Time Travel: The Best Doctor in Ancient Times

Chapter 353: Chapter 228: Coming Out of the Mountain Q&A Section Chapter 353: Chapter 228: Coming Out of the Mountain Q&A Section “`

Gu Changsheng desperately wanted to deceive herself into believing she didn’t know, but under Mr. Ban Shan’s wise and piercing gaze, she truthfully nodded.

“Do you really think I lack even that little bit of pride and integrity?” Mr. Ban Shan asked, his eyes squinting.

Gu Changsheng, feeling dejected, touched her nose and muttered to herself, “Such pride isn’t even worth having, to be honest. What’s the use? It can’t be eaten as food…”

In the back courtyard, where there were only a few of them and they weren’t far apart, her words had, unsurprisingly, reached everyone’s ears without a single syllable missing.

Dong Lei’s mouth twitched as he looked at his wife, utterly speechless.

Only his wife could act so unrestrainedly in front of Mr. Ban Shan because, no matter the time or place, she always seemed out of tune!

Looking at the brocade rope in his hand, Dong Lei felt an indescribable sense of misery. How would all this end?

Gu Changsheng, too, had no idea how the recent events would conclude. Speaking of Mr. Ban Shan, he reminisced about the past and reflected on the present, speaking at length, yet not giving her a straight word. What on earth did he mean by all this?

The silver lining was that she hadn’t been directly driven away like Huo Shuixian had been; that was indeed a stroke of luck within misfortune.

“Master, why don’t you just let me succeed?” Gu Changsheng moved closer towards the artificial mountain rock and spoke in a stammering voice, “Actually, I didn’t really want to lay hands on you, sir. You’re such a refined person, I’m afraid I won’t be able to bring myself to do it with the rope…”

Mr. Ban Shan gave Gu Changsheng a cold glance, lounged sideways on the rock, and sternly scolded, “Retreat. Where’s the dignity of the Medicine God? Who’s bickering with you?”

“Uh…” Gu Changsheng was at a loss for words.

Damn it, you’ve done plenty of bickering. She’s only bickered a little, and suddenly she’s not acting like the Medicine God?

Reputation is indeed a burden!

“It’s not difficult to persuade me to leave my retreat. Gu Changsheng, you just need to answer a few more of my questions. If you answer them correctly, I’ll grant your request and emerge from seclusion!” With one hand behind his head, Mr. Ban Shan’s smiling face faded, his whiskers fluttering, bearing quite the countenance of a recluse master.

At that moment, Gu Changsheng couldn’t care less about whether he was a high person or not; her heart leapt with joy upon hearing these words.

Was there a chance, after all?

And Scholar Yan Tai, standing aside, was especially shocked, exclaiming in disbelief, “Master?”

In inviting others to seek his guidance, the master had always been unflinchingly straightforward, let alone giving anyone hope. Answer a few questions?

What on earth did the master mean?

Yan Tai couldn’t help but look towards Gu Changsheng, pondering silently.

Gu Changsheng was also musing to herself. After the initial joy subsided, she calmed down a little and knew, damn, the test was coming.

A question posed by a literary giant of the time, and related to his leaving seclusion–could it be child’s play?

“You wouldn’t ask me some tricky and bizarre questions just to make things difficult for me, would you?” Gu Changsheng voiced her worry, echoing the doubt from the bottom of her heart.

She believed that it was very probable!

This was to make her back down in the face of difficulty!

It seemed that if she really couldn’t answer, the brocade rope would still come into play!

“How could I act like you? Attendant, dismiss everyone!” Mr. Ban Shan waved his hand.

Hearing this, Gu Changsheng felt even more uncertain, watching as Scholar Yan Tai took the three people she had brought with her away and did not return, a flash of something different in her eyes.

Damn it, clearing the area!

What was he planning to do? To do what?

It wasn’t right to frighten people like this!

