Three apprentices, born in the same year, same month, same day, and at the same hour.
It was as if they had been chosen by fate, as if there was some special arrangement behind it all.
Chen Ji couldn’t help but think of Old Yao’s habit of using the Six Yao divination technique, as well as the Stone-Holding Stance that could withstand the icy flow.
He always felt that this master of his was hiding many secrets.
Could it be that in this world, the Six Yao technique truly had the power to inquire of the heavens above and the underworld below?
As he pondered this, a middle-aged man in a dark blue robe arrived at the clinic.
Liu Quxing quickly greeted him with a smile, “Steward Wang, what brings you here so late?”
The man cupped his hands toward Old Yao, “Physician Yao, my mistress has been vomiting and having diarrhea since lunch. She’s now unconscious in bed. My master sent me to invite you for a consultation. If you agree to come, you’ll be handsomely rewarded.”
Old Yao glanced at him and casually tossed a coin six times on the counter. “Earth Fire Ming Yi, Wind Lake Zhong Fu… It’s not a good night to go out. I won’t go.”
Chen Ji: Huh?
The steward looked troubled, “Old Master Yao, you’re a physician. Shouldn’t you have the compassion of a healer? How can you disregard a life because of some vague divination?”
“There are so many physicians in Luocheng. Am I the only one?” Old Yao glared at him. “Your Li family has always been stingy. Last time you came in the middle of the night, you also promised a handsome reward. But after I treated your master’s mother’s headache with just one acupuncture session, your mistress thought I earned too easily and tried to skip out on the reward. When I left, all I got was two salted fish. Whoever wants to go can go!”
Steward Wang grew anxious, “Physician Yao, my mistress is elderly. Please have some compassion…”
Old Yao stroked his beard, “Don’t bring up age. She’s over thirty years younger than me. No one in Luocheng can pull the age card with me.”
Steward Wang: “…”
Old Yao waved his hand, “She Dengke, see him out!”
After She Dengke escorted Steward Wang out, he returned and asked Old Yao, “Master, why didn’t you let us go? A house call could earn us a tael of silver.”
Old Yao scolded him angrily, “You’ve been here for two years and still can’t even take a pulse properly. Sending you out now would be no different from sending an assassin!”
She Dengke choked, “Master, I’ve been trying my best to learn…”
Old Yao raised a bamboo stick and smacked She Dengke’s arm, “Go cook!”
She Dengke hurried to the backyard, with Liu Quxing following behind.
One was tall and burly like a tower, the other thin as a stick.
In the backyard, She Dengke said in a low voice, “You went too far today. We’re fellow disciples. You shouldn’t treat people like that.”
Liu Quxing was taken aback, “Me? How did I go too far? His family didn’t pay his tuition. Is that my fault? Don’t forget, the master only takes one true disciple!”
She Dengke fell into thought.
Only the true disciple could inherit the position in the Imperial Hospital.
The three apprentices were in competition with each other.
…
…
The smell of food wafted from the kitchen.
A low table and stools were set up in the courtyard.
Old Yao held a bowl of millet porridge, sipping it slowly.
On the table were a plate of pickles and a plate of tofu.
She Dengke and Liu Quxing sat on small stools, not daring to pick up their chopsticks until the master had finished eating.
Chen Ji, who couldn’t afford the tuition, didn’t even have a seat.
He stood to the side, chewing on a coarse grain pancake.
The pancake was mixed with some kind of wild vegetable, making it hard to swallow.
Chen Ji scooped a ladle of water from the vat and washed the pancake down with it.
Then he picked up a bucket and a rag and headed to the main hall.
Old Yao glanced at him, “It’s already dark. Why are you still working?”
“I’m afraid I won’t finish tomorrow’s tasks, so I’m getting a head start by mopping the floor,” Chen Ji explained.
Old Yao scratched his eyebrows, “Playing the martyr? Don’t try to win my sympathy. I won’t soften.”
Chen Ji smiled, “No, Master. I’ll earn the tuition and pay you as soon as possible.”
He truly wanted to stay at the clinic.
Whether it was the threats from the Moon Rabbit and Cloud Sheep, or the mystery of the icy flow within him, he needed to stay here to find a solution.
His situation since coming to this world wasn’t great… but there was no point in complaining.
The world had given him a second chance at life, and that was already a blessing.
Pessimists are always right, but optimists are the ones who move forward.
Chen Ji placed the bucket on the ground, wrung out the rag, and began mopping the floor.
But the moment he bent over, the icy flow within him surged without warning!
A bone-chilling cold swept through him, rapidly draining the warmth from his body.
In just a few breaths, he was trembling as if he were standing in the depths of winter with thin clothing.
“What is this icy flow? Is it really the vengeful spirit of the dead? Maybe I’ll find out when the master beats one of my fellow disciples to death…”
Chen Ji trembled as he assumed the Stone-Holding Stance to suppress the icy flow.
Strangely, this time the icy flow didn’t retreat to his dantian.
Instead, it continued to rampage through his body, as if searching for something.
He felt the direction of the icy flow’s movement and looked toward the rows of vermilion medicine cabinets behind the counter.
“What’s attracting you?” Chen Ji slowly moved toward the cabinets until he pulled open the drawer labeled “Ginseng.”
Inside was a single fifty-year-old ginseng root.
Following the icy flow’s guidance, Chen Ji reached out to touch the ginseng’s roots.
