Dispute

Jiang Xun faced the Imperial Tutor's scrutiny and bit the bullet to prescribe medicine.

He didn't understand medicine; he was just replicating the information provided by 55. Xue Jin watched him suspend his wrist and put pen to paper, asking suspiciously, "This prescription is quite strange."

Traditional Chinese medicine was usually decocted and taken, but Jiang Xun listed many medicinal herbs. Some required grinding, while others required soaking in alcohol and distillation—all of which were uncommon methods.

Xue Jin was baffled: "Master Xun, this?"

Jiang Xun: "Follow this prescription."

55's database had gone through thousands of simulations; this was the best method to purify the active ingredients.

Although Xue Jin didn't understand, he instinctively trusted Jiang Xun, so he handed the prescription to a servant: "Do as it says."

Shen Que sat to the side and suddenly said, "Silver hooks and iron strokes, penetrating three fen into the wood. Slightly immature but showing ample character. Master Xun is young, but his handwriting is quite beautiful."

Jiang Xun paused in his movement to pack up the brush and ink. The brush tip slipped, dragging a long trail of ink across the back of his hand.

He wore a veiled hat, deliberately hiding his face, and used white gauze to conceal most of his figure. He also tried his best to lower his voice, all to disguise "Master Xun" as a gentleman around the same age as Shen Que. Shen Xiu and Xue Jin both thought Jiang Xun was a dozen years older than them, at least in his thirties, but Shen Que evaluated his handwriting and said, "young, slightly immature."

Jiang Xun seriously began learning calligraphy in modern times. Moreover, as a student, he was more accustomed to using a fountain pen and was only average with a brush. Although he had studied masters like Yan Zhenqing and Liu Gongquan, he had only learned the superficial appearance and hadn't deeply explored the inner character.

This level was passable enough to fool a military man like Xue Jin, but to fool Shen Que, it was indeed a bit lacking.

Jiang Xun then said, "... You praise me too much, sir."

He hid the back of his ink-stained hand in his sleeve, intending to wash it after settling down. Shen Que, however, instructed the servant, "The gentleman's hand is dirty, which is quite inconvenient. Go bring a basin of water."

"..."

In the Zhenbei Marquis Manor, Xue Jin was the proper master, while Shen Que was Xue Jin's teacher and held a higher status. Without the master speaking up to let him go, Jiang Xun couldn't easily leave.

He sat upright in front of Shen Xiu's bed, waiting for the attendant to fetch water. But the attendant brought the copper basin and placed it in front of Shen Que.

Shen Que dipped his fingers into the water and stirred the handkerchief.

He first soaked the handkerchief thoroughly, wetting it completely, then wrung it half-dry. That pair of hands, accustomed to holding brushes and memorials, were well-proportioned and beautiful. Even when doing something like wringing a towel, his movements were slow and methodical.

Jiang Xun hid his hand in his sleeve and rubbed it uncomfortably.

Then, Shen Que took out the clean handkerchief, walked to Jiang Xun's side, and actually grabbed Jiang Xun's hand, leaning over as if to wipe it.

Jiang Xun was startled. Shen Que's water-stained fingers carried a slight chill, shocking him so much that goosebumps erupted all over his skin.

Shen Que didn't notice Jiang Xun's anxiety at all. He held Jiang Xun's fingers, pulling the back of his hand up to his eyes to examine it closely. The distance was so short it looked as if he was about to perform a medieval hand-kissing gesture.

Afterwards, he covered it with the warm towel.

Shen Que said, "You have ink on both hands, sir. It would be easy to dirty yourself if you wipe it yourself, so I'll do it for you."

"..."

Jiang Xun didn't make a sound. He watched the handkerchief wipe away the ink, cleaning up the largest patch, then squeeze between his fingers to clean the dirt in the crevices. Jiang Xun trembled uncomfortably, only to see Shen Que's gaze fall on his fingertips.

To be precise, on the nail beds of his fingertips.

Jiang Xun abruptly withdrew his hand.

For someone familiar with you, the hand is the best way to distinguish identity apart from the face. Everyone's nail beds have different widths and shapes, and the length and arrangement of the finger bones are also different. Shen Que often wiped his hands for him in the Imperial Palace, so if he looked closely, he would be able to recognize him.

Shen Que: "Sir?"

Jiang Xun felt uncomfortable all over, the hairs on his arms standing on end. He still suppressed his voice: "You are spoiling me. I am just a person of the wilderness with a lowly status, and I truly wouldn't dare trouble Grand Tutor Shen."

He stressed the words "Grand Tutor Shen" heavily to remind him of his status.

Shen Que didn't make it difficult for him, handing him the towel to let him do it himself. Jiang Xun sullenly began to wipe. His movements weren't very gentle, and after wiping twice, the skin on the back of his hand turned faintly red.

Shen Que frowned slightly but quickly relaxed: "Speaking of which, Master Xun has always referred to himself as 'Master Xun', but we still don't know your surname."

After he spoke, Xue Jin also nodded in agreement: "Oh, right, right."

The two had just been exchanging veiled words, leaving Xue Jin completely baffled. Now that there was finally a topic he could chime in on, he happily said, "I still don't know what Master Xun's surname is?"

