Chapter 49 - Old Sage (1/2)
The two arrived at Doctor Lou's shop, and Lei Xing told Ah Jin to wait outside and busy herself with something, while she went inside still in a great mood.
She walked in to find Doctor Lou laying down on his desk, sleeping again.
...Business must really slow here...
Lei Xing stood in front of the desk and cleared her throat to wake him up, he didn't respond and so she lightly knocked on the desk. Doctor Lou groaned, ”We're closed.”
Lei Xing rolled her eyes.
...Well, that's why business is slow -_-)...
”Why do you have the doors open if you're closed?”
Doctor Lou then raised his head and squinted at her, then sat up and asked in shock, ”You got kicked out already?”
Lei Xing pursed her lips, ”No, I-”
”Did something happen to my ring?” Doctor Lou asked cutting her off.
”No, it-”
”Oh, so you missed me?” Doctor Lou excitedly asked, cutting her off again.
Lei Xing stared at him blankly, ”No, I ca-”
”Tch, would it kill you to just say yes? Children these days are so horrible, too uptight, too headstrong, high-strung... I miss the good old days when young ones knew to be cute and lovable.” Doctor grumbled looking downcast and repeatedly sighing. ”No one ever comes to visit me just to check on me, it's always for some reason or the other. Children are so selfish...”
Lei Xing stood there looking at the lamenting old man, a bit confused at this string of complaints being hurled her way.
...Well someone is in a bad mood...We're not even friends, you know...Why should I have to check on you -_-?)'...
”So...Why are you here?” Doctor Lou asked looking at Lei Xing still with an aggrieved expression on his face.
Lei Xing looked at him and was not sure what to say now.
...I seem to have a stepped on a land mine...Definitely came at the wrong time this time...I am really bad at dealing with people's emotions so...
”Um...I think now's not a good time, so I'll just come back later.” Lei Xing said while taking steps back.
”No, you've already woken me up. Give me my ring.” Doctor Lou said stretching out a hand for it.
Lei Xing moved the hand with the ring slightly behind her back, looking at him with a guarded expression, ”Why?”
...You're not seriously going to take the ring back because I didn't come to ”check on you”...that's too petty!...
Doctor Lou looked at her face and then burst out into laughter and was hitting the table as he howled with laughter.
Lei Xing frowned in confusion at the sudden change in mood.
...So now he's having mood swings? -_-)'...
After Doctor Lou managed to restrain his laughter, ”Before you boldly said you will return it so easily, now that you have seen its greatness, you can't part with it, right?” he said while leaning forward, smiling and wiggling his eyebrows.
Lei Xing's lips twitched, ”I said we would negotiate a price first, and if we couldn't come to an aggreement then I would return it.”
Doctor Lou clicked his tongue, ”Same thing...There's no need to panic, I just want to inspect it.”
Lei Xing cleared her throat and slipped off the ring and handed it over, ”Of course...”
Doctor Lou took the ring and looked it over carefully. Then he got out a cloth, blew on the jewel and started cleaning it, casting Lei Xing a side glare and scolding, ”I told you this is a precious treasure, do you know how much effort it took to make it? You should treat it properly...Children these days don't understand true value, do they? Then they complain when things don't work.”
”Is something wrong with the ring?” Lei Xing asked concerned.
”Of course not, how can there be anything with it? If anything's wrong, it's the owner who is wrong.” He replied still focused on cleaning and petting the ring. ”So someone tried to poison you, huh? It's definitely your cold attitude that got you in trouble, isn't it?”
Lei Xing frowned, ”I'm a very cordial person, you know.”
Doctor Lou cast Lei Xing a disbelieving glance, then Lei Xing cleared her throat, ”Well, most of the time I am.”
...Plus I have never been rude to empress dowager -_-)...I haven't right?... I think so...
Doctor Lou snorted, ”If you say so...” Then he handed the ring back to her. Lei Xing quickly took it and put it back on.
Doctor Lou then folded his arms and sighed, ”It must have been the empress dowager's work...”
Lei Xing was startled and then whispered, ”How did you know that?”
”So early on, it's clearly obvious...or do you have any other enemies who have the means? But then again you never know, you're the oblivious sort to go around upsetting people.” Doctor Lou said in a condescending tone and then sighed, ”It's a pity...”
Lei Xing covertly rolled her eyes.
...Back to that again...Let it go!...Haah, if I knew I would have just answered ”Yes” -_-)'...
”...She has always been good at making poisons...” Doctor Lou finished and deeply sighed again.
Lei Xing ears perked up, ”You sound like you know her well.”
...Tell me more O_O)...
Doctor Lou looked up at Lei Xing and then smiled, ”You want to know?”
Lei Xing nodded.
”Come closer.” He said, waving her over. Lei Xing hesitantly crept closer and bent her head down to listen. Doctor Lou whispered, ”Actually...” and then he flicked her forehead.
Lei Xing instantly withdrew with a hand rubbing her head, ”Hey!”
Doctor Lou burst into laughter again, ”Don't be so nosy, but if you want to know, visit me more often then maybe I'll tell you...”
Lei Xing frowned at the laughing old man.
...Fine, keep your story -_-)...
”Oh, by the way, why are you actually here?” Doctor Lou asked amidst his laughing fit.
Lei Xing glared at him, she had been getting pulled along by him and had forgotten her main purpose of coming here. She set aside her irritation and got down to business, ”I was wondering how the ring works. It seems to absorb poison is that right?”
”Oh it does?... Oh yes, it does.” Doctor Lou said with a short laugh.
Lei Xing raised an eyebrow, ”You don't know?”
”Of course I know...I'm old, I forget.” Doctor Lou snapped back in response.
”Okay...so how exactly does it work? Can it suck all the toxins out of say, a bowl of poisoned water, leaving behind a detoxified clean bowl of water or does it absorb all of the poisoned water? I've been curious about that.”
Doctor Lou furrowed his eyebrows, ”It depends...”
”Depends on?”
Doctor Lou shrugged, ”I don't know...if you treat it well.”
Lei Xing frowned, ”What exactly do you mean by that?”
”A good master gets a good servant, a bad master gets a disgruntled servant.” Doctor Lou clarified.
”So it has feelings?” Lei Xing skeptically asked.
”All things in the world have feelings, and they reflect whatever treatment they get.”
Lei Xing blankly stared at him.