Chapter 74

Hu Xiaotian slept straight through until noon the next day; opening his eyes, he saw Liang Da Zhuang staring wide-eyed at him, and Hu Xiaotian was startled by this guy: "Damn, people scaring people to death—what are you doing barging into my room?"

Liang Da Zhuang said: "Young master, I'm here protecting you!"

Hu Xiaotian gave a heh heh laugh, a cold smile, hoping this guy would protect him—he'd probably lose all nine lives.

Liang Da Zhuang understood the meaning of Hu Xiaotian's cold smile; on this journey he had indeed failed to protect the young master, and whenever danger arose he was usually the first to flee, so he lowered his head somewhat ashamed.

Hu Xiaotian stretched, hearing the wind and rain outside raging; he got up, went to the door and flung it open, only to see that although the sky had lightened, it remained gloomy, with the downpour continuing nonstop.

Liang Da Zhuang came to his side and said respectfully: "Young master, today's rain seems heavier than yesterday's; just now Captain Murong said we should temporarily stay in the temple for a day to rest well, then make plans tomorrow."

Hu Xiaotian nodded; such weather indeed made continuing the journey impossible, so they could only temporarily stay at Lanruo Temple until the weather improved. He put on a raincoat, donned a bamboo hat, and walked toward the side hall.

In the side hall the furnace fire blazed; when Hu Xiaotian arrived, Li Jin Hao was sending the freshly split firewood into the flames.

The little girl sat motionless beside the fire, her eyes fixed on the dancing flames, unknown what she was thinking; Hu Xiaotian knew she was young but had a peculiar temperament, not easy to get along with, and he couldn't be bothered to pay her any mind.

The old man remained lying motionless on the offering table; after Hu Xiaotian examined him, he realized the old man was still alive—truly, this senior eunuch's vitality was remarkably tenacious. Hu Xiaotian lifted the blanket covering him and saw no blood seeping from the amputation site. He also glanced at the old man's groin, suddenly realizing this was not the senior eunuch's first amputation; the first had been on the lower leg, now it was the thigh. Thinking this, Hu Xiaotian felt a faint urge to laugh, but quickly reminded himself to uphold medical ethics and not take pleasure in another's suffering.

The little girl rested her chin on her hand, gazing at the fire, then suddenly said: "He hasn't woken up at all." Her bright eyes held sorrow and loss; her expression showed she was gradually losing faith and hope.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Just be patient." Even after performing the amputation on the old man, Hu Xiaotian didn't hold much hope for his recovery; insisting on the surgery was merely doing his best and leaving the rest to fate, for even if the old man woke up, he would still face possible postoperative infection and various unforeseen complications.

The little girl said: "Thank you!"

From last night until now, this was the first time she had expressed gratitude to Hu Xiaotian; after speaking, she fell silent again.

Hu Xiaotian had Li Jin Hao stay here to keep him company, then left the side hall; stepping outside he smelled a tempting aroma of food and followed it to the Lanruo Temple kitchen.

In the kitchen Murong Feiyan was busy, with Hu Fu beside her working the bellows; Murong Feiyan wielded an iron spatula in the big pot, stir-frying vegetables, light smoke curling, her pretty face glowing like rosy clouds, like a heavenly fairy descended to earth, a captivating beautiful cook.

Hu Xiaotian leaned against the doorway and laughed: "As it turns out, Captain Murong is not only skilled with sword and blade, but also quite adept at stir-frying."

Murong Feiyan only then noticed his presence, turned and smiled at him: "Since we can't continue the journey anyway, we might as well rest here for a day; just now Shao Yijiao bagged two wild pheasants nearby, and I gathered some mountain mushrooms to stew with them, to give everyone a little treat."

Hu Xiaotian hadn't eaten since last night; upon smelling this tempting aroma, his mouth watered: "Even before the Buddha you dare to indulge in meat—shame, shame!"

Murong Feiyan, while dishing the cooked food into a bowl, said: "If that's the case, you can choose not to eat."