To his surprise, the six roots melted into a transparent liquid that flowed into his palm, eventually condensing into a thumb-sized bead.
In an instant, the icy flow within him was completely drained!
Huh?
What’s this for?
Chen Ji picked up the bead and examined it closely.
Inside the transparent bead, a snake-like wisp of mist seemed to be swimming around.
He wondered if he should eat the bead, but then thought, if he did, wouldn’t the icy flow return to his body?
No rush.
The bead wasn’t going anywhere.
He’d check the books to see if there was any information about it first.
Chen Ji tucked the bead into his sleeve and looked down at the ginseng root.
Its once lush roots were now half-bald…
“Will the master notice something’s wrong? With his stingy nature, if he finds out the ginseng’s quality has deteriorated, how much more will I have to pay? Will he kick me out of the clinic?!” The thought made Chen Ji’s heart race.
He immediately grabbed the clinic’s inventory ledger and flipped to the page for ginseng: “One fifty-year-old ginseng root, three qian, fourteen roots.”
One qian was about three grams.
The ledger was too detailed.
If Old Yao checked the inventory, he’d definitely notice the problem with the ginseng.
Chen Ji frowned as he closed the drawer.
His already tight situation had just gotten worse.
He didn’t know how often Old Yao checked the inventory, but he had to fix this before the next check.
But more urgently, he needed to deal with the immediate problem: tomorrow’s exam.
After finishing the floor, Chen Ji didn’t go to sleep.
Instead, he pulled out the “Medical Compendium” and began studying.
It was a bit late to start learning now, but he had to try.
The sooner he learned, the less he’d get beaten.
Just then, light footsteps came from the backyard.
Chen Ji quickly hid the Medical Compendium under the counter.
He turned to see Liu Quxing, wrapped in a coat, peeking at him.
“Senior Brother, why are you up?”
“I got up to pee and came to check on you,” Liu Quxing whispered as he approached. “I need to tell you something, or I’ll feel guilty.”
“What is it?”
Liu Quxing said, “I had you help with the work today because I wanted to help you. If you can’t pay the tuition, you’ll really be sent home. Don’t listen to She Dengke’s nonsense. I meant no harm.”
Chen Ji smiled, “Don’t worry, Senior Brother Liu. I know you meant well.”
“Good, as long as you know,” Liu Quxing wrapped his coat around himself and went back to the room, where She Dengke was still snoring.
He shook She Dengke, “Wake up! Wake up!”
No response.
Liu Quxing added, “Hurry up, Chen Ji’s secretly studying!”
With a start, She Dengke sat up, “What?!”
Liu Quxing quickly changed the subject, “I got up to pee and thought I’d check on Chen Ji. Turns out he’s been studying while we were sleeping!”
She Dengke was shocked, “How sneaky!”
“Right? Should we start studying too?”
She Dengke waved him off, “It’s the middle of the night. Go to sleep! And don’t you dare study either!”
“Fine! No studying! Sleep!”
In the middle of the night, She Dengke woke up needing to pee.
He looked around and realized he was the only one left in the room.
The tall, burly youth got up suspiciously, wrapped himself in a robe, and headed to the courtyard.
There, he noticed an orange-red light coming from the kitchen.
He pushed the door open and saw Liu Quxing, wrapped in a coat, sitting on a small stool by the stove.
A grease lamp was lit, and in his hands was a book on the pathology of cold damage…
“You sneaky bastard!” She Dengke covered Liu Quxing’s mouth and started hitting him.
Even Chen Ji hadn’t expected that his actions would bring the toxic culture of overwork to the clinic.
As they fought, a girl holding a lantern hurried to the clinic’s door and called out, “Physician Yao! Physician Yao!”
On the white paper lantern were the words “Prince Jing’s Residence.”
The girl’s shouts drew everyone’s attention.
She Dengke stopped hitting Liu Quxing and ran outside.
He opened the door to the main hall, “Chunhua, why are you here so late?”
The girl, Chunhua, looked to be about eighteen or nineteen.
She wore a bright green dress and had a delicate appearance.
She said urgently, “She Dengke, where’s Physician Yao?”
At that moment, Old Yao finally arrived, hands behind his back, and asked leisurely, “What’s the matter?”
Chunhua quickly said, “My mistress is in trouble. Please come and see her.”
Everyone looked at Old Yao, but he remained silent for a moment before saying, “It’s not a good night to go out. I won’t go.”
Chen Ji: Huh?
Isn’t this clinic specifically assigned to Prince Jing’s residence?
Chunhua was sweating with anxiety.
She quickly gave She Dengke a look, signaling him to help persuade Old Yao.
She Dengke stepped forward, “Master, it’s already past midnight. A new day has begun. Why don’t you do another divination?”
Old Yao glanced at him, “Fine, I’ll do another divination.”
He took out a coin from his sleeve and tossed it six times, muttering, “Heaven creates chaos, the strong and the weak begin to interact but struggle to survive, moving through danger, Water and Thunder…”
Old Yao’s face turned pale, “Great misfortune! No, no, I definitely can’t go!”
Chunhua was on the verge of tears, “Physician Yao, if I don’t bring a doctor back tonight, I’ll be killed. And I’ve brought the prince’s token. Your clinic must send someone!”
She Dengke stepped forward, “Master, if you really don’t want to go, I’ll go!”
Old Yao thought for a moment, then said, “…Chen Ji, you go.”
Chen Ji: “Huh? Me?”
(End of Chapter)