Chapter 5

Recap

The youth wanted to avoid it but couldn’t and staggered when Mu Gesheng slap landed and said angrily: “In your dreams!”

“I ordered takeout. Your father, I, am a level six member.” Mu Gesheng’s voice came from downstairs, “Pack it or don’t. I will give you a bad review if you don’t.”

The youth seemed to have bursted a vein in anger, stood there and cursed for three minutes. Then bent down and took out a stack of packing boxes from under the table.

___

Anping took a taxi back home. On the table was the breakfast prepared by his aunt, with soft-boiled eggs lying on scallion noodles and a bowl of glutinous rice and pumpkin porridge.

Anping’s parents were busy with business abroad all year round, and Anping was used to living alone. He put breakfast in the microwave to heat up, and counted the remaining homework. Twenty-five papers in one afternoon… he will not be able to finish them no matter what, forget it, just copy.

Anping takes things seriously and rarely takes advantage of others. This is the first time since he was in high school that he copied other’s homework. However, after going through all the crazy things last night, homework doesn’t seem to be a big deal. It is reasonable to be lazy for a while after escaping death.

He was still thinking about Mu Gesheng’s story. After all, it was too unbelievable. If he hadn’t read so many novels, he wouldn’t know how to put his broken world view back together.

It was rare for him to have no homework to do. Anping thought for a while and decided to find something to divert his thoughts. He turned on the home theater downstairs and picked a historical film.

The theme is a bit unpopular, it is a semi-fiction based on true historical facts, the introduction is very short, it did not say which dynasty it is about, though, it is probably the last years of a turbulent dynasty.

Anping pressed the play button and the screen turned from light to dark.

A roll of bead curtains was raised, the lights flickered, like a yellowed old propaganda. There was a vermilion door deep in the veranda*, and a melodious singing tune was faintly heard——

*(

Imagine a red door. Source: huitu site)

“…However arduous it may be, I hope you will help me. Please keep this letter after reading it through. I have been wandering for a long time…”¹

Anping felt that he was probably dreaming.

He must have fallen asleep while watching the movie, otherwise why would he be in the last century as soon as he opened his eyes. There was a long street in front of him. Judging from the street layout, it was probably during the Republic of China.

Anping is used to having a lucid dream. Based on his experience, this dream should not be scary. At least it is from God’s perspective. As long as it is not a first-person experience, the effect will be similar to that of a movie.

Besides, he’s even experienced a ghost bridal chamber, this does not even come close.

Cars and horses passed by, and the streets were bustling with people. Suddenly, there was a loud noise from far away, and a clear shout came from behind: “Make way, please make way! A fight is happening! Be careful!”

A large group of people rushed towards him in the distance, all of them looking miserable and weary, the shout actually came from the back of the crowd, “Lao Er*! We’ve arrived at Changmei Bridge! Take him out with one move!”

*(Second brother, not related by blood but they are under the same master so they are said to be as close as family.)

The person who was shouting was a young man, with a vivid expression, nimble hands and feet. Very quickly, he jumped to the end of the street, where there was a bridge and a shallow river across the street.

The young man stood on the opposite side of the bridge, knocking down all the people who wanted to cross the bridge into the water. However, the crowd continued to come forward, everyone looked like they were running for their lives, as if even if they couldn’t beat the young man on the bridge, they would still have to try because there was something more terrifying chasing them from behind.

The bridge was getting more and more crowded, a strong wind suddenly surged up and swept through the street, rushing past and heading straight to the bridge. The crowd on the bridge flew everywhere instantly, they seemed like flowers* that were scattered in the wind, and then fell into the water with a splash. There were splashing sounds one after another, and soon the shallow river was filled with people, like a pot of crowded dumplings.

*(maybe to describe the colorful outfits)

“The sword is drawn like the wind, and fallen flowers drift into the flowing waters.” The young man at the bridge clapped his hands and said with a smile: “Lao Er, if you had drawn the sword earlier, one of us would not have injured his arm and the other would not have sprained his foot.”

