The Wheel-Turning Master.

Chapter 16 Coincidence (Two in One)

Lin Bai thought for a long time and decided to be Xiuxiu's partner in picking herbs.

More than 20 days had passed since the incident, and there was indeed no movement in the city. Even if Elder Tong's departure was just a feint, he probably couldn't be on guard all the time after enduring until now.

Besides, he also had a legitimate motive for collecting herbs. Everyone on the street knew that Lin Zhuanlun was in poor health, and they wanted to be a doctor themselves.

Of course, one still has to be careful not to show any sign of being arrogant, and try to act like one who doesn't know any martial arts.

Furthermore, we have to go to another place to collect herbs instead of going to the place where we met the man in green last time. Anyway, Tianlang Mountain is very large and there are many ways to go up the mountain.

And the most important point is that Lin Bai couldn't bear to disappoint Zhong Xiuxiu's expectant eyes.

Although this little girl was a bit nagging, she was fortunately a teacher. She would always hold up three fingers, implying that he owed her family three cents of silver.

But he's actually a nice person.

Besides, this girl probably doesn’t have many friends, otherwise she wouldn’t come to me to hang out.

"Ahem, I have something else to do." Lin Bai said.

Zhong Xiuxiu's shining eyes dimmed immediately. "Okay." After she said that, she lowered her head and walked out with slow steps.

Seeing how disappointed she was, Lin Bai immediately felt remorseful and thought that he shouldn't bully a child.

"Don't go! I haven't finished talking yet!" Lin Bai quickly grabbed her bun and said, "Call me brother, and I'll go with you."

Zhong Xiuxiu turned around, raised her head, and stared at Lin Bai with her dark eyes, as if she was weighing whether Lin Bai was teasing her.

She hesitated for a long time, bit her lower lip with her little tiger teeth, and said with difficulty: "Brother."

"Let's go!" Lin Bai locked the door, feeling very proud.

If you can’t bully Elder Tong, you can bully a little kid?
Grabbing her backpack, Lin Bai walked away.

Zhong Xiuxiu was stunned for a moment, then followed with an angry face, but didn't say a word.

After leaving the city and crossing the market, they arrived at the foot of the mountain.

"I went to the market to find you first. They said that you haven't been to the stall for a long time and have been recuperating at home. Is it true?" Zhong Xiuxiu had been holding it in all the way, and finally couldn't help it and continued nagging.

"Don't ask about such things!" Lin Bai put on the most annoying adult expression that children would find annoying.

"He is afraid of illness and is afraid of seeing a doctor." Zhong Xiuxiu muttered softly.

Lin Bai ignored her and searched for herbs with his hoe while paying attention to his surroundings.

There was nothing unusual this time. On the way, she met a few farmers who were going up the mountain to collect herbs and firewood. Zhong Xiuxiu chatted with them for a while.

After a busy day, the two went down the mountain.

The market at the north city gate had not yet ended, and those who were familiar with Lin Bai came to greet him, but they just made meaningful expressions with their eyes.

Lin Bai ignored him, but Zhong Xiuxiu kept looking at him with confusion.

After returning to Baicaotang, Lin Bai discovered that Doctor Bai's face looked less pale than usual and he looked depressed.

"Doctor Bai, what's wrong with you?" Lin Bai asked with concern.

Lin Bai's courtesy was not insincere, but his concern was genuine.

In this world, the only people who are truly good to me are Sister Zhen and Doctor Bai.

Sister Zhen gave me steamed buns and shoes, and even gave me money, which showed that she wanted to live with me.
Doctor Bai not only allowed me to buy medicine on credit, but also borrow medical books. He was a truly kind-hearted doctor who did not ask for anything in return.

"You're tired from seeing patients every day and it's so hot." Zhong Xiuxiu's face, which had just been filled with smiles, immediately turned sad, and she walked forward to give Doctor Bai a back massage.

"I'm fine." Doctor Bai shook his head and smiled. "I'm old, and I have no appetite in the summer. My qi and blood are weak. It's not a problem."

"They say that every time." Zhong Xiuxiu said in a low voice.