Gu Changsheng felt very unsettled, like fifteen buckets fetching water in her heart, seven up and eight down, when Mr. Ban Shan, who had been reclining on the side, had at some point already returned to a cross-legged sitting posture.

“Gu Changsheng, let me ask you, why do you think I’ve chosen to live in seclusion in Liuzhou City?” Mr. Ban Shan’s hands resting evenly on his knees, he asked in a deep voice.

“Ah?” Gu Changsheng was baffled by the question. As she became aware again and saw Mr. Ban Shan’s serious expression, she lowered her head to ponder.

Damn it, why would one seclude themselves in Liuzhou?

The great secrets hidden in plain sight, the lesser in the wilderness–whether a great or minor seclusion, living in seclusion meant pure gilding! But Mr. Ban Shan had already said that he’d been renowned throughout the Four Kingdoms fifty years ago; he certainly didn’t need to use seclusion for gilding to fame. If it wasn’t for fame, then what for?

“To escape from worldly affairs?” Gu Changsheng asked tentatively, voicing the thoughts from the bottom of her heart.

“`

Mr. Ban Shan gave Gu Changsheng a meaningful look, his aged eyes slightly drooped, and he spoke slowly, “Then I will ask you again, why did I choose to live in seclusion?”

Gu Changsheng knew she had managed to get through the first question, but now this second question made Gu Changsheng lower her head and ponder once more.

The explanation given by Zhou Mu was that Mr. Ban Shan chose to live as a hermit because he was incessantly besieged by pupils seeking his instruction, to the point of exasperation, driving him to leave home. Yet, since Mr. Ban Shan had posed this question, it was clear that Zhou Mu’s explanation was not entirely correct! At the very least, the reason for Mr. Ban Shan’s seclusion was certainly not that superficial.

Or perhaps, Zhou Mu did not want her to think too deeply about it and therefore did not tell her the entire reason.

Gu Changsheng then suddenly recalled the time she went up to Baili Mountain with Zhou Zongbao when Zhou Mu had mentioned the matter of the King of Ci.

Gu Changsheng suddenly looked up, her expression one of astounded doubt as she gazed at Mr. Ban Shan.

At that moment, Mr. Ban Shan was also looking at her with a concentrated face, his beard lightly floating, his gaze almost seeming capable of piercing through all shadows.

Facing the old man before her, who possessed the greatest wisdom in the land, Gu Changsheng suddenly felt that his eyes were like those of a sage, clear and detached, as if they could see through all the affairs of the world!

Under Mr. Ban Shan’s intense gaze, Gu Changsheng pulled herself together and spoke in a deep voice, “The world’s great trends wax and wane; unity follows division and division follows unity. Now, for several hundred years, the Four Kingdoms have been standing against each other, with countless able people emerging, and the flames of war have never truly ceased. Just as Miss Huo said, you are a sage of the present age, a literary giant, and scholars from all over the world yearn for your guidance.”

“Now, as the Four Kingdoms begin to vie for supremacy, martial prowess can secure the nation, and literary skill can govern it. With your talents, your prestige in the literary world, and your extraordinary status in the hearts of scholars, how can you not move the ambitions of those with wild aspirations? You wish to seclude yourself from the world, but can you truly stay hidden?”

Upon saying this, Gu Changsheng looked at Mr. Ban Shan with genuine empathy, “If the Four Kingdoms vie for the Central Plains, and chaos ensues, where hooves of conquest pass, calamity befalls all living beings. Liuzhou City may have Zhou Mu, but at that time, as a descendant of the Great Zhou Imperial Family, how can he stand idly by? Liuzhou will also face the peril of being ravaged by war. If it truly comes to that, what means will you have to secure your safety?”

“Haha…” Face to face, Mr. Ban Shan suddenly burst into unrestrained laughter, a laughter that was liberated and boundless.