“Just like what the kind sir has said, There is nothing to do recently, so I can only draw my sword once in three days.” A person walked along the long street. He was also a young man of similar age, holding a long scarlet sword in his arms.

Anping watched dumbly from the onlooker’s perspective, thinking to himself, has his imagination been upgraded? How could he dream of such a beautiful person?

It’s not beautiful. Beautiful is too plain to describe this person. It’s a sharp masculine beauty.

The young man had a pair of phoenix eyes. He was holding a sword, his temperament was like a knife. His appearance was breathtakingly beautiful, and his aura was sharp and murderous. His back was straight, like wine poured on a sword.

Anping was dumbfounded, but most passers-by are used to it, “Master Song came down from the mountain?” “Today is the fifth day of the Lunar New Year, and classes are suspended.” “Sure enough, these guys like to fight when they come down from the mountain.” “They are young after all…”

The boy called Lao Er looked aloof, but he spoke in a very down-to-earth manner, “We are finally fucking done here. Let’s go find a place to drink.”

“Wait a minute.” The young man on the other side of the bridge fished someone out of the water and said with a smile: “This kind brother, please help me deliver a message to your young master. This time he was beaten by me. I asked him to call me dad. Next time he loses, he will have to call me grandpa, and the next next time, he can bring his biological father to kowtow to me. Whoever dares to forcefully occupy this place, I will beat them up every time I see their face. Before he does anything foolish, he should first check to see whether his ancestral graves are still there.”

Lao Er listened impatiently, “Lao Si*, what are you talking about there? Are you done?”

*(Fourth Brother)

“Come on, come on.” Lao Si raised his hand and threw the man back into the water again, “A sword is used once every three days? Then how do you count in the fact that you used a sword to kill a pig yesterday…?” He had just reached the middle of the bridge when he heard a crackling sound underfoot, and then a loud roar, and the entire bridge collapsed.

“…Lao Er, you are too cruel.” Lao Si popped his head out of the water, “It was just a pig, why bother splitting the bridge because of a pig?”

“Aren’t you embarrassed? Did you not eat it too?” Lao Er snorted coldly, “Did I kill the pigs to feed them to the dogs?”

“Hey, are you angry?” Lao Si made a face, “Bark.”

“Bark your ancestors.” Lao Er curled his lips and fished the person out of the water. “You look pathetic right now, don’t go drinking today. Find a doctor to fix your arm.”

“It’s okay, it’s nothing. If I go any later, Guan Shanyue’s first song will start… Why are you like this again!”

“Don’t give me nonsense.” Lao Er directly picked up the person, holding the other person’s belt in his hand, “Go to the doctor first and book Guan Shanyue next time.”

“Then I want Aunt Yue to play mahjong with me!”

“Don’t you fucking know how to write the word ‘giving face’*?”

*(meaning someone is tolerating the other person’s shenanigans even though they don’t really want to participate because they don’t want to embarrass the other party.)

Anping watched the two people chatter all the way, and followed them until they finally stopped in front of a mansion. The gate appeared very grand, the courtyard was huge, and two palace lanterns were hung in front of the vermilion door. Lao Er didn’t go through the main door, but turned into a side alley and knocked hard on the side door, “Chai! Is he here?”

“Are you knocking on the door or robbing someone?” Lao Si raised his head, “Whose house is this? Which doctor is so rich?”

“Yao house, Mr. Chai.” Lao Er said, “We didn’t bring any money when we went out. We can probably pay it after.”

“Hurry up and put me down! We can’t even afford to pay for Dr. Chai’s services!” Lao Si was being held up by his belt. Hearing this, he struggled for a while, “When did you know Dr. Chai? Don’t be deceived by someone else!”

“I don’t know him, but there is a Medicine Hall for people in need in Chai Mansion. No matter your status, anyone can come in and seek medical treatment.” Lao Er said, “The fight just now hasn’t ended yet. That grandson must not be satisfied. I will go back and beat up his father too. You’ll stay here for one night and return tomorrow.”

“You want to beat his father? Put me down! I’m going too!”

