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Chapter 7 Uncle Zhang's past

The sun is getting stronger and stronger.

The sand and gravel under the scorching sun began to emit bursts of heat. Looking up, there was a faint heat wave that was constantly heating up in the endless desert.

The soles of the caravan camels left a series of walking footprints in the desert. After the huge caravan went away, a gust of hot wind blew away the footprints.

Only the melodious camel bells of "Ding Ding Dong Dong" still echoed over the Silk Road.

The caravan camels' feet had begun to change from fine sand to coarse sand and gravel, and they rustled when they stepped on it.

Uncle Zhang looked up and saw a series of dry ditches lying lifelessly, dotted with some drought-tolerant plants such as ephedra and seabuckthorn, but when he looked up, he saw two eagles circling in the air.

Uncle Zhang let out a deep breath, finally he was about to walk out of this barren and desert.

This uncle looks like he is in his fifties, with his hair neatly coiled and his bronzed skin, one can tell at a glance that he is a man who has traveled far and wide and has experienced many hardships.

Uncle Zhang's name is Zhang Yanqing, he is the head of the caravan, and also the chief head of the Xia family in the capital.

When Uncle Zhang was born, it was the time when the Central Plains were fighting in the Northern Dynasties. Because of the continuous wars, Uncle Zhang lost his parents when he was born, and he has been fostered at his uncle's house in Chang'an.

When he was six years old, his uncle and his family moved out, but Uncle Zhang became a schoolboy under Qiancaotang because of a chance meeting.

It is also because Uncle Zhang is very talented, intelligent and gifted. In addition to being diligent and studious, when Uncle Zhang was [-] or [-] years old, his research and mastery of medical science and pharmacology had already surpassed all the doctors under Qiancaotang.

If things go on like this, Uncle Zhang should become a generation of famous doctors in Qiancao Hall in a few years.

And becoming a famous doctor of a generation, Xuanhu Jishi is also Uncle Zhang's dream since he was a child, and he has been working hard for it.

It's a pity that good fortune tricks people, when Uncle Zhang was just over 20 years old.

Once, I accompanied a high-status doctor from Qiancaotang to see a doctor for a concubine of a high-ranking family.

Originally, it was just an ordinary fever, headache, stuffy nose and loud voice, but who would have thought that after taking the medicine prescribed by the doctor that night, the servants found out early the next morning that this beloved concubine had died on the bed for a long time.

The concubine's husband was a general of the Great Zhou Kingdom at that time, a high-ranking and powerful general, seeing his own woman died like this, without asking indiscriminately, he must give Qiancaotang an explanation.

Qiancaotang is convinced that it is impossible to die because of the medicine prescribed by the doctor. He wanted to find out the cause of his concubine's death, but was obstructed by various obstacles, and his concubine was buried on the day of death.

In desperation, Qiancaotang can only push all the faults on Uncle Zhang as an apprentice for the sake of a century-old reputation, for a safe place to live in this troubled world, and for the safety of the visiting doctor that day.

It has been more than 30 years, and Uncle Zhang clearly remembers it.

It was raining heavily in Chang'an City that day, and he was expelled from Qiancaotang. Uncle Zhang knew in his heart that just expelling him from Qiancaotang and not sending himself to the government for investigation was Qiancaotang's greatest protection for himself.

When he left Qiancaotang, he only brought his medical study experience and practice notes over the years, which were tightly wrapped in two old clothes.

However, when he hadn't finished descending the steps in front of Qiancao Hall with all his painstaking efforts over the years, he was surrounded by twenty or thirty hooligans, and it was inevitable that he would be beaten.

The years of painstaking efforts held tightly in his arms were destroyed in an instant, and that group of people had no intention of letting Uncle Zhang live at all, they just punched, kicked and clubged fiercely to death.

The rain has been falling, neither big nor small.

Thousands of herb hall gates were full of disciples, but no one dared to stand up to help, so they just watched Uncle Zhang being surrounded and beaten with dull eyes.

Uncle Zhang never complained about them. They are all medical students who have no power to restrain their chickens. How can they fight these hooligans, not to mention that there is a powerful person behind the hooligans.

This is life.

Uncle Zhang fell to the ground, holding his head in resignation, curled up his body, and waited for the arrival of death amid ruthless sticks, fists and feet.

Maybe it's because of his life, Uncle Zhang didn't wait until his death, but he waited for two handsome young men who were about his own age, and they happened to pass by on horseback with a dozen or so entourages.

One of the teenagers was wearing a black bottoming gown, a crimson leather soft armor, and a gold-plated boring in his hand.

He looked at the most disdainful scene in front of him with a rebellious expression. Without saying a word, he squeezed the horse's abdomen with both legs, and rushed towards the hooligans who surrounded Uncle Zhang. The gold-plated boring beat them into pieces.

