Chapter Fifty-One: Seeking a Physician

Back when Su Qing fell from power, Tang Jiuyuan was immediately placed on the list for purging. Yet, unlike Yang Tingyu, who surrendered at once, or Guo Bao and his men, who resisted stubbornly, Tang Jiuyuan took fifty thousand troops and retreated straight to this remote, impoverished corner, temporarily evading the court’s pursuit.

Wen Shanyuan, who had been his fellow deputy in the army, did not agree with this course of action. Under the circumstances, however, he had no choice but to reluctantly accept Tang Jiuyuan’s proposal. This matter always left a lingering rift between them.

Once they fully committed to rebellion, Tang Jiuyuan, owing to his formidable personal abilities, became the leader of the rebel forces, with Wen Shanyuan naturally falling in as his second-in-command.

Yet Wen Shanyuan bore no lasting resentment over this. Ironically, it was Tang Jiuyuan who constantly undermined him, nitpicking at every turn. This fostered a deep-seated resentment among Wen Shanyuan’s former subordinates, who often refused to follow Tang Jiuyuan’s orders. Eventually, Tang Jiuyuan was forced to abandon his antagonism toward Wen Shanyuan. This also explains why, after his plans were disrupted, Tang Jiuyuan refrained from venting his anger on Wen Shanyuan.

Wen Shanyuan, however, had no such time for petty grievances. As soon as he received Tang Jiuyuan’s unequivocal reply, he hurried back to the prisoner-of-war camp where Su Bo was held and, ignoring all protests, resolutely took him away.

Though many were puzzled by Wen Shanyuan’s actions, none voiced any objections.

Thus Su Bo was finally delivered from his torment, even if he had no idea where he now was.

Gazing at the unconscious Su Bo lying on the bed, Wen Shanyuan was at his wits’ end.

“These damned wretches, how could they be so ruthless?” He shot another look at Su Bo, feeling a strange sense of relief.

“At least I didn’t strike the killing blow back then, otherwise…”

Surveying the scars and wounds covering Su Bo’s body and face, Wen Shanyuan could not help but sigh. “When Marshal Su still commanded, what a sight it was! Now the tree has fallen and the monkeys have scattered—even his own flesh and blood cannot be kept safe. I truly don’t know if what I’m doing now is right or wrong.”

Recalling all that had transpired in the army, Wen Shanyuan felt his eyes grow moist.

Looking at Su Bo’s face, he silently vowed, “Marshal, though I am now a discarded pawn, your great kindness to me will never be forgotten. Even if it costs me my life, I will ensure the young master’s safety.”

A sudden crack of thunder split the sky, startling Wen Shanyuan so badly that he collapsed to the floor, staring blankly at Su Bo.

After a long while, he slowly rose, still trembling as he wiped the sweat from his back.

“Young master, I’ll find someone to heal you at once,” Wen Shanyuan said solemnly. He turned and left, shutting the door behind him, leaving Su Bo alone in his coma.

But to his surprise, less than half a cup of tea’s time after he left, Su Bo miraculously opened his eyes.

Taking in the long-lost material world, Su Bo let out a heavy sigh before grimacing in pain from his injuries.

“Thankfully I hid that pill before being captured, or today would have been the end for me,” Su Bo thought grimly.

“The medicine is only enough to heal my internal injuries; as for these wounds on my skin, it all depends on whether someone can help me.”

He felt a complicated tangle of emotions. This group, after all, had nearly killed him, yet now they bowed as subordinates; Su Bo was at a loss how to treat them. Especially after probing Wen Shanyuan just now, he was sure this was no straightforward matter.

“They say they want to protect me, but also to use me. Is staying here a blessing or a curse?” Su Bo felt a wave of frustration. “No wonder protagonists should have humble origins—it gives them time to grow. Now I’m constantly fleeing for my life with no time to develop.”

Remembering he was still thousands of miles from the Blood River Pavilion, Su Bo’s heart sank even further. “The letter of introduction Dong Muming gave me is gone too. I’ll need to do a lot of explaining to get in.”

“How troublesome! In my current state, even getting out that door is a problem. This is infuriating!” Experienced as he was, Su Bo could not help but complain and feel agitated in the face of these troubles.

At that very moment, efforts to find him help were proceeding with equal urgency elsewhere.

“Well? Have you found anyone yet?” Wen Shanyuan was scolding his men, who stood in a semicircle before him, heads bowed, unable to utter a word.

“Look at you lot! What can you do besides fight? Now you can’t even find a single doctor. If you don’t bring me a physician capable of treating the man inside before nightfall, you’ll answer to me with your heads!”

The men cast nervous glances at one another, at a loss for what to do.

“What are you standing around for? Go find someone! Or I’ll ‘cure’ you all myself!” Wen Shanyuan, exasperated by these rough, battle-hardened men, barked angrily.

“Yes, sir! We’ll get right on it!” Realizing the gravity of the matter, the men rushed back to their tents to organize a search.

On the way, they muttered among themselves.

“Why do you think the boss is so concerned about that brat? Did we catch the wrong person?”

“Impossible. The chief told us to grab those two. Maybe they were wanted by Tang Jiuyuan.”

“Forget it. The boss has enough trouble with Tang Jiuyuan already. Let’s just get on with it.”

“Yeah, but that jerk’s learned to behave lately, at least.”

Watching them whisper as they left, Wen Shanyuan sighed to himself, “These men all became outlaws because of me, standing against the court. Life’s easy for us now, but who knows what the future holds? I need to find us a way out. If our rebellion fails, at least my brothers will have a path to escape.”

“But…” He gazed out the window, sighing deeply, “where in this world is there a place for us?”

A hundred miles from the rebel camp, in a small village—

An elderly man, well past seventy, was drying medicinal herbs beneath the fierce sun. Sweat beaded on his brow, shimmering in the daylight.

