Making money and taking revenge on the Xu Family were important, but first he had to go home. His father was badly injured, his brother's leg was broken, and he had to return at once to treat them.
His family had not seen him for three months. Who knew how worried and heartsick they had been?
"Young Master Shen, let's go!" Tian Heng's thirteenth and fourteenth adopted sons said. "Don't tell me you expect us to carry you back?"
These two would keep their eyes on Shen Lang at all times and would not give him any chance to escape.
Shen Lang stretched his limbs and bones, then continued toward home.
The Yue Kingdom lay southeast of Great Yan. This was a hilly region—the mountains were not particularly high, but there were many of them.
Yet in such complicated terrain, the roads were remarkably well made. Even the roads between villages were a full four meters wide and fairly level, enough for three horses to pass abreast. In that regard, this place likely far surpassed ancient China.
After daybreak, Shen Lang saw many farmers heading out to work. Their clothes resembled those of ancient China, but they seemed slightly stronger, taller, and more robust.
Moreover, nearly every village along the way had a sturdy stone fortress, with militia patrolling atop it, sabers hanging from their waists. A few even carried bows. It was truly surprising. In most dynasties of ancient China, bows and blades were prohibited weapons, yet here they appeared openly in villages. This world's martial spirit far surpassed that of ancient China.
It was not until noon the next day that Shen Lang reached Maple Leaf Village, where his home was located.
The entire Maple Leaf Village lay in a valley and had over six hundred residents. There was also a stone fortress in the village, manned by more than twenty militiamen. Most villagers lived clustered together, with over a hundred houses packed densely along both sides of the river. Only Shen Lang's home stood far from the village, lonely and isolated halfway up the mountain.
That was because Shen Lang's family were outsiders who had moved here from elsewhere only a dozen years ago.
Such villages were exceedingly conservative and hostile toward outsiders. Added to that, Shen Lang's parents did not associate with the villagers, so they had never managed to fit in.
When he climbed halfway up the mountain, Shen Lang looked at the mud house before him. This was his home.
It was simply too dilapidated, even more so than he remembered from three months ago.
The courtyard, once kept perfectly level by his father, was now overgrown with weeds. Several holes had appeared in the earthen walls after being battered by wind and rain, while the roof did not even have tiles—it was covered only in thatch.
Such poverty was heartbreaking to behold. They could not even keep out the wind and rain.
Before he reached the door, Shen Lang heard his mother crying, his father coughing violently, and his younger brother groaning in pain.
"Hurry to the Xu Family and bring Da Lang home. Go bring Da Lang home..." his father rasped, coughing as he spoke. His long-untreated injuries had damaged his lungs. His breathing was clearly difficult; he likely had severe inflammation and perhaps even a hematoma in his lungs.
"Father, I'll bring my brother home tomorrow," his younger brother said.
His mother wept, "Old man, you've been coughing blood and still can't get out of bed. Erlang has a broken leg bone—how can he go? Tomorrow, I'll go to the Xu Family. If they refuse to release Da Lang, I'll smash my head against the Xu Family's front gate and die!"
"My Da Lang... he's so honest, so kind. In a house full of tigers and jackals like the Xu Family, who knows how badly he's been bullied? My son..." She cried as she spoke. "Who knows whether he's eaten enough or dressed warmly enough?"
"My son has never suffered since he was little. He has never left our side. Who knows how much hardship he's endured now?"
Unable to bear hearing his mother cry, his younger brother said, "Mother, I'll make myself a pair of crutches later. Tomorrow, I'll go to the Xu Family and bring my brother home. At worst, I'll stake my life on it."
Hearing these words, Shen Lang's body burned in waves, while his heart turned sour in waves.
He rushed straight through the door, dropped to his knees before his father and mother, and said in a trembling voice, "Father, Mother, your unfilial son has returned."
His parents and younger brother froze at first, then were overwhelmed with wild joy.
Next, his mother rushed over and threw her arms around Shen Lang, crying loudly, "Da Lang, it really is my Da Lang! You've come back at last! Your mother thought she would never see you again. Am I dreaming?"
His father became so agitated that he struggled to get out of bed, only to trigger another violent coughing fit. Bloody foam appeared at the corner of his mouth.
His younger brother abruptly sat up, then let out a cry of pain.
"It's me," Shen Lang said. "I'm back."
"My son, it's good that you're back. We won't go again, ever," his mother said. "The Xu Family are cruel and vicious. Don't go back there, all right?"
Shen Lang nodded forcefully. "Yes. Your son will never go to the Xu Family again."
"Good, good. That's right, that's right." His mother joyfully wiped away her tears.
His father also said happily, "My son has truly become sensible."
These parents truly spoiled Shen Lang too much. He had merely said he would not go to the Xu Family anymore, and they already considered him sensible.
Shen Lang hurried over to support his father, then focused his mental power in his eyes and examined his father's injuries.
Sure enough, they were internal injuries. Both his lungs and stomach had been damaged, especially his lungs, which contained a large amount of stagnant blood. His ribs also had fractures. After three months of healing, the broken ribs had fused, but unevenly, with many bone spurs.
