Clouds and Moon Shadow

Chapter 42 The Prodigal Doctor

Liquan Pass.

The shouts shook the heavens as the Nanzhao Kingdom launched another surprise attack. The bugle call to attack sounded in the middle of the night, leaving the soldiers guarding Liquan Pass completely bewildered, followed by a chaotic battle.

The Third Prince, Yue Ziqi, lived up to his reputation as an unpredictable and eccentric individual. He launched a surprise attack in the middle of the night—not a sneak attack, but a charge—instantly throwing the temporary camp of the 15,000 soldiers who had just been transferred from the Lizhou camp of the Great Chu into chaos.

They had only just arrived at the camp after a forced march that afternoon, and had barely eaten and lay down fully clothed before picking up their spears and joining the battle again.

It was about an hour later before the attack by the Nanzhao army was repelled.

The temporary camp was noisy and chaotic. The wounded were carried into the medical tent of the wounded soldiers' camp, and the remaining troops hurriedly assembled for a headcount. Everywhere was filled with hurried footsteps and a sense of panic.

Not far from the medical tent, in a camp, a makeshift captain's tent was very simple. Mu Yun Chu sat upright, with a map of the southwestern border spread out on the table. The oil lamp flickered, adding a touch of gloom to the stuffy tent.

"Master, Zhao Er from the guard camp said that General Zhao's injuries have worsened again, and he secretly asked if we could find Doctor Bai to come and take a look?" Mu Nan approached the tent and lowered his voice.

Mu Yun Chu carefully circled and wrote on the map with a pen until she rolled it up and handed it to Mu Nan. "Send this map to General Gu at the Lizhou camp as soon as possible." After a pause, she added, "Tell me about the situation of Lieutenant General Zhao."

"Zhao Er said that this afternoon, Lieutenant General Zhao had a high fever, but it subsided at dinner time. However, he just heard that the Nanzhao army had come again, and he was so angry that he fainted and developed a high fever again. He has not woken up yet. Doctor Li has been busy for almost an hour, but the fever has not subsided. Moreover, the wound on his leg shows signs of suppuration. If this continues..."

Mu Yun Chu frowned, pondered for a moment, and said, "Have Mu Bei go to Liquan County to see how Yan'er is doing. If there are no problems, have Doctor Bai come over."

"Yes," Mu Nan immediately responded and left, leaving only the tent curtains swaying slightly.

Looking at the dark night sky outside, Mu Yun Chu thought about the battle that had just ended and fell into deep thought.

Liquan County Town.

People who had been busy all day, filled with anxiety, had already drifted off to sleep.

Meanwhile, in a secluded courtyard in the city, the main house was brightly lit.

On the bed, an eleven or twelve-year-old boy stared wide-eyed, his face full of resentment.

"Why won't you let me go to Liquan Pass? I can fight the southern barbarians too!" the boy said indignantly.

Bai Jingzhi sat by the bed, calmly fiddling with silver needles, yawning, looking rather like a spoiled brat than a doctor examining someone.

Mu Jinyan let out a heavy sigh, looking at the "doctor" in front of him, really wanting to smear him in the face.

The doctor Uncle Qi found doesn't look like a doctor at all. He even claims to be known as the "White Divine Doctor" in the martial arts world. Have you ever seen a doctor who can't even open his eyes while yawning and still gives acupuncture? This is treating human life like dirt!

"I need to go to Liquan Pass. Hurry up and pull these damn things out of me. I'm perfectly fine and don't need your treatment!" Mu Jinyan struggled to get up.

They received news in the morning that the Nanzhao Kingdom had attacked Liquan Pass, General Zhao had been killed in battle, and Uncle Qi and the others had been transferred from the Lizhou camp to provide support. They still didn't know the situation.

He was extremely anxious, but a while ago he was captured by Pan Xiangye's men and almost taken to the Nanzhao Kingdom. Fortunately, he was saved by a young man, but he was still injured and has not fully recovered yet.

As a result, before he could even leave the house with his bundle, he was robbed by this playboy in front of him. He confiscated all his silver and horses, and even dragged him to his room to give him acupuncture, saying that he was deficient in both qi and blood and needed to be treated.

He only got stabbed in the arm last time, okay? The wound was deep, but he didn't bleed much, so why is he so worried?

It's definitely this spoiled brat Bai who's messing with him!

"Lie down, or I'll use acupressure on you. Do you want to sleep stiff all night?"

Bai Jingzhi wouldn't be intimidated by the little brat in front of him. This kid was as slippery as an eel, and he didn't want to lose him right under his nose. How would he explain that to Seventh Master?