"Go cook first." Doctor Bai looked at Zhong Xiuxiu lovingly and said with a smile, "I'll chat with Xiaolin for a while."

Zhong Xiuxiu glanced at Lin Bai, nodded, and walked to the back of the hall.

"Have you finished reading Treatise on Febrile Diseases?" Doctor Bai's voice was a little weaker than usual.

"I've finished reading it." Lin Bai bowed to express his gratitude for the loan of the book.

Doctor Bai pressed his hand, motioned for him to sit down, and asked a few more questions from the book.

Lin Bai had already memorized it, so he could answer it fluently.

"You really put your heart into it." Doctor Bai nodded, quite satisfied.

The two chatted about some issues in medical books, and Zhong Xiuxiu had already prepared dinner.

Rice porridge, steamed buns, pickles, and three boiled eggs, which is slightly better than what ordinary people have.

After dinner, Xiuxiu cleared the dishes and poured the wild chrysanthemum tea that she had brewed earlier.

"I heard that you haven't been selling straw sandals." Doctor Bai drank tea, and his pale face looked a little better. He smiled and said, "You are still young, don't be too angry. You should know that you don't need to be afraid of what others say."

This was to prevent himself from getting angry about the rumors of "kidney deficiency", and Lin Bai naturally accepted the lesson.

"Have you ever thought about doing other things to make a living?" Doctor Bai asked again.

"I just want to learn some medical skills." Lin Bai guessed what Doctor Bai was going to say.

Sure enough, Doctor Bai continued, "If you want to learn medicine, it is not enough to just read books. You also need to see more patients to verify what you have learned. If you are willing, why don't you come to Baicaotang to help me? Although I can't be a teacher, I can still give you some guidance."

Lin Bai immediately stood up and bowed down in worship.

It is always good to have many skills! Lin Bai wants to venture out into the world in the future, so learning some medical skills will only benefit him.

It's not good to travel at home, kill and rob, and not know some medical skills.

"Good boy, come tomorrow." Doctor Bai said, looking quite tired.

"Yes, then I won't disturb you from resting, sir." Lin Bai stood up and said goodbye, and his address also changed.

"Let Xiuxiu take you there." Doctor Bai said again.

Zhong Xiuxiu saw Lin Bai out of the door, and immediately became proud, whispering: "You will be an apprentice of Baicaotang in the future. I entered the door before you, so you have to call me Senior Sister in the future."

Lin Bai smiled, flicked her bun, and said, "You are Doctor Bai's granddaughter. I am Doctor Bai's apprentice, and I am of the same generation as your parents. According to seniority, you should respect me as your uncle!"

Zhong Xiuxiu was stunned. She thought about Lin Bai's words and found that there was nothing wrong with them.

Lin Bai took a few steps forward proudly, and suddenly discovered a problem: Doctor Bai did not mention the issue of wages.

In fact, apprentices do not receive any wages, but from what Doctor Bai said just now, it was clear that he did not treat himself as an apprentice.

Although Lin Bai still owed three taels of silver, Doctor Bai was such a meticulous and gentle man that he would definitely mention it.

"Doctor Bai... wants to leave Baicaotang to me?"

"It seems to be nothing wrong. He has no successor and is old. Xiuxiu is still young. What if something happens to her..."

Lin Bai turned around and looked towards Baicaotang. Xiuxiu was still standing stupidly at the door, looking at him with her head tilted.

After returning home, Lin Bai continued to practice Wuji Gong.

As he practiced for a long time, Lin Bai felt that the Wuji Gong became more and more difficult and his progress became slower.

But because of this, every little progress is a huge improvement.

After breaking through the second level of Wuji Gong, Lin Bai has been practicing hard in the stone space for more than three years and has already seen the threshold of the third level.

The next day, Lin got up before daybreak, washed up, and went to Baicaotang. Doctor Bai had just gotten up, and Xiuxiu was still rubbing her eye mucus.

After breakfast, as no patients came, Doctor Bai asked Lin Bai to open the medicine cabinet and identify the smell and shape of each medicine.

