Chapter 142

Hu Xiaotian said with a smile: "Feeling iron drinking blood, what's that? But..." He moved closer a bit: "Is there a skill in this world where two people can whisper and only they can hear, while others hear nothing?"

"Who's whispering with you? I'm saying you're so shameless, always trying to take advantage of others!" Murong Feiyan clearly misunderstood his meaning.

"You're really petty, what's our relationship? I just take a little advantage with my words, no real action, and you still care?"

Murong Feiyan glared at him fiercely: "I'm drawing a clear line with you; aside from work, we have nothing to do with each other." This sentence was obviously influenced by Hu Xiaotian; a few words were things Murong Feiyan could never say before. Actually the two of them, bickering all day, had grown accustomed to it; they argued but never delayed serious matters. Murong Feiyan said: "The skill you just mentioned is called voice transmission into secrecy."

"I said as much, indeed there is such a skill." Hu Xiaotian looked like he'd just realized it.

Murong Feiyan said: "What happened to you?"

Hu Xiaotian said softly: "Nothing, I just feel that Liu Baoju is suspicious, so I wanted you… hehe…"

The two of them were becoming more and more in sync; as soon as Murong Feiyan saw his expression, she understood what he wanted her to do—definitely to follow Liu Baoju and see if this county magistrate had any changes. Murong Feiyan stood up and said: "Coming with you is really eight lifetimes of bad luck; all the hard and tiring work is mine!" Though she complained, she never objected to the tasks Hu Xiaotian assigned her, and she left in the rain.

In the evening, the rain stopped completely; for Hu Xiaotian, this was a great thing. Xu Qinglian forced the flood control and dike defense duties onto him; although he wasn't afraid of Xu, if he made a mistake in this matter, this old fogey would likely seize the opportunity to cause trouble. Playing political games with these grassroots officials, Hu Xiaotian felt it was beneath him; he basically didn't have the time or energy for that, okay?

Although the rain had stopped, the sky remained overcast with no sign of clearing. Hu Xiaotian dared not relax his vigilance, organizing everyone into four teams to patrol the dike day and night; he temporarily assigned this side's duties to Liu Kuohai. Since following Hu Xiaotian, Liu Kuohai had shown great enthusiasm and considerable dedication, obeying Hu Xiaotian's orders without question.

A splendid carriage jolted along the muddy road and arrived before Hu Xiaotian's temporary command post. It was Wan Changchun, the old steward of the Wan mansion, who had come specially to fetch Hu Xiaotian to the mansion to replace the talisman. As Hu Xiaotian had said before, the talisman needed to be renewed daily; he had come to the Tongji He flood relief and forgotten all about it, but he had forgotten. The Wan family dared not forget. Seeing Hu Xiaotian overdue, they hastily sent a carriage to fetch him.

Hu Xiaotian gave Liu Kuohai a brief instruction, then boarded the Wan mansion's carriage.

Since receiving Hu Xiaotian's talisman yesterday, Wan Changchun had become increasingly respectful toward him.

Sitting in the Wan mansion's luxurious, spacious carriage, it was easy to notice the huge gap between the carriage he had just bought and this one—like the difference between a Chery QQ and an Audi. However, such a luxurious carriage is pulled by only two horses; propriety must not be broken. Even a wealthy commoner, lacking a certain official rank, would not dare exceed the rules; only nobles and officials may ride a four-horse carriage. The standard for a BMW 4 Series is not something you can just buy with money.

Hearing the faint chime of the Palace Bell outside the carriage, a wave of fatigue washed over Hu Xiaotian; he closed his eyes, after all having been on the road all day. Although he hadn't gone to the front lines to inspect the dike, drinking alcohol is also a laborious task.

At first Wan Changchun didn't disturb Hu Xiaotian, but after a while he couldn't help it and said softly: "Sir, last night the Wan mansion was haunted again."

Hu Xiaotian's heart jumped; he never believed in gods and ghosts, an excellent doctor being a firm materialist. He slowly opened his eyes, glanced at Wan Changchun's somewhat frightened face, and asked: "Do you have any business?"

Wan Changchun said: "Nothing, it's all thanks to the talisman Sir gave me." He attributed his safety entirely to that talisman from Sir.

Hu Xiaotian silently laughed; even if there were ghosts, they wouldn't seek out a steward like you. In this world, what ghosts could there be? If one must say there are, it's only a guilty conscience.

Wan Changchun said: "Last night, two night-watch servants personally saw a ghostly shadow moving about, and many of us also heard ghostly wails."

Hu Xiaotian furrowed his brows; Wan Changchun spoke convincingly, making him half-believe it—could someone have sneaked into the Wan mansion at night?

Wan Changchun said: "That vicious ghost is truly formidable; Sir will know as soon as you arrive."

Doubt rose in Hu Xiaotian's mind; Wan Changchun's words were clearly evasive, suggesting he was hiding something. Although he had earned Wan Boping's trust by rescuing Wan Ting Sheng and later using soul-summoning techniques, he still couldn't let his guard down against this old fox. Hu Xiaotian asked: "You just said you hadn't seen any ghostly shadow, so how do you know how vicious the ghost is?"

Realizing his slip, Wan Changchun gaped, unable to respond for a moment.

