smile to heart

=========================

Two days later, the plague broke out outside the city again, and people in the city were panicked.

After discussing with everyone, Feng Mei took Fang Yanxiao away under the pretext of needing help, and rushed to the outside of the city to treat the wounded and to clarify the whole story of the plague incident.

After leaving the Nanchuan Building, Qi Zhong was a little absent-minded. First, he was surprised by Mu Yun's indifferent attitude for the past few days. Second, Min Zhi was very angry at his missed appointment that night, apologized many times, and refused to act like before. , The slapstick is vague.

Inexplicably, everyone became preoccupied, but he was the only one who was isolated as if nothing had happened.

Due to the spread of the epidemic, the streets are much deserted.

Realizing that the atmosphere was a little too quiet, Qi Zhong secretly glanced at Mu Yun's mood beside him, and began to talk.

"According to Patriarch Tang's reply, the plague this time is not that simple. It seems to be full of evil spirits, which is why the outbreaks broke out one after another."

"..."

Mu Yun listened, but didn't reply him.

Qi Zhong curled his lips, and when he saw people ignoring him, he leaned forward on purpose, blocked the way, put his hips on his hips and said, "Ahem. You..."

Before he finished speaking, the figure in front of him moved quickly, and Mu Yun had already bypassed him and continued to walk unhurriedly.Only the breeze from the remaining sleeves brushed against Qi Zhong's ears.

After being stunned for a while, Qi finally came to his senses, snorted, followed Mu Yun's pace honestly, and stopped playing these childish tricks.

The two walked one after the other, keeping a distance to a pharmacy, and suddenly heard the angry words of arguing inside.

"Let's go, do you still want to buy Cordyceps with this money? Hurry up, don't delay my business."

Then, I saw the pharmacy owner pushing a young man out of the door viciously.

"Isn't this the Confucian scholar who sold calligraphy and paintings last time?" Qi finally recognized the young man and muttered.

"Boss, the one in my family is dying. Please do me a favor and sell it to me at a low price. When I have money in the future, can I make up for it all?"

Zhang Zhi had a troubled expression on his face, and kept staring at the wormwood medicine on the cabinet, pinching and pinching the broken silver in his hand.

"No! I'm a drug seller, not Shanzhuang. You don't have enough money."

The shrewd eyes of the pharmacy owner cast a disdainful glance at Zhang Zhi, who was dressed poorly, and refused without hesitation.

"But half a month ago, this Cordyceps was not so expensive, why do you have to sell it at a high price today?"

Zhang Zhi's tone was anxious, but helpless.

"Hmph. Don't you look at the time of this, don't you know that there is a plague in the south of the city, and the medicinal materials are extremely rare now? If you want to survive, you need to pay more!"

The pharmacy owner picked up the pick between his teeth, threw it away, and rolled his eyes at Zhang Zhi.

"You, you are sitting on the ground and raising the price, taking advantage of others' danger, and earning money that is ignorant of conscience."

At first Zhang Zhi thought it was a ship merchant and a land merchant, but the business was late recently, and the pharmacy didn't get the goods, that's why it was so expensive. After listening to the boss's proud words, he realized the truth.

"Conscience? How much is it worth? Now is the time when I'm making a lot of money, and fools are waiting to lose money. Besides, I'm pretty good. If you go to another place and spend the same money, maybe it's still a fake Well. I don’t know what to do, hurry up and don’t delay my business.”

After a while of pushing and shoving, the owner of the pharmacy unceremoniously threw him out the door.

With anger in his eyes, Mu Yun quickly stepped forward to help Zhang Zhi who was about to fall.

"Thank you."

Zhang Zhi tidied up her clothes, turned around and bowed respectfully to Mu Yun.

"Ah, Mr. Mu, it's you." When he looked up, his face showed surprise.

Mu Yun smiled faintly at him, acquiescing.

Then he looked sternly at the pharmacy owner, and said in a serious tone, "The people are already in dire straits, but you have corrupt personal morals and sell medicinal materials at a high price. Not to mention whether this Cordyceps is effective for this plague, you wantonly raise the price, making things difficult for others. And so on What a shameless thing to do!"

"You, who are you? I sell my medicine, why do you accuse me? Dogs take mice, mind your own business."

The pharmacy owner was not only unrepentant when the facts were exposed, but even more rudely clamored.

