Chen Ji silently watched as the assassin died, the light in his eyes gradually fading away.

When you lock eyes with the dead, a sense of pity naturally arises in your heart.

In those lifeless eyes, there is regret, despair, and reluctance.

Chen Ji leaned against the wall and sat down.

He felt that tonight was exceptionally long.

It had only been a few hours since Wu Yun had beaten the white cat, but it felt like he had experienced an entire late autumn.

He stood up and walked over to the assassin's body, searching through his clothes but finding no clues.

Finally, he bent down and sniffed the scent on the assassin's clothes, suddenly frowning.

"Let's go, let's go home."

Chen Ji picked up Wu Yun and limped towards the direction of the Tai Ping Medical Hall.

The spots where the assassin had struck him still ached faintly.

Wu Yun climbed onto his shoulder and curled up there, steady and secure, as if it had always belonged there.

The man and the cat swayed as they walked into the faint light of dawn.

Chen Ji said, "By the time we reach the medical hall, the breakfast stalls should be open. I'll buy you some buns."

Wu Yun immediately perked up.

"You asked Yun Yang for eight coins earlier, just to buy me buns?!"

"Yes."

"Chen Ji, you're actually quite nice."

"Of course."

"Chen Ji, I hope you make a fortune in the future!"

"Once I become stronger through cultivation, I won't have to put up with Yun Yang and Jiao Tu's nonsense anymore! At that time, if anyone stands in my way, I'll kill them, and Buddha... Buddha bless me!"

"Will you take revenge on Yun Yang and Jiao Tu in the future?"

Chen Ji thought for a moment.

"Yes."

"Hehehe."

By the time they returned to the medical hall, the rooster had already crowed, but Liu Quxing and She Dengke were still not up.

After eating two buns, Wu Yun returned to Wan Xing Yuan, while Chen Ji stood in the courtyard, stripped off all his clothes, and used a gourd ladle to scoop cold water from the water jar, pouring it over his head and body until the bloodstains were washed away and his skin turned red.

Only then did he stop.

He put on the tattered clothes that hadn't been mended yet and sat on a small chair beside the apricot tree, lost in thought.

In just a few days, he had killed three people: Wang Long, the steward, and the assassin.

Even the most resolute person would feel some uncertainty, let alone Chen Ji, who was only seventeen.

The sound of the door opening interrupted Chen Ji's thoughts.

He dried himself, put on his clothes, and walked out, only to see Old Man Yao slowly walking in with a medicine box slung over one shoulder.

Old Man Yao glanced up at him, and in that instant, Chen Ji's body stiffened, and his heart skipped a beat, as if he had been stared down by a tiger.

Strange, why did he feel this way?

Before Chen Ji could react, She Dengke poked half his body out of the apprentice dormitory and asked curiously, "Master, why are you back so soon?"

"What, you don't want me back?" Old Man Yao shot him a sidelong glance.

She Dengke quickly replied, "No, no, I was just curious!"

As they spoke, Liu Quxing came out of the room, fastening his belt while scolding Chen Ji and She Dengke.

"You two, didn't you see Master is still carrying the medicine box? Why didn't you help him with it?"

Chen Ji: "..."

She Dengke: "..."

Liu Quxing took the medicine box and asked curiously, "Master, did you cure Old Master Liu? You said you'd be gone for ten to fifteen days, but you're back in just one day."

Old Man Yao grumbled, "The Liu family's old man is already dead. Should I stay there to perform a funeral? I don't know how to do that!"

Chen Ji exclaimed in surprise, "What? Old Master Liu is dead? Even you couldn't save him, Master?"

Old Man Yao said, "What could I do? The Liu family lives in a manor outside Luo City. The carriage I was riding broke down halfway, and it took most of the day to fix it. By the time I reached the Liu family manor, he was already dead. I didn't even get to see him. Damn it, if people who don't know the details hear about this, they'll think my medical skills are no good!"

Huh?

Chen Ji was startled.

Wasn't it too much of a coincidence that the carriage broke down? That carriage was only for high-ranking officials, and it just happened to break down?

At this moment, Liu Quxing said, "You must have arrived at the Liu family manor last night, right?"

"Yes," Old Man Yao nodded.

"And they sent you back overnight? Weren't they afraid you'd get exhausted?"

Old Man Yao sneered, "What's the point of staying there? If I stayed a few more days, I'd have to give them a funeral gift... I'm going to rest for a while. When I wake up, we'll take inventory and check the accounts. If anyone messes up and causes me to lose money, they'll get a beating!"

Chen Ji's heart sank.

He hadn't bought the ginseng yet!

...

Before dawn, the maids of Fei Yun Yuan were already busy.

They boiled hot water in the side room, carried copper basins with snow-white towels draped over the edges, and hurried up to the second floor of the covered building.

Yun Fei got up with the help of Xi Bing and began to dress lazily.

"The weather is getting colder. This morning, have Xi Tang bring the account book so we can prepare to distribute firewood and charcoal to each room. Send someone to the East Market to ask the Cao Gang if the silver thread charcoal from the West Mountain Kiln has arrived. If it has, buy a batch and pick the best for Bai Li's room. She and the heir will be back from the East Forest Academy soon."

Xi Bing smiled as she combed Yun Fei's hair.

"Madam is right. That silver thread charcoal, its ash is like white frost and it doesn't go out easily, and it doesn't produce smoke."

