Chapter 5 Part II

    Upon reaching Fengfu Town, Zhenzhu parted ways with Aunt Zhou then headed to the place where she had an appointment with Shopkeeper Tiao.

    "Big Sister Zhu," a beggar boy greeted her when he saw Zhenzhu. He was waiting for her.

    "Xin Xi, have you been waiting long?"

    "Not long."

    "Let's go then," she led him to the meeting place.

    The meeting place was an inconspicuous incense factory where workers were drying incense sticks in the front yard.

    "Are you Lady He, who made the appointment?" a skinny worker approached and asked upon seeing her.

    "Yes, I am."

    "Please, come in. The Shopkeeper is waiting inside," he led her through the back of the shop. Inside, dust and incense particles filled the air, causing Zhenzhu to cover her nose as she coughed from the irritation. Walking through the incense production area, they arrived at a small courtyard with wooden benches, where a familiar middle-aged man sat surrounded by high walls that completely secluded the area.

    "I hope I haven't made Master waits too long."

    "Ah, come, come, little lady, have a seat," he gestured warmly.

    Zhenzhu walked over and sat down on a long bench. "Master, this is Xin Xi, the person who will be delivering goods for me."

    "Ah, is this young lad?" Shopkeeper Tiao looked at Xin Xi with wide eyes, recognizing him. This little beggar was well-known in Fengfu Town, often seen by locals, and even Shopkeeper Tiao had given him food and water several times.

    "He was the one who first brought me here to sell herbs to your shop."

    "Really! Ah, thank you, young man," Shopkeeper Tiao turned to Xin Xi with a friendly demeanor.

    "I was thinking of having Xin Xi deliver the vegetables and herbs to you from now on. Would that be alright?"

    "That would be excellent; no one would suspect a thing."

    He said this because, besides being a well-known local beggar, Xin Xi also collected trash around the town, making him a familiar figure to both the townspeople and the guards. Using him as a courier would likely avoid any undue attention, especially since he knew the town's layout well and could avoid risky routes.

    "Xin Xi, what do you say? Will you take on the job of delivering goods for me? I'll pay you one tael per delivery, and I'll hand over the goods to you outside the city gates."

    "Really? One tael per delivery? Isn't that too much?" His voice shook, overwhelmed by the offer. One tael was a significant amount, especially for just delivering herbs. Why would such a task warrant such high pay? He had to work for God knows how long to earn that much.

    "Because the herbs you'll be delivering are very valuable. You need to avoid people and deliver them safely to Shopkeeper Tiao without anyone catching on. No one must know, under any circumstances."

    "Why can't anyone know?" He asked innocently.

    "Because they're too valuable. If others see them, they'll want some too, and then they might come to take them away." She explained patiently.

    "Ah, so they're that valuable?" The boy began to feel scared. How could he protect something so precious?

    "I don't trust others; I only trust you, Xin Xi. Will you help me?"

    "Um... If Sister trusts me, I'll do it. I won't let you down," he smiled confidently, Sister Zhu trusted him, so he had to do his best. The boy smiled inwardly with joy; he was fulfilling a truly important role.

    Once Xin Xi agreed, Zhenzhu turned to her own business.

    "Shopkeeper, here are 50 Nengyan herbs for you to examine," she revealed the herbs covered by a cloth for Shopkeeper Tiao to inspect.

    "Ah, such pure spirit energy," he exclaimed upon seeing the neatly arranged Nengyan herbs in the basket.

    Master He truly possesses extraordinary abilities. To think he could cultivate Nengyan herbs to such perfection, and not just a few, but as many as fifty plants. Throughout his life, he never managed to purchase Nengyan herbs in such quantity in a single transaction; the most he could ever secure was ten plants. With such a formidable agricultural deity as a partner, how could Ruyi Pharmacy not thrive?

    “How much do you think, Shopkeeper Tiao?”

    “One plant can be processed into three spirit-enhancing pills. We agreed to split it equally, so that would be 75 pills each. Would you prefer the pills or the cash?”

