Noble Acquaintance, Unrelated Brothers ( Part. 3 )

When Mu Linfeng thought about the "Qinhuai Eight Beauties" during that period, he wanted to ask Kong Wu what those eight beauties looked like. However, he was afraid that Kong Wu would think of him as a dandy who was obsessed with the flower streets and alleys all day long, and that he would underestimate himself. Besides, "Qinhuai Eight Beauties" was a name given later, and Kong Wu might not even know about it. Moreover, during Mu Linfeng's conversation with Kong Wu, he seemed to feel that Kong Wu was just a simple warrior, and talking to him about romantic and poetic things would be like playing the lute to a cow.

Mu Linfeng was deeply attached to Nanjing and couldn't help but inquire in detail. According to Kong Wu's introduction, as Mu Linfeng knew, although there had been frequent wars in the northern border and Shaanxi in recent years, areas like Nanjing in southern Jiangnan were very prosperous and stable. Seeing Kong Wu's caravan, Mu Linfeng couldn't help but be moved and thought to himself, "It would be better to find something to do rather than being mediocre. With the history he knew and his knowledge, it should not be a problem to do some business. Besides, he might even be able to catch a glimpse of the eight beauties and become their underling or honored guest."

Suddenly, Mu Linfeng thought of a book called "The Qin Empire" in which the protagonist Xiang Shaolong returned to the Qin Dynasty and had a series of romantic encounters, starting his own ambitious plan. Mu Linfeng felt that he was not like Xiang Shaolong, who was a member of the special forces and had a completely different personality. Besides, Xiang Shaolong was only a fictional character in the book. However, Mu Linfeng found himself following in his footsteps without any big ambitions, and he only wanted to live a peaceful life. If he could have some romantic encounters, it would be nice to catch a glimpse of the ancient eight beauties.

But thinking about it, without strong performance or economic strength, it was impossible. Mu Linfeng thought to himself, "If Xiang Shaolong returned to the Qin Dynasty and the book was called 'The Qin Empire,' then if he could go back to the 2nd century in the Ming Dynasty, he could write his own book called 'The Ming Empire'." Thinking of this, Mu Linfeng couldn't help but laugh.

Kong Wu saw Mu Linfeng laughing for no reason and looked surprised.

Mu Linfeng looked at Kong Wu's expression and knew he had lost his composure, so he quickly said, "I just remembered something funny from my hometown and laughed unintentionally."

Kong Wu said, "I was just curious about something funny from your hometown. Why don't you tell me?"

Mulin Feng only said it casually, but to his surprise, Kong Wu took it seriously. Mulin Feng was thinking of telling a joke to Kong Wu, but he found that none of the jokes he knew were suitable to tell him. The jokes he knew were either too modern and Kong Wu wouldn't understand them, or they were vulgar jokes that he used to tell to pick up women.

Mulin Feng randomly picked a joke to tell Kong Wu, but he listened carefully and didn't quite understand it. Mulin Feng couldn't help but laugh at Kong Wu's puzzled face. Kong Wu thought the joke must be funny, but he just didn't get it. However, he couldn't lose face in front of his subordinates, so he quickly joined Mulin Feng in laughing foolishly.

They continued on their way, chatting and laughing, until the sun was directly overhead. Mulin Feng thought of the injured woman who had been treated by the quack doctor for more than two hours. He wondered how she was doing.

Kong Wu knew what he was thinking and said with a smile, "Mulin, are you worried about the young lady? Don't worry, the quack doctor is a famous doctor in Jiangnan, and there's nothing he can't cure."

Mulin Feng said, "But it's been more than an hour since he started treating her."

Kong Wu replied, "Don't worry, I'll go and ask." He turned his horse and rode towards the quack doctor's carriage, calling out, "Doctor Hu, how is my friend's sister doing?"

They heard Doctor Hu's voice from inside the carriage, "She not only had external injuries, but also suffered serious internal injuries. But she's fine now. I sealed a few of her major acupoints with silver needles to protect her internal organs. As long as she takes some Changbai Mountain ginseng for a few days, her body will gradually recover."

Kong Wu said, "Thank you so much, Doctor Hu."

Doctor Hu replied, "Tell that man to send the woman to the empty carriage behind for proper care."

Kong Wu quickly told Mulin Feng what Doctor Hu had said and Mulin Feng got off his horse and went into Doctor Hu's carriage to thank him. "I don't know how to repay you for saving her life, Doctor Hu."

Doctor Hu sighed, "When your sister recovers, leave the caravan as soon as possible, okay?"

Mu Linfeng was puzzled and asked, "Why is that?"

Master Hu replied, "The internal injury of the young lady is not caused by an ordinary person, but by a Manchu warrior named Niuguluo."

Mu Linfeng seemed to have heard the name somewhere before and suddenly remembered hearing about it from Haoge in the Qing army's stable.

Mu Linfeng thought to himself, "Could it be that this woman had a run-in with Niuguluo before she was shot?" But he hadn't seen it himself and couldn't say for sure.

Master Hu continued, "I have been practicing medicine in the frontier for years and have some acquaintance with Niuguluo. You must have offended the imperial noble of the Manchu court, forcing Niuguluo to take action."

Although Mu Linfeng was still puzzled, he did not say much when he saw Master Hu issue the order to leave. He bowed to Master Hu and said, "As long as my sister wakes up, I will leave naturally, and I will not make things difficult for you."

Master Hu remained expressionless, picked up his book, and continued to read. He murmured, "So be it."

Mu Linfeng picked up the woman and got off the carriage. Kong Wu led them to another carriage and said to Mu Linfeng, "Don't take offense. Master Hu is a close friend of my master. We happened to meet while we were crossing the border to do business. I've met him a few times in Nanjing, so I thought I'd give him a ride. You can stay here for now. I'll talk to Master Hu later."

Mu Linfeng felt that Kong Wu was sincere, and at the same time, he had a mysterious feeling about Feng Dacai. Mu Linfeng said to Kong Wu, "To be honest, my brother and I did offend the Manchu imperial family. Sorry for causing you trouble."

Kong Wu seemed to have a bad impression of the Manchus and said coldly, "Manchu bastards? They are just a bunch of barbarians who have not yet been civilized. This is the interior, are you afraid they can come over?"

Mu Linfeng smiled slightly and thought to himself, "I wonder if the early death of Huang Taiji will affect the course of history. Will the Qing army still enter the pass?"

Kong Wu then asked Mu Lingfeng to carry the woman onto the carriage and walked to another carriage. He soon returned to Mu Lingfeng's carriage and handed him a ginseng root, saying, "This is the ginseng from Changbai Mountain. When it's time for lunch, cook it for your sister to eat."

Mu Lingfeng was grateful for the generous gift and put the woman down to ask, "How can I repay your kindness?"

Kong Wu laughed and replied, "Mu Xiong, we are kindred spirits. I am happy to do this small favor for you. Besides, my master is a renowned philanthropist in Nanjing. If he knows that this ginseng can save your sister's life, he will not hesitate to give it to you."