A peasant girl travels through time with a hospital, rising to become an empress.

Liu Yan's family is still busy as a spinning top.

Nie Qianqian's daily schedule is packed. In business, although she doesn't need to keep an eye on the shop counter every day, she still needs to keep a close eye on the overall direction. As for Jishetang, she goes there to see patients every other day. The reputation of "Doctor Qian" is becoming more and more famous. Many patients with difficult and complicated diseases come to her door. Even with the hospital space and superb medical skills, it still takes a lot of her energy to treat these difficult diseases.

In addition, the poison in Old Qiao's body was not easy to cure.

Over time, Old Qiao had come to trust Nie Qianqian. Nie Qianqian had also taken him to the hospital space several times to draw blood for tests and treat his symptoms, using a combination of traditional Chinese and Western medicine to gradually remove the toxins from his body.

On this day, Nie Qianqian once again brought Old Qiao into the hospital space and completely removed the last trace of poison from his body.

Not long after leaving the space, Old Qiao slowly woke up. He focused his mind on sensing the changes in his body, circulating his internal energy through his internal organs and meridians. He discovered that the deadly poison that had plagued him for more than ten years had actually vanished.

This poison is extremely potent; those who lack profound martial arts skills and a resilient mind would have long been tormented to death by it.

Old Qiao may look like a playful old man, always laughing and joking, but he is actually incredibly resilient. He has been fighting against this poison for so many years, and today he is finally free.

He looked at Nie Qianqian, his usual playful expression gone, and said with unusual seriousness, "Thank you."

Though the two words are simple, they express heartfelt gratitude.

Seeing him so serious for the first time, Nie Qianqian felt a little uncomfortable and tried to smooth things over with a smile: "It really took me a lot of effort, Elder Qiao. Look, shouldn't you teach me the last few moves of that lightness skill?"

Old Qiao chuckled at her antics and replied heartily, "I'll teach! Of course I'll teach!"

Nie Qianqian always said that she had saved Liu Yan and Liu Xiong's lives, but this time Nie Qianqian also saved his life. This debt of gratitude has been repaid, but the friendship has already taken root.

After spending time together, Mr. Qiao had already come to regard this place as his own.

At first, he was only drawn to Nie Qianqian's various delicacies, always thinking of leaving after finishing this dish and that soup. But as time went by, the bond between their hearts grew stronger. Now, he had tasted all the dishes in the mansion, yet he could no longer bear to leave.

Nie Qianqian saved his life, and he has not yet repaid this debt of gratitude.

Liu Yan and her brother Liu Xiong are honest and straightforward, and they don't know how to be tactful when they encounter problems, which really worries him.

There are also two little kids, Tuantuan and Tiedan, who call him "Grandpa Qiao" in a soft and affectionate way, which has already melted his heart.

Old Qiao sighed softly. He was originally a wanderer passing through, but he never expected to settle down here and become a real resident of this family.

Previously, Nie Qianqian and Old Master Qiao had only a superficial acquaintance, and although she was curious, she never dared to ask. Now that Old Master Qiao's poison had been completely cured, she finally couldn't suppress her curiosity and asked, "Old Master Qiao, this poison of yours is extraordinary. I'm not exaggerating; besides me, Nie Qianqian, I'm afraid there's no one else in this world who can cure it. Who gave you such a vicious method? And how did you come to have such a powerful enemy?"

Upon hearing this, Old Qiao did not answer immediately. Instead, he looked out the window with a distant gaze that seemed to pierce through the layers of time and land in a very far place.

After a long pause, he murmured, his voice carrying a hint of melancholy: "They don't really want to kill me; their target has always been my lord. To get rid of my lord, they must first cut off his sharpest sword and his strongest shield, and I am that sword and shield."

Nie Qianqian rarely saw Old Qiao with such a somber expression, and her heart softened. She asked again, "Then your master... is he well now?"

Old Qiao's expression suddenly darkened, and his tone became as heavy as if a thousand-pound boulder was pressing down on him. He uttered only four words: "No one survived."

Those four simple words instantly conjured up the tragic scene from back then in Nie Qianqian's mind.

Even with Qiao Lao's unparalleled martial arts skills, it was still difficult to protect his master's family, so his master's status must be extraordinary.

Nie Qianqian didn't want to dredge up Qiao Lao's painful past, so she gently comforted him, "Fortunately, everything is in the past. Qiao Lao, the poison in your body has been cured, and you should live a good life for yourself from now on."

As the two were talking, Gu Xiao had unknowingly appeared outside Nie Qianqian's door.

He clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white from the force, and his aura was as heavy and solid as iron.

His face remained calm and composed, but his eyes seemed to be churning with turbulent emotions.

Nie Qianqian and Old Qiao both noticed the commotion outside the door. Nie Qianqian got up and opened the door. Seeing that it was Gu Xiao, she smiled and asked, "You're done with school?"

Gu Xiao's expression remained unchanged as he nodded and replied, "I came back with Jiang Wenxuan. Old Master Jiang is also downstairs and said he has important business to discuss with you." Upon hearing this, Nie Qianqian turned and informed Old Master Qiao before turning and going downstairs to see Jiang Botao.

After Nie Qianqian left, Gu Xiao did not follow immediately, but remained standing quietly outside the door.

Old Qiao looked up at him and saw that his expression was cold and aloof, as always, with a sense of detachment that kept people at arm's length. He looked like a dry well with no waves, but Old Qiao had a feeling that there was a secret hidden beneath this dry well that was enough to shake people's hearts.

Seeing that he lingered, Old Qiao asked, "Did you need something from me?"

Gu Xiao nodded, pushed the door open and entered, then closed the door behind him.

He has never liked beating around the bush, and he gets straight to the point:

"Old Qiao, to be honest, I practiced martial arts since childhood, but later I suffered a misfortune that left me crippled in my hands and feet, and all my martial arts skills were ruined. I used to think that all of that was just fleeting..."

He paused, looked up at Elder Qiao earnestly, and slowly continued, "But I want to start learning martial arts again soon, and I humbly request Elder Qiao to give me some guidance."

Upon hearing this, Old Qiao raised an eyebrow. From the moment he first met Gu Xiao, he knew that this man was weak and had no martial arts background whatsoever, but he never expected that he had practiced martial arts since childhood.

Old Master Qiao had long suspected that Gu Xiao harbored a secret, but he never liked to pry into other people's private affairs. Upon hearing this, he simply asked, "Why do you suddenly want to learn martial arts?"

Gu Xiao picked up the teacup that Nie Qianqian had just drunk from, his fingertips gently stroking the rim of the cup, a complex light flashing in his eyes.

He had a reason he couldn't say.

He was once a favored son of heaven, admired by thousands, but stripped of all his status and glamour, he was just an ordinary scholar.

Nie Qianqian is as dazzling as the sun. He admires this light and wants to protect it. He wants to become strong enough to stand shoulder to shoulder with her and go far together.

He could protect her from the storms and hoped that one day they could sit together in the courtyard and enjoy the elegant pleasure of sword dancing under the trees.