Chapter 42 Skills and Tao
Early in the morning, Old Man Yao got up from his bed and walked slowly into the yard.

The water tank has been filled and the yard has been swept clean, but the old traces are gone.

Old man Yao looked up at the crow on the apricot tree, and the crow pointed outside the door with its wings.

He looked across the corridor to the outside of the clinic and saw Chen Ji holding a long bamboo broom, sweeping the stone road in front of the clinic.

Yesterday was the Double Ninth Festival. The ground of Anxi Street was littered with dogwood and garbage, except for the area in front of Taiping Medical Clinic, which was clean.

He asked doubtfully, "When did this kid get up?"

The crow cackles.

"Three quarters of an hour before dawn? He really got up earlier than the chickens." Old Man Yao looked around and said, "He works so efficiently. I can hardly find a reason to beat him up."

The crow cackles.

Old Man Yao nodded: "He is indeed sensible... You don't have to praise him in various ways, I know what he is doing."

He walked to the door, squinted at Chen Ji and said, "You are so diligent that I am a little nervous. It is not your job to work today, so why did you do all the work?"

Chen Ji leaned on a large bamboo broom and said with a smile, "I'm just sitting around doing nothing. After all, this is my home. It will be more refreshing if I clean it up."

Old Man Yao looked at Chen Ji in confusion: "You were so polite to me yesterday, why are you trying to get close to me today?"

Chen Ji responded: "There must always be some new changes."

Old Man Yao was silent for a long time: "What are your plans for She Dengke's matter?"

Chen Ji responded while sweeping the floor: "We can't really kill him... Master, do you think Senior Brother She is a bad guy?"

"No."

"Yes, you also think he is not a bad person," Chen Ji sighed, "Of course I will keep this in mind, but if I really want to kill him, I may not be able to do it."

Old Man Yao said calmly: "You are neither a good person nor a bad person. People like you may not live long in this world. The inheritance of Shanjun may end in your hands."

As they were talking, the sound of horse hooves was heard at the end of Anxi Street.

Old Man Yao and Chen Ji turned around and saw a carriage approaching quickly.

The carriage arrived at the entrance of the clinic. Princess Baili, the little monk, and the prince jumped off the carriage one after another. There were still a few rouge marks on the prince's face, and he reeked of alcohol.

The three of them lowered their heads and ran towards the Taiping Clinic. As they ran, they did not forget to greet Old Man Yao: "Good morning, Doctor Yao!"

"Good morning, Doctor Yao!"

Princess Baili ran halfway, but she turned back and stuffed an oil-paper bag into Chen Ji's hand: "Here, I promised you. Let's go!"

But the three of them came to the backyard in a panic, stumbling. The prince shouted, "Little monk, this time it's your turn to step on me... Hey, no need for that!"

The prince looked at the wall and saw a wooden ladder that had been set up there without him noticing.

He muttered quietly, "The toll was not paid in vain. This kid is quite a decent person. It seems he is also a son of the Jianghu!"

Princess Baili looked back at the traces on the street, turned around and climbed the ladder into the palace: "Hurry, hurry, Mr. Wang's morning class is about to begin."

Doctor Yao stared at the three men climbing into the palace in astonishment, then turned to look at Chen Ji and asked, "Did you put the ladder there?"

Chen Ji nodded: "I took their money and provided some convenience."

Doctor Yao had a blank expression on his face: "With you here at Taiping Clinic, things are getting less and less peaceful."

At this time, a drunken curse came from the end of Anxi Street: "Red Clothes Lane is full of ungrateful people. When they have money, they call me Dog Lord, and when they don't, they call me Liang Dog. They kicked me out just because I didn't pay the money three times! Now I'm bringing the prince there, and they're still bowing and scraping, aren't they?"

Another voice said dully, "Brother, your name is Liang Gou'er, and people didn't call you that wrong." "The prince is really something. They came back in a carriage and didn't even bother to take us with them. Also, they didn't even bother to arrange a place for me to stay."

