northernbook Chapter 219 Shocking News
Chapter 219 Shocking News
Shen Qingtan's expression changed; as expected, someone was trying to stop Zhongyuan from treating Zhao Yi.
Although this outcome was anticipated and precautions were taken.
But their people arrived too late.
"Where are Uncle Qin's men?" Shen Qingtan asked. "They've disappeared too?"
The assassin nodded: "Zhongyuan is still in Baohua County. He can't escape for the time being."
This news is neither good nor bad; at least the person is in the city.
Shen Qingtan pondered for a moment and looked at Zhao Yi.
Zhao Yi nodded slightly to her.
Shen Qingtan tacitly helped him into the room where Zhong Yuan was staying.
"Second Master, those people's target is Zhongyuan, so they shouldn't kill all of Uncle Qin's men. Even if they do kill all of Uncle Qin's men, if Zhongyuan can escape, then Uncle Qin's men will also be able to get away."
Shen Qingtan speculated, "If someone is still alive, once the news of our presence here gets out, Uncle Qin's men will come looking for us."
Zhao Yi coughed softly and said, "There is a Yongkang Trading Company in Baohua County. I will instruct Jiang Mu to take my token to the manager and have the people in the trading company contact Zhong Yuan privately."
"That's all we can do for now." Shen Qingtan helped Zhao Yi sit on a stool and glanced at the bundle on the table. "Zhongyuan left in a hurry and left his things here. He might come back to get them."
Zhao Yi chuckled, "Perfect timing, we can wait here and wait for them to come to us."
Shen Qingtan had been hoping to find Zhong Yuan, and after finally receiving news, she rushed to Baohua County, only to find him missing.
She felt inexplicably flustered and short of breath, afraid that something unexpected might happen. Even forcing a smile, she couldn't manage it.
"I'll go call Liuyue and Tingxue in to change the bedding, and then I'll go ask the innkeeper for some information," Shen Qingtan instructed. "You stay here and rest; don't leave your room."
Zhao Yi nodded slightly: "I'll wait for you here."
Shen Qingtan hurriedly left the room.
Zhao Yi had been lying in the carriage for a long time, and his body was sore and weak.
Throughout their journey, Shen Qingtan treated him like a fragile porcelain doll, carefully protecting him.
He used the table for support to get up, slowly walked to the window, and opened it to let in some fresh air.
The window faced the main entrance of the inn. He saw Liuyue carrying a quilt, while Tingxue was carrying two bundles and holding a mattress in her hands.
Zhao Yi turned her gaze to the canopy bed next to her, covered with dusty bedding.
He casually rolled up the bedding, but unexpectedly met a pair of eyes from under the bed.
There was a three-finger-wide gap in the middle of the bed, through which Zhao Yi could clearly see an old man with silver hair lying under the bed, a steamed bun in his mouth, staring at him with wide eyes.
Zhao Yi was stunned.
The person hiding under the bed was dumbfounded, so frightened that he shut his mouth. The steamed bun tumbled to the ground, and he unconsciously chewed it a couple of times.
A thought popped into Zhao Yi's mind, and he was about to speak.
The old man, clutching a steamed bun in one hand and a bundle in the other, crawled out from under the bed like a caterpillar. With a swift leap, he sprang out.
Suddenly, the old man stopped abruptly, glaring fiercely at two masked men in black who had appeared out of nowhere.
The assassin took a step into the room, and the old man took a step back.
The man in black stopped walking only when the old man stepped back to Zhao Yi's side.
The assassin said, "Lord Zhao, this man looks just like the medical sage Zhongyuan described by the shopkeeper."
Zhao Yi carefully examined the old man. His hair was a mess, covered in black ash from under the bed. His beard was also a tangled mess. The steamed bun he was holding had rolled on the floor and was covered in black dust, but the old man didn't care and kept stuffing it into his mouth.
It's hard to imagine that someone so unkempt is the medical sage Zhong Yuan.
The person who was thought to be fleeing for their life was actually hiding under the bed.
The old man angrily bit into the steamed bun in his mouth. The bun had been there for two or three days and was hard as a rock, making it difficult to chew.
He thought about how he used to eat lavish meals, lie in a soft bed, and could do whatever he wanted simply by ordering people around.
A few days ago, he was inexplicably chased and killed, and his happy days were gone forever.
He only had enough silver to buy ten steamed buns. He hid in the abandoned, dilapidated house, munching on the tasteless buns, and increasingly missed the delicacies he had eaten at the inn.
He was eyeing the silver he had left at the inn, so he sneaked in, packed his bags, and prepared to have a hearty meal.
Unexpectedly, someone else came to the inn looking for him, which frightened him so much that he hid under the bed and dared not leave the inn.
These past few days, he has been surviving on ten steamed buns and a bag of water from his bundle.
As a result, they still got caught red-handed!
The old man glared angrily at Zhao Yi. He had overheard clearly under the bed that this young man had a favor to ask of Zhong Yuan, not that he was there to kill Zhong Yuan.
He forced the steamed bun down, but the dry, hard bun stuck in his throat and he couldn't go down. He choked so much that he stretched his neck and pounded his chest with his fists.
Zhao Yi poured him a glass of water and handed it to him.
The old man drank a cup of water before he could swallow the steamed bun.
Zhao Yi ordered his assassins, "Go and fetch my wife back, and have the waiter bring another meal."
The assassins accepted their orders and left.
The old man threw away the steamed bun in his hand, pulled out a chair, and sat down.
He looked at Zhao Yi's pale face, which was sickly, yet still exuded an air of refined elegance.
The old man asked, "Are you in cahoots with the people surnamed Qin?"
Zhao Yi said gently, "That's right."
The old man curled his lip: "It's no use you finding me; I can't cure your illness."
Shen Qingtan pushed open the door and came in, and heard the old man's words. Her expression changed slightly.
Zhao Yi remained calm: "In your opinion, sir, who can cure my illness?"
The old man said frankly, "Zhongyuan."
Zhao Yi and Shen Qingtan were taken aback, then realized what was going on.
Sure enough, the old man continued, "I'm not Zhongyuan, so naturally I can't cure your illness."
Shen Qingtan's face turned pale, and she quickly asked, "Does the old gentleman know where Zhongyuan is?"
"If you're looking for him, don't waste your time." The old man poured himself a cup of tea. "Zhongyuan went up the mountain to collect herbs last winter and fell off a cliff. By the time the young man found him, he was already dead."
This news struck Shen Qingtan like a bolt from the blue.
Only Zhongyuan could save Zhao Yi, but Zhongyuan passed away last year.
“However…” the old man changed the subject: “If you find the young man next to Zhongyuan, he might be able to cure him.”
"It was this brat who made me impersonate Zhongyuan and come to Baohua County." The old man gritted his teeth, thinking of his own predicament, and said, "He's here too."