Dingbei Hou's doctor brother

Chapter 219 Gifts

Xiaoliu walked into the study and put the porridge on the small table beside him. Seeing Lu Ziqing standing by the desk writing and drawing, he went over to ask.

"What are you drawing, sir?"

Lu Ziqing didn't look at him. He dipped his brush into yellow paint and dotted small yellow flowers on the scroll. He asked casually, "Do you think...Is it okay for me to give you this?"

Xiao Liu was stunned at first, but then he understood, "Master, do you want to send a gift to the master?"

Lu Ziqing hummed, "I did prepare a set of jade before, but then I thought the Marquis might not need them, so I wanted to make something myself. But then I thought, would it not be valuable enough? Compared to what the Marquis gave me, wouldn't this be too insignificant?"

Xiao Liu chuckled, "What are you talking about, Master? The Master never cares about that. Besides, a painting made by the Master himself is more meaningful than those mundane things. And since it's a gift from you, the Master will definitely like it very much."

Lu Ziqing considered the scroll with his eyes, a faint smile on his lips, "Hearing you say that, I feel relieved."

Xiao Liu quietly watched the osmanthus branches gradually taking shape on the scroll, which looked lifelike. He secretly glanced at Lu Ziqing who was concentrating.

He felt that Lu Ziqing was of the upper class in terms of appearance and ability, and was friendly. He was also a sixth-rank judge. In his heart, Lu Ziqing was no worse than his master, but Lu Ziqing was still cautious in front of his master.

To outsiders, it was a very good thing, but to Lu Ziqing, it was full of concerns, and he was always afraid that what he gave out was not good enough. Why was that?

Is it because you care? Or something else?

Xiao Liu regained his composure and asked, "Master, do you...care about the Master?"

Lu Ziqing was so focused on painting that he didn't hear clearly for a moment, "What?"

"I mean..." Xiao Liu hesitated, "Master, do you sincerely wish your master well when he gets married?"

Lu Ziqing dipped his brush in brown paint. He didn't look at Xiaoliu, but covered his lips with his hands, coughed twice, and continued painting.

"Of course. Ever since I came to the capital, the Marquis has always taken care of me. Now that he's getting married, I'm naturally happy. I'm just afraid that if I leave... I'll never be able to repay this kindness."

When Xiaoliu heard the word "go", he couldn't help feeling disappointed.

"Young Master, you don't have to feel indebted. As far as love is concerned, no matter what kind of love there is in this world, there's no need to deliberately repay it. Young Master, you once said that people who are destined to be together are always connected. Even if they separate one day, perhaps they will meet again in the future."

"Then you'll discover that the old friendship still exists, but it's transformed into a deeper emotion, a tacit understanding that requires no words. Since the Marquis considers you a close friend, he certainly wouldn't want to see you so obsessed with repaying him."

Hearing this, Lu Ziqing paused his pen, looked sideways at Xiaoliu, and smiled, "Why are you so enlightened today?"

"I..." Xiaoliu lowered his eyebrows, feeling a little embarrassed, and looked up at his pale face.

"I couldn't speak before, let alone understand these things. It was you who taught me. Xiao Liu just hopes that you won't have any psychological burdens and won't be so cautious. You are a very good person, and you will naturally attract others to treat you sincerely."

Lu Ziqing looked at him, biting his lip in thought. After a while, he chuckled, "Xiao Liu said it very well. I am not as open-minded as you. I have to change slowly in the future."

As a servant, Xiaoliu was rarely praised or recognized. He would only be praised in front of Lu Ziqing. The feeling of being recognized and praised by a person of status would always make him happy and give him the illusion of reaching a higher level.

However, this was only in front of Lu Ziqing. He scratched his head shyly and said with a smile: "I am embarrassed by what you said, sir."

Lu Ziqing continued to paint with a smile. Not long after the scroll was completed, he picked up a brush and wrote an inscription on it.

However, just as the pen was about to fall, it suddenly stopped, and the words that Xiao Yan once said to him, "I don't want you to congratulate me when I get married," popped up in his mind at an inopportune time.

The brush in his hand hesitated to move, so Xiao Liu asked, "What are you thinking about, sir?"

Lu Ziqing hesitated for a long time, but finally put the brush away, picked up the scroll and blew on it, while Xiaoliu admired it.

"Sir, your painting is so beautiful. The two birds standing on the osmanthus branches looking at each other are so lifelike. This is the first time I have seen you paint."

Lu Ziqing looked at the painting and said, "I haven't painted for many years, so it seems a little unfamiliar today."

Xiao Liu seemed surprised. "Sir, is this your painting the only one I'm unfamiliar with? Although I'm not well-educated, I've seen many paintings in your master's collection before. Compared to those masterpieces, your painting is not inferior at all. Instead, they have different styles and their own merits. You are truly modest."

Lu Ziqing was amused by his words and joked as he put the painting away, "So, I am already a famous master. Then this painting should not be shabby to give to the Marquis."

Xiao Liu laughed along, "Look at what you said, sir, what's so shabby about it?"

Lu Ziqing put the painting into the scroll box, ate some porridge and went out to tidy up. He was groggy and just as he passed the door to the front yard, a hot stream flowed down his nose, staining his white clothes with a bright red.

He subconsciously covered his nose and held onto the side wall, listening to Xiaoliu muttering to himself as he walked into the yard. He steadied himself and was about to ask Xiaoliu to wait a moment.

At this moment, Xiao Liu just turned around and saw that there was no one behind him. He found that Lu Ziqing was still under the eaves. He walked over and wanted to ask what was wrong, but he saw the blood on Lu Ziqing's clothes and immediately panicked.

"What's wrong, young master?"

Lu Ziqing covered his nose and said in a muffled voice, "My nose is bleeding. Wait for me for a moment. I'll go back and change my clothes."

Xiaoliu helped him back to his room, a little worried, "Young Master, you're not feeling well, why don't you...don't go? I'll go for you."

"Isn't it too late to go now? I have to hurry, you should have woken me up earlier." Lu Ziqing quickened his pace and answered the question irrelevantly.

Xiao Liu said, "There's still half an hour left. Today isn't over yet, so it's not too late. It's just..."

"It's good that it's not too late." Lu Ziqing rushed to respond, "The Marquis is getting married, and this gift must be delivered in person to show sincerity. It would be impolite to deliver it on his behalf."

Seeing that his steps were a little unsteady, Xiao Liu sighed, "Then walk slowly, sir. There's no rush."

Lu Ziqing went into the room, changed his clothes in a hurry, and came out from the inner room in a hurry. The dizziness he had felt before suddenly exploded in his head.

He groaned in pain, staggered forward a few steps, fell in front of the dressing table on the side, and muttered to himself.

"What's going on? Is it a relapse of an old illness? Did I lose control of my mind while practicing? Or is it just a cold? My body is becoming increasingly useless.

He shook his head and smiled bitterly. "Isn't that what Old Su always said? Doctors are prone to illnesses and none of them have long lives. I'm afraid my life is coming to an end too. But thankfully, Master's matter is over, and everyone else is safe and sound. I have no regrets."

Lu Ziqing sighed, looked up and saw his pale face in the mirror, and was shocked.

I hadn't noticed it before, but how did it become like this? How can I go out and meet people like this?

In the mirror, he touched his face and looked around, then rubbed his face with his hands, trying to get the blood color out, but no matter how hard he rubbed, it didn't change.

After a while, Lu Ziqing began to recite silently in his heart, "The Mysterious Sect of Heaven and Earth, the root of all mysteries, I have cultivated for countless eons to prove my supernatural powers. Within and outside the Three Realms, only the Tao is supreme..."