Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 23 Doctor-Patient
At this moment, Lu Xingzhou was taking An Nuo to eat in Shen Tang's yard.

Four people sat at a square table, two in wheelchairs facing each other. Dugu Qingli ate in small bites, while Anuo stared at him with wide eyes.

Dugu Qingli didn't know why this little brat suddenly kept looking at him. Was it because he pushed the wheelchair and touched his exclusive property?
Whoever wants to push that thing, no one will compete with you for it.

Shen Tang was asking Lu Xingzhou: "What did you say, 'finally here'?"

"Oh, nothing." Lu Xingzhou smiled. "We've been trying to reduce our business activities for the time being and try not to go out as much as possible. Someone from the neighbor across the street is coming. They have a bad reputation in Xiazhou and are known for bullying the villagers. We're so close, it's easy for us to bump into them."

Shen Tang knew that Lu Xingzhou had set up many formations inside and outside the house. Even Dugu Qingli's secret spies could be discovered by him, and he could not escape his perception if someone passed by outside.

Of course, this kind of thing can’t be seen taking a bath... After all, Lu Xingzhou’s strength is only the seventh level, and he doesn’t have any magical divine consciousness.

Hearing this, he was not surprised and said with a smile, "You are afraid of bad neighbors?"

"After all, they're from the Grand Tutor's family. Who wouldn't be a little wary of them?" Lu Xingzhou ate his meal slowly and said casually, "I'd like to remind you that anyone who can become the City Lord of Xiazhou must have secretly served the Grand Tutor's Mansion, but they just don't show it. So Xu Bingkun can never be considered your man; he's just a facade."

"I know."

"Since you know this, you should know that Xu Bingkun can't deal with you openly, but he can encourage the Huo family to mess around. It has nothing to do with where you live." Lu Xingzhou asked casually, "Do you have a contingency plan?"

Shen Tang didn't answer but asked, "What's your idea?"

"No." Lu Xingzhou said slowly, "The Huo family came here to investigate the murder at the Huo residence. That's their top priority. Normally, they wouldn't be distracted by other things, so just stay focused. Unless Huo Yu is a complete idiot...something will happen anyway."

Shen Tang looked up at him, and Lu Xingzhou looked normal.

Shen Tang suddenly smiled: "We're just eating, and you're talking about so many serious matters. How is the cooking skill of the chef we hired?"

"It's delicious!" An Nuo raised his hand and smiled apologetically, "Sister, can I come and eat here every time from now on?"

Shen Tang smiled so much that his eyes curved. He couldn't help but reach out and pinch An Nuo's cheek: "Come and eat whatever you want. Oh, and here's some candy, take it back and eat it."

Anuo was overjoyed: "Sister, you are my real sister!"

Lu Xingzhou felt somewhat helpless. If there was one thing he lacked in raising the child over the years, it was that he couldn't make her any delicious food. The child ate pills every day, and while they were powerful, they couldn't cure her cravings...

But Anuo was not easy to persuade. Yuan Muyu had loved the little girl's sweet and cheesy appearance back then, and she'd bring her a different snack every day. Anuo also called her "Sister Fish" more sweetly than anyone else. But when Lu Xingzhou was about to leave, Anuo pushed his wheelchair away without a word, secretly complaining that her face wasn't as round as Anuo's.

I don’t know if Yuan Muyu cursed this ungrateful guy behind his back.

Memories flashed by, and Lu Xingzhou looked at Shen Tang's gentle smile, and his eyes unconsciously became softer: "We are full, thank you Miss Shen."

Shen Tang tilted his head and glanced at him: "Why do you have to call me so politely?"

Lu Xingzhou laughed and said, "This is your fault."

Shen Tang was stunned: "What?"

"It's not convenient to call someone by a single-character name." Lu Xingzhou looked seriously at the silent Dugu Qingli beside him. "For example, I'm happy to call Miss Qingli by her first name."

Dugu Qingli's cheeks twitched, and he was too lazy to pay attention to him.

