Chapter 436
**Chapter 434: [Extra] Mo Xun (1)**
Time flies, and a century passes in the blink of an eye. The mighty Yangtze River flows eastward, washing away the heroes of the past. With the tides of time, the female emperor of Nan Chu has become a vivid chapter in history.
A hundred years later, in the Yao Wang Valley of Yue Kingdom.
Yao Wang Valley is somewhat famous in Yue Kingdom, having once been the retreat of a renowned physician. Now, the valley is run by a young girl.
In the warm spring sunlight, Yao Wang Valley is full of life. The old Yao Wang squints his eyes, reclining in a wicker chair, savoring the warmth that the sun brings.
Suddenly, a voice calls out from a distance: “Old man, the medicine is ready!”
The old Yao Wang snaps his eyes open, irritated. “What old man! How many times have I told you to call me Master!”
Mo Xun hands over the prepared medicine. “Drink up, Master!”
The old Yao Wang twitches his nose, holding the bowl of medicine and sniffing it. “Dried ginger, white atractylodes, ginseng, licorice... This time you didn’t mess up the prescription. There’s progress.”
Mo Xun drags over a wicker chair and lies back, basking in the sun. She leisurely says, “Master, you can’t always follow the prescriptions to the letter. Learning is a lifelong journey; prescriptions should be innovated and improved. Technology needs innovation.”
The old Yao Wang looks puzzled. “What is technology?”
Mo Xun is equally baffled. She scratches her head. “Technology... maybe it’s some kind of skill from the three hundred sixty trades?”
Strangely enough, Mo Xun often finds herself inexplicably using odd terms like technology, “silly X,” and “blue and thin mushroom” (a slang term for feeling down). After pondering for a while and finding no answers, she decides not to dwell on it.
The old Yao Wang strokes his white beard. “I’m already ninety-eight years old, with good intentions but little strength. Yao Wang Valley will have to be handed over to you. You’re getting older; it’s time to settle down and start a family. Don’t end up like me, alone for half a lifetime, only to find you at eighty.”
Mo Xun is an orphan.
More than ten years ago, the old Yao Wang returned from gathering herbs and found a swaddled bundle at the valley entrance. Inside was a sickly infant girl, her breath faint. Next to her was a note stating that the girl was born with purple limbs and a difficult illness, and her family didn’t want to raise her, leaving her at the entrance of Yao Wang Valley in hopes that a kind soul would help.
The old Yao Wang took her in and cured her ailments, naming her Mo Xun.
From a young age, Mo Xun displayed an extraordinary talent for learning, grasping everything quickly. The old Yao Wang was very pleased and imparted all his knowledge to her.
Time flew by, and the little infant had grown into a beautiful young woman.
Mo Xun closed her eyes, enjoying the sunlight, and lazily said, “Master, it’s not that I don’t want to settle down; it’s just that I’m picky—many male patients come to Yao Wang Valley for treatment, but none of them are good-looking.”
She is a bit of a beauty snob.
She only likes handsome men. If she were to marry in the future, she would only choose the most attractive man.
The old Yao Wang huffed, “Shallow! How can you choose a husband based on looks? How many times have I told you, the more beautiful something is, the more poisonous it can be!”
Mo Xun shrugged it off.
In the afternoon, a dull bell rang outside Yao Wang Valley, signaling someone seeking medical help. Mo Xun walked to the valley entrance and saw two figures approaching.
One looked like a guard, supporting a bloodied young man. Upon seeing Mo Xun, the guard quickly said, “Please, miss, have mercy and save my master.”
Mo Xun’s gaze swept over the blood-soaked young man. His clothing was made of cloud brocade, quite luxurious, indicating that he was of noble origin.
In the current turbulent times of Nan Chu, with an aging emperor and his many princes vying for the throne, both the court and the common people were on edge.
Mo Xun suspected this man was from the royal family and boldly stated, “I’ll need a gold ingot as payment.”
The guard gritted his teeth. “Fine! As long as you can save my master, I’ll pay you not just one ingot, but a hundred taels of gold if necessary.”
Only then did Mo Xun open the mountain gate, allowing the pair to enter. The young man was gravely injured, and Mo Xun used scissors to cut open his clothing, revealing dozens of wounds, both new and old.
“Poor thing, looks like he’s been hunted since childhood,” she murmured.
It was clear he had been lucky to survive this long.
Mo Xun, skilled in medicine, spent half a month healing the young man’s wounds and generously administered detoxifying potions, cleansing him of the toxins accumulated over the years.
As the wounds began to scab over, and after shaving off his beard and changing into clean, simple clothes, he turned out to be quite handsome, with sharp brows and bright eyes, exuding an undeniable air of nobility.
He introduced himself as “Hong Chuan,” explaining that he had fled to Yao Wang Valley to escape his family’s pursuit.
Mo Xun studied him for a long time, feeling a twinge of regret. He was indeed good-looking, but unfortunately, not her type.
She handed him the prepared medicine. “Brother Hong Chuan, there’s a rule in Yao Wang Valley: patients can’t stay longer than a month. You need to leave tomorrow—oh, and don’t forget the payment, one gold ingot.”
Yao Wang Valley is apolitical, solely focused on healing, never involving itself in the struggles of the Yue Kingdom.
To avoid attracting trouble, those seeking medical help must leave within a month.
Hong Chuan smiled. “Don’t worry, miss. Tomorrow my close friend will bring ten times the payment and deliver it to you in person.”
...
The next morning.
Hong Chuan and the guard were ready, with Mo Xun leading the way along the winding mountain path to the entrance of Yao Wang Valley.
The morning light brightened the sky, and mist rose from the mountains and fields. Mo Xun waited at the valley entrance for a long time but still hadn’t seen Hong Chuan’s friend arrive.
She quietly took out some poison.
If these two tried to renege on their promise, she would simply poison them and use their bodies as fertilizer for the flowers and plants in Yao Wang Valley.
The sun rose over the horizon, casting golden rays across the mountains. Just as Mo Xun contemplated how to dispose of the bodies, she heard the guard call out loudly, “Master, the National Master has arrived.”
Mo Xun raised an eyebrow, keenly catching the keyword—National Master.
The National Master of Yue Kingdom?
Living in Yao Wang Valley for so long, she knew little about the politics of Yue Kingdom, only hearing that the National Master was skilled in divination and held in high regard by the old emperor.
Mo Xun stretched her neck, eager to catch a glimpse of the National Master’s appearance.
A modest carriage appeared on the horizon, gradually approaching. It stopped not far away, and the driver respectfully lifted the curtain, revealing a dark red robe that bloomed like a flower.
Mo Xun’s gaze inadvertently fell on the National Master’s face.
In that instant, it was as if she saw the unattainable moon atop an icy mountain, and the tides quietly surging in the depths of an abyss.
Mo Xun was mesmerized.
She had never seen such a handsome man before.
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