After leaving the palace, Lu Hetian did not return to the Grand Duke Mansion directly and instead took a detour to Cathay Medicinal Shop.
There were currently a few patients in the shop, and Ling Lihua was treating them.
Wu Hongming was a.s.sisting her from the side.
Although he did not possess any medical skills, after spending so many years by her side, he had come to memorize the uses of several medicinal materials by heart.
Therefore, he could at least fill prescriptions for the patients.
During the same period, the old beggar and Youyou had also learned to identify medicinal materials, so there were now three people in the medicinal shop who could fill prescriptions. With the three of them working together for that, they could even handle large numbers of patients.
Just then, Wu Hongming noticed Lu Hetian standing outside the door.
The man was loitering outside, and although he did not come into the shop, he was still very much an eyesore. Wu Hongming informed the old beggar of this, pa.s.sed the prescription he was holding to him, and walked out.
“Well, well, if it isn’t the Grand Duke? What brings you to our medicinal shop today? Or is Your Lords.h.i.+p perhaps ill and requires medical care?”
Despite the blatant sarcasm, Lu Hetian merely shot him an icy look. Deciding to ignore him, he made a move to enter the medicinal shop.
Wu Hongming blocked him swiftly.
“You’re not welcome in our shop. Here’s a word of advice; you’d better not go in and provoke Lihua. She has a bad temper, and if you make her angry, you won’t be able to bear the consequences.”
Lu Hetian clenched his fists and glared at him.
Lihua this, Lihua that; he spoke as if he was very close with her.
When he said that she had a bad temper, was he trying to make a point of how well he understood her?
Lu Hetian sneered. “I have a bad temper too. You’d better not provoke me, or else you won’t be able to bear the consequences either.” His voice was cold and low with a hint of suppressed anger.
Hearing this, Wu Hongming folded his arms across his chest, looked him up and down, and said mockingly, “I guess that’s true. You’re the Grand Duke who wields military power and has an entire army at your command. If commoners like us were to anger you, we definitely would not be able to bear the consequences.”
“Move aside!” The veins on Lu Hetian’s forehead throbbed, and he shot out his arm to push the man away.
Right then, Wu Hongming let out a yell and stepped backward. “Help, this official is going to kill me—”
The moment he yelled, everyone inside and outside the medicinal shop heard the sound, and all heads turned to look at them.
Even Ling Lihua, who was halfway through treating a patient, looked over. However, when she saw the man standing outside the door, her face under the veil darkened. After quickly finis.h.i.+ng up the treatment and instructing the patient to collect his medicine, she got up and walked to the backyard.
She did this because Wu Hongming’s shout had attracted the attention of many pa.s.sersby, and they were all pointing and staring at Lu Hetian.
Nevertheless, Lu Hetian still had his gaze trained only on Ling Lihua. He noticed her getting up, and seeing her walk into the backyard, he hurriedly followed.
Wu Hongming wanted to stop him again, but thinking of Ling Lihua’s temper, he hung back and dispersed the commoners crowding outside the medicinal shop instead.
“Nothing more to see here. Move on, move on.”
Lu Hetian had just stepped into the backyard when a sword appeared in front of him and blocked his way.
Meeting the woman’s icy and indifferent eyes, Lu Hetian stopped in his tracks, not daring to take another step forward.
Ling Lihua said in a cold and mocking tone, “Take one more step, and I’ll spill your blood all over the place.”
Lu Hetian felt a pang of pain in his heart as he listened to her vicious and merciless words. He gazed at her despondently, and the distant coldness in her eyes pierced him to the point that his breathing hurt.
Did she hate him that much?
His heart sank lower and lower. All of a sudden, he shot his hand out, grabbed the blade in front of him, and made a move to slit his neck with it.