Wen Qingci’s mind went blank, and at this moment, he fully understood what it meant to be “”
He had just heard what Song Junran said to the soldiers, and it was clear from his words that he wanted to meet the local officials.
Now that the person has walked to his side, if he says there is nothing to find him, wouldn’t it be a joke?
The plague is imminent, and there is no room for any entanglement.
But his nickname “Immortal-Face Demon” and the rumors of dissecting corpses have long been spread throughout the Wei Dynasty.
…If he directly states his intentions, wouldn’t that be telling Xie Bufeng that he’s not dead?
Not far away, Song Junran slowly lifted his veil, and couldn’t help but curse in his heart:
“You bastard! Why did Xie Bufeng leave his position as the emperor and come all the way here?”
“What’s the use of him coming here, it will only add chaos to them!”
“If he accidentally contracts the plague, it will be an exciting event.”
“After asking for the head official, he didn’t expect to invite such a big Buddha… How to speak out about the dissection?”
“…He wouldn’t have found something, would he?”
Outside the county government office, it was quiet, and every word in Song Junran’s heart was clearly transmitted to Xie Bufeng’s ears.
These words are simply childish to him who is used to malice.
At this time, Xie Bufeng only focused on one thing: It turns out that Wen Qingci and Song Junran were looking for the head official of Lianhe County for the purpose of seeking corpse dissection.
At this time, the county magistrate who was following Xie Bufeng also reacted.
Seeing that several people were standing here talking, he hurriedly stepped forward, stretched out his hand to lead the way and said: “Sir, and these two gentlemen, the matter of the plague is of great importance, and it is hard to explain in a few words. Why don’t you go into the county office for a detailed discussion?”
Under the cover of the wide sleeves, Wen Qingci’s hands were tightly clenched together.
The plague cannot be delayed, and the cause of the disease must be found out as soon as possible.
He absolutely cannot give up the lives of innocent people in this city because Xie Bufeng is here.
There is always a way when you reach the mountain.
…Or go into the county office first?
His palm unknowingly broke out in a thin layer of cold sweat.
Wen Qingci took a deep breath and slowly turned around.
Although he was already prepared, when he turned around and saw Xie Bufeng, Wen Qingci’s breathing involuntarily stopped for a moment.
After losing his youthful spirit, Xie Bufeng’s facial features appeared deep and sharp.
His eyebrows and eyes were slightly raised, cold and arrogant.
The experience on the battlefield and in the court added a bit of evil spirit to him, and it was compelling.
Xie Bufeng has a solid skeleton and a tall body.
The honey-colored skin, the long hair like ink clouds, and the strong muscles that can be vaguely seen under the strong outfit, can still glimpse the wildness that Suzhou has given him for thirteen years, which can never be worn away.
Through the veil, the two people’s eyes met without warning.
Wen Qingci’s heart suddenly trembled for no apparent reason.
“…Master, Qing!”
Song Junran gritted his teeth and walked over, blocking Wen Qingci’s body with a face of iron and steel, and glaring at him to stop.
Song Junran walked over with gritted teeth, stood in front of Wen Qingci with a look of disappointment on his face, and glared at him to signal him to stop.
This junior brother is usually not stupid, so why did he follow Xie Bufeng today?
Isn’t this the same as letting wolves into the house?
As for him, he was taken away directly by the wolf.
Wen Qingci lowered his voice, as if he had made up his mind.
He shook his head lightly and said, “Let’s go in first, this matter cannot be delayed.”
Refusing now will only arouse suspicion.
As he was speaking, Xie Bufeng had already turned around and went to the county office.
After hearing Wen Qingci’s words, the county magistrate who was standing on the side hurriedly said: “Yes, yes! This gentleman is right, the two gentlemen please come with this official.”
“…Okay.” Song Junran gritted his teeth and followed Wen Qingci into the Yamen.
At the same time, he cursed Xie Bufeng for appearing too untimely.
*
Several people were taken directly to the back hall of the county office for discussion, and they sat down around a long table.
The servant then brought hot tea to everyone.
The rain dripped down from the eaves.
Ripples are forming.
The old tea brewed with boiling water has turbid tea soup, shriveled branches and leaves, and only has a bitter taste but no fragrance.
But Wen Qingci stared at the teacup in his hand and never looked up, as if he wanted to see a flower in it.
Xie Bufeng seemed to have not noticed the abnormality. After sitting down, he went straight to the subject: “There have been hundreds of people who have died of the plague in Lianhe County, and there is still a trend of increase. The medicine prescribed by the city’s medical hall is only a cure for the symptoms but not the root cause. If the cause of the disease is not found out early, the situation will only continue to deteriorate.”