    Zhenzhu pondered briefly. Taking all the pills might mean they wouldn't be used for a long time. It might be wise to take enough for two months' use. If one month requires six pills, then two months would need twelve pills. Considering there are three spirit energy cultivators in her family, they would need 36 pills in total. It seemed sensible to take 36 pills first and the rest in cash.

    “I'll take 36 pills, and the rest in cash, please.”

    “Agreed. 36 spirit-enhancing pills and the cash for the remaining 39 pills, three taels and five qian each, totals…” Shopkeeper Tiao swiftly brought up the abacus to calculate.

    “...136 taels and five qian.”

    “Wow...so much?” Xin Xi exclaimed, overhearing the conversation. He knew these herbs were spiritually potent and thus valuable, but he hadn't realized just how much. Selling herbs just once for 136 taels and five qian was unimaginable. If he were to lose them, how could he ever repay?

    “That’s why I want Xin Xi to take on this task. I wouldn’t feel comfortable entrusting it to anyone else,” Zhenzhu reassured him.

    “U…Understood.”

    “Ah, there’s another matter I’d like to discuss with you, Shopkeeper.”

    “What is it?”

    Zhenzhu looked around before leaning in closer to Shopkeeper Tiao, whispering as if sharing a secret.

    “Would you be interested in selling inscribed pills?” She softly whispered.

    “What! Do you...do you have them? A... And who inscribed them, your father? Is he also an inscription master?” Shopkeeper Tiao was flustered, almost overwhelmed by Zhenzhu's revelations. He almost had heart attack.

    Besides being a remarkably skilled agricultural cultivator, was he now a scribe too? This He Master was making everyone green with envy.

    “Why are you shouting? It doesn’t matter who inscribed them. What matter is do you want them or not?”

    She wanted to inscribe the pills to increase their value. It would be her first significant earnings, entirely her own. Zhenzhu dreamt of saving enough money to open her fabric store one day, a dream carried over from her previous life.

    “You’re giving me a heart attack,” Master Tiao said, patting his chest.

    Normally, inscription master wouldn’t inscribe food or pills due to the long rest required after each inscription, at least 1-2 months, or even 15-20 days for the highly skilled. In a year, an inscription master could only inscribe about 10-12 items, 20 at most, which was considered highly skilled. Therefore, inscription master preferred to inscribe more important objects, like, inscribe on the sword, saber, bow, and weapons, for the war or hunting, inscribe on human for healing, inscribe on things using for work or the vehicle, hence, it considering a waste of time to inscribe on pills.

    However, this does not mean no one does it. Some medical character engravers inscribe characters into medicine to enhance its efficacy. Some medicines balance spirit energy, instantly heal wounds, or even antidote poisons that no other medicine can treat except for those inscribed by an inscription master. But such medicines are exquisite and only possessed by royalty and the highborn.

    In this small Fengfu city, not to mention inscription master, even spirit energy cultivators are rare, so it's no surprise he was astonished.

    "So, do you want to sell it or not, Shopkeeper? If you don't agree, I'll offer it to another shop," she pretended.

    "Phew! You're too impatient. If you really bring the inscribed pills, I will personally take it to the Gongzhengde Auction House for you," he said.

    "Does it really need to be auctioned, Shopkeeper? It's just a spirit pill inscribed with blue-level runes," she asked in astonishment. "Just one pill needs to be auctioned?"

    "You don't know anything, young kid. A single pill that people across the land desperately seek."

    "Ah, then what type of pill do you think we should inscribe to fetch a high price, Shopkeeper?"

    The Shopkeeper pondered for a moment. "It should be a type that detoxifies or prevents poison." Such pills are exceedingly rare even in the martial world, likely only possessed by leaders.

    "And the split?"

    "30% for me, 70% for you."

    "Agreed! Next time I deliver vegetables, I'll have Xin Xi bring them to you."

    After delivering the herbs, Zhenzhu and Xin Xi excused themselves out.

    "Big Sister Zhu, are you going home now?"

    "Not yet. I have to wait for Aunt Zhou to sell all the vegetables. I can probably stay and wander around here for a while."

    "Really? Then, shall I take you to the hot springs?"

    "Eh? There are hot springs here?" She had been to the city several times but never heard of any hot springs.

