Two days before heading north, Xia Lanshi received the first formal recuperation plan from the other world.
Xiao Yuan personally brought it back, packed inside a wooden chest. The chest was not heavy, but it had been tied up extremely securely. A note was pasted on the outside. The handwriting could hardly be called pretty, but every stroke had been written with exceptional force.
—Xia Lanshi’s Recuperation Plan, Phase One.
Xia Lanshi stared at those words in silence for a long while.
Chi Banyue stood beside him, lowered her head to glance at it, and immediately curved her eyes into a smile.
“Lord Xia, congratulations.”
Xia Lanshi slightly raised his eyes, his face completely expressionless.
“What are you congratulating me for?”
Chi Banyue smiled sweetly. “You have officially become Doctor Su’s priority patient. In my opinion, your days from now on will probably be stricter than being in prison.”
Xia Lanshi: “……”
Xiao Yuan said nothing and simply opened the chest.
Inside were many things arranged into different categories. Nutritional powder, iron supplements, vitamins, soft masks, thermal knee pads, eye-care supplies, sun-protective cloths, and several packets of medicine that had been repackaged in oil paper. Each item had a label on the outside explaining its purpose, usage, and contraindications.
On top was also a stack of papers.
Xia Lanshi reached out and took them. The moment he opened to the first page, his expression stiffened slightly.
First rule: No handling official business before the Chen hour.
Second rule: Daily official business must not exceed two shichen.
Third rule: Meals must not be skipped. If there is no appetite, at minimum take nutritional powder.
Fourth rule: No staying up late.
Fifth rule: No exposure to cold winds.
Sixth rule: Do not increase or decrease medication on your own.
Seventh rule: If you feel that you are “fine,” it only counts as fine after Chi Banyue or Xiao Yuan confirms it.
Xia Lanshi’s finger stopped when he reached the final rule.
Chi Banyue leaned over to look and immediately burst out laughing.
“This rule is excellent. Doctor Su truly understands you patients.”
Xia Lanshi said mildly, “I think Doctor Su may have some misunderstanding about me.”
Xiao Yuan said bluntly, “No.”
Xia Lanshi looked at him.
Xiao Yuan said, “You really do often say that you’re fine.”
Chi Banyue added from the side, “And usually, you’re very much not fine.”
Xia Lanshi: “……”
Xia Lanshi felt that Xiao Yuan had absolutely no standing to say anything. When he had been seriously wounded before, he had not been like this.
Now that his injuries had mostly healed, he had started managing him instead.
He was just about to argue a few points, but when he looked up, he saw that Xiao Yuan had already handed the recuperation plan to Chi Banyue.
Xiao Yuan said, “Follow this.”
Chi Banyue took the papers, smiling extremely sweetly.
“Rest assured, Your Highness. I will carry out Doctor Su’s instructions perfectly.”
Xia Lanshi suddenly felt that perhaps he should not have woken up so early.
◇◆◇◆◇
At the same time, inside Guichen Studio, Su Muchen was lying behind the counter, continuing to write the second supplementary set of instructions.
Three medical records were spread across the desk.
Patient No. 1: Xiao Yuan.
Patient No. 2: Xia Lanshi.
Temporary medical statistics for the refugees in Linzhou.
He had originally only wanted to organize the information a little, but the more he organized it, the more problems he found.
Xiao Yuan’s injuries were recovering far too quickly and warranted long-term observation. Xia Lanshi’s physical foundation was too poor and needed to be recuperated as soon as possible. Although the epidemic among the Linzhou refugees was temporarily under control, if the situation in the northern border became worse, the supplies needed next would increase severalfold.
Su Muchen lowered his head and wrote the list, his brows drawing tighter and tighter.
Xiao sat nearby, holding the pressed-flower bookmark Xia Lanshi had sent him. For once, he was unusually quiet.
Su Muchen looked up at him.
“Are you very free today?”
Xiao slipped the bookmark back into the letter and said lazily, “I’m always very free.”
“Then go organize the oral rehydration salts.”
Xiao: “……”
He put away the letter and resignedly stood up.
“Muchen, you’re getting more and more accustomed to ordering people around.”
Su Muchen did not even raise his head.
“You’re a shop assistant.”
“I thought I was the gatekeeper.”
“Part-time shop assistant.” Su Muchen pushed a new list toward him. “These things need to be prepared before Xiao Yuan and the others depart. The northern border is colder. Xia Lanshi’s condition can’t be delayed.”
Xiao glanced at it.
Nutritional powder, iron supplements, thermal supplies, protective goggles, sun-protective cloths, soft inner gloves, portable heat packs, hypoallergenic soap, oral rehydration salts, fever medication, anti-inflammatory medication, and trauma supplies.
