Open a Clinic to Cultivate Myself Chapter 153 The Ancient Temple in the Cloud-lying Village

There was no road in the village, only a dusty road leading to the outside. It was said that the nearest town was more than 60 kilometers away from here, and villagers needed to walk for two days to enter the town for market. There was no way to develop the economy here because of the lack of traffic. When they got to the village, Ning Tao felt as if he had gone back in time to a village decades ago.

Jian Mi pulled Ning Tao over to his house. Ning Tao met his mother, who was not very old, but had white hair on her head due to years of hard work. Besides, her hands were rough, and she had calluses on her fingers and the part of the hand between the thumb and the index finger.

When Jian Mi's mother heard that Ning Tao had saved her son and the archaeological team, she insisted that Ning Tao had lunch at her home and asked Jian Mi to catch chickens. Ning Tao couldn't refuse, and agreed. Those archaeologists also stayed at Jian Mi's house. Ma Tongtong and another woman help Jian Mi's mother with the cooking. Jian Mi's mother's family name was Jiang, so they all called her Aunt Jiang.

Instead of staying quietly at Jian Mi's house, Ning Tao took Qing Zhui to wander around the village.

At the end of the village was a small, old temple, with two Phoebe zhennan in front of it, which were so thick that several people could just get their arms around. Beside the steps of the small temple stood a stone tablet, which was covered with moss, full of signs of weathering, but the inscription on it could still be discernible, Temple of Yan Emperor.

It turned out that the small temple was dedicated to the Yan Emperor, also known as Shennong.

The Yan Emperor, Shennong was the leader of the tribe with the surname Jiang, and Jian Mi's mother's first named was also Jiang. Ning Tao could not help but have some inexplicable associations in his heart.

The door of the temple was open, so Ning Tao could see the statue of the god sitting in the shrine, with a blade of grass in one hand and a tool for shoveling soil in the other. The statue was carved out of the rock, and his face had been weathered in a complete mess, with his appearance invisible.

Under the shrine was a stone tripod for burning incense, but there was no burning incense in there.

The temple was quiet. Ning Tao didn't see anyone inside.

Ning Tao had a sudden idea, and then he said to Qing Zhui, "Qing Zhui, be the lookout."

Qing Zhui asked, "Are you going to pee? That's not good. This is the temple, but I can accompany you to the grove."

Ning Tao wasn't interested in explaining. He opened the small medicine chest carried on his shoulder, took out the small porcelain bottle with an incomplete Ancestor-seeking Elixir, pulled out the cork, and poured the elixir out of the bottle to his palm. Subsequently, he put the incomplete Ancestor-seeking Elixir to his nose before he sniffed it deeply.

He soon developed an allergic reaction to the incomplete Ancestor-seeking Elixir. He felt his eyes burn, and after a brief period of blindness lasting about two seconds, his vision suddenly changed.

The small temple still existed, the stone statue of the Yan Emperor was still sitting on the shrine, but his face was very clear. A kid crouched at the foot of the steps, playing with grass, and his pant had an open crotch, so his dirty penis was exposed to the air.

Ning Tao didn't know whose kid he was or what period of time he was from, but he was pretty sure his grave was already covered with grass.

Ning Tao blinked his eyes and looked at the small temple. Suddenly he stunned on the spot.

The woman appeared again. This time she stood at the door of the temple and looked at him. Her face was meager and beautiful, with delicate eyebrows and a pair of pale green eyes which bent upwards. If she did not have these two demon eyes, she must be a beauty, and might leave a famous name in history, just like the four great beauties, Xi Shi, Yang Yuhuan, Diao Chan and Wang Zhaojun. Perhaps she would become a poet, like Shangguan Wan'er and Li Qingzhao.

She just stood there, without saying a word, but she gave the impression that she was full of stories, each of which was extremely mysterious, full of the vicissitudes of history and the weight of it.

This was the first time Ning Tao had seen her face, in this sudden situation.

Last time when she wore a red cheongsam, he thought she was a figure of the Republic of China. But this time she wore a set of red Han clothing, crossed collar and wide sleeves, and wore a gold hairpin on her head. She looked exactly like a lady from the Tang or Ming dynasties.

Their eyes met, and time and space seemed to blur. The past was not the past, and the present was not the present.

"Are... Are you Zhu Hongyu?" Ning Tao broke the weird mood.

The woman said nothing. After all, he had just an image that somehow appeared.

However, after Ning Tao said the sentence, the scene in front shook a little, like the snow melting under the sun. He lost sight of the woman for a second or two. When he got back to normal he never saw the woman again. The small temple of the Yan Emperor, Shennong's face was no longer clear, years blurred its face.

His allergy to the incomplete Ancestor-seeking Elixir should disappear."

"Brother Ning, who did you call just now?" Qing Zhui asked curiously. "I don't see anyone else."

"After sniffing the Ancestor-seeking Elixir, I get some weird visions," Ning Tao said. He didn't want to hide it from Qing Zhui.

Qing Zhui suddenly walked up to him and sniffed the incomplete Ancestor-seeking Elixir in his hand. But she had no respond. She even put out her tongue and licked it, but there was still no reaction.

