Time Travel: The Best Doctor in Ancient Times

Chapter 157: Chapter 89: The Forcibly Twisted Master Must Be Sweet

“It’s said that he was born different from ordinary people, which is why he was abandoned by the Li Mansion. Now it seems the legitimate grandson of Li Mansion has become quite the bargain for you,” Yue Xilou thought about Gu Ze’s intelligence and couldn’t help but sneer at the foolishness of Li Mansion’s people.

“Right, let them cry and wail; my son belongs to no one but me!” Gu Changsheng applied his homemade flesh-regeneration ointment to his son’s wounds, “In no time at all, these scars will naturally fade. My son, mom’s ointment is very effective, I guarantee not a single scar will remain. You’ll surely be adored by all and make flowers bloom at your sight.”

Remembering something, Gu Changsheng’s body stiffened, and he turned to Yue Xilou with a strange look on his face, “Flower Peacock, you seem to know quite a lot.”

Is her notoriety really that great? Or is it that ancient times just fucking lack privacy?

“Spring Breeze doesn’t care about Yue Xilou; his Cool Breeze Bright Moon Tower spreads across all major cities of the Four Kingdoms. Flower and Willow Alleys, taverns, and teahouses are indeed the best places to gather and collect information, so of course he knows quite a lot,” Zhou Mu stood to the side, giving Yue Xilou a glance and explained.

Hearing this, Gu Changsheng’s eyes immediately lit up.

Setting down the ointment, she rushed towards Yue Xilou with eager excitement, “Flower Peacock, you’re a living encyclopedia, Bai Xiaosheng! Speaking of which, do you know the current situation in Li Mansion?”

“I know a bit,” Yue Xilou stepped back unconsciously under Gu Changsheng’s overly eager gaze and answered hesitantly.

“How many ladies has Prince Liang taken as confidantes, do you know that?” Gu Changsheng eagerly took a step forward.

“I know a bit,” Yue Xilou took another step back.

This time, Gu Changsheng didn’t follow. Instead, he turned and grabbed his son, his enthusiasm unprecedented, “Son, kowtow, become his apprentice!”

Fucking hell, to have such free-flowing intelligence right in front of her and not cling to it, she’d have to be brain-dead or just plain silly!

Little Meat Bun was still immersed in the mixed feelings of loss and joy that the tumors had disappeared when his mother suddenly grabbed him.

He turned around in bewilderment, completely clueless about the situation.

When there are unsolicited favors, it’s either a scheme or a scam. Yue Xilou’s vigilance instantly kicked in, his head shaking like a rattle-drum, hands waving, “What are you trying to do? What exactly do you want?”

Even if Gu Ze is very intelligent, taking on an apprentice is not something to be taken lightly.

How the ancients valued the inheritance of the master’s lineage is not something we can fathom, so even if Yue Xilou was considering taking Gu Ze as a disciple, he planned to observe him for a longer period before deciding.

“Becoming an apprentice, of course! Didn’t you just admit that my son is your disciple? Are you thinking of going back on your word?” Gu Changsheng’s Red Phoenix Eyes narrowed, her smile pausing.

Dare to play games of deceit with her, believe it or not, she strikes?

Yue Xilou was caught off guard, he seemed to have indeed said something along those lines just now.

Seeing that he didn’t respond, Gu Changsheng’s lips curled slightly, a glint of sharpness passing through her eyes, “Flower Peacock, you’d better not play any deceitful tricks with me.”

Sensing danger, Yue Xilou took a step back, warily eyeing the woman in front of him, “What do you want exactly? Twisted melons aren’t sweet!”

Gu Changsheng’s face held a cunning smile as she nodded in agreement, stroking her chin, “That’s true, twisted melons aren’t sweet. I, being a person who upholds fairness, naturally wouldn’t do such a foolish thing.”

“Eh…” Yue Xilou obviously didn’t trust Gu Changsheng’s words, not believing that she could be so kind-hearted! Hadn’t Zhou Mu said that once she got her way, she would not rest until she achieved it? Seeking help, he looked towards Zhou Mu, hoping for some sort of indication.

Zhou Mu’s mouth twitched, fulfilling his expectations by saying, “She will give you a choice.”

Past experiences taught him that her so-called fairness was definitely relative to herself.

And the choices she offered often left no real choice at all.

“Bingo! Yue Xilou, I’ll give you two choices, fair and square, no deception intended for young or old,” Gu Changsheng shrugged her shoulders, giving Zhou Mu a knowing look.

With a headache, Zhou Mu massaged his forehead. He really didn’t want to understand her, truly he’d suffered such manipulations before, a lesson that was burned into his memory.

“What are the two choices?” Yue Xilou was clearly on edge, sensing that something was off by everyone’s strange expressions, all hinting that this was not going to be pleasant.

“The first one, you take my son as an apprentice, and from then on we’ll be one big happy family, enjoying blissful harmony together,” Gu Changsheng spread her hands, offering the first option.

Such a harmonious choice!

Everybody happy together!

“And the second?” Yue Xilou’s expression relaxed slightly, but he didn’t immediately agree.

Taking an apprentice is like acquiring a son; one must be extremely cautious!

Especially with a mother like this for the prospective disciple—extra caution was warranted!

“The second option…” Gu Changsheng’s smile broadened even more, radiant as a flower, dazzling the room.

As Xiao Cui stepped into the room, she caught sight of that smile and quickly retreated back out.

Past experiences told her that whenever her mistress smiled like that, someone was going to suffer! A real calamity!

Yue Xilou looked at the fleeing maid with an inexplicable expression and unconsciously leaned toward the door; eerie, the atmosphere was too eerie!