"You say it again?"

Qi Zhong, who was at the side, saw that he didn't know how to praise him, so he took two steps forward, put his sword heavily on the table, glared fiercely at the pharmacy owner, and threatened silently.

"Uh, young man, you have something to say, something to say."

The owner of the pharmacy was greedy for life and afraid of death, wiped off his sweat, and spoke weakly.

"Hmph. That's about the same." Qi Zhong withdrew his sword, folded his hands, and stood aside.

"Mister is in urgent need of Cordyceps, but someone in the family is sick?" Mu Yun turned around and asked Zhang Zhi warmly.Sighing, Zhang Zhi said helplessly: "It's a friend of mine who needs this herbal medicine very much now. When he entered the city, he had already taken all his family savings, but he raised the price unreasonably and couldn't afford it, so he bought it with him." He had an argument."

Knowing the whole story, Mu Yun understood, and looked at the shivering pharmacy owner from time to time at Qi Zhong.

"Boss, please sell this Cordyceps at the original price. The special period is not a reason for you to abandon your virtue."

"This……"

The boss is a miser, so he was naturally reluctant to part with the money, so he procrastinated and showed hesitation.

"Ok?"

Qi finally stood in front of Mu Yun and raised the sword in his hand.

"Yes, yes, the young master is right. The little one grabs the medicine right away, grabs it right away."

The owner of the pharmacy was worried about his life, so he reluctantly picked up a lot of wormwood herbs and put them in Zhang Zhi's hands, trembling but unwilling to accept the broken money.

After leaving the store, Zhang Zhi was very grateful and knelt down: "My lord is so kind and virtuous, Zhang will never forget it, please accept my worship."

"No need to say thanks."

Mu Yun hastily caught his kneeling motion.It's just that this touch, touching Zhang Zhi's wrist through the sleeve, was a different feeling, and a trace of doubt flashed in my heart.

The two froze in place, and Qi Zhong was secretly upset when he saw Mu Yun pulling someone else's hand, and stepped forward to help him.After coming into contact with Zhang Zhi's breath, he also felt weird.

"Please hurry up. Since someone in the family is ill, sir, let's go home first. You don't need to keep it in your heart."

Mu Yun was the first to regain his composure and calmly helped the man up.

"Oh, that's right. You're too polite. Mr. Yun doesn't like polite people the least. You'd better get up."

Qi Zhong also came to his senses, realized what he meant, and helped Zhang Zhi get up in cooperation.

Zhang Zhi was awakened by the words, thinking of the one at home, with a sad face.So I said a few words of thanks again, flustered, bid farewell and left.

"You also feel strange?"

Looking at Zhang Zhi's back, Qi Zhong pinched his chin and asked.

"Well. It's clearly a living person, but there's no pulse at all."

"It's not a cold body, nor is it possessed by evil spirits. But the hands are so cold, they are no different from dead people." Qi Zhong added.

Mu Yun brewed for a while, and said firmly: "There is a faint evil spirit in his pulse. But it is not born with him, and his identity is a bit suspicious."

"There's something suspicious. If you want to know the answer, just go and have a look." Qi Zhong suggested bluntly.

They agreed, and the two followed Zhang Zhi secretly.

……

In the bamboo forest outside the city, the two were walking on the bluestone road under Lin Yue.The bamboo leaves are falling, and the cool light between the bamboo forests illuminates the road ahead.

Mu Yun was too quiet all the way, thinking of a strange dream that morning, he suddenly lost his mind.

Qi Zhong, who was following behind, didn't know about it, but was surprised that the other party refused to agree to his call, and was a little annoyed, so he stepped forward and patted him on the shoulder.

Mu Yun turned around in astonishment.

"Hi. I've called you several times, are you deaf?"

"...Sorry." Hearing what he said, Mu Yun blinked concealedly.

"You... have something on your mind?" Qi Zhong pointed it out.

Mu Yun frowned slightly, and laughed at himself: "Who in this world has no worries? Who likes worries?"

"Uh um... that's true."

Qi Zhong thought that he would try to quibble and deny it, but he didn't expect to ask himself so frankly, and didn't ask any more questions for a while.

"Hey, it's here."

At the end of the journey, he raised his hand and diverted Mu Yun's sight.

