Translator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio
“Next time, whenever the prescription I provide is used, remove and destroy it immediately.”
“No problem,” Pan Jun promised without hesitation.
“One more thing, use quality grade herbs for all my prescriptions.”
The prescriptions he had provided were effective primarily because he decocted the first decoction himself. He had seen the herbs used by this clinic—they were ordinary Chinese herbs and were largely lacking in quality. They did not satisfy his standards. He wanted to be responsible for the prescriptions he provided.
Hmmm… This matter befuddled Pan Jun. Being in a business, the main objective was profit.
For an item sold at 50 yuan, it made a huge difference whether the cost price was 20 yuan versus if it was at 30 yuan. Businessmen regularly passed off lower quality items as higher quality items whereas they were rarely honest enough to sell to customers good quality products worth the money. Hence, Wang Yao’s request was particularly difficult to fulfill.
“Okay, I promise,” said Pan Jun said. He decided that he could charge a slightly higher price for the higher quality medicine.
Wang Yao did not take much time to see the patients at the clinic. When he went back, he recorded the special symptoms of that patient’s condition into his notes.
In the afternoon, Wang Yao sauntered around Nanshan hill, considering the last step to the completing the spirit gathering array. He only needed to lead water into the array, and a mere stream was sufficient. On Nanshan hill, there was a spring. The water was not much, but it was cool and chilly and would not dry out even in the height of summer. Wang Yao had initially considered making use of this stream, and now, he intended to use it in the array.
“I can start from here, leading the stream down here and then dig up a pool…”
Wang Yao had a draft of the project worked out in his mind and had gone to look at the actual site countless times.
Woof, woof, woof! As he was focused on his thoughts, the dog below started barking.
A man and a woman had come up the hill.
“Eh, why have they come?”
“It’s been a long time; how have you been?” the lady smiled. She looked exceedingly beautiful.
It was Guo Sirou and He Qisheng.
It had been months since he last saw her. Guo Sirou’s original head of short hair had now grown long and was draped on her shoulders. She was casually dressed. She looked extremely pretty and had an exceptional aura.
She and Tong Wei were uncommonly beautiful women. If Tong Wei was a rose, Guo Sirou would be the peony, her beauty surpassing all flowers.
“It’s been some time; this hill has changed so dramatically.” Guo Sirou surveyed the hill peak. She recalled that the last time she was here, apart from the chestnut and jujube trees, the hill was largely bare and did not have many trees. Now, it was a sea of green.
“I had nothing to do, so I planted some trees. Why don’t you come into the cottage and have a seat?”
“Sure,” Guo Sirou beamed and said.
There was a table and a square stool.
The tea Wang Yao served was the tea that he planted himself. Even if it was not a renowned tea, it was rare and high-quality.
“Good tea! Where is it from?” He Qisheng asked.
“I planted it myself. It’s outside.” Wang Yao smiled and pointed out the window. “I asked a tea master to hand process it.”
“Even though it’s not a renowned species of tea, surely, it’s within the top ten list of quality teas. This is hard to come by!”
“You give me too much credit. Why have you suddenly come?”
“I’m here to get some fresh air. I wanted to visit Dao City, and so, I decided to come here to visit you. Did we disturb your peaceful life?” Guo Sirou was half joking when she said this.
“I’m okay. How’s your old man’s illness?”
“Much better. Thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
While chatting, Guo Sirou divulged her intentions. She wanted to invite Wang Yao to Jing City. However, Wang Yao had laughed it off and diverted the topic.
Jing City was a city of chaos and stormy situations. He did not want to go to this city.
“You seemed to be repellent against Jing City?” Guo Sirou smiled and said.
“A little,” Wang Yao replied without hesitating.
“Why?”
“I don’t want to attract trouble,” Wang Yao said straightforwardly.
“What kind of trouble?”
“I don’t know.” Wang Yao shook his head. “I just have an intuition.”
“Do you think a man’s intuition is reliable?” Guo Sirou smiled and teased.
“Yes, I think it is.”
Guo Sirou and He Qisheng stayed on the hill for over 20 minutes, chatting with Wang Yao for some time and then departed.
After going down the hill, He Qisheng suddenly halted and turned to look at the hill. His brows were furrowed.
“What’s wrong, Uncle He?”
“The hill is a little strange,” He Qisheng contemplated momentarily before speaking.
“Why’s it strange?”
“Miss, did you not feel it? Earlier on the hill, the hill breeze was rather gentle and felt comfortable while it was blowing. Once down the hill, the hill breeze feels dryer and feels far worse. By right, the hill breeze at the foot of the hill should be gentler,” He Qisheng said.
“Hmmm, you are right indeed.”
“It’s not just the breeze. On the hill, breathing is easier; it gives one a feeling of comfort. I would describe the feeling as being immersed in a beautiful environment.”
“Is it because there are more plants on the hill?”
