Chapter 5: 5.第5章 拜师

“Yes, General!” Yu Niang took her orders and withdrew to find Physician Lin. Physician Lin?

Hadn't Physician Lin passed away long before she was married?

Why would Physician Lin appear in her dream alongside her parents?

Could it be that this wasn't a dream, but rather that she and her parents were meeting in the Underworld?

Tang Wanqiu snapped her eyes open, wanting to see if she was indeed in the legendary Underworld. However, when she clearly saw the two enlarged, anxious faces before her, she froze completely.

What was going on? Why had her father and mother become so young?

Just as they were sixteen years ago, before she had married.

No, even younger than then.

Her parents currently looked to be only in their twenties, even younger than she was.

Tang Wanqiu’s mouth hung open in surprise. She then looked around, and upon doing so, her heart grew even more astonished. This wasn't some dark and terrifying Underworld; this was clearly her own boudoir where she had lived for sixteen years.

What, exactly, was happening?

“Qiu'er, you're awake.”

Seeing her daughter wake up, Madam Tang felt a surge of joy.

Seeing Tang Wanqiu merely staring blankly at her and the General, she assumed she had been frightened in her dream. She hurriedly pulled her into her arms, cradling her with utmost care.

“It’s alright now, your father and mother are here. It’s alright!”

What a warm embrace!

Tang Wanqiu had not felt her mother's warmth for a very long time. A suppressed stinginess rose in her nose. She tilted her head slightly, burying it in her mother's bosom, her hands tightly clutching her mother's slender waist. She greedily inhaled the scent that belonged to her mother from her memories, temporarily forgetting all her pain.

Even if it were only a momentary warmth, she was greedy for it; she did not want to let go, wanting to grasp it tightly.

Madam Tang merely thought Tang Wanqiu was acting spoiled, so she didn't pay much mind to her unusual behavior, only slowly patting her back to soothe her.

...

“General, Madam, Physician Lin has been brought!” Following a burst of hurried footsteps, Yu Niang's crisp voice rang out from outside the door.

“Bring him in, quickly!” As soon as the General's voice fell, Yu Niang entered, leading a lean yet elegant middle-aged physician.

“Greetings, General.” Lin Ye gave General Tang a slight nod as a greeting.

“No need for formalities, Sir!” General Tang hurried forward to welcome him, leading him inside.

“Physician Lin, please come quickly and examine Qiu'er. What is wrong with her?”

General Tang's tone was quite anxious. Tang Wanqiu was his youngest daughter, and having been pampered since childhood, he had always treated her like a precious pearl, raising her with utmost care in the palm of his hand.

“General, there is no need to worry. Allow me to first check Third Miss's pulse,” Lin Ye said soothingly as he walked toward the bedside.

At this moment, Tang Wanqiu, hiding in her mother's arms, was staring at Physician Lin with wide, round eyes. He really was Physician Lin!

He was still exactly as he was in her memories, not changed one bit. He always maintained that same calm, breezy, and elegant demeanor. Even at the moment of his death, a faint smile had remained on his face. It was as if death were a destination, a release, and something not to be feared at all.

In her memory, the only time she had ever seen a look of disappointment on his face was after she refused to become his disciple. She had been only nine years old then, willful, capricious, and fond of play.

The mere requirement of listening to the Teacher's lectures for two hours every day and copying the *Admonitions for Women* and *Instructions for Inner Training* was enough to annoy her immensely. How could she be willing to learn anything else? Therefore, the moment he asked if she would be willing to take him as her master and become his female disciple, she had refused resolutely without a second thought.