Qin Shi Ambitious

Page 139

"The Zhao region is currently plagued by frequent wars, making it difficult for the two physicians to travel. Our Yan soldiers are willing to escort them."

"The journey to the old Wu and Yue regions is long, so I won't trouble you seniors." Duanmu Rong knew without asking that her master would refuse if she answered this question, so she spoke very decisively.

"The journey is indeed long, and Senior Nian Duan is unwell... We can find a carriage for the two doctors to make their journey easier, so please do not refuse."

The third Mohist disciple had a serious demeanor and did not act rashly like the first two disciples.

"Thank you, senior, but I have already found a carriage."

...

After seeing off the three senior members of the Mohist school, they did not accept the medicinal herbs they had brought.

Xiao Duanmu looked up at the moon and calmly returned to the medical manor.

Passing by the plaque her master had erected beforehand, a plaque for visitors to politely tap upon entering, she didn't hesitate. She took a little extra effort to remove the plaque, ran a distance to discard it, and when she returned to the medical clinic, she suddenly discovered that Nian Duan had actually gotten up and was standing right at her doorstep.

"Master, I'm sorry to have disturbed you."

Duanmu Rong stepped forward, bowed slightly, and prepared to listen to her master speak.

"Are the visitors from the Mohist school?"

Nian Duan coughed and turned to go back into the house.

Xiao Duanmu followed behind, closing the door and lighting the lamp: "Yes, it was the leader of the Mo family who sent them to deliver the herbs. I have already informed them that we are leaving and we did not accept the herbs."

Duanmu Rong didn't intend to mention Yan Dan's invitation to go to Jicheng, as it would only anger her master.

She knew that her master's only wish now was to return to the medical clinic by Mirror Lake... that was where her master first learned medicine.

"What else did they say?"

Nian Duan pressed for an answer.

"They also said that Zhao was dangerous and that they would send Yan soldiers to escort us. They were also worried about our journey and said they would find a carriage."

“All the disciples declined.”

Seeing that her master was in good spirits, Duanmu Rong realized that Nian Duan had been practicing the qi-boosting incantation given to her by the head of the Lu family... Unfortunately, the incantation's effects were waning...

"Rong'er, the disciples of the Mohist school are mostly chivalrous people, which may suit your character, but you must never join the Mohist school!"

Seeing her youngest disciple's expression, Nian Duan immediately guessed that the Mo family visitors had said more than just that, but she didn't care. She simply used this evening as an opportunity to teach Duanmu Rong some lessons:

"I used to have some connections with the former leader of the Mohist school, Six-Fingered Black Knight. His Mohist school did indeed adhere to the principle of non-aggression, and the Mohist school was relatively safe at that time."

"But now, the leader of the Mohist school is actually the same person as the crown prince of Yan. I think Six-Fingered Black Knight has become senile in his old age!"

"The Mohists and the Yan State are now entangled, and they are actively joining the war, which is the most dangerous place for healers!"

"No matter what the final outcome is for the Yan Kingdom, the Mohist school can never return to what it once was. Your personality is not suited for scheming and intrigue; you are only suited to focusing on medical research and saving lives."

"Never join the Mohist school!"

Nian Duan emphasized this sentence again at the end.

"Yes, disciple understands." Little Duanmu nodded.

"Also, don't get involved with farmers," Nian Duan earnestly instructed.

"Why is that?" Xiao Duanmu subconsciously recalled the Lu family head, a farmer who was only slightly older than himself, whom he had met in Handan City.

The farmer's incantation played a very important role in Master's illness, and Master also gave the farmer that basic medical booklet, so the two families must have a very good relationship.

"The peasant school is in a much better situation than the Mohist school, but that Lu Wei, the head of the hall, is also an ambitious and restless person."

"The Mohist group that came tonight said they wanted to give us a carriage, which means that the hunter who has been monitoring this place for more than a year is not a member of the Mohist school, but a member of the peasant school!"

“It is indeed possible that Master Lu is genuinely trying to help us out of kindness, but it is more likely that he has been plotting to get you all along, Rong’er.”

"This disciple does not understand," said Xiao Duanmu, lowering his eyes.

"How could someone who could become the head of a peasant family at the age of seventeen, relying solely on his own strength, possibly have an excessive amount of kindness!"

"Like Yan Dan, he also hopes to find a physician..."

Nian Duan coughed twice more: "The medical profession may be weak, but the importance of doctors has never been less. Whether you are a farmer or a monk, you must stay away from them."

"Do you understand?"

"Disciple obeys." Duanmu Rong lowered her gaze, seemingly lost in thought.

'A seasoned veteran in the martial arts world is a veteran indeed; she'll discover any lingering thoughts you have.'

What Nian Duan and Duanmu Rong didn't realize was that right outside the window of the room where they were chatting, the Hall Master was leaning against something, silently.

Listening to Nian Duan's evaluation of him and her words of guidance to Duanmu Rong, Lu Wei's lips curled into a slight smile:

He certainly wanted Duanmu Rong, but the young girl was too young and her medical skills were not yet at their peak.

The real target right now is, of course, Nian Duan himself.

As for Nian Duan's wariness of him, that doesn't really matter.

This old doctor must not be afraid of death, but if she could live, she would have no way to refuse.

Moreover, Nian Duan and Duanmu Rong, like Lu Ni and Ji Yan, are each other's leverage. People who have entanglements with others are the easiest to control.