At the very bottom was another line.
—If conditions permit, establish a long-term recuperation record for Xia Lanshi.
Xiao stared at that line for a moment, then suddenly laughed.
“If Lord Xia knew about this, he’d probably regret coming back to life.”
Su Muchen looked up. “Why?”
Xiao said slowly, “You manage patients more strictly than Your Highness manages prisoners.”
Su Muchen’s face remained expressionless.
“Prisoners will escape if they don’t obey. Patients will die if they don’t obey. Which is more serious?”
Xiao was silent for a moment.
“That’s reasonable.”
Su Muchen lowered his head again, his tone very calm.
“He has congenital albinism. That can’t be changed. But albinism isn’t a demon, nor is it a curse. It’s simply a special congenital condition. As long as we protect his eyesight, avoid excessive sun exposure, improve his nutrition and immunity, at the very least we can help him get sick less often.”
His pen paused.
“His body didn’t become this weak in one day. Restoring it won’t take just one or two days either.”
Xiao looked at him, the amusement in his eyes fading slightly.
“You really intend to manage him long-term?”
Su Muchen gave him a look that seemed to say are you asking something obvious?
“I’ve already established his medical record.”
Although he could not work as a doctor in a formal hospital, now that he had patients from another world, naturally he had no intention of simply leaving them untreated.
Xiao: “……”
That really was a Su Muchen-style promise.
◆◇◆◇◆
On the other side, Xia Lanshi soon experienced exactly what “establishing a medical record” meant.
That evening, Chi Banyue arrived on time carrying the recuperation plan Su Muchen had sent over and lifted the tent flap.
Xia Lanshi was sitting at his desk, with documents concerning the subsequent handling of Linzhou spread beside him. Before he could even raise his head at the sound of footsteps, the brush in his hand was pulled away by Chi Banyue.
He paused for a moment and looked up.
“Miss Banyue.”
Chi Banyue smiled sweetly, her tone equally sweet.
“Doctor Su said that after the Xu hour, you’re not allowed to handle official business.”
Xia Lanshi said gently, “This document must be organized before we depart tomorrow.”
Chi Banyue nodded.
“I know.”
Xia Lanshi had just begun to relax when he heard her continue.
“So I’m taking it to His Highness.”
Xia Lanshi: “……”
Xia Lanshi was speechless.
Where in the world did a subordinate push her work onto the sovereign?
Chi Banyue put away the document and casually placed a strange-looking bowl of soup in front of him.
“Drink.”
Xia Lanshi looked at the strange substance giving off an unfamiliar sweetness and slightly furrowed his brows.
“What is this?”
“Doctor Su said it’s to nourish your body.” Chi Banyue propped her chin on her hand. “Don’t worry, it’s not poison. If it were poison, he wouldn’t have specifically written the words ‘small amounts, multiple times.’”
Xia Lanshi picked up the bowl and took a sip.
The taste could not be called good, nor could it be called bad. But to someone accustomed to drinking medicinal decoctions, it was truly strange.
Chi Banyue watched his expression and smiled happily.
“Is it good?”
Xia Lanshi was silent for a moment.
“It’s acceptable.”
Chi Banyue immediately flipped open the papers.
“Doctor Su also wrote that if Xia Lanshi says ‘it’s acceptable,’ it most likely means it’s not good, but he can endure it.”
Xia Lanshi: “……”
Chi Banyue laughed so hard that her shoulders shook.
Xia Lanshi closed his eyes, feeling an uncommon sense of helplessness in his life.
He had dealt with the Crown Prince’s people, court ministers, assassins, and the endless pain inside his own body.
But he had never dealt with a Doctor Su who was separated from him by another world, whom he had never even met, yet could predict every one of his words with such accuracy.
Even more frightening was that Xiao Yuan and Chi Banyue seemed to be standing completely on Doctor Su’s side.
This was very difficult to handle.
The preparations for heading north were completely finished on the morning of the third day.
The refugee camp outside Linzhou had already been handed over to the newly appointed temporary administrator and the military personnel remaining behind.
After Zhou Jin’s death, the officials of Linzhou had been thoroughly purged. Although the clues actually leading to the Eastern Palace had been severed, the testimonies from Zhao Ling and Yongfeng Grain Shop were enough to make a group of people temporarily afraid to act.
Xiao Yuan did not continue wasting time.
The military reports from the northern border became more urgent with each passing day.
Epidemics, food shortages, snowstorms, probing attacks by the enemy.
None of these things could wait.
The night before departure, he returned to Guichen Studio once more.
This time, besides the usual gold, he also brought the translated fourth section of the Su family’s ancient text.
Su Muchen was loading a batch of thermal supplies into a cart. When he saw him arrive, he first looked at his complexion, then at his movements.
