Chapter 88

Chuhan dismounted from his horse and walked lightly to the front of the house. Standing before the straw curtain, he noticed that the small house had many gaps and cracks, and it must be very cold inside.

He heard a rustling sound from inside the house, followed by a voice saying, "Master, the charcoal fire has gone out. I'll start the fire first... You'll be warmer...!"

The voice was somewhat weak but very gentle, filled with concern.

Another even weaker voice replied, "No need to light the charcoal... We don't have much charcoal left, and it won't last long. It will be colder at night, so save it for then... Rulian, come here, let me warm your hands...!"

But the beggar's voice said, "Master, Rulian isn't cold... Today, I went out, but many houses were closed, and the shops didn't open, so... I couldn't find any food...!"

"Master isn't hungry," the weak voice sighed. "Child, I'm sorry, it's all my fault...!"

Cuhan stood outside the door, feeling quite moved. From the voices, there were only two people inside, seemingly a master and apprentice. Despite their difficult conditions, they cared for each other deeply.

"Oh!" A cry of surprise came from inside the house, followed by Rulian's voice, "Master, your body is so cold, are you cold? It's... It's Rulian's fault...!"

"Not cold, not cold!" the master's voice said. "Rulian, I'm not cold. You... Ah, it's my illness that has troubled you... There's still a bun left. I can't eat it, so heat it up and eat it yourself... I'm a bit sleepy...!"

"Master, your body is shaking!" Rulian said, her voice trembling with tears. "You're very ill. I'll go get a doctor, Master, hold on, I'll be right back...!"

"No need, Master... I'll be fine in a moment...!" The master's voice grew even weaker, clearly very ill.

"I can't, I'll go find Doctor Zhang and beg him to come and see you...!" As she spoke, Cuhan heard footsteps approaching the curtain. He quickly moved back and leaned against the wall. The frail little beggar girl came out from behind the curtain, carefully closing it, and ran in the opposite direction. Cuhan was right behind her, but she didn't see him, clearly in a hurry to find a doctor.

Cuhan hesitated for a moment, then reached out and lifted a corner of the curtain, revealing a gap. Through this gap, the inside of the house was clearly visible.

Three wooden sticks supported the thatched roof. There were very few household items, and they were all broken and worn. In the corner of the room, there was a very low and old bed, covered with a very old quilt. Clearly, someone was lying under the quilt, slightly raised.

Next to the bed, a few wooden sticks were arranged to form a small stove, with a clay pot hanging in the middle. There was some charcoal, but very little, and it looked like it had been used before, probably from a wealthy household and collected by them. Even this small amount of used charcoal, they were reluctant to use, making the room feel cold and desolate.

The entire room was destitute, with nothing of value, and even basic survival was a problem. Cuhan felt a pang of sadness as he looked at it.

The person lying on the bed began to cough violently. Cuhan frowned and saw the person struggle to lean over the edge of the bed, and with a "ah," a mouthful of blood was spat out.

Cuhan was shocked and wanted to go in, but barging in like this would be highly inappropriate. Moreover, he now saw clearly that the person on the bed had no hair, a completely bald and snow-white head. More surprisingly, Cuhan could see the person's face, a woman in her thirties, with a very beautiful appearance, fine eyebrows, and a delicate nose.

A bald woman.

After spitting out the blood, she coughed again and then took a cloth from under the quilt to wipe the blood on the ground, seemingly trying to clean it up.

However, her movements were very weak, and her face, which was still quite pretty, was pale, indicating a severe illness.

Cuhan hesitated for a moment. He had never met this woman before, and she was a woman, so it was inappropriate to enter. He thought for a moment and looked in the direction Rulian had gone. In the heavy snow, he couldn't see far, but he could still see Rulian's footprints. Following the footprints for a short distance, he turned into a small alley, and the area opened up. Ahead was a "Zhang's Pharmacy."

However, the door of "Zhang's Pharmacy" was tightly closed. Rulian, huddled, was knocking on the door, crying and pleading, "Doctor Zhang, please come and see. I'll pay you back when I have money... I never owe anyone money...!"

But the pharmacy's door remained closed, and no one inside responded, despite Rulian's desperate cries.

