Chapter 38 - Scholars Feel Like Old Friends at First Sight

Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios

In the backyard…

“Leader, is that young doctor your lover?” Li Fuzhou asked with a strange expression.

“Yes,” Zhao Qingmei answered simply.

Li Fuzhou slowly said, “If Sect Master isn’t married, then this Li will definitely condemn you to death. But since this matter has already been decided in the coffin, then it’s meaningless for me to say anything else.”

“However, there are some things that I must say to warn you.”

Zhao Qingmei said calmly, “Go ahead.”

She was already prepared for Li Fuzhou’s lecture.

Li Fuzhou said slowly, “Sect Master, the physician is just an ordinary person while you are the master of Heaven’s beyond, the leader of the Heaven, Earth, and Mortal Sects. Let’s not talk about external enemies, will the internal three sects agree to this marriage? You should know the intentions of the Earth Sect’s master. If the Heaven, Earth, and Mortal sects are divided and cannot be united, it will undoubtedly be a huge crisis for the Demon Sect.”

“There are still external enemies lying in wait. The current situation of Great Yan seems to be as calm as water, but it has been peaceful for dozens of years. There will be a storm at any time, and this is a rare opportunity. Will he become your obstruction and become the Demon Sect’s obstruction?”

“I am aware of everything you said.”

Zhao Qingmei placed her hands behind her back and said calmly, “Sect Master Li, don’t forget that I’m the master of Heaven’s Beyond. The Earth Sect is merely a branch of Heaven’s Beyond. It’s not his place to criticize me. If he insists on criticizing me, what’s the point of the Heaven Sect to me?”

Zhao Qingmei spoke calmly, but there was no doubt about it.

Li Fuzhou remained silent, seemingly unsurprised by her words.

“The sword in your hand is the sword in your hand. Li Fuzhou, do you understand?”

Zhao Qingmei turned to look at Li Fuzhou.

“The behavior of a gentleman is like a long trip. One must be humble when one is at a high position. I understand.”

Li Fuzhou looked at the pair of eyes and lowered his body. “However, that little doctor doesn’t even have the strength to tie up a chicken. If someone wants…”

“That’s why you came at the right time.” Zhao Qingmei smirked.

“Sect Master, do you want me to…?” Li Fuzhou frowned slightly.

Who was he?

He was the Sect Leader of the Mortal Sect, a Heaven’s Beyond.

Someone like Human Emperor Yan, one of the three great eunuchs, Zhangxi Eunuch, actually wanted to protect an insignificant physician?

“That’s right.”

Zhao Qingmei nodded and said, “Thank you, Third Master.”

“Fine.”

Upon hearing Zhao Qingmei’s words, Li Fuzhou had no choice but to agree. He then seemed to have thought of something and said, “When I came to Yuzhou, I heard that there was a peerless swordsman in Yuzhou City. I heard that he was an expert from the Demon Sect?”

Cao Gang was a top-notch gang in Great Yan. One of the seven Great Vajra Realm martial experts, Tie Yunshan, was killed and the entire headquarters was massacred. This was a huge matter and he had heard quite a bit of news along the way.

Moreover, he was the sect leader of the Mortal Sect, he was the first to hear news about the world.

He actually did not know that such an expert had appeared in the sect.

Zhao Qingmei said indifferently, “This person isn’t a member of our Demon Sect. He should be using Cao Gang to mislead us and make use of others to deal with this swordsman.”

“Cao Gang is really bold. If the swordsman is really a member of our Demon Sect, he is completely provoking our Demon Sect. It seems like our Demon Sect is no longer as powerful as before.”

Li Fuzhou chuckled. “When I came here, I heard that the Leiyin Monastery is making a move too. They seem to be coming to Fa Xi Monastery. Jiangnan Dao is really quite lively.”

“Buddhists? They’ve finally made their move?” Zhao Qingmei asked.

“That’s right.”

Li Fuzhou sighed. “Pure Land Sect has long wanted to return to the Yan Country. This isn’t a secret. The first thing they have to do is to pass through the Yan Country’s cult. We don’t have to worry. After all, the more chaotic the situation is, the better it is for the Demon Sect. What I’m curious about is the identity of this swordsman.”

The Pure Land Sect of the Western Regions was known as the Three Thousand Buddhist Kingdom. Among them, there were countless experts from Buddhist sects.

The First True Sect was the Yan Country’s sect after the Peace Emperor ascended the throne. Its prestige was like the midday sun and it was the number one sect in the world.

Although the two sides did not have a deep blood feud and were like fire and water, there were many grudges between them and their conflicts were not shallow.

Zhao Qingmei gently knocked on the table and said, “According to my guess, this person is very likely from the Phantom Valley Sect.”

“That old fogey from the Phantom Valley Sect?” Li Fuzhou narrowed his eyes. “Didn’t he live in seclusion to seek the Great Dao and never ask about the facts of the martial world?”

Zhao Qingmei nodded and said, “This person executed the Hundred Steps Flying Sword when he was massacring Caoyao Gang. He also rescued Jiang Sanjia and made my plan fail.”

“This old monster from the Phantom Valley Sect has not done anything for decades. As the saying goes, it’s a joy to have friends from afar.”

Li Fuzhou’s eyes were filled with anticipation.

…

Yuzhou River was scenic and beautiful. There were endless streams of people on the ancient bridge.

On both sides of the street were rows and rows of shops.

After lunch, Zhao Qingmei and Tan Yun went out to buy some cloth.

An Jing was in charge of consultation while Li Fuzhou was in charge of getting the herbs according to An Jing’s prescription.