“Does your wound still hurt?”
Xiao Yuan said, “It doesn’t.”
Su Muchen stared at him.
Xiao Yuan paused, then corrected himself.
“Occasionally.”
Only then was Su Muchen satisfied.
“At least you’re telling the truth now.”
Xiao Yuan said quietly, “You taught me well.”
Su Muchen’s fingers paused, and he nearly put the waterproof bag into the wrong box.
Xiao lowered his head beside them, tying ropes as though he had heard nothing.
Su Muchen expressionlessly changed the subject.
“The translation?”
Xiao Yuan handed him the papers.
This section was shorter than the previous one, but it made Su Muchen’s heart sink.
—The gate chooses its master; the master bears its cause.
—If the key leaves the heart, the gate will also lose its balance.
—Two lives are bound together, not by life and death, but by karma.
—While the karma remains unfinished, the road cannot be severed.
Su Muchen stared at the words “two lives are bound together” for a long time.
“‘Not by life and death, but by karma’… What does this mean?”
Xiao Yuan did not answer immediately.
He actually could not be completely certain either.
Some of the words in the ancient text resembled the ancient language of the Great Sheng, yet were more obscure than ordinary historical records, as though certain truths had deliberately been hidden between clarity and ambiguity.
“At the very least, we can confirm that the gate does not open solely because of bloodline,” Xiao Yuan said. “There may be another kind of unfinished karma between you and me.”
Su Muchen instinctively frowned.
“I didn’t even know you before.”
Xiao Yuan looked at him.
“We know each other now.”
Su Muchen: “……”
He increasingly felt that something about the way Xiao Yuan spoke lately was strange.
Xiao finally raised his head and said indifferently, “Karma doesn’t necessarily refer to the past. It may also refer to the future.”
Su Muchen looked toward him.
“You know?”
Xiao smiled.
“I’m guessing.”
Su Muchen said coldly, “Your guess sounds very much like you know.”
Xiao: “Then perhaps I’m simply smarter.”
Su Muchen restrained the urge to throw the thermal blanket in his hand at him.
Xiao Yuan put away the translation and his gaze fell upon the thick medical record for Xia Lanshi on the table.
“What are you planning to do about Xia Lanshi’s recuperation?”
Su Muchen immediately entered doctor mode.
“The first phase is to stabilize his physical condition. First improve his nutrition, anemia, and low body temperature, and reduce the risk of infection. Albinism itself is irreversible, but we can reduce his daily physical burden by protecting his eyes, avoiding strong light, and improving his nutrition.”
As he spoke, he put several packets into the wooden chest.
“These are for him. Once you reach the northern border, the environment will be colder. He can’t continue relying on sheer endurance as he did before. In particular, staying up late and being exposed to cold must be controlled.”
Xiao Yuan looked at the chest of supplies and said after a moment, “He won’t listen.”
Su Muchen looked up.
“So I wrote three copies.”
“Three?”
“One for him, one for you, and one for Chi Banyue.”
Xiao Yuan was silent for a moment.
“Chi Banyue’s copy will be the most useful.”
“I think so too.”
The two of them rarely reached an agreement so easily on something.
Xiao chuckled softly from the side.
Su Muchen glanced at him.
“What are you laughing at?”
Xiao said lazily, “I just think Lord Xia’s future will be very lively.”
Su Muchen said, “Only the living have the right to complain about being lively.”
The moment those words fell, the shop became quiet.
Xiao Yuan looked at him, his gaze deeper than the lamplight.
Su Muchen lowered his head and continued organizing the chest, as though he had merely said something ordinary.
But Xiao Yuan knew that he had not said it casually.
To Su Muchen, being alive had never been a lighthearted phrase.
It meant taking medicine on time every day.
It meant making sure wounds did not reopen.
It meant not getting a single spoonful of oral rehydration salts wrong.
It meant patients were not allowed to say they were fine.
It meant gold, supplies, account books, and carts crossing between two worlds.
It also meant that every night when he returned, Su Muchen instinctively looked at his wound first.
Xiao Yuan said quietly, “I will make sure he stays alive until we reach the northern border.”
Su Muchen’s hands paused.
“You too.”
Xiao Yuan looked at him.
Su Muchen did not raise his head. He simply stuffed a personal medicine pouch into his arms.
“Don’t forget, you’re still Patient No. 1.”
Xiao Yuan lowered his eyes to the medicine pouch and suddenly gave a low laugh.
“Fine, Doctor Su.”
Su Muchen’s ears warmed slightly, and he immediately turned around to push the cart.
“Don’t say it like that.”
Xiao Yuan said nothing more, but the smile in his eyes faded, then deepened again.
That night, more supplies than usual were sent through the gate.
