Lamp Flower Smile

The snow on the mountain has stopped.

The frost on the branches of the plum tree was cold, and Lu Tong shuddered suddenly.

Pei Yunying looked down at her.

She stood in front of him, her thin body wrapped in a gray-green cotton robe, which made her look even paler and thinner. Everyone who had seen Lu Tong thought she was delicate and beautiful, and those who knew her better knew that she was calm and crazy, but no one knew that she had been a herbalist alone for many years on a snow-covered mountain.

Herbalist.

Pei Yunying's eyelashes trembled.

The stone tablet, the rough-carved stone tablet, had sloppy and familiar handwriting, and the more familiar name was "Mo Ruyun". He had heard it from Miao Liangfang once at the celebration banquet of Renxin Medical Clinic.

"That day, the officials dug up many children's bones from the backyard of Miss Mo's family. Later, we found out that Miss Mo had been secretly buying children as medicine men."

"At first, they were just maids and girls in her courtyard, but the frequent replacement of servants in a month aroused suspicion. Later, she bought children from poor families from various people. Because she gave a lot of money, she gradually recruited a group of people, and specially bought some beggars and farmers' children in Beijing."

"She hid these children in a secret room, provided them with food and drink, fed them various poisons, and then released them, and repeated this. The young children were originally fragile, how could they withstand the torture? At most, they died in a few months."

Miao Liangfang said that the medical officer who raised medicine men eventually died in the sea of ​​fire, but the stone tablet on Luomei Peak now proved that Mo Ruyun was not dead.

He didn't know how Mo Ruyun escaped from Shengjing, but he knew very well that Lu Tong, who was engraved with the words "mentor", was not just a "good disciple" of this vicious medical officer.

Behind the stone tablet, there were rows of nameless graves, a total of sixteen, and when they first met, she called herself "Seventeen".

Seventeen, the seventeenth medicine man, seventeen, people who were about to be buried in the graves.

Pei Yunying's heart shook violently.

Many things that he didn't understand before were suddenly solved at this moment.

When he first met Lu Tong, she was picking up dead bodies at the execution ground in southern Jiangsu. Li Wenhu also mentioned that he met her again at the execution ground later, and she picked up bodies more than once.

The secret letter from Changwu County said that Miss Lu San was arrogant, willful, lively and clever, but Lu Tong, who later appeared in the Renxin Medical Clinic in Shengjing, was completely different from the indifference in the secret letter.

What kind of experience did a little girl who left home at a young age have to be able to kill and bury the body without changing her face? She was desperate for revenge, and her madness was even more determined.

Why did she always keep silent about Su Nan's past? Why could she move freely on the barren mountain where others avoided her? The strangely long and short ropes in the thatched house, the deep fingerprints on the wall... At the celebration banquet that day, she was in a trance unlike usual.

In the farmhouse courtyard of the tea garden in Mangming Township, she held a tea bowl and said to him in a flat tone: "The adult may be disappointed. I am immune to all poisons."

She is really patient.

He didn't notice it at all.

Those deliberate alienation, the so-called "absolutely impossible", the madness and weakness revealed at certain moments, finally condensed into a picture at this moment, and pieced together into a complete answer.

"Lu Tong," Pei Yunying looked at her and said softly: "Have you ever been Mo Ruyun's medicine man?"

Lu Tong raised his head stiffly.

When they first met, he was always high and mighty, teasing, testing, questioning, like a shadow that she hated but couldn't get rid of. She wanted to pull him down and take off the mask that he always wore.

Later, they knew each other, got familiar with each other, and fought each other. He knew the details she was hiding, and she also knew that he was not as simple as he seemed.

The distance they deliberately drew had been crossed unconsciously. His eyes looked at her more and more gently, and there was no more meaninglessness in his smile. For example, at this moment, his eyes were so complicated, so complicated that her eyes were sore and her heart was churning.

She couldn't face it.

She wanted to escape instinctively.

She wanted to escape from this ending that was heading towards sadness and sorrow. She hoped that her story would end more lightly, even suddenly, instead of sinking into the quagmire so heavily and slowly, making the onlookers on the shore sad for her.