I consider myself quite experienced in this area, and neither the veteran nor the novice healer can escape it! They all have to enter the Gonggong Hall and contribute their value to the Hall Master!

They vanished like a ghost, it's not time for me to step in yet.

Three days passed in a flash.

On the morning of the fourth day, all the patients in the medical clinic had left.

Duanmu Rong struggled to carry two large bags of luggage on her back and also helped Nian Duan down the mountain.

The mountain roads were very rugged, and the carriage could only stop at a lower point halfway up the mountain.

The hunter was much colder towards the two healers today, letting them carry their luggage into the carriage themselves.

"Let these two doctors experience the hardships of the real world more, so they'll appreciate the warmth of a rural family more in the future."

Recalling the words of that official, the hunter expressionlessly tossed the riding whip to Duanmu Rong and turned to leave.

He has completed this task and can now be promoted to a three-star pearl grass disciple of Gonggong Hall and become a manager in one of the branch offices!

Not quite used to the hunter's sudden coldness, Duanmu Rong looked at the two horses in front of her with some difficulty.

She wasn't very good at driving and had been thinking of asking the hunter to teach her how to drive down the mountain...

Now I need to rely on my own strength...

Hearing his master's heavy breathing inside the carriage, Xiao Duanmu steeled his heart, went to the two horses, carefully raised his hand to touch their long faces, and tried to communicate with them and get along with them amicably.

After dawdling for a while, she finally boarded the carriage, gripped the reins tightly, and shouted "Giddy up!"

The horse was very obedient and actually started walking.

However, this was only the beginning. Many trials awaited young Duanmu on his journey from the Taihang Mountains to the former Wu and Yue regions...

Chapter 160 Lu Wei, the Good Man

The situation on the battlefield in Zhao has undergone new changes.

The state of Yan was in turmoil, and King Xi of Yan suddenly died. Rumors circulated that Crown Prince Dan had murdered his father, while others claimed that powerful nobles had seized power and killed the king.

Before the Qin army arrived, a civil war broke out in Jicheng. In the end, led by the Mo family's White Tiger mechanical beasts, Yan Dan was victorious and drove away the opponents.

But for an internal conflict, this is only the beginning.

Many of the defeated nobles fled to Liaodong, where they established a new royal family member as the Prince of Yan, raised an army, and faced off against Yan Dan of Jicheng.

While declaring these powerful nobles as traitors, Yan Dan, after inheriting the throne, once again conscripted soldiers from the already plundered populace to resist the attacks of the powerful nobles' Liaodong army.

Domestically, the situation was being exploited through various channels, including the insidious propaganda by Qin spies, causing immediate chaos within the Yan army at the front lines...

If Wang Jian couldn't seize this opportunity, he wouldn't be Wang Jian. The Qin army decisively and quietly shifted its primary objective from the city of Handan to the Yan army facing off in the field; a crushing battle was about to erupt...

It was under these circumstances that Nian Duan and Duanmu Rong, master and disciple, decided to travel south to the former Wu-Yue region.

Duanmu Rong's inability to drive caused problems quickly, and the two horses nearly went out of control. Fortunately, Nian Duan was still conscious and took the whip to control the carriage.

Calmly handing the reins to Xiao Duanmu, Nian Duan patiently taught his disciple basic driving skills, just as he would when teaching medicine.

Feeling guilty, Duanmu Rong studied very diligently. This master and apprentice continued their journey, learning slowly yet resolutely.

Once they were out of the Taihang Mountains, Nian Duan was able to return to her carriage and rest peacefully. The lecture had further aggravated her energy depletion.

Arriving at a fork in the road ahead of time, the lord rode his horse leisurely along the roadside, while carriages sped past him without stopping. In the end, the driver did indeed choose the left road.

'It's my turn to make an appearance!'

The time has come to offer timely assistance.

The carriage that the physician and his apprentice were using this time was quite spacious, which would certainly make the journey more comfortable for the people inside. However, this also meant that they could only choose wider and flatter roads.

Such routes are often more likely to be targeted by thieves.

Spacious carriages generally represent wealth and status. Their owners are usually accompanied by guards when they travel, so thieves would not dare to risk their lives.

However, a spacious carriage like that of a small group of women, including a master and his apprentice physician, was destined to be coveted by the increasingly chaotic bandits of Zhao, whose territory had become increasingly chaotic since the start of the war.

Even though both Nian Duan and Duanmu Rong possess martial arts skills, Nian Duan's physical condition prevents her from fighting at all times. A young girl alone cannot suppress greed.

All you need to do is wait patiently, and the best opportunity to make your move will come naturally.

...

In Jicheng, King Dan of Yan received a report from a disciple of the Mohist school that the master and apprentice of the medical school had gone south to Chu. He waved his hand regretfully and dismissed the disciple.

The medical school represented by Nian Duan and Duanmu Rong was very important to the Yan State and the Mohist school.

If it weren't for the fact that he was already the King of Yan and couldn't easily leave Ji City, plus a whole host of domestic and foreign affairs that he needed to handle personally, Yan Dan, the master and apprentice physician, would really have wanted to make a trip to invite them to the State of Yan.

"First deal with the rebellion in the north, then send a letter in the name of the Yan royal family to invite the physicians to Yan."

He straightened the crown on his head, and the problem on his mind was quickly put aside.

For doctors, this is no big deal.

He was the Prince of Yan, and it was the affairs of state that he should be more concerned with.

"Your Majesty, Chancellor Ju Wu requests an audience."