Having concluded that Wan Changchun was certainly hiding something, Hu Xiaotian coldly said: "Wan steward, I have opened my heart to your Wan family and offered enthusiastic help, yet your Wan family conceals things from me, showing no trust. If so, there's no point in my going; I can't be bothered with your trivial matters. Stop the carriage! I, as an official, still have other things to do."

Seeing Hu Xiaotian angry, Wan Changchun hurriedly said: "Sir, please don't be angry; it's just that the old master forbade me from speaking—last night, six of the nine cauldrons you set up were knocked over."

Hu Xiaotian couldn't help but startle; he almost immediately judged that the cauldrons were certainly not knocked over by a vicious ghost—someone must have done it deliberately. There really are some tricks in this Wan household.

Since Wan Changchun had spoken, he decided to come clean: "Sir, to be frank, the old master from Xiezhou has specially sent a skilled person."

Hu Xiaotian narrowed his eyes: "What did you say?"

The "old master" Wan Changchun referred to was none other than Xiezhou's governor Yang Daoquan; the person he sent was certainly no ordinary individual.

Hu Xiaotian feigned anger: "Here they ask me to help treat illness and examine feng shui, yet over there they've hired another expert—this really infuriates me! If they don't trust me, why summon me at all?"

Wan Changchun earnestly pleaded: "Sir, please don't be angry; my family's old master certainly never doubted your intentions. Before you came to the mansion to treat our young master, the old master had already sent people to various places seeking help; he's only just now arrived."

After thinking it over, Hu Xiaotian felt this wasn't quite normal, though he had nothing to feel guilty about—after all, curing Wan Ting Sheng was an indisputable fact. A skilled person? I'd like to see just what abilities you have.

Hu Xiaotian arrived at the Wan mansion and first went to the main hall to see Wan Boping. Wan Boping was accompanying the skilled person from Xiezhou in conversation. This person was about forty, wearing a green scholar's robe, with a slender appearance, an aura of integrity, three wisps of long beard on his jaw, bearing somewhat of an immortal's demeanor. He was the head of the Hall of a Hundred Herbs in Xiezhou, Zhou Wenju. Seeing Hu Xiaotian enter, Wan Boping smiled: "Sir, you've come at just the right time; let me introduce you to a renowned doctor. This is the famed divine physician of western Sichuan, Zhou Wenju, Mr. Zhou." In fact, Zhou Wenju held the title of western Sichuan's top divine physician, but in front of Hu Xiaotian, Wan Boping still held back somewhat.

Zhou Wenju's narrow eyes swept over Hu Xiaotian, his gaze showing considerable arrogance; he couldn't even be bothered to rise from his chair, merely speaking in a nasal tone: "Greetings!" His clasped-hand bow also revealed obvious perfunctoriness, not putting Hu Xiaotian in his sight at all.

Hu Xiaotian instantly felt annoyed: "What do you have to be arrogant about? Even if you have some fame in western Sichuan, you're just an ordinary country doctor, while I'm an official! Even if you know basic etiquette, you should stand up and greet me to show respect—with such airs, do you expect me to come over and shake your hand?"

Wan Boping naturally saw Zhou Wenju's arrogant attitude clearly; he smiled, went up, took hold of Hu Xiaotian's arm, and said to Zhou Wenju: "Mr. Zhou, this is the county magistrate of this place, Hu Xiaotian, Sir—his medical skill is also exceptionally excellent!"

Hu Xiaotian laughed modestly: "I don't understand any medical skill at all..."

"You dare to open a patient's skull without knowing medicine—do human lives mean nothing in Sir's eyes?" Zhou Wenju showed no courtesy, never intending to give this ninth-rank county magistrate any face, and as soon as he arrived he bombarded him with questions.

Hu Xiaotian was somewhat dazed by this guy's barrage of questions, thinking, "What the heck, who are you? A mere country doctor dares to oppose me, a ninth-rank official—even a lowly official is still an official; Cannot Endure, this absolutely cannot endure!" Hu Xiaotian gave a hehe cold laugh and asked: "May I ask your esteemed surname?"

Zhou Wenju was stunned by the question, thinking, "Didn't Wan Boping just introduce me?"

Hu Xiaotian: "You don't even know who you are?"

Zhou Wenju said: "I……"

"What 'I' what? You dare to come treat people when you don't even know your own name? Come on, get yourself sorted out first before speaking."

"You……"

"What 'you' you? This is Qingyun Xian; I am the local county magistrate. Whoever comes here must address me as Sir, not out of deference to Wan Yuanwai—I'll have you arrested for disrespect! Lightly, a slap; heavily, eighty blows of the plank."

Zhou Wenju hadn't expected Hu Xiaotian to be so articulate; he sucked in a cold breath, turning his pleading gaze toward Wan Boping: "Wan……"

"What 'Wan' Wan? Even if you anger me, I wouldn't give face to the Heavenly King himself!"

Zhou Wenju, furious, gaped, his face turning ashen; the tirade he had prepared against Hu Xiaotian vanished from his mind, and he slumped helplessly into the master's chair, his hands and feet trembling. He was somewhat pedantic as a country doctor; in terms of verbal skill, even ten of him tied together couldn't match Hu Xiaotian.