Liang Xiao did not believe such a woman could be moved by a few words.
Ding Wu Yi watched Jian Qin Wan walk away before explaining in a low voice, "Actually, the Master sent an army to station at Mount Tian in advance. If the Medicine Saint refused to treat you, they were prepared to force her hand… The disciples of Mount Tian must have realized this, and that they had to help you seek medical treatment, hence their resentment towards you."
Liang Xiao fell silent, feeling not resentment, but gratitude.
Xiao Shuang Zi...
Just then, Jian Qin Wan turned back and glared at Liang Xiao, mockingly saying, "So wishy-washy!"
Liang Xiao curled his lip, "Is she on her period? That's why she's so eager to take it out on me?"
Luo Qing Xue and Yue Lian gasped, simultaneously covering Liang Xiao's mouth, "Don't provoke her further..."
Urged by Ding Wu Yi, the four followed Jian Qin Wan to another bamboo house deep within the bamboo grove.
The bamboo house door was tightly shut, and a large amount of medicinal herbs were placed around it, emitting a strong fragrance.
Jian Qin Wan knocked gently on the door and said softly, "Mother, I've brought Liang Xiao."
"All of you are beasts, I won't treat you!" came a furious woman's voice from inside.
Ding Wu Yi slapped his forehead, "Alas..."
Liang Xiao and the other two looked silently at Jian Qin Wan before the door.
Let alone them, even Ding Wu Yi didn't understand why the Medicine Saint adamantly refused to treat royalty and their offspring.
"Mother, please open the door. This fellow is indeed thick-skinned, but he is different from ordinary royalty..." Jian Qin Wan pleaded.
"Your father and your master were also different!" came the enraged reply from inside, tinged with a slight tremor.
Liang Xiao narrowed his eyes, catching a significant piece of gossip.
So, it was due to the love-hate entanglements among the three Sages?
"Mother, for the sake of his poems and sayings, give him a chance to change your mind..." Jian Qin Wan sighed.
"I won't treat you, not even if my head is on the chopping block!" came the firm response from the Medicine Saint, Mu Xue Qin.
Jian Qin Wan was at a loss. Seeing Liang Xiao approaching, she quickly stepped aside, maintaining a distance of ten feet, "You are too defiled, stay away from me!"
"Move aside."
Liang Xiao waved his hand at Jian Qin Wan and raised his right foot.
"BOOM!"
The entire bamboo door was kicked to pieces by Liang Xiao!
Ding Wu Yi, Luo Qing Xue, Yue Lian, and Jian Qin Wan were stunned.
After a moment of dead silence, Mu Xue Qin's roar came from inside, "Who dares seek death!"
For the first time, Ding Wu Yi was on the verge of tears.
What was this fellow doing?
"You..." Jian Qin Wan didn't know how to scold Liang Xiao.
"If you're a doctor, act like one. Stop putting on airs. Do you really think you're a saint just because you've been bestowed that title?" Liang Xiao sneered and swaggered in, seeing Mu Xue Qin inside.
She was an elderly woman with white hair, dressed in plain hemp clothing. Her face, weathered by time, spoke of a beauty that had faded.
"What are you doing!" Jian Qin Wan rushed in after everyone else had entered, standing protectively beside Mu Xue Qin and glaring at Liang Xiao with vigilance.
Mu Xue Qin's face was grim, gritting her teeth, "What? Are you trying to force this old woman to treat you with brute force?"
Under everyone's astonished gaze, Liang Xiao casually sat on the stove and pouted, "Don't worry, I, Liang Xiao, will not allow anyone to coerce you. However, you must agree to treat me today, and you will."
Everyone was even more bewildered. Ding Wu Yi kept winking at Liang Xiao, but Liang Xiao paid no heed.
Seeing this, Ding Wu Yi could only let him proceed.
Ding Wu Yi finally understood. The Medicine Saint was notoriously stubborn. Liang Xiao's hope was already slim, so he might as well let him take a gamble. Perhaps it would work!
