Wandering Sword Seller's Life in the Qin Dynasty

Therefore, the three of them readily accepted Xu Qing's suggestion.

After that, Xu Qing accompanied the three of them for a while, only a few days.

Afterwards, he left them an address and some tokens before leaving the place.

Liaodong is extremely cold. In normal times of peace, it's not a big deal; the common people simply stay at home and on their kang (heated brick bed) instead of going out.

However, Liaodong is currently in chaos.

As people fled, the harsh environment revealed its cruelty.

In this era, keeping warm is a major challenge in itself.

A minor cold can easily develop into a fatal illness.

Not to mention fleeing in such a cold environment wearing only thin clothes.

As Xu Qing walked, he frequently saw frozen corpses by the roadside.

He was powerless to do anything about it; he simply chose to silently help the survivors.

Of course, it wasn't intentional; I just lent a hand when I saw it.

For him, it was a simple matter, but for those suffering, it was a matter of life and death.

In the midst of chaos, some people, like scattered soldiers, bully the weak; others choose to flee with their entire clan; still others, like Ah Gang and his two companions, uphold justice. It can be said that at this time, the myriad aspects of human nature are fully revealed.

On this day, Xu Qing was walking in the snow when he suddenly smelled a faint fragrance of medicine ahead, mixed with the cries of children and the voices of women thanking him, which seemed out of place in this desolate world.

Xu Qing's heart stirred slightly, and he slowed his pace, following the scent of medicine and the sounds as he walked slowly forward. Before long, he turned a corner around a snow-covered mountain ridge, and the scene before him made him pause slightly.

In the vast, snow-covered field, there stood a simple thatched hut, its roof covered with thick layers of dry grass, barely offering any protection from the howling wind. Beneath the hut, huddled together were ragged, haggard refugees—the elderly, women, and children who had fled from disaster. Their faces were sallow, some wrapped in worn-out blankets, others with wounds that had turned purple from the cold. Low groans and children's sobs mingled together, yet were gently soothed by a soft female voice.

In the center of the thatched hut stood a simple wooden table covered with a clean linen cloth. On the table were various sizes of medicine pots, pestles, and dried herbs, and the aroma of herbs wafted from there.

Behind the table sat two women. One appeared to be middle-aged, dressed in a plain, coarse cloth dress. Her temples were already streaked with frost, and her face, though gentle, carried a hint of illness. A faint weariness lingered between her brows and eyes. Beside her stood a young woman, about sixteen or seventeen years old, dressed in a light blue dress. She had delicate features and a focused, determined gaze. She was skillfully bandaging a child's chapped hands with gentle movements, as if afraid of hurting the child.

Xu Qing's gaze fell on the young woman, and a strange sense of familiarity suddenly arose in his heart.

He was clearly meeting the other person for the first time, so where did this sense of familiarity come from?

Xu Qing pondered for a while and then had an answer in his mind.

However, whether it is the other party still needs to be verified.

Xu Qing did not rush to meet the other party. Instead, he flashed and immediately used the illusion technique of the Yin-Yang School, combining the power of light and dust, and his figure disappeared into nothingness.

At least, in the eyes of ordinary people, Xu Qing's existence is no longer visible.

On the other side, a middle-aged woman was holding a pulse pillow, taking the pulse of an elderly man. Her fingertips were slightly cool, and her expression was focused. However, while taking the pulse, she suddenly paused, her brows furrowed, and she couldn't help but cover her mouth and cough violently. The cough was hoarse and weak. After several coughs, it seemed as if she was coughing up her internal organs. Her face also became paler and paler, and even her fingertips turned bluish-purple.

"master!"

Hearing the cough, the young woman's heart tightened. She immediately put down the bandage in her hand, walked quickly to the middle-aged woman's side, and gently patted her back. Her tone was full of worry and urgency. "You're coughing again. You should rest. I'll take care of these patients. Your health isn't good to begin with, you can't keep pushing yourself like this."

As she spoke, she took out a clean handkerchief from her bosom and handed it to the middle-aged woman, her eyes almost overflowing with worry.