Jiang Xun: "..."

This humble one's surname is Jiang. What, you ask which Jiang? The Jiang of the imperial surname.

Jiang Xun coughed to cover it up and said, "... This humble one is surnamed Wu, the Wu of three, four, five."

55 tilted its screen in confusion on Jiang Xun's shoulder.

Jiang Xun: "Sorry, 55. It's an emergency, let me borrow your surname for a bit."

55 floated up and said happily, "You're welcome!"

If the system had a tail, it would probably have started wagging.

The first host to share its surname!

Shen Que nodded and said, "Master Wu."

While they were talking, the attendant had already brought up the first bowl of medicine and placed it by Shen Xiu's bed.

Jiang Xun picked up the medicine bowl and pretended to examine it for a moment. 55 took the opportunity to scan all the ingredients. After confirming that the extraction was complete and the ingredients were effective, its small screen beeped and displayed a large green checkmark.

Jiang Xun then said, "Feed it to him. I'll leave Shen Xiu in your care. If there is any improvement or deterioration later, please contact me immediately."

With that, he stood up, preparing to head out.

Shen Que stood up along with him: "Where is Master Wu going?"

Jiang Xun slung his medicine chest over his shoulder: "I'm going to the military camp to take a look."

Shen Xiu was not the only one infected with the epidemic. In fact, the plague had been rampant in the army for days, and the number of infected was no less than a thousand.

Xue Jin had specially set up a camp in the western suburbs of the city, isolating the sick from the healthy to prevent the situation from worsening further.

Among these patients, some were severely ill, while others were only mildly affected. Some had been coughing up blood for days and were in critical condition, while others just had a cough that hadn't worsened.

The patients couldn't all use the same prescription; their medication needed to be formulated according to their specific conditions. Thus, Jiang Xun planned to take 55 and take a look at all of them.

Shen Que said sternly, "No! This is not open for discussion!"

Jiang Xun's footsteps paused slightly.

His reaction was too intense, completely inconsistent with his usual gentle, refined, calm, and composed image. Xue Jin turned his head in astonishment: "Master Shen?"

Jiang Xun had already stepped out the door ahead of him. Worried about the situation in the camp, he ignored Shen Que and only said, "Xue Jin, come with me."

Xue Jin had no choice but to look back at him: "Master Xun?"

Shen Que: "Master Wu, you have just arrived and are not yet accustomed to the cold winds of Saibei. You are already physically weak, and seeing that your figure is also rather thin, your constitution is likely not good. If you rashly go to the disease camp at this time and fall ill, the loss will outweigh the gain. I think it's better to categorize the patients according to their symptoms and bring a few typical cases here for you to see. Prescribing similar prescriptions should be enough."

Xue Jin chimed in: "Master Xun, what Master Shen says makes sense."

Jiang Xun: "My constitution is special; I won't get infected. Moreover, human lives are at stake. Northern Di is still eyeing us covetously from beyond the pass, while the epidemic is running rampant in the camp. Qingping Pass is Great Wei's last barrier. Beyond this pass lies a smooth road. How can such an important place allow for the slightest negligence?"

Xue Jin nodded: "Master Shen, what Master Xun says also makes sense."

Shen Que ignored Xue Jin and only looked at Jiang Xun, deep furrows forming between his brows. "A gentleman does not stand under a dangerous wall. Since Master Xun is a doctor, how could you believe the claim that someone has a special constitution and absolutely will not be infected by a certain disease? Since you have the means to cure it, you must know how important a doctor is during an epidemic. The most urgent task is to protect yourself well. If you fall ill in the early stages, what will happen when things truly become desperate later on?"

Xue Jin turned his head again: "Master Xun, what Master Shen says indeed makes sense."

Jiang Xun and Shen Que could bear it no longer. They looked at Xue Jin simultaneously: "Shut up."

Xue Jin: "... Oh."

Jiang Xun then turned his head, locking eyes with Shen Que through the veiled hat.

The white gauze obscured his vision, preventing Shen Que from seeing his expression clearly, but he could feel the young man's burning gaze, leaving absolutely no room for negotiation.

Shen Que: "Are you certain, Master Wu?"

Jiang Xun said coldly, "I'm certain. Master Shen can rest assured. Since I am a doctor, I naturally know my physical condition and whether I will fall ill. Since I am confident, I will absolutely not fall before the decisive battle."

"..."

Shen Que closed his eyes slightly.

He let out a shallow sigh. After a long silence, he opened his eyes again. His sharp gaze had become helpless and soft. He watched Jiang Xun with a complicated, unfathomable look, and his overall imposing aura also softened.

Shen Que took a step back and slumped back into his chair. He propped his forehead with one hand and took a long while to calm down before asking, "And what if you do fall ill?"

This time, it wasn't a discussion or suppression, but a tentative consultation. The Imperial Tutor asked softly, "If you fall ill, what should we do?"

Jiang Xun had always been receptive to soft approaches but resistant to hard ones; it was true in his past life, and it was true in this one. Since Shen Que had softened his tone first, he also softened, simply saying, "Just prescribe me the medicine that was given to Shen Xiu earlier."

