Way of the Devil - Chapter 682

Chapter 682: 682

Lu Sheng looked carefully at the baby from up close .

The skinny infant’s face was flushed from all the crying . However, when he got close, the infant quickly calmed down . His wrinkled face suddenly wore a sweet smile .

“What’s his name?”

“Ziquan . Xu Ziquan . I hope that he can have a healthy, peaceful, and wholesome life,” replied the beautiful woman gently .

“I’ll give you this pinwheel . ” From the side, Little Jun had somehow produced another blue pinwheel and gave it to the little infant in the beautiful woman’s arms .

The beautiful woman smiled . She received the pinwheel, and ruffled Little Jun’s hair .

Lu Sheng made some preparations . Then, he painted a dot of cinnabar on the infant’s let ear with a brush in all apparent seriousness .

“I wish you happiness and health,” he said with a smile .

“Thank you, apothecary!” Squire Xu beamed as he placed a stack of notes on the table .

After some squandering, the Xu Family left . Lu Sheng packed his things and saw that it was getting late . After dealing with his remaining patients, he closed his clinic for the day .

When he was about to put out the lights, he saw the red pinwheel on the table .

He picked the pinwheel and blew it softly . The pinwheel turned slowly with the airflow .

After giving it some thought, Lu Sheng placed it in a corner of the herb cabinet as a decoration .

…… .

…… .

In the blink of an eye, five years passed .

Xu Zijun was now half as tall as a man . She brought in a little boy who was a head shorter than she was . They ran about the backyard of the clinic excitedly . The blue pinwheel in their hands turned in the wind .

Lu Sheng was sitting inside the clinic as he carefully measured the pulse of his patient . He had seemingly forgotten his original objectives . He was merely living his life as a simple doctor that helped the dying and healed the injured .

He did not trouble himself with Heavenly Devil Arrivals or affairs of the crown prince . Here, he was only a simple doctor .

Sounds of the children playing in his backyard occasionally reached the inside of the clinic . Lu Sheng gave the prescriptions to his patient, and he could not help but smile .

“Thank you, Apothecary Lu . ” The patient received the prescription while thanking Lu Sheng repeatedly . He then stood up and left .

Lu Sheng looked at the skies . He stood up and told the children it was time to go home .

…… .

…… .

“Uncle Lu, long time no see . It’s been, what, a few months?”

Under the bright skies, a charming girl brought two servants and walked into the clinic under an umbrella .

Lu Sheng raised his head to take a look .

“Oh, Zijun?” His tone implied surprise .

Eight more years had passed in the blink of an eye . Throughout these eight years, Xu Zijun had grown from a little girl she’d been before to the age where she could already be married .

“Uncle, I’m afraid I won’t be able to come visit you that often anymore . You must take care of yourself,” said Xu Zijun with some reluctance to part .

“Is it the Zhong Family from outside the city?” Lu Sheng had heard about this as well . “I’ve known that boy since he was a little child . He’s an honest man, you’ll be happy together . ” He smiled as he passed his gifts to her .

“Here’s something for you, to thank you for calling me your uncle all these years . Take it . ”

Xu Zijun received the gift . Then, her servant passed her a small box .

“This is my gift to you, uncle . All these years, thank you for looking after me…” When she said this, her eyes reddened .

Lu Sheng’s outer appearance was already that of a man in his forties . He was slightly old, and there were wrinkles at the edges of his eyes . He was no longer as fresh and handsome as he once had been .

“Don’t worry . It’s not too far from here as well . If you want to come visit me, you can bring that young man here as well,” said Lu Sheng in a gentle tone .

After accepting Xu Zijun’s gift box, Lu Sheng consoled her again . The two of them spoke for a while before Xu Zijun stood up reluctantly to leave . She was a woman now, and would soon be married to a man . It would not do for her to stay in another man’s house for too long .

As he looked at Xu Zijun’s receding back, Lu Sheng sat down again and sighed .

The child who he had seen growing up was now at the age where she was about to marry someone else .

“Clang! Clang! Clang!”

Suddenly, there was a striking of the gong and shouts on the streets .

He walked quickly out of his clinic . A crowd had already gathered on the streets to see what the ruckus was all about . There seemed to be some government official passing by .

“The master of the Xu Family is amazing! To think that a small town such as ours has produced an Economic Supervisor!”

“An Economic Supervisor is a great official that oversees the shops and businesses of three towns! The Xu Family will be enjoying meteoric successes in the future . ”

“You can say that again . ”

As Lu Sheng listened to the chatter around him, he looked at the leaving horse and its rider . He sighed and returned to his clinic .

Lu Sheng sat down again and opened the gift box .

There were two layers to the gift box . The first layer was a layer of dark red frog toad herb . He had been wanting to have this rare herb for a long time now . He did not expect Zijun to remember this .

He smiled . Then, he carefully opened the second layer .

A brand-new light red pinwheel lay quietly at the bottom of the box . The edges of the pinwheel were reinforced with little wooden sticks . The workmanship was extremely exquisite .

Lu Sheng laughed involuntarily . He blew the pinwheel and looked on as it turned swiftly . He stood up and stuck it to the corner of the herb cabinet, right beside the one he had received from her before .

A breeze blew through the clinic . The two pinwheels spun . One was slow, while the other was fast; one was old, while the other was new .

…… .

…… .

“Click . ”

Thunder boomed and lightning flashed . A heavy downpour came upon the town .

Lu Sheng had just closed the doors to his clinic shut when there was an urgent knock on it .

“Bam! Bam! Bam! Bam!”

“Who is it?” Lu Sheng was stunned . He quickly returned to the door .

