In the county town in the mountains, the low walls and eaves are covered with water droplets. It had just rained, and water was dripping from the eaves from time to time, falling silently on the mossy tiles on both sides of the street, and people were walking back and forth on them.
"Why is Qian Wei here?"
Lu Liangsheng walked up to the curb, extended his hand to the one-armed man opposite him, and the two of them walked to the teahouse next door and asked the waiter to make two cups of tea and bring them over.
"Zuo was tricked by Yan Chixia."
On the opposite side, Zuo Zhengyang took off his bamboo hat and swung his two long swords against the wall with a clang. This attracted the attention of several tables of tea drinkers in the teahouse. After taking a look at the weapons on the wall, they roughly figured out that the other party was a man of the martial arts world and continued to chat and drink tea, but their voices gradually became much quieter. One table paid for the tea and left in a hurry.
"Were we tricked by him?" Lu Liangsheng couldn't help but smile. In the past when he was in Lanruo Temple, he had seen Zuo Zhengyang pulling Yan Chixia into the Qihuo Sect. This was quite strange now.
Zuo Zhengyang chuckled, his sparse stubble growing around his mouth and chin as he talked about his journey to Shu.
"There was a swordsman named Xiahou who originally wanted to challenge Yan Chixia to a duel. But he tricked him into saying, 'There is a man who is a master of one-armed swordsmanship. He is the best in the world. Since ancient times, swords are like fire and water...' Then, he found Zuo and asked him to come to Yancheng to compete. He also sent invitations to heroes from Shu and Shaanxi to watch the duel."
Having said that, he laughed a little louder, rubbed his stubble, took a sip of tea, and looked at the scholar opposite him.
"Could it be that Master Lu also received the invitation to watch the fight?"
Lu Liangsheng had heard about martial arts competitions before, but they were just ordinary people's competitive fights, so he was not interested in them.
"That's not the case. I came to Shuzhong for other things. I wonder when Qianwei will choose to fight with that person?"
"April 4th."
"Qingming?" Lu Liangsheng was slightly surprised. Looking at Zuo Zhengyang's nonchalant expression, he chuckled and said, "It seems that the man has decided who is better and who is better, and whether to live or die."
No matter how skilled the swordsman with the surname Xiahou is, he is no match for Zuo Zhengyang who now has the Fire Spirit Pearl. Back then, as a mortal, he dared to fight a battle with a monster like Pu Du Ci Hang, which was the pinnacle of mortals. What's more, he has now embarked on the journey of cultivation.
After chatting casually about the duel for a while, Lu Liangsheng also asked about the other party's cultivation and gave him some pointers using his magic sound. After all, the latter had just started practicing Taoism, and even though he had advanced martial arts skills, he was naturally not as good as the scholar in this regard.
"… Qianwei mostly nourishes the spirit pearl with qi and blood. The fire spirit that feeds back cannot be infused into the limbs and bones first, but first accumulates in the dantian, just like practicing martial arts in the past, and then enters the internal organs to stimulate their own magic power. However, there are also disadvantages. At that time, Qianwei's cultivation was single, and he could only use the fire spirit."
The implication was that magic could only be used on people of the fire element. Zuo Zhengyang didn't take it seriously and waved his hand.
"It's good to specialize in one discipline, just like Zuo only practiced swordsmanship. If you can practice it to perfection and improve your cultivation, it will be worth it for Master Lu to give you the spiritual pearl."
After chatting for half an hour without realizing it, Zuo Zhengyang hung up his sword and said goodbye. He had been in this mountain county for two days and was about to leave for Yancheng. He also invited Lu Liangsheng to come and watch the fight on April 4th.
"We'll see when the time comes. If I can finish my work in time, I'll go over on the fourth day of the New Year to give a shout-out to Qian Wei."
Lu Liangsheng didn't dare to accept the invitation casually. He didn't know which mountain the light stopped at in the painting "Boundless Mountains and Seas" and why.