Wen Qingci nodded slightly.
Having said this, Xie Bufeng picked up the coarse porcelain tea cup on the table and took a sip, and then slowly put it back on the table.
With this soft sound, he turned around and said to the county magistrate sitting next to him: “You can go down first, I have something to talk to them in detail.”
“Yes, sir.” The county magistrate asked, and hurriedly saluted and retreated.
When he walked out the door, he didn’t forget to turn around and slowly close the door of the back hall.
In a blink of an eye, there were only three people left here.
The room also suddenly darkened.
Only the candlelight on the table was still flickering slightly.
A little warm yellow light illuminated the faces of several people.
“What results have the two gentlemen diagnosed in the past few days?” Xie Bufeng asked.
Worried that Wen Qingci would be exposed, Song Junran glanced at his junior brother and took the lead in answering: “The symptoms are already understood. But just by diagnosing the pulse, it is temporarily impossible to confirm which organ this disease originated from.”
“Well.” Xie Bufeng slowly nodded, and then asked a few questions about the symptoms and medication.
Wen Qingci found that although he didn’t say much, he could ask all the key points.
This is not something that can be done by observation along the way…
The candlelight was dim, and Wen Qingci’s heart was still fighting between heaven and man.
Breathing also became rapid.
And just as he was entangled over and over again, whether he should propose to find a corpse for dissection in front of Xie Bufeng, something unexpected happened.
Xie Bufeng’s gaze suddenly swept over him and Song Junran.
Then he finally lowered his voice and slowly stated his ultimate goal: “Now there may be only one method left to find out the cause of the disease.”
The low voice echoed in the back hall.
Wen Qingci’s mood became tense.
He saw from the corner of his eye that Xie Bufeng gently rubbed the hand rope on his wrist, paused for a moment, and then said in a deep voice: “That is to dissect a corpse.”
Wen Qingci: !!!
…Did he hear it wrong, what did Xie Bufeng just say?
Wen Qingci raised his eyes abruptly and looked at Xie Bufeng in disbelief.
Fortunately, there was a veil to cover it, so he was not discovered by the other party.
Wen Qingci never dreamed that it would be Xie Bufeng who would take the initiative to propose dissecting corpses.
“What?!” Unlike Wen Qingci who was still calm, Song Junran even exclaimed.
Xie Bufeng did not answer his question, but instead took the booklet from the side to his hand, and then slowly flipped it open.
Song Junran frowned and looked at him, obviously not understanding what he was doing.
On the other side of the long table, Wen Qingci immediately recognized it after seeing a flash of illustration in the book from the corner of his eye-Xie Bufeng was holding the notebook left by the original owner called “Xinglin Jie’e”.
Xie Bufeng wrapped it in a book cover, so he didn’t find it just now.
“This is what my…old friend wrote in the notebook,” as he spoke, Xie Bufeng’s eyes became gentle, and there seemed to be infinite nostalgia in his tone. He slowly brushed his hand over the notebook, and then looked up at Wen Qingci and Song Junran, “I don’t know if the two gentlemen are willing to cooperate and follow this book?”
As he said, Xie Bufeng opened the book and put it on the table.
At this time, Song Junran also recognized this notebook.
“Xinglin Jie’e” contains all of Wen Qingci’s hard work. He detailedly recorded the purpose, process, and conclusion of each dissection, and even matched the hand-drawn drawings.
It seems that Xie Bufeng has carefully read this notebook after Wen Qingci left…
The page he turned was exactly the detailed dissection diagram drawn by Wen Qingci.
Judging from Xie Bufeng’s intention, it seems that he wants these two quack physicians to read the “Xinglin Jie’e” for dissection.
After saying that, Xie Bufeng didn’t forget to add: “The imperial physicians in Yongdu are pedantic, I’m afraid they are unwilling to do this. So I can only trouble you two.”
Of course, the imperial physicians have the ability to dissect according to “Xinglin Jie’e”, but this behavior is too far from the orthodoxy in this era.
According to Wen Qingci’s understanding of those imperial physicians, if they were asked to dissect corpses, they would definitely not do it.
They might even do something like dying to show their determination.
Xie Bufeng lived alone in the imperial mausoleum since he was a child, and he had no concept of heaven, earth, and human relations, so he accepted the original master’s theory more smoothly than anyone else.
His words were unexpected, but reasonable.
