Seeing that Xu Ping’an didn’t even look back, Li Yuer knew that trying to persuade him any further would be pointless.
In truth, after learning about Xu Ping’an’s past, she already had some suspicions.
The man before her… didn’t like Great Qi.
And with the things he’d said earlier, along with his current attitude, she could pretty much confirm it.
No wonder… someone so young, with such incredible abilities, would rather keep a low profile than show off in public, willingly settling in this small Liuyexian as a wandering Doctor.
Recalling what she knew of Xu Ping’an’s life, Li Yuer furrowed her brows.
But she quickly covered up her feelings, lifting her head to look at Xu Ping’an’s retreating figure.
“Please don’t blame me, sir. It was I who was out of line. I hope you can forgive me.”
“Hmm… Knowing your mistake is enough. Go back and rest. As for going to Jinling or Chao Ge, neither is possible now. If you leave Liuyexian in your condition, you’ll die before you even make it to Jinling or Chao Ge.”
Seeing Li Yuer soften her tone, it seemed she understood her mistake.
Xu Ping’an nodded, picked up the Jin Box from the table, and took out a Porcelain Bottle. He poured out two Pills.
“Take one when you get back, and another before bed tonight. You’ll be back to normal by tomorrow. But let me warn you—if you keep brooding like this, even these two Pills won’t help you.”
“Thank you, sir.”
Li Yuer nodded, accepted the Pills, and with Jing’er’s help, walked unsteadily out of the room.
Outside the door, Zhao Pingzhi had already grown impatient waiting. When he saw his lady come out, he hurried over.
“Miss, your health…”
“It’s nothing…”
Li Yuer waved her hand.
Her face was pale, but her eyes still shone with determination.
“Old Zhao, there might be something off about the Doctor’s background. Send someone to investigate again. I believe there’s a reason behind this… The Doctor wouldn’t dislike Great Qi for no reason.”
“Ah?”
When Zhao Pingzhi met Li Yuer’s sharp gaze, he immediately lowered his head.
“Yes.”
He was full of questions, but he knew that whenever the Shizi… or the Princess Royal showed that look, she was truly serious.
And likely angry, even if she kept it hidden inside.
He had only brought two large cages of pigeons with him on this trip, just to make it easier to send messages back to the Prince’s Residence.
In the left room of the eastern wing, Xu Ping’an watched Li Yuer’s retreating figure through the window lattice, then sighed and sat down on the bed.
Just then, Liu Yingying, who had just finished boiling hot water, walked closer to him.
“Ping’an, if you don’t like her and can’t bring yourself to say it, I can drive her away for you. Then you won’t have to worry like this.”
This girl always meant what she said.
She’d said she was moving in, and the very next day, she packed up her bedding and came over.
So now, if he just nodded, Liu Yingying would, without a doubt, put her hands on her hips and start scolding Li Yuer right at her door.
“I’m not worried because of her.”
Xu Ping’an smiled, then glanced up at the Doctor’s Couplets hanging on the wall.
Liu Yingying, and Pei Qingxuan who sat silently beside Xu Ping’an, both followed his gaze.
There was a pair of couplets, with a painting in the center.
No one knew who’d painted it, but it was a lively street scene, bustling with buyers and sellers, carriages and horses, full of life.
On either side hung the Doctor’s Couplets.
The first line read: “Better that no one in the world falls ill,”
The second: “Than for dust to gather on the medicine shelf.”
“Ping’an, you…”
Liu Yingying wasn’t some sheltered young miss.
She’d seen her share of the world, had some standing, and a bit of insight.
She naturally understood what it meant to have these couplets and that painting together.
“Alright, that’s enough. Talking about it just makes me more troubled. Go on back. Have Ning’er tell the people in the west room the hot water’s ready, and let them fetch it themselves.”
“Alright…”
Liu Yingying frowned, but seeing Xu Ping’an’s calm expression, she nodded.
“Then… I’ll head back to my room?”
“Go on~”
Xu Ping’an smiled and nodded.
Only then did Liu Yingying turn and leave.
At that moment, Pei Qingxuan, who’d been silent all along, suddenly wrapped her arms around his neck, resting her head against his chest.
“Husband… You just can’t bear to see people suffer, see the people in misery, right?”
Xu Ping’an didn’t answer.
He simply gazed quietly at the painting, lost in memories of those he’d known.
Come to think of it, it was almost his old man’s death anniversary.
Should he go pay respects at the grave?
He’d missed it last year because of the epidemic.
If he missed it again this year, the grass on the grave would grow too tall.
And the Ancestor Shrine, and his parents’ Ancestral Grave—shouldn’t he visit those as well?
“Yes… I don’t want to see it. After all, who wants to see the streets filled with Refugees?”
If chaos broke out in Great Qi, the people would surely suffer.
To be honest, even if he disliked Great Qi’s system, as a human being, he couldn’t help but feel compassion for the suffering.
It’s simply what it means to be human.
And as a Doctor, Xu Ping’an least wanted to see patients.
But if disaster struck, there would be patients everywhere.
By then, even with heaven-defying skills, he couldn’t save everyone.
But as for helping Great Qi… he truly didn’t want to get involved in that mess.
Remembering his parents’ faces, Xu Ping’an could still feel his mother’s doting and his father’s kindness.
His parents had been among the best families in the area, with a good reputation. During the Disaster Year, they often donated food to help others.
But in the end, what became of them?
Their remains couldn’t even be found in full.
And he knew exactly who had orchestrated it.
But there was nothing he could do.
Back then, he simply didn’t have the ability to fight those people.
He knew he couldn’t protect such a large family estate, so he sold it all off while the Xu Family name still carried weight.
With old friends and reputation, those people wouldn’t dare touch him as a child.
He quietly turned it all into money and left that place of sorrow.
Even now, he sometimes thought about revenge, but… Uncle Hu, whom he’d always regarded as half a father, had clutched his hand on his deathbed, face filled with worry.
[Don’t seek revenge, Young Master… This old servant only wishes for you to live well, to survive, and never to return…]
He could still remember those worried, reluctant, aged eyes.
As if sensing his mood, Pei Qingxuan hugged his arm even tighter, as if trying to share her warmth with him.
Xu Ping’an lifted the young lady onto his lap.
“My dear, would you like to hear a story?”
“I would~”
“Alright, then I’ll tell you a rather dull story.”
“Eh?”
“Heh~”
Of course it was dull.
After all, after all the hardships along the way, he still never made it into the immortal’s domain.
You could say… it was all for nothing.
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