If a patient came to visit, Doctor Bai would take Lin Bai's pulse first, then let Lin Bai take his pulse, and then let Lin Bai speak first while he gave instructions and made corrections.

For people with dislocated or broken bones, Doctor Bai would explain in detail and even let Lin Bai feel the bones.

Anyway, whenever there was a patient, Doctor Bai would take Lin Bai to the side to take a closer look and explain the condition in detail bit by bit.

If there was nothing to do, Lin Bai would look through medical books or listen to Doctor Bai explain past cases.

Most of the poor people in North City have received help from Doctor Bai, and no one stopped him from teaching students. Instead, they thought that if Doctor Bai accepted disciples, Baicaotang would be able to continue to be passed down in North City in the future.

Therefore, Lin Bai could even feel the pulse of the women who came to his house.

He was so open-minded, it was not like he was treating an apprentice at all, but rather like a personal disciple. Xiuxiu was a little envious when she saw this.

Ten days passed like this. Lin Bai studied medicine during the day and practiced martial arts at night without neglecting either.

This morning, the sky was a little cloudy.

Lin Bai went out and was stopped by Mu Zhen when he passed by her bun shop.

"Go to work at Baicaotang?" Mu Zhen asked while he was busy serving buns to people.

Many people in North City knew that Lin Bai had become Doctor Bai's apprentice. Some people already called him Doctor Lin, but there were still people who called him Lin Zhuanlun in a despicable way.

"Yes, Sister Zhen, is there something wrong?" Lin Bai looked like a gentleman, thinking that Sister Zhen seemed to have grown up a little.

"I had a stiff neck yesterday. Come back tonight and bring me some medicine." Mu Zhen said casually.

But her hands and feet are nimble and her neck can be stretched freely, so how could she look like she had a stiff neck?

Besides, you don’t need to take medicine for stiff neck, just warm up the rolling pin and roll it over…

"Okay, I'll be back soon."

Lin Bai looked at Mu Zhen again and found that Mu Zhen looked more and more beautiful... It would be nice to roll her neck, which would be as white as flour.

Recently, apart from sleeping, I have mostly stayed in Baicaotang and haven't talked to Mu Zhen. I guess she has something to say...

"I guess she wants to ask if my kidney deficiency has been cured. In this world, Sister Zhen is probably the only one who cares the most about me...my kidneys."

Lin Bai walked towards Baicaotang while muttering to himself.

It was another hard and tiring day. After dinner, Lin Bai prepared to say goodbye and go to comfort the lonely widow.

"Don't go yet, let's talk."

Doctor Bai actually tried to persuade him to stay. He took out a small wine jar and said, "Try it. This is the medicinal wine I made. It has rained a lot recently and the humidity is high. This is just the right wine to get rid of the humidity."

"Okay." Lin Bai sat down, took the wine jar, poured wine for Doctor Bai, and thought that he could only let Sister Zhen wait a little longer.

"I'm going to sleep first. You have to take good care of my grandpa." Zhong Xiuxiu cut a melon as a snack and seriously instructed Lin Bai.

"Don't worry." Lin Bai agreed, still thinking about what Doctor Bai was going to do today. Was he going to teach me his special skills? That would be a lack of ritual. He should have used the medical book to knock on my forehead three times first...

After drinking a cup, Doctor Bai suddenly asked with a smile: "Have you learned martial arts?"

Lin Bai was still chewing a melon. He was shocked when he heard this, but his expression remained unchanged.

There is a saying in the Flying Knife Manual: Even if the mountains collapse and the earth collapses, and there is thunder in your heart, you should still remain calm.

Lin Bai figured it out immediately.

Having been with Doctor Bai every day these days, Lin Bai is very sure that Doctor Bai has no martial arts skills.

And because he was with Doctor Bai every day, he also noticed his own abnormality.

As expected, Doctor Bai smiled kindly and continued, "Although you act like you have unsteady steps every day, your hands and feet are very steady when you pick up and weigh medicines. Your sense of smell, hearing, and eyesight are much sharper than those of ordinary people. Your breathing is also long and you rarely sweat. You are not an ordinary practitioner."