After obtaining the cart, they had already figured out the gate’s rules. The number of times mattered more than the weight. As long as they did not exceed the maximum load it could bear at one time, transporting everything together was more stable than moving one chest at a time.
This time, the cart was stacked three layers high.
The bottom contained oral rehydration salts, water filters, soap, and trauma kits.
The middle contained nutritional powder, thermal supplies, and Xia Lanshi’s specialized recuperation chest.
The top contained lightweight food and several new templates for epidemic-prevention notices.
Su Muchen personally secured the ropes, then patted the cart.
“Save these until you reach the northern border. Once you get there, I’ll adjust things according to the situation on your side.”
Xiao Yuan nodded.
“After we depart tomorrow, the temporary gate points will become more unstable.”
Xiao said, “The farther north you go, the farther you are from the fixed gate points, and the greater the gate’s consumption. Before opening it each time, confirm the location first. Don’t open it randomly in an open area.”
Su Muchen frowned.
“What if there’s an emergency?”
Xiao looked at him.
“Even in an emergency, you have to find a place. The gate can save a life, but it can also take one.”
Su Muchen fell silent.
Those words reminded him of the sensation of his arm going numb when the gate had thrown him back.
That had not been an ordinary rejection.
It was some kind of cold, ruthless rule.
The gate was not benevolent.
It had given them a path, but that path was not gentle.
Xiao Yuan noticed the change in his expression and said quietly, “I’ll be careful.”
Su Muchen looked up.
“You’d better.”
The words sounded rather impolite.
Yet Xiao Yuan heard the concern within them.
He grasped the cart’s handle and pushed the entire load toward the white light. Then, suddenly, he turned around.
“Muchen.”
Su Muchen looked at him.
Xiao Yuan said, “After tomorrow, I may not be able to come every night.”
Su Muchen’s fingers tightened slightly.
He had actually known this for a long time.
The farther the journey, the greater the risk. The temporary gate points were unstable, and Xiao Yuan could not spend all his energy opening the gate every day.
But knowing was one thing.
Actually hearing him say it was another.
Su Muchen lowered his head and glanced at the account book, deliberately maintaining his composure.
“Mm. Safety comes first.”
Xiao Yuan looked at him.
“If I don’t come for three days, don’t panic.”
Su Muchen frowned.
“That sounds very much like you’re giving your last words.”
Xiao Yuan froze.
Su Muchen raised his head, his tone somewhat unpleasant.
“If the conditions don’t allow it, don’t force yourself to come. I’ll wait.”
Xiao Yuan’s eyes softened for a moment.
“Okay.”
Su Muchen paused, then added, “Also, once you reach the northern border, prioritize reporting the water sources, number of patients, grain supplies, and wounded soldiers. Don’t just say that you’re alive.”
Xiao Yuan said, “You don’t want to know whether I’m alive?”
Su Muchen: “……”
He turned around and stuffed a bag of heat packs into a gap in the cart.
“That is a basic requirement.”
The corners of Xiao Yuan’s lips moved slightly.
“Understood.”
The white light swallowed the cart, as well as Xiao Yuan’s figure.
After the gate closed, Guichen Studio became quiet.
Su Muchen stood there for a long time before finally turning back to the counter and recording today’s transportation.
—Final concentrated supply transfer completed before heading north.
—Xiao Yuan’s injuries recovering well, abnormally quickly; continued observation required.
—Phase One of Xia Lanshi’s recuperation plan delivered.
—Fourth section of the gate translation: The gate chooses its master; while the karma remains unfinished, the road cannot be severed.
When he wrote the final sentence, his pen stopped.
The road cannot be severed.
But what if the road really did break?
He remained silent for a moment.
In the end, he did not write anything further.
Xiao stood by the window, watching the black car outside Changning Lane that had changed its position once again. His eyes were indifferent.
“Muchen.”
“Mm?”
“People from the Sheng family are still there.”
Su Muchen closed his notebook and stood up, walking to the window.
The shadow of the car was hidden in a place the streetlights could not reach, like an eye that refused to close.
He took out his phone, photographed it, and placed the picture into the “Sheng Family Surveillance Records” folder.
Watching his practiced movements, Xiao could not help laughing.
“You’re becoming more and more like you’re at war with them.”
Su Muchen looked at the car, his tone calm.
“We are.”
On one side were the snowstorms of the northern border.
On the other were the undercurrents of Yun Capital.
Xiao Yuan was heading toward his battlefield.
And he, too, had to protect his own.
The night outside was deep and heavy.
The bronze bell of Guichen Studio hung silently, like a quiet token.
The northern wind behind the gate had yet to reach this place, but Su Muchen already clearly felt it.
That greater storm was drawing near.