Chapter 392: Chapter 146: Back in Year 3
She spoke in a deep voice, "If that is the case, the young master must be mistaken." With that, she intended to leave.
However, the youth blocked her again, this time with a tone of reproach, "Why do you always think of leaving?" Then he said coldly, "As a healer, there is no reason to let a patient leave."
"If he can’t treat her, I will."
Lu Tong was astonished.
In fact, during those years in the mountains, she had been so worn down by Lady Yun that she lost her temper, and nothing could really make waves in her mind. Yet, she was unusually flustered in front of this youth in green, trying her best to explain to him that she wasn’t poisoned and that she had more important things to do. Nevertheless, he was determined to play the role of a savior to the end, insisting on treating her until she was cured.
"My parents will worry if I don’t return soon," Lu Tong said.
The youth nodded, "That is indeed the case." The next moment, he looked at Lu Tong, "Where is your home? I will explain in person to your honored father and mother."
Lu Tong: "..."
Of course, she couldn’t lead him back to her place, or else Lady Yun might take him as the next medicine man.
Seeing that Lu Tong remained silent, he decided to take her to a nearby inn.
"If you want to send a message to your family, just tell me. They can come here to stay with you."
Lu Tong pressed her lips together, "No need."
She thought, perhaps this person was just acting on a whim, unable to contain his overflowing kindness. When night fell and they were all asleep, it wouldn’t be too late for her to sneak away.
Lu Tong thought this, but she hadn’t expected the other person’s persistence to far exceed her imagination. The coachman following the youth seemed to have some skill, with exceptionally sharp ears. As soon as she cracked the door open a sliver at night, he chased after her.
It was as if he was doing it on purpose, just to keep an eye on her.
Lu Tong had never met someone like this before. She thought, perhaps he meant to kidnap her. In Su Nan City’s brothels, many young girls were abducted as children and then fell into a life of decadence. At Chaos Burial Mound near Luomei Peak, bodies of cast-off courtesans who had fallen ill were often found, many of which she had buried.
But if he intended to kidnap her, why go through all this trouble? Why keep her in the inn and waste money needlessly?
Unable to figure out the reason, Lu Tong simply stopped thinking about it. She decided to watch and wait and, if these two really harbored evil intentions, she would use the poison in her medical kit to drug them.
Yet these two were genuinely trying to treat her illness.
The coachman bought all kinds of medicinal herbs following the prescriptions the youth in green wrote, then he studied and prepared the medicine in the room, brewing it daily for her to drink.
Lu Tong didn’t mind whether the medicine was poisoned or not; ordinary poison couldn’t harm her anyway.
She merely found the taste a bit novel. She had taken poison more often than medicine, and poison for her was no different from the usual meals. It had been years since someone had taken such diligent and thorough care to detoxify her.
The youth’s coachman pulled him outside, and Lu Tong overheard their conversation. The coachman’s voice was low, "Young master, we have stayed in Su Nan for over half a month now. The old master has sent letters urging us to return; we should go back."
"Her poison is not fully cured yet, wait a bit longer."
"But... we didn’t bring much silver with us when we left, and while we have enough to make our way back, the medicinal herbs you purchase daily are costly. The person sent by the old master to deliver the silver note hasn’t arrived yet... If this continues, we might not have enough for our return journey."
Outside, there was a long silence.
After a while, the youth’s voice rose, "Take this and pawn it."
"Young master, that’s your jade pendant!"
Lu Tong was taken aback.
The man’s tone remained calm as he urged, "Go quickly and come back quickly."
Lu Tong sat back at the window, pretending to be nonchalant the moment the door was pushed open. The youth frowned at her, "Did you hear everything?"
After a moment of silence, Lu Tong finally spoke, "Why are you saving me?"
Lu Tong couldn’t understand this person.
From the occasional talks between the coachman and him, she had roughly figured out that the other party was a young master from Shengjing, merely passing by on his way back to the capital. He must come from a wealthy family; the clothes he wore were simple in style, but the brocade embroidery was so exquisite and sumptuous that even the finest clothing shops in Su Nan couldn’t make it.
He was also very polite, with every gesture reflecting the grace of an aristocratic youth, like a crane that flew down from the clouds, standing among a flock of chickens, always seeming out of place and solitary.
He didn’t speak, and Lu Tong continued, "We are but strangers who met by chance. Whether I am poisoned or not has nothing to do with you. Why do you want to save me?"
Lu Tong didn’t understand. If it was a fleeting pity from a noble’s son, half a month had passed, which was enough for the enthusiasm to wane. This act of ’seeing injustice on the road’ should have become tiresome. So why was he still so persistent?