Elder Chang was rendered speechless by the questioning, his hand gripping the cane so tightly it threatened to shatter.
Bai Youan snorted and pulled Song Qingchao along, following Chang Pinghe's footsteps.
Elder Chang's men were already under the control of the soldiers.
This allowed them to escape smoothly.
Reaching the carriage, Chang Pinghe turned around and said respectfully, "Wanwan is frail and has already been arranged to leave first. Mr. Bai and Miss Song, you may take this carriage. I will have someone escort you to the Xiang Family Medical Hall."
Bai Youan agreed readily.
He gestured for Song Qingchao to board the carriage, even extending a hand to help her in a particularly gentlemanly manner.
Song Qingchao didn't even glance at it. Instead, she turned to Chang Pinghe, "Commander Chang, my younger brother and sister have not yet returned from their search for medicine. Could you possibly send someone to look for them?"
Chang Pinghe nodded, "In which direction did the young master and lady go? I will dispatch people to search."
"Thank you for your trouble, General." Song Qingchao pointed north, "They went that way."
Chang Pinghe's expression changed slightly after Song Qingchao indicated the direction, but he still agreed.
"You must be tired after a long day. You should go back and rest quickly."
Song Qingchao said no more, bowed, and got into the carriage directly.
As she lifted the curtain and saw Bai Youan, there was no extra emotion in her eyes.
She simply sat upright in the seat furthest from Bai Youan.
Bai Youan sat with his long legs lazily spread apart, raising an eyebrow at her, "Sitting so far away?"
Song Qingchao, clutching a handkerchief, hummed in response, not looking at him.
Bai Youan did not tease her as he usually would.
The carriage swayed, and the creaking sound it made in the night was particularly comforting.
Song Qingchao, for once, looked at Bai Youan, only to find that he had fallen asleep.
His usually straight back was now slumped against the back of the seat, his head tilted, as if he might topple over at any moment.
Song Qingchao smiled faintly, then lifted the curtain and sat beside the soldier driving the carriage.
"Miss Song?"
Song Qingchao shook her head to signal him, then placed a finger to her lips, "Slowly, we're not in a hurry."
The soldier nodded and then slowed the carriage.
Song Qingchao did not return to the carriage, but leaned against the backboard.
She looked up at the round moon.
In her past life, she also loved sitting in the courtyard looking at the moon. Feng Shaocheng always said she was weak and that sitting outside for too long would make her catch a chill.
He even deprived her of the small wish to admire the moon.
It seemed that anything she liked to do, he would forbid, always placating her with "I'm doing this for your own good."
How foolish she had been in her past life...
Song Qingchao slowly raised her hand, covering the moon, then clenched it fiercely.
This feeling of having everything in her own hands was wonderful.
The carriage soon arrived at its destination.
Song Qingchao lifted the curtain and saw that the person inside was still asleep. She simply let the soldier leave.
She tied up the carriage and then slipped inside herself.
She took a cloak from her spatial dimension and gently covered Bai Youan with it, then found a comfortable spot and lay down, wrapping herself in the cloak.
This was how she had spent many long days.
The small carriage was indeed the warmest and most comfortable place.
With a "clang," the carriage swayed slightly, startling Song Qingchao awake. Bai Youan also awoke from his slumber.
Their drowsy eyes met, and then the carriage curtain was abruptly pulled open.
Revealed was Xiang Yunling's impassive face.
His expression was stern, and his words were blunt, "You like sleeping in carriages so much? It seems I prepared guest rooms in vain."
Hearing this, Song Qingchao jolted awake and immediately stood up.
With a "bang,"
Her hair hit the ceiling of the carriage, making Bai Youan chuckle.
Song Qingchao rubbed her head and shot him a fierce glare.
This was retribution!
She shouldn't have felt sorry for him being tired and decided to sleep in the carriage with him!
Song Qingchao got out of the carriage with great indignation, then smoothed the creases in her clothes, "Excuse me, young master Xiang, where is my room located?"
"Go straight ahead, the second room on the south side. Outside this courtyard, a medicinal boy will lead you."
Song Qingchao nodded and left.
She did not want to wait for Bai Youan.
Upon reaching the courtyard entrance, she indeed saw a waiting medicinal boy.
Strange, when she arrived during the day, there was no one else in this medicinal courtyard.
She glanced back at Xiang Yunling and saw him conversing with Bai Youan.
"Let's go."
"Miss Song, this way."
Song Qingchao nodded and followed him.
Along the way, she saw many medicinal boys busy coming and going.
The medicinal boy leading the way noticed Song Qingchao's confusion and explained, "The medicinal boys in this medicinal garden go to the Buddhist temple to help during the day. Most of them are poor people, and they are the only ones who don't look down on us."
He pointed to the various courtyards and introduced them to Song Qingchao, "When night falls, the senior disciples will return to try and prepare the medicine according to the master's prescription."
Song Qingchao nodded in understanding.
It seemed Xiang Yunling was not as cold as he appeared. As a healer, even though he outwardly complained, he did what most healers could not.
"Young master Xiang has been trying to prepare the prescription for this time? Then why has no one come to this garden?" Song Qingchao asked, puzzled.
"Because no one dares to," the medicinal boy replied.
As he led the way, he told Song Qingchao about the city.
"Master Lin declared that anyone who dares to come to this medical hall will have their entire family annihilated. All paths, both of life and death, will be blocked. Because of this, the master can only treat patients at the temple. This time, they have truly exhausted all their wealth. Our garden has already been suppressed to the point of having no income."
The medicinal boy said with great distress, "After being suppressed, not only did no patients dare to come, but even the farmers supplying the medicine stopped coming. Now, with the entire city infected, all the doctors have been invited away by Master Lin. The city is without doctors, and people have no homes, so they have all gone to the temple. At least there, someone is looking after them. And everyone knows that the master will not abandon that temple."
Song Qingchao couldn't help but be curious, "Why?"
The medicinal boy glanced back with a peculiar expression, then covered his mouth with his hand and whispered, "Because Miss Lin, Lin Tingwan, used to live at that temple. Miss Tingwan's condition for returning home with Master Lin was an annual offering and a pure land for the temple. Therefore, even though Master Lin has immense influence, he would never cause trouble at the temple."
Song Qingchao nodded in understanding, "It seems this Miss Tingwan is quite a good person."
The medicinal boy sighed, "I would rather she had always been the young lady Wan who hid in the temple's backyard."
He suddenly stopped and pushed open a door, stepping aside, "Miss Song, this is your room. If you need anything, just call us."
Just as Song Qingchao was about to say "thank you," she heard a commotion in the courtyard.
"I heard there is a Mr. Bai who can resurrect the dead and mend bones. May I ask! Is Mr. Bai Youan here?"