Chapter 120: The He Residence, Reunion with an Old Friend

Baili Xiao truly could not stand still for even a moment. Shen Qianmo frowned; were it not for the fact that she needed him to lead the way to save time, she would never have had the patience to indulge his madness.

Just as she was about to look around, an excited shout erupted from behind her.

"Brother Xie, look! I've found a way to make money! We’re going to be rich!"

Shen Qianmo turned around to see Baili Xiao jogging toward her, waving a bright yellow piece of paper, followed by two soldiers in Beidi military attire.

What on earth was this fellow up to?

She stood her ground, remaining calm and composed. When Baili Xiao reached her side, he presented the paper like a treasure, exclaiming excitedly, "Look, Brother Xie! A thousand taels of silver! This is worth a thousand taels!"

Shen Qianmo scanned the contents of the paper with suspicion. It was written in many traditional characters, and it took her a long time to grasp the general meaning. However, once she understood what was written, her expression shifted, and she felt a burning desire to slap the restless Baili Xiao into oblivion.

It was clearly a public notice. The gist of it was that the old matriarch of the Protector General’s Mansion had been suffering from a chronic illness for years, and despite consulting numerous famous physicians, none had been effective. Any physician capable of curing her would be rewarded with one thousand taels of silver.

The Protector General’s Mansion? Shen Qianmo felt a momentary dizzy spell. The Protector General of Beidi—wasn't that He Liancheng?

Considering the irreconcilable hatred between He Liancheng and Meng Yuanheng, and the fact that he surely loathed her to the core, she must be utterly foolish to deliver herself right to his doorstep.

"Baili Xiao!" Shen Qianmo gritted her teeth, glaring at the man who was still wearing an inexplicable expression of excitement. "You were the one who took down this notice; you can go treat the illness yourself. I have no time to waste here with you."

Baili Xiao’s face fell, and he said, aggrieved, "Brother Xie, I took this notice for your sake! We still have several hundred miles to go to reach Jingzhou, but our travel funds are nearly exhausted. If we don’t have money, we can't eat, stay at inns, or rent a carriage. How are we supposed to reach Jingzhou?"

Although Baili Xiao lacked a sense of propriety, Shen Qianmo had to admit that his words struck a chord. She could travel without eating or sleeping, but renting a carriage was essential. If she had to walk on her own two legs, there was no telling when she would ever arrive in Jingzhou.

Furthermore, the current situation left her no choice. The two Beidi soldiers were watching them with predatory eyes, clearly intending to haul them along by force if they tried to back out.

Yet, she had no idea what kind of illness the Old Matriarch He suffered from. If she failed to cure her and offended He Liancheng, wouldn't the situation be even worse?

Shen Qianmo glared at Baili Xiao and whispered, "Are you confident about Old Matriarch He’s illness?"

Baili Xiao raised his head, glanced at her sideways, and said, "I only took the notice because I have absolute certainty. You can trust me to handle this."

Shen Qianmo scoffed inwardly. Of course, she couldn't trust Baili Xiao, who did things without any rhyme or reason, but in the current situation, her lack of trust was useless. Helpless, she followed the two soldiers and Baili Xiao to the Protector General’s Mansion. Now, she could only hope that her male disguise was convincing enough that He Liancheng wouldn't recognize her.

In times of war, families holding military power always occupied a lofty position, symbolizing absolute authority. The He family was to Beidi what the Prince Xuan Mansion was to the Dasheng Empire; their status and influence were extraordinary, a fact reflected in the imposing nature of the General’s Mansion.

The majestic vermilion gates bore a plaque with two simple characters: "He Mansion." The calligraphy was vigorous yet restrained. Two awe-inspiring stone lions stood on either side of the entrance, guarded by several fully armed soldiers.

Shen Qianmo and her companion naturally had no qualifications to enter through the main gate, so the two soldiers led them to a side entrance. A maid dressed in a coarse dark blue tunic led them into the estate.

After bypassing a drill hall filled with various weapons and stone weights, they walked about two hundred paces further, and the scenery opened up into a hidden sanctuary. The tension and sternness of the drill hall vanished entirely.

A pond shimmered with rippling light, and the entire courtyard was shaded by lush greenery. Pavilions and towers were scattered in an orderly fashion. It was hard to imagine that the back garden of the Protector General’s Mansion would be such an elegant and tranquil place.

"Wealthy families really are different, aren't they? Look at these flowers, this pavilion, these buildings—everything is perfectly placed. It’s refreshing just to look at," Baili Xiao remarked, acting like a country bumpkin on his first visit to a grand estate, praising everything along the way.

Shen Qianmo rolled her eyes at him. Could this guy not stop talking for even a moment?

However, she had to admit that in a northern country like Beidi, maintaining such a residence was no small feat, which spoke volumes about the He family’s power.

The maid led them through a corridor in the garden to a quiet, elegant small courtyard. This was where Old Matriarch He resided.

Standing before the door to the old lady’s bedroom, they saw an antique screen with an artistic flair partitioning the room. Beside a round table in front of the screen, a young man in a moon-white silk robe sat sideways, drinking tea. He had sword-like brows, star-bright eyes, a straight nose, and thin lips pressed into a line. His posture was upright, and the warm afternoon sun cast a soft, wheat-colored glow over his handsome, spirited face.

