The Great Doctor Girl

Chapter 125: The brocade quilt of the mountain and the mountain

I lowered my head, the corners of my mouth twitching upwards. I thought to myself, Master is quite good at choosing words.

"Back then, you memorized the hexagrams by heart, yet it was still like seeing flowers in the fog. Even late into the night, with your eyes bleary, the hexagrams' meanings were still a jumbled mess, like a sour fruit stuck in your throat." Have you forgotten? How many times have you been punished for this?

"But life is like a play full of twists and turns." The master suddenly raised his voice, his eyes gleaming. "When you were twelve, on the afternoon of the sixth day of the sixth lunar month, the sun was still shining, the cicadas were still chirping. You stared at the Qian Gua, your soul sucked into a black hole. Suddenly, as if an acupuncture point had been activated, chaos exploded before your eyes! You began to mutter: 'The Qian Gua is no longer a dead object. The first nine, 'A dragon hidden in the abyss,' is like a lone warrior lurking in a dark alley, sharpening his claws. The second nine, 'A dragon seen in the fields,' is like a superhero first showing his brilliance, from vague symbols to a vibrant battlefield.' From that moment on, it was as if you had been enlightened by a 'golden finger,' and your interpretation of the hexagrams was smooth sailing. This talent has truly emerged!"

It was like a fire was burning in my chest. Those hard days and confused moments were all the energy I had accumulated for this amazing transformation. From then on, the "Book of Changes" was no longer aloof and difficult to reach. It has been integrated into my bones and accompanied me in this mysterious and unpredictable world of life.

When I heard this, I lowered my head in thought, my heart felt like it was being pricked by a fine needle, and memories of the past came flooding back like a tide.

Just at this moment, hurried footsteps were heard in the distance, breaking the silence in the mountains.

"Luo Shu!" Huang Junze's voice, wrapped in the wind and snow, broke the silence.

I turned around and saw him covered in snowflakes, like a man returning home in the snow, with frost on his hair, his cheeks red from the cold, his eyes full of anxiety and fatigue, and he was staggering and almost falling.

"Junze, why are you here?" I stood up, my tone complicated, hiding surprise and a hint of imperceptible joy.

"I came to find you." He took a few steps forward and held my hands tightly, so tightly that it seemed as if he wanted to embed me in his palms. The warmth in his palms dispelled the coldness of my fingertips, and his eyes were full of determination. "You ran here alone, why didn't you tell me? What if something happened? Do you know how worried I was?"

I turned my head away, avoiding his burning gaze, staring at the snow on the ground, and whispered, "I'm fine, I just need to calm down..."

He shook his head, snowflakes falling from his hair. His voice was low but unquestionable: "Luo Shu, no matter what happens, don't carry it alone anymore. I said I will be with you, and you are not allowed to avoid me in anything from now on."

After saying this, he respectfully clasped his hands together and greeted his master: "Hello, Mr. Ping, I'm late."

"I'm glad you're here," my master nodded slightly, his eyes showing some kindness.

I looked at his anxious expression, which was like the sound of a war drum. After a moment, I sighed softly, "Junze, I know you treat me well, but there are some things I must face alone. Did you know that Su Jingyan is dead?"

Huang Junze froze, his brows furrowed, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes: "She's dead? How did you know..."

"I checked it when she left the ward that day. She should have left today. I can feel it." I looked up at him with calm eyes.

I gazed at the distant mountain ranges, as if I had found a glimmer of hope for the future on their peaks. "She used my destiny. Of course I know that she used my destiny to exchange for her own life, but ultimately she couldn't escape fate. If she hadn't done so many evil things, perhaps she could have had a good reincarnation, but she brought this upon herself, and this was destined to be her fate."

Huang Junze was not at all moved after hearing the news. The love and regret for Su Jingyan had long disappeared from his eyes and heart.

He reached out and pulled me into his arms, his embrace warm and solid, like a safe haven. "How have you been these past few days? Are you still feeling bad?"

I leaned in his arms, looking into the distance, my eyes growing stronger. "I'm much better now. I'll slowly get over it myself. Don't worry."

At night, the wind and snow outside the wooden house gradually subsided, and the stars filled the valley like tiny gems.

I stood by the window, my blurry figure reflected in the glass, but I felt inexplicably uneasy in my heart, as if an undercurrent was surging under my feet.

The master was sitting under the lamp, with an ancient book spread out in front of him. He kept writing with a pen in his hand, his brows furrowed and his eyes solemn, as if he was engraving the secret words of fate.

"Master, what happened?" I walked closer lightly, my voice as soft as a fly.

He raised his head, his eyes complex, it was hard to tell whether he was happy or angry: "Luo Shu, there are some things you don't need to know now. But you must always be prepared."

My heart trembled suddenly, as if a cold wind was blowing, and I had a premonition that another storm was lurking in the dark.

But just as that feeling of uneasiness emerged, I looked up and met Huang Junze's passionate gaze full of affection, and my heart warmed. Who cares? If the enemy comes, we will fight him; if the water comes, we will block it with earth.

I hadn't seen Huang Junze for three days. At night, we hugged each other and spent endless time together on my old single wooden bed.

Outside the window, the moonlight quietly shines through the mottled window lattice, casting fine silver light, as if covering this small world with a layer of hazy gauze. The dim lights in the house sway, reflecting our intertwined figures, warming the room.

