Chapter 118: Leaving the Village, Astonished by the Great Upheaval

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While Shen Qianmo, the woman Meng Yuanheng could not stop thinking about, was being sorely troubled in Shuangxi Village, a voice like a demonic chant rang beside her ear.

“Divine Physician Xie! Divine Physician Xie, are you home?”

In the kitchen, where she was helping Sister-in-Law Gu prepare the meal, Shen Qianmo frowned and sighed inwardly in exasperation.

She very much wanted to pretend she had not heard, but the voice outside continued with relentless persistence. At last, even Sister-in-Law Gu could bear it no longer. She gave Shen Qianmo an apologetic smile, set down what she was doing, and went out to open the courtyard gate.

Outside stood a young man with rather refined features. His hair was tousled and his clothes carelessly arranged, making him look somewhat unkempt.

When he saw Sister-in-Law Gu, the young man split his lips in a grin, revealing two rows of white teeth, and asked eagerly, “Sister-in-Law Gu, is Divine Physician Xie here?”

Sister-in-Law Gu stepped aside to let him into the courtyard and advised him, “Doctor Baili, if you are here to ask Miss Xie to take you as her disciple again, you might as well save your breath. Miss Xie will never agree.”

Although Sister-in-Law Gu had not seen much of the world, she could still tell that the young woman her husband had rescued was extraordinary. Whether in bearing or in learning, she was outstanding and certainly no ordinary girl.

They had never asked why the young woman had been left alone and wandering in Shuangxi Village, because she had frankly told them that her husband was at Jinyang Pass and might be searching for her everywhere. Once she had recovered, she would go to Jinyang Pass to reunite with him. Thus, no matter how brilliant Miss Xie’s medical skills were, she could never take a disciple in Shuangxi Village.

The young man nimbly slipped into the courtyard and headed straight for the kitchen, saying as he went, “Sister-in-Law Gu, as the saying goes, perseverance conquers all. I refuse to believe Divine Physician Xie is made of stone. As long as I show enough sincerity, she is bound to be moved by me…”

He continued muttering all the way to the kitchen. The moment he saw the calm, composed figure standing at the doorway, delight spread across his face.

“Divine Physician Xie! Divine Physician Xie, I know where we can find Paris polyphylla!”

Watching the young man dash toward her as though he were presenting her with a priceless treasure, Shen Qianmo was rendered speechless. Had she known Baili Xiao would be so persistent, she would rather have died than reveal her medical abilities before him.

That was right. This young man was Baili Xiao, the only physician in Shuangxi Village.

And the Divine Physician Xie he spoke of was naturally Shen Qianmo.

Whether as the eldest daughter of the Duke’s Estate or the future Princess of Xuan, her identity was in any case sensitive. To avoid unnecessary trouble, when Brother and Sister-in-Law Gu had asked her name, she had lied and told them that she was called Xie Qianbai.

Xie was her mother’s surname, while the name Qianbai had naturally been taken from the word “country lanes.” Although lying to the people who had saved her life seemed somewhat immoral, she was even more afraid of inviting needless trouble.

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All she wanted now was to recover as quickly as possible, then find a way back to Jinyang Pass.

Lately, she had been plagued by an ominous premonition, and the feeling left her deeply worried about Meng Yuanheng.

The Paris polyphylla Baili Xiao mentioned was actually a fairly common medicinal herb in the south, which was why it appeared so frequently in Old Duan’s medical texts. Its principal effects were to clear heat, detoxify, reduce swelling, and relieve pain. It was especially effective in treating boils and carbuncles, sore and swollen throats, snake and insect bites, injuries from falls and blows, convulsions, and spasms.

Yet the herb was rarely found in the north. A few days earlier, a child under one year old in the village had suddenly suffered an attack of infantile convulsions. The onset had been so sudden that the child continued to twitch, and by the time the parents discovered it, the infant had already fallen into a coma and was in critical condition.

Baili Xiao knew it was a case of infantile convulsions, but he had not practiced medicine for long and was clearly inexperienced in pediatrics. Faced with a baby so tiny and delicate, he was momentarily at a loss.

In the end, Shen Qianmo could bear it no longer. She took the silver needles from his hand and administered acupuncture and medicine without the slightest change in expression. Calm and unhurried, she moved swiftly and precisely. Baili Xiao had stared at her in utter astonishment, admiring her so deeply that he was ready to bow at her feet.

From that day onward, Baili Xiao had haunted Shen Qianmo like a restless ghost. He had taken it upon himself to call her “Divine Physician Xie” and clamored to become her disciple. Once he began calling her that, the villagers followed suit.