Liang Maoer was holding back his anger: "Brother, can't you just work hard in the Liu family? They pay you a lot."

"That won't work... There are three things I won't help: those who drink and cheat, those who are eunuchs, and those who go against the eunuchs... Those old guys are evil-minded and even more evil-minded. I can't beat them."

Chen Ji turned around and saw that it was the fat Liang Maoer carrying Liang Gouer on his back.

"Master, do you know Liang Gou'er?" Chen Ji asked curiously.

"I know him," Old Man Yao sneered, "People in Jianghu call him the Autumn Wind Swordsman, Liang Gou'er."

"Autumn Wind Swordsman? Because he practices the Autumn Wind Sword Technique?"

"No, it's because he likes to take advantage of others."

Chen Ji: Ah?

"Master, is Liang Gou'er an official?" Chen Ji asked curiously, "Why does he want to rely on the Liu family?"

"Practice requires money, friends, methods and places. Just like you need ginseng for practice, warriors also need medicine to strengthen themselves," Old Man Yao said calmly, "Most of the ways of practice in the world are the same. Money is spent like water. Without support, you can't practice well."

"Liang Gou'er is so powerful, why doesn't he rob the Liu family?" asked Chen Ji.

Old man Yao sneered, "All the resources in the world are in the hands of the government, aristocratic families, Taoists, and Buddhists, with a few scattered in the hands of sects like Luotian Sect. No matter how powerful Liang Gou'er is, he can't withstand the charge of 3,000 elite cavalry. The Liu family is nourishing more than 40,000 elite troops in Yuzhou, and they only listen to the orders of Liu Ge Lao... How many heads does Liang Gou'er have to dare to rob the Liu family?"

Liang Maoer was already approaching, carrying Liang Gouer on his back.

Liang Gou'er drunkenly opened his eyes and pointed at the Taiping Clinic, saying, "We live here. It's close to the prince. He must take me with him when he goes out to play!"

Liang Maoer looked at Old Man Yao awkwardly: "I'm sorry, my brother is talking nonsense."

"I'm not talking nonsense!" Liang Gou'er, with disheveled clothes, jumped off Liang Mao'er's back and rushed into the clinic carelessly.

Old Man Yao raised his hand to stop him: "Wait."

Liang Gou'er opened his eyes, staggered and looked at Old Man Yao, and after a long while he said in surprise: "Imperial Doctor Yao...an old acquaintance, that's even better, we can stay at Imperial Doctor Yao's house!"

Old man Yao remained silent.

Chen Ji was a little nervous. He had seen Liang Gou'er use a knife. The knife cut Lin Chaoqing's hat perfectly, not a bit more or less.

He was a little worried that such an official would make trouble after being rejected by his master, which would be bad if he hurt his master.

However, before he could figure out what to do, he saw Old Man Yao glance at Chen Ji, then slowly said to Liang Gou'er: "It's not impossible for you to live in the clinic, but you have to teach my apprentice how to practice swordsmanship. If you teach well, Taiping Clinic will not only let you stay, but also provide you with food."

Chen Ji was stunned.

Is this still my stingy master?

Liang Gou'er said jokingly, "Doctor Yao, you run a clinic, why does your apprentice want to learn swordsmanship? Is it because business has been bad recently and you want to inflict some injuries?"

Old man Yao said slowly: "Just teach him, don't worry about the rest."

But Liang Gou'er suddenly became serious: "Old man, I just drank too much, not stupid. My Liang family's sword art is not to be passed on to outsiders."

Doctor Yao said calmly: "I asked you to teach me sword skills, not your family's sword skills."

Liang Gou'er seemed to be thinking about something, then he burst into laughter: "Deal! Let's go, Liang Mao'er, we have a place to live now, let's go in and find something to eat first! It's just a matter of teaching me some knife skills, there is nothing in this world that I, Liang Gou'er, can't teach you how to use a knife!"

(End of this chapter)