"I hope the Ghost Doctor will keep my recovery from my serious illness a secret for now!" Dongfang Heng said calmly, his gaze solemn.
The Ghost Doctor of Southern Xinjiang was taken aback, then realized that Dongfang Heng was the God of War of Azure Flame, and many people hoped for his death. If they learned that he had recovered from his serious illness, they would surely attack him openly and secretly: "Good!"
"Thank you, Ghost Doctor!" A faint smile appeared on Dongfang Heng's lips. News of his impending death had spread throughout the capital, and someone was about to make a move.
A guard walked to the door and said respectfully, "Your Highness, Prince Zhan has sent an invitation, inviting you to a banquet at Prince Zhan's residence tomorrow!"
---Aside---
(*^__^*) Hehe... The treatment is over for now, new content starts tomorrow, more exciting stuff to come...
Please send some votes as a reward, everyone! The Prince has recovered! Yay!
Chapter 144: The King of Yunnan plots a rebellion?
"I'm not going!" Dongfang Heng refused outright, his voice as cold as ice. He had no interest in the banquet at the Zhan Prince's mansion.
"Yes!" The guard put down the note and left the room.
Shen Lixue looked at the gold-embossed invitation and raised an eyebrow. Everyone knew that he was seriously ill and on his deathbed. If he went to the banquet, wouldn't that be showing people that he was faking his illness?
Dongfang Heng looked at the Ghost Doctor of Southern Xinjiang: "Ghost Doctor, during this time, I will trouble you to continue to stay in the Holy King's Mansion and come to Fengsong Courtyard to take your pulse every day!" If the Ghost Doctor of Southern Xinjiang leaves the Holy King's Mansion, it will be a way of revealing that he has recovered.
"I was just about to investigate whether Jade Glaze is contained within top-grade jade, so I won't be leaving Qingyan for the time being!" The Ghost Doctor of Southern Xinjiang stroked his beard and nodded. He paused, then casually asked, "Does Princess Lixue know medicine?"
Shen Lixue smiled and said, "I only know some basic acupuncture techniques. Pulse diagnosis and treatment are profound and complex, and I am not proficient in them!"
"I see!" The Ghost Doctor of Southern Xinjiang's gaze darkened. "I have two books on acupuncture here. If the Princess is interested, she can take a look and practice them!"
He opened the medicine box, took out two thread-bound books, and handed them to Shen Lixue.
"Thank you, Ghost Doctor!" The Ghost Doctor of Southern Xinjiang was highly skilled in medicine. The medical book that he always carried with him must be a unique copy, hard to find in the world. Shen Lixue liked silver needles, so she did not refuse and accepted the medical book.
"I'm glad the princess is happy!" The Ghost Doctor of Southern Xinjiang looked into Shen Lixue's cold eyes, smiled inscrutablely, slung his medicine chest over his shoulder, and walked out of Maple Pine Courtyard.
Shen Lixue opened the book and looked at the densely packed small characters. She raised an eyebrow and said, "Huh? This isn't a book. It's a collection of acupuncture techniques notes written by the Ghost Doctor of Southern Xinjiang, based on his many years of experience!"
Dongfang Heng glanced at the thick notebook: "The Southern Frontier Ghost Doctor's medical skills are not easily passed on to outsiders. He wants to take you as his apprentice!"
"Take me as your apprentice?" Shen Lixue was taken aback. She was a modern person and not skilled in ancient pulse diagnosis and treatment: "My medical skills are very poor!"
"The Ghost Doctor of Southern Xinjiang must have his reasons for choosing you!" Dongfang Heng picked up another notebook and flipped through it. It was a handwritten notebook about treating various difficult and complicated diseases. It was more precious than some medical books. He generously gave it to Shen Lixue, showing that he valued her as his disciple and taught her without leaving any trace.
The footsteps of the patrolling guards approached and then gradually faded away. Shen Lixue remembered the banquet, closed her book, and lowered her voice, saying, "Dongfang Heng, you and Dongfang Zhan don't get along at all?"
When the two met, they would exchange polite greetings occasionally, but their indifferent tone and distant attitude clearly revealed an invisible contradiction and estrangement.
"It's a long story!" Dongfang Heng looked out at the clear blue sky. The conflict between him and Dongfang Zhan was unusual and beyond the comprehension of ordinary people. "Let's not talk about Dongfang Zhan. Tomorrow, let's go to Zuixianlou for a meal!"
"Aren't you afraid of being seen and suspected of faking illness?" Shen Lixue raised an eyebrow at Dongfang Heng.
"With a little disguise, no one will recognize me!" Dongfang Heng is the God of War of Azure Flame, so this little thing is no problem for him: "The Drunken Immortal Pavilion has launched a new Hundred Treasures Banquet, which tastes extremely delicious. It would be a pity not to try it."