    "The hot springs are not within the city. We must walk out the city’s west gate, then take thirty minutes’ walk to the place’,” Xin Xi informed her, preparing to be an excellent host.

    The city gate which Zhenzhu entered was the northern one; she had never passed through the western city gate before.

    "Eh, isn't there an entrance fee for the hot springs?" She had heard that most hot springs were either privately owned by nobles and the upper class or, if publicly accessible, required an entrance fee.

    "Now that it's summer, not many people go to the hot springs. The authorities have opened it to the public without charge during the summer season. Do you want to go, Sister? There's also a peach forest near the hot springs, but I'm not sure if the flowers have all wilted by now."

    "Ah, if you say so, then we must give it a try," Zhenzhu smiled because of his enthusiasm.

    They walked from the western city gate toward the hot springs, passing sporadic stalls of local villagers along the way. As they ventured deeper, they were surrounded by large, cooling shade trees on both sides of the path, making the journey pleasant. The area was quiet, as the summer season discouraged visitors to the hot springs, with most people likely seeking relief at the lakes instead.

    Soon, Xin Xi led her to a large emerald-green hot spring. Zhenzhu tested the water temperature with her hand; it was just right, neither too hot nor too cold, perfect for a relaxing soak. Large trees surrounded the spring, providing a cool and shaded area even in the peak of summer. The peach blossoms Xin Xi mentioned had already fallen. Zhenzhu sat down on a rock, removed her shoes, and dipped her feet into the water, enjoying the solitude since this hot spring was far from others, leaving them alone.

    "How do you feel, Sister? Are you comfortable?"

    "Very much so, Xin Xi," she replied, thinking it would be even more delightful in winter.

    A hot breeze passed by. "Eh!"

    "What is it, Big Sister Zhu?" Xin Xi, who was soaking his feet in the hot spring on the opposite side, asked upon hearing her exclamation.

    "Do you smell that?" she sniffed around like a puppy searching for the scent of meat.

    She thought she smelled blood in the air, a scent carried by the wind moments ago. Perhaps because she was a spirit energy cultivator, even at a basic level, her senses were sharper than before.

    "I don't smell anything."

    Zhenzhu got up, put on her shoes, and followed the scent carried continuously by the wind. Could there be an injured wild animal nearby? As she moved further away from the hot spring, the smell of blood grew stronger.

    "Big Sister Zhu, what did you smell?" Xin Xi followed her, stumbling along.

    Zhenzhu didn't respond, focusing on tracking the scent. Ahead, there was a thick bush where the smell of blood was particularly strong. She cautiously approached and parted the bushes, her heart racing.

    A body!

    "B… Big Sister Zhu, is... is that a body?" Xin Xi trembled with fear as he caught sight of what lay within the bushes.

    "Eh! He's not dead," Zhenzhu detected a faint breath.

    "He's still alive?"

    "Quick, Xin Xi, drag him out," she urged, feeling an imperative to help. Seeing an animal in distress compelled her to act; how could she not do the same for a human on the brink of death?

    Together, the two of them dragged the body... No, not a corpse, but the body of an injured man out from the bushes to examine his wounds. He was tall, his face smeared with mud and blood, making it impossible to discern his true features. His body bore several deep sword wounds, with the most severe being a large, deep gash across his chest. His clothes were torn from branches and sword cuts.

    The blood still flowed from his wounds; if they waited any longer, he would surely bleed out and meet the Angel of Death.

    But what could she do? She was no doctor. Should she run back to get help? But the nearest people were still far away. Considering it would take at least a shichen to take him back to the city, he would not survive.

    She tried her best to come up with a solution. First, she had to stop the bleeding. She tore off the hem of her skirt to bind the wounds she could manage.

    "Xin Xi, hurry and get help as fast as you can."

    "Understood," he said and dashed off immediately.

    It was clear; even if she used all her clothes, it wouldn't be enough to cover all his wounds.

    But...

    There was one last choice, something she had never tried before and wasn't sure of the outcome. A mistake could hasten his death, not from his injuries, but by her hand.

    Body Covering Characters...

    An internal debate raged within her. Part of her knew she had to try to save him, but another part doubted her abilities.

    "Let's do it. If I don't act now, he's sure to die."