His embrace was warm and firm. I buried my head in it, listening to his strong heartbeat beneath his chest, again and again, as steady as the drumbeat of time, dispelling the hatred, inextricable entanglement and uneasiness that had been in my heart for many days.

His fingers gently shuttled through my hair, gently twisting it, with endless cherishment and attachment.

As our lips touched and our breaths blended, memories of the past flooded my mind like a tide. Those leisurely afternoons when we strolled together, the caring moments when he gently wiped away the sweat on my face; and the strength conveyed by our tightly clasped hands when we encountered difficulties, all surged and converged at this moment.

We are attached to the intimacy of this moment, as if we want to make up for the missed companionship and accumulated affection of the past few days through every hug and every kiss.

After a long time, our lips parted and our foreheads touched. He stared at me with his eyes, and the affection in them was so strong that it seemed to overflow, as if we were the only ones left in this world, nothing else.

"These past few days, I've been thinking about you every minute, and my heart feels hollow." His voice was low and hoarse, filled with fatigue and endless longing. His hot breath brushed across my cheek, tickling my heart.

I raised my hand and gently stroked his slightly haggard face, tracing his outline with my fingertips, and murmured softly: "Me too..."

Before he finished speaking, he tightened his arms again and pulled me deeper into his arms, as if he wanted to knead me into his bones and blood, and use his love to build a barrier to withstand all unknown storms. For the rest of time, the room was filled with only tenderness, quietly flowing and stretching on this old bed.

In the early morning of Mount Paektu, the sun shines through the gaps in the forest onto the ground, and the air is so fresh that it makes people feel relaxed and happy.

I stood in front of the cabin, breathing in the familiar mountain air, feeling a sense of relief and a mixture of indescribable emotions.

Huang Junze walked out of the house, stretched, and muttered: "Luo Shu, this place is so good, I won't get tired of living here for the rest of my life."

He turned to look at me and smiled, "You must have had a lot of fun here when you were a kid, right?"

I smiled, memories flooding back. "It's fun, but it's also hard. It's not just about having fun here; there's a lot to learn."

"What are you learning?" He raised his eyebrows in confusion.

"For example, identifying herbs and practicing martial arts." I raised my head and looked at the mountains in the distance.

"Would you like to take me with you to try and experience your childhood?"

"Great, great! I'm good at being a teacher." Those simple daily routines buried deep in the years can be vividly reproduced before my eyes, and my heart is filled with joy.

After breakfast, I greeted my master and took Huang Junze into the forest.

He looked around as he walked: "Do these trees and grasses look different to you?"

"Of course it's different." I smiled and bent down, pulling up a small grass from the roadside. "Look, what is this?"

Huang Junze took a closer look and shook his head: "Grass?"

I shook my head and chuckled. "This is Money Plant, which clears away heat and dampness. It's useless for a 'city rich' like you. Remember, the leaves are like copper coins, and the stems are thin and creeping. That's its characteristic."

Along the way, I pointed out different plants and explained them to him.

When I was a child, my master often took me to this forest to collect herbs. He would patiently teach me the name and use of each herb.

Some herbs are life-saving, while others are deadly.

I remember one time, out of curiosity, I almost picked some Aconitum, but luckily my master stopped me in time.

"Junze, do you see that tree over there?" I pointed to a sturdy tree in the distance. "That's Eucommia ulmoides, a good herb for nourishing the liver and kidneys. But you have to identify it carefully. When you peel the bark off, there will be threads connecting it. Don't mistake it."

Huang Junze nodded, then frowned again: "Luo Shu, did you learn all these things when you were a child?"

I smiled softly. "Of course I didn't understand everything, but Master said that it's through repeated study that one can remember. I always found it boring at the time, but now looking back, everything he taught me has helped me a lot."

We walked to the stream and found several brightly colored flowers. Huang Junze pointed and asked, "These flowers are beautiful. Are they medicinal?"

I squatted down to take a closer look, my face changing color. "This is called Gelsemium elegans. Ingestion can be fatal. When I was a kid, I picked this and my master punished me by making me sweep the floor all day."

Huang Junze took a step back in shock after hearing this: "There really is a lot of knowledge in this mountain."

I laughed so hard watching his movements.

The laughter echoed slowly in the mountains and forests, startling the birds resting on the branches.

As he freely wandered through the mountains and forests, it was as if he had escaped into a carefree world. The lush vegetation around him served as a natural barrier, and the sounds of wind, birdsong, and leaves rustling in his ears intertwined into a melody.

Every breath is filled with the fragrance of plants and trees. The fatigue and troubles accumulated in the past dissipate like wisps of smoke. The body and mind are like birds that have broken free from the cage, returning to freedom and finding the long-lost tranquility and comfort.

"Just recognizing herbs isn't enough." Back at the cabin, I stood in the open space and waved to Huang Junze. "When I was little, every morning besides picking herbs, I would practice martial arts with my master. Come, I'll teach you a few simple techniques I learned as a child."

Huang Junze stood in front of me curiously: "Okay, I want to see how you practiced when you were a kid."

"This is the 'Vajra Power Kung Fu' that Master taught me."

I stood firmly in a horse stance, clasped my hands together, took a deep breath, and then—” I thrust my palms forward, “Whoosh!”

There was a sound of wind, and Huang Junze was startled by my action.