THE SMILING PROUD WANDERER by Jin Yong

Medicine Part 3

"Why would I joke about it? From what I heard, it is absolutely true. Now Old Man, we have been bosom friends for decades long. Tell me, did I do it the way you would have wanted me to or not?" Zu Qianqiu replied.

"Right, right! Damn, damn!" Old Man shouted, stamping his foot to the ground in agony.

"Wow...what's going on? What right and what damn?" Zu Qianqiu was confused.

"You are right, and I am damned!" Old Man answered.

"Why are you damned?" Zu Qianqiu was even more confused.

Dragging Zu by the hand, Old Man led him straight into his daughter's bedroom. As soon as he saw Linghu Chong, he dropped onto his knees and started kowtowing frantically.

"Young Master Linghu, Grandpa Linghu, I must have been so damned blind to have offended you today. Thank Heavens that Zu Qianqiu got here just in time. If I had cut you open and killed you, I would have been damned to hell. Even if someone had roasted me to death and stewed all my fats into grease, it wouldn't have been enough punishment worth of my crime."

With the half towel still stuffed in his mouth, Linghu Chong only answered with some indistinguishable grunts. Zu Qianqiu hurriedly dug the towel out of Linghu Chong's mouth and asked.

"Young Master Linghu, how did you get here?"

"Senior Master Old, please, please get up! I am certainly not worth of such etiquette from you. You are really embarrassing me now," Linghu Chong spoke hurriedly as soon as the towel was out of his mouth.

"I had no idea about the relationship between Young Master Linghu and my savior. How dare I to offend you like this? Alas, I am such a moron. Alas, I should have gone to hell. Even if I had a hundred daughters and all of them are dying right now, I dare not to even imagine having Young Master Linghu to shed one drop of blood to save their cursed lives," Old Man mumbled on.

"Old Man, why did you tie Young Master Linghu up here?" Zu Qianqiu rolled his eyes.

"Alas, in a word, it was I who have committed all kinds of outrages and perverse acts. Can't you just shut up and spare me some embarrassment?" Old Man replied.

"And why do you have a basin of hot water and a sharp knife over here?" Zu Qianqiu asked again.

Old Man didn't answer his question; instead, he raised his hand and started slapping his own face hard. His fat face already looked like a pumpkin to start with, now after the strong slaps, it puffed up even more.

"I must have been very muddle-headed that I have no clue about what has happened recently. Will you, senior masters, please shed some lights for me?" Linghu Chong beseeched.

"Why don't we talk that over some drinks?" suggested Old Man as he and Zu Qianqiu untied the rope around Linghu Chong hastily.

Casting a side-glance toward the girl on the bed, Linghu Chong asked, "Would your daughter's illness get any worse?"

"No, it will not. Even if it does, alas, well...that's...." Old Man kept murmured to himself words that no one except himself could recognize.

After ushering Linghu Chong and Zu Qianqiu to the front hall, Old Man filled three bowls with wine and also took out a large plate of pork strips to go with the wine. Raising his wine respectfully, he proposed a toast to Linghu Chong. Linghu Chong poured the wine down his throat in continued gulps. The wine only had a light taste and was quite ordinary. But if compared to the wine he had drunk from Zu Qianqiu's wine cups, it tasted at least ten times better.