Translator's Notes.
Book 1 - Forbidden Love
Book 2 - Real Fake Fiance
Book 3 - Wang-Ye Captures His Wife
Book 4 - Divine Doctor and His Heroic Companion - This is the current book and the story is about Dong Fang Tang, the doctor.
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Title: Divine Doctor and His Heroic Companion
Author: Tang Yin
Chapters: 19 + Prologue
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Pain! It is very painful!
Her ankle was swollen like a mantou* Even after the medicine was applied and the ankle bandaged up, the burning hot pain still persisted so much so that she could not even stand up.
This is really not a light fall!
(Mantou a kind of steam bread that is coarse and plain.)
At this moment, she is in the deep mountain forest where no one ventures and if help is needed, it seems that she can only wait for her father to notice that she has not returned home and come out to look for her.
Oops! This image does not follow our content guidelines. To continue publishing, please remove it or upload a different image.(The picture shows the medicine basket used for picking herbs. Similar bigger baskets were used for picking vegetables and forage for food in the forest.)
Looking at the medicine basket beside her, she took out a strange looking plant with its leaves in different sizes. This plant is known as Sheep's Hoof and is beneficial for blood cleansing. It was because she had wanted to gather this herbal plant that she had accidentally fallen down. She did not think that this fall would cause her a sprained her ankle with an injury to her tendons and put her in a dilemma of waiting for help.
(Sheep's hoof is also known as Rumex Japonicas or Japanese Dock. This herb has a large variety of medicinal uses. More info can be found on Wikipedia.)
In the past, she had suffered major and minor injuries but those injuries were never as severe as this injury. This time it was so severe that she was unable to walk and she just hoped that her father would come out to look for her soon.
As she was sitting down in worry and wondering what to do when suddenly there was a rustling sound in the grass beside her. She was so nervous that she clenched her jade flute tightly in her hands and then she saw a green snake slithering out through the grass.
The snake raised its head and stuck out its forked tongue menacingly, looked at her. A snake and a woman, both looked at each other. Just when the green snake was about to strike, a few silver needles flew out from nowhere and struck into the middle of the snake's head. The snake instantly writhed painfully on the ground for several moments before it went still.
Who had helped her?
She had her answer almost immediately. A slender figure in a blue robe, carrying a medicine basket on his back walked out of the grass behind her.
A man with refined, elegant facial features and a gentle on his face appeared. Looking at his smiling face, the wariness in her heart began to relax. This man did not give a sense of hostility but instead give out a sense of inexplicable security. He was really a strange man.
"Little girl, are you alright?"
The man was still smiling and his eyes showed serenity. He bent down and looked attentively at the girl sitting on the ground who was about thirteen to fourteen years old. When his eyes rested on her injured left ankle that was bandaged up, he frowned. Then his eyes moved to the jade flute held tightly in her right hand and the jade plate with tassel tied to it. A flash of surprise swept across his face and it seems he recognized the origin of the jade flute. It seems that he had helped needlessly just now, as the little girl had the ability to protect herself.
"I'm fine. Thank you for helping me."
Although she was capable to deal with the situation just now he was kind enough to help her.
"Can you stand up and walk?" The man looked at her ankle and asked.
"No."
The young girl looked directly at him and noticed that he had a pair of honest eyes. It was her luck to be able to meet such a gentle man at this time.
From the beginning, the man had noticed that the young girl was surprisingly calm. Generally, girls around her age, if they meet such a situation as just now, even if they were capable of handling the situation, they would feel a little panic. But she did not show any panic instead she showed calmness, in fact, she was excessively calm.
"The weather is changing. It looks like there will be a heavy thunderstorm in half a sichen*. It is better for us to find a place and take shelter from the rain as soon as possible."
(A sichen is equivalent to two hours.)
The man raised his head and looked up at the sky. From the distance, large dark clouds were drifting towards them and according to his experience, heavy rain was inevitable. It was not advisable to stay in this place any longer.
The young girl also looked into the distant sky and understood the fact he stated. She hesitated for a moment then agreed and said.
"Approximately five miles to the west, there is a bamboo hut where we can take shelter from the rain."
"Then please forgive me for offending you*."
(In ancient times, physical contact between a male and a female is forbidden and therefore the man here has to offer his apology before actually picking her up.)
The man politely apologized to her before picking her up with one arm around her back and the other arm beneath her knees. Using his flying skills, he went westward and after a few leaps up and down, he saw a bamboo hut. Just as the two arrived at the hut, the heavy rain fell at the same time.
After the man had put the young girl on the only wooden bed in the hut, he began to look around the simple furniture in the hut. Other than the wooden bed, there was a wooden table and two bamboo chairs. There were only a clay pot, two cups and no other items. It could be seen that this bamboo house is only used for short rests.
"The bed, tables and chairs in this bamboo hut are all handmade by my father. This place is for me to rest temporarily when I feel tired while I come out to gather medicinal herbs.
The young girl looked at the man's back and tried to guess his identity. A normal man would not appear in the mountain forest without any reason......then her eyes fell on the medicine basket he carried on his back. Can this man be a doctor?
"Your father really loves you as his daughter."
After he had looked at the simple furniture in the hut, he slowly walked to the door. He noticed that the rain outside was not as heavy as before. It seems this rain came quickly and stopped quickly.
"I have yet to ask for Gong-Zi's prestigious name."
(Gong-Zi is an honorific to address a young man who can be a son of nobility, son of an official or son from a wealthy family. In modern times, this is 'Mister'.)
Suddenly the man knitted his eyebrows and looked intensely into the distance in front of him at a figure who was approaching the hut. It seems that the person the little girl is waiting for is finally here.
"This person's name is Dong Fang Tang. Miss Ruan, if we have the affinity, we shall meet again in future."
Dong Fang Tang turned his head back to look at her and smiled. Before she could respond, he had disappeared into the mist of rain.
The stunned young girl looked at his quick retreating figure in the rain. Although she was surprised to watch him leave so suddenly, however, she was even more surprised to find out that he was, in fact, Dong Fang Tang, the doctor who was famous throughout the country in recent years.
But how did he know her surname is Ruan?
Her gaze fell on the jade flute in her hand with the tassel and the piece of jade hanging at the end of it. Engraved on the piece of jade was the name 'Ruan' and suddenly her lips twitched with a slight smile.