Just then, a young woman, calling “Grandfather,” came looking for him. Spotting him, she immediately snatched the herbs from his hands. “Grandpa, how many times have I told you to let me handle this! Why won’t you listen?”

The old man smiled kindly, ruffling her hair with fatherly affection. “This is all I have left to enjoy. Keeps the old bones moving.”

Seeing her so busily taking over from him, his eyes grew moist, but he quickly wiped the tears away with his calloused hands. Half in jest, he said, “I wonder where my good granddaughter will marry one day. If I could see that, I’d die content.”

At these words, the girl’s cheeks flushed pink, the color spreading from her ears to her face. She turned away, protesting shyly, “Grandpa, don’t say such things! I’ve told you—I’ll never marry out, so don’t joke about it.”

The old man’s expression grew thoughtful, as though recalling something from the past. Slowly, he said, “I don’t know how long these old bones will last. Your parents… entrusted you to me… Xiaoyue…”

He stroked her hair fondly. “That old Daoist told your mother, when she carried you, that you would one day marry a prince of great renown.”

The girl immediately interrupted, “Why believe such nonsense? If he was so accurate, how did he end up…” She trailed off, changing the subject. “Please don’t talk about my marriage anymore.”

The old man didn’t mind her abrupt interruption. He sat down wearily, rubbing his knee. “Alright, I won’t say another word. Tomorrow, take those herbs Shopkeeper Cao ordered to town, and see if any other pharmacies want borodin. If so, sell the rest as well.”

“Yes, Grandpa,” the girl replied.

Early the next morning, before the sky had fully brightened, the girl set off toward the sunrise under her grandfather’s gentle gaze.

“Grandpa, I’m leaving. Wait for me at home and don’t go picking herbs yourself again!”

“Alright.” He smiled and shook his head. “You’re not married yet, but you already act like an old housewife.”

“Grandpa! Hmph, I won’t argue. I have errands to run.” She frowned, wanting to retort, but remembering her tasks for the day, gave up her “counterattack.”

As her figure receded into the distance, the old man closed his eyes, lost in thought.

Just as he was basking in the morning sun, a shadow suddenly blocked his light. Instinctively, he opened his eyes—not to see his granddaughter returned, but dozens of burly men radiating menace. The sight so frightened him that he toppled over.

Realizing their mistake, the men hurried to help him up. “Our general requests your presence, sir. Please don’t refuse his good intentions.”

With a glance, the leader signaled the others, who then placed a heavy bundle on the table and opened it to reveal a hundred taels of silver.

The leader grinned. “Just come with us, and all this is yours.”

Though he tried to appear friendly, his fierce looks only made him more terrifying.

The old man protested, “My granddaughter isn’t home yet. I really can’t leave. Why don’t you return and tell your master, and I’ll visit another day?”

At this, the burly man’s patience snapped. He dropped all pretense and growled, “Old man, refusing a toast only to drink punishment wine, eh? The general ordered us—no matter what, you’re coming with us. Get him!”

“Yes, sir!” came the chorus.

Thus, despite his trembling and stammered protests, the old man was carried off by the men, unable to utter a word before his mouth was stuffed with rags.

After a brief struggle, he gave up resisting and was reluctantly taken to the rebel camp.

“Alright, set the old man down,” the leader said, lifting the tent flap. Inside, Wen Shanyuan stood with his back to them, lost in thought over a map.

“General, I’ve brought the man you wanted.”

“Oh? Bring him in,” Wen Shanyuan answered absently, only half-listening.

“General, you’re studying the court’s troop movements?” The man immediately saw the deep worry in Wen Shanyuan’s furrowed brow.

“Don’t concern yourself with things above your station,” Wen Shanyuan replied testily. “Right now, our priority is to heal the young master and resolve the tensions among our troops. We can’t start tearing each other apart before the imperial army even arrives.”

“You’re right, General. The army is in chaos. We need unity now more than ever.”

“But our superiors are still dithering,” Wen Shanyuan said with meaning. “The court will soon bear down on us, and we have no natural defenses here. Counting the logistics unit, only fifty thousand men—how can we withstand a purge?”

“General, you mean…” The messenger’s eyes lit with excitement.

“It’s too soon to discuss this. The court probably won’t reach us for months—they’re busy with other rebels. Prince Su once commanded far more than this. Let them take the brunt for now and buy us time.” Wen Shanyuan murmured, “But there’s one man who surprised me—I never expected him to surrender so readily to the court.”

“You mean Yang Tingyu?”

“Exactly. He served Prince Su the longest, yet when the tree fell, he was the first to defect.”

“Times have changed, General. No need to dwell on the past.”

Wen Shanyuan sighed. “Enough of that. Bring the physician in.”

“Yes, sir.”

The elderly man was led before Wen Shanyuan.

Wen Shanyuan looked him over and spoke gently, “Don’t be afraid, sir. I brought you here because someone desperately needs your skills. If you heal him, you’ll receive even more than the silver you saw at first.”

“Who… who are you people?” the old man stammered.

“Heh,” Wen Shanyuan sneered, “that’s not your concern. Just heal the patient—don’t ask about the rest.”

He leaned in and whispered, “This morning, I met a lovely young woman carrying many herbs, heading to town to sell them. She mentioned a grandfather at home, over seventy.”

The old man trembled. “What… what have you done with my granddaughter?”

“Nothing. She’s simply been taken somewhere safe,” Wen Shanyuan replied, not bothering to hide his intentions. “Your medical skills are unparalleled for miles around. Heal my honored guest, and your granddaughter and your silver will both be returned to you, unharmed.”

The old man clenched his fists so tightly his knuckles whitened, teeth grinding, but in the end, he gave in. “Very well. I accept.”