At the end of the bamboo forest path, there are lonely lights.A thatched hut is dilapidated and deserted, and there is no vegetation outside the fence, but the inside of the house is neatly repaired, quiet and peaceful.

The two stopped outside the court and took a closer look at the scene in the courtyard.

Seeing that the lights in the house were dim and bright, Zhang Zhi hastily brought a bowl of soup and medicine, steaming, and walked quickly to the inner room.

Through the window, the two saw a thin and thin man on the bed again, with delicate features and handsome appearance.It's just that her cheeks are blue and white, her lips are white and dewy, she has a dry cough, and her face looks sick.

Seeing that he was coughing again before he took a sip of the medicine, Zhang Zhi quickly put the medicine bowl aside to relieve him.

"Shuyue, your condition has worsened again. I have been seeking medical advice everywhere, but it is useless!"

The man named Shuyue's eyes were dim, he gave a weak smile, and said weakly: "You don't have to blame yourself for me, ahem, for me. I am already a dying person..."

"nonsense!"

Zhang Zhi retorted excitedly, but when he realized it, he regretted that his tone was too strong, and he lowered his head sadly.

"What are you doing?"

When Mu Yun turned around, he saw Qi Zhong groping around by the walls of this family, and he couldn't help being puzzled.

Qi Zhong glanced at him, and said seriously: "Aren't you here to listen to the corner? You need to find a more comfortable corner."

"A gentleman is upright, why do you have to live with it? Just go into the house and visit."

It seems that there is nothing wrong with going in to inquire about the details under the pretext of visiting friends in the mountains.But Qi Zhong still curled his lips, and complained in a low voice: "Then you didn't mention any salutes."

There was a knock on the door, Zhang Zhi put down the medicine bowl, turned to open the door, and was overjoyed to see someone coming: "Young Master Mu, why are you here? Come in quickly."

Taking advantage of the interval between Zhang Zhi's greetings to the guests, Shuyue turned her head and glanced at the two of them, she was shocked, her eyes widened, she turned sideways and wrapped herself tightly in the quilt, she was so afraid that she broke out in cold sweat.

"Mu Yun took the liberty to visit a friend. If it bothers you, brother Zhang will take care of you."

Zhang Zhi smiled politely: "No interruption. It's just that Mr. Mu came so late, just to condescend to the humble house and drink a cup of rough tea?"

"Hey, what a cup, there is someone here."

Qi Zhong squeezed forward, folded his hands, and reminded Zhang Zhi to pay attention to himself and not to ask questions blindly.

With his eyes closed, Mu Yun pulled Qi Zhong behind him indiscriminately, introduced him to Zhang Zhi again, and explained the reason.

After Zhang Zhi heard it, she didn't panic, but asked calmly, "Master, you mean I was haunted by monsters?"

The two were a little surprised by his flat tone.

Qi Zhong thought that this person had been frightened into a fool, and reminded emphatically: "That's right. And there is a strong evil spirit in your room!"

Zhang Zhi was still calm and fearless, and even said sullenly, "Mr. Qi is worrying too much, there are no monsters here. How can you say that you are haunted by monsters?"

"So you don't believe what we say? To tell you the truth, we are immortal cultivators in Shangjiang, and we are very experienced in dealing with these strange things."

Qi finally revealed his identity to show his prestige.

But Zhang Zhi's expression was not like those ordinary people before. He was too surprised by the two of them. Instead, he said calmly: "I saw Mr. Mu's extraordinary temperament before, and I already knew that the two of you are not ordinary people. Shangjiang is the residence of immortal cultivators. I am inherently I heard it. But so what? In my opinion, pastoral landscapes and seeking immortality, whether living in the upper bounds or rooted in the lower bounds, are all the same in essence, and they are all just an obsession of the heart."

"Mr. Qi has always emphasized that there are strange phenomena in this bamboo forest, but I have been here all year round, and there is nothing wrong with it, so I cannot agree with your statement."

"You." Qi Zhong was dumb, feeling that it would be useless to say more, since the other party was stubborn anyway.

"Well, there's nothing you can do if you don't believe me. Anyway, that's all there is to say."

Qi finally understood Mu Yun's eyes and stopped talking.

"Sir, please don't worry about it. My friend is straightforward. What I said just now was only kind, not malicious. I also agree with what the gentleman said just now."

