The three men didn't say anything. They got up, hunched over, and walked to the high ground of the western hill to sit and watch the sunset.
A setting sun cast its rays, illuminating a bewitching corner of the valley.
I suspect that when Third Sister woke up, she saw that Third Master looked very different from the handsome young man she had been decades ago, and her love for him vanished. So she covered her face and ran out of the valley.
To be honest, asking an eighteen-year-old girl to calmly accept the fact that "when I close my eyes and open them again, my husband has become an old man" is as impossible as asking Da Feng to calmly accept that his future wife will take a rough and rugged route.
Perhaps at that time, when the three men asked Lin Yi for face, it was to prevent such a tragedy from happening.
Time is a cruel butcher's knife, nipping the May-December romance of the three men in the bud.
I was worried that the Third Master might be seriously injured and lose all interest in the world, so I picked up a lot of scripts, pulled up a stool, and told him those beautiful love stories.
Occasionally, San Gong would respond with a word or two. I pieced together his stammers to reconstruct the scene of San Niang's brief encounter with him.
The gist of it is this: When Third Sister woke up, Third Master did not explain the whole story to her, only saying that he had cured her of the poison; Third Sister tidied her hair, smiled, and politely said to him, "Thank you, sir."
As she was leaving the valley, she asked the three officials, "Do you know where my husband, Zhou Lang, is?"
The three men remained silent, leaning against the door as they watched the beautiful girl walk past their window.
The valley wind seemed to be whistling softly, and the phoenix flowers in front of the Three Dukes' House were still as beautiful as blood.
The girl with the blue and white floral headscarf didn't recognize him.
I saw the wrinkles between my three foreheads gradually sinking in.
I asked him, "Third Master, are you afraid of getting old?"
The three men closed their eyes and whispered, "We're not afraid."
The sky was swallowed up inch by inch by the smoke and haze, then darkened to a blood-red hue.
After a long silence, the Third Duke finally uttered a sound, "I'm afraid."
[Four Three] Flowers in the Mirror (1)
The sky is clear and the clouds are light; the autumn wind rustles as the leaves fall from the trees.
After soaking in the warm jade pool for a while, my body felt slightly hot, and walking in the valley felt much more refreshing.
Therefore, love is a double-edged sword. When I was preparing the antidote for my master, my heart was filled with deep love and expectation. I firmly believed that there was a close causal relationship between "curing my master" and "my master falling in love with me." After my master left the valley and did not return for several months, I finally realized in despair that these two things might be contradictory and could not coexist at all.
Originally, I wanted to live a secluded life in the martial world, living as a loving couple with my master in the valley. This dream has already been half fulfilled, but the other half of the couple will never return to Medicine King Valley, leaving me heartbroken.
In the courtyard, Dafeng carried some bamboo leaves and placed them in front of Xiao Jiu, looking down at Xiao Jiu with bright and loving eyes.
I felt that regardless of whether Xiao Jiu was a demon or a fox, it was truly shocking that he had been raised by Da Feng to be a vegetarian. Moreover, although Da Feng was not very capable, he was still a wild beast of my Medicine King Valley. I could not sit idly by and watch him go further and further away on the path of the Holy Mother. So I went up and grabbed his wings and dragged him into the house.
While I was locked in a fierce hand-to-hand combat with Dafeng, I heard someone say, "Young lady, I've come to find Doctor Xia, but I don't know where he is?"
Looking back, I saw a girl who looked like a maidservant tilting her head and looking at me.
I let go, patted the eagle's feathers off my body, and replied, "He's out on a medical call. Who are you?"
The young woman flicked her sleeve, and a carrier pigeon landed on the back of her hand. She took out an ivory fan inlaid with carved tortoiseshell from her sleeve and handed it to me. "My name is He Ye. I've come on behalf of my wife to invite the divine physician to leave the valley. This ivory fan is part of the payment. After the divine physician returns to the valley, could you please use this carrier pigeon to deliver a message to my wife?"
I nodded in agreement, "Of course."
She smiled and said, "Thank you so much, Miss. My wife and I were doing some business in the capital. We recently returned to Yangzhou to visit our relatives and will return to the capital next spring."
He Ye hesitated slightly, then said, "This matter is somewhat urgent. Madam is only staying in Yangzhou for a few months. I wonder when Doctor Xia will return to the valley?"
I said, "Master will be gone for a long time this time, and I'm not sure when he will be back."
He Ye asked in a troubled manner, "What... what should we do?"
I asked her, "Who does your wife want treated? What are her symptoms?"
He Ye hesitated slightly, "It is my wife, the fifth wife of the Lou family in Yangzhou, named He Yiyi."
I was taken aback. "Is she Lou Xiyue's sister-in-law?"
She was surprised, "Does the young lady know the Seventh Young Master?"
I paused for a moment, then, remembering that I hadn't heard from Lou Xiyue and Qi Xiao in a long time, I asked her, "I know him from before. Lou Xiyue... is she married?"
He Ye's expression was strange, and he mumbled, "Not yet."
I invited He Ye to have dinner with me, and we chatted for a few minutes.
She was He Yiyi's dowry maid, and they entered the mansion together at that time. He Yiyi's husband is the fifth son of the Lou family. Lou Junyan is a well-rounded man, capable and talented, and he manages the Lou family's silver bank business to great success.
I asked He Ye, "What illness does Madam Lou suffer from?"
He Ye seemed reluctant to explain to me, and only said, "Since you are a disciple of Doctor Xia, would you like to come with me to Yangzhou? I can tell you by examining your pulse."
If I go to Yangzhou, I will inevitably run into Qi Xiao and Lou Xiyue, which will be somewhat awkward.
I declined, saying, "You even have to hide who you are treating and what your ailment is. I think you are not being sincere in your medical treatment. Medicine King Valley rarely makes house calls, and I don't want to break my master's rules."
He Ye hesitated for a moment before saying, "To be honest, my lady actually wants to treat Fu Yi, the young master. He's mute."
I rested my chin on my hand and thought for a long time. "Fu Yi, that name sounds familiar. I think I've heard it before."
He Ye said, "Miss, have you also heard of the play 'Master Fu'?"
Her reminder suddenly brought back memories, and I excitedly slammed my hand on the table. "Back then, when he sang Farewell My Concubine, I always went to support him. I could recite all the lyrics backwards. 'His strength could uproot mountains, his spirit could cover the world, Yu Xi, Yu Xi, Yu Xi.'"