But his attitude…it wasn't like he was looking at a monster. Instead, there was a certain inexplicable closeness to him. It was really strange. Dugu Qingli had seen many people treat her like a monster in her life, or treat her coldly because of her indifference. It was common, but she had never seen someone treat her like Lu Xingzhou, which made her very confused.

Am I really a bunch of beautiful flowers?

No one has ever said that.

Shen Tang laughed: "Is this a big deal? Just call me Shen Tang."

"Okay." Lu Xingzhou said cheerfully, "You said you didn't want to talk about business over dinner, so how about we talk about some of your personal matters?"

Shen Tang asked curiously, "What?"

Lu Xingzhou pointed at her legs and said, "You've been living in this spiritual energy for some time. How do you feel in your legs?"

Shen Tang said more seriously, "I used to have no feeling below my knees, but now I feel itchy occasionally. Is this a sign of improvement?"

"Yes, without a doubt." Lu Xingzhou pondered for a moment and tried to ask, "Would you... be willing to let me see your legs?"

The two women and a little boy, An Nuo, all raised their heads and looked at him intently.

Lu Xingzhou felt a little embarrassed, but he continued, "I don't know what you're thinking. I'm an alchemist and I need to treat my legs myself, which means I've done a lot of research on leg treatments. Even when we weren't familiar with each other, it was normal to ask a doctor for a consultation. You could just pay the consultation fee, but you never planned to ask me to come see you. Why is that?"

Shen Tang frowned for the first time: "Because I don't want you to make any money, I plan to do it for free after we get to know each other better."

Lu Xingzhou didn't believe this. "I think it might be because treating the leg would require physical contact, which is inconvenient for you and me as a man, so you don't want me to see... But from a doctor-patient perspective, there's really no need to think that way."

Shen Tang stopped talking, of course this was the reason.

Injuries to the bones and muscles are not like injuries to the internal organs. Chen Zhangsi can tell from Lu Xingzhou's complexion that he has some problems with his internal organs, but injuries to the bones and muscles cannot be seen from the complexion; one must feel them with one's hands.

Shen Tang refused to be touched by a man on her calf, so even though she knew that Lu Xingzhou must have a deep understanding of this, she kept it to herself and didn't tell him that she wanted him to treat her.

Dugu Qingli also realized what was going on and said immediately, "Lu Xingzhou has a point. If you insist on finding a suitable female doctor and delay treatment for years, you're truly putting the cart before the horse and losing more than you gain." Shen Tang glared at her and said, "Then let him touch you."

Dugu Qingli was puzzled: "It's not me who injured my leg."

Shen Tang held his breath, not knowing what to say, and simply said angrily, "I won't give you any money."

Ah Nuo's eyes were full of blackness, and he thought to himself that maybe the master would be willing to give you money in return for this matter...

In the strange atmosphere, Lu Xingzhou wheeled his wheelchair around the table and stood in front of Shen Tang. They stared at each other for a moment, feeling that this position was inconvenient. Lu Xingzhou thought for a moment, then turned his wheelchair 90 degrees and placed it sideways in front of Shen Tang.

An Nuo understood and walked forward, lifted Shen Tang's legs and placed them on Lu Xingzhou's legs. An Nuo was very familiar with the little assistant's job.

Shen Tang turned his head away and didn't look. His face, which had always been generous and gentle, finally showed a little blush, which then spread further and further until it reached his snow-white neck.

Lu Xingzhou actually didn't have any erotic thoughts. He reached out and pinched his calf, and found that the tentacles were still quite elastic, and the muscles were not atrophied like his own.

It feels nice to touch...

Dugu Qingli subconsciously stretched his neck.

"Do you feel anything?" Lu Xingzhou pinched it hard and suddenly asked.

Shen Tang tilted his head, and the voice seemed to come out of his nose: "No."

Suddenly, she felt that she didn't feel anything, as if it was really nothing, so she quietly turned her head back and stole a glance at Lu Xingzhou.

Lu Xingzhou examined it seriously, not looking up at her. That serious look... was really beautiful.

After a moment, Lu Xingzhou coughed dryly: "I... need to lift up your skirt."