Luo Qing Xue and Yue Lian also nervously watched the ferocious-looking Mu Xue Qin, clinging to Liang Xiao's arms on either side.
Seeing two such beautiful maidens, Mu Xue Qin's expression softened slightly. She sneered, "You're not thinking of resigning from your post, severing ties with your family, and becoming a commoner to circumvent my rule, are you? Delusional!"
Liang Xiao said in a deep voice, "No, I will not resign, nor will I sever ties with my family. But you must treat me."
"Treat you? To allow you to continue enjoying high office, harming women, or to elevate the status of scholars like you and continue to suppress the martial artists?" Mu Xue Qin only sneered.
Liang Xiao immediately concluded that this person was capricious!
Ding Wu Yi quickly took out the "Spring River Flower Moon Night" written by Liang Xiao from his sleeve and unfurled it on the spot.
"Medicine Saint, Young Master Liang is indeed immensely talented. This is his work!"
Luo Qing Xue also quickly took out a small poem written by Liang Xiao and said, "He is truly talented. Please, help him treat his injuries..."
"A beauty in the north, standing alone in her peerless grace..."
Jian Qin Wan couldn't help but recite it, then curled her lips. Her gaze fell on "Spring River Flower Moon Night," and her pupils contracted.
What a breathtakingly beautiful poem! It had eighteen lines in total!
"What's the use of merely being able to write poetry? Jian Nan Feng, that beast, also liked to write poems! And he liked to wear white clothes!" Mu Xue Qin glanced at the two poems, her expression still unmoved.
Ding Wu Yi, Luo Qing Xue, and Yue Lian's expressions changed.
So that's how it was. Liang Xiao had taken on all of those characteristics!
Liang Xiao was also extremely frustrated internally.
"Mother, this person is not my father..." Jian Qin Wan reminded her.
Mu Xue Qin turned to glare at Jian Qin Wan, "Mother knows you have a kind heart, but you don't need to speak up for such a scholar. Mother will not save him! Royalty are all beasts! It's not just because of your father and your master that Mother thinks this way!"
"Why does the Medicine Saint say so?" Luo Qing Xue quickly asked.
Mu Xue Qin continued grinding herbs without looking up.
"They enjoy riches and honor that commoners can't attain in a lifetime. When they fall ill, they can hire the best doctors with hefty sums of money. But the vast majority of them... *heh*, are not good people! How many common folk have died because of them!"
"I know what you're trying to say, 'In the capital, wine and meat rot while travelers lie dead on the roadside'," Liang Xiao said with a smile.
"Your words are exquisite, but this old woman will not change her mind!" Mu Xue Qin smiled.
Everyone savored Liang Xiao's words and couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
"Liang Xiao, he is not that kind of person. His efforts for the welfare of the people are evident for all to see!" Luo Qing Xue was eager to defend him, but was rudely interrupted by Mu Xue Qin.
"So what? If I make an exception and treat him today, tomorrow another royal will come here, feigning concern for the nation and its people. Regardless, I will save lives and heal the injured. I treat many difficult and rare diseases and charge no money. If you have money and power, you can go find other doctors!"
Liang Xiao looked at Mu Xue Qin, feeling a sense of admiration.
She didn't want royalty to occupy the medical resources meant for commoners?
Such an awareness, though stubborn, transcended the era!
But since he had come, he had to succeed!
"Are you speechless?" Mu Xue Qin glanced coldly at Liang Xiao.
Jian Qin Wan had nothing to say, while Ding Wu Yi and the other two were as anxious as ants on a hot pan.
Liang Xiao chuckled a few times before saying, "I sincerely admire your principles, but you do not deserve the title of a physician, nor the word 'Saint'."
"Liang Xiao!" Luo Qing Xue's heart leaped into her throat.
Mu Xue Qin's face stiffened, and she stared at Liang Xiao, her eyes actually carrying a hint of hatred.