Unable to bear the constant harassment, Shen Qianmo had casually recited a few passages from Old Duan’s medical texts to fob him off. She had never expected Baili Xiao to be such a medical fanatic, possessed of an extraordinary passion for the healing arts. The last time, she had merely mentioned Paris polyphylla in passing, yet the man had doggedly searched for it ever since.

The place where Baili Xiao claimed the herb could be found was a valley called Netherworld Valley, more than ten miles from Shuangxi Village.

And Netherworld Valley lay within the territory of Northern Di.

Crossing the border to gather herbs was not a first for Baili Xiao. The reason he had come to report this particular discovery to Shen Qianmo was that he did not know what Paris polyphylla looked like and wanted her to accompany him.

Looking at Baili Xiao’s ingratiating expression, Shen Qianmo arched a brow. She had not left Shuangxi Village in over a month; perhaps it would do her good to get out for a while. She might even be able to learn what was happening beyond the village.

The two of them made a few preparations, each carrying a simple bundle, and set out from Shuangxi Village, traveling north toward Netherworld Valley.

For convenience, Shen Qianmo had dressed as a man. Although Baili Xiao insisted that he was the same age as Shen Qianmo, for some unknown reason he seemed not to have fully grown. He was scarcely taller than she was. Thus, as they traveled together, they looked like two brothers on the road.

After half a day of travel, it was already noon when they passed a crude teahouse by the roadside. Baili Xiao cried out that he was thirsty, pulled Shen Qianmo inside, and found them a table.

Shen Qianmo was thirsty as well, so she did not object. Baili Xiao took two sesame cakes from his bundle and handed one to her, saying ingratiatingly, “Brother Xie, you must be hungry. Have something to eat.”

He had meant to call her Divine Physician Xie, but remembering Shen Qianmo’s warning before they left, he hurriedly changed his words. The sudden correction nearly made him bite his tongue.

Shen Qianmo glanced at his apparently unclean fingers, shook her head, and said mildly, “No need. I’m not hungry.”

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Naturally, she could not bring herself to say that she did not want to eat because his hands were dirty. Baili Xiao, however, looked aggrieved. Pouting, he said, “Brother Xie, surely you don’t think I’m dirty? Don’t worry. Although my hands look dark and yellow, it isn’t because I haven’t washed them. It’s because I gather medicinal herbs year-round…”

Baili Xiao continued explaining across the table why his hands were dark and yellow, but Shen Qianmo’s attention had already been caught by the conversation between two men at the neighboring table.

One of them, a middle-aged man with a black beard, lowered his voice and said, “Hey, have you heard? Zhengyang Pass in the northwest is about to fall.”

The other man was visibly startled. “Something has happened at Zhengyang Pass too? Could it be that, after Northern Di was driven out of Jinyang Pass by the Feiyun Cavalry last time, they were unwilling to accept defeat and have turned to attack Zhengyang Pass instead?”

The black-bearded man shook his head and said mysteriously, “You’re woefully uninformed, brother. The ones attacking Zhengyang Pass this time aren’t Northern Di. They’re the Feiyun Cavalry, who just defeated the Northern Di army at Jinyang Pass!”

The man opposite him was plainly shocked. “The Feiyun Cavalry? How is that possible? Aren’t they the most valiant horsemen under the Meng family army of Prince Xuan’s estate? The House of Prince Xuan has always been loyal to the throne and devoted to the people, driving back countless enemies. Why would they attack their own countrymen?”

The black-bearded man let out a sorrowful sigh. “The House of Prince Xuan is no longer what it once was. After the new emperor ascended the throne, he proclaimed a general amnesty throughout the realm, yet singled out the House of Prince Xuan with an edict of punishment. He stripped Prince Xuan of his title and authority and ordered him escorted back to the capital. Who could have guessed that Prince Xuan would not only refuse to obey the imperial decree, but raise an army in rebellion, seize Jingzhou, and now send a large force to attack Zhengyang Pass…”

Shen Qianmo lowered her head and stared at the teacup before her, yet she heard every word of the conversation at the neighboring table.

But she could no longer take in what they said afterward. Her mind roared, leaving only two sentences behind.

A new emperor had ascended the throne.

Prince Xuan had rebelled.

How could this have happened? The old emperor was dead, then—but which prince had succeeded him? And why had A-Heng defied the ancestral code, suddenly rebelled, seized Jingzhou, and attacked Zhengyang Pass?

What exactly had happened during the time she had been away?

A-Heng, are you safe now?