"A Feast of a Hundred Treasures?" Shen Lixue's gaze sharpened, and she asked curiously, "What kind of feast is it?"
Dongfang Heng said mysteriously, "You'll know when we get to Zuixianlou!"
White-cut chicken, braised fish chunks, twice-cooked pork, and ants climbing a tree—these are all very ordinary dishes. But by adding a few medicinal herbs or complementary ingredients, they become medicinal cuisine, making them even more delicious and beneficial to health. They are very popular with guests. Looking at the endless stream of guests coming and going in the hall, Shen Lixue nodded in admiration: "The owner of Zuixianlou is truly a genius businessman!"
Dongfang Heng raised an eyebrow. He simply combined his own ailment with the chefs of the Holy King's Mansion to prepare medicinal cuisine. He felt that the taste was three times better than ordinary food, so he asked Zuixianlou to prepare medicinal cuisine for his guests. That's how he became a genius businessman.
She picked up a piece of braised fish and put it into Chen Lixue's bowl: "Try the braised fish, it tastes delicious!"
As the braised fish entered her mouth, the aroma of meat mixed with a faint medicinal fragrance lingered on her lips and teeth, leaving a lingering aftertaste. Shen Lixue nodded: "It tastes really good!"
"Dongfang Heng, weren't you seriously ill and unable to attend even the banquet at the Zhan Prince's mansion? How come you're here enjoying the Hundred Treasures Banquet?" Accompanied by a mocking laugh, Nangong Xiao pushed open the door and walked in, lightly waving his folding fan, his devilish face bearing an irritating smile.
Dongfang Heng didn't even look up, continuing to serve food to Shen Lixue: "Didn't Prince Nangong also not attend the banquet!" When the banquet started, Nangong Xiao appeared at Zuixianlou, and of course, he didn't go to Zhanwang Mansion either.
"The Zhan Prince's mansion is too crowded, annoying, and chaotic. I don't like it. Besides, the food there is not as good as the Hundred Treasures Banquet at Zuixianlou!" Nangong Xiao sat down opposite Dongfang Heng without any politeness, his charming gaze sweeping over the table full of food: "There are so many dishes, the two of you can't finish them all. Would you mind if I joined you?"
As he spoke, he swiftly closed his fan and very naturally picked up his chopsticks to eat.
Dongfang Heng glanced at Nangong Xiao, his eyes filled with icy coldness: "Has Prince Nangong stooped to the point of mooching meals?" The pleasant atmosphere of his meal alone with Shen Lixue was completely ruined by this uninvited guest, Nangong Xiao.
"It's not that I wanted to freeload, it's just that there were too many customers at Zuixianlou, and I arrived too late, so there were no seats left!" Nangong Xiao said innocently, blinking his eyes as he ate his poached chicken. His voice was incredibly clear.
“There are so many dishes, the two of us really can’t finish them all. Adding him won’t make a difference!” Seeing Dongfang Heng’s gloomy face, Shen Lixue gently advised that it was best not to have any more conflicts during dinner.
"Li Xue is so understanding!" Nangong Xiao's eyes lit up. He glanced at Dongfang Heng provocatively, picked up his wine glass, and poured himself a drink: "The fruit wine at Zuixianlou is also delicious. You must drink more!"
Dongfang Heng frowned. Nangong Xiao had eaten at the Drunken Immortal Pavilion's Feast of a Hundred Delicacies many times, so missing one meal wouldn't have mattered. He was clearly deliberately coming here to disturb their meal.
A soft knock came at the door, and a guard's report rang out from outside: "Your Highness, the King of Yunnan has arrived!"
"What?" Nangong Xiao was suddenly stunned. He hadn't finished his drink and choked, coughing repeatedly. "Cough cough cough... Didn't you say... you wouldn't arrive until the day after tomorrow... how come it's so soon..."
"This... I didn't know." The guard's voice was low and deep: "His Highness is waiting for you at the other residence!"
"I'm going back right away!" Nangong Xiao's face instantly fell. He put down his wine cup and chopsticks, and strode out. His farewell voice drifted through the air: "My father is here. I'll be going now!"
Shen Lixue sat at the table, watching through the window as Nangong Xiao left Zuixianlou, hurriedly leaped onto a fast horse, and galloped quickly towards the outskirts of the town. A slight smile played on her lips; Nangong Xiao was terrified of the King of Yunnan…
Out of the corner of her eye, Shen Lixue caught a glimpse of a familiar figure. Startled, she looked closer and saw Dongfang Yi standing in a secluded corner, facing an unfamiliar middle-aged man, speaking urgently to him.
"Li Xue, eat!" Dongfang Heng put some food into Shen Li Xue's bowl and nudged her arm.
“Okay!” Shen Lixue turned around and replied, then looked out the window again. The hidden corner was now empty; Dongfang Yi and the stranger had both disappeared.