    She decided to inscribe a character onto a human body for the first time. The Body Covering Character she had only recently memorized might work, or it might not—it was all up to fate now.

    "Please help me, little fish scale." She touched the golden fish scale that steadied her spirit. It warmed briefly as if acknowledging her plea, then cooled again.

    Zhenzhu positioned the injured man on his back and began to slowly channel her spirit energy through her index finger, drawing the intricate character she had memorized. After a moment, the bleeding within his body gradually stopped, including from internal injuries, which she couldn't see because she was focusing on the inscription. Big sweat beads streaming down her hair line. Inscribing on a human body was more exhausting than on objects.

    “Phew!” With a heavy breath, she looked over her work.

    The bleeding had stopped. The inscription of the Body Covering Character wasn't a cure but a temporary measure to halt the bleeding and stabilize his condition until he could receive proper medical attention.

    "Over here! This way!" Xin Xi 's voice echoed from afar.

    Zhenzhu quickly got up and hid behind a large tree as villagers, led by Xin Xi, approached, one of them carrying a stretcher.

    "Is he dead?"

    "No, he's not dead yet. Quick, help lift him onto the stretcher."

    "Let's go, hurry to the doctor," the villagers coordinated to place the injured man on the stretcher and rushed him away.

    Their voices faded into the distance.

    "Big Sister Zhu." The one who hadn't left was Xin Xi, wondering where Zhenzhu had gone.

    "I'm here," her voice came from behind the large tree, relieving Xin Xi who had feared she had been carried off by a tiger.

    "I've tied his wounds until I was exhausted, so I came to rest. Let's sit for a moment before we head back," she was significantly drained, reflecting on the peril of inscribing characters on a human, which was risky for both the inscriber and the recipient. But in that kind of emergency, she did not have any other choice. She hoped the man would survive.

    When the injured man was brought to the town's doctor by the villagers, the city's governor, having heard the news, hurried to the medical facility.

    "How is he, doctor?" he asked anxiously, aware that if the man inside suffered any further, no amount of compensation would suffice.

    "Oh, Governor, no need to worry. He's safe now but needs to rest for several days," the elderly doctor reassured, surprised by the Governor's personal visit and curious about the young man's identity that caused such concern.

    It was peculiar, considering the extent of his injuries, that the bleeding had stopped on its own, a fact that puzzled the old doctor.

    "Thank you, Doctor," the governor felt somewhat relieved upon hearing this.

    The Governor of Fengfu arranged for the patient to be moved to the Governor Manor, hiring the town's best doctor to attend to him strictly. He then sent a quick horse to the capital requesting the royal doctor's immediate presence, as the patient couldn't be moved to another city. Everything had to be managed with utmost care.

    Within less than five days, the royal physicians arrived at the Governor of Fengfu's Manor, having traveled non-stop and reaching in just four days and three nights.

    The royal physician's carriage stopped in front of the Governor’s Manor. Servants quickly informed the Governor, who personally greeted the physicians and respectfully invited them into the manor.

    "Lead the way," the senior royal physician urged, eager to see the patient.

    Upon entering the patient's residence, they found a young man with a pale face, his body wrapped in white bandages, the room filled with the scent of medicinal herbs.

    The head of the royal physicians immediately began examining the patient, and after a thorough check, he sighed in relief.

    "Eh?" One of the royal physicians exclaimed, he was puzzled,

    He was a newcomer named Yun Baise, who had recently joined the Royal Physician. He was a dark blue-tier inscription master, focusing on the study of the treatment character which was the study of character-based healing method.

    "What is it, Bai Se?" the head physician inquired.

    "May I have permission to examine his majesty a bit more closely? Just a look.” His body was so valuable that he had to ask for permission, since if anything gone wrong, there was no way he could compensate.

    "Of course."

    Yun Baise approached the patient and after a detailed examination, he furrowed his brows in confusion.

    "Is there a problem, Bai Se?" the elder physician asked, seeing his concern. Bai Se was a dark blue-tier inscription master, even if he was in a lower position than him, he had to show him some respect, because this young man might become an excellent royal physician and got the higher position than his.

    "Someone has inscribed healing characters."