This is what an immortal should be like

Chapter 179 Clear Mind
Several days have passed since Yang Tianlei went to Xiangyang to deliver military intelligence.

However, on the surface, Xiangyang City did not seem to have changed much, at least not to ordinary people. Only some places where soldiers were recruited were sometimes a bit more lively.

The main reason is that the government offered very generous conditions for recruiting young men and women. Thanks to the confiscation of Foguang Temple, the Xiangyang government's treasury is now full, giving them enough confidence to do certain things.

On this day, Shen Qingyou once again carried vegetables into a clinic he frequented. However, the clinic owner was not there today; his apprentice was the one on duty.

Upon entering the clinic and smelling the faint aroma of medicine, Shen Qingyou felt the hustle and bustle of the street inexplicably fade away, and her heart calmed down, much like the feeling she had at Foguang Temple.

When the apprentices at the clinic saw the lame man carrying vegetables, they came over to help.

"Let me help you, hey, watch out!"

The apprentice helped Shen Qingyou take the basket off his back and then helped him to a couch on the side.

Although it was called a folding stool, in Shen Qingyou's eyes it was really just a small folding stool. He sat down, and another apprentice came over to pour him a cup of water, then carried his basket to the backyard.

An older man behind the clinic counter, who was also an apprentice of Doctor Ge, was already able to sit in the clinic independently. Seeing the cripple drinking water, he said something.

“Young Master Shen, you don’t need to come here to deliver vegetables every few days. Master has already said that you don’t owe him anything.”

Shen Qingyou put down his water glass, smiled, and didn't say anything. Usually, he didn't have much expression on his face, except when he was with Master Mo Ke of Foguang Temple.

"By the way, where is Dr. Ge?"

The doctor at the counter answered while writing something down.

"The governor has sent someone to invite Master over. Alas, I hear another war is about to break out. Master is quite famous for his skills in treating external injuries and fractures, and he may be going with the army this time."

Upon hearing this, Shen Qingyou's heart skipped a beat. "Set off with the army?"

"Wouldn't that be very dangerous?"

"Who says otherwise? But what can we do? Not only will Master go, but many doctors from the city will go too. And among us disciples, there will probably be..."

The doctor didn't continue speaking, his face full of worry. Shen Qingyou looked at him, about to ask something else, when a series of footsteps entered the clinic.

Those inside looked over and saw that it was Ge Ruiyuan, who had a clean beard, who had returned.

"Master."

"Dr. Ge!"

Even though Shen Qingyou had some difficulty walking, she still managed to stand up by holding onto the wall.

Ge Ruiyuan glanced at his apprentices, then looked at Shen Qingyou and nodded with a smile.

"Master, what did the authorities say?"

The apprentice at the counter asked with concern, while another apprentice in the hall and the person who had just returned from the back carrying a basket also looked at Ge Ruiyuan. However, the latter shook his head slightly and remained silent, instead looking at Shen Qingyou.

"Young Master Shen, come, sit down and let me take a look at your legs. Sit over there!"

"Oh"

Shen Qingyou sat down again, and Ge Ruiyuan walked up to him, squatted down, and reached out to unfasten the splints on his trouser legs.

Ever since Shen Qingyou first came to express her gratitude and brought food, Ge Ruiyuan would occasionally check on the former's leg injury and even help him clean the wound and change the dressing.

This made Shen Qingyou feel that not only had she failed to repay the debt of gratitude, but that she owed it more and more.

At this moment, Ge Ruiyuan untied the things from Shen Qingyou's legs, rolled up her trouser legs, and saw her calves. An apprentice brought over a winnowing basket, and Ge Ruiyuan used a bamboo knife to scrape off the remaining medicine from her legs.

Does it hurt like this?

Ge Ruiyuan reached out and pinched a few spots on Shen Qingyou's calf, and the latter shook her head slightly.

"It doesn't hurt too much, just a slight soreness."

"Do you feel anything?"

"Have!"

Ge Ruiyuan stroked his beard and nodded, then exclaimed in surprise.

"Young Master Shen's physical condition is truly astonishing. He didn't suffer any damage to his vital energy in such a place, and he's recovering extremely quickly. His leg will be healed soon; he won't be crippled!"

Upon hearing this, even Shen Qingyou could not hide her excitement. Her hands trembled slightly as she gripped her trouser legs, and her eyes reddened slightly. She had thought she would be crippled from now on.

"But Dr. Ge, didn't you say before that I might never be able to use this leg again?"

Ge Ruiyuan smiled upon hearing this.

