Qin Shi Ambitious

Page 138

The sect leader would not tell anyone that he was now the undisputed leader of the peasant chivalrous family.

Faced with the devastating attack of the Giant Sword, Lu Wei withdrew his sword to avoid being locked by the black chains, and once again raised his sword to block the Giant Sword.

There was another clanging sound of metal clashing, and this time Chen Sheng's strength was noticeably greater.

As the two swords clashed, Chen Sheng adapted to the situation, using his other hand to loosen the iron chain and punching Lu Tangzhu in the abdomen.

Lu Wei remained calm, gathering cold energy in his left hand and using his palm against Chen Sheng's fist. Relying on his superior internal energy, he forced Chen Sheng to retreat several steps, and the stalemate between the two swords was broken.

"Spring chill cuts the palm, you are a member of the Gonggong Hall of the Farmers!"

Chen Sheng looked down at the pale green ice marks on his fist, his eyes narrowing.

"That's right, I have met with Master Kuiwei before."

With his hands behind his back, Lu Wei pointed his sword diagonally at the ground: "But back then I was just a nobody, so it's not surprising that Master Chen didn't recognize me."

After Chen Sheng was expelled from the peasant school, he did not remain indifferent to the affairs of the peasant school in the Jianghu (江湖, the world of martial arts and chivalry), and in the initial stage, he was quite concerned about the reputation of the peasant school.

For example, seven years ago, when Master Lu went to Zhuangshan Town to eliminate the villain Zhuang Jia, it was thanks to Chen Sheng who, upon hearing that Zhuang Jia had attacked a farmers' transport team, angrily took action and destroyed the Zhuangshan bandit camp.

He never gave up his identity as a disciple of a farming family.

However, Chen Sheng's focus was always superficial; when it came to the various halls of the peasant family, he only paid attention to the affairs of the Kuiwei Hall and the Lieshan Hall.

A few years ago, after he discovered that Tian Mi had made a complete mess of his Kuiwei Hall, his attention to her suddenly diminished. He would only occasionally cleave someone in two with his sword if he heard them belittling the peasants in a tavern, and then leave silently.

Lu Wei was not well-known in Dazeshan before Chen Sheng was expelled from the peasant family, so it is normal that the latter did not know him.

When Lu Wei was making a name for himself in the martial arts world this year, he did not promote his identity as the head of the Farmer's Hall.

Although this was not a secret to those who were interested, and could be investigated with a little effort, Chen Sheng never bothered to thoroughly investigate the background of his opponents.

He had only heard in a tavern that a new young swordsman had emerged in the martial arts world, winning dozens of sword fights in a row, so he, being competitive, sought him out, intending only to have a sword duel.

"I am not the Master of Kuiwei Hall." Chen Sheng's tone was low, and his attitude towards Lu Wei was noticeably better: this was not only because of his peasant background, but also because Juque had recognized his strength in the past few rounds of combat.

"If you believe that you are not the Master of Kuiwei Hall, then you believe that you are a traitor to the peasantry."

Lu Wei boldly reopened Chen Sheng's wounds, and under Chen Sheng's sudden sharp gaze, calmly said, "Escape is your Giant Sword Way? You should reclaim your identity as a peasant!"

"You think you know a lot about my swordsmanship!"

Chen Sheng raised his sword, the tip of the Juque sword pointing back at the young man in front of him.

"Your swordsmanship is something only you can truly understand." As sword energy swirled around the Devouring Sea Sword, Lu Wei smiled calmly: "Although we are all colleagues from the Farmer School, compared to verbal sparring, our current battle is not yet over."

The words "fellow farmers" made Chen Sheng's resolute heart tremble. He couldn't help but straighten his posture and say in a hoarse voice, "I like this phrase very much."

"Regardless of the outcome of this battle, I can tell you how I found out your whereabouts."

The words had barely left his lips when the two figures closed in with explosive speed. The sword energy of the Giant Sword and the Devouring Sea was no less sharp than before; in fact, it had become even more ruthless...

------

“Master, I bought a horse-drawn carriage in the town at the foot of the mountain. We’ll go down the mountain tomorrow.”

Duanmu Rong carefully pushed open the wooden door of the simple house and saw Nian Duan sitting awake on the bed. She spoke softly.