Besides, he had already sneaked out once before and suffered a great loss, almost being kidnapped by the Nanzhao people. He was truly impressed that this kid still had the guts to run away again.

He slowly pulled out the needles one by one, seemingly casually, but actually carefully observing the changes in Mu Jinyan's expression.

Only he and Mu Yun Chu knew that the young boy in front of them had been poisoned with a strange poison since childhood, which had been suppressed in his body. As he grew older, the poison gradually manifested and began to erode his body. If Mu Yun Chu hadn't taken him in and treated him these past two years, he might have died long ago if he had stayed in the capital, that cannibalistic place.

Thinking of this, Bai Jingzhi frowned.

He had to find the Life-Separating Grass as soon as possible, otherwise, Mu Jinyan's health would probably weaken very quickly.

Looking up and seeing the boy's stubborn eyes, Bai Jingzhi sighed, picked up the medicine that had just been brewed on the table, and walked back to the bedside.

"If you drink the medicine and behave well, I'll take you to see your seventh uncle in a couple of days once the situation at Liquan Pass stabilizes. How about that?"

"Really? You can't be lying to me," Mu Jinyan said with disbelief. Could this playboy really dare to take him to Liquan Pass?

Bai Jingzhi raised an eyebrow, looking at him with amusement, "Do you dare to go?" After saying that, he revealed a meaningful smile.

"You, you... don't give me that crap. I said I dare, and I dare!" Mu Jinyan said firmly.

Isn't this spoiled brat in front of me just saying that his seventh uncle will punish him? If he's punished, won't he run away?

Watching the boy gulp down the medicine in one go, Bai Jingzhi smiled mischievously, picked up the empty bowl, and walked out of the room.

The boy in the room fell into a deep sleep in less than ten breaths.

"Look, young master, I need to go to Plum Valley Mountain tonight. It's the season when the Li Sheng Grass blooms, making it the easiest to find. If you miss this season, it will be very difficult to find it," Bai Jingzhi patted Mu Dong's shoulder, stuffed the empty bowl into his hand, and left leisurely.

Mu Dong was also one of Mu Yun Chu's hidden guards, and his martial arts were even better than Mu Nan's. Therefore, he was sent to follow Mu Jin Yan. Watching Bai Jing Zhi leave, he clenched the empty bowl in his hand, his heart filled with anticipation, hoping that he could find the Separation Grass this time.

The next instant, he turned and disappeared into the shadows.

An hour later, Mu Bei's tall and strong body landed lightly in the courtyard.

"Why are you back?" Mu Dong stepped out and walked towards Mu Bei.

Mu Bei glanced at the young man before him: "How is the young master?"

Seeing the concern in the other person's eyes, Mu Dong waved his hand and said, "I feel fine today, but I tried to sneak out twice and was caught by Doctor Bai."

Mu Bei paused, clearly unaware that such a thing had happened.

"Young Master is really something... Where is Doctor Bai?" Mu Bei glanced around at the side room of the main courtyard, which was Doctor Bai's residence.

Mu Dong pointed to the east, "The Divine Doctor Bai went to Meigu Mountain overnight, saying he was going to find the Lisheng Grass."

Mu Bei understood. Doctor Bai had been searching for the Life-Saving Grass for almost two years without any news. He would go into the nearby mountains almost every one or two months, and he had been to Meigu Mountain at least three times, but still hadn't found it.

Hopefully, this time there will be a result.

"How long have you been gone?" Mu Bei pursed his lips, recalling what Mu Nan had said about General Zhao's injuries, and was at a loss.

Mu Dong looked at Mu Bei with a puzzled expression and asked nervously, "What happened? Doctor Bai has been gone for an hour." He paused, then asked, "Is Master alright?" He looked at Mu Bei with a worried expression.

Mu Bei knew he had misunderstood, so he quickly said, "Master is fine, it's just General Zhao." After saying that, he suddenly remembered something and turned to walk outside.

"Where are you going? We can't catch up now, and Meigu Mountain is so big, where are we going to look for you?" Mu Dong's voice rang out from behind him.

Mu Bei paused, then said, "I'll go check. They might not have even entered the mountains yet. General Zhao can't wait any longer." With that, he immediately flew away.

“He rode Black Wind, you can’t catch up with him,” Mu Dong shouted from behind.

Hearing Mu Dong's words, Mu Bei, who had not yet left the courtyard, hesitated on the roof for a while before flying towards the city.