Volume 2 Chapter 16: Remembering Yue Hua Jie
Lin Jianlan only saw Wan Xiu's tears flowing quietly under the dim light, with hope and despair on her face. He applied the medicine silently, carefully put the black gauze back on his wrist, stood up and said, "A Xiu, where is your mother now?"
Wan Xiu raised her head abruptly, the tears that had just stopped flowing out again, she held Lin Jianlan and shook her head, "I am her daughter, if she is lying, I can tell immediately, she will take the opportunity to harm you, don't go to her, leave here quickly."
Lin Jianlan said softly, "A Xiu, don't worry. You must be a little tired. Take a good rest." After that, he gently untied his sleeves and went out. He saw that there were many houses and complicated corridors outside. It was not easy to find Madam Wan. He made up his mind, stamped his feet and ran out of the courtyard. He walked along the courtyard wall to the main gate. He saw a few minions guarding the door and stepped forward and said, "I am Lin Jianlan. Your madam is looking for me. Go and inform her!"
The minions were stunned at first. This name was indeed what Madam Wan had ordered people to inquire about. They did not dare to delay and exchanged glances with each other. Two of them looked at Lin Jianlan, and one of them hurriedly ran in.
After a while, the man came out again, looking anxious, "Madam, please come in, please come in quickly." He then said to the two lackeys, "Why don't you please invite Master Lin in quickly?"
The two men immediately understood and walked around behind Lin Jianlan, as if they were afraid that he would run away. Lin Jianlan smiled and walked in. He walked through several halls and finally came to an elegant and quiet place. It didn't seem to be a reception hall. A man standing in the room slowly turned around, smiled, and said in a deep voice: "Mr. Lin, long time no see."
Her voice was still so kind and gentle. If Lin Jianlan had not personally experienced and heard her conversation with Doctor Cheng, he would never have imagined that this gentle old lady could be so cruel and ruthless in her actions.
Madam Wan walked to the table, poured a cup of tea and said, "Mr. Lin, please sit down. This is the first spring tea of this year brewed with iceberg snow water. My mother's family sent it here. Although it is not a valuable treasure, it is quite fragrant and delicious."
Lin Jianlan knew that she wanted to ask him for something, so he would not do anything to the tea. However, he smiled and pushed the cup away, saying, "There is a saying in my hometown, once bitten by a snake, one will be afraid of ropes for ten years. Madam Wan's tea is naturally good, but I have no chance to enjoy it."
Madam Wan was not embarrassed at all, she sat calmly aside and said, "It was my fault that we offended Master Lin last time. When we heard that Master Lin returned to the main hall and tried his best to excuse us, your uncle Wan and I have already remembered it. We came to Chang'an for something these few days, and happened to hear that Master Lin was also here, so we ordered people to look for him everywhere, and we must express our gratitude."
Lin Jianlan said, "Madam Wan, you are actually doing this for Miss Wan. I have long since stopped caring about her. Besides, the two disciples of the South Sea School and I were not hurt. It's just that Miss Wan has done me a favor, and I always remember it in my heart. Yesterday, I happened to hear from some friends in the martial arts world that Madam Wan was trying to find out my whereabouts, so I took the liberty to come and see her. I wonder if she is feeling better now?"
Madam Wan showed worry on her face and shook her head, saying, "Mr. Lin, if Ah Xiu's illness had not been so strange and difficult to treat, I would not have thought of using the golden crown clam. But she has not shown any improvement so far."
This was the truth. Lin Jianlan felt that her methods were too vicious, and he hated and pitied her. He asked knowingly, "I heard that the clam can cure all diseases. Could it be that it has no effect?"
Madam Wan said, "Mr. Lin had no idea that we had asked a friend with some connections to return the golden crown clam to the Yukousi. Mr. Lin and the other two are no longer on the Yukousi's wanted list. They will have less worries when they go out in the future. It is also our way of apology. But Ah Xiu's illness delayed us."
Seeing that she looked normal and showed no guilt, Lin Jianlan felt helpless about her inconsistency. Not wanting to talk to her any more, he said directly: "Since Miss Wan's illness was delayed because of me, if Madam Wan needs any help from me, I will do my best. I will not leave Chang'an for now, and if I have nothing to do on weekdays, I will come to visit you and Miss Wan again." After that, he stood up and said goodbye.
Hearing this, Madam Wan couldn't hide her joy. She sent Lin Jianlan out the door, then relaxed and turned hurriedly back inside.