These days, Master has been working day and night to treat the refugees, often forgetting to eat and sleep. His already weak body is becoming increasingly unable to cope, and his cough is getting worse. But no matter how she tries to persuade him, Master refuses to stop.

The middle-aged woman coughed for a long time before gradually calming down. She took the handkerchief, gently wiped her mouth, waved her hand, and spoke in a weak but still gentle voice. Her gaze passed over the young woman and landed on the refugees waiting in line for treatment behind her, her tone firm and unwavering.

“It’s alright, I’ll rest for a bit. Look at these people, they’re all freezing and suffering terribly from their illness. They can’t wait, and I can’t stop either.” As she spoke, she was about to pick up the pulse pillow again to continue taking the old man’s pulse, but as soon as she moved her arm slightly, she coughed lightly again.

"Master!" The middle-aged woman quickly pressed her hand down, her eyes slightly red. "You're coughing like this, how can you keep going? If you collapse, who will treat these people? You rest first, I can manage. I've been learning from you for so many years, I can treat all these illnesses."

Looking at the young woman's anxious expression, a hint of warmth flashed in the middle-aged woman's eyes. She gently patted the young woman's hand and said softly, "Rong'er, your master knows you are capable, but these people have suffered for too long. The more people who treat them, the more people can live. In chaotic times, human life is as worthless as grass. Since we have medical skills, we cannot stand by and watch people die."

As soon as she finished speaking, the middle-aged woman broke free from the young woman's hand, sat up straight again, took a deep breath, suppressed the itching in her throat, and continued to take the old man's pulse. While taking his pulse, she gently asked about his symptoms, her tone still gentle, as if the violent cough had never happened.

The surrounding refugees looked at the middle-aged woman's pale face with gratitude and guilt in their eyes. Someone whispered to her, "Doctor, please rest. We're not in a hurry. Your health is the most important thing."

The middle-aged man shook his head slightly and gave a faint smile: "It's alright, everyone, just wait a little longer, it will be your turn soon."

The young woman looked at her master's stubborn back, feeling both anxious and pained, but she also knew her master's temperament; once he made up his mind, not even ten oxen could pull him back.

She bit her lip, turned around and went back to the wooden table, quickening her movements as she bandaged and fed medicine to the refugees, glancing at her master from time to time, her worry never fading.

time flies.

Soon, the number of these patients gradually decreased.

With the last patient treated, the two women were finally able to get a short rest.

But they knew that things wouldn't end so easily.

This is a place that refugees must pass through. In these days, they have treated countless patients. Today may be the end, but tomorrow, there will surely be more people coming.

The problem was that the middle-aged woman was not in good health and had some health issues. The climate in Liaodong was cold, and the overwork in such an environment only made things worse.

Despite the young woman's constant attempts to persuade him, the master could not bear to see the patient.

In addition, the medicinal herbs they brought were also in short supply.

Just as the two women were pondering what to do tomorrow, a man's voice suddenly rang out, "It's truly unexpected that in such chaotic times, there are such healers who disregard their own safety to protect these vulnerable people."

Upon hearing this, both women turned their heads to look at him.

Then they saw a figure in black appear not far from them.

"Who are you?" The young woman frowned slightly and asked the other party with a puzzled look.

"I'm just a passerby!" Xu Qing said calmly, waving his hand dismissively. "Not worth mentioning, not worth mentioning!"

As he spoke, he showed no intention of leaving. Instead, he took a step forward and arrived in front of the two women in an instant.

He first glanced at the young woman, revealing a faint smile, then looked at the middle-aged woman, "As a doctor, yet suffering from a stubborn illness, is this a curse or an accident?"

The middle-aged woman's gaze was fixed; she could tell that the man before her was no ordinary person. However, she did not distance herself from him because of this, but calmly asked, "Are you here seeking medical treatment?"

Xu Qing, however, seemed not to have heard the woman's words, saying, "You haven't answered my question yet."

The middle-aged woman said, "There is no need to answer your question. If you are seeking medical treatment, I can treat you. If you are not seeking medical treatment, you don't need to take up our time. After all, we also need to rest."

"That's really direct!" Xu Qing sighed helplessly upon seeing this.

