead. If I hadn’t prayed for a long time in the temple, would you have come back alive? There’s a saying in the book, something like, ‘A child should not question strange and supernatural things.’”

A voice echoed in Aunt Lu’s ear, and she clapped her hands, “Yes, yes, that’s the one! My son…”

“…You don’t know, the Red Lotus Sect is truly very powerful, and their miracles are well-known,” Aunt Lu continued, recounting some of the miracles displayed by the Red Lotus Sect. Lu Bin, who had been skeptical, began to waver. Seeing her son no longer dismissing the idea, Aunt Lu seized the opportunity and said, “Anyway, let’s try it. Trying won’t hurt! Son, you need to understand, it’s not easy to meet the Holy Maiden. To get these talismans, I…”

“By the way, Mother!” Lu Bin suddenly seemed to remember something and said hurriedly, “The money I gave you last night, did you send it? The money for the fleet. Now that I’m injured and can’t go to sea, the brothers still need to eat. If they can’t go to sea for a day, they won’t get paid. We can’t let them wait there with nothing…”

“Money?” Aunt Lu’s face showed a brief moment of unease, which was subtle, but clear to another’s eyes. “The money has already been sent! Do you not trust me?”

With this assurance, Lu Bin finally sighed in relief, “That’s good.”

“You too, now that your leg isn’t healed yet. Those people in Huanzhou can’t go to sea or work; they are just idlers, and you still give them money!” Aunt Lu said indignantly but quickly returned to her caring demeanor, “Just focus on recovering and drinking the talismans… Ah, right!”

She then noticed the young man in blue standing beside her and seemed startled, “Who are you?”

Zhou Xun introduced himself once again. His demeanor was neither servile nor overbearing, but Aunt Lu continued to eye him with suspicion, “I don’t know why, but I just…”

Shangguan Mingjing quickly interjected, “He’s my friend.”

“Oh, oh, he’s Miss Shangguan’s friend. That puts me at ease,” Aunt Lu immediately brightened up and then grabbed Shangguan Mingjing’s sleeve, pleading, “Miss, you must make sure your father gives my son justice! If it weren’t for this disaster, he would have made a lot of money! That Zhou family… the Zhou family is wealthy, isn’t it? You must make them compensate us heavily! …And also.”

“Now, could you get them to advance some money? Our family is really…”

“Mother!” Lu Bin interrupted, “There’s still savings in the house. Don’t—”

Shangguan Mingjing was caught off guard when Aunt Lu grabbed her clothes and almost pushed her away.

Zhou Xun, however, restrained her hand.

He gently moved Aunt Lu’s hand away and said kindly, “Lord Shangguan will handle things according to the laws of the court and will certainly provide Mr. Lu with justice.”

“Good, that’s good…”

“As for expenses…”

Seeing Zhou Xun take out his purse, Lu Bin quickly said, “Brother Xun, there’s no need! Really no need! You’ve already gone to great lengths to get the physician. If you give me more money, how will I sleep at night?”

“Bin’er!”

“One favor is enough. Don’t add another one,” Lu Bin said resolutely, “If you give me money, I’ll throw it away.”

With that, he actually tried to stand up using his hands for support.

Seeing this, Zhou Xun withdrew the money pouch. Aunt Lu was pleasantly surprised again, “Physician? Mr. Xun, you really want to get a physician for my son?”

Her surprise was mixed with a lot of doubt. She scrutinized the young man in front of her, trying to understand why this stranger was willing to arrange so much for them, her eyes full of suspicion about Zhou Xun’s motives.

“It’s getting late,” Shangguan Mingjing, standing behind everyone, suddenly said, “We still have time to go to the Imperial Hospital to make arrangements. If we delay further, Physician He and the others might not be available.”

“Indeed,” Zhou Xun patted Lu Bin’s hand, “Then we’ll leave first. If Physician He can’t make it today, he will come in a few days. You should rest well.”

Zhou Xun was almost dragged out of the Lu family’s courtyard by Shangguan Mingjing. Once they were in the carriage, Shangguan Mingjing leaned back and sighed, “I really don’t like staying in that place.”

The carriage rolled towards the Imperial Hospital. Zhou Xun had a general understanding of Shangguan Mingjing’s thoughts; he saw through it but chose not to point it out. Aunt Lu’s reactions were quite common, and Shangguan Mingjing’s discomfort was also normal.

He thought for a moment and asked, “What is this Red Lotus Sect?”

“Red Lotus Sect?” Shangguan Mingjing leaned on the carriage window, sounding bored. “Hmm… I think I’ve heard my father mention that the Red Lotus Sect came from the west, originally from Daliang. They seem to practice medicine and distribute talismanic water every year. They seem to know some medical skills and have some abilities.”