"That's half true and half false. When you first came to the clinic, your leg injury was indeed quite serious. Compared to the problem with the leg bone, the ulceration on your leg was even more shocking. It was hard to say what the future would hold. After all, you've just come out of prison, Mr. Shen, so I was a little worried and didn't say everything."

"Now that we've gotten to know each other and seen Master Mo Ke return, I know you're not a bad person, and I don't want you to stay depressed all the time."

As he spoke, Ge Ruiyuan stood up, walked to the counter, took out some ointment, applied it to Shen Qingyou's leg, and then breathed a slight sigh of relief.

"Alright, you don't need to use this splint anymore. Take some of this ointment home with you. Change it every three days, and you can stop using it after a month. You won't need to come to the clinic anymore."

Shen Qingyou felt a complex mix of emotions, a mixture of anticipation for her right leg's recovery and an inexplicable sorrow.

After lingering at the clinic for a while, Shen Qingyou left. He couldn't get any answers he wanted to know, and simply returned to Foguang Temple with some ointments he had obtained from the clinic.

After that day, Shen Qingyou seemed to really stop going to the clinic, and even went out to sell vegetables less often.

However, Shen Qingyou was not unaware of the situation at the medical clinic, and she was also quite concerned about the military situation in Xiangyang City.

Shen Qingyou knew that more than one argument had broken out in the clinic while Doctor Ge was away, and she also knew that the military situation must be getting more and more urgent.

Another half month passed in the blink of an eye, and even the most oblivious person in the city knew that something big was about to happen.

Because there were restrictions on the purchase of things such as medicine, rice and flour in the city, the size of the camps set up outside the city was constantly increasing, some troops from the Jingxiang region were converging on this side, and armored men appeared in the city more frequently.

Even Xiangyang City has become much quieter recently, giving the feeling that the time is drawing ever closer.

Foguang Temple is still only inhabited by Shen Qingyou and Master Mo Ke. Occasionally, some worshippers will come, most of whom already knew Master Mo Ke, but it is still quiet and deserted most of the time.

That night, Shen Qingyou couldn't fall asleep and tossed and turned in his temporary monk's quarters.

I used to be arrogant, insatiable, cowardly, and lacking in self-control. After experiencing so much, am I still the same ridiculous person I was?
"Dong dong dong dong dong"

The sound of the wooden fish in the main hall of the temple, which normally doesn't travel that far, seemed to be drilling into Shen Qingyou's ears today, eventually making him sit up in bed.

Before dawn, Shen Qingyou couldn't sleep. He dressed and then picked up a monk's knife that the old monk had given him.

By the dim candlelight, without looking in a mirror, but facing a basin of calm water, Shen Qingyou began to shave off her messy beard little by little.

With her beard shaved off, Shen Qingyou seemed to look more presentable. Afterwards, she tied her hair up and went outside.

At first, he had a slight limp, but Shen Qingyou gradually overcame some of the pain that was insignificant to him. By the time he reached the only brightly lit hall in front of the temple, his steps were no different from those of an ordinary person.

The chanting and the sound of the wooden fish drum stopped abruptly, and Shen Qingyou slowly pushed open the door afterward.

The old monk did not turn around, but asked in a low voice.

"But is it because my voice is disturbing Benefactor Shen's sleep?"

Shen Qingyou stood a few steps away and shook her head.

"It is not the master's fault, but my mind that is in turmoil!"

Upon hearing this, Monk Mo Ke slowly turned around, stared intently at Shen Qingyou, and a puzzled expression appeared on his face.

"But what I saw was not a pair of confused eyes!"

Shen Qingyou smiled.

"Because my mind is no longer troubled."

At this point, Shen Qingyou clasped her hands together and bowed to the old monk who had been chanting sutras all night.

"Master, if there is a future, I, Shen, will definitely come back to repay you!"

"My Buddha is compassionate!"

Monk Mo Ke returned the greeting but said nothing more, while Shen Qingyou straightened up and walked out of the main hall.

Monk Mo Ke slowly stood up, watching Shen Qingyou's figure disappear into the light of the morning star and the waning moon, and couldn't help but whisper.

"What a pity, what a pity. It's a pity he had no intention of becoming a monk. What a pity."
-
As dawn broke, Ge Ruiyuan, dressed early, headed towards the front courtyard clinic of Renji Hall in Xiangyang City.

The apprentices were all from Xiangyang and each had their own families. However, Ge Ruiyuan's wife had a difficult childbirth years ago, and although she survived, she could no longer have children. Therefore, under normal circumstances, he would open the school himself in the morning.

But when the clinic doors opened today, Ge Ruiyuan was astonished to find someone kneeling outside. After he opened the door, the person raised his head. His appearance was unfamiliar, yet there was a strange sense of familiarity about him.