This was He Liancheng, the youngest Protector General in the history of Beidi.

During the standoff at Jinyang Pass, the distance and the swirling sand had prevented Shen Qianmo from seeing his features clearly. Seeing him today, he was indeed strikingly handsome. Perhaps because he was at home, he had shed the hardness of the battlefield. At this moment, He Liancheng looked more like a quiet, refined young gentleman, a stark contrast to the impression she had held of him. Perhaps only when his aggressive gaze swept over you did it reveal that this man was truly the ruthless young general who had caused such bloodshed and harbored deep hatred for the Prince Xuan Mansion.

Hearing footsteps, He Liancheng turned his head. His eyes, bright as stars, fixed on Shen Qianmo and Baili Xiao.

The maid stood outside the door and bowed to He Liancheng, reporting, "General, these are the two physicians who took down the notice."

He Liancheng’s deep, cold-pool eyes narrowed. His gaze was wanton and arrogant, unreservedly scrutinizing the two of them.

Under such a piercing gaze, Shen Qianmo maintained a calm and indifferent facade, though she felt a slight chill in her heart.

She was unsure if He Liancheng had seen her face clearly at Jinyang Pass, nor was she certain if her male disguise would be unmasked by him.

Fortunately, He Liancheng’s subsequent reaction suggested that Shen Qianmo’s worries might have been excessive. After a sharp, sweeping glance, he simply nodded and said in a clear, resonant voice, "Since you took the notice, I assume you have some capability. Come in and see the Old Matriarch."

"Yes, sir, at your command." Baili Xiao put on a fawning expression, tugged at Shen Qianmo’s sleeve, and strode into the room first. Shen Qianmo followed behind him, her heart pounding, head bowed as she walked in.

Behind the screen was a spacious, luxurious rosewood carved bed. Old Matriarch He was leaning against it, looking sickly. Her face was slightly plump, and she had an air of nobility, but she was clearly suffering from wheezing, labored breathing, and chest tightness. Seeing the two of them enter, she only nodded, as if even speaking was a struggle.

This appeared to be symptoms of chronic asthma. Shen Qianmo silently deduced, but seeing that Baili Xiao seemed confident, she said nothing more and quietly assisted him.

Perhaps the temptation of one thousand taels of silver was truly enormous; Baili Xiao performed with uncharacteristic normalcy, handling the diagnostic steps of observation, listening, and pulse-taking with perfect order, acting every bit the highly skilled physician.

Shen Qianmo knew that Baili Xiao’s medical skills were actually quite good; it was just his quirky personality and his tendency to be overly dogmatic and pedantic about medical theory that often left people speechless.

Sure enough, before Shen Qianmo could even offer a word of praise, Baili Xiao began to act in a way that left her speechless. He handed a roll of silver needles to Shen Qianmo, his eyes darting around as he said with a dry laugh, "Brother Xie, I’ll trouble you to administer the acupuncture for Old Matriarch He."

Shen Qianmo shot him a suspicious look. Could it be that this guy only knew how to recite medical texts but lacked the courage to actually insert needles into a patient? It had been the same way with the infant suffering from convulsions back in Shuangxi Village, and now it was the same again.

However, she didn't have the luxury of arguing with him. She just wanted to finish treating the Old Matriarch and leave the Protector General’s Mansion as quickly as possible. Under He Liancheng’s gaze, she felt as if she were sitting on needles.

Regarding human acupuncture points, Shen Qianmo was perfectly clear. Taking the silver needles from Baili Xiao, and following his instructions, she remained calm and collected, her movements clean and decisive as she completed the acupuncture on the Old Matriarch.

Where there is pain, there is blockage; where there is flow, there is no pain. Asthma was generally caused by meridian blockages leading to internal organ dysfunction. After Shen Qianmo’s treatment, the Old Matriarch’s wheezing did indeed improve, and the sensation of chest pain eased significantly.

As they treated her, He Liancheng watched from the side. Seeing his mother’s asthma symptoms clearly subside, his handsome face softened, and he turned to order someone to fetch the bank notes.

Fortunately, the trip had gone without a hitch. Everything was going smoothly, and Shen Qianmo let out a sigh of relief. Just as she was about to take leave of He Liancheng with Baili Xiao, a crisp, pleasant, and slightly delighted female voice came from outside the door.

"Brother Liancheng, I heard that two physicians took down the notice in the city and are currently in the mansion treating the Old Matriarch. Is that true?"

The voice sounded familiar, though Shen Qianmo couldn't immediately recall where she had heard it. She turned back to look at the doorway and saw a woman in a rose-red dress, strikingly beautiful, walking toward them.

The woman’s face was as fair as a lotus, her features delicate, and she had two faint, charming dimples on her cheeks. She looked extremely dainty and lovely.

But upon seeing the woman’s face, Shen Qianmo almost cried out in shock.

Because this woman was none other than Lou Xinyue—the woman who, at the edge of the cliff, had clutched the exquisite blood-jade, cursing her and Meng Yuanheng with tears of blood to never be together for all eternity, the woman whose obsession with Meng Yuanheng had bordered on madness!