“A carriage?” Nian Duan shook his head: “The town down the mountain is just a poor place temporarily pieced together from several villages. How could you have bought a carriage there?”

"Was it sold to you by one of those hunters who often go up the mountain?"

"Yes." Duanmu Rong was taken aback, then nodded with her eyes lowered.

“They all possess considerable martial arts skills and are definitely not local hunters. Didn’t I tell you not to associate with them without reason?”

“But, Master, we're heading south to return to Mirror Lake. Without a carriage, your health…”

Duanmu Rong glanced at Nian Duan, then quickly lowered her head: "They have no ill intentions towards us, and have been helping us for the past year."

"The favors we owe in this world must be repaid!"

Nian Duan looked at his obedient disciple and sighed, "Medicine practitioners are always useful to various factions."

“I am an old woman, nearing the end of my life, and will be of no value after I die. Those hunters are the ones who want to do you a favor and then plot against you.”

"Master!" Upon hearing Nian Duan say "I am about to die," Duanmu Rong couldn't help but look up and exclaim in surprise. Her eyes trembled for a moment before she said with unwavering determination, "An eye for an eye. This journey south is long, and this carriage is very important to us."

"As for the favors owed, I will save a few patients for the person behind this in the future! As Master said, what they covet is my medical skills!"

"Once you're truly trapped, there's no chance for you to escape..."

Nian Duan shook his head, remaining silent, and turned to gaze out the window at the clear sky...

Chapter 159 Not a Single One Will Escape

For Duanmu Rong, Nian Duan was both a teacher and a mother figure.

Since she had personally managed her master's physical condition, she naturally knew very well that what Nian Duan meant by 'not long for this world' was true.

That's why they wanted to go back to Mirror Lake and spend their last days there...

For Nian Duan in his current state, the journey from the Taihang Mountains on the border of Yan and Zhao back to the old Wu and Yue lands is a difficult and arduous one.

Not to mention that they had no means of transportation on this mountain. They would normally have to walk at least a hundred miles to find a horse stable, and as for horse-drawn carriages, they would have to go to larger towns to find a place to buy them.

Today, Duanmu Rong went to the mountains to collect herbs and happened to encounter a hunter who had been lingering near the place where the two doctors had lived in seclusion since last year.

The hunters were kind-hearted. When Nian Duan and Duanmu Rong came, they gathered a group of villagers to help the two girls build a wooden house and often provided them with food and meat.

Nian Duan always offered expensive medicines as a reward, so neither party owed the other anything. In reality, the hunter actually benefited more.

But this time was different. This time, the hunter, whether intentionally or unintentionally, learned that he had recently sold the furs he had hunted over the years and bought a two-horse carriage, which he had set up in a village at the foot of the mountain.

This news brought a surge of joy to Duanmu Rong, who had been worrying about how to return to Mirror Lake. Her usually cold demeanor towards outsiders revealed a noticeable excitement.

Despite Nian Duan's frequent warnings that these hunters had ulterior motives and that she should not accept their favors without reason.

But now, this pair of doctors and their apprentices really need a carriage.

With Nian Duan and Duanmu Rong's medical skills, they would never lack money even if they only opened a small clinic in a town.

However, they have been living in seclusion in the mountains for a long time, and the occasional treatment of patients who come to them is done free of charge. They don't have enough assets to buy a two-horse carriage.

Duanmu Rong didn't have time to think about these things; she only asked the hunter with a hint of urgency if he could transfer the carriage to her.

The hunter had come here for this very purpose, so of course he readily agreed.

And as instructed by Boss Yu, they asked for a very cheap and reasonable price.

That's the amount the two doctors could raise by selling all their assets in the mountains and all their valuables.

Duanmu Rong agreed without any haggling!

Upon returning to the cabin, he informed his master of the news, but was met with a sigh and a few words of warning from his master. Little Duanmu remained unmoved.

“My master taught me that we, as disciples of doctors, should have a heart of benevolence and compassion and take it as our responsibility to heal the sick and save lives.”

"If a doctor will take the initiative to help others, then he can naturally accept help from others without feeling guilty."

"As for the possibility of being exploited... the guiding principle of a doctor is to treat patients. Even if we are exploited, we are still treating patients, so why should we care about being exploited?"

