Immortal Travel of Longevity

In Jingshi, the further south one went, the more treacherous it became.

But after the Prince of Yan's campaign of pacification, the Southern Region had settled down quite a bit. To outsiders who knew no better, however, it was still branded with the words "southern barbarians."

That was merely idle talk from people ignorant of the truth.

The Southern Parts were much more peaceful now.

The mountain bandits had dwindled, and most of the local strongholds had either been wiped out or granted amnesty.

Their group passed through Yan County and arrived at the neighboring Qiuyue Fang.

"The wine of Qiuyue Fang is famous across the Southern Domain. It sits on the frontier; dynasties have risen and fallen over the last century, but this place seems completely untouched," Master Jin San said, lifting his gaze toward a Daoist temple on the distant mountain. "That is known as Liuyun Temple."

Ruyi blinked in surprise. "That sounds a little familiar."

Master Jin San smiled. "Naturally. I imagine Mister Chen must have casually mentioned it a time or two in his early years."

"I remember now!"

"Could this be Uncle Chen's old home?"

Master Jin San nodded. "It is indeed."

"Years ago, when I was traveling the world and passed through here, I heard the story of Immortal Liuyun from an old man," he explained. "Thinking back on it later, I grew more and more convinced that Mister Chen had been here. When I saw him again, I asked him about it, and after a bit of back and forth, I finally confirmed it."

Ruyi stared at the Daoist temple on the mountain, her eyes shining. "I want to go up and take a look."

"Let us rest in the settlement first," Master Jin San suggested. "The journey these past few days has been exhausting, and it is getting dark. Why not go tomorrow?"

Ruyi thought about it and agreed.

Besides, the long journey had completely worn out her mother. At her age, Wang Sanniang couldn't handle any more tossing about. So, they decided to settle in first.

Master Jin San had purchased property here long ago. He hadn't just chosen this place because Mister Chen once lived here, but primarily because it was peaceful. He also owned a bookstore here, making it convenient to have people looking after things.

The group settled in one by one.

The weather in Qiuyue Fang was lovely, and the air still felt quite warm.

"The Southern Region is truly warm," Dong Chiyu remarked.

The evening glow spilled over them, leaving a pleasant warmth in its wake.

It was nothing like Qingshan City, where the wind cut to the bone and even sitting in the sun did little to help. Of course, Qiuyue Fang could be cold too; the shaded areas were exceptionally chilly, making one shiver whenever the wind blew.

"It really is. So warm," Ruyi murmured.

Wang Sanniang went to rest early. The exhaustion of the journey had understandably given her a headache.

Ruyi originally wanted to take her to see a doctor, but Wang Sanniang insisted it was nothing unusual and didn't pay it much mind. Unexpectedly, she began shivering with chills that night, her face flushing red and then turning deathly pale.

"You're burning up!"

Ruyi touched her mother's forehead and panicked.

Uncle was still over at Master Jin San's quarters to express his gratitude.

Seeing her mother's condition, Ruyi hurriedly called for him.

"Uncle, Uncle!" Ruyi cried. "Mother's forehead is burning up! Where can we find a doctor in Qiuyue Fang?"

Uncle was alarmed by the news.

Master Jin San sat up in alarm and immediately questioned his servants.

"Which doctor in this area is the most skilled?"

The manager of the bookstore quickly responded, "Master, Doctor Tong at Tongji Hall here in Qiuyue Fang has exceptional medical skills. I will send someone to fetch him at once."

Master Jin San nodded repeatedly. "Hurry, be quick about it."

...

Tong Zhihuan was in the middle of eating dinner at home.

Halfway through his meal, someone rushed to his door, reporting that a family member was running a severe fever with a burning forehead. Without finishing his bowl of rice, Tong Zhihuan hastily grabbed his Medicine Chest and hurried out.

A high fever was a serious illness that could easily turn fatal, especially for the elderly.

"Has the patient eaten anything unusual recently?"

Ruyi stepped forward. "My mother hasn't eaten much of anything. It's likely because she caught a chill from the wind."

Tong Zhihuan nodded in understanding.

The group swiftly arrived at the house.

After seeing Wang Sanniang, Tong Zhihuan performed a brief examination. He then had someone fetch some herbs from the pharmacy. After brewing and administering the medicine, Wang Sanniang's condition finally began to improve.

Ruyi breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank you so much for today, Doctor Tong."

Tong Zhihuan smiled. "It's no trouble, it's just..."

"To be honest, I was dragged over here before I could finish my meal. I reckon the food at home is already cold. I wonder if your kitchen has prepared anything? I could make do with a quick bite."

Hearing this, Master Jin San said, "We've only just arrived, and our kitchen hasn't started cooking yet. I'm afraid we'll have to trouble Doctor Tong to walk a few extra steps; the restaurants should still be open right now."

But Tong Zhihuan waved it off. "Ah, if that's the case, forget it. The food at those restaurants is quite expensive. It's not worth it, not worth it at all."

"There is no need to be polite, Doctor Tong. Truth be told, I own a bookstore and am not lacking in funds. A single meal is nothing to fret over."

Despite the generous offer, Tong Zhihuan ultimately declined.

He simply felt that while scrounging a quick bite from a household was fine, having someone purposely treat him to a banquet at a restaurant was a bit inappropriate.

In the end, no one could persuade him otherwise. Tong Zhihuan took his leave, bowing as he backed out the door.

Ruyi exhaled deeply and said, "We have troubled you a lot today, Master Jin San."

"It's but a minor matter, not worth mentioning."

Master Jin San was also relieved to see Wang Sanniang improving. "I will head back now," he said. "If anything else comes up, just come find me."

"Alright."

Wang Sanniang took the medicine for three days and gradually recovered. Thanks to the hard physical labor she had endured in her youth, her constitution was quite sturdy, allowing her to heal even faster. She was already able to get out of bed and walk around.

Seeing this, both Ruyi and Uncle finally set their worries aside.

However, she still needed to be careful.

And so, Ruyi brought her mother along to visit Doctor Tong to have her pulse checked, just to make sure she was completely cured.

A great many people visited Tongji Hall every day, and Ruyi had to wait in line for quite a while before their turn arrived.

Once inside, Ruyi saw that Doctor Tong was the only one running the entire operation. He handled the pulse diagnoses and the dispensing of prescriptions all by himself. The only other person was a young girl behind the counter, reading and writing, whom Ruyi assumed was the doctor's daughter.

After checking her pulse, Doctor Tong said, "She is fully recovered, but you must still be cautious. Don't let her catch another chill. The sunlight is lovely around noon, so it would be good for her to walk around and soak up some sun."

"Thank you for your trouble, Doctor Tong," Wang Sanniang said gratefully.

Tong Zhihuan smiled. "Healing the sick and saving lives is what a physician is meant to do. It is no trouble at all. Besides, haven't you already paid the consultation fee?"

Wang Sanniang replied, "A physician treats illnesses and saves lives. This is a life-saving grace, and it deserves our gratitude."

Tong Zhihuan chuckled, then shifted his gaze toward Ruyi.

"Is this young lady your daughter?"

"She is."

Tong Zhihuan fell silent for a moment before speaking. "I vaguely sense a familiar aura about you, Miss, though I cannot quite place what it is. I wonder... would you allow me to check your pulse?"

Ruyi blinked in surprise. Though she didn't quite understand, she agreed.

"Of course."

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