About half an hour later, Lin Jianlan leaned out from the street next to him. He thought that after making such a promise, Madam Wan would surely be eager to contact Doctor Cheng, or go and find out what was going on. However, after waiting for such a long time, there was no movement at all. He couldn't help laughing after thinking about it. With such a large courtyard, there must be several other side gates and corner gates. How could one person take care of all the people coming in and out?
Lin Jianlan returned to her residence, thinking that Doctor Cheng's martial arts were unfathomable, and it would be safer to break through this level of skill quickly. The only thing she could be thankful for was that Ah Xiu was not like her mother, she was quite kind-hearted, and would definitely remind her if there was anything wrong.
As expected, when Lin Jianlan visited again, Madam Wan could n't wait . Before he sat down, she hurriedly said, "Mr. Lin, last time you said that if there was anything you needed help with..."
Lin Jianlan immediately understood and said, "I will definitely help you with all my strength. Madam Wan, if you have anything to say, please feel free to tell me."
Madam Wan hesitated for a moment and said, "I wonder if Master Lin knows the current abbot of Baiyun Temple?"
Lin Jianlan said: "This... I am indeed fortunate to have met the Master of Baiyun Temple, and I was once saved by Taoist Duanmu."
Madam Wan nodded and said thoughtfully, "So his last name is Duanmu? It turns out to be him. I also heard from others that the Taoist priest has superb medical skills and profound internal strength. Since he saved Mr. Lin's life, the rumors must be true. It's just that he has a strange temper, and it's difficult for ordinary people to invite him to come down the mountain to treat you. I heard that Taoist priest Duanmu has a special eye for you. I wonder if Mr. Lin can help invite him."
Lin Jianlan smiled and said, "Indeed, even when Taoist Duanmu took my pulse that day, it was Uncle Qing who brought me to Baiyun Mountain to pay him a visit. After several beggings, we were finally able to convince him. But that time, because of Doctor Cheng's incident, the Taoist priest was almost harmed, and Uncle Qing and I felt very guilty." After saying that, he picked up the teacup and took a sip, but secretly raised his eyes to see Madam Wan's expression.
Madam Wan gently put down the teacup in her hand and said, "The gang leader has already sent a message to all branches to be on guard against him. We also know a little about what happened. Alas, I didn't expect that Doctor Cheng had been in the Kuangyi Gang for decades and finally did such a thing. It's really unbelievable." When she said this, she shook her head and sighed, her tone was full of emotion.
Seeing her pretending, Lin Jianlan almost spit out a mouthful of tea, thinking: "Last time, Doctor Cheng deliberately planned to kidnap the Taoist priest to Chang'an, how can I do as you wish?" Then he sighed: "After the last incident, even if Taoist priest Duanmu favors me, he will never come down the mountain to treat me. I can only take Miss Wan to the mountain to pay him a visit in person. There may be a chance, but I dare not guarantee that he will agree."
Madam Wan thought for a while and said, "If that's the case, there's nothing we can do. After all, we are asking for a favor, so going up the mountain in person would be more respectful. I'll prepare some gifts and go with you tomorrow to pay my respects."
Lin Jianlan shook his hand and said, "Madam Wan, Taoist Duanmu has a very strange temper and doesn't like crowds. Even if he agreed to treat me that day, he insisted on asking Uncle Qing to go down the mountain. Baiyun Mountain is a Taoist temple. If he saw you and Miss Wan, two female donors, he might get upset, which would be bad."
Mrs. Wan's face was immediately filled with disappointment. She murmured, "What should I do?"
Lin Jianlan said: "Miss Wan saved my life, how can Madam Wan not trust me? Besides, we are all family in the Kuangyi Gang, I will definitely treat Miss Wan like my own sister, and there will be no mistakes."
Madam Wan was still very reluctant and said, "Ah, Master Lin, Ah Xiu has never left my side since she was born. Can I think about it again?"
Lin Jianlan thought, "She is reluctant because she really wants to do it for Ah Xiu. Mother and daughter are connected, and they can't bear to part." After thinking about it, he stood up and said, "I want to go visit Miss Wan who is ill. I wonder if it's convenient for you."
Upon hearing his question, Madam Wan hurriedly said, "Mr. Lin, there's no need to be so polite. I'll take you there." Then she walked out the door and led the way, saying, "I've already told these lackeys. You are the adopted son of the gang leader. You can come and go as you please."
Arriving at Wan Xiu's room, Lin Jianlan saw that the doors and windows were still tightly closed, as if no one lived there. Madam Wan first knocked on the door gently, and heard a soft voice from inside: "Is it mother?"
Mrs. Wan responded and opened the door a crack. Lin Jianlan looked inside and saw a candlestick placed on a high table beside the bed. Wan Xiu did not cover her face, but leaned on the bed with her head lowered, reading a book in her right hand, and gently twisting a strand of hair on her temples with her left hand.
