Función clerical

Capítulo 3

As dusk touched his brows and eyes, Su Chenche smiled, his beauty breathtaking.

Shen Zhili suddenly lowered her gaze, and when it landed on the ground, she was startled.

This tastes wrong.

The prescription she gave me would definitely produce a flawless decoction, so the problem must lie with the person who prepared it.

Thinking back to the young apprentice who delivered the medicine earlier, something seemed off. Not only did he keep his head down and not dare to look at her, but his voice was also so soft that it was almost inaudible. He seemed very nervous. No, that person wasn't the apprentice from the valley.

If she hadn't come here and drunk that medicine... Shen Zhili suddenly felt a cold sweat run down her back...

He strode out, only to find Qingxing blocking the doorway.

Shen Zhili bypassed him and instructed Dieyi, a maid who was also guarding the door, "Now immediately summon all the medical apprentices to assemble in the main hall."

Dieyi agreed and was about to leave when she suddenly said, "Miss, are you injured?"

"Your finger is only slightly burned, hurry up and go."

Dieyi stamped her foot: "Miss, you can't get hurt."

"I know, let's go quickly."

Qingxing, confused, asked, "What happened?"

Shen Zhili said, "It's nothing, just a private matter in the valley." He paused, then added, "Perfect timing, Master Qing, I have another question for you."

"Whatever the question, Valley Master Shen, please ask."

Shen Zhili hesitated for a moment, then frowned in disgust and said, "You said it would cost ten thousand taels just to hold hands, but what if your young master licks my hands?"

Qingxing: "..."

Chapter Three

Those who enter the valley without permission will not be rescued.

The dead or those who are determined to die will not be saved.

Those who are utterly wicked and commit heinous crimes will not be saved.

Huichun Valley never gets involved in Jianghu conflicts. As long as you don't violate these three orders, Shen Zhili will save you immediately if you give him enough money. Whether you are enemies who are extremely jealous when you meet or long-lost brothers who are reunited, you have to obediently line up for treatment.

When you're out in the world, you're bound to get hurt. And you should never offend a doctor.

Therefore, even though the members of the Demonic Sect knew that Young Master Twelve Nights was in Spring Return Valley, they did not dare to openly cause trouble at his door.

Shen Zhili carefully examined each of the medical apprentices and confirmed that the one she had just seen was not among them.

He rubbed his forehead; it seemed that members of the Demonic Sect had infiltrated the area.

This is a bit tricky. Regardless of whether she has taken the money, she must at least ensure the patient's safety in Rejuvenation Valley.

"Miss, about the injury on your hand." Dieyi pouted and took out her medicine pouch to apply the medicine and bandage it for her.

Shen Zhili then noticed that her previously burned finger was swollen. The pain was negligible, so she didn't pay much attention to it. Her constitution was not good, and she was always particularly serious when she got sick or injured.

As she was leaving, Qingxing was still waiting outside the door. With her back to her, she raised her finger, and a circling white dove slowly descended.

"Ahem, Master Qing..."

Qingxing pulled the scroll of paper from under the white dove's feet and said with a wry smile, "Valley Master Shen, thanks to you, I'm afraid I'll be cursed to death by those guys from Huatang these next few days. Could you please give me a receipt for receiving payments?"

“That’s no problem, but…” Shen Zhili glanced at the silly white dove that was happily pecking at its own feathers, “Isn’t it easy to be caught when using a pigeon to send messages?”

"No." Qingxing smiled at her, raised the pigeon in her hand, and then struck it in mid-air with her fingers in the shape of a slingshot. The pigeon's wings immediately faltered, its legs twitched, and it fell straight down to the ground. Its two claws twitched repeatedly, its eyes rolled back, and it stopped moving.

Shen Zhili stepped forward and tested it; it really did resemble a dead bird.

"Our pigeons are specially trained to play dead if they are in danger."

Looking at the pigeon that had seemed so silly just moments before, Shen Zhili suddenly felt a sense of awe and respect: "Who taught you this method?"

Qingxing paused for a moment: "My lord."

Shen Zhili: "..."

...You really can't judge a book by its cover.

Qingxing coughed again: "Valley Master Shen, I've thought about it. The Lord's amnesia is due to a severe blow to the brain..."

Shen Zhili asked in surprise, "Are you planning to let him get hit hard again? Uh, it's a bit dangerous, and if his skull is cracked open, it will be more troublesome to heal, but it's not entirely impossible..."

As she spoke, she stroked her chin thoughtfully, appearing to be considering the matter seriously.

Qingxing hurriedly interrupted Shen Zhili's terrifying thoughts: "No! This time when the master wakes up, he will probably mistake Valley Master Shen for that demoness. What I mean is, Valley Master Shen might as well imitate what that demoness did and see if you can awaken the master's memory..."

Unexpectedly, Shen Zhili did not refuse immediately, but said, "Let's talk about it in a few days. I have business to attend to when I go down the mountain tomorrow. Your master's injury only needs to be treated with medicine on time, so he doesn't need me for the time being."

"But……"

Shen Zhili smiled: "It seems that members of the Demonic Sect have infiltrated as well." She patted Qingxing's shoulder, "For the safety of your master and Huichun Valley, leave as soon as possible. There are carriages for sale in Huichun Valley. If you mention my name, you can get a 1% discount."

