northernbook #282 - Met a colleague
#282 - Met a colleague
Zhao Bao's expression shifted as he watched the old eunuch beckon him.
He could only say to Liang Jin:
"Great Virtuous Teacher, I need to go see someone."
Liang Jin glanced at the old eunuch and smiled slightly.
"Go ahead."
Immediately, Liang Jin instructed the boatman to bring the boat closer to the dock.
The soldiers at the dock initially intended to prevent Zhao Bao from disembarking.
However, after the guards beside the old eunuch exchanged a few words with them, Zhao Bao successfully stepped onto the dock.
Zhao Bao, holding up the hem of his robe, jogged all the way to the old eunuch.
He hastily bowed and said:
"Eunuch Cao, aren't you serving in the Cautious Punishment Department?"
"What wind has blown you all the way here?"
It turned out that this old eunuch was none other than Cao Xian.
Cao Xian looked at Zhao Bao with a smile and said:
"There's no helping it. The young whippersnappers in the Embroidered Uniform Guard are always unreliable. They're clumsy and have no prospects."
"So, whenever there's an important task, the higher-ups have no choice but to drag this old bone of mine out for use."
At this point, Cao Xian patted Zhao Bao on the shoulder:
"If those youngsters were all as capable as you, there would be no need for this old fellow to travel such a long distance, enduring the hardships of the journey, all the way from the capital to this southern region."
"I heard that you received a mission to investigate the Way of Peace and the Great Virtuous Teacher."
"This mission is indeed not easy, but I didn't expect you to do so well, kid."
"Calculating the journey, you probably haven't been in Qing Province for more than a few days, and you've already successfully infiltrated the Way of Peace, becoming a close confidant of the Great Virtuous Teacher."
Zhao Bao was shocked to hear this.
Clearly, Cao Xian had already recognized the identities of everyone on the boat.
This also made Zhao Bao slightly marvel at Cao Xian. He truly was a capable and efficient official in the Embroidered Uniform Guard, as if nothing could escape his eyes.
Zhao Bao hurriedly explained:
"To tell the truth, this matter is hard to explain in a few words."
"But this subordinate has always been loyal to the Embroidered Uniform Guard and will never defect!"
"Please, Eunuch Cao, allow me to explain slowly."
Even Zhao Bao himself was still completely bewildered.
Why did this Great Virtuous Teacher always keep him by his side?
It wasn't just treating him with courtesy; it was as if he regarded Zhao Bao as one of his own.
Zhao Bao himself couldn't understand why this was happening.
If others saw this, they would probably think that Zhao Bao had betrayed the Embroidered Uniform Guard and joined the Way of Peace.
Therefore, Zhao Bao hurriedly wanted to explain everything clearly.
Cao Xian waved his hand, stopping Zhao Bao and smiling:
"You should do whatever you need to do for the mission you received."
For Cao Xian's words, he needed to guess Cao Xian's true intentions behind every sentence.
Especially with Cao Xian appearing here, could it be… that he had been secretly watching him all along?
Cao Xian chuckled twice, as if he had seen through Zhao Bao's conjecture.
He laughed and said:
"Don't overthink it. I'm just here to pick someone up."
"But I didn't expect to see you standing at the bow of the boat."
"In short, it's just a chance encounter."
"Heh! Talk of the devil, the person I've been waiting for has finally arrived!"
Cao Xian raised his hand and pointed towards the distant dock.
Sure enough.
Several of Cao Xian's guards were welcoming a thin, middle-aged man as he disembarked.
The middle-aged man seemed to possess considerable martial arts skills. Even as the boat swayed, he was able to walk as if on flat ground.
And this man seemed to be a doctor, carrying a medicine chest on his back.
Zhao Bao couldn't help but ask in surprise:
"I seem to have seen this person's portrait in the Embroidered Uniform Guard's intelligence files…"
"I remember!"
"He is the number one divine physician in the martial world, Mu Mu!"
Cao Xian nodded approvingly upon hearing this.
He was quite satisfied that Zhao Bao had diligently memorized the portraits of various key figures in the martial world.