"You are."

The person outside was Shen Qingyou, who had been kneeling there for a long time before speaking in a deep voice.

"Dr. Ge, I am Shen Qingyou. I have come today to ask you to accept me as your disciple."

"you"

Before Ge Ruiyuan could finish speaking, Shen Qingyou didn't allow him to interrupt and continued speaking directly.

“I don’t understand medical principles, and I’m even less capable of carrying forward your medical skills, but I have strength. In fact, I’m stronger than most people, and I have no worries. I know you have to take one of your disciples to the army, but they all don’t want to go and are hesitant to say anything, right? Rather than putting you and them in a difficult position, Master, please take me!”

After saying that, Shen Qingyou kowtowed to the stone slab in front of the door, making a "thump thump" sound.

"Master, please accept me as your disciple! Please accept me as your disciple!"

"Oh, Young Master Shen, please rise, please rise."

Ge Ruiyuan was at a loss, but also deeply moved. At this moment, the old woman inside came out upon hearing the noise, and Shen Qingyou kowtowed to her again.

"Master's wife, please let Master accept me! Please accept me! I am strong and quick-witted. As long as I have a breath left, I will not allow anything to happen to Master. Please accept me!"
-
Ge Ruiyuan took on another apprentice and decided to take him with him on his military journey, which delighted all the other apprentices at Renjitang and restored their previously strained relationships.

Shen Qingyou moved out of Foguang Temple and moved directly into the clinic during the limited time she had.

Although Shen Qingyou did not come to study medicine, Ge Ruiyuan truly regarded him as a disciple and had been giving him a crash course in medical theory during this period.

Of course, Shen Qingyou's other wish can also be fulfilled.

Three days before the Xiangyang army set off, Shen Qingyou returned to the dungeon of the Xiangyang government office once again, though of course he couldn't have come as a prisoner.

After being led into the cell by the jailer, the jailer smiled when he saw Shen Qingyou coming over.

Did you bring it?

"I brought it. This is worth more than ten thousand coins!"

Shen Qingyou calmly took out a money pouch from her bosom and handed it to the jailer. The jailer took it, weighed it in his hand, and then opened it to look inside. In addition to some copper coins, there were also a few silver coins.

"Tsk tsk tsk. That's great. We keep our word. You two, take him and bring the person out."

"Yes! Hehe, this way please, Young Master Shen!"

The two jailers smiled and invited Shen Qingyou to walk deeper into the prison together. Since everyone would get a share of the benefits, they were naturally very polite to their benefactor.

As for who to pick up, it was naturally the monk who had helped Shen Qingyou before.

The monks locked up together were of little value, just like some insignificant prisoners. The jailers even dared to make a deal: as long as the money was enough, they would release people. Anyway, one or two would die every now and then, and if the higher-ups asked, they would just be considered dead. Who would bother to investigate at the mass grave?

Ten thousand coins was an outrageous price, but who knew that this young master Shen was so wealthy that he agreed immediately.

This money was also the settlement allowance that the Xiangyang government gave to special talents like doctors to accompany the army. The amount given to Shen Qingyou was exactly 10,000 coins, which was the same as the 10 taels she had paid when she first came here.

As the footsteps drew closer, the prisoners deep inside the dungeon were clearly alerted, until the flickering flames stopped in the area where the cells had been.

A complex look flashed deep in Shen Qingyou's eyes. So this place was really dark, truly a place where there was no sunlight. Looking at the cell next door that used to be there, there were still seven or eight monks left inside.

"Which one? Young Master Shen, point it out yourself!"

Shen Qingyou couldn't recognize the terrified faces inside, so she said something.

"The one who helped me back then, are you still around?"

Shen Qingyou's voice was somewhat different from her previous hoarseness, so much so that the people in the prison didn't recognize her at first. But they weren't stupid; they immediately realized that this was good news.

"Me! Me! Me!" "It's me! It's me!"

"Young Master Shen, I am here because I helped you!"

"It's me, it's me! Get out of here, all of you get out of here—"

Inside the cell, a chaotic fight had broken out. Shen Qingyou frowned slightly as he looked inside, until a person crawled out from the corner stared at him blankly, and then cautiously called out after some hesitation.

"Senior brother?"

Shen Qingyou breathed a slight sigh of relief. Although he had always known that the man was still alive, he was still afraid that something might happen. Now that he had finally found him, he would never forget that voice.

"it's him!"

As Shen Qingyou pointed to the monk who had crawled out, an incredulous look of surprise appeared on the monk's dirty face, while the others immediately screamed.
(End of this chapter)