Time Is Slow - Chapter 13
Was it all just a dream?
Marrying General Shao Mingyuan was a dream. Grandfather’s passing was a dream. Her parents and family perishing in a great fire was a dream. Even being shot by an arrow, dying upon the cold, desolate city walls, was that all a dream too?
So now that she had woken up… everything would be fine, right?
Doctor Li’s pupils suddenly contracted.
That form of address…
“Who are you?” He grabbed Qiao Zhao’s wrist and demanded.
The rough, bony hand on her wrist jolted Qiao Zhao awake. She lowered her eyes, staring at that hand, motionless.
She knew this hand well. It had once guided hers as she learned acupuncture and massage. It had once playfully flicked her nose, laughing at how quickly she learned.
He had been Grandpa Li to Qiao Zhao—but he could never be Grandpa Li to Li Zhao.
“Who exactly are you?” Doctor Li wasn’t known for his patience, and his voice grew even colder.
Qiao Zhao met his gaze. Her fever had left her voice hoarse, like wind brushing over grass: “I am the daughter of Court Academician Li from the capital. And who are you?”
Doctor Li clearly didn’t believe her. “What did you just call me?”
Something wasn’t right. Just now, she had clearly called him Grandpa Li—a name that only one girl had ever used for him.
Qiao Zhao feigned confusion, her dark, bright eyes narrowing slightly as if trying to recall. “I was just about to say… Hmm… Grandpa, who are you?”
She smiled innocently. “But before I could finish, you interrupted me.”
Doctor Li was momentarily stunned.
Li… Grandpa? Hmm… Grandpa…
Had he misheard?
He released her wrist, but for some reason, an odd feeling remained in his heart.
This clever, sharp-witted girl reminded him of someone—someone equally intelligent from his past.
Her condition was also unusual. Aside from the fever, her soul seemed… unstable, as if her spirit and body were struggling to merge, on the verge of detaching from one another.
A vague thought flitted through Doctor Li’s mind—something connected to his recent years of research. He raised his voice and called out, “Come in.”
Footsteps sounded, and the crisp early spring breeze rushed in through the open door, clearing the mind.
Chi Can’s gaze immediately locked onto Qiao Zhao. Seeing that she had awakened, the tight line of his lips eased slightly before he turned to Doctor Li.
Doctor Li, now free of his earlier gruffness, asked amiably, “Young man, who is this girl to you?”
Chi Can instinctively took half a step back.
Why does this old man feel like a cunning old wolf?
“Just a passing acquaintance…” Chi Can quickly distanced himself.
“A passing acquaintance, you say…” Doctor Li dragged out his words.
Chi Can couldn’t guess his intentions, so he explained, “The girl was kidnapped. We happened to come across her and are simply escorting her home.”
“I see.” Doctor Li let out a relieved sigh, then smiled. “The young lady is quite ill—she won’t recover in just a day or two. How about this? Let her stay with me. I’ll treat her, and once she’s well, I’ll personally send her home.”
“She’s heading to the capital,” Chi Can responded reflexively, surprised by how quickly he answered.
“Even better.” Doctor Li stroked his beard. “I’m also going to the capital. We can travel slowly so I can treat her along the way.”
Chi Can fell silent for a moment before saying, “That’s up to her.”
This old man isn’t a human trafficker, is he? The girl just has a fever, how is that considered ‘seriously ill’?
Doctor Li turned to Qiao Zhao and asked with a smile, “Little girl, I’m one of the top physicians in the world. Want to come with me?”
Without hesitation, Qiao Zhao replied, “Yes.”
Her original goal was simply to return to the capital safely. But now that she had encountered Doctor Li—even if she set aside past connections—having a renowned physician escort her back would be far more beneficial to her future than traveling with three young men.
Qiao Zhao wasn’t foolish. She knew how to make the right choice.
Chi Can’s brow twitched. His expression darkened as he spoke slowly and deliberately,
“Are you sure?”
Qiao Zhao nodded obediently.
“I’m sure.”
Chi Can was speechless. He turned sharply, about to leave, then suddenly spun back around and asked, “Aren’t you afraid of being kidnapped again?”
Doctor Li rolled his eyes. “What nonsense are you spouting, brat?”
Qiao Zhao smiled gently. “I’m not worried, he’s a doctor.”
“You believe whatever people say?” Chi Can was exasperated.
Where did all that sharp wit go when she dealt with us?
Qiao Zhao blinked. “If he wasn’t a real doctor, then someone as brilliant and cautious as you, Brother Chi, wouldn’t have let him treat me in the first place, would you?”
Chi Can’s mouth twitched.
Damn it… she actually has a point.
With nothing left to say, he stared at the little girl, feeling inexplicably frustrated. He rubbed his nose, turned on his heel, and strode away.
The three men who had followed inside were clearly not on board with this. One of them quickly stepped forward and said, “Divine Doctor, this… isn’t very convenient, is it?”
Their master had given strict orders—under no circumstances were they to complicate matters. Their mission was to quietly bring Doctor Li back to the capital, nothing more.
Doctor Li’s eyes widened. “What’s so inconvenient about it? If you think it’s a problem, then you can leave! This girl is gravely ill. As a doctor, I cannot simply stand by and do nothing!”
The three men simultaneously twitched the corners of their mouths.
You say that as if you’re some kind of saint.
They had gone through hell and back just to find this so-called Divine Doctor. No amount of pleading had convinced him to return with them. In the end, they had been forced to use their trump card—a rare, priceless medicinal herb from their master—just to make him agree.
And now, suddenly, he was all about compassion just because of this little girl?
Their gazes swept over Qiao Zhao’s face, and they silently came to a conclusion: so even Divine Doctors care about looks.
Doctor Li glanced at them and asked leisurely, “Any other objections?”
The three men immediately put on honest, obedient expressions. “Not at all.”
“Good. Bring the girl along. Let’s go.”
“Wait.”
Chi Can had returned, dragging along the still-unconscious Yang Houcheng. Without so much as a glance at Qiao Zhao, he locked eyes with Doctor Li and said, “If you are so compassionate, then please extend your kindness and wake up my friend.”
Doctor Li scoffed, his lips curling into a sneer. “Compassion and blind charity are two very different things.”
The three men all nodded in unison.
See? That’s the real Divine Doctor.
Qiao Zhao had been observing quietly, a sense of doubt rising in her heart.
In her memories, Doctor Li had always been kind to her, but that was because he had been her grandfather’s close friend, and she was more or less half a disciple to him. To outsiders, he had always been known for his sharp temperament.
So why was it that upon meeting her, as Li Zhao, he suddenly insisted on keeping her by his side?
Had that single “Grandpa Li” raised his suspicions?
Other than her late grandfather, no one knew better than Qiao Zhao just how brilliant and unparalleled this doctor was. His medical skills were unfathomable, and in recent years, he had delved into knowledge that seemed almost supernatural. For someone like him to be highly sensitive to certain mystical matters wasn’t surprising at all.
The atmosphere grew heavy, and Qiao Zhao finally spoke.
“Divine Doctor, Brother Chi and his companions saved my life. I’d like to wait until Brother Zhu returns and Brother Yang wakes up before saying my goodbyes to them. After that, I will leave with you.”
She hadn’t been conscious earlier and didn’t know exactly what had happened, but she could guess that Yang Houcheng had ended up in this state because of her.
Doctor Li was clearly very interested in her, so she was fairly certain he wouldn’t reject such a small request.
Sure enough, after hearing her out, Doctor Li didn’t argue. He merely walked up to Yang Houcheng, pulled out a gleaming, translucent pill, and pressed it directly into the unconscious man’s mouth.