Time Travel: The Best Doctor in Ancient Times

Chapter 355: Chapter 230 Luck is Also a Form of Strength Chapter 355: Chapter 230 Luck is Also a Form of Strength “Hetian, after all, I was the one who enlightened you, and your style name, Hetian, was given by me. How is it that you don’t recognize me as your teacher?” Mr. Ban Shan leisurely tossed away the small twig in his hand, stopped teasing the ants, and spoke in a calm and collected manner.

Upon hearing this voice, Zhou Zongbao felt utterly uncomfortable, and with hesitation, he stepped forward two paces, folded his sleeves, and gave a deep bow, “Student Hetian, greets the Master.”

Gu Changsheng looked at the two of them, completely baffled.

“Hmm,” Mr. Ban Shan responded indifferently, with his wide sleeves fluttering in the wind, looking at Zhou Zongbao, “I thought that after I had refused your request to teach Zhou Mu, you were bearing a grudge in your heart, to the point that you didn’t even recognize me as your former teacher anymore!”

Zhou Zongbao looked up to wipe the cold sweat from his forehead, his body still bowed and without straightening up, he hurriedly replied, “How could the teacher say such a thing? Once a teacher, always a teacher, this student will forever cherish your teachings in my heart.”

Gu Changsheng rested his chin on his hand, his gaze moving back and forth between the two, pointed at Zhou Zongbao, blinked his large eyes and asked, “So, my Foster Father was once your teacher who enlightened you?”

Zhou Zongbao, hearing the words “Foster Father,” couldn’t help but shiver, but with Mr. Ban Shan right there, he could only shamelessly nod his head.

Him being such an ignorant and untutored student, Zhou Zongbao was quite sure that Mr. Ban Shan was feeling more embarrassed than he was.

“So, when you were soliciting my Foster Father on behalf of the evildoer, you promised him high positions, Gold, Silver and Jewels, and even carriages and beauties?” Gu Changsheng inquired with bright and probing eyes.

Zhou Zongbao felt terribly sweaty inside. Regarding this matter, well, he really did do just that!

Seeing his reaction, Gu Changsheng didn’t need to be told to understand, and immediately gave Zhou Zongbao a thumbs-up, “Actually, you truly are an outstanding talent!”

Dammit, it indeed was this jerk who dug a pit, causing her to be reprimanded several times in front of her Foster Father.

Sending such things to one’s own master, besides Zhou Zongbao who else could pull this off? In the world of today, if one were to discuss who among the rakish sons is the mightiest, Prince Bao of Great Zhou Dynasty would rank second, and no one would dare to claim the first spot, not even Gu Changsheng could match up.

Now, Gu Changsheng’s admiration for Zhou Zongbao truly resembled the constant and endless flow of a mighty river, as people often say!

When Zhou Zongbao heard Gu Changsheng ask this question, his already bent back stooped even lower. He felt unspeakably depressed inside. Even if the facts were true, Gu Changsheng, this Mother Tigress, didn’t need to speak so bluntly! This was, quite literally, a slap to the face and so loud at that!

Utterly disgraceful!

“Ah! Only to blame myself for being young then and lacking in judgment when choosing disciples!” Mr. Ban Shan sighed, dropping such a remark with an air of detached serenity.

Zhou Zongbao, upon hearing that, almost fell flat on his face.

Gu Changsheng’s mouth also twitched upon hearing it.

Her Foster Father was not such a good master indeed, just look how that one sentence had struck Zhou Zongbao, leaving him barely able to stand, on the verge of an unwanted embrace with Mother Earth.

“Foster Father, after our long journey, you must be tired. Let’s hurry back home and rest,” Gu Changsheng shifted the topic with generous intention, really worried Zhou Zongbao, overwhelmed with shame, would actually collide with the ground.

“Good!” As soon as Mr. Ban Shan heard the term “Foster Father,” he was extremely cooperative and accommodating.

Gu Changsheng hurriedly extended her hand in a welcoming gesture, inviting her Foster Father into the house.

Mr. Ban Shan, being a man unconcerned with formalities, didn’t mind entering through the back door on his first visit. With his wide sleeves fluttering and his robust frame exuding a sense of world-weary scholarly elegance, he stepped forward towards the door without hesitation.

As the dutiful foster daughter, Gu Changsheng naturally followed half a step behind Mr. Ban Shan, respectful yet intimate.

“Foster Father, this is the martial arts training ground where your daughter and your grandson exercise daily,” Gu Changsheng pointed to the courtyard of the martial arts training ground and explained. “This is the vegetable garden set aside for Little Thunder, where some seasonal vegetables are grown. Foster Father, Little Thunder’s cooking is really delicious. Those gifts, wonderfully colored, fragrant, and tasty, were personally pickled by her. In a moment, I’ll have her prepare the three sacrificial offerings. After we properly perform the ceremony of recognizing you as a father, she’ll make us a sumptuous meal to celebrate. How does that sound, Foster Father?”

“Good, good, good!” Hearing his foster daughter approach the matter with such solemnity, Mr. Ban Shan readily agreed, naturally seeing no reason to decline.

“Foster Father, in this lake, we’ve already prepared the lotus seeds. Next year when they are sown, by summer, the lake will be filled with green lotuses, and it will look magnificent. I have named this lake Qiu Shui, with the hope that one can see through it at a glance,” stepping on the cobblestones, Gu Changsheng pointed to the shimmering artificial lake, cheerily narrating.

“Looking forward to autumn waters, autumn waters looking forward, indeed, the name of this lake is very well chosen, appealing to both refined and popular tastes, and it has a good meaning too!” Mr. Ban Shan nodded repeatedly.