"You've got one yourself," Ning Tao said. "If you had reacted to it, you would have seen what I saw." He put the incomplete Ancestor-seeking Elixir back in the small porcelain bottle, and said, "Let's enter the temple."

Qing Zhui followed Ning Tao into the temple.

Behind the main hall of the small temple was a small yard, surrounded by a circle of stone walls. Small huts were built along the stone walls, with piles of debris, such as buckets and brooms. There was nothing else.

Ning Tao was disappointed. Then he left the small temple at the end of the village and went back to Jian Mi's home with Qing Zhui.

Aunt Jiang and Ma Tongtong were still busy cooking in the kitchen. Ning Tao went in and helped tender the fire.

"Doctor Ning, you don't have to do this. Take a break. You're our guest of honor. How can I allow you to tend the kitchen fire when I invite you to have lunch?" Aunt Jiang said with a sorry look.

Ning Tao laughed and said, "It doesn't matter. I have nothing to do anyway. Aunt Jiang, please don't say any more polite words. I come to tender the fire because I want to talk to you."

Aunt Jiang smiled and asked, "What do you want to talk about with me?"

"When did the Temple of Yan Emperor at the end of the village build?" Ning Tao inquired.

Aunt Jiang thought for a while before she replied, "I don't know the exact time, but I heard my grandfather say that the temple was there when he was born. It was build hundreds of years, I think."

"Is there anyone to manage the temple?" Ning Tao asked.

Aunt Jiang stirred the potatoes and chicken in the big iron pot and said, "That's a small village temple. Those who want to pray go there to burn incense. Nobody runs it. It had many worshippers before, but now no one worships the Yan Emperor. Young people and well-connected people have gone to the city to make money, leaving us old, useless people to farm at home. Who has time to worship the god?" There was a pause, before she added, "By the way, Doctor Ning, why do you ask?"

"Nothing, I'm just asking," replied Ning Tao.

"I went to see that small temple, too," said Ma Tongtong who was cutting chicken giblets. "According to my experience, it is at least four or five hundred years old. But it's a small temple, nothing special."

"Miss Ma, can I have your mobile phone number?" Ning Tao asked.

"Sure," Ma Tongtong answered, "my phone number is 138..."

Ning Tao put Ma Tongtong's phone number in his cell phone, and then called her. When Ma Tongtong saved his phone number, he said, "If you borrow that book, you can call me. If I can't go to you, would you please take pictures of the book and send them to me?"

Ma Tongtong smiled at Ning Tao and said, "Sure, but you have to tell me your WeChat account."

Ning Tao laughed, too, and told her about his WeChat account.

At this moment, Jian Mi came in, and cast a glance at his mother. Then he hesitated and said, "Doctor Ning, can I study medicine with you as my teacher?" With that, he was about to kneel.

Ning Tao hurriedly stopped him and said, "What are you doing? Studying medicine is no easy task. It took me 12 years to get into a medical university, and then four years in college, before I managed master how to treat patients. Everything else is fine, but you can't be careless about studying medicine. I cannot accept you as my apprentice."

Aunt Jiang gave a sigh.

Jian Mi looked sad, but he seemed to understand Ning Tao's words. Studying medicine required a wealth of knowledge, which he did not have.

Ning Tao said, "How about this? I'll show you some herbs I picked. You pick herbs for me when you're free. Also, you can also ask the villagers to help you. I'll buy it then. There is absolutely no problem with the price. There is enough money to guarantee you a wife."

Jian Mi's face went red.

"You silly boy, thank Doctor Ning quickly," Aunt Jiang urged.

Then Jian Mi recovered himself and said shyly, "Thank you, Doctor Ning."

"Jian Mi, take me to your room," Ning Tao said. "I'll have a word with you."

"All right, Doctor Ning, come with me." Jian Mi was very happy.

Ning Tao took the collected herbs to Jian Mi's room, and then told him in detail the characteristics of the herbs and where to find them.

Jian Mi listened carefully for fear of missing any information.

When Ning Tao finished, he put his right index finger between his teeth and bit it gently. Then he went to the wall and drew a blood lock in an unremarkable place.

Jian Mi looked at Ning Tao curiously and asked, "Doctor Ning, What...what are you doing?"

Ning Tao said, "Never mind that. But remember, don't wipe it."

Jian Mi nodded and said, "Got it. I won't wipe it."

"Better hide it with a picture," said Ning Tao.

Jian Mi nodded again. "Okay, I'll cover it up with a picture."

"You're such an honest kid," Ning Tao praised with a smile. "I'll introduce you to a girlfriend when you're older."

Jian Mi asked, "Doctor Ning, do you have a girlfriend? What's it like to have a girlfriend?"

Ning Tao was embarrassed. "Er... Let's go out and see if lunch is ready."

After lunch, Ning Tao bid farewell to the archaeologists, Aunt Jiang and Jian Mi. Then he took Qing Zhui and the collected herbs along the way out of the village. Not long after they left the village, Ning Tao and Qing Zhui went into the woods and drew a blood lock on the foot of a cliff that would not be exposed to rain.

"It's past time for the clinic to move. Where has it gone to?" Standing in front of the blood lock, holding the key, Ning Tao got nervous.

Qing Zhui thought for a second and stated, "We'll know when we go back."

Then Ning Tao stuck the key in the blood lock.

Chapter end