In the midst of Gu Changsheng’s surprise, Mr. Ban Shan suddenly ceased his laughter, his eyes as sharp as torches as he looked at her, “I have indeed not misjudged you, Gu Changsheng. From a glimpse, you perceive the whole; a woman though you are, you possess the Seven Apertures Exquisite Heart to discern the situation. With your own power, you aid the mighty rise of the Medical Path and possess such insight and foresight, truly, heroes are defined not by their origin but by their deeds. You have impressed me.”

“You flatter me too much, sir!” Gu Changsheng hastily bowed in respect.

Mr. Ban Shan waved his long-sleeved robe to interrupt Gu Changsheng’s modesty, his piercing gaze as tangible as it rested on her, and he spoke seriously, “Gu Changsheng, the question you ask me is also the very question I wish to ask you. Now, I will ask you one final question: when chaos descends upon the land, and the Four Kingdoms contend over the Central Plains, how should I preserve myself and remain safe?”

Upon hearing this, Gu Changsheng immediately lowered her head and withdrew her gaze, her pupils flickering uncertainly, her mind filled with a myriad of thoughts.

Seeing her so, Mr. Ban Shan did not hurry her, only quietly watching her, his face bearing the understanding of a sage.

It was a long while before Gu Changsheng slowly raised her head, looking at the old man before her, and slowly began, “If that’s the case, sir, come with me.”

“Changsheng is but of humble abilities, with a family to take care of. Even if faced with turbulent times, there is a desire for peace!” Gu Changsheng said this, her eyes gradually becoming resolute, her whole demeanor changing, no longer nonchalant as before, but rather imposing as if she were standing atop a solitary peak, “Be it the Four Kingdoms vying for control, or a sky aflame with war and carnage, I only wish for my family to be safe on their own. Whoever dares to bring the flames of war to me, I shall ensure they do not return!”

“I have never depended on heaven or earth, nor put my hopes in others. If only the strong can live without harm, then Changsheng will become that strong one. If only a unified world can bring peace, then Changsheng will strive for this world’s unification!”

“If you trust me, sir, then come with me!”

Having said this, Gu Changsheng’s presence retracted, turning to the old man sitting cross-legged before her.

Her words were so arrogantly spoken, how many in this world would believe her?

At this point, Mr. Ban Shan had to make his choice, and Gu Changsheng could not influence it any further; she had already made up her mind that if Mr. Ban Shan still refused to come out of seclusion, then she would not insist, for everyone has their own aspirations!

Mr. Ban Shan stared deeply at Gu Changsheng, as if attempting to see through her entirely.

Time seemed to stand still for a moment, so quiet that one could hear a pin drop.

Just when Gu Changsheng was about to give up hope, Mr. Ban Shan slowly raised his hand and pointed to the ground in front of her, saying in a profound voice, “Kneel.”

“What?” Gu Changsheng gasped, and, realizing what was happening, she knelt down.

What situation is this, making someone kneel while they’re distracted!

Damn!

The sad part was, she actually knelt!

“In all my life, I have had no children, lived alone; Gu Changsheng, are you willing to accept me as your foster father?” Mr. Ban Shan murmured, as if speaking to himself.

“What?” Gu Changsheng looked up in shock. Foster father?

This must be an illusion! Weren’t they discussing whether to leave seclusion or not?

How did they suddenly dive into this?

“What? Does the idea of regarding me as your foster father feel beneath you? With my age, I’m old enough to be your grandfather! Hmph!” Mr. Ban Shan snorted coldly upon seeing her reaction.

Gu Changsheng quickly waved her hands, “No, not at all! How could it be beneath me? It’s just that the topic has shifted so dramatically, I was not able to keep up! Sir, could you please repeat what you just said?”

Mr. Ban Shan looked at the bewildered woman before him, shook his head and spoke slowly, “I’m asking you, are you willing to acknowledge me as your foster father, to treat me as your own family from this day forward, through chaos or peace, supporting each other, never to part?”