Dingbei Hou's doctor brother

Mr. Jin took one look at it and nodded, saying, "It's mine. I lost money in an underground gambling den a while ago, so I took it to Jinyu Street to exchange for silver."

Lu Ziqing asked, "Do you remember who was arrested in Liuyin County, Pingzhou five years ago?"

"Five years ago?" Mr. Jin lowered his eyes and thought for a while before saying, "I remember, you were..."

"Don't ask, just tell me!" Lu Ziqing pressed the hairpin down so hard that it almost pierced the skin.

Master Jin regained his composure, swallowed his saliva, and said, "A few years ago, a fellow countryman who worked in the palace came to me and wanted to buy the life of a man whose portrait was painted. My brothers and I searched for two years before we found him. This jade pendant was taken from him."

"Where is the person in the portrait? Where is he?"

"died."

"What?" Lu Ziqing tightened her grip on the hairpin and said in a trembling voice, "He..."

All the past events are still vivid in my mind.

Lu Ziqing was dragged back to the day five years ago, when the village was in ruins, dead bodies were everywhere, and the house was on fire.

The masked men were everywhere and they came one after another. He took his senior sister to escape, but he could not escape the killers' pursuit and his senior sister got separated.

When they returned, they turned the village upside down and even searched the nearby wilderness and grassy slopes, but they still couldn't find the master's body.

"Where...did he die?" Lu Ziqing asked in a trembling voice, his eyes filled with coldness.

Mr. Jin's forehead was covered with sweat. He said, "Actually, I didn't kill him myself. He was injured. We chased him all the way to the river behind the village, and he...he drowned himself."

Throw yourself into the river?

Lu Ziqing's brows twitched, and his heart sank as if struck by thunder.

The corner of hope that had remained for many years collapsed, along with countless days and nights of thoughts and anxieties, completely collapsed into the dust.

I once thought that my master was simply kidnapped and his whereabouts were unknown, and I also imagined that he was imprisoned somewhere.

Unexpectedly, the most undesirable result still happened.

He calmed down and asked, "Which office does your fellow countryman work in in the palace?"

"He's the director of the Imperial Household Department. As for why he wanted to buy this man's life, I really don't know. I just did it for the money, but..."

Mr. Jin said, "He died two years ago. He couldn't have lived long as a palace servant. I buried him myself."

Outside the box, the Jinyiwei had already taken action quietly and took control of everyone in the building, including Mr. Jin's two accomplices.

Lang Si hurriedly approached the door of the box, tilted his head to listen through the door, but there was no movement, and he began to panic.

Junior sister, could it be that she was...

He was about to reach out to push the door when Yang Zhounan rushed in first. He saw Mr. Jin, who was tied up like a dumpling, lying unconscious on the ground. A figure flashed outside the window.

Xiao Yan jumped out of the window with a few big strides and jumped from the second floor to the small street behind. He saw a carriage passing by at high speed and pedestrians screamed and retreated.

Yang Zhounan jumped down right after him and chased after him, but it was too late. He saw the profile of Su Chengfeng riding away with the beauty at the corner in the distance.

Lang Si looked anxious and ran up and down the building looking for his junior sister.

Not long after, the Jinyiwei found him behind the bed in a side room. He was still a little drowsy when he was brought to him.

After the junior sister woke up, Lang Si handed her some tea before asking.

"What happened? Why did you faint in the wing?"

The junior sister was still wearing her maid's clothes. She took a sip of tea and recalled.

"I was getting ready to change my clothes and put on makeup when I smelled smoke. I became hazy and lost consciousness, not knowing who that person was."

Lang Si held the hilt of his sword and lowered his eyes in thought, "Apart from the government, who else can find this person?"

Yang Zhounan listened and whispered to himself, "Su Chengfeng, what the hell are you doing?"

At dusk, the setting sun shines through the swaying willows along the river bank and onto the laughing faces of the children, but it cannot dispel the moisture in Lu Ziqing's eyes.

Blurred, he saw his master and senior sister, smiling at him in the light.

"This is my daughter Yunling. Since she's a few years older than you, you can call her Senior Sister. We'll be a family from now on."

"Ziqing, come and try the sweet-scented osmanthus meatballs that Senior Sister made. I also made sweet-scented osmanthus wine for Chengfeng and Chengyi, but you are not allowed to drink it secretly. And I made a new sweet-scented osmanthus sachet for you."

"Haha... Ziqing, look, today we sold two taels of silver for our herbs. Your birthday is in a few days, so I'll buy you a new set of clothes first, and then pick one for Dad."

"Ziqing, you have mastered the Eight Extraordinary Meridians and the Acupuncture Pharmacopoeia very well. I will now teach you how to open up the meridians and utilize them flexibly. This method is different from the technical theories you learned before and belongs to another level. I will teach you everything my master has taught me throughout my life. You must study hard."

"Master! Senior sister!"

Lu Ziqing faced the warm light, raised his hand towards the sky, and his fingertips lightly touched the two smiling faces, which gradually disappeared into the orange light and shadow, and could no longer be seen.

The man who was like a teacher and a father to him was now sleeping on the other side of the world, and he became a true orphan.

Su Chengfeng walked slowly to his side, patted his shoulder gently, looked towards the sunset and spoke softly.

"Don't hold it in if you want to cry. You've been running around all these years, and you've also had to deal with Yuan Qishan and his gang. You've been holding it in for too long. It will feel much better if you let it out."

Lu Ziqing held the osmanthus sachet in her hand, leaning against the willow trunk, her head down, her body trembling silently, tears streaming down her face.

This was the second time he cried.

The first time was filled with resentment and injustice, the second time was filled with heartache and self-blame.

“There is no road in life that cannot be traveled; it just depends on how we choose.”

Su Chengfeng stroked Lu Ziqing's lonely back and spoke slowly.

"I grew up eating at many people's houses. I never knew what my parents looked like, nor did I know what family love felt like. As far as I can remember, I only knew how to survive by fighting with my fists and feet, using my strength and ferocity. When I stopped, I would resent the injustice of heaven and the world. Until I met you, that resentment gradually subsided."

"Everything in this world has its ups and downs. When you come, you are alone, and when you leave, you are alone. At every stage, someone will appear and accompany you for a period of time. Now that that person is gone, it means that our fate in this life has ended. After the sadness, put it aside."

He patted Lu Ziqing's back gently and said, "If I were still alive, I would recall that person again at some unintentional moment. You once said the same thing to me, and now I will say it to you too."

"Perhaps God has mercy on you and has allowed Master Xi and Yunling to help you through the most difficult times. When you are fully grown, that will be the day they leave. You will have to walk the rest of the way on your own, just like us all."

There was constant laughter and conversation on both sides of the river bank, and the hot wind blew the weeping willows gently on Lu Ziqing's head.

a long time……

He slowly raised his head, his eyes flushed red, and looked at Su Chengfeng's face from the side.

"Why is it that your ability to praise people is not as good as comforting them?"

Su Chengfeng took a long time to react before turning his face away and chuckling, then punched Lu Ziqing lightly on the shoulder.

"I was feeling sad, and you do this to me." He then asked, "Also, why can't I praise people? I'm an English..."

"Handsome and elegant, with unparalleled martial arts skills, it's Master Su who possesses all the advantages, right?" Lu Ziqing said with a smile.

When Su Chengfeng saw his smiling face again, he also grinned.