Time Travel: I'm a Flower Thief

Hua Suwen frowned slightly as she looked at the silver coins on the table: "Junior brother, how can you travel without money?"

"The remaining two thousand taels are enough for me." Xie Xiaoyi smiled, his eyes showing a clarity he had never seen before.

"After I leave, I'll trouble my fellow disciples to take good care of the medical hut. And also, Master's grave..."

"Don't worry." Hua Lingshu interrupted him, reaching out to press down on the pile of silver coins, and said in a deep voice:

"Your senior sister and I will take care of Master's grave every day."

"Just go and learn swordsmanship. Once you've mastered it, come back and protect this land for your master and for us."

Xie Xiaoyi nodded and said nothing more.

The flickering oil lamp cast long shadows of the three people.

The spring night outside the window is clear and bright.

Tomorrow will be a good day to set off.

......

As the night was drawing to a close, only the lamp under Hua Suwen's window remained lit in the medical hut.

Xie Xiaoyi stood under the eaves for a long time before finally lifting his foot and gently knocking on Hua Suwen's door.

"Who?"

Hua Suwen did not fall asleep because she was feeling melancholy. She was reluctant to see Xie Xiaoyi leave, but she had no reason to stop him from leaving.

"it's me."

The door creaked open.

Hua Suwen stood inside the door wearing only a thin robe, her hair loosely tied up. When she saw Xie Xiaoyi, a hint of surprise flashed in her eyes, which was then replaced by a gentle expression.

Before she could speak, Xie Xiaoyi stepped inside, closed the door behind him, and shut out the entire courtyard of Qinghui.

"Junior brother, what... are you going to do?"

Xie Xiaoyi hugged Hua Suwen from behind, his lips pressed against her neck: "Senior Sister, I'm leaving tomorrow."

Hua Suwen stiffened, then wrapped her arms around Xie Xiaoyi's waist: "I know."

Xie Xiaoyi opened his mouth and gently bit her earlobe.

Hua Suwen trembled, as if a switch on her body had been instantly flipped.

She turned around, stood on tiptoe, and kissed Xie Xiaoyi's lips.

Xie Xiaoyi reached out and slowly slid his hand down the ties of Hua Suwen's single garment, removing the thin fabric to reveal her fair skin under the candlelight.

He leaned down and kissed Hua Suwen's shoulder, the gesture carrying a longing that had been suppressed all winter.

The curtains swayed gently, and inside the room came suppressed, soft moans.

Hua Suwen's breathing became erratic, her fingernails dug into Xie Xiaoyi's back, and she buried her face in his chest muscles, feeling the heat of his chest.

Unbeknownst to many, Xie Xiaoyi's "Harmony Technique" quietly began to circulate.

The warm air flowed gently along their skin, which was pressed together, carrying a warm and intimate feeling.

Hua Suwen seemed to sense something. Feeling comfortable, she didn't push Xie Xiaoyi away; instead, she moved closer to him.

He let the warm current spread throughout his body and then return to Xie Xiaoyi's dantian.

Only when Hua Suwen was satisfied and begged for mercy did Xie Xiaoyi slowly stop his technique and hug Hua Suwen tightly in his arms.

"Take care, senior sister, wait for me to come back."

......

As dawn broke, the morning mist still lingered deep in the bamboo forest, carrying a damp and chilly feel.

Xie Xiaoyi walked at the front, carrying a bundle containing travel expenses, medicine for injuries, and a wooden sword that his senior brother had worked overnight to make.

Hua Suwen carried a food box and followed beside Xie Xiaoyi. Every few steps, she would look up at his figure, her eyes filled with unspoken reluctance.

The three of them walked slowly to their master's blue stone tablet, their feet glistening with dew.

The grass in front of the monument had grown taller. Hua Suwen opened the food box, placed three plates of vegetarian cakes and a jar of clear wine on it, and lit three sticks of incense.

Wisps of smoke rose, mingling with the morning mist as they drifted towards the distant mountains.

Xie Xiaoyi stepped forward and respectfully kowtowed three times, his forehead pressed against the cool stone tablet, before straightening up after a long while.