**“Does the Vermillion(Crimson/scarlet) Guard have any intentions of handling them?” Zhou Xun asked, then added, “I’m asking out of personal curiosity.”**

“There are so many matters for the court officials to handle, and the Scarlet Guard isn’t a bottomless pit of manpower,” Shangguan Mingjing waved her hand. “Anyway, even if the talismans don’t work, they won’t harm anyone. Let them distribute them if they want. If it grows on a large scale and the fraud increases, the Department of Punishments can deal with it. But it seems they’ve been active in the capital recently.”

When they arrived at the Imperial Hospital, Zhou Xun was friends with Physician He. After explaining the situation, Physician He immediately agreed to go. Zhang Lingsu, who was nearby examining herbs, also offered to accompany them.

“I have some experience with acupuncture. I used to accompany my grandfather when he practiced medicine and treated people personally. The Zhang family’s medical skills are known for their acupuncture.”

However, as Miss Zhang had just arrived and was very busy these days, they agreed to visit in three days. With this arrangement settled, Zhou Xun reached the entrance of the Imperial Hospital and looked at the sun.

“This is bad,” he murmured.

“What’s wrong?” Shangguan Mingjing asked.

“I’m going to be late for school,” he said.

Shangguan Mingjing laughed, “You’re still in school? I forgot you’re different from us. Go ahead; there’s a carriage here. As for the Lu family, just send someone to inform them.”

Zhou Xun thanked her and left. As he was leaving, he heard Shangguan Mingjing say, “You’ve had quite a colorful day. First the prison, then the Lu family, and in the afternoon, you still have to go to school.”

Old Master Shen had scheduled his meeting with Zhou Xun for the hour of Shen. Zhou Xun took the carriage and hurried, arriving at the Mo Courtyard before the agreed time. He got out of the carriage and headed straight into Youxiang Lane, ignoring the lively scene along the way.

The small shop in Youxiang Lane looked as lifeless as usual, filled only with the musty smell of books and Old Master Shen, who was sleeping covered with books. When Zhou Xun entered, he triggered the bamboo wind chime hanging on the door, but the old man on the counter remained asleep.

Anyone who came here would not have guessed that this person was once a powerful official.

Out of respect for his master, Zhou Xun stood in front of Old Master Shen, hesitating on how to wake him. After calling out several times, Old Master Shen finally woke up. He lifted his droopy eyelids and said to Zhou Xun, “You’re here.”

Zhou Xun bowed. The old man looked at the sky outside and said, “You’re quite punctual. Let’s go.”

He yawned, “Follow me.”

Zhou Xun dared not be negligent. He followed the old man into the depths of the shop, his mind racing with countless unknown possibilities. Just as he was pondering whether there were hidden traps in the secret room, the old man finally stopped.

“Take this.”

A feather duster fell into Zhou Xun’s hand.

Zhou Xun: ???

He looked at Old Master Shen with extreme confusion, while the old man yawned and said, “For the next few days—no, a month, your task will be to dust off all the books in the library.”

Zhou Xun: …

He seriously suspected that Old Master Shen wanted him to come and work as a laborer.

“In addition, you need to categorize and arrange these books,” Old Master Shen continued.

“Categorize? How should I categorize them?”

“Military, politics, literature, society, poetry and songs—arrange them according to these categories. The Mo family’s books should not be mixed with Daoist texts, and books from different eras should be arranged according to their periods.” Old Master Shen winked at him, “If you don’t understand something or are unsure about categorizing, read the book yourself first and then ask me.”

Zhou Xun: …

Old Master Shen: “Any more questions?”

Zhou Xun: “I will follow your instructions, Master.”

The entire afternoon, Zhou Xun spent quietly moving and finding books in the library, working diligently as a laborer.

Most of the time, he understood the contents of the books, and occasionally, he would bring them to the old man for clarification. Old Master Shen, being asked several times, set up a small stool beside him and began fanning himself, engaging in casual conversation.

“Did you go to the prison in the morning?” Old Master Shen suddenly asked while fanning himself.

Zhou Xun turned, slightly surprised, “How did you know, Master?”

“The smell. You’ve got a scent on you,” the old man grinned. “I can still smell it even after many years.”

Hiding his whereabouts from Old Master Shen was pointless, so Zhou Xun explained his morning activities—of course, omitting the man imprisoned deep in the cell. Old Master Shen frowned and muttered, “The Lu family’s boy? I really dislike those Lu family kids. I once fell in love with a princess at first sight, only to have it interrupted by that Lu family fellow. Sigh…”

Holding a book, Zhou Xun continued, “After leaving the guard post, I went to the Lu family’s place. And the Lu family…”

His hand paused.

He vaguely mentioned his strained relationship with his family, almost severing ties. Old Master Shen didn’t seem to care. He merely said, “In that case, you should find an opportunity to completely sever ties in the future. That’s the real business.”

“What do you mean by that?”