While the two were in a stalemate, the side door creaked open, and a man dressed as a servant came out, “These two young masters, are you knocking on the door to see a doctor?”

“He is.” Lao Er raised his hand and threw the person directly through the door. “I will come by again to pick up the goods tomorrow.”

“Don’t worry, young master.” The boy bowed his hands and saluted, “It’s getting late, please pick him up tomorrow.”

“Lao Er, stop right there, I’m going too!” Before he could finish his words, the other party kicked the door shut.

The servant smiled indifferently, bowed his head and said, “Young master, please come in.”

Lao Si seemed to be here for the first time. He was led into a medicine room by the servant. A child who was making medicine stood up and said, “Good evening, young master. What kind of injury do you have?”

“A little scratch, sorry to bother you, doctor.” Lao Si rolled up his sleeves. Anping was shocked when he saw that half of his arms were covered in blood, and his skin and flesh were badly bruised and cut. It’s no wonder that Lao Er would forcefully drag him here. Anping couldn’t tell what kind of material the clothes are made of, he wasn’t even able to tell the severity of the wound from the outside.

“There are fragments of blade in the wound.” The medicine boy looked at it with a lamp and brought out a wooden tray with tweezers, needles and thread inside. “It will be very painful when I take it out. Does this young master want anesthesia?”

“No, the little doctor can just sew it up.” Lao Si waved his hand: “By the way, does Chai Mansion take care of the food? Is there any wine?”

“No food will be allowed after the Xu hour* in Chai Mansion.” The medicine boy started quickly, and he had already begun to thread the needle as he said, “After the wound is sutured, no alcohol or meat is allowed for seven days.”

*(9pm)

Lao Si had no reaction to the suturing of his wounds, but the medicine boy’s words made him grimace, “Seven days?”

“Your wound is very deep. Seven days is the minimum. Please be sure to follow the doctor’s advice.” The medicine boy moved quickly, taking out the blade fragments, cleaning and bandaging it in one go. “Young master is still young, so it is of utmost importance to pay attention to the doctor’s advice to prevent long-lasting side-effects.”

“The little doctor’s words are interesting.” Lao Si laughed when he heard this: “You are so skilled in medicine. You look younger than me, but when you talk, you seem older than my master.”

“Young master, you’ve overpraised this one. I’m just a boy from outside, I haven’t been educated by the Chai clan.” The medicine boy put away the tray and bowed solemnly, “In terms of medical skills, I am not even a thousandth as skilled as my young master.”

“I have heard about your young master.” Lao Si became interested when he heard those words. “Chai clan, Chai Shuxin, took on the role of an esteemed doctor at a young age, a pair of hands that has been said to be able to bring one back to life. It is said that he is a person full of wonders.”

“Our young master is a man with a kind heart, every doctor’s role model.” The medicine boy refused to say any more and sent the person out the door in a polite manner.

“Thank you, little doctor.” Lao Si returned the greeting with a smile, and then stretched out his hand to rub the person’s head, “Seeing that you are very young, go to bed early so that you can grow taller.”

The medicine boy was stunned for a moment, and a trace of anger suddenly appeared on his face, “Young master, you don’t need to worry about me.” Before he finished speaking, the door of the medicine room was slammed shut. Lao Si did not have the chance to ask where he will be staying now, the door and him stared at each other in confusion.

“Was he angry?” He touched his nose, “Was it because I said he was young? Or is it because I said he is not tall enough?”

Lao Si knocked on the door, but there was no reply. This was interesting. He got interested and it just gave him a reason to wander around Chai Mansion.

The young man jumped up to the eaves and looked around, “In recent years, western style mansions have been built in the city, but it is really rare to see such an ancient-style garden.”

Chai Mansion has a standard landscape garden, with a wide variety of flowers and trees, and winding corridors. Lao Si picked a lamp from the beam, and took out a snack box from a room, and ate melon seeds while walking around. “Pharmacy room, study room, tea room, pharmacy room, pharmacy room…” He walked past a dozen rooms in a row, “Is this Chai Mansion a big pharmacy? Why are they all pharmacy rooms?”