Another young man in white came to Uncle Zhang on horseback, jumped off the horse and walked to Uncle Zhang, and gently lifted Uncle Zhang who was already covered in bruises and was about to faint...

Such a long past, but every time I recall it, it feels like it happened yesterday. Although Uncle Zhang has long since let go of what happened that year, every time he thinks about it, his heart is still filled with infinite emotion.

How humble he used to be.

After being rescued, he was completely naked, and his uncle's family had long since left Chang'an.

Later, the boy in white took him in. From then on, Uncle Zhang followed the boy in white, and tried his best to help the boy in white, and worked together to make the Xia family to which the boy in white belonged stand erect in the troubled times.

With the two working together, the boy in white became the head of the Xia family.

Then the Sui Lord unified the Central Plains, ending a century of melee.

The national power of the Sui Dynasty became stronger day by day, the world was unified, everything was waiting for new things, and the commercial trade of the Xia family became stronger and stronger.

After the new Great Sui Emperor ascended the throne, he moved the capital to Luoyang, and the Xia family came to Luoyang along with the relocation of the capital, and established a solid foundation in Luoyang.

At that time, the Xia family not only involved their own business in all aspects of industry and commerce in the Sui Dynasty, but also began to develop and operate in the countries of the Western Regions, bringing trade to the West along the Silk Road.

Today's Uncle Zhang is the head of the Xia family respected by everyone, but the white-clothed boy who took him in back then has passed away, leaving only Xia He, Xia Yun, two brothers and sisters and the Xia family's huge family business.

Ugh……!
Uncle Zhang looked up at Xia He who was riding on a camel in front of him, and suddenly found that the closest self was always sighing.

I watched Xiahe's birth and growth, and I always treated him as my own.

Xia He has already reached the age of marriage, but among the unmarried girls in the capital, no matter whether they are ladies or Xiaojia Biyu, none of them can make Xia He's heart flutter.

Even the Eighth Princess, the daughter of the current Sui Emperor, fell in love with Xia He at first sight, but Xia He was unmoved.

When the Patriarch was still alive, he had been worrying about Xia He's marriage.

The current emperor of the Sui Dynasty had a lifelong friendship with the head of the family before he ascended the throne. Unfortunately, the head of the family had no intention of being an official, only the heart of business.

The Emperor of the Sui Dynasty knew that his beloved daughter, the eighth princess, fell in love with Xiahe, and was also happy to see her succeed, but this Xiahe didn't have any intention of marrying the eighth princess.

After the Patriarch left, Xia He was grieved and ignored Nuo Da's family business, and even planned to lead a caravan to the west to do business in person.

Before leaving, he actually took the initiative to ask the emperor to marry him, and asked the emperor to marry his daughter, the eighth princess, to him when he returned from business.

Uncle Zhang understood Xia He's thoughts.

In Uncle Zhang's view, this is also a perfect marriage, at least the Eighth Princess has a crush on Xia He, and even if Xia He has no intention of treating the Eighth Princess, he will not treat her badly.

Marriage is originally the words of the matchmaker and the order of the parents. How can there be so much love at all.

This is good, Uncle Zhang can clearly see that Xia He is very concerned about Yang Ran'er who was rescued on the way, and he may already have feelings for him.

But for men, it's normal to have a few women around, just don't neglect the eighth princess because of this, after all, the emperor has acquiesced in this marriage, and the marriage will be formally granted when Xiahe merchants come back.

For this unknown Yang Ran'er!
Uncle Zhang was always full of doubts. How could a tribe on the edge of the desert, a tribe that raised camels for a living, raise such a juicy girl?
What's more, the injuries she suffered were definitely not caused by ordinary people.

Would such a master personally go to bloodbath an ordinary tribe?
She was brave and cautious when encountering wolves, and she was able to conquer the wolf king. This courage and ability is something ordinary people can do!

Unbelievable, really incredible!
Thinking of Yang Ran'er's injury again, Uncle Zhang sighed again.

Although he was forced to leave Qiancaotang at the age of 20, he never gave up his pursuit of medical skills.

Later, he followed Xiahe's father all over the world, and met some famous doctors. Every time, Uncle Zhang would find a way to learn from them or ask them for advice.

Nowadays, Uncle Zhang also thinks that although he is not a genius doctor, he can cure all kinds of difficult and miscellaneous diseases.

But facing Yang Ran'er's injury, Uncle Zhang felt deeply powerless.

"Ugh……!"

Uncle Zhang sighed deeply again, forced himself to cheer up, pulled back his wild thoughts, then tightened the rein in his hand, drove the camel to a trot, came to Xia He and walked side by side with Xia He.