Seeing him praise the lake, Gu Changsheng’s face broke into a genuine smile, as if he were a little child who had just received his parents’ compliments, quite pleased with himself. He raised his hand and pointed at the winding corridors ahead, bursting with enthusiasm, “Foster Father, that is the Nine-Turn Corridors, which I had built according to drawings based on ancient texts. These corridors contain a formation of the Five Elements and Yin and Yang. Those unfamiliar with the layout of our home can enter the corridors, and it will take them at least a quarter of an hour to find their way out.”

As Gu Changsheng said this, he raised an eyebrow to look at Zhou Zongbao.

Under her gaze, Zhou Zongbao pursed his lips and touched his nose, no doubt, he was the one who had wandered the whole estate for a quarter of an hour before finding the way out on the corridors.

“Excellent, excellent,” Mr. Ban Shan nodded in satisfaction again.

“Foster Father, do you see that building? That building is called Peach Blossom Cottage!” Gu Changsheng said with a sneakily amused smile, pointing at a three-story building next to them, “That building houses our family’s resident Little Monk, named Bu Jie. Although he is a Monk, his master is a Taoist. Fortunately, I decided to call his place of chanting and meditation Peach Blossom Cottage, which is a clever combination of nun, Taoist, and monk. However, the Little Monk himself refuses to accept the name, hmmph…”

“Ha ha! Very good, very good!” Mr. Ban Shan laughed heartily upon hearing this, and his gaze toward Gu Changsheng became even more fond.

“In Peach Blossom Dock there’s Peach Blossom Cottage, beneath Peach Blossom Cottage there’s the Peach Blossom Immortal. Regardless of whether the Little Monk acknowledges it or not, when next spring comes, I’ll have peach trees moved in, and he can contentedly be the Peach Blossom Immortal beneath the Peach Blossom Cottage while he sits and chants.” Gu Changsheng was in such high spirits, talking non-stop as if she couldn’t stop explaining.

Zhou Zongbao watched dumbfounded as Mr. Ban Shan, who normally had his head in the clouds and carried himself with such pride, transformed into a yes-man.

As long as Gu Changsheng spoke, there was nothing Mr. Ban Shan wouldn’t praise with a nod! He was the very picture of an overly devoted father.

Gu Changsheng arranged for Mr. Ban Shan to stay in an empty four-story building next to her living quarters. Originally intended for storing books by Gu Changsheng, it happened to be the perfect place to accommodate both Mr. Ban Shan and his library, truly making full use of the building.

Taking advantage of the time Mr. Ban Shan used to freshen up, Zhou Zongbao swiftly pulled Gu Changsheng aside and curiously inquired, “What method did you use to persuade the master to leave his seclusion?”

With an innocent blink of her eyes, Gu Changsheng answered matter-of-factly, “I gave Foster Father two options, if diplomacy failed, then force…”

Zhou Zongbao’s eyes widened in disbelief, “You actually dared to use force on the master! And then what happened?”

Given Mr. Ban Shan’s nature, he was certainly not one to submit to force!

Gu Changsheng shrugged and stretched out her hands, “And then… there was no then!”

“Are you playing with me?” Zhou Zongbao immediately flared up.

With all the innocence in the world and not showing any weakness, Gu Changsheng roared back, “What are you yelling for, be careful or my Foster Father will hear and teach you, his unworthy student, another lesson! Am I someone who lies? I even had the rope ready, it just wasn’t needed!”

“Really?” When Zhou Zongbao heard that Mr. Ban Shan might overhear, his fight went out of him like air from a burst ball, and he asked in a low voice, full of doubt.

“Of course it’s true!” Gu Changsheng said, a look of dissatisfaction crossing her face at being doubted.

Damn it, how dare he doubt her character! She was a person of integrity for sure! She would never stoop so low as to lie!

Zhou Zongbao cast a wary glance back at the building, seeing Mr. Ban Shan resting with his eyes closed, and then continued to ask, “So how did you coax the master into making you his foster daughter?”

When asked about this, Gu Changsheng looked even more innocent.

What kind of question was that, as if she coaxed her Foster Father into taking her in as his foster daughter?

Now that she thought about it, it was clear that it was Foster Father who had coaxed her into acknowledging him as her Foster Father, right?

But who would believe such a thing? Certainly, Zhou Zongbao wouldn’t!

“This… What if I told you that my Foster Father saw my quick wit and was so impressed by my talent that he came up with the idea to take me in as his foster daughter, would you believe that?” Sticking to the principle of telling the truth, Gu Changsheng honestly replied.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Zongbao gave Gu Changsheng a disdainful roll of his eyes, “Do you think I’m as gullible as a three-year-old? I’d have to see a ghost before I believed you!”

“Ah!” Gu Changsheng looked up to the sky and sighed, “The facts speak louder than words, Zhou Zongbao. A woman like me, loved by all, causing flowers to bloom at the mere sight, who combines beauty, wealth, and wisdom in a single package is rare in this world, one of a kind. And yet you’re always looking down on me like a blind dog!”

“Who are you calling a dog?” Zhou Zongbao instantly bristled, but mindful of Mr. Ban Shan inside the building, he suppressed his booming voice and said, “I’ve seen self-love, but I’ve never seen self-love like yours! Now I see, you’re just incredibly lucky; it’s only by a freak stroke of fate that you got a literary giant for a dad!”

As if it was none of her concern, Gu Changsheng spread her hands, “Luck is a part of strength, too; I’m the biological daughter of Lady Luck, and your envy, jealousy, and hatred won’t help!”