Chapter 2

    In the blistering heat of the fifth month, Xuyao lay sprawled on the bench under the large tree in the backyard, while Xiaoxin, ever diligent, was busily grinding herbs not far away. The five-year-old boy had been living with her for a year now and had learned the basic techniques of herb preparation excellently, helping significantly with the grinding. However, the young woman did not overburden him with work. Often, she would send him to play with other children in the village, but this little boy was mature beyond his ages Refusing to go out and play, he stayed and help with the work diligently, causing her some distