How did I, a mere son-in-law lying down, become a "Fenglang Juxu" (a legendary martial art

Chapter 42 Healing

Amber suddenly burst in, clutching a gold-plated invitation card tightly in her hand. "Miss, Miss, there's an invitation for you!"

Upon seeing Liu Shan, Amber immediately bowed and said, "Greetings, son-in-law."

At this moment, Liu Shan's eyes lit up at the sight of money. He stared intently at the gleaming gold invitation and urged impatiently, "Wanqing, accept it quickly."

Li Wanqing took the invitation, quickly glanced at it, and a bright smile bloomed on her face.

She announced with delight, "It's an invitation from the princess, inviting us to the Cangzhou Poetry Festival in two weeks!"

Princess? Princess Changning?

Liu Shan's only memory of her was the scene when they happened to meet outside the city after the hunt, and Li Wanqing and the others knelt down to pay their respects.

He had to admit that the princess's ambiguous gaze and arrogant attitude had left a deep impression on him—she was too much like an official.

“This is a rare opportunity, we must prepare carefully.” Li Wanqing, oblivious to the change in Liu Shan’s expression, continued excitedly, “Every year at the poetry gathering, we send invitations to the princess to host, but she has never attended, which has been our biggest regret. We never expected that the princess would personally host the poetry gathering this year, this is truly a great fortune for the literati of Cangzhou!”

Liu Shan pursed his lips, thinking to himself: What honor is there in this?

The status of a county princess was second only to that of a princess. In the Xia Dynasty's system of titles, her rank was first grade.

In modern times, a first-rank official would be equivalent to a ministerial-level official with real power.

One can imagine that when such a prominent figure attends a small poetry gathering, there will be absolutely no other voices in the room besides flattery, pandering, and pandering to his tastes.

It's better not to attend such a poetry gathering.

However, Li Wanqing was full of anticipation, her eyes sparkling: "Husband, you have never participated in a poetry gathering before, and your poems have never circulated in the streets. Normally, you are not qualified to participate, but for some reason, the princess mentioned you in the invitation. I think this is a good opportunity to show your talent."

Slightly excited, Li Wanqing didn't realize that, at some point, she had quietly changed her way of addressing Liu Shan from "you, Liu Shan" to "husband".

Liu Shan hesitated.

He understood the princess's power and knew that social obligations were unavoidable in such situations.

Although he was unwilling to curry favor with those in power, he would not give up any opportunity to make money.

Imagine if this kind of poetry gathering were held in modern times; it would be the best opportunity to establish connections with the upper class, with unlimited business potential.

After careful consideration, Liu Shan decided to attend the poetry gathering and planned how to use this opportunity to expand his network and pave the way for his future business ventures.

While money isn't everything, you can't do without it.

“Since the princess has made a special invitation, we will go and take a look. However, Wanqing still needs to instruct the people in the manor to keep a close eye on Ruolan.”

Every day that Jiang Ruolan's condition was delayed increased the danger, which worried Liu Shan.

Li Wanqing nodded, "Don't worry, I will make the arrangements. Ruolan's condition is the priority, but we will also prepare for the poetry gathering first, so that neither will be delayed."

……

Liu Shan had been eagerly awaiting Xiao Yan's arrival, and finally he did.

His arrival gave Liu Shan hope of saving Jiang Ruolan.

Liu Shan's impression of Xiao Yan came entirely from Xiao Yue's descriptions; in her words, her father was just a little old man.

Upon meeting him again, Liu Shan found that although Xiao Yan was a bit old, he was in good spirits, walked steadily, and had sharp eyes.

Although the overnight journey had left him somewhat exhausted, his demeanor remained undiminished, giving off an air of otherworldly elegance that perfectly matched Liu Shan's image of a grandmaster.

After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Liu Shan led Xiao Yan to Jiang Ruolan's room.

Upon seeing Xiao Yan, Xiao Yue first called out "Father," then threw herself into his arms, tears streaming down her face, releasing all the fear and worry she had accumulated over the past few days.

"Father, Senior Sister will be alright, right?"

"Father, she has been unconscious for a long time!"

"I'm so scared, scared that Senior Sister will keep lying like this forever..."

"Woooooo~"

Xiao Yan gently stroked Xiao Yue's hair, his eyes filled with affection, and softly comforted her, "Don't be afraid, your father is here."

However, the atmosphere inside the room remained heavy. Jiang Ruolan lay on the bed, her face pale and her breathing weak.

Liu Shan briefly explained the illness, and Xiao Yan frowned slightly, but remained relatively calm.

He carefully examined Jiang Ruolan's pulse, and after a moment of contemplation, he had Xiao Yue help Jiang Ruolan sit up. He then sat cross-legged behind Jiang Ruolan, gently placing his hands on her back and slowly channeling his inner energy into her.

Under Xiao Yan's treatment, Jiang Ruolan's complexion gradually became rosy, and her breathing slowly became steady.

After a moment, Xiao Yan finished his practice and said softly, "Although the injuries are serious, fortunately I took the most yang-tonifying medicine in time, which relieved the cold poison from invading my heart. There is still hope for me."

Hearing this, Liu Shan finally felt relieved. "Thank you, Senior Xiao, Ruolan is saved!"

Xiao Yan simply smiled faintly: "I'm healing my own disciple, why should I need your thanks?"

Liu Shan was met with a rebuff, but he didn't care much. After all, those reclusive masters were often aloof and arrogant.

At this moment, Jiang Ruolan slowly opened her eyes, and upon seeing Xiao Yan, weakly called out, "Master..."

A hint of tenderness flashed in Xiao Yan's eyes as he replied, "I have helped you clear most of the cold poison, but you must not use your internal energy for the next six months, or the consequences will be unimaginable."

Jiang Ruolan nodded slightly and said softly, "I've caused Master trouble."

Looking at his eldest disciple, who had become much thinner than when he left the valley, Xiao Yan couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness. "Silly child, how could your master find it troublesome? Tomorrow you will come back to Youquan Valley with me. There is a natural fire cave in the valley, and the earth fire power within the fire cave is the key to your recovery. I will personally take you there to use the earth fire to nourish your meridians and accelerate the expulsion of the remaining cold poison. As long as you focus on healing, regaining your former glory is only a matter of time."

"Father, you've only just arrived, and we're already going back with you?" Xiao Yue was extremely unwilling when she heard that they were about to return to the valley.

The thought that she might never see Brother Liu again filled Xiao Yue with sadness once more.

Liu Shan: "Little Yueyue, don't cry. Once Ruolan recovers, you're welcome to come see me anytime."

“That’s right, Sister Xiao Yue, the gates of the Li residence are always open to you. Come and visit whenever you want; we will always welcome you.”

Li Wanqing arrived while Xiao Yan was healing Jiang Ruolan, but she had been quietly watching over her. Now she added with a smile.

Although Xiao Yue was reluctant, she could still tell what was more important. Her eyes reddened, and she had already made up her mind.

Xiao Yue took a deep breath, fighting back tears, and softly replied, "I understand. Sister Ruolan's health is the most important thing."