I thought that the cold exterior and warm interior of the character in the original work was an innate nature, but now it seems that it is inherited from the same lineage.

They didn't treat those patients like this before!

Is it because I look complicated that people keep their distance from me?

However, Xu Qing was not angry. Instead, she said in a gentle tone, "Since we've run into each other, then you can take a look at me. Judging from your appearance, you don't seem to be ordinary doctors."

"At least, ordinary doctors would not dare to rely on two women to treat patients here."

"After all, the world is in chaos and people's hearts are like ghosts. Not everyone is a good person. Yet you dare to practice medicine here. You must have some means of self-defense."

'This man seems to talk an unusual amount.' This was the young woman's impression of Xu Qing at that moment.

The middle-aged woman didn't say anything.

He simply gestured for Xu Qing to come to the wooden table and place his arm on the pulse pillow.

Xu Qing did as instructed.

Despite her exhaustion, the middle-aged woman reached out and placed her hand on Xu Qing's pulse.

Upon sensing this, her brows furrowed slightly.

This was because Xu Qing's pulse was not strong and powerful; on the contrary, it was faint and barely perceptible.

This kind of pulse is usually only found in people who are dying.

"you……"

The middle-aged woman carefully examined Xu Qing. If it weren't for the pulse giving her this answer, it would have been hard to believe that such a person was about to die.

"What's wrong? Am I not feeling well?" Xu Qing asked the middle-aged woman with a smile.

The middle-aged woman's expression softened. The reason she had been somewhat cold earlier was because this person had come suddenly, seemed to have ill intentions, and was clearly a member of the martial arts world, unlike the common people who were suffering from hardship.

But now, the other party's pulse indicates that they are about to die, so it's impossible to treat them with such indifference anymore.

A hint of pity appeared in the middle-aged woman's eyes, and her voice softened slightly, "If there's still time, you can go and prepare for your funeral."

A look of horror appeared on Xu Qing's face. "So, I'm going to die?"

The middle-aged woman gave Xu Qing a deep look and nodded.

Listening to the conversation between her master and the young man, the young woman's eyes also showed a hint of surprise.

As a top-notch physician, he is naturally extremely proficient in the four diagnostic methods of observation, auscultation, inquiry, and palpation.

Under her observation, the man looked to be in good health, showing no signs of any ailment.

But the master said that, which clearly meant that he had diagnosed something different from what he thought when he took the pulse.

Normally, upon hearing a middle-aged woman say that she is about to die, most people would either be unwilling to believe it and then become furious, or be filled with fear.

However, after showing that hint of "fear," Xu Qing's expression remained completely calm. "What does it matter if I live or die? It's not an important thing."

"The important thing is to do something meaningful in the limited time we have."

As she spoke, Xu Qing paused, then looked at the middle-aged woman in front of her, "Aren't you just like that?"

The middle-aged woman was taken aback, then readily admitted Xu Qing's words, "Your words are sobering!"

Xu Qing smiled and said, "Since we've met, it must be fate."

"I'll help you out, that's all."

As they spoke, the middle-aged woman and the young woman beside her felt a warm current surge through them. Although Liaodong was extremely cold, at this moment, it felt as if they had fallen into the warm spring of March.

Xu Qing raised his hand and flicked his finger, instantly drawing in a vast life force that existed between heaven and earth, which then entered the middle-aged woman's body.

In the blink of an eye, the middle-aged woman discovered that the stubborn ailments in her body that she had been powerless to cure were actually improving.

The reason her incurable illness was not due to a lack of medical skills, but because her very essence was damaged—something that medicine could not heal. Yet, at this moment, this power surged into her body, actually replenishing part of her essence.

"you!"

The middle-aged woman stared in horror at the person in front of her.

At this moment, she understood perfectly well that she had misdiagnosed the patient. The patient's weak pulse did not mean that the patient was about to die. On the contrary, the patient was an extraordinary person, and because of his unusual methods, the pulse was like that.

"May I ask your name?" Xu Qing asked the middle-aged woman again.

After a moment's hesitation, the middle-aged woman gave the name, "Nian Duan!"