The familiar dull pain in her chest gradually came, like a surging bitter tide that would drown people in an instant. Lu Tong pushed him away and turned back.

After walking a few steps, she couldn't help but cover her chest, leaning against the wall and slowly bending down.

Pei Yunying saw this, stepped forward to hold her body and said nervously: "What's wrong with you?"

Lu Tong turned her head and spat out a mouthful of blood.

Pei Yunying's eyes changed drastically, and he hugged her: "Lu Tong?"

"I..."

The pain in her chest was more intense than ever before. The pain that she had been trying to suppress all the time came at this moment. She trembled with pain, and cold sweat ran down her body in an instant. She curled up in the other's arms and said with difficulty: "Take my flowers back... Huang Jinqin..."

After saying this, she couldn't support it anymore, her eyes went black, and she fainted.

The last thing she heard was Pei Yunying's urgent shout.

"Lu Tong!"

...

Lu Tong had a short dream.

She dreamed that there was a heavy snow in Changwu County that year, and she met Yunniang who wanted to get on the carriage in front of Li Zhixian's mansion.

Yunniang helped her up from her kneeling position and saved the Lu family. She followed Yunniang to southern Jiangsu and lived in Luomei Peak.

She spent many years on Luomei Peak, testing drugs, poisons, studying medicine, and pharmacy. She visited every place. When she finally came down the mountain, she looked back at the lonely cabin left on the mountain and the seventeen messy and desolate graves hidden deep in the grass.

It's not her who's in the seventeenth grave.

It was Yun Niang who took her up the mountain.

When she woke up, her vision was completely white, and she felt like she was lying on someone's back, being carried down the mountain.

The man walked very fast, and his back was safe and warm. She moved her fingers and looked sideways: "Pei Yunying?"

The heat of his breath fell on the other person's ears. Pei Yunying was startled and said, "Are you awake?"

"What are you doing?" Lu Yan asked weakly. The pain I felt just now is no longer obvious, like a raging tide, only to be calm afterward.

But her body is very tired, so tired that it is difficult for her to say more than one word now.

"You fainted just now. There is a medical officer at the bottom of the mountain." Pei Yunying carried her on his back and said without stopping, "Hold on, I will take you down the mountain now."

Lu Chen fell ill just now.

He looked at her arms and saw that there were no peach blossom spots or purple cloud spots, which showed that it was not a disease. However, the way she lay trembling in his arms just now was shocking.

He was not a medical officer, so the only thing he could do was to take Lu Zhuo down the mountain to find Chang Jin as soon as possible.

"Where are my flowers?"

"They're all here."

Lu Chen felt relieved.

She put her hands on his neck, and for some reason, she felt calm in her heart. It was like a huge boulder hanging in the air finally crashed to the ground at a certain moment, feeling helpless and relieved.

Pei Yunying finally found out.

In fact, she never wanted him to know that she had actually tried hard to save herself. But during those years at Luomei Peak, those poisons were like a part of her body, fused with her body forever.

Perhaps there is no poison in the world that can poison her anymore.

Likewise, there will be no medicine in the world that can save her.

She was destined to sink into the quagmire, but at the last moment when she was sinking, she met the person she wanted to be with.

What a pity.

Lu Chen closed his eyes.

"You're crazy," she said with tears in her eyes, but she smiled slightly and complained in a low voice, "You dare to go down the mountain without me to guide you."

Pei Yunying turned his back to her and spoke in a gentle tone: "When I went up the mountain, I tied a red cloth and marked it. Don't worry, Doctor Lu, the selection of our front minister will not be based on looks alone."

Lu Chen laughed "puff".

He once said this sentence, when she didn't know everything, when she had imagined the future, it was teasing and funny, but when she heard it now, there was a bit of sadness hidden in the joke.

"Why don't you tie a cloth?" She touched Pei Yunying's eyes, and her long eyelashes flickered like light butterfly wings, slightly itching in her hands: "Aren't you afraid of going blind?"

"It's very dangerous, so Doctor Lu, look at me and don't sleep."