Madam Wan hurriedly let Lin Jianlan in, then turned back to close the door tightly, and said happily: "A Xiu, look who's here?"
Wan Xiu raised her head, and the two of them looked at each other. They had met many times before, but now they both pretended to be meeting for the first time. After a while, Lin Jianlan said, "Miss Wan, I haven't seen you for a long time. How are you?"
Wan Xiu lowered his head again and said, "Thank you, Master Lin, for your concern. Please forgive me for being too ill to come down to greet you."
Madam Wan said, "Ah Xiu, Master Lin came to visit you specially. Please chat with him for a while. I have something else to do, so I have to leave for a while."
Lin Jianlan knew that she was anxious to discuss with Doctor Cheng, so he stepped aside and said, "Madam Wan, don't worry about the younger generation. Business is more important." Seeing Madam Wan nodded, opened the door and left in a hurry, Lin Jianlan breathed a sigh of relief. Looking back, he saw that Wan Xiu seemed to be in better spirits than in the past few days. He looked at him with a half-smile and said, "Mr. Lin lied today too. What do you mean we haven't seen each other for a long time?"
Lin Jianlan also laughed and said, "You are so cunning that you refused to speak first, which forced me to lie." After that, his expression became serious and he said, "A Xiu, I promised your mother."
Wan Xiu's face changed, and he lowered his head and said, "You shouldn't, no, I shouldn't blame Master Lin, it's my own fault. If I hadn't cried to you that day, how could you..."
Lin Jianlan smiled and said, "A Xiu, don't think like that. Do you think I'm a fool? At least now I know there must be something going on. I just need to be careful and guard against everything. The master of Baiyun Temple and his disciples are all very good at martial arts. Don't worry. And..."
Wan Xiu asked anxiously: "What else?"
Lin Jianlan said, "Ah Xiu, if you want to know, although I am not as good as you at imitating other people's speech, I can still learn it for you." After that, he roughly repeated the conversation between him and Madam Wan just now. Ah Xiu sometimes frowned and sometimes looked happy. As soon as Lin Jianlan finished speaking, she looked up and said, "Really? Will you take me to Baiyun Mountain alone?" There was an unstoppable excitement in her eyes, which was especially bright under the candlelight.
Lin Jianlan sighed and said, "Girl, your mother is reluctant to let you go alone, but you look so impatient."
Wan Xiu said sadly, "I know she can't bear to leave me. For so many years, no matter what she did, good or bad, it was all for me, her daughter. But I always blame her in secret. In fact, what right do I have to say anything about her?"
Lin Jianlan said, "I was just joking, why are you taking it so seriously? To your mother, this is our 'first meeting'. If we stay too long, she might get suspicious. You should take a good rest. I'm leaving now. I may not come to visit you often in the next few days. I'll come again when she has a reply. You should take care of yourself."
Wan Xiu nodded, turned around, took the long sword hanging on the bedside, handed it to Lin Jianlan and said, "Mr. Lin, you can take this long sword away. If you take it now, my mother won't be suspicious."
Lin Jianlan took the sword, opened the door and left, strolling around a few streets, then went to the horse market and ordered a carriage. He then went to the inn, found the owner and explained a few things to him. After walking around for a long time, he returned to his residence at night, but he did not feel tired at all.
A gentle breeze blew through the courtyard, mixed with a hint of soft warmth. Chang'an had already entered late spring weather, and everyone had changed into single clothes. Lin Jianlan drew out the long sword that he had not seen for a long time, and saw that the sword was still as bright as autumn water under the moonlight, with a pool of shining light. He remembered the fireworks that fell like rain that day, and Lin Longqing dug the ground with his sword. He vowed not to get involved in the grudges in the martial arts world, but he still returned to the world of martial arts.
Lin Jianlan danced the sword gently and practiced the Liuyun sword technique for a while, but he really had no interest in it. He stared blankly at the criss-crossing threads on the hilt, feeling as if he was trapped in a quagmire, with whirlpools and undercurrents surging somewhere . One mystery after another was like a tangled thread that could not be untied or cut. Fortunately, he met Madam Wan and her daughter, and involved Doctor Cheng. Perhaps if he accompanied Wan Xiu to treat her illness, he would be able to make some discoveries.
He had been alone in Chang'an for more than ten days and had not contacted Lin Longqing. Thinking of this, he felt a little worried. He returned to the house, carefully trimmed the candle wick, spread out the paper, dipped it in thick ink, and began to write by candlelight.