This showed how ruthlessly the Xu Family's servants had struck three months ago. His father's internal injuries had been so grave that, if his younger brother had not borrowed five gold coins to hire a doctor, Shen Lang would never have seen his father again.
Five gold coins for treatment was an astronomical sum for an ordinary farming family. Yet even so, his father's internal injuries had not fully healed. Without treatment, his father's life would still be in danger.
In almost an instant, Shen Lang had devised a treatment plan: make an extremely small opening in his father's lung to drain the hematoma inside, then use herbs to reduce inflammation and restorative medicine to replenish his vitality. He would recover fully in a few months.
"Father, your son has been unfilial. From now on, I will never make you two worry again," Shen Lang said as he placed a hand on his father's forehead.
He had a fever. There was clearly inflammation, and it had to be treated immediately. Otherwise, his life would be in danger within days.
His father's eyes remained fixed on Shen Lang's face. He desperately suppressed his cough, and his gaze was filled with boundless affection.
"Da Lang, you've become clever."
A father who loved his son more than life itself was indeed extraordinarily perceptive. He noticed Shen Lang's change at once.
Both parents loved Shen Lang dearly, but they also knew their son well. He was a... person of low intelligence. Though they were unwilling to admit it, deep down they knew that their beloved eldest son was useless. His eyes had been dull, his expression vacant.
They had never expected that when he returned this time, he would have become clever.
That was enough. His father was overjoyed. Even if he was still useless, at least he looked clever instead of dull. Perhaps he might even marry a wife and bring her home. Even a widow would be fine.
His mother stepped forward, cupped Shen Lang's face, and stared at him for quite a while. Then she said in great delight, "That's right, that's right! My Da Lang has become clever. Those eyes are so lovable, so full of spirit. Heaven has blessed us, heaven has blessed us."
Shen Lang had originally been considering how to explain his transformation, but there was no need at all. His parents loved him so deeply that, upon seeing he had become clever, they were endlessly delighted and had no need for him to explain anything.
"Brother, did the Xu Family throw you out?" his younger brother asked.
Shen Lang nodded.
"It's good that they threw you out, good!" his mother said. "Your mother could never bear to see you stay in the home of such heartless people. Our family may be poor, but your father, your brother, and I can work hard and support you. We will never let my Da Lang suffer."
This favoritism truly knew no bounds. From what his mother meant, Shen Lang would not need to work at home in the future either; he only needed to eat for free every day.
"You became the Xu Family's live-in son-in-law because you wanted a wife, didn't you? Once your father and brother recover, we'll earn money and find my Da Lang a wife," his mother said. "How about Widow Liu from the village? She's three years older than you, but she's pretty and knows how to care for people."
It was not that his parents looked down on Shen Lang. Given their family circumstances, Shen Lang's poor reputation, and his low intelligence—not to mention that aside from his good looks, he had no skill to make a living—being able to marry a widow was already quite good.
Shen Lang smiled, then went to his younger brother's bed and lifted his trouser leg. His calf was bruised purple and swollen into a large lump, and the bone in his right lower leg was broken.
"Brother, I'm fine. I'll be all right after lying down for ten days or half a month. At worst, I'll limp for the rest of my life. Our family has big brother to carry on the family line anyway," his younger brother, Shen Jian, said. "And being lame might be just right. Every day, I can go to Xuanwu City to throw myself under carts for money. Whenever I see a carriage, I'll rush beneath its wheels and extort compensation."
This was his younger brother. He treated Shen Lang very well, but he was definitely unreliable.
With that broken leg of his, if he did not receive treatment, he would die even faster.
"When did this happen?" Shen Lang asked.
"The day before yesterday," his younger brother said. "Because we hadn't heard from you for nearly a month, I went to the Xu Family to ask around. I did not even get through the door. On my way home, someone ambushed me and broke my right leg."
The Xu Family had kept news of Shen Lang's critical illness sealed away, so his family had remained unaware. But mother and son were connected at heart. When his parents had not heard from Shen Lang for so long, they naturally became uneasy, so they sent their younger son to inquire after him.
His leg had been broken after he left the Xu Family. This matter certainly could not be separated from the Xu Family.
What a vicious household. Frost seemed to shroud Shen Lang's handsome face, and the corner of his eye twitched.
"I'll treat your broken leg in a moment," Shen Lang said. "It will hurt a lot, so endure it."
"Brother, since when did you know how to treat injuries?" his younger brother asked.
Shen Lang had previously needed his mother's help even to put on clothes. How could he possibly know how to treat a broken leg?
On Modern Earth, Shen Lang had treated illnesses and saved lives every day. Though he could not be called a peerless famed physician, his clinical experience was extraordinarily rich.
His father's and brother's ailments meant nothing in his eyes. Moreover, he had X-Ray Vision. Even in this other world with underdeveloped medical conditions, treating the two of them would be as easy as turning over his hand.
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