Rulian didn't dare to knock too hard, but her cries were full of despair and helplessness. Her body slowly sank, and she sat on the snowy ground, still crying, "Doctor Zhang, if you don't save Master, she will die... I beg you, do whatever you want...!"

Cuhan was filled with anger at this sight.

Doctors are traditionally seen as saviors, but throughout history, many have refused to help, hiding behind the guise of "saving lives" to seek profit.

In a few steps, he went up to Rulian and helped her up, saying, "Don't beg him!"

Tears streamed down Rulian's face. Cuhan noticed that her face was no longer dirty as it was the first time they met. She had a fair and tender face, with fine eyebrows and a delicate nose, and her small lips were slightly blue from the cold. He realized that this little beggar was actually a girl.

Looking at the girl, who was only about fourteen or fifteen years old, she had the makings of a beauty.

Cuhan was surprised and quickly let go of her. The girl, seeing Cuhan, was first startled, then paused, her face showing excitement, "It's... It's you?"

Cuhan didn't say much, knowing that the woman in the house was very ill and might not survive the winter if not treated. Without a word, he lifted his foot and kicked the pharmacy's door hard.

His footwork was incredibly powerful, and many people in Baling Hall had been disabled by his foot. The door fell straight down with a "thud," landing on the ground.

At that moment, a cry of surprise came from inside the house, "Oh, my goodness...!" A figure moved, and Cuhan stepped forward. Behind the fallen door, two clerks were crawling on the ground, clearly frightened. In the center of the hall, a man in his forties, dressed in a green robe, was holding a cup of tea, but he was frozen in place, the cup's rim at his mouth, unable to take another sip. His eyes were fixed on the empty doorway, his face filled with shock.

When Cuhan entered the hall, the man in the green robe came to his senses, stood up, and said in a trembling voice, "Who... Who are you? You broke into a private residence, are... are you going to rob us?"

Cuhan smiled coldly, noticing the charcoal stove burning inside, making the room warm. He was even more angry, as Rulian was pleading outside while this man was enjoying tea inside. He took two steps forward, grabbed the man's collar, and said coldly, "Are you Doctor Zhang?"

Cuhan's strength was great, and his grip on the collar choked the man, who rolled his eyes, and the teacup in his hand fell to the ground, shattering with a "clink."

Rulian's eyes were full of surprise, standing outside, unsure what to do.

Cuhan loosened his grip slightly, and the man in the green robe recovered, saying in fear, "Yes... I am Zhang Simiao!"

"Very good," Cuhan said coldly. "I have a question for you. Are your ears not working?"

Doctor Zhang quickly replied, "They're working...!"

"If they're working, why didn't you hear the knocking on the door?" Cuhan pushed the man back into the chair and pointed to Rulian at the door, asking, "Someone is begging for medical help outside, didn't you hear?"

Doctor Zhang's forehead was sweating, and he asked, "Who is this hero? What is your relationship with her?"

"That's none of your business. Now, I'm asking you, can you go with her to treat someone?" Cuhan stared into Doctor Zhang's eyes.

"Hero, listen to me," Doctor Zhang explained. "It's not that I won't go. I've already seen her master several times, and his illness is incurable. Even if treated, it would only prolong his life with rare herbs... Last time, I gave them some medicine, but they couldn't pay, and I had to take the loss... I run a small business, and if I keep giving away medicine, I won't be able to stay in business...!"

Rulian, with tears in her eyes, said urgently, "Doctor Zhang, I never owe anyone money. I'll pay you back for the medicine, I only ask you to treat my master...!"

Doctor Zhang shook his head, "Miss, I'm not a charity. I've already told you, your master's illness is incurable, even by the gods. If he can survive the winter, it's a miracle...!" He glanced at Cuhan carefully, "Hero, I won't treat that illness. You... You should find someone else...!"

Cuhan said calmly, "What if I insist that you go?"

Cuhan was not an unreasonable person, but Doctor Zhang's lack of medical ethics, closing the door and drinking tea in such cold weather while someone was begging for help, made him very angry.

Doctor Zhang was at a loss, "Hero, you kicked down my door, and I won't hold it against you, but this house call...!"

Before he could finish, Cuhan kicked a chair next to him, and it flew up, hitting the wall and shattering with a "crack."

"You can take your time to think," Cuhan said calmly. "I hope you decide whether to make the house call before everything here is destroyed...!"