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Rubbing his scalded fingers, which wouldn't heal, Shen Zhili rode in a carriage all the way to a nearby town.

In early autumn, the sunlight on the bluestone pavement seemed somewhat languid.

The shops on the street were all open, offering a wide variety of goods, and the sounds of vendors hawking their wares filled the air. The carriage slowly came to a stop at a tavern at the entrance of town.

"Oh, Valley Master, I knew you were coming, so I prepared well in advance."

Shen Zhili patted the wine jar and handed it to the maid beside him. Just as he was about to ask someone to pay, a hand blocked his way and handed him a five-tael silver ingot.

She turned her head to the side, revealing a very beautiful smile, gentle and humble with a hint of ingratiation.

Shen Zhili held back for a moment and looked at Qingxing, who looked completely innocent, behind him.

"Could you explain this?"

It was Su Chenche who spoke first, his voice gentle: "Zhili, it has nothing to do with Master Qing... I'm just really worried about you coming out alone. What if you encounter any danger?" His voice was soft, his brows furrowed slightly, his worry evident in his words.

Who said I came out alone?

Are all these maids around me dead?!

besides……

"Who gave you the right to call me Zhili?"

Su Chenche was taken aback: "Didn't I call you Zhili before? Or was it... A-Li? Li'er? Zhizhi? Li Baobei?"

"...I have a surname, you can just call me Shen Zhili."

Shen Zhili turned around and said patiently, "Also, this town belongs to Huichun Valley, it's very safe, you don't need to worry, hurry back..."

After taking only two steps, he realized that Su Chenche seemed not to have understood what he was saying at all, and followed closely behind her.

"You just..."

Su Chenche lowered his eyes, looking somewhat hurt: "Is it because I don't remember anything that it's inconvenient for you to take me?"

Here we go again!

All he can do is pretend to be pitiful and injured!

However, such a noble young master...

Shen Zhili smiled and said, "Going isn't out of the question, but are you sure you want to come with me?"

Su Chenche looked up in surprise and hurriedly said, "Confirmed!"

An old house came into view. Apart from its size, its location and surrounding environment made it impossible to have any desire to live there.

Once inside, the environment was even more beyond my expectations.

Hundreds of children, no more than ten years old, were crammed into a large courtyard. Some were studying, some were playing, but most were sorting and processing the medicinal herbs piled up in the courtyard.

The combined smells of people crowding together create an unpleasant odor.

Upon seeing Shen Zhili enter, the children practically rushed in and surrounded her.

Shen Zhili pointed to the carriage behind her, and the children bowed to her and rushed to the carriage, but lined up obediently in front of it.

The maidservant alighted from the carriage, lifted the curtain, and revealed a room full of winter clothes, along with some snacks and toys, none of which were particularly valuable.

From the moment Shen Zhili entered, she kept a close eye on Su Chenche's expression.

Surprisingly, he didn't show any disgust; instead, he seemed quite puzzled.

Shen Zhili smiled and said, "These are all my children. I stay here for a few days every month to teach them. The last martial arts instructor just left. Would you be willing to take over?"

Because of her superb medical skills, there were many young men from noble families who wanted to pursue her. Sometimes, it's not that difficult to discourage someone's enthusiasm for pursuing her.

Su Chenche remained silent for a moment.

Shen Zhili didn't ask any more questions, smiled, and walked straight into the house.

Su Chenche's voice sounded from behind: "I originally planned to accompany you, but why not give them a better environment? If possible, I'm willing to pay..."

This time, it was Shen Zhili's turn to be stunned for a moment before bursting into laughter.

What an inexperienced young master...

Shen Zhili turned around and said, "I'm not a bodhisattva. Do you expect me to support them for the rest of their lives by feeding and caring for them?"

If it weren't for such an environment, why would they strive so hard to stand out and become self-reliant?

Ten years ago, she was also one of them. If she hadn't met her master...

Su Chenche seemed to ponder for a moment, then said seriously, "You're right, it's better to teach a man to fish than to give him a fish."

Shen Zhili laughed: "I'm not as noble as you think. I went through the same thing back then. It was good enough if I could give them food to eat. Of course, I couldn't bear to see them living a good life."

Qingxing had been winking and glaring at Su Chenche for quite some time.

Before Su Chenche could answer, Shen Zhili sighed and regained her gentle tone: "Su...Chenche, the things have been delivered, let's go."

Where to?

"Let's go to the inn," Shen Zhili said with a gentle smile. "Silly boy, did you really take what I just said seriously? I'm so rich now, why would I suffer with them?"

After saying that, she turned and left. Just then, a child who had just brought back winter clothes bumped into Shen Zhili. Caught off guard, Shen Zhili took a step back and braced her hand against the wall behind her.

The child also fell to the ground, and the wooden windmill he had just received broke off, rendering it unusable.

Shen Zhili quickly helped the child up, but the child only stared at the wooden windmill that had fallen to the ground, biting his lip tightly, looking like he wanted to cry but was holding it back, and murmured softly, "I collected medicinal herbs for several days to exchange for this, I wanted to give it to my little sister to play with..."