He was the most frustrated about taking medicine, so he walked around not to find another pharmacy room, but to find the kitchen. He and Lao Er had been fighting for a whole day, and he was so hungry that his heart was squeezed between his chest and his back.

“Are all the people in the Chai clan’s medicine boxes? Do they eat medicine every day without rice?…Yes!” He finally found the kitchen, which was fully stocked with pots and pans. Lao Si looked into the vegetable basket, “Fuck…No way… Where’s the meat?!”

He turned the kitchen upside down and finally confirmed that Chai’s kitchen only had vegetarian dishes.

This is not a house of doctors, this is a house of monks.

Lao Si thought for a while, then turned left when he went out. There was a pond not far away. After a few attempts he managed to catch a fish, washed it, scaled it, and stuffed it into the pot. He also took a few medicinal herbs from the pharmacy next door and mixed them into the fish soup to nourish and enhance the flavor. He also picked up a bottle of medicinal wine and opened it. The room was filled with the refreshing aroma of wine.

After a while, the fish was cooked. Lao Si took the pot off the stove, picked up a pair of chopsticks and threw it outside, “Brother, you have been standing there staring for a long time. The fish is already cooked. Do you want to try a bowl of soup?”

“Chai Mansion is heavily guarded, how did you get in?” A figure appeared outside the kitchen, “You actually passed the 90-fold corridor.”

“That’s not difficult. By the way, the melon seeds here are quite delicious.” Lao Si held a spoon in his mouth. “Don’t be nervous. I have permission to be here. Someone will pick me up early tomorrow morning.”

He smiled and raised the pot in front of the other party. He seemed very familiar and had no consciousness of having robbed the place. “Your Chai clan rarely touches meat, right? Do you want to try my craftsmanship?”

“…What is this?”

“Red date onion carp soup.” Lao Si said proudly: “I fished it from the pond. I specially picked the one with the nicest color. Look at how beautiful this soup is.”

The other party took two steps back, and the lights in the corridor illuminated his face. He was a young man similar in age to Lao Si, with cold sharp eyebrows, looking down at the pot in Lao Si’s hand.

After a moment of silence, the other party looked up at him and said, “Carp cannot be eaten.”

“Ah?”

“It is not advisable to eat after Xu hour.”*

*(9pm)

“What?”

“Not allowed to break into the kitchen.”

“Where is this going?”

“Not allowed to touch medicinal materials without permission.”

“Why are you so stingy?”

“The things in that pot must not be eaten.”

“Hey, forget it if you don’t want to eat.” Lao Si waved his hand and drank a spoonful of fish soup himself, “I think it tastes good, but you’re out of luck… Hey, hey, what are you doing?!” A few flashes of silver light passed by and headed straight for the pot in Lao Si’s hand, he could barely avoid it, “Do you have any grudge against this pot?”

The other party didn’t answer, and threw out a few more silver needles with his hand. Lao Si was jumping up and down and running around in the kitchen, “If you want to eat, just say so. You don’t have to be so embarrassed! It’s too much to vent your anger on a little harmless pot! Ai, you know how to use acupuncture needles? Are you a member of the Chai clan?”

This man was hiding while eating at the same time. His body was extremely flexible. In a short time, the pot of soup reached the bottom. “Stop! I’ve finished eating!”

The other party heard this and said, “…You’ve finished eating?”

Lao Si burped.

Red date onion carp soup, Anping fell to his knees. He was able to finish it all. What kind of mouth and stomach is this?

“It is not advisable to exercise strenuously after meals. You are a doctor and you must be kind. Let’s take it easy.” Lao Si made a pause gesture, but unexpectedly another silver needle passed by his temple, “Why are you doing it again?! Come on! I am a guest, is this how your Chai clan treats guests?”

“Nonsense.”

“Um, how about this? How much does your fish cost? I’ll pay you!”

“One red-crested carp is worth an entire restaurant.”

Lao Si had a breath stuck in his throat, choked for a long time, and said sincerely: “…Then you should just treat me as a thief.”