"How can that be? I not only want to eat, I want to eat more; as the Buddha said, if I don't go to hell, who will? I couldn't bear to let the Buddha blame you—let any blame fall on me alone."

Hu Xiaotian felt he had never in his life eaten so satisfyingly; Murong Feiyan's cooking skill was certainly a factor, but more importantly he was truly hungry, so he squatted outside the kitchen and polished off a plate of vegetables and two big bowls of rice.

When Murong Feiyan brought food back to the little girl, she saw Hu Xiaotian had already finished his meal cleanly; she couldn't resist teasing: "This Lanruo Temple really has a ghost—a hungry ghost!"

Hu Xiaotian gave a heh heh laugh: "Man is iron, rice is steel; miss a meal and you'll panic with hunger—without this meal as a base, I truly would become a hungry ghost."

Murong Feiyan came over to help him clear the bowls and chopsticks.

Hu Xiaotian said: "You're not eating?"

Murong Feiyan said: "I never eat meat!"

Although Hu Xiaotian had traveled with her for a long time, opportunities to sit down and eat together were rare, and he hadn't paid attention to this matter; after thinking it over, he recalled that Murong Feiyan indeed had never touched meat. She refrained from meat yet voluntarily cooked him a wild game feast—did this mean she was developing special feelings for him? The thought made him feel somewhat light-headed.

Murong Feiyan returned to the kitchen, and shortly afterward brought out a bowl of white porridge to hand to him; Hu Xiaotian took it and said: "Thank you!" He increasingly felt her feminine tenderness growing day by day.

"No need for thanks!" Murong Feiyan stood opposite Hu Xiaotian, leaning against a pillar with peeling lacquer, and said: "That little girl is probably not an ordinary person."

Hu Xiaotian thought: "No need for you to say that—it's as obvious as lice on a bald head." His gaze fixed on the water droplets continually falling from the eaves, he said: "She must have some significant background; we'd better not meddle, and once the rain stops we'll leave right away." Deep down he had a premonition that the appearance of this old man and little girl was too mysterious, likely to bring them great trouble.

Murong Feiyan said: "Do you really have the heart to abandon them? That little girl is only eleven or twelve, and her grandfather's fate is unknown; if we ignore them and leave them in these desolate mountains, should they encounter any trouble, wouldn't it be crying to heaven and earth with no answer?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "What do you want? That old man is almost certainly a eunuch; the girl may be young, but her mind is deep—she still won't reveal her origins, not even her surname, and I dare say she's definitely not from an ordinary family. They don't know what powerful enemy they've provoked; if we meddle, we might get dragged into some trouble."

On this point Murong Feiyan shared Hu Xiaotian's view, but she couldn't agree to just leave them like that; she sighed softly: "No matter what, we can't just stand by and watch this old man and little girl perish on their own; how about this: after the rain stops we'll take them over Mount Pengyin, then hire a cart for them, and after that they can do as they please."

Hu Xiaotian secretly thought: "No matter how formidable Murong Feiyan appears outwardly, she's ultimately a woman with a tender, kind heart"; he sighed: "You really have a lot on your mind!"

That evening, the old man awoke from his coma; hearing the news, Hu Xiaotian hurried to the side hall, only to see the old man still lying on the offering table, while the little girl used one hand to help him sit up and the other to hold a water bowl to feed him.

The old man drank only half a bowl before losing strength, then lay back down on the work table; Hu Xiaotian approached and gave him a faint smile.

The old man managed a strained smile, his voice hoarse and rasping: "You saved me…" His tone was sharp and thin, sounding somewhat grating, a typical trait of eunuchs. Hu Xiaotian had never dealt with such a person before; in his impression, eunuchs' psychology often differs from that of ordinary people, and their physiological deformities frequently lead to psychological distortions, so dealing with them requires caution.

Hu Xiaotian said: "Your right leg injury is too severe to save!" He first informed the old man of his current condition, because this amputation had been performed while the old man was unconscious and without his consent; Hu Xiaotian worried the old man might not be able to bear this blow. *************************************************************Again seeking Three Jiang Ticket!

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