“This…” Song Junran, who also thought of this, was speechless for a while.
As he spoke, Xie Bufeng’s fingers fell on the woolen rope again.
“Unfortunately, my old friend is no longer there.”
His voice was light, as if he had just thought of his old friend inadvertently, and then suddenly felt nostalgic.
But Wen Qingci heard infinite sadness and loneliness from this calm.
His left arm suddenly felt a sharp pain.
“Okay.”
Before Song Junran could react, Wen Qingci had already stood up from his position.
He took a deep breath, lowered his voice and said, “We will do our best.”
Wen Qingci’s voice passed through the veil and gauze, and fell into his ears, becoming vague and unclear.
But the tone is extremely serious.
Under the candlelight, Xie Bufeng slowly nodded, and he also stood up: “Okay. It’s not early today, please rest for a while, and wait until tomorrow morning to do this.”
After speaking, he turned around and opened the wooden door of the back hall, and ordered the servant waiting outside: “Clean up two rooms and let these two gentlemen live.”
“Yes, sir!” After speaking, the servant immediately ran to the backyard.
The Lianhe County Yamen is not big, and there are only three or five rooms that can accommodate people.
On the way here, the county magistrate had already made arrangements in advance, allowing the accompanying imperial physicians and attendants to stay in his private house.
Only Xie Bufeng, living in the backyard of the county office.
And now, there are two more guests here.
Xie Bufeng’s actions were smooth and natural, and he didn’t leave any room for interruption at all.
After giving the order, he turned his head and said to Wen Qingci and Song Junran: “You two are from Songxiu Mansion, and you should have no residence in Lianhe. It is more convenient to stay in the county office.”
There is no command in Xie Bufeng’s words, but it makes people unable to refuse.
…
The county office has been in repairs for a long time, and the guest rooms are extremely simple.
Having seen Xie Bufeng here, Wen Qingci couldn’t help but feel desperate.
In the quiet night, he was already exhausted from running around for several days, and finally couldn’t resist the sleepiness, and fell asleep deeply.
But in another room separated by a wall, Xie Bufeng didn’t even have a trace of sleepiness.
He stood by the thin wall, carefully putting a hand on it.
…As if he was tracing the figure of that person over and over again through this cold object.
Xie Bufeng’s hand was trembling slightly.
His breathing also became completely chaotic.
The rationality and decency that were barely maintained during the day disappeared and collapsed in an instant.
The unbearable desires inside are growing wildly at this moment.
After a while, Xie Bufeng couldn’t help but gently lean his forehead against it.
Seeing each other for a day did not let Xie Bufeng’s heart rest.
On the contrary, like a gust of wind passing by, the flames were blown up in an instant.
The more he suppressed, the crazier he became——
At the hour of Mao, when the sky was just dawning, Wen Qingci had already got up to wash and walked out of the hut.
Unexpectedly, as soon as he went out, he ran into Song Junran who also got up early.
“Brother, later–“
Wen Qingci just wanted to say to him, when dissecting later, he needed him to record it.
But his words hadn’t been spoken yet, and he was interrupted by Song Junran’s weird look.
Song Junran’s deep gray eyes, like searchlights, repeatedly scanned Wen Qingci up and down.
After confirming that his junior brother was the same as yesterday, he finally took a long breath.
“I know,” Song Junran slowly stretched a lazy waist and said, “I will listen to your command later.”
As soon as his voice fell, the servant in the county office also came from the front yard: “Please come here, the patrol officer said that he is ready. After the two of you have breakfast, I will send you two.”
“Thank you.” Wen Qingci nodded slightly.
“No need, no need!” The servant was very enthusiastic. When he passed by several black carriages, he didn’t forget to add: “There are several carriages, which will arrive in Lianhe the day after tomorrow, and they will come to supplement the medicinal materials. Oh, yes… I heard that there is a physician who can’t walk conveniently, and he is coming with them.”
Not very convenient to walk?
Hearing these words, Wen Qingci’s footsteps couldn’t help but pause.
The physician mentioned by this little boy, wouldn’t it be Yu Guanlin…
He values his life so much, would he be pulled away by Xie Bufeng?
*
There were people working on the construction site outside the county government office.
If they openly transport corpses into the county office, it will arouse suspicion.
Therefore, after breakfast, the little servant took Wen Qingci to the wasteland he had been to before.
This place was originally a field, and there was a small house nearby for storing farm tools.
Xie Bufeng had already found a suitable corpse overnight and placed it here.