Then, Zhao Bao inquired:
"Eunuch Cao is actually waiting for this Divine Physician Mu?"
"Could it be… that some noble person in this Min Province is ill?"
Cao Xian said blandly:
"This is not something you should ask."
"Instead, I have a question to ask you. Does the Great Virtuous Teacher really have a method to treat epidemics?"
"How effective is it, and how long does it take for people to recover?"
Upon hearing this, Zhao Bao couldn't help but glance back at Liang Jin on the boat.
Liang Jin was sitting at the bow of the boat, watching them with a faint smile.
Zhao Bao could only turn his back, fearing that Liang Jin would understand lip reading, and whispered to Cao Xian:
"Eunuch Cao, the Great Virtuous Teacher's ability to cure epidemics should be real."
"In the days that this one has been in Qing Province, I haven't seen a single person infected with the disease."
"As for whether the Great Virtuous Teacher is using talisman water to cure illnesses as in the legends, or using some kind of secret medicine, this one has not yet been able to investigate."
"As long as you give this one a little time, this one will definitely—"
Cao Xian raised his hand again, stopping Zhao Bao's words.
Clearly, Cao Xian was not interested in flowery words, nor was he interested in Zhao Bao's mission.
He simply said:
"Since he can really cure diseases, that's enough."
At this point, Cao Xian's gaze also turned to Liang Jin on the boat.
As their eyes met, they both nodded slightly in acknowledgment.
Then, Cao Xian sighed:
"What a handsome and elegant man!"
"This makes me hesitate whether I should introduce him to that noble person or not?"
The appearance, image, and temperament of this clone of Liang Jin were simply impeccable, like a perfect male god.
But it was precisely this overly handsome and flawless appearance that made Cao Xian somewhat hesitant.
Zhao Bao could only wait respectfully on the side, not daring to offer any opinion.
After a long while, Cao Xian seemed to have made a decision:
"Forget it, lives are at stake, curing the disease is the priority."
He turned around and instructed Zhao Bao:
"Zhao Bao, I'm giving you a task."
"Go and invite the Great Virtuous Teacher off the boat to treat the noble person and dispel the epidemic."
"Doing this well is an opportunity for you, and an opportunity for me."
Zhao Bao's eyes lit up upon hearing this.
He knew very well that Cao Xian was not like his godfather, Li Dafu, who would casually make empty promises.
On the contrary, Cao Xian's words carried a lot of weight, and it was precisely this that gave Cao Xian a unique personal charm, making his subordinates willing to work for him.
Zhao Bao was no exception.
Especially, he knew that the opportunity Cao Xian spoke of was definitely a precious and rare one!
Immediately, Zhao Bao hurriedly said:
"This humble one will certainly not fail Eunuch Cao's high expectations!"
After saying that, Zhao Bao hurriedly set off to return.
He re-boarded the boat docked at the pier and came before Liang Jin.
But when he faced Liang Jin's eyes, he didn't know how to speak.
According to rumors, the Great Virtuous Teacher could see through people's hearts.
At this moment, Zhao Bao only felt as if he had been completely seen through by Liang Jin.
To the point that many of the words he had briefly prepared were now impossible to say.
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Liang Jin smiled faintly:
"Judging by your appearance, you seem to have something to ask of me."
"I don't have any other skills, but my medical skills are barely passable."
"It seems that someone wants me to treat an illness?"
Zhao Bao nodded stiffly upon hearing this.
As expected, he had been seen through!
This made Zhao Bao even more guilty.
Liang Jin continued to sigh:
"If others ask, it depends on fate."
"When there is no fate, even if the Emperor calls, I will not disembark."
Zhao Bao was startled when he heard these words.
Such disrespectful words cannot be said carelessly.
It would be fine to say it in a place where no one is around on ordinary days, but there are many Embroidered Uniform Guard people here!
Not to mention Cao Xian, even Zhao Bao was from the Embroidered Uniform Guard.
If the Embroidered Uniform Guard heard anyone say this on ordinary days, they would definitely arrest him and throw him into prison, confiscate his entire family, and sell his wife and daughters into the brothels opened by the imperial court!