"Uncle Zhang!" Xia He shouted politely when he saw Uncle Zhang approaching him.

Uncle Zhang nodded and said to Xia He: "Master, the sun is getting hotter and hotter now, find a place for everyone to rest and recuperate!"

Then he explained: "Last night, the wolves were so noisy that everyone's spirits were tense, and since the departure, there has been no rest, and everyone is very tired!"

Reminded by Uncle Zhang, Xia He stretched out his hand to tighten the reins to stop the camel, and looked back at the crowd.

The people on the camels, except for Xia Yun, who was dozing off, were barely in good spirits, but the people who were not riding the camels clearly saw that their footsteps were very tired.

He quickly said to Uncle Zhang: "Thank you Uncle Zhang for reminding me, I was careless!"

Then he told Chen Sheng who was beside him: "Chen Sheng, take the two of you to go ahead and find a suitable place ahead for everyone to stop and rest."

"Yes!" Chen Sheng took the order and left.

"Uncle Zhang!" Xia He looked down at Ran'er who was still awake in his arms, and asked Uncle Zhang, "Why hasn't Ran'er woke up after so long?"

"Wouldn't it be better for her not to wake up now? The journey is bumpy, and waking up will be even more tormenting for her." Uncle Zhang replied seriously.

"..."

Uncle Zhang's answer left Xia He speechless.

"But what if you don't wake up all the time?" Xia He wanted to say but held back. If he really cared, he would be in chaos. He didn't know what to do with all kinds of worries.

Uncle Zhang looked at Xia He playfully, Ran'er was sitting sideways in front of him, with his eyes closed and leaning against his chest, Xia He held the rein in one hand and hugged Ran'er tightly in the other, his eyes were full of worry for Ran'er.

It was the first time in his life that he saw Xiahe in such a shape, and Uncle Zhang couldn't help but joked: "You say that you are a seven-foot man, and you walk this way with such a watery little girl in your arms. You can continue to pretend to sleep!"

Xia He instantly became embarrassed, and quickly explained: "Ran'er is injured so badly, it's more comfortable for her to lean on me than to lie on the hunchback before."

"That's much more comfortable! How can a hump compare to your chest? This kind of treatment is not something that any girl can get casually." Uncle Zhang teased.

"Uncle Zhang..." Xia He only felt his cheeks start to heat up, what's wrong with Uncle Zhang, he made fun of himself, is this long journey so boring?
Seeing Xia He's uncomfortable expression, Uncle Zhang couldn't help laughing out loud. It's really rare to see such an expression on Xia He who has always been calm and calm!

Stop laughing, Uncle Zhang didn't continue to tease Xia He, and said in a serious voice: "I asked Xia Yunlai to help take off Ran'er's shoes and socks before returning to the camp, so that the silver needles could penetrate her feet. Rangu cave in the nest."

"Rangu Point?" Xia He entered without knowing.

"Rangu acupoint is an important acupoint for regulating and relieving insomnia. Generally speaking, for insomnia caused by upset, you only need to massage Rangu acupoint before going to bed to relieve insomnia. And I used silver needles to stimulate this acupoint, which can make her drowsy even more, and make her fall asleep for a period of time."

"Uncle Zhang has a heart, thank you Uncle Zhang!" After understanding the reason, Xia He breathed a sigh of relief. It turned out that Ran'er hadn't woken up, and Uncle Zhang did it on purpose.

That's it!
That's it!
Xia He hugged Ran'er more forcefully with his arms around Ran'er's body, wishing that she could fall asleep comfortably.

But Uncle Zhang shook his head and continued: "This is the most helpless way, I just hope that the injury will not happen so easily when she is asleep."

Xia He looked at Ran'er who was sleeping soundly in his arms and said, "Uncle Zhang, don't you think? Although Ran'er looks weak, she is a strong and brave girl. So I believe she will be able to persevere."

The last sentence seems to be speaking to myself to strengthen my belief.

Uncle Zhang didn't answer Xia He's words, only he knew how serious Ran'er's injury was.

With the current conditions, he was really not sure how long he could keep Ran'er alive.

He could only change the subject and said, "Chen Sheng and the others should have found a place to rest. I'll make arrangements for everyone to get ready."

Then he reminded Xia He: "Miss Yang is about to wake up, I will take care of the caravan here for you, you can take care of her with peace of mind."

"Thank you, Uncle Zhang!" Xia He said gratefully.

Watching Uncle Zhang leave, Xia He looked down at Ran'er in his arms.

Ran'er's tightly closed eyes were covered by long and curly eyelashes, and her brows were slightly wrinkled.

Xia He couldn't help worrying again, whether Ran'er's body would still hurt while sleeping...

