Dean of Department 07

Xiao Liulang was immediately pulled into the Medical Hall by a fellow student after arriving at the town.

A long queue had formed outside the Medical Hall, with everyone waiting to see the miraculous doctor.

The two of them stood at the end of the queue.

The classmate got on tiptoes and looked around: "It isn't too late, we should make it."

"I'll give you the carriage fare later," Xiao Liulang said.

The classmate slapped his chest: "We're classmates and fellow townsmen, why be so formal? By the way, are you hungry?"

He had left in a hurry and hadn't eaten anything, and Xiao Liulang had eaten even less.

He took a clean small parcel out of his wide sleeve, revealing three lovely cornmeal steamed buns.

"Where did these buns come from?" Xiao Liulang found them somewhat familiar.

The classmate said: "I took them from your stove. They had just been steamed when I arrived!"

Xiao Liulang frowned: "How many did you leave?"

The classmate curiously said: "Weren't there just three in total? Don't you remember the steamed buns you made yourself?"

Xiao Liulang remained silent.

After a while, he said, "Why didn't you leave her one?"

The classmate was startled: "Are you talking about that wicked woman? Why leave one for her? Hasn't she harmed you enough? Besides, she doesn't eat what you make!"

The classmate took a bite of a steamed bun; his eyes instantly widened: "Brother Xiao, how did the steamed buns you made today taste so good?"

Xiao Liulang left the queue.

The classmate was startled: "Where are you going, Brother Xiao? It's almost your turn!"

Xiao Liulang did not respond but headed forward.

Seeing the long line almost extending into the alley, the flustered classmate said to the woman behind him, "Auntie, we're going to use the restroom and will come right back!"

He caught up with Xiao Liulang: "What are you doing?"

"Buying osmanthus cake," said Xiao Liulang as he crossed the alley and came to Liji's shop.

Liji's was a centuries-old establishment, and it had no fewer people queuing than the Medical Hall.

The classmate was anxious: "Are you crazy? Are you really buying osmanthus cake for that wicked woman? Don't you know that Dr. Zhang only consults for half a day? By the time you buy the osmanthus cake, the golden hour will have passed!"

Xiao Liulang was stubborn, once he's made up his mind about something, eight horses couldn't drag him back.

An hour later, Xiao Liulang successfully bought an osmanthus cake from Liji's.

"I hope Dr. Zhang hasn't left yet!" The classmate grabbed Xiao Liulang and headed for the Medical Hall.

However, when they arrived at the entrance of the Medical Hall, the queuing crowd was nowhere to be found. Instead, there was a group of bystanders and an imposing formation of solemn officers and soldiers.

The classmate turned to a middle-aged man and asked, "Uncle, what happened here? Where did all the patients go?"

The middle-aged man said, "Just now, a madman rushed into the Medical Hall, claiming that the doctor had killed his wife. He went on a slashing spree and hurt everyone inside. Do you see that auntie at the door? She was the last one to go in, just as she did, the madman came. She was lucky to escape, but fell and had a head injury."

Wasn't that auntie the one who had been standing behind them in the queue?

If they hadn't left, the last one to go in would have been Xiao Liulang.

With Xiao Liulang's leg disability, it would have been impossible for him to escape, so he must have been among the injured.

They were silent on their way home.

The sky gradually darkened, the horse-drawn carriage moved along the quiet path, its wheels creaking.

Carriages in town were reluctant to run to the countryside at this hour, so they rented a mule cart for twenty copper plates. It had no carriage, only a simple canvas canopy that let in wind from both ends.

They were so cold their hands and feet had gone numb.

Suddenly, a skinny little figure entered Xiao Liulang's line of sight.

Xiao Liulang's eyes lit up.

This is a fork in the road.

The path ahead leads back to the village, while the one to the west leads to the marketplace.

Coming from the marketplace trail, Gu Jiao was trudging along, panting with a heavy basket on her back.

The afterglow of the sunset had dispersed, leaving her bathed in the last bits of twilight, her frame thin and frail.

She raised a hand to wipe her sweat, revealing a bandage on her wrist, stained with traces of blood.

"Stop the carriage," Xiao Liulang said.

The coachman brought the horse carriage to a halt.

"Why are we stopping?" his classmate asked in confusion. Then, he saw Gu Jiao walking towards them on foot.

Gu Jiao hadn't noticed them--just assumed it to be a common mule carriage. She didn't look up, passed the carriage without a second glance.

"Get in," Liulang spoke.

Only then did Gu Jiao turn her head, surprised to see Liulang on the carriage, with his daytime classmate sitting next to him.

Despite his apparent disgust, the classmate didn't object to Liulang offering her a ride.

"Get in," Xiao Liulang repeated, his voice icy.

Despite being a teenager of sixteen or seventeen, he had a composure and aura not fitting his age.

Hesitant at first, Gu Jiao finally climbed in.

She sat opposite Liulang, setting the basket from her back down on the ground.

Liulang glanced at the basket and asked, "You've been to the marketplace?"

Gu Jiao nodded, "Yes, I sold a couple of chickens, bought some rice and wheat flour." And, she did something else.

With a deep, penetrating gaze, he seemed to have discerned something yet remained silent.

However, the classmate cast a weird look at Jiao—this foolish woman can actually conduct business?

Ignoring his stares, Gu Jiao asked Liulang, "What about you? Did you meet the physician at the town today?"

"You're to blame! Had you not been craving for osmanthus cake, we wouldn't have missed Dr. Zhang's consultation hours," the classmate exclaimed, not mentioning that due to buying her cake, they had narrowly avoided a major disaster.

"That...is indeed unfortunate," Gu Jiao said, lowering her eyes in disappointment.

Even though she verbalized regret, it's inexplicably felt that she's not sorry at all. Could she already know about what happened at the Medical Hall?

Not possible! Would she be able to stay calm, knowing she inadvertently saved her brother-in-law? Last time, saving him led to their marriage. If it happened again, wouldn't she reach for the stars?

The classmate scoffed, "I ate the osmanthus cake! I won't let you have it!"

With a dispassionate "Oh.", Gu Jiao reacted.

Frustrated, the classmate punched a cotton ball.

Afterward, no one spoke.

From the opposite direction, a rather fancy carriage was approaching.

Driven by excitement, the classmate exclaimed, "Look! That's the academy head's carriage!"

"Which Academy Head?" Gu Jiao asked.

"Tianxiang Academy's Head, of course! The academy Liulang will be taking the entrance exam for in three days! The Head is from the Capital City, amongst its top four scholars, loaded with knowledge and insights about the ancient and modern times. His test score twenty years ago is unsurpassed till date! His guidance is worth a decade of studying ancient texts! How great it would be if I could be his disciple! But I've heard the Headmaster hasn't accepted any students for many years, I've been in the academy for half a year but haven't seen his face," the classmate prattled on excitedly, forgetting he was conversing with someone he detested.

On the carriage.

The Academy head was wearing his formal white attire, sitting quietly at one side, while an old man clad in simple cloth was seated ahead.

The old man had a bandage around his left arm, a small broken umbrella in his lap, and a large footprint inexplicably present on his face.

Feeling slightly nonplussed at the sight, the Headmaster refrained from asking about it.

Bowing respectfully, he said, "Why did you decide to leave the mountain all of a sudden? Why didn't you inform me earlier? I could've arranged for someone to pick you up?"