Looking at his master's name on the stone tablet, Xie Xiaoyi frowned, bent down, picked up a jar of sake, and drank it all in one gulp.

The wine entered my heart, and I was slightly tipsy!

Her excellent liberal arts foundation before transmigrating merged with her experience of picking flowers, stealing thieves, and wandering the world in this life.

When Xie Xiaoyi felt the effects of the wine, his chest was filled with a mixture of three parts pedantry and seven parts wildness.

He tapped his fingers on the wine jar, and then began to utter unconventional, yet deeply poignant, lines of poetry:

With a single scroll of my green bag, I roam the desolate hills, my ten fingers frosted with dew as I gather a hundred herbs.

Observe, listen, inquire, and palpate to distinguish yin and yang; observe the pulse's depth and rise to discern joy and sorrow.

In a humble dwelling, the lamp flickers like a bean in the fence; an old woman's sobs fade into the waning autumn.

The child's cheeks were flushed and thin from the fever; a single dose of soup brought forth profuse sweat.

I have miraculously restored the willow to spring, and I have also lamented the fleeting nature of life.

Even a golden needle cannot reach the mouth of Yama, and cinnabar cannot save a mound of bones.

The journey through the martial world is long and the wind fills my sleeves; the medicine stove is cold and the moon hangs like a hook.

Even with a thousand prescriptions from traditional Chinese medicine, it's impossible to overcome the eternal sorrows of humankind.

The drums and horns still sound atop the city walls; when will the cycle of birth, aging, sickness, and death end?

I will not seek fame or fortune by practicing medicine, but only that the people may have fewer grievances.

Beneath the desolate graves and green bamboos, who remembers the plans to save the world back then?

The fragrance of herbs wafts across the land, a long sigh echoes through the vast universe.

After reciting the poem, the forest became so quiet that only the sound of the wind could be heard, and even the morning mist seemed to have thinned out.

Hua Suwen's handkerchief was already twisted out of shape. She stared blankly at Xie Xiaoyi's back, her eyes filled with disbelief and astonishment.

She only knew that her junior brother had an exceptional talent for medicine, and even their master praised him as a rare talent.

Later, I saw that he was extremely skilled in martial arts, but I never imagined that he also had such amazing literary talent.

Every word and phrase conveyed the doctor's compassion and helplessness, making her feel a lump in her throat and almost bringing tears to her eyes.

Hua Lingshu, who was standing to the side, was also stunned, his eyes filled with admiration and a sense of realization.

This junior brother is usually carefree and unrestrained, yet he harbors such profound thoughts within him.

Acupuncture can be learned quickly, and studying medicine can help one apply knowledge to other situations.

Now, even his poems are written with such grandeur and poignant emotion. Such a person, if he were to go to the Heavenly Sword Sect to learn swordsmanship, would surely make a name for himself.

Xie Xiaoyi took out the dried-out *Gnaphalium affine* from his inner pocket, carefully placed it in front of the tombstone, and said in a deep voice:

"Master, your disciple is going to Kunlun Heavenly Sword Sect to learn swordsmanship."

"Rest assured, when I return after completing my studies, I will take good care of the medical clinic, my fellow students, and this mountain that you have guarded your whole life."

Hua Lingchu snapped out of his daze, stepped forward, patted him on the shoulder, his voice tinged with barely concealed excitement:

"good!

What a wonderful saying: "Putting medicine on the back, don't ask for fame or fortune, just hope that the people will have less resentment!"

"Junior brother, just go and learn swordsmanship. Your senior sister and I will take care of things at the medical hut; nothing will go wrong!"

Hua Suwen, her eyes red, stepped forward and choked out:

"Junior brother, the journey ahead is long, you must... you must take care. I... I'll be waiting for you."

Xie Xiaoyi stood up and bowed deeply to the two of them: "Senior brother, senior sister, until we meet again."

The morning breeze rustled through the bamboo forest, sounding like the master responding softly.

The fog gradually dissipated, and the sun rose in the east; it was the perfect time to set off.