The divine doctor: "Looking for me?"
I quickly clasped my fists and said, "Yes, we've come to visit you with sincerity!"
He said, "I'm just a country bumpkin. For you to come all this way to find me, there must not be much reason, right?"
I glanced towards the door and thought to myself, 'A country bumpkin who attracts top assassins. This title doesn't seem to suit you, does it?'
He saw what I meant and was a bit speechless. He then said, "I offended someone in the martial world, so it's normal for them to come seeking revenge."
I said, "I won't beat around the bush. I'll be direct. I'm here for Wu Guodong."
He was taken aback. "Wu Guodong? How do you know him? Besides, although I know Wu Guodong, I've only treated him a few times. We don't have any particular friendship. Coming to me for his affairs seems a bit far-fetched."
I said, "I know this is a bit sudden for us to come to you, but we really couldn't think of any other good way, so we ventured here."
He looked at me, then at the senior, and appeared very confused.
I continued, "The divine doctor might be confused by my explanation. It's like this: I'll explain the reason to you in detail. After I'm done, you can give me some advice on whether we can help. If you really can't, we'll go back and think of other ways."
I told him about everything that had happened these past few days. He listened very carefully, nodding occasionally. The senior knew our situation and didn't interrupt, standing by the door and looking outside.
After I finished speaking, he lowered his head and pondered for a moment. He said, "Wu Guodong has pulmonary tuberculosis. Normally, it's not an incurable disease nowadays. It's just that he hollowed out his body with drug abuse in his early years. If he were to use a large amount of antibiotics, his body couldn't handle it. He must have heard from somewhere that I have a folk remedy for treating pulmonary tuberculosis, made with a herb from altitudes above three thousand meters and stream water. It can reduce the dosage of antibiotics while preventing relapse, but the effect only lasts for a month, so I have to go and treat him once every month."
So that was it. The renowned Wu Guodong was actually suffering from pulmonary tuberculosis.
The divine doctor: "This is the situation. How do you think I can help?"
I said, "I want to get close to him, but I don't know how to do it."
He said, "Wu Guodong is naturally suspicious, and besides his close associates, it's very difficult for others to see him. I think starting from me is almost impossible."
After he said this, I also felt it was difficult. He was just a humble physician. Relying on him would be too challenging.
I remained silent. With the conversation reaching this point, even I felt it was impossible, and we could only return empty-handed.
I prepared to clasped my fists in farewell. Just as I put my hands together, the senior turned around and said to the divine doctor, "Third brother, the children are doing a good deed. Can you just stand by and do nothing? His life is in your hands. What's so difficult about this? How about this: I'll give you an idea. Let this young brother become your disciple, and you can find an excuse to take him along. Isn't that settled?"
The divine doctor looked at him with some difficulty. The senior's face was stern, leaving him no room to back out.
The divine doctor said, "Alright, consider it agreed, but the excuse needs to be sound. I won't set off until the day after tomorrow. We can meet in Ruili after I descend the mountain to discuss it. I'll think about it again tomorrow and see how to make this matter sound plausible."
I said, "Okay, then we'll descend the mountain tonight. Divine doctor, you should also get some rest. We'll take our leave."
After saying that, I clasped my fists and came out. The senior accompanied me out.
Seeing us walk away, the divine doctor closed his door. I called out to the two of them, and we walked back together.
When we reached the intersection, the senior also had to return to his place. I bid farewell to the senior and said to him, "Senior, if you happen to pass by Ruili, I will definitely accompany you for a few days. Thank you for your help today. However, I have two questions: one is that you said he doesn't know medicine, and the other is that you not only know each other but also have a connection. Senior, you haven't been telling us the whole truth."
The senior laughed again. "You're quite perceptive, young fellow. Indeed, I haven't fully explained about my third brother. How about this? It's too late now, and descending the mountain is not very safe for you. If you think highly of this old man, stay at my place for a night and leave tomorrow. I'll talk to you about the two of us."
I thought it made sense. It wasn't just difficult to walk the mountain road at this late hour, but driving afterwards would be too much for anyone.
Although this senior is a bit eccentric, he is actually a good person, as could be seen from how he subdued those assassins.
I said, "Then we'll be imposing. It is a great honor to be able to chat with you, senior!"
We followed the senior towards the back mountain. After walking for about a mile, we reached an open area. This was different from the divine doctor's place. There was a stream here with a significant drop, and the sound of water was very loud.
Upon closer inspection, this was not an open area at all. The reason it looked so clear was a pool of water that glowed white, likely flowing from the stream and collecting in a flat area.
There were also two thatched huts by the water.
He went inside first and lit a lamp. It was a large bowl filled with lamp oil and a thick wick. After lighting it, it emitted a dim, yellowish light, but it was enough to see everything in the room, much better than being in darkness.
The senior pointed to a cleared space against the wall and said, "Set up two doorboards there. I have bedding ready. You all can make do here for the night. It's unsafe to descend the mountain now. Not to mention other things, just encountering wild boars blocking the path would make you too scared to proceed."
How could I not have thought of that? There are many wild boars in the mountains, and they are not afraid of humans. Being injured by one can be fatal.
I said, "Thank you, senior. We young people are adaptable. It doesn't matter if we don't have doorboards; just spreading out the bedding is fine."
The senior didn't insist. He took a quilt and a bedsheet from the cabinet for us. Wen Siqiang took them and started making arrangements.
His house was originally floored with wooden planks. In any case, it was a makeshift arrangement, and being able to close our eyes for a while was already good.
It was many times better than the night we spent in the snake cave.
While they were making arrangements, the senior gestured for me to sit on a wooden stool in the room and said, "I'll talk to you about my neighbor."
I was indeed a bit curious. Two people living in these deep mountains, isolated from the world, must have legendary stories.
He lit a cigarette he had rolled himself, took a deep puff, and said unhurriedly, "You listen to me, calling him Third Brother. In fact, he is my fellow disciple. I'm the eldest, and he's the third. We come from the same school, both being thirteenth-generation inheritors of the Daoist Heng faction. After our master passed away, we were both ostracized by our fellow disciples and came here one after another."
He paused and looked at me. "You must find it strange. Since we are from the same school and were both ostracized by our fellow disciples, we should have been on the same side. Why would I say such things to you outside?"