“Are the guards outside?” Gu Changsheng yelled outside the door, his face still smiling.

In just a moment, a response came from outside, “Your servants are awaiting madam’s orders.”

“Close the courtyard gate tightly and draw the bows. If anyone dares to rush out, shoot them into a beehive for me!”

“Understood!” The people outside complied obediently. Soon, crossbow machines were set up on the courtyard walls and rooftops, with the sounds of bowstrings being drawn echoing repeatedly.

“Hehe…” Gu Changsheng smirked evilly, her lips pursed, “My own creation, the rapid-fire crossbow machine, isn’t a dream of shooting through Yang at a hundred steps. Within a hundred feet, it can still pierce through iron armor. Would you like to test the merchandise?”

The colors on Yue Xilou’s face changed erratically as he glanced hesitantly at the wall again. The seemingly ordinary crossbow machines were actually loaded with three arrows at once. At this moment, he was certain that if he tried to break out, even with great agility, his fate wouldn’t be much better than a beehive.

“Cough cough… I am, after all, your savior, you know. Is this how you repay kindness with enmity?” Yue Xilou said, feeling utterly helpless as he ruefully touched his nose.

“I did think of repaying your kindness, which is why I gave you a choice. Become my son’s master, and my home shall be thine, to come and go as you please,” Gu Changsheng too touched her nose, “Besides, it’s tough to be a good person, isn’t it? Repaying kindness with enmity, what’s so bad about that? Especially for someone as thick-skinned as you.”

“You like freeloading at my house, don’t you? Come on, opportunities don’t come often; please choose wisely…”

Who’s the one with the thick skin here? Yue Xilou’s accusing eyes met the woman in front of him, who was laughing exuberantly, her beautiful face almost contorted with the effort.

He then glanced at Zhou Mu, who was standing behind her, and a look of complete defeat crossed his face. In frustration, he stamped his foot, “Do I even have a choice? Do I? How is this any different from forcing an honest person into debauchery?”

After he finished his sentence, Gu Changsheng laughed so hard that it was indecorous, pointing at Yue Xilou, “Haha… forcing an honest person into debauchery?”

Yue Xilou’s face darkened, and just as he was about to retract his words, Gu Changsheng ruthlessly interrupted him.

“Flower Peacock, think about your old line of work. You used to run a brothel, right? When it comes to forcing honest folks into debauchery, you’ve done it far more than I ever have. Isn’t karma wonderful? This is instant retribution. Come on, tell me your choice?”

Yue Xilou glared hatefully at the woman who was still trembling with laughter and then gave Zhou Mu another resentful look before conceding, “I choose the first option!”

A wise man knows better than to look for trouble; only a fool would choose to become a beehive!

“That’s more like it!” Gu Changsheng clapped her hands with satisfaction and shouted to the outside, “Put away your bows and arrows, the situation is under control.”

The sound of arrows being collected arose, and tranquility was restored in an instant.

As astute as Gu Changsheng was, she naturally wouldn’t give Yue Xilou the chance to regret his decision. She called out to Xiao Cui, who was ducking in and out of view outside, “What are you waiting for? Prepare the offerings now. My little Young Master is about to take a master; this is a big deal!”

“Yes,” Xiao Cui responded and quickly went to prepare everything.

“Is just the offering enough?” Yue Xilou protested, his face turning a flushed red.

“What else do you want? Do you want to beat drums and gongs to make it known throughout the city or what?” Gu Changsheng gave him a disdainful glance.

“Even if we don’t beat drums and gongs, we should at least invite one or two renowned figures from the Itinerant World; I can’t just accept a disciple with such a low-key affair,” he protested, determined to reclaim some dignity from this stifling predicament.

“Flower Peacock, one must be low-key. The nail that stands out gets hammered down. He’s my only precious son, and we’re not aiming to be that standout nail. Better to have fewer problems, let’s just keep things quiet, huh?” Gu Changsheng consoled in a good-natured tone, giving Yue Xilou no chance to counter, and led Little Meat Bun towards the main hall.

Xiao Cui and Dong Lei were quick to prepare everything.

In the main hall, the offering table was already set up, and the four-colored offerings were neatly arranged.

Looking at the large pickled pig head in the center, Gu Changsheng’s mouth twitched as she turned to the two maids, “Where did this pig head come from?”

This was nearly turning into something too ceremonious; they even got a pig head for the offering ceremony!

“Didn’t madam say you wanted to eat seasoned pig’s ears yesterday?” Dong Lei stepped forward and replied.

Gu Changsheng’s mouth twitched even more, “So what?”

“Well, I thought, since we’re eating the pig’s ears, why not add some pig cheek meat too? We have a lot of people at home, just in case it’s not enough,” Dong Lei said with a hopeful grin, and then continued, “Madam, rest assured, it’s a fresh pickled pig head, hasn’t been served yet.”

Remove it from the offering table, then straight to dinner; perfect timing!

Gu Changsheng admired Dong Lei to the point of admiration, her eyes bright as they landed on that big pickled pig head, and she nodded, “Well done!”

So damn prescient! Today, she’d treat those two men who freeloaded at her house to pig head meat!

And the best part was that she didn’t have to worry about not having enough!

Gu Changsheng’s eyes swept over Dong Lei’s increasingly plump waistline, then over her clearly plumper and handsome little face, and she rubbed her forehead with a headache, “Xiao Leizi, go outside quickly. Every time I see you, I can’t help but compare you with the pickled pig head on the offering table.”

If he continued to eat like this, the beautiful Xiao Leizi would soon be indistinguishable from a pig head!

The thought alone was distressing! Her beautiful maid, why is her aesthetic sense so twisted, and how shall she save her own eyes in the near future?