GHLCS Chapter135

When Xu Hang was in the medical hall, working day and night for the most critical herbs but still couldn’t find the solution, he didn’t expect that the key to solving the mystery would be Chang Ling.

 

That day, it was still dawn, and there was a drizzle. Chang Ling, wearing a straw hat and wooden clogs, knocked on the door of Heming Medical Hall.

 

Xu Hang was wondering whether to invite him in for tea or breakfast when Chang Ling handed him an envelope.

 

“Here is a report on the plague in Hezhou City, and here is a plan that the Japanese are going to use this plague to attack Hezhou. Although it is not complete, it may be of some help to you and Commander Duan.”

 

Xu Hang opened it and took a few glances, very surprised: “Where did you get it? It’s from Kuromiya Keiko? Did you promise her anything?”

 

This document is so precious and important, it is not easy to obtain.

 

Chang Ling smiled lightly. Raindrops fell from the edge of his bamboo hat, forming a rain curtain. Under the mist, his face looked so gentle: “Don’t worry about me. I will leave Hezhou soon, so I want to tell you something important before I leave. Because when I think about it, the only friend I can find in this world is you.”

 

These words carried a lot of weight. Xu Hang opened the door wide and said, “Come in if you have anything to say.”

 

“No need, it will be over soon,” Chang Ling declined. “My disciple is still young and is now just a little novice monk. During my absence, I hope you can take care of him for me. I want him to grow up like an ordinary child and let him enter the secular world. It won’t be too late for him to become a monk if he has a Buddhist heart. I shouldn’t force the Buddhist fate on him.”

 

Xu Hang certainly wouldn’t refuse, but Chang Ling had never traveled far in many years, so he was very surprised: “Don’t worry, I will take good care of him. I will send someone to pick him up from the temple in a while.”

 

As if the last stone in his heart had been put down, Chang Ling showed a relieved expression and bowed to Xu Hang: “In that case, thank you very much.”

 

“Where are you going? Is it far?” Xu Hang saw that, from what he meant, it would take quite a while.

 

He has heard Chang Ling say before that he wanted to travel around the world and make a pilgrimage, kneeling every three steps, knocking his head every five steps, and preaching scriptures along the way.

 

Chang Ling was like mist or drifting clouds, intangible, elusive, and bound to vanish with the first light of day. Chang Ling’s eyes were firm, and he had a plan for where he was going. He replied, “I’m going to a place I long for. It’s not far away. We’ll see each other soon.”

 

Then he bowed again, broke through the rain curtain, and walked away into the distance with the sound of wooden clogs.

 

Xu Hang suddenly felt reluctant and wanted to hold him back, so he raised his voice and shouted, “Chang Ling!”

 

Amid the flying silver threads, Chang Ling stopped and slowly turned back.

 

“I’ve finished the tea. Can you give me another cup of tea when you come back?”

 

Because they were far away, Xu Hang could not see Chang Ling’s expression clearly. He only knew that Chang Ling stood there and looked back at him for a while, then slowly continued on his journey.

 

After closing the door and shaking off the raindrops on his body, Xu Hang lit the kerosene lamp and carefully studied the things Chang Ling had sent. About half an hour later, he raised his head, first picked up the cooled tea on the table and drank it, and then he let out a long sigh.

 

The information sent by Chang Ling is extremely useful.

 

That half-finished research report just pointed out the method to crack the plague virus. Xu Hang immediately wrote out several prescriptions and waited for the test results. If the results were promising, he could develop a specific medicine in three days.

 

The other battle plan was very helpful for something Xu Hang had always wanted to do but had not been able to do.

 

Because the Japanese military’s tactics mentioned a person’s name—Zhang Yaochen.

 

When there is no war, the Nationalist government can be friendly with the Japanese and have private deals with them, but they would never allow anyone to help the Japanese take up the butcher knife and attack the Chinese.

 

Regardless of whether Zhang Yaochen knew about the virus warfare or was used by the Japanese or not, he cannot escape the responsibility.

 

Once this report was submitted, Zhang Yaochen would be at a dead end. He had been troubled for so long, planning for so long, and thinking about something all the time, but he didn’t expect that God had sharpened a knife for him, which was extremely sharp and would hit the enemy’s heart.

 

Xu Hang sighed. Chang Ling ah, Chang Ling, do you know how big of a gift you gave me?

 

It can be seen that if the King of Hell wants someone to die at three o’clock in the morning, he will never let them live until five o’clock.

 

Xu Hang stroked the edge of the envelope, thinking about his future plans. This time, he didn’t need to do anything, he would let Zhang Yaochen come and beg him in person!

 

Thinking of this, he called Chan Yi over and asked her to find a boatman who would go to Shanghai today and deliver a letter.

 

Looking at Chan Yi covering the wax there, Xu Hang suddenly said, “You should clean up Jinyan Tang. After the unimportant servants in the mansion finish their work this month, they should be dismissed one by one.”

 

Chan Yi’s hand tilted as she poured the wax: “Head of the Household, are we going to… start?”

 

“It’s not the beginning, but the end. I have a feeling that a storm is coming. The thin window paper of Jinyan Tang can no longer stop the overwhelming force of Xiaotong Guan. It’s better to prepare early than to be caught off guard.”