“It’s probably not so simple.” He Qisheng raised his head and looked at the hill.
The two of them went down the hill, walked some distance, and then He Qisheng stopped his stride and turned once more. This time he could see the hill in its entirety. The originally bare hill now had a variety of planted trees, both tall and short. The distribution was uneven. A glance showed that there was no order to the distribution.
“This is?!” He Qisheng’s face had changed drastically.
“How could this be? How could this be?!” His entire person was rooted in deep shock.
“What’s wrong, Uncle He?” Guo Sirou was surprised by He Qisheng’s reaction. In all these years, she had never seen this highly skilled physician lose himself. The only times she had seen him like that, out of the rare occasions it happened, were here in this unknown little village in the ravine.
“I must be mistaken. This is impossible!” He shook his head.
“What’s wrong?”
“It’s okay. Sorry, Miss, I lost myself,” He Qisheng said when he recovered.
“Uncle He, what’s wrong? You can’t even tell me?” Guo Sirou smiled and asked.
“This hill may have an array.”
“I remember you mentioning this. It’s a five-line illusion array.”
“It’s not that. It’s another type. It’s called a spirit gathering array.”
“Spirit gathering array?”
“Yes, spirit gathering array, for a particular use.”
“Isn’t this talked about in novels?” Guo Sirou said.
“I had once thought that the five-line illusion array existed only in novels, yet I have seen it on this hill. This spirit gathering array is miraculous. It is said to borrow the nimbus of the heavens and earth and make use of magic in the array. Of course, this is just my guess. After all, this mysterious thing was lost to the world for generations,” said He Qisheng.
If he was not well read and knowledgeable, and if not for the fact that he had an exceptionally capable master, He Qisheng’s thoughts would not have ventured in this direction.
He had read about this array once in an ancient book of unknown age. The hill’s arrangement of trees looked random. However, upon closer look, the arrangement was profound, and it looked largely similar to the arrangement mentioned in the ancient book. The book had pictures but did not describe it in words, and no one understood it.
If this was true, it’s too amazing. I should tell my master, He Qisheng pondered.
“Uncle He, do you know why he is unwilling to go to Jing City?”
“He may be afraid there may be trouble.”
“Why would there be trouble? Is he afraid of attracting certain people’s attention?”
“Yes. The head of the house has suddenly recovered for the better, and the situation has a sudden change. People may try to find out the reason.”
“They won’t be able to find out anything. However, when time passes, some news may leak, and at that time, Doctor Wang may not be able to maintain his life of a recluse,” said Guo Sirou. “When that time comes, he will have to make a choice.”
“Choice? What choice will he make?” He Qisheng looked at the half-hidden little hill again.
In a world like this, is it really unable to accommodate a recluse?
…
In a residence in Haiqu City.
“Mom, your complexion looks much better and looks rosy.”
“Yes. Since I drank Doctor Wang’s decoction, my body feels warm. In the afternoon, I even sweated,” the elderly woman smiled and said.
“You sweated? Really?!” When he heard the news, the middle-aged man stood up excitedly.
He was well aware of his mother’s condition. Over the years, as she feared the cold, she had virtually no perspiration at all. It was the first time he had heard of her sweating because of the heat. It was an indication that her illness had taken a huge turn for the better.
“Doctor Wang’s medical skills are excellent!”
“Indeed, we will have to properly thank him.”
…
“When will Doctor Wang come to the clinic?”
“Wednesday.”
“I will come again on Wednesday then.”
“Okay, walk slowly.”
At Renhe clinic, a woman in her 40’s smiled and sent off an elder in his 60’s. This was the third person in two days. She wanted to meet the young man that was constantly praised by her own brother.
“Sis.” Pan Jun pushed the door and entered.
“Not on duty today?”
“No, I’m off duty.”
“You have arranged with Doctor Wang to come here to see the patients on Wednesday?”
“Yes. If he can’t make it, he will inform me in advance,” Pan Jun smiled and replied.
“That’s good. I really want to meet him.”
…
“Miasma grass is the Monarch herb, mainly to kill the poisonous bugs. It needs to complement with other herbs to protect the internal organs.” On Nanshan hill, Wang Yao noted his thoughts in his notebook. He was planning the treatment plan for Wei Hai.
“Luckily, I have enough points to buy it.”
Wang Yao discovered by accident that his visits to the clinic were rewarded by the system, although it was very little. Seeing an ordinary patient earned him one to two reward points. Even so, these points could accumulate to something larger; hence it was a good result for him.
“I will go to the clinic on Wednesday. Tomorrow, I will practice making some pills, and I will also need to dig up a small drain to lead the spring down…” Wang Yao made a checklist of the items he needed to do. “I’m very busy!”
Although his schedule was quite busy, he could not miss his daily breathing practice. Up until the night, he recited some scriptures before he dimmed the lights and rested.