Apart from his father who was in danger at that time, Ran'er was the second person who made him so worried about such a worried mood.

Thinking of his father, Xia He couldn't help frowning, his originally gentle eyes seemed to be frozen by ice, becoming cold and sharp.

The sudden death of his father was a severe blow to the entire Xia family, and it was an indescribable pain to Xia He.

Father is not only a mountain in his heart, tall and mighty, but also a beacon in his growth, guiding his continuous growth.

With his father gone, there was no support in his heart, but he could not express too much grief, because he was the only son of the head of the Xia family, and he had to calmly take over the burden of the Xia family in order to stabilize the hearts of everyone and the family. Industry.

Both Uncle and Uncle Zhang suggested that they should immediately inherit the position of the head of the Xia family and head the Xia family.

Xia He firmly believes that his father's death was no accident.

The Xia family's family business is huge, and there are many people who covet the Xia family. In the past, when his father traveled all over the world as a businessman, and when the country was divided and wars continued, he also forged many enemies.

This perpetrator is definitely not as simple as killing people to vent their hatred.

My father is very skillful, he has always acted cautiously, and besides, Sun Yang, who has extraordinary martial arts skills, can attack his father without anyone noticing. It must have been deliberate and impersonal.

Since the murderer acted with a plan and a purpose, it would definitely not just kill the father and end the matter, there must be follow-up actions.

Therefore, when Xia He was about to take over the position of the Patriarch, he suddenly announced that he thought that his own experience and experience were not enough to lead the Xia Family. The position of the Patriarch of the Xia Family would be temporarily replaced by his uncle. own strength.

After the announcement, there was an uproar among the crowd, some opposed and some supported.

Xia He ignored everything and set off with the caravan.

In fact, Xiahe has already arranged everything.

The sudden decision of the merchant will definitely disrupt the plan of the assailants, and only by disrupting the plan will they show their flaws.

Xiahe at home has already arranged everything, and it has been almost a year since he went out, so he should find something when he goes back.

The family business that the father fought hard in the troubled times must be guarded, and the revenge of the father must also be avenged.

Looking at Ran'er in his arms, Xia He's heart throbbed inexplicably.

Since saving her, he has been deeply attracted to her unconsciously, every movement, even frowning, can touch his heart.

For women, Xia He has seen a lot, but no one can make him feel like this.

When his father was alive, he had been worrying about his own marriage, but Xia He didn't want a loveless marriage, and his father also respected Xia He's wishes, and didn't impose any demands on Xia He.

But his father left so suddenly. Regarding the current situation, no matter who killed his father or what their purpose is, as long as he marries the eighth princess who has always been in love with him, and marrying the royal family, Xiahe's advantage will not be overwhelming. It goes without saying that this is also the safest way to keep and strengthen the family business at present.

Xia He thought for a long time.

In the end, he went to see the Emperor of the Sui Dynasty. He first told himself that he was going to lead a caravan along the Silk Road to the west to do business in order to practice himself, and second, he expressed his love for the eighth princess to the Lord Sui, and hoped that he would come back from the business and inherit the Xia family. When he was in the throne, the Sui Lord was able to bestow a marriage on himself to fulfill the marriage between the two, and he was also able to fulfill his father's wish.

But now Ran'er's appearance made Xia He hesitate a bit more about the arrangements that had been planned.

……

The sleepy Ran'er was in a daze, feeling her body floating and floating, and came to a vast grassland.

The grass is dotted with colorful little flowers.

"Where is this?"

Ran'er stood on the grass looking around surrounded by dense fog, slowly moved her steps, and walked in front of her, but no matter how she walked, the dense fog always kept a certain distance from her, which seemed very close. Near, but always out of touch.

Ran'er walked for a long time but still felt like she was in the same place, surrounded by thick fog, she simply spread her wings to fly out of the thick fog.

When she spread her wings, she suddenly saw that the thick fog in front of her seemed to have dissipated a little, and there was a figure from behind in the fog.

Ran'er shouted excitedly: "Rafael!"

Yes, it is Raphael!Ran'er spread her wings and flew towards Raphael.

Unexpectedly, just as Ran Er was approaching Raphael, Rafael's back suddenly turned into the figure of the Demon King. Ran Er was shocked and wanted to stop, but it was too late, and he hadn't controlled his body yet. The demon king turned around, raised his hand and slashed at Ran'er.

"what……!"

Ran'er screamed and flew into the distance out of control, feeling like a stone being thrown forcefully, and then fell heavily to the ground.

Ran'er was shocked, and opened her eyes suddenly, only to find that she was in Xia He's arms, and Xia He was about to carry her off the camel...

(End of this chapter)