After Being Adopted by the Obsessive Male Lead - Chapter 5

As the hour of the Monkey transitioned into the hour of the Rooster, the sun began its westward descent, casting a dusky yellow glow over the world. The long queue, rather than shortening, seemed only to grow. From his corner of the Pagoda Tree Altar, Chang Le watched the shifting sky. It reminded him intensely of the moment before he transmigrated, the sky had been that same shade of bruised orange. His dark brows knitted tightly together, a sense of unease settling in his chest.

“Let me see what else to add, Chuanxiong, five grams. You still need to rest properly when you get back.”

Chang Le snapped back to reality at the sound of Qiu He’s voice. He noted down the final herb, handed the prescription to the patient, and prepared to spread out a fresh sheet of paper.

“That’s enough for today,” Jun Wang suddenly announced. He gathered the blank papers and placed them into the wooden box.

Chang Le’s hand met empty air. He looked toward Qiu He, seeking her opinion.

Qiu He was also visibly exhausted. She massaged her neck a few times and nodded. “That’s about twenty people. We can stop now. Everyone, please return tomorrow, you may disperse.”

A brief clamor rose from the crowd, but since the clinic was free and Qiu He’s medical skills were well known, most of those who hadn’t been seen simply grumbled a few words before heading home.

The crowd at the Pagoda Tree Altar thinned out significantly. Chang Le pushed his wheelchair to the side, waiting for them to pack up. After writing for half the day, his arms felt quite sore.

“My neck is so stiff,” Qiu He said, stretching her arms high above her head. “Ah, that hurts so good. I wonder if there are any Plum Cold Rounds left. They usually sell out by this time, but I really crave a bowl.”

“What are those?” Chang Le asked curiously.

“A local specialty of the town, sour, sweet, soft, and chewy.”

Chang Le had a weakness for sweet and sour flavors. Just hearing the description made his mouth water instinctively. “That sounds delicious.”

“But it’s on the south side of town, it’s quite a long way,” Qiu He said regretfully.

Chang Le moved slowly in his wheelchair, so he likely wouldn’t make it in time.

“Then Miss Qiu should go ahead quickly. I won’t join you, I’m a bit tired and want to head back first. I know the way, so don’t worry about me,” Chang Le said. He truly didn’t want to see Qiu He disappointed, so he began pushing his wheelchair back toward the house.

“Hey, that won’t do,” Qiu He said hurriedly. “Since Chang Le is interested, why not let Jun Wang go? He’s fast. He can bring some back for all of us to eat together.”

Since Qiu He had put it that way, Jun Wang certainly wouldn’t refuse. Chang Le looked at Jun Wang, his face practically screaming that he was also craving the treat.

Caught between their two eager gazes, Jun Wang vanished in an instant, leaving nothing but a lingering afterimage.

Is this ‘Xianxia speed’?

Chang Le was startled. It was certainly efficient.

He waited in place for a while, when he suddenly heard a series of tinkling sounds coming from the pagoda tree.

Chang Le looked up and noticed that the fluttering red silks were also adorned with small bells, each with a slip of paper attached.

“May joy arrive and celebrations follow, may blessings and longevity be eternal. So these are prayer silks.”

“Yes,” Qiu He explained. “Taoyin Town falls under the jurisdiction of Qingyuan City. Three hundred years ago, City Lord Huai of Qingyuan exhausted his spiritual energy during the Great Immortal-Demon War to maintain a barrier that protected the people. He fell while defending the city, and his body scattered into light that flew toward the heavens. The people were so grateful that they believed he had achieved enlightenment and ascended. They built these Pagoda Tree Altars all over the city to worship him. Later on, these places became open-air temples.”

“City Lord Huai is truly admirable,” Chang Le said sincerely.

However, he couldn’t help but wonder if the “Demon” from that ancient war and the demonic bone Jun Wang carried were related. If the locals found out Jun Wang was the Demon Lord, the consequences would be…

“Healer Qiu, quick! There’s a man over there with a sword wound, he’s unconscious. Please, come and save him!”

A sturdy young man suddenly ran over, shouting in distress.

Qiu He quickly grabbed her acupuncture needles. “Chang Le, wait here. I’ll go take a look.”

“Go ahead, I’ll wait right here.”

As Chang Le sat there, he belatedly realized something felt off. The man’s face looked familiar.

The contours of his face looked like the very last patient he had seen!

Chang Le remembered that man’s prescription had called for a high dosage of herbs used for stopping bleeding and numbing pain, certainly not something an average household would need.

That earlier sense of unease surged back up.

Worried, Chang Le pushed his wheelchair in the direction Qiu He had gone. But as he entered an alleyway, the chair suddenly refused to move.

He looked back to find the man he had just been thinking about standing behind him, his hand gripping the back of the chair like a vice.

The man’s swollen eyes flashed with a murderous light.

Chang Le’s pupils contracted. “Where is Miss Qiu?”

“The Healer is perfectly fine, but as for you…”

Chang Le felt a brief moment of relief for her safety, but he quickly interrupted, “I have no grudge against you.”

The man held the chair with just one hand, yet Chang Le couldn’t move it an inch. A flicker of irritation rose in his mind, he should have installed some hidden arrows in this chair.

The man let out a mocking laugh. “I have no grudge against you, but someone is paying a high price for the life of that man called Asura!”

Asura? This man is from the Martial Hall!

They were trying to kill Jun Wang and had come to him instead.

He was completely innocent in this.

“I don’t know anyone named Asura. You have the wrong person. Let go.”

Suddenly, a wave of coldness settled against his neck.

The glint of a silver dagger reflected Chang Le’s pale face.

He froze instantly.

“I have the right person. Healer Qiu saved my life, so I cannot repay her kindness with enmity. But using you to threaten Asura? That works perfectly.”

The man suddenly pressed a cloth soaked in medicine firmly over Chang Le’s nose and mouth.

“Mmph!”

It’s over. Jun Wang might actually be happy to be rid of him. Was this man seeking revenge on Jun Wang, or just solving Jun Wang’s problems for him?

Chang Le couldn’t speak. He tried with all his might to pry the hand away, but his consciousness quickly faded into darkness.

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