Liang Jin continued to say:
"But Brother Zhao Bao has a connection with me."
"Since Brother Zhao Bao is asking, then I will go on this trip."
After saying that, Liang Jin stood up.
Zhao Bao glanced awkwardly at the people beside Liang Jin.
Eunuch Cao had only instructed him to invite Liang Jin alone.
And Zhao Bao also saw that the divine physician Mu Mu had also disembarked alone, and his entourage had not been able to bring along.
Liang Jin smiled and didn't mind.
He asked the rest of the people to stay on the boat and went alone with Zhao Bao.
Liang Jin walked onto the pier and saw Cao Xian already welcoming him with a smile.
After exchanging a few brief pleasantries, Cao Xian arranged for Liang Jin to sit in a carriage, while the martial arts divine physician Mu Mu sat in another carriage.
Afterwards, the guards led the way in front, and the two carriages headed towards the city.
Liang Jin sat in the carriage and finally successfully entered Minzhou City.
He saw that within this Minzhou City, there was an atmosphere of tension and oppression everywhere.
The entire city was divided into multiple areas, with an isolation zone separating each area.
At each major road, soldiers were guarding with gauze covering their mouths and noses, strictly prohibiting people from different areas from contacting each other.
Liang Jin and the others' carriages were able to pass through at will.
But the rest of the common people were restricted to their respective living areas.
Everywhere, people could be seen lighting mugwort and using smoke to fumigate the area.
Liang Jin was watching these epidemic prevention measures.
But the next moment, he saw a group of different people.
This group of people wore white clothes, white capes, white fragrant leaf crowns, and held white whisks in their hands.
They walked in formation on the street while shouting loudly:
"White robes fluttering, like immortals descending, miraculous skills reviving hearts and helping the masses."
"Wherever the apricot forest blossoms, benevolent winds sweep away all diseases."
Whenever this group of people passed by, they always attracted a large number of people to come out and kneel down.
Even many soldiers respectfully saluted them.
Everyone had a solemn expression, as if worshiping gods.
When this group of white-clothed people stopped, someone would carry out a bronze cauldron.
And at this time, the common people would take out silver coins and piously place the silver coins in their hands into the bronze cauldron.
When the silver coins filled the bronze cauldron, the leader of the white-clothed people would throw a stack of white talisman papers into the sky while shouting:
"White robes descend, with benevolent hearts saving the people."
"The White Robe Sect emerges, and epidemics disappear!"
The white talisman papers flew everywhere like a group of white butterflies.
Those common people looked at these white talisman papers as if they had seen a life-saving straw, and frantically scrambled for them.
The scene was once chaotic.
Fortunately, the guards leading the way for Liang Jin's carriage were as fierce as wolves and tigers, and they easily dispersed the common people blocking the road, allowing the carriage to proceed smoothly.
Liang Jin sat in the carriage, watching this scene and only felt it was comical and absurd:
"Am I..."
"Meeting a colleague?"
In Qingzhou, there was the Taiping Dao wearing yellow clothes and yellow scarves, using talisman water to treat illnesses and save people.
And in this Minzhou, there was actually a group of white-clothed people doing similar things.
"Demons!"
"This is definitely a group of demons!"
Liang Jin couldn't help but feel contempt.
Liang Jin deeply hated these demons who deceived and fooled the common people during the rampant plague.
But Liang Jin would not compare himself to this group of demons.
He was really treating illnesses.
Just as Liang Jin was thinking, he saw that the carriage had stopped.
He saw a luxurious and tall building in front of him, like a manor, but it seemed to be of a higher standard than a manor.
The surrounding walls here were very tall, and above the walls, there were even neatly arranged battlements.
It was simply like a small palace!
It was heavily guarded here, with a large number of soldiers guarding it.
The carriage stopped at the gate.
Cao Xian had already gotten off the horse in advance and smiled at the two carriages:
"Divine Physician Mu, Great Virtuous Teacher, we have arrived."
"Please get out of the carriage, both of you."