He was meticulous and serious in his work, and made no mistakes when weighing the herbs.

“The handwriting is too messy. You have to correct your attitude. You can’t be careless about this,” said Li Fuzhou strictly as he looked at the words.

‘Old man, what do you know?’

“Got it.”

An Jing agreed readily, but still wrote in a very careless manner.

When Li Fuzhou saw this, he immediately felt that this little physician was becoming more and more annoying. An Jing actually looked down on him.

Li Fuzhou gave An Jing the impression that he was serious, old-fashioned, and scheming.

For the entire morning, apart from this sentence, the two of them did not say anything else.

“Ouch, my waist is about to break.”

An Jing stretched his back lazily. “Third Master, some herbs in the back room can be sunbaked. I’ll leave it to you.”

“Got it.”

Li Fuzhou put down the book in his hand and walked towards the backyard.

An Jing nodded in satisfaction, then touched the Lil Blackie. “Little thing, you seem to be quite well-behaved this morning.”

Li Fuzhou’s face darkened when he heard this.

Bastard!

These words were definitely insinuating.

“Hey, Doctor An, are you alone?”

At this moment, Zhou Xianming walked in and glanced at the back hall as if he was looking for something.

“Who are you looking for?”

An Jing raised his eyebrows and asked, “Are you here to work again?”

“No, I just came to take a look.” Zhou Xianming laughed dryly. “Recently, I’ve been studying hard at home, so I came out to walk… Ahchoo!”

As he spoke, Zhou Xianming sneezed, and his mucus rolled out.

“Did you really catch a cold?”

An Jing took a closer look and said, “The season has changed recently, you have to keep warm.”

With his medical skills, he could naturally tell that Zhou Xianming had caught a cold.

“It’s windy on the boat. I accidentally caught a cold last night. It’s fine.” Zhou Xianming wiped his snot with his sleeve and smiled.

“The wind on the ship is strong?” An Jing was puzzled.

Zhou Xianming also seemed to know that he had let his tongue slip. He hurriedly said, “For the past few days, I had been studying seriously at home. I didn’t go to support Miss Li Yue. I was afraid that she would be worried, so I went to the Red Mansion last night. Back then, Young Master Ming Fei booked the entire Red Mansion’s pleasure boat. I could only wait outside.”

“How long did you wait?”

“Not long. Less than four hours.”

“This isn’t long? You just waited like that?”

An Jing could imagine the scene of the young master named Ming Fei and Li Yue lingering on the pleasure boat while Zhou Xianming stood outside the boat and listened to the sentry.

Tears were shed by those who heard it!

Zhou Xianming sighed and said, “You don’t understand. Young Master Ming Fei often goes there and is very generous. For the sake of money, the procuress definitely doesn’t want to offend this big customer. She forced Miss Li Yue to accompany her for so long, but she had no choice. She only hates me for not having money to redeem her.”

“In truth, Miss Li Yue is so aloof and proud. How could she be willing to accompany that ignorant and incompetent man like him?”

“She must have suffered last night.”

When An Jing saw this, he was stunned for a moment before saying in astonishment, “Brother Zhou, you were obviously frozen like a grandson.”

At this moment, Zhou Xianming had shown An Jing what a war wolf was.

“Although my body is cold, my heart is warm. Forget it, you’re just an ordinary person. I won’t waste any more time with you.”

Zhou Xianming felt that An Jing was not on good terms with him. Just as he was about to leave, he suddenly found a book on the table. “Eh? You read this book ‘Strategy’ too?”

“No, I use it to clean my ass.”

An Jing took a look. This was obviously the book Li Fuzhou had put down.

“How disgraceful!” Zhou Xianming glared at him.

“That’s my book, how dare you!”

At this moment, Li Fuzhou walked out. He picked up the discussion on the table and looked coldly at An Jing.

“So it’s the old man’s book, so sorry for being rude.”

Zhou Xianming saw Li Fuzhou’s attire and hurriedly bowed. “I was wondering why Doctor An has the book ‘Strategy’ at home when he doesn’t like to read.”

Li Fuzhou raised his head and said indifferently, “Such a profound book isn’t something an ordinary person can understand. Forget about him. You’re quite perceptive.”

“I usually like to study ‘Strategy’. I’m sure you’re an elegant person.”

“Oh? Boy, you do have some foresight. This old man also likes it very much. Every time I read those words, my heart would be enlightened and unable to control myself.”

“Especially that line…”

…

The two of them chatted happily. Zhou Xianming’s admiration for Li Fuzhou increased. He felt like he regretted not meeting him earlier. Li Fuzhou looked at Zhou Xianming with greater satisfaction.

An Jing looked at the two coldly. He did not expect him to build their relationship.

Weren’t the two just flattering each other and flattering each other? It was really disgusting.

Unknowingly, the two of them had become old friends. It was like meeting a bosom friend.

Zhou Xianming smiled warmly and said, “Mr. Li, we hit it off right from the start. Why don’t we go to the brothel and listen to music tonight?”

Zhou Xianming must be out of his mind to invite this old-fashioned and pedantic old man to listen to music? An Jing thought to himself.

But what happened next made An Jing’s jaw drop.

“Go to the brothel and listen to music?!”

Li Fuzhou clapped and smiled. “Alright! I haven’t been there for a long time.”

“When was the last time Old Master Li went?”

“Two days ago.”

“Two days? That’s a long time indeed. I don’t have much money on me. I wanted to borrow some from Madam An this time and return it when I have money in the future.”

“It’s fine. I still have some on me.”

…

The two of them chatted and laughed as they walked out of the Ji Shi Hall, leaving An Jing with a stunned expression..