Jiang Xun stepped out.

Xue Jin looked at his retreating back, then at Shen Que, who was sitting silently in the armchair with his eyes closed. After hesitating for a moment, he crossed the threshold: "Wait, Master Xun, I'll lead the way for you."

The disease camp was set up in the suburbs, a fair distance from the Zhenbei Marquis Manor, so Xue Jin called for sedan chairs to carry him and Jiang Xun there.

On the way, he repeatedly hesitated to speak, full of worry, as if he had something to say.

Jiang Xun: "If you have something to say, just say it."

Xue Jin: "It's nothing much, just reminding you that the disease camp doesn't only have people infected with the epidemic; there are also those brought back from the battlefield. Some were slashed in the waist, some were shot with arrows in the abdomen. It's bloody and might be a bit frightening."

Jiang Xun was dressed entirely in green, draped in an outer layer of white gauze. A plain jade pendant hung from his waist, and a sandalwood hairpin carved with flowing clouds adorned his hair. In Xue Jin's eyes, this was the attire of a refined scholar who had never witnessed bloodshed.

Xue Jin hadn't seen many scholars, but he knew these people rarely saw blood; some would even faint at the sight of a wound.

Jiang Xun, however, said, "It doesn't matter."

Xue Jin just let out an "Oh": "Then if you feel dizzy or unwell in the camp, you must tell me immediately."

Although Jiang Xun said it didn't matter, Xue Jin didn't take it seriously. He felt Jiang Xun would definitely feel uncomfortable; it was just a matter of how severely.

Human fear of wounds is innate. Even someone as brave as Xue Jin couldn't sleep for nights on end the first time he saw people brought back from the battlefield. He didn't think Master Xun would fare any better than him.

Yet when Jiang Xun entered the camp, his expression remained completely normal. He calmly examined each person. If someone was lying on a mat unable to get up, Jiang Xun would lift his green robe and crouch down halfway, never avoiding the wounds or bloodstains.

Xue Jin muttered, "How can you be so calm."

Jiang Xun: "I'm used to it."

During those seven days after his death, which day's sights and sounds were not bloodier than today's?

With Shen Xiu's data as a template, 55 scanned very quickly. Jiang Xun had only made half a round in the camp when the system finished looking at everyone. After analyzing, it told Jiang Xun that they were infected with the same epidemic, and there was currently no mutation or evolution, so it would be relatively easy to control.

Jiang Xun breathed a sigh of relief.

Following what 55 said, he relayed the prescriptions to Xue Jin, telling him to arrange for the dispensing of the medicine.

Thus, the day's itinerary came to an end. Jiang Xun and Xue Jin boarded the carriage to return to the manor. He wearily propped up his forehead and leaned against the wall of the carriage to take a nap, only to see Xue Jin repeatedly hesitating to speak, just as he had on the way there.

Jiang Xun: "Is there anything else?"

Xue Jin hesitated for a moment, asking in a small voice, "Are you at odds with Grand Tutor Shen? You two both seemed very angry today."

In Xue Jin's memory, both Shen Que and Jiang Xun had steady and peaceful personalities. Yet today, both of them simultaneously lost their composure and almost got into a fight.

Jiang Xun was rendered speechless. He thought about it and said, "No, I am not at odds with him, but... perhaps he is at odds with me."

These words were not false. In his past life, he had let Shen Que down, and in this life, he had detained him in the palace, ruining his reputation. If one were to say Shen Que hated him, it was entirely possible. However, Jiang Xun didn't have the slightest issue with Shen Que; he even felt guilty towards him.

Xue Jin then started acting fidgety again and asked cautiously, "Then, then can I make a request?"

Jiang Xun was momentarily taken aback: "What request?"

Xue Jin: "Grand Tutor Shen is actually sick as well. Although he didn't show any abnormalities just now and looked the same as before, he is just forcing himself to hold on. Oh, I live next door to him. Last night, the Grand Tutor coughed all night—a heart-wrenching cough. I heard it clearly. The maid who cleaned his room also said... she said there was a lot of blood on the Grand Tutor's clothes, coughed up during the night."

As he spoke, he smiled bitterly: "The city is currently in a state of panic. The Grand Tutor bears a heavy burden and cannot rest day after day, nor does he dare to show his illness. But I know he has been pretending for quite a while now. If you have time, please take a look at him too."

Jiang Xun was dazed for a moment: "... What?"

Xue Jin's letter had mentioned that Shen Que was sick, so Jiang Xun had immediately checked his complexion. Just now, Shen Que had seemed perfectly normal—his speech was clear and his logic sharp—so Jiang Xun thought he had already recovered.

Xue Jin: "The Grand Tutor's condition cannot be delayed any longer. I'm really afraid something will go terribly wrong with him. If you don't have any past grievances with him, could you please take a look at him?"

With that, he carefully observed Jiang Xun's expression.

Master Xun was wearing his veiled hat, so nothing could be seen clearly, but his fingers resting on the edge of the seat cushion quietly tightened, clutching the hem of his clothes in a death grip.