His tone was as gentle as possible, but Lu Yan saw that there was no smile on his face. She had never seen such an expression on Pei Yunying, which reminded her of the night when Pei Yunshu gave birth to the orb in Prince Wenjun's Mansion.

So helpless and trying to stay calm.

She suddenly felt sad.

It hurt to be left behind, and she knew what it felt like.

She didn't want Pei Yunying to experience that feeling.

But right now, it seems that things are going the other way.

The refreshing fragrance coming from his body was gentle and cold. Lu Zhu leaned his head against his face and whispered in a daze: "You smell so good... I like the smell of this sachet."

Pei Yunying was startled.

She had said more than once that she wanted his "Xiao Guang Leng". She thought it was a joke at first, but later found out that she didn't understand the meaning of "lover's fragrance". He restrained and avoided it to avoid misunderstanding, but now he regretted it at this moment.

Why wasn't it discovered earlier?

Why are you starting to regret it now?

Too late, he was always too late.

Pei Yunying said softly: "If you like it, I'll give you a sachet when you get better, okay?"

Lu Chen didn't answer.

She was as thin as a snowflake, heavy and light at the same time. She was lying on his back, her breathing was thin, and she was so well-behaved that she had never seen him before.

But he would rather that she was still as powerful and smart as when they first met, making everyone fool around. At least then she was alive, like a ball of fire, instead of like now, when the fire is gradually burning out, leaving only A little will extinguish the embers.

Lu Zhen tilted his head and leaned against his ear, his lips were soft, warm and clear, and he mumbled a few words.

Pei Yunying turned around. Her voice was so soft that it was instantly drowned in the wind and snow and could not be heard clearly.

"What did you say?"

Lu Zhuo tilted his head.

The snow on Luomei Peak began to fall again. The light snow at the beginning turned into heavy snowflakes, falling on people. She lay on Pei Yunying's back, covered with a cloak, and the snow particles quickly covered their heads. Looking from a distance, Go, it looks like a white head.

"Snowing?"

She faced the sky, gently stretched out a hand, and caught a snowflake from a distance. The snowflake fell on her palm, taking the shape of a complete flower, melting away bit by bit and disappearing into nothing.

Lu Zhuo murmured.

"The snowy moon is the most suitable, and the plum blossoms and snow are all pure... Last year when there was snow in the south of the Yangtze River, the plum blossoms bloomed at the end of the month..."

"The plum blossoms bloomed early this year, and they are still as bright as ever...the cold and solitary light shines brightly, all I need is...some snow..."

Pei Yunying was startled and asked in a warm voice: "What is this word?"

She didn't speak, put her head on the young man's shoulder, and closed her eyes quietly.

…

The snow from Luomei Peak drifted down from the mountain, and when it reached Sunan City, it was a bit less cold.

In the execution ground, two more corpses of sick people appeared overnight.

The corpses of the plague victims were buried in the ground, and covered with deeper snow. In the vast expanse, it was gradually difficult to tell which grave was where.

Chang Jin looked very unhappy.

The epidemic kills new people every day, and medical officials snatch people from the hands of the king of hell. The epidemic in southern Jiangsu is no longer spreading, which is a blessing among misfortunes. However, for those who are infected, it seems to have fallen into deeper despair.

The purple cloud spots on Cuicui's body have also worsened. She has been in coma twice last night. The poison of the thick and flat body has not yet been resolved. Her body is already weak and she will not be able to hold on like this.

Ding Yong's only thought before his death was that his daughter would live. The medical officers were treating noble people in Shengjing, and they only had minor illnesses and pains. However, his gradually condensed heart came back to life at the critical moment of life and death in Sunan, and he once again felt the separation between life and death. Compassion.

After the government officials who buried the body left, Chang Jin returned to the hospital with a heavy heart. As soon as he entered the door, he saw Lin Danqing and Ji Xun sorting medicinal materials at the table.

Seeing Chang coming in, Lin Danqing stood up, and Ji Xun looked a little wrong.

"What's wrong?" Chang Jin asked.

"Yizheng," Ji Xun glanced at the patients in the hospital, and went to talk to Chang Jin outside the door, "The person who transported Chimu Teng wrote in a letter saying that heavy snow has delayed the trip, and Chimu Teng from Pingzhou may be three days late. It will only arrive in five days.”