The other party frowned and stopped talking. Seeing that the explanation didn’t make any sense, Lao Si immediately jumped out of the window. One of them ran while the other chased, “Why are you so rigid? I’m still a wounded patient. Where’s that benevolent heart of a doctor’s? Or is it that you have ulterior motives? Why? You want to harm a civilian man while the night is dark and the wind is howling? To have such ulterior motives at such a young age – holy shit, help me!”

Lao Si’s skills were honed through years of fighting. The first was to kill people’s hearts, and the second was to beat people up. Therefore, he ran wildly while chattering, just waiting for the opponent to get angry and reveal his flaws. The more serious people tend to be thin-skinned, not to mention that this young man looks full of noble air, so he must not be able to bear it.

Sure enough, an angry voice came from behind: “Shut up!”

The silver needles came flying in. Lao Si was waiting for this moment. He threw out a handful of copper coins with his hand and knocked down the silver needles. Then he dashed forward towards his opponent. He took advantage of the opponent’s stunned moment to kick him horizontally and directly knocked the person into the lake.

“That kick just now was a technique used in the military camps. It is honest and practical, and is just right for dealing with people like you. You’re too rigid, you won’t be able to defend against it.”

Lao Si sat on the eaves and took out a handful of melon seeds from out of nowhere, “I say, brother, you can’t even talk against me, nor can you beat me. How about this? Let’s just forget it and part ways here. Is that okay with you?”

The lake was silent for a moment, and then there was a splash. The other party got out of the water and walked into the pavilion in the center of the lake. The voice came across the lake, and there was a chill in the calm: “You’d better run away fast.”

“Run away? If I was able to run away, why would I even be reasoning it out with you here?” Lao Si glanced at the other party and suddenly stopped eating melon seeds. “I’m going, alright? What’s with that look in your eyes? Do you want to kill someone?”

He has been on the battlefield since he was a child, and he is very familiar with this look. If they really were to fight now, it will not be surprising that someone will lose their limbs at the very least, or even die.

“Brother, my arm is still injured.” He tried to negotiate, “There’s no point winning like this.”

The young man wrung out the water in his clothes and said, “A gentleman can be killed, but not humiliated.” He took off his white silk gloves and said, “If you can kill me, feel free to walk out of Chai Mansion and no one will stop you.”

The Chai clan has had outstanding medical skills since the past dynasties, and one of the biggest things a doctor relies on in this world is a pair of good hands. Inquiring about the pulse and applying acupuncture all rely on their skills with their hands. The Chai clan has always paid attention to the care of their hands. Usually, the Chai clan’s doctors will wear gloves. There are usually only two situations where they can take off the gloves.

To save a person or to kill a person.

Alright. Lao Si shut up. Looking at this situation, he can’t leave without a fight. This person is too stingy. He only made his clothes a little wet. He is not a girl, so why did he make such a big move?

But he didn’t say these words again, lest the other party would burst a vein again. It’s just a fight. Anyway, it’s not his house that is in danger of being wrecked, so what is he afraid of?

“Okay, if you want to fight, I will acquiesce.” Lao Si stood up from the eaves and stood with his hands behind his back. “Before we start, please tell me your name.”

The two of them faced each other across the lake, with a bright moon hanging high in the sky with a cool night breeze passing by.

The young man looked at him and said calmly: “Yao house, surnamed Chai, Chai Shuxin.”

Lao Si was startled, then smiled and said: “It turns out that you are the young master of the Yao house, whom I have admired for a long time. I am lucky to have a fight with you today, I am delighted that our fates crossed each other’s paths.”

“This one is from General Mu’s. Under Tiansuan* sect, Mu Gesheng.”——

*(maybe not important but 天算 (tian1 suan4)→ 天 means heaven/sky/ 算 means calculate → Heaven’s plans)

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The author has something to say:

However arduous it may be, I hope you will help me. Please keep this letter after reading it through. I have been wandering for a long time——Gu Zhenguan——

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T/N: This was a really long chapter but it introduces us to our key characters at last 😀 

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Update: Every weekend~

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