“It’s me, uncle! Zijun!” A familiar female voice reached him . She sounded dismal and pitiable .

Lu Sheng was slightly stunned . He thumped his slightly aching back and opened his wooden doors again .

Xu Zijun looked frail as she walked in . The moment she entered, she could not hold back her tears . She fell to the floor and started crying .

“Uncle… my husband… my husband, he’s…” Xu Zijun’s face was wet, though whether with tears or rain, no one knew .

Rumble .

Thunder boomed .

Lu Sheng quickly helped her up . The Xu Mansion’s servant was still standing outside the door . He beckoned the servant to come in as well .

“What happened?”

“Uncle… my husband… he… he told me, that he’d leave with me… he told me…” Xu Zijun could barely speak through all the sobbing .

Xu Zijun’s husband was a fat, honest man . He worked at the county office . While he was patrolling the area, he was jumped by a brigand, and did not survive the knife wounds inflicted upon him .

Lu Sheng had no words for this . He could only let Xu Zijun cry her heart out here to vent her emotions that had been suppressed for too long .

A few years back, the master of the Xu Family had passed away . Now, Xu Zijun’s husband passed away as well . With the two mainstays of the family who worked for the county gone, the Xu Family was now in a difficult situation .

Xu Zijun left as quickly as she had come . After crying for a while, she brought her servant and quickly left the place .

She was the only person left to manage both the Xu Family and the Zhong Family . She could not let herself fall apart . Crying here was her final show of weakness she allowed herself .

Amid the heavy rain and rumbling thunder, Lu Sheng looked on as Xu Zijun’s figure melted into the darkness . He sighed deeply, turned around, and closed the doors .

…… .

…… .

Time flew by . In the blink of an eye, 20 years had passed .

“Tok! Tok! Tok!”

Soft knocks were heard on the old wooden door .

Lu Sheng pulled the doors open slowly . He saw a familiar and slightly aged face .

“You’re… Zijun?” His eyesight had worsened, and his hair was now white . The hunch of his back was now more prominent as well . For a time, he could not recognize who this woman before himself was .

“Uncle…” When Xu Zijun saw Lu Sheng’s current appearance, she could not help but be hit with a slight pang of sadness . Her eyes were moist .

“Come on in, quick . It’s cold outside . ” Lu Sheng saw that a young couple had followed Xu Zijun here . They were full of smiles . The man’s face bore a semblance to Xu Zijun’s silhouette .

The three of them entered the clinic together . Lu Sheng wanted to pour them all a cup of tea, but the young man quickly stood up and did it for him .

Steam wafted into the air from the teacups . Xu Zijun released the walking staff in her hand and sat down as the young lady supported her .

As she looked at the doddering and white-haired Lu Sheng, she could not help but sigh .

“Uncle, it’s been many years since I left here… You’ve remained here all this time…”

“Yes… I’m always here . ” Lu Sheng smiled . He carefully studied the young couple . “They are?”

“He’s Zhong Quan, my son . He’s finally grown up after all these years . He’s now at the age where he should be exploring the world . ” A look of releasing a heavy burden appeared on Xu Zijun’s face .

“I have not let the Zhong Family down . I, Xu Zijun, for all my life, have not let a single person down!” she spoke with a sense of solemnity .

Lu Sheng shook his head slightly . He looked at Xu Zijun . She had grown old as well . The sides of her hair were whitening as well . There were also wrinkles at the edges of her eyes .

“This is Little Quan’s bride-to-be, who will officially be his wife tomorrow . ”

The young couple hastily stood up and greeted Lu Sheng .

Lu Sheng responded to their greetings . He produced two envelopes of money, and gave it to them as a meeting gift .

The two of them declined the gifts . They would not accept it .

Xu Zijun said nothing . She merely sat there with a comforted smile on her face . The smile held many meanings, but most of it was her exhaustion .

“The pinwheels… You still have them . ” Suddenly, Xu Zijun caught a glimpse of the two pinwheels on the herb cabinet . The two red pinwheels had long lost their bright colors, but they were still in good conditions . They would still spin with the wind .

“Yes… I’ve never moved them, and I’ve let them be . ” Since the couple refused to accept his money, Lu Sheng sat down again and spoke with a smile after he sighed .

Xu Zijun looked at the pinwheels . She stared at them for some time, and suddenly broke out in laughter .

“It’s been a long time since I’ve made pinwheels . I’ll make a new one for you soon . ”

“That’s alright . These two are good enough . ” Lu Sheng waved his hand .

“I don’t mind it at all . But I’m just not sure of these hands of mine can still make them…” Xu Zijun was slightly filled with emotion .

“Mother, you have me,” Zhong Quan spoke with a smile .

“Yes, I have the both of you . ” Xu Zijun smiled and nodded .

The two of them spoke casually for a long time . When the skies were getting dark, Xu Zijun boarded a palanquin with her son and daughter-in-law and left .

Lu Sheng wanted to send them all the way back, but they managed to convince him otherwise . Hence, he merely stood at the door and looked on as they left .

A few days later, the Zhong Family sent a brand-new red pinwheel over .

Although this pinwheel could spin, some of its structures were mistaken…

Lu Sheng received the pinwheel and remained silent for a long time .

…… .

…… .

In the blink of an eye, another 30 years had passed .

The people of the town came and went . Old houses crumbled, and new ones were built . The shop across the street had also changed hands several times .

The clinic was progressively becoming dilapidated . Lu Sheng had hired someone to renovate it a few times, but the main structure could not be patched . Hence, he left it at that .

White hair, hunched back, a face full of wrinkles, and cloudy eyes . Lu Sheng was getting older .

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