"Well, then Zuo will take his leave first."
The one-armed figure with two long swords on his back took the tea and drank it in one gulp. He nodded to the scholar, turned around and walked down the street towards the west gate.
"Hey, check out."
Putting down a few copper coins, Lu Liangsheng looked at the people passing by, and the figures gradually disappeared at the end. Captain Zuo, who used to enforce the law strictly, has now become a man who hates evil and is full of chivalry.
Maybe this is the difference between people.
With a smile on his face, he watched the one-armed figure disappear among the crowd, then turned his gaze to a pharmacy and clinic on the opposite side of the street.
There were fewer patients gathered over there. Lu Liangsheng walked past the dripping eaves. A woman who was leaving with a bag of medicinal herbs just happened to leave and passed by him, with a hint of sinister energy emanating from her.
Then, he walked into the pharmacy, and the medicine picker at the opposite counter saw the scholar in a white robe and put down the small scale.
"Are you getting medicine or seeing a doctor?"
"see a doctor."
Lu Liangsheng coughed softly and followed the waiter who led the way to the side hall. He drew aside the curtain and saw that there was still a curtain across the front. In the dim light, he could see a figure sitting opposite him.
"Doctor Li, a patient has arrived."
Behind the curtain, the figure spoke in a hoarse and weak voice: "Let him come over."
"Okay."
The waiter came back and made a gesture to Lu Liangsheng to invite him in. Fearing that he might be offended, he explained, "Don't mind, sir. My doctor is feeling a little unwell, and I put up a curtain to prevent him from affecting the patient."
"No problem."
Lu Liangsheng smiled, sent the waiter away, went over and sat down opposite the curtain, restrained his cultivation power and energy, lifted up his sleeves, and put his hand under the curtain.
The curtain floated slightly, and a gray, withered hand stretched out, pressing Lu Liangsheng's wrist with its fingertips to take his pulse.
"Sir, your pulse is steady and you don't seem to be ill. Please go back."
On his wrist, the fingertips that touched his skin felt icy cold. Lu Liangsheng narrowed his eyes and reached out his hand again.
"Doctor, why don't you take my pulse again?"
The scholar's breath weakened further, and his vitality was reduced to the lowest level. His body temperature suddenly dropped to freezing point, and his face turned pale as if he were dead. The hand that was stretched out from under the curtain opposite him touched his pulse, and it felt like it was stabbed, and he quickly retracted it.
"Sir, your pulse... I'm afraid you've already..."
"Only the dead can be seen."
Lu Liangsheng withdrew his hand, his vitality revived, his face rosy, and he looked at the figure behind the curtain with a smile: "You don't allow a deceased person like me to come and see the doctor?"
"Swish—"
The cloth curtain was suddenly lifted and pulled to the side by magic power. Sitting behind was a middle-aged man in a black robe with white edges. There was a roll of cloth wrapped around his neck. His face was dull and his eyes were lifeless. Seeing the scholar sitting opposite him, he turned around and wanted to run away. The next moment, he took two steps and was forcibly pulled back and sat on a chair. The magic power that was invisible to the naked eye bound his hands and feet, and he was fixed to the chair and could not move.
Lu Liangsheng stood up from the stool and watched him struggling and twisting, his face darkening.
"You treat patients, are you planning to find a replacement in this way?"
The ghost was also horrified. Seeing that his hands and feet were unable to move, he quickly shook his head, struggled a few times, and shouted:
"No, I have never harmed anyone, please don't talk nonsense, sir."
"no?"
Lu Liangsheng lightly drew the word "imperial" in the air with his finger, and the ghost on the chair suddenly felt a chill all over his body and screamed while sitting on the chair. The medicine dispenser outside heard the noise, rushed in and saw this scene, and was also scared, but turned his head and shouted.
"Sister-in-law, come quickly!!"
The door to the back hall slammed open, and a woman rushed in with a stick in her hand, "Let my husband go!!"
The stick swung towards Lu Liangsheng.