Chapter - 199 Coming And Going of a Messenger Brings a Laugh (6) (2/2)
The dozen or so male disciples with quick hands and feet built two sleds. Two female disciples carried Zhu'er, two male disciples carried Zhang Wuji. They put them on the sleds and pulled the sleds behind Miejue Shitai who had already sped to the west.
Zhang Wuji focused his attention, trying to hear or see if Zhu'er was astir. He did not know the severity of her injury. After travelling for about a 'li', he heard Zhu'er groan softly.
”Zhu'er,” Zhang Wuji called out loudly, ”How's your injury? Have you received an internal injury?”
”She broke my both my wrist bones,” Zhu'er replied, ”But my chest and abdomen seem to be fine.”
”No internal injury, that's good,” Zhang Wuji said, ”Use your left elbow to bump your right arm three 'cun' five 'fen' [1 cun is approximately 1 inch, 1 fen is approximately 1/3 of a centimeter or a little over 1/8 or an inch] below the bend, and use your right elbow to bump your left three 'cun' five 'fen' below the bend. That should lessen your pain somewhat.”
Before Zhu'er could respond, Miejue Shitai had already exclaimed, ”Ah!” She turned her head toward Zhang Wuji, stared at him and said, ”This kid is proficient in medical skill. What's your name?”
”Zaixia [lit. under/below, the humble one] surnamed Zeng, called Ahniu,” Zhang Wuji replied.
”Who is your Shifu?” Miejue Shitai asked.
Zhang Wuji said, ”My shifu was a nameless country doctor of a small town; Shitai would not know him even if I mentioned his name.”
”Humph,” Miejue Shitai snorted, but no longer paid him any attention.
The party travelled straight until the dawn before they stopped to eat their rations. Zhou Zhiruo took out several cold steamed buns and gave them to Zhang Wuji and Zhu'er. As she gave the buns to Zhang Wuji, she looked up at his face for a second before turning her head away.
Zhang Wuji's heart was shaken; he could not bear it any longer. ”Your kindness in feeding me on the Hanshui River boat, I will never dare to forget,” he said softly.
Zhou Zhiruo's whole body trembled; she quickly turned around and looked at him. This time Zhang Wuji was clean-shaven. She looked at him for a while. ”Ah,” she suddenly exclaimed with a pleasantly surprise expression. ”You … you …” she stammered. Zhang Wuji knew she finally recognized him, he slowly nodded his head.
”The cold poison in your body, is it healed?” she quietly asked. Her voice was as soft as a mosquito that it was almost inaudible.
In the same soft voice Zhang Wuji replied, ”It is healed.”
Zhou Zhiruo's face blushed, and she walked away.
All this time, Zhu'er was behind Zhang Wuji. She saw Zhou Zhiruo could not contain her joy; her lips quivered, her face also appeared bashful, but her eyes brightened. Zhu'er waited until Zhou Zhiruo left before she asked Zhang Wuji, ”What were the two of you talking about?”
Zhang Wuji's face reddened. ”What? No … nothing,” he said.
”Humph!” Zhu'er snorted, ”Barefaced liar!”
They rested for about an hour and a half before continuing their journey in haste to the west, and continued in the same manner for three days. Apparently they had some important matter to attend to. Along the way, whether when travelling or resting, neither the male nor female disciples opened their mouths to talk, unless it was absolutely necessary; it was as if they were a bunch of mute people.