Fearing that Qi Zhong's unintentional words would offend others, Mu Yun's gentle voice eased the atmosphere.

Zhang Zhi's anger turned into joy, and he was flattered: "Mr. Mu is polite. I don't care too much. Thank you for your kindness."

Just as the two nodded their heads, another man in single clothes came out of the house, coughed in three steps, and came weakly: "Youhua, cough cough."

Zhang Zhi showed nervousness, ignored the impolite guest, hurriedly stepped forward to help him, and scolded: "It's very cold at night, why did you come out?"

Shuyue pretended to be calm, and slowly lay down on the rattan chair on one side, waiting for Zhang Zhi to bring a blanket to wrap him up, and put her hand in her arms.

Qi Zhong looked curiously at this weak and sick "beauty". His bones and skin were in excellent condition. Although his body was full of sickness, it didn't hinder his exquisite beauty at all. It's just autumn, and we have to cover our hands to keep warm.I'm afraid... Yu is also living a very hard life, and I can't help but sigh in my heart.

"I heard you talking outside, as if you have a distinguished guest. But I'm lying on the bed, not coming out to meet you, it's always rude."

Shuyue's voice was weak, like a cicada neighing.

But Mu Yun could hear the guard in his tone, so he couldn't help frowning, and silently followed the interaction between the two.

"Forget it. Let me introduce you. This is Mr. Mu Yun, the benefactor who lent me money before and helped me today. This is his friend, Mr. Qi Zhong."

Zhang Zhi spoke softly, reluctant to say a single word.

Shuyue blinked, looked at the two of them politely, returned a forced smile, and then quickly dodged Mu Yun's gaze, for fear that the other party would notice the clue.

"This is Shuyue, my confidant in this life."

Mu Yun smiled slightly, looked straight at Shuyue calmly, and said sincerely, "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"I...cough..."

Shuyue wanted to reply, but it caused a cough, and she used illness to cover up her flustered expression.

Zhang Zhi explained to him with distress: "Mr. Mu, Shuyue has been in bed for a long time, and his body is weak. Please take care of him."

Mu Yun nodded tolerantly and looked away.

"Huh. Mr. Shuyue's complexion is so bad, what is the cause?"

Qi Zhong suddenly asked, Zhang Zhi's expression froze, and he turned around and sighed: "Shuyue and I met young people, and they went back to the mountains together. They also suffered from a chronic illness for some reason. They visited countless doctors, and the cause was unknown. Yue's illness is still incurable for a long time. Hey."

"Oh. What a coincidence. I have a friend who is a famous doctor with superb medical skills. Maybe I can invite him to show Mr. Shuyue his symptoms. Maybe he can be cured?"

Qi Zhong's kind words made Shuyue's face change when she heard it. The hand under the blanket tightly grasped Zhang Zhi's long sleeve, trembling.

Zhang Zhi sensed his abnormality and understood his fear, and turned to Qi Zhong and the two sighed: "It's useless, so many genius doctors said there was no way, these years, it's either Ganoderma lucidum or Snow lotus, and now it's Cordyceps, I ate all the rare and expensive things, but it still doesn’t work.”

"That's not necessarily the case. My friend has great abilities, not comparable to those quack warlocks. Maybe he can cure Mr. Shuyue's illness without any expensive medicinal materials. Anyway, there is no other way right now, why not give it a try? ?”

Qi finally found out the clue, and continued to persuade him with a hint of probing.

Zhang Zhi was speechless for a moment, Shuyue saw that he hesitated and became more nervous, and then refused: "Mr. My friend is here, I'm afraid we can't even afford the consultation fee. This disease is also a strange disease, and it will come back again after it is cured. I really don't want Youhua to work hard for me again."

With deep bitterness in his eyes, he looked at Zhang Zhi and wanted to cry.Zhang Zhi was in a dilemma for a while.

"Eh, it doesn't matter. My friend's medical ethics are weird. The poorer you are, the more lenient you are, and I won't take your money." Qi Zhong pursued Feng Mei's job relentlessly, without worrying about affection.

"No need. We have been disappointed many times, and we don't want to have any more troubles in our hearts. Mr. Qi, Zhang will always remember your kindness."

Zhang Zhi hesitated for a long while, but finally fulfilled Shuyue's wish and politely declined.