Shen Tang's face turned red as blood, and he bit his lower lip tightly. It took him a long time to say "hmm".

Lu Xingzhou lifted the hem of her skirt all the way to her knees, revealing her two round and slender calves underneath.

Her skin was as white as jade, crystal clear and tender to the touch. Lu Xingzhou's heart, which had been calm all the time, finally began to beat unconsciously, and his face began to turn red.

Shen Tang looked at his face, and her face turned even redder, and she turned her head away again.

The atmosphere was very quiet for a moment, so quiet that Anuo held his breath. He always felt that there was a plop-plop sound in the air, like the beating of drums.

Lu Xingzhou's hand fell on the two scars below Shen Tang's knee, and a soft light suddenly appeared on his fingertips.

Shen Tang let out a "嘤" sound and his whole body trembled.

The voice was so alluring that Lu Xingzhou suffocated even more and asked about the important matter to distract himself: "Do you feel anything? Besides the numbness and itchiness, does it hurt?"

Shen Tang pursed his lips for a long time and responded in a low voice: "It doesn't hurt."

Her beautiful eyes moved and inadvertently glanced at the edge of her calf, where there seemed to be a tent.

She spat inwardly, turned her head away and said nothing.

It is not recommended to think that way about the doctor-patient relationship... Your performance proves that my previous concerns were correct.

"It's better to have pain than not to have it. Not having pain actually proves that something that could have been much easier had you sought treatment earlier, but you've delayed it until now." Lu Xingzhou frowned. "Your leg injury wasn't originally a big deal... With all due respect, you and Qingli's identities are definitely not simple. Finding a doctor and medicine wouldn't be as difficult as it was for me. Why did you wait until now?"

Shen Tang muttered, "At first, I really was too late. The enemy blocked my way, so Qingli escorted me to meet up with Uncle Zhong and the others, and then we headed straight to Xiazhou. At first, I thought Xiazhou had a strong medical atmosphere and it shouldn't be too difficult. But when I got there, I discovered that the medical care in Xiazhou was so low-level... I was completely disappointed to find out that you couldn't even cure your own leg."

"What about the forces behind you?"

Shen Tang hadn't expected Lu Xingzhou to reveal the truth so clearly. After thinking for a while, he decided to tell the truth: "They didn't dare to contact me easily before they resolved some matters, for fear that it would reveal my whereabouts. Qingli was sent to follow and protect me because she was unknown in the world."

"That is to say, even if you have a powerful background, you won't be able to use it in the short term."

"Yes."

"Then you should have sought help from Director Chen sooner. Is it because he's a man? Nonsense." Lu Xingzhou said with a straight face, "Everyone's injuries are different. My case is difficult to treat, but that doesn't mean yours is difficult to treat. Not only did I rupture my hamstrings, but my knee joints are also shattered. After ten years of treatment, my muscles have atrophied. How can you compare with me with just a broken tendon?"

Shen Tang stole a glance at his angry expression and found it quite amusing: "What...are you angry about?"

Lu Xingzhou was stunned for a moment, unable to put his finger on the subject. After a long while, he said, "Doctors get angry when they see their patients not taking care of themselves."

Shen Tang said softly, "Then I'll entrust it to Mr. Yu. Will you help me heal it?"

Lu Xingzhou was silent for a moment. He covered her skirt and put it down. "The medicine for tendon repair isn't very difficult to make, and its grade is only considered sixth-grade. However, the main ingredients are often very rare and hard to find. Xiazhou really doesn't have any. I'll make a list for you. You can have my subordinates look for it first. Be prepared for the possibility of not finding it in the short term... But you have to be aware that every day you delay, your treatment will become more difficult. Don't delay like me."

Shen Tang stared at his face for a long moment, "Okay."

"Don't think about finding it for me. Our situations are different, and the herbs we need are different." Lu Xingzhou said, and suddenly changed the subject: "By the way, An Nuo and I won't be staying here for the next few days. Let's talk about it after you find the herbs."

(End of this chapter)