And he himself has been waiting here alone early.
The idea of dissection cannot be accepted by the world.
For this reason, Xie Bufeng did not hand over this matter to his subordinates, but did it himself from beginning to end.
Even the soldiers of Lianhe County were sent by him to guard in the distance.
After entering the small house, Wen Qingci saw a young man in his early twenties lying on the wooden bed. Judging from the clothes he was wearing and the marks on his hands and feet, this should be a prisoner who died in prison.
Sure enough, noticing that Wen Qingci was observing the corpse, Xie Bufeng explained: “He is a death row prisoner detained in Lianhe’s large prison, and he also contracted the plague and died last night.”
“Okay.” The situation is urgent, Wen Qingci no longer delays, and immediately takes out a silver knife and curved tweezers from the medicine box.
After several days of rain, it finally stopped completely this morning.
The sky is always bright in summer, and the sunlight shines through the window, illuminating the entire room.
Just before starting, Wen Qingci suddenly found that Song Junran’s face was a little ugly.
The knuckles of the hand that was holding the brush had turned white from the force, and even his entire wrist was shaking slightly.
Although there is gauze to cover it, it can be seen from his frowning brows-Song Junran obviously can’t accept what was about to happen.
This is indeed the case.
As Wen Qingci’s senior brother, he had a conflict with Wen Qingci over this matter in his early years.
Later, although Song Junran was forced to adapt to his junior brother’s style of doing things, it does not mean that he can participate in this matter without any obstacles.
Before taking action, Wen Qingci couldn’t help but hesitate and said, “You…why don’t you let me remember it? You rest outside for a while.”
“It’s okay, you don’t need to care about me,” Song Junran, although psychologically uncomfortable, still forcibly said, “This saves time.”
Although he said so, his tone was obviously different from usual.
Wen Qingci wanted to persuade him again, but before he could speak, Xie Bufeng, who was standing at the other end of the hut, slowly walked over.
He picked up the stack of unwritten thin papers on the table, “I’ll do it,” he said lightly.
Although Xie Bufeng is not a physician, he has seen more bloody scenes than anyone else on the battlefield.
…Letting him record is indeed more suitable than Song Junran.
Under the white gauze, Song Junran slowly frowned.
He didn’t want Xie Bufeng and Wen Qingci to be alone, but the fact is that since he entered this room, his heart has been chilling.
Although it’s not fear, this state indeed can’t help Wen Qingci.
…What to do, what to do?
Song Junran has never been as entangled as he is now.
But before Song Junran made up his mind, Wen Qingci opened his mouth: “Okay, then I’ll trouble you.”
“No problem.”
Xie Bufeng took another pen from the inkstone, and he completely ignored Song Junran.
There was no way out. Song Junran, who couldn’t get involved at all, could only reluctantly put down the pen in his hand and temporarily retreat to wait outside the house.
When Wen Qingci was studying, he had finished all the courses in his sophomore year and studied systematic anatomy and local anatomy.
But after all, he was just a sophomore, and he was studying Traditional Chinese medicine.
Most of the time when Wen Qingci took anatomy classes, he was “watching” and “listening”, and he didn’t have many opportunities to actually do it, and all of them were completed in cooperation with classmates.
Standing here with a knife and tweezers, Wen Qingci had a strong sense of unreality in his heart.
Even his brain was blank for a few seconds.
Can he really bear such a huge responsibility?
He couldn’t help but doubt it.
Time waits for no one, and there is no one here who can help him.
Wen Qingci suppressed the anxiety in his heart, then took a deep breath, while recalling the video courseware and course learning, he slowly raised his right hand holding the silver knife.
But unlike what was expected, the next moment what appeared in Wen Qingci’s mind was not the video played in the anatomy class, or the content in the textbook, but a series of vivid memories…
He saw himself holding the silver knife, slowly breaking through the patient’s flesh and cutting his sternum.
Then, he carefully searched for answers and clues in the body that was still alive not long ago.
Wen Qingci could even recall the moment when the silver knife broke the skin, the slight resistance under his fingertips.
His left hand hanging by his side paused for a while.
The skin of the corpse that had not died for a long time was still delicate and elastic, completely different from what he had seen in class.
Without thinking too much, Wen Qingci’s right hand clenched the silver knife and instinctively broke open the corpse’s chest.
The severe smell of blood immediately penetrated the veil and gauze and reached Wen Qingci’s nose.
The organ and muscle distribution that should have been somewhat unfamiliar became clear in his mind in an instant.
