We returned to find the divine doctor and Wen Siqiang waiting for me in the room. I called them from downstairs to tell them they could come down.
I told Jing Lei that to avoid suspicion, we would say goodbye here and I would take a taxi to the border.
Jing Lei reluctantly grunted. I hugged her and said, "Wait for me. I will definitely return safely."
Actually, I had no confidence when I said this. Every time I went to battle, it was a matter of life and death, with the chances of dying being many times greater than the hope of living.
But I was a soldier, and I could not afford to stop. Slackening off might eliminate even that one-tenth of a chance.
My recklessness was all for that "nine deaths and one life"!
As they came downstairs, I let go of Jing Lei and greeted the divine doctor.
The divine doctor scrutinized me for a while and nodded, seeming satisfied.
He said, "I'll tell you about some of my experiences later, so you won't be completely ignorant."
I said, "Okay, let's go."
Wen Siqiang flagged down a taxi outside and waited for us to get in.
I said goodbye to them. I asked Wen Siqiang to help Lan Ya that night. Then, after thinking, I handed my phone to Jing Lei. It felt out of place for an apprentice to carry such a luxury item of that era.
Jing Lei took it. She knew that by putting down the phone, we would lose all contact.
Everything was left to fate.
I took the medicine bag from the divine doctor, slung it over my shoulder, and got into the car with him.
I told the driver, "To the border."
The driver said nothing, shifted into gear, and drove off.
After crossing the customs opposite, a minivan was parked by the roadside. Two people stood next to it, dressed in local ethnic clothing. Anyone who didn't know would think they were waiting for work by the roadside.
They looked a lot like the freelance drivers in our area.
The divine doctor said they were here to pick me up.
As we approached, the two men showed no reaction, no expression. When we got closer, they searched us, then opened the car doors and motioned for us to get in.
He closed the car door and sat in the passenger seat. After we got in, we found two more people sitting in the back, also expressionless. Seeing us settled, they made a sound, and the car started. After a short distance, it turned onto a small road.
I felt very uncomfortable. Wasn't I Wu Guodong's savior? Why such an attitude, such treatment? Not to mention fawning over me, they should at least have been polite. Why were they treating us like criminals?
I glanced at the divine doctor. He sat upright, eyes closed, meditating. These things around him had no effect on him.
Perhaps, as he said, those who have let go of everything no longer bother with such matters. Not getting angry with others is not getting angry with oneself.
Although I understood these principles, it would be difficult for me to achieve them.
The car drove on rural roads, narrow and difficult to navigate. The few of us in the car were jostled around. I figured anyone prone to motion sickness would have thrown up.
The car drove for over an hour and arrived at a place familiar to me, the town where I had parked my car last time.
Last time I was Li Hua, and this time I was the divine doctor's assistant. Our identities were different, and our demeanor had to be as well.
The car didn't stop in the town but went out and onto another small road.
The basic infrastructure here was truly poor, especially public facilities, which were almost nonexistent.
Even though it was only a few dozen kilometers away, this place felt like a primitive society.
I guessed we weren't far now. This road wasn't the one we took last time. It had no inclines and kept winding around a peak.
After another half an hour of driving, the car stopped in front of a village. The people inside told us we could get out.
I helped the divine doctor out of the car. He was unwell now and had difficulty moving. I had to assist him with every step.
Sweat beaded on his forehead, and he looked like he was struggling to walk.
At the entrance of the village, there was a gate made of a thick log. Two soldiers armed with guns stood on each side. The people who accompanied us handed us over to the sentries. They didn't come in and drove away.
Perhaps they were just transporters and had nothing to do with the military inside.
The soldiers searched us again as usual before making a phone call in the guardhouse.
At this moment, a sidecar motorcycle drove out from inside and stopped in front of us. A military officer got off, greeted the divine doctor, and then looked at me with a scrutinizing gaze. He then walked over and grabbed my arm. I instinctively bent my knees, almost falling to the ground.
The divine doctor said, "Ah Kun, this is my apprentice, who took care of me on the journey. He's still a child, don't scare him."
The officer looked me up and down again. Confirming that I was just an apprentice, he then allowed us to get on the vehicle.
I quickly helped the divine doctor into the sidecar seat, and I sat on the officer's rear seat.
The sidecar motorcycle didn't go fast, following the village paths towards the back of the mountain.
Through the village houses, I could vaguely see several impressive buildings on the back mountain. I guessed that was Wu Guodong's military camp.
This place was surrounded by mountains on three sides, with only one passage at the village entrance. Because a river flowed beside the village, this was the only open area.
If the government forces were to clear it out, they could only attack from the direction of the river and the village entrance. The difficulty was that the river water flowed very swiftly, making it impossible to stand firm. The rest was the village gate, which was tens of meters wide. As long as it was guarded, tanks and artillery would be useless unless aircraft were used.
Because to reach the village gate, one had to cross this river first. There was a suspension bridge over the river. It could only be crossed when the bridge was lowered. Although the river channel was not wide, only more than ten meters, it was deep. Besides the suspension bridge, there was no other way.
This was why Wu Guodong chose to set up camp here. Last time, even though I had found this place, I could only stand on the bank and sigh.
The fathomless gorge and the swift river—if you fell in, you probably wouldn't even find a corpse.
The river channel was several kilometers away from the village entrance. That's why, unless aircraft were used, tanks and artillery would be powerless.
I had to admire Wu Guodong's foresight. Living here was like living in an impregnable fortress. As long as there was food and drink inside, a siege would be of no use.
The motorcycle stopped in front of a villa. I quickly got off and went to help the divine doctor.
Now that the divine doctor was unwell, my duty was to serve him throughout.
The officer got off and said to the divine doctor, "Mr. Liu, the General is waiting for your consultation. However, only you can enter. This young man must wait outside."
The divine doctor said with difficulty, "I am unwell and have great difficulty moving. I am afraid I cannot manage it alone. If anything were to happen, it might affect the General and delay the treatment."
The officer said with difficulty, "Mr. Liu, I am following orders. You know, military orders are like mountains, and I dare not disobey. How about this: I will help you in first. If it is truly inconvenient, you can ask the General yourself. What do you think?"