As soon as these words came out, Chang Jin's expression changed: "Three to five days? No, they can't wait that long!"

Even these two days are tight. If we wait three to five days, there will only be a few more dead bodies in the execution ground.

Lin Danqing walked over with worried expressions on his face.

Nowadays, only the red wood vine can cure the poison of thick and flat, but the recent shipment from Pingzhou can't come in time. At present, there is no other alternative medicine, which is extremely difficult.

"Can you ask Pei Dianshuai's people to go to meet them? Their guards may move faster."

It's okay if he doesn't mention it, but when he mentions it, Chang Jin's eyebrows become even more anxious.

Pei Yunying and Lu Zhu went up and down Meifeng together yesterday.

These two people are not impulsive people on weekdays and act calmly. They don't know why they suddenly went crazy when such heavy snow entered the mountain. Unexpectedly, Pei Yunying's men didn't take this to heart and rejected Chang Jin's suggestion to immediately take people into the mountains to search for the person.

I haven't returned home all day and night, and I don't know what happened.

Ji Xun said: "Yi Zheng, why don't you tell Li Xianwei's people again and go into the mountains."

The medical officers were unable to command the imperial guards, but the county lieutenant in Sunancheng might be able to speak more easily.

Chang Jin was about to speak when Lin Danqing on the side suddenly moved his eyes, pointed in the distance and shouted: "Yi Zheng, is that Sister Lu? They are back!"

Everyone looked in her direction.

In the windy and snowy field, a person gradually walked up. The young man was dragging a medicine basket in his hand and carrying someone on his back. When everyone saw this, they hurriedly ran towards him. As they got closer, they gradually saw clearly that the person behind him had his eyes closed and was lying on Pei Yunying's shoulder. His face was as pale as paper. It was Lu Zhuo.

Lin Danqing was startled: "Sister Lu?"

Lu Chen was silent and unresponsive.

Pei Yunying put down the medicine basket, turned around and held her in his arms, his eyes condensed: "Take her back to her dorm first."

"Yes, yes," Chang Jin said, "It's snowing too much here. Let's take Medical Officer Lu back first."

After walking quickly and returning to the medical officer's dormitory, Pei Yunying put Lu Zhu on the bed. Lin Danqing quickly sat on the bedside and opened Lu Zhu's sleeves.

"I've seen it, and there are no peach blossom spots." Pei Yunying said.

"Then this is..."

"She vomited blood once on the mountain. I don't know what happened to her, whether it was an old illness, but she seemed to be in pain."

"Vomiting blood?" Chang Jin's expression changed, and he stepped forward to check Lu Zhuo's pulse, leaving everyone alone.

Everyone in the room looked at him nervously.

After a moment, Chang Jin withdrew his hand, looked at the person on the couch and frowned: "Strange."

"how?"

"The pulse is weak and the energy is weak, but other than that, there is nothing abnormal. Why did he suddenly vomit blood?"

Lin Danqing thought for a while: "Is it because I am too tired from being busy treating the epidemic these days? Sister Lu had a nosebleed before."

Ji Xun shook his head: "Exertion will not cause pain." He looked at Pei Yunying: "Master Pei just said that she was in pain?"

Pei Yunying nodded silently.

He still remembered the way Lu Chen curled up and trembled in his arms. He knew that Lu Meng had always been very patient and wouldn't even moan unless he was in extreme pain.

"First make a bowl of concentrating and nourishing medicine for her to take." Chang Jin said: "It snowed heavily yesterday and it was cold on the mountain. She is not angry at all now."

Ji Xun nodded and was about to turn around and leave when he suddenly heard Pei Yunying say: "Wait a minute."

Everyone looked at him.

He said: "Ordinary medicines are useless for her."

Ji Xun frowned: "Why?"

"She worked as a medicine woman."

As soon as these words came out, there was a sudden silence in the room.

Lin Danqing looked at him in disbelief: "What did you say?"

Pei Yunying lowered her eyes and spoke in a solemn tone.

"Lu Chen, he may have been a medicine man for many years."