At this point, Doctor Bai asked, "Have you ever practiced internal martial arts?"

Lin Bai suddenly remembered that after he recovered from the illness, he came to Baicaotang to express his gratitude. Doctor Bai had felt his pulse. Maybe he had doubts at that time...

"It can't escape the master's sharp eyes." Lin Bai smiled bitterly and poured wine for Doctor Bai.

Doctor Bai smiled and shook his head, took a sip of wine, and said, "What's the difference between a discerning eye and a discerning eye? It's just that your condition is too much like my daughter's."

"Xiuxiu's mother? Did she also practice internal martial arts?" Lin Bai was puzzled. He remembered that people on the street said that Doctor Bai's daughter married far away, and later the couple seemed to have died there, leaving only the orphan Xiuxiu.

"Yes."

Doctor Bai looked out the window at the night and said, "That girl is just like Xiuxiu. She has been smart since she was young. But she is not as well-behaved as Xiuxiu, nor as steady as Xiuxiu."

"One day, she went into the mountains to collect herbs and met a man. I don't know what kind of drug she was given, but she insisted on going with him. I couldn't force her, so I had to let her go."

"Eight years later, she came back alone and said she was married. She stayed for a few days and then left again."

"Three years later, she sent two-year-old Xiuxiu here. She stayed in the pharmacy for another half a year and told me a lot about the martial arts world. She also said she wanted to teach me the best internal skills to prolong my life. But I have studied medicine all my life and never understood it, so how could I learn any martial arts?"

"Later, she left Xiuxiu alone and said that if I didn't come back within a year, I wouldn't have to wait for her."

Doctor Bai's voice became lower and lower, and his tone was quite sad.

Obviously, Xiuxiu is ten years old now, which means she has already passed the one-year limit, so her parents are probably gone.

The candlelight flickered, and for a moment, the old and the young were both speechless, each tasting the bitter wine.

After a long while, Lin Bai asked, "Which sect did Xiuxiu's mother join?"

Doctor Bai drank another glass of wine, thought for a while, and said, "It seems to be the Qingyang Sect. She said that the founder of the sect attained enlightenment after seeing a green sheep, so the sect was named Qingyang Sect."

"Qingyang Sect...Qingyang Sect..."

Lin Bai remembered Pei Wuyong's last words, asking him to find the Qingyang Sect.

Could it be that Pei Wuyong was actually talking about the Qingyang Sect, rather than the Qingyang Sect?

This means that Xiuxiu's mother and Pei Wuyong might know each other... or have some kind of connection.

Lin Bai suddenly thought that he had never understood the affairs of the martial arts world, and he didn't dare to ask around. However, Xiuxiu's mother had told Doctor Bai about it, and it had not been a few years, so it was a good opportunity to ask.

"Mr. Bai, did Xiuxiu's mother tell us which masters there are in the world?" Lin Bai asked.

Doctor Bai thought for a moment and shook his head, "She did say a lot, but I didn't remember much. But she said that neither she nor her husband was convinced by anyone, but she was most convinced by one person."

"Who is it?" Lin Bai asked.

"It's said he's a swordsman," the candlelight flickered on Doctor Bai's old face, "his name seems to be Pei Wuyong."

Lin Bai was silent, feeling that it was a bit coincidental.

If he had not been discovered by Xue Ba's brother-in-law in Nancheng, he would not have taken Xue Ba to Tianlang Mountain.

If he had not gone to Tianlang Mountain, he would not have been entrusted with the care of Pei Wuyong before his death, nor would he have been scared half to death by the man in green.

If she had not come to borrow medical books, she would not have caught the eye of Doctor Bai, nor would she have known about Xiuxiu's mother, let alone the relationship between Xiuxiu's parents and Pei Wuyong.

Lin Bai felt quite troubled, thinking that he had already entered the underworld and would face more troubles in the future.

………………

The pace of the chapters has slowed down recently, and I've been writing more about daily life and characters, because I want to introduce the background and worldview. What do you think, readers? Is the pace slow? Please give me some advice.
(Please give me another vote, recommendation vote, monthly vote. Please)

(End of this chapter)