 

Xu Hang pushed open the door of the medical hall, and fresh air rushed in. The strong wind swept across the table, blowing papers all over the sky.

 

Chan Yi was standing behind him. It had been four years since she was first led into the gate of Jinyan Tang. Her mother had pointed at Xu Hang and told her that he was her former master and that Chan Yi should respect him as she would respect the Buddha.

 

From the beginning, she knew what Xu Hang was going to do. Even in her heart, she felt that Commander Duan was a good man and they were a perfect match.

 

However, he was her master, he was her faith, and she would never betray him no matter what he did.

 

She just hoped that after this storm was over, Qiyuan would be peaceful and beautiful again—

 

The ulcer on the little white mouse in the cage used for the experiment finally disappeared, and the mouse survived. Everyone in the medical hall cheered excitedly, almost throwing Xu Hang into the air.

 

Duan Yelin, who rushed over after hearing the news, was also very excited and asked if it was true three times. Xu Hang, who had been up all night for several nights, rubbed his nose and tiredly said, “Don’t be too happy, hurry up and find the nearest pharmaceutical manufacturing company, send the drug samples over, and ask them to add some Western medicine, improve it, and produce it in large quantities so that we can deal with the Japanese, who may attack at any time.”

 

“The nearest military and medical supplies store is in Lincheng. I’ll contact them right away!” Duan Yelin reached out and rubbed Xu Hang’s hair. “You’ve worked hard.”

 

Xu Hang’s highly tense nerves suddenly relaxed, and his body began to show bad signs. He felt the craving for morphine, so he pushed Duan Yelin and said, “I’ll leave the rest to you. I want to rest for a while.”

 

He walked aside, took off his coat, and prepared to have his subordinates burn it later. After all, he had been doing research on the plague, so it was better to be cautious.

 

Behind Xu Hang, Duan Yelin glanced down at his own palm. The hand that had just touched Xu Hang’s head was now covered in strands of hair.

 

When did Shaotang start losing hair so quickly? Duan Yelin was a little confused. Was he too tired?

 

In addition to the continuous weight loss, Xu Hang’s eye sockets were also a little sunken, his tongue coating was white, the bloodshot in his eyes was getting heavier day by day, his cheekbones were slightly protruding, and the meridians in his body were more obvious. All these signs indicated the deterioration of his health.

 

Was he really just too tired? Duan Yelin always felt that these signs seemed very familiar, but he just couldn’t remember them all of a sudden.

 

“Shaotang,” Duan Yelin walked behind Xu Hang, who was washing his face, and put his arms around his waist. As expected, it had become thinner. “Are you really alright?”

 

Xu Hang’s stomach pounded with guilt after hearing these words. His eyes moved left and right where Duan Yelin couldn’t see: “What could have happened to me? I was probably too busy to eat recently, so I look so thin.”

 

“Not only are you thinner, you look a lot more haggard.”

 

Xu Hang perfunctorily said, “En, I’ll pay attention next time.” He was about to give up pretending, so he pushed Duan Yelin with a little force: “Then you should leave quickly, let me rest for a while.”

 

Duan Yelin grabbed his wrist and pulled him out: “That won’t do, you have to eat something before you go to sleep. If you keep being starved, you will get sick sooner or later.”

 

The two of them took only a few steps outside when a soldier ran in, saluted Duan Yelin, and reported back: “Commander! A floating corpse was found in the river and has been fished out now.”

 

It’s another corpse again. Xu Hang pulled Duan Yelin’s hand away: “Do they die of plague again?”

 

The soldier shook his head: “No, we brothers took a look at the body, it was clean, and his face was peaceful. The only sin was that he was a monk.”

 

A monk? A monk?

 

Xu Hang’s expression changed from doubt to surprise and then to confusion. He was thinking about something and then suddenly became terrified. His mouth opened slightly in shock, and finally he ran outside!

 

Duan Yelin couldn’t even catch Xu Hang’s arrow-like body. He saw him rushing out like a catapulted bullet. He could only run after him: “Shaotang! What’s wrong with you?”

 

He didn’t know that in the time between the few words just now, Xu Hang finally remembered something.

 

In the past, he jokingly asked Chang Ling, What is the purpose of reciting scriptures and chanting Buddha every day?

 

At that time, Chang Ling said that he sought to transcend life and death, transcend the mundane world, transcend the state of suffering, and reach West Paradise.

 

Xu Hang still remembers that he replied, ‘Isn’t Paradise the place where people go after they die?’

 

Chang Ling said with a smile, ‘My heart yearns for where the Buddha is.’

 

The heart yearns for that! Damn it! Why did he just remember it now!

 

For the first time, Xu Hang hoped that he had used his intelligence in the wrong place and guessed the wrong person.

 

Not necessarily. It may not be Chang Ling. There are many temples and monks in Hezhou City. Maybe it was someone else? Maybe a monk from another place?

 

After running to the river with great difficulty, a group of people stood on the bank, whispering and pointing. Xu Hang pushed them aside rudely, ignoring the curses of others, squeezed to the innermost part, and was completely stunned.

 

A soaked bamboo hat, a missing pair of wooden clogs, scattered robes, discolored Bodhi seeds… and a body with a layer of death and grayish-blue skin.

 

He was very familiar with that outfit and that figure.

 

Master Changling passed away.