“The world is never that simple…” Nian Duan looked back at his young disciple, his eyes flashing, the reflection in them seemingly showing his own youthful appearance: “A healer cannot heal himself.”

"Once you step into chaos and grudges, healers are the most vulnerable."

"Besides, you are cold on the outside but warm on the inside, seemingly tough but actually gentle. If you get involved in too much of the world, you will end up hurting yourself... At that time, who in the world will be able to save you!"

"..." Duanmu Rong knelt on the ground, remaining silent upon hearing her master's words.

Seeing her strength and stubbornness, Nian Duan sighed again and softened her tone: "There are frequent battles in Zhao, and there are still a few patients on the mountain. The last one to recover will need three more days."

"We can't leave tomorrow morning. Let's leave by carriage in three days."

"Yes, disciple will arrange it immediately!"

Xiao Duanmu's voice rose in surprise.

After bowing respectfully, Duanmu Rong left Nian Duan's bedroom, being very careful and trying her best not to make any noise throughout.

They then went to the wooden ward and checked on the patients inside, confirming that their conditions were similar to what their master had described.

After carefully changing the patient's medicine, she began to meticulously plan how to pay for the carriage and which types of medicine would be easy to sell along the way to earn travel expenses.

After a night of commotion, the clapper on the pillar at the entrance of the secluded place was struck, producing a series of thumping sounds.

Duanmu Rong was startled, worried that her master would be disturbed, and hurriedly left the room.

Upon arriving outside, he saw three swordsmen dressed in black and white standing outside the signboard, strictly adhering to the local rules. His anger subsided somewhat: they were disciples of the Mohist school.

"What brings you three elder brothers of the Mohist school here so late at night?"

After bowing respectfully to them as a junior, Duanmu Rong did not greet them as they entered the clinic. Instead, she led the three of them about twenty paces away from the residential area.

"My master at home is unwell and it is not appropriate to disturb him. I hope the senior members of the Mo family will understand."

She actually had a good impression of the Mohists; the newly appointed leader of the Mohists and the Crown Prince of Yan was very polite. He visited this secluded place several times last year, showing great respect to his master, addressing him as "Master," and even leaving behind several precious medicinal herbs.

The request was rather impolite.

The Crown Prince of Yan hoped that his master could regain control of the medical school and lead the disciples to join the Mohist school and the state of Yan in order to fight against the state of Qin and save the people of the world. This would be a truly great act of medicine.

The master always refused firmly, and the first few times the two sides had a very unpleasant argument.

Later, the Crown Prince of Yan visited less often, but he would still send Mohist disciples to inquire about the well-being of the two reclusive physicians.

Duanmu Rong would naturally follow her master's orders. However, over the past year, she had come to him with 80-90% of the injuries caused by Qin people and soldiers, and she began to believe the words of the Crown Prince of Yan a little more.

Duanmu Rong, who treated these people, was inexperienced in the ways of the world. Listening to the patients' accusations against the tyrannical Qin Dynasty and seeing their injuries firsthand, even though she herself had traveled to the Qin region with her master and did not think that the Qin people were any more vicious than the people of the six states, she still gradually developed a vague prejudice against the Qin people.

They naturally developed a favorable impression of the Mohists, who frequently performed acts of chivalry.

"Has Senior Nian Duan's condition deteriorated to this extent?"

The leader of the Mohist school lowered his voice, his face showing concern: "This place is barbaric; it may not be suitable for Senior Nian Duan to recover."

"We are here on the orders of the Grand Master to invite Senior Nian Duan and Miss Rong to the Yan Kingdom once again."

"A beautiful place has been prepared for the two of you in Jicheng, with carefully trained servants to attend to you, as well as various rare medicinal herbs, which will surely help Senior Nian Duan's condition improve."

"Thank you for your kindness, Senior Mo, but it's not necessary." Although young, Duanmu Rong possessed considerable medical skills and was well aware that her master, Nian Duan's, condition was beyond saving by external conditions or rare herbs...

The words of the Mo family visitors this time were too focused on material enjoyment, which displeased her slightly, and her tone inadvertently turned cold: "My master and I will be leaving Taihang Mountain in a few days, but we have other places to go. Senior Mo family, there is no need for you to come here again."

"Leave? Where to?" The second Mohist disciple asked in surprise, then quickly added, seemingly realizing his words had been a bit abrupt: