Starting with a blind date with a female constable, you acquire the Nine Swords of Dugu.

When Shen Qingqiu left the clinic, the sun was already setting.

She went to a quiet alleyway in the west of the city. The alley was not deep, and at the end was a large courtyard with blue bricks and gray tiles. A wooden plaque hung above the gate with the words "Medicine House" written on it.

This courtyard was originally an idle property of the Six Doors, but after Xue Fuling joined the company, she was assigned here and it was specially allocated to her as a place for making medicine.

Shen Qingqiu pushed open the door and entered, and was greeted by a spacious courtyard. The courtyard was filled with medicine shelves of all sizes, on which various herbs were drying, emitting a bitter fragrance in the afternoon sun.

"Lord Shen."

Several young apprentices in the courtyard were drying medicinal herbs, and they all bowed to her when they saw her.

Shen Qingqiu nodded in acknowledgment and was about to walk inside when the curtain of the main room was lifted, and a burly middle-aged man walked out from inside.

It was Ma Meifeng.

His waist was still wrapped in gauze, and his movements were much slower than usual, but he seemed to be in good spirits. Upon seeing Shen Qingqiu, he paused slightly, then smiled and said, "Qingqiu, what a coincidence, you've also come to see Physician Xue?"

"I need to see Fuling about something," Shen Qingqiu nodded and said, "Brother Ma, your injuries haven't fully healed yet, why did you run out on your own? You should have sent someone to fetch the medicine."

Ma Meifeng waved his hand and laughed, "After lying in bed for so many days, my bones have stiffened. Besides, you know Doctor Xue's medical skills; this injury of mine is no longer a problem."

"That's good. However, your injuries haven't fully healed yet, so you should try to stay home as much as possible," Shen Qingqiu said.

"I know, I know," Ma Meifeng laughed, raising an eyebrow with curiosity. "By the way, I heard you're planning to introduce a potential partner to Doctor Xue? Apparently, she's also a doctor?"

Shen Qingqiu nodded and said, "It's the doctor who killed Yang Lin and Feng Yu."

Ma Meifeng stroked his short beard thoughtfully and said, "I've heard about that young man too. He was able to kill Feng Yu, so his martial arts skills are not weak. However, are you sure he's alright? In our line of work, the thing we fear most is people with unclear backgrounds."

"I've checked." Shen Qingqiu's tone was calm. "He's a local of Qingyang County. He's been an apprentice at a medical clinic since he was a child. His parents died, he has no relatives or friends, and no background in the martial arts world. He's never left Qingyang County since he was a child, and his background is clean. As for his martial arts skills... they're probably just as he said, he was taught by a master when he was young."

Upon hearing this, Ma Meifeng nodded: "At the age of twenty, to possess such martial arts skills yet remain unmoved by fame and fortune is truly rare."

"That's why I think he's a good match," Shen Qingqiu said. "I even did some research on him. He has a very good reputation, a gentle temperament, and is understanding. He's a perfect match."

"Anyone you approve of will definitely be fine." Ma Meifeng smiled, didn't ask any more questions, and simply cupped his hands in greeting, saying, "I'll be going now, you go ahead with your work."

Shen Qingqiu also walked towards the backyard.

Just as Shen Qingqiu walked into the backyard, Ma Meifeng, who was standing on the front yard, suddenly turned around, took a deep look at Shen Qingqiu's back, and a strange light flashed in his eyes.

……

The backyard of the medicine hut was much smaller than the front yard, but much quieter. Several clumps of green bamboo grew against the wall, rustling in the wind. Several wooden racks were placed in the yard, on which various colored medicinal herbs were drying, and the air was filled with a richer scent of herbs than in the front yard.

A woman was standing with her back to her in front of the wooden frame, checking and arranging the medicinal herbs in the bamboo tray one by one.

She wore a moon-white dress with wide sleeves and a light blue belt around her waist. Her long hair was loosely tied up with a plain silver hairpin, with a few strands hanging down beside her ears, swaying slightly with her movements.

Even just a glimpse of her back exudes a gentle and refined temperament.

Shen Qingqiu walked over quietly, stopped behind her, and said, "Fuling."

The woman turned around.