Wen Qingci was in a daze, and he realized that what he saw in his memory should be the original owner’s memory.
Unlike himself who is talking on paper, the original owner who has lived in this era for more than 20 years has dissected countless corpses by hand and accumulated rich experience.
Wen Qingci’s left hand couldn’t help but clench.
The right hand is holding the silver knife tightly, and the muscles are stripped without stopping for a moment.
His movements are very proficient, which seems to come from the muscle memory of the body.
Wen Qingci, who was busy, had no time to take care of other things.
He didn’t see that Xie Bufeng, who was standing far behind him, was always looking at his left arm hanging by his side.
The fingers that have practiced hidden weapons are very flexible.
Wen Qingci can successfully complete the dissection with his right hand alone.
The silver knife in his hand turned into a dancing butterfly, making it impossible to find its trace.
But the more agile his right hand moved, the more his left arm seemed excessively quiet.
It hung there motionless, like the neck of a dead white crane…
Xie Bufeng’s heart ached again and again.
It seemed as if every knife he stabbed passed through his heart.
…Does Wen Qingci’s arm still hurt? Is it true that his left hand will never be able to return to normal?
Xie Bufeng wanted to ask, but he didn’t dare to ask.
Time passed by every minute, and the smell of blood in the room became heavier and heavier.
In the silence, Wen Qingci’s movements suddenly slowed down.
He slowly opened his mouth and broke the silence in the room: “…The heart and liver have varying degrees of .”
Xie Bufeng paused for a while, and immediately recorded Wen Qingci’s words on paper.
Then he heard Wen Qingci say: “…But the most obvious organ of the lesion is the kidney.”
“The kidneys are edematous and hemorrhagic, and the cortex is pale.” The lesions here are very obvious and can be seen with the naked eye.
After speaking, the silver knife in Wen Qingci’s hand finally stopped dancing.
When he said this, Wen Qingci had already vaguely guessed in his heart.
He couldn’t help but stop to think, while observing the appearance of the kidney with his naked eyes, he was ready to break open the kidney and carefully check its internal structure.
And at this moment, a harsh noise suddenly came from behind Wen Qingci.
–That sound came through the wall, and it didn’t sound very real.
“What are you going to do! Back off–” This is Song Junran’s voice.
Then, countless voices with Lianhe County accents passed through the thin wall to Wen Qingci’s ears.
“Get out of the way!”
“Then let’s go and see what the Songxiu Mansion is doing!”
“…You are his accomplice!”
Wen Qingci subconsciously turned his head to look, but just as he turned around, a silver light suddenly broke through the damaged paper window and went straight to Wen Qingci.
When he saw that it was a sickle, the silver light had already reached his eyes.
“What kind of physician is this!”
“Injuring the corpse, it’s hard to tolerate–“
The person who sent the corpses to the wasteland for burial in the early morning found here with the strong smell of blood, and peeped through the window, seeing this terrifying scene.
He stumbled and avoided Song Junran, and called all the people around him in private.
Wen Qingci instinctively raised his hand to block.
But when he reacted, a dark figure had already appeared in front of him.
–Xie Bufeng actually held the blade of the sickle with his hand!
The silver sickle pierced his palm.
Crimson blood flowed out along the sickle.
But Xie Bufeng not only did not put it down, but even clenched it slowly.
Then, the soldiers guarding in the distance finally heard the abnormal noise here and rushed over, surrounded this group of people, and arrested them.
The tall and dark figure completely blocked Wen Qingci behind.
Completely separating him from the chaotic world outside.
Wen Qingci’s breathing became rapid due to tension.
Even bursts of panting were emitted.
Xie Bufeng then slowly turned around and put the sickle in his hand aside.
“Are you okay?” The low voice came from Wen Qingci’s ear.
He who was still in shock, at this moment saw the tenderness and concern hidden under those cold light amber eyes…
It’s like a lake that has frozen in the middle of winter.
The surface is hard and cold, but in fact it hides warmth different from winter.
Xie Bufeng’s voice inexplicably reassured people.
Although he had realized that he was different from the past.
But it was not until the moment Xie Bufeng gently put down the sickle that Wen Qingci clearly realized that Xie Bufeng was no longer the boy who knelt alone in the snow and was bullied in Taishu Palace.
He has mature enough to protect himself.
…Block himself behind him.
Thank you for the double update~
a bodyguard and husband, all in one LETS GOOOOOO
THANK YOU FOR THE UPDATE 💖💖💖💖
I love big brother Song trying to protect his Cabbage 🤣