"By the way, where is Bai Banruo?" Yun Fei frowned.

"I haven't seen it all morning."

"It must have gone out to play by itself."

As they spoke, Bai Banruo limped up the stairs.

Its once pure white fur was covered in blood, its face swollen as if it had been beaten, and its eyes were teary.

Yun Fei: "..."

Xi Bing: "..."

With a clang, the bronze mirror fell to the wooden floor.

After a long while, Yun Fei smiled.

"Sister Jing Fei has improved."

Xi Bing whispered, "Madam, please calm down."

Yun Fei looked at Bai Banruo and thought for a moment.

"Take it to the Tai Ping Medical Hall and have the doctor take a look. Let that apprentice named Chen Ji examine it. The clothes I promised to reward him with should be ready. Go ask Xi Tang. If they're done, send them over. Don't neglect him. I have plans for him in the future."

Xi Bing whispered in response, "Yes."

In the morning, Xi Bing carried Bai Banruo and brought a twelve or thirteen-year-old maid to the medical hall.

As soon as they arrived at the entrance, Liu Quxing came out with a smile.

"Miss Xi Bing, what brings you to the medical hall today?"

"To see the doctor," Xi Bing said, standing on tiptoe to look into the backyard.

"Where's Chen Ji? Have him come out to see the patient."

Liu Quxing's face immediately fell, and he shouted towards the backyard, "Chen Ji, Chen Ji! Miss Xi Bing is looking for you!"

Then he glanced at the clothes the maid was holding.

"Miss Xi Bing, what are these?"

"These are the clothes my mistress is rewarding Chen Ji with," Xi Bing smiled as she touched the fabric.

"They were made by the embroiderers of the Jiangnan Clothing Bureau. Look at the stitching, it's very fine."

Liu Quxing's face turned bitter.

Didn't Master say that entering the prince's residence to see a patient was a bad omen? Master is biased!

At this moment, Chen Ji was wiping his hands on his sleeve and asked curiously, "Miss Xi Bing, what is this..."

Xi Bing said, "Some villain has beaten my mistress's cat. Since this morning, it hasn't had a drop of water and has been listless, so I was sent to bring it here for a look."

Chen Ji was troubled.

"Master just went to sleep not long ago. Should we wait for him to wake up?"

Xi Bing shook her head.

"My mistress specifically asked you to treat Bai Banruo. You don't need your master for this. Here, these are the clothes my mistress promised to reward you with, and here's the consultation fee."

The maid took out a small silver ingot from her sleeve, weighing about one tael.

It was important to note that medical apprentices were not qualified to receive consultation fees.

Even Yao Taiyi only charged five taels for a house call.

Now, Yun Fei was being so generous for the treatment of a cat, clearly showing her intention to recruit Chen Ji.

But once he accepted this money, he would have to choose between Yun Fei and Jing Fei.

After some thought, Chen Ji said, "Let me take Bai Banruo's pulse first."

Xi Bing was stunned.

"Can you take a cat's pulse?"

Chen Ji was silent for a moment. "... Yes."

Right?

After a long while, Chen Ji hesitantly said, "Miss Xi Bing, Bai Banruo's external injuries are easy to treat, but if you want it to recover faster, it will need to replenish its qi and blood. I'll prescribe a formula."

As Chen Ji was writing the prescription, Old Man Yao pushed open the door from the main room.

He stood with his hands behind his back, surveying the backyard.

There wasn't a single fallen leaf on the ground.

He then went to the kitchen and found it spotless as well.

In the past, these apprentices would slack off when cleaning, sometimes not even wiping the stove properly.

But today was different.

It was so clean, it was as if they had moved to a new place.

Not only that, but the water jar in the courtyard was also filled to the brim.

Old Man Yao pursed his lips and walked towards the main hall.

"When people are overly attentive without reason, they must be up to no good!"

As he entered the main hall of the medical hall, Chen Ji had just handed the wrapped medicine to the maid and sent Xi Bing on her way.

He turned around and saw Old Man Yao with a dark expression.

"Didn't I tell you not to treat patients? I, Yao Qimen, may love money, but I would never take human lives lightly. Before you graduate, any prescriptions you write must be reviewed by me!"

Chen Ji quickly explained, "Master, I wasn't treating a person. I was treating Yun Fei's cat for external injuries."

Old Man Yao raised an eyebrow.

"That white cat was beaten?"

"Probably..."

Old Man Yao extended his hand.

"Let me see the prescription you wrote."

Chen Ji handed it over, hesitating slightly.

"It's just some herbs like snake bed to stop bleeding and reduce swelling... and I also prescribed some medicine to help it recover."

Old Man Yao took the prescription, and the more he read, the more his brows furrowed.

After a long while, he looked up at Chen Ji, his face filled with shock.

"You prescribed a fifty-year-old ginseng for that cat?!"

"Yes."

"And they agreed to put it on credit?"

"Yes."

Old Man Yao took a deep breath and sighed in admiration.

"You're really a genius at business... In the future, if Yun Fei needs me to make a house call, you'll come with me."

Chen Ji: "Huh?"

Old Man Yao seemed to remember something and said, "By the way, I saw your father on the road yesterday. He must have just returned from the riverbank for his break. You can take a day off tomorrow and go home to get your tuition and medicine money."

Chen Ji was stunned.

Father?

(End of Chapter)