She was exceptionally beautiful, not in a flamboyant way, but in a gentle, soothing way that brought a sense of peace to anyone who looked at her. Her eyebrows and eyes were slender, her nose delicately straight, and her lips slightly pursed. Her skin was very fair, and in the afternoon sunlight, it appeared even more radiant.

Those eyes were particularly striking, calm as a deep pool, seemingly unmoved by any storm.

This woman is Xue Fuling, a disciple of Medicine King Valley and the physician of the Six Doors.

"Qingqiu," Xue Fuling said, her voice neither too loud nor too soft, like spring water flowing over stone, clear and melodious, "you've come."

"Well, I need to talk to you about something." Shen Qingqiu walked to her side, glanced at the medicinal herbs in the bamboo tray, and asked, "What are you doing here?"

"I need to prepare a new prescription. Recently, there have been outbreaks of disease in many places outside the city, and I'm worried it will spread widely, so I need to prepare the medicine as soon as possible." Xue Fuling arranged the last ingredient in her hand, brushed the crumbs off her hands, and turned to look at Shen Qingqiu. "Aren't you on duty today?"

Shen Qingqiu leaned against a pillar, arms crossed, and said, "On duty, but it was Commander Qianhu who asked me to deliver a commendation to Gu Guanqi, the person I told you about a few days ago. I'll take this opportunity to talk to him about your blind date."

Xue Fuling asked, "What did he say?"

Shen Qingqiu said, "Of course I agree. I'll bring him to meet you tomorrow. I think it's good for you two to be together. You often go out to provide free medical care, and although you have guards, you don't have any experts. He, on the other hand, is highly skilled in martial arts and doesn't get involved in the martial arts world, so he won't cause you any trouble. Moreover, he is also a doctor with good medical skills, and you'll have common topics to discuss."

Xue Fuling lowered her eyes slightly, a faint smile appearing on her lips: "I didn't think that much about it. I just thought that he has superb martial arts skills, but he is willing to be an ordinary doctor, which means that he must love medicine. So it is worth meeting him."

"Then see you tomorrow," Shen Qingqiu said.

Xue Fuling nodded: "Okay."

After she finished speaking, she lowered her head again to examine the medicinal herbs, her movements still unhurried and unhurried.

"Then I'll bring him tomorrow." Shen Qingqiu straightened up, patted the dust off his robes, and said, "I'll be going now, so as not to delay you from preparing the medicine."

Xue Fuling hummed in agreement, without looking up, and simply said, "Be careful on the road."

……

The next day, just as dawn broke, Gu Guanqi woke up.

After getting ready, he sat in the clinic and waited.

About half an hour later, footsteps came from outside the door.

Gu Guanqi got up to greet them, but paused slightly at the door.

The person who came was indeed Shen Qingqiu, but he didn't quite look like him.

Today, she wasn't wearing her usual blue official robe, but instead a pleated skirt. The hem of the skirt swayed gently with her steps. The two short swords were still hanging at her waist, but this outfit made her look less sharp and more gentle.

Her long hair was not tied up neatly as usual, but loosely tied into a ponytail and secured with a plain silver hairpin, with a few strands falling down, which made her temperament much softer.

Gu Guanqi stared at her, momentarily stunned, then exclaimed sincerely, "I thought that Commander Shen's heroic bearing was already unparalleled, but I never imagined that he would be so dazzling in women's clothing! All the charm of women is embodied in you!"

Upon hearing this, Shen Qingqiu chuckled and said, "Doctor Gu, I'm the matchmaker today, not your blind date. Save those sweet talk for when you really need it."

Gu Guanqi quickly replied, "These are my heartfelt words, as clear as day!"

Shen Qingqiu covered her mouth and chuckled, "What a pity, Doctor Gu. I have no plans to get married, let alone marry someone younger than me. Otherwise, I would really like to spend more time with you and see what you have to say from the bottom of your heart."

"Every time I see Commander Shen, I have so much to say..."

The two walked side by side down the long street, chatting away.

Yesterday, Shen Qingqiu came to the clinic. The two talked about everything from their blind date to martial arts, and then to their views on the martial arts world. They chatted a lot and got along very well. The awkwardness between them had completely disappeared, so they could now joke around.

The weather is fine and sunny today.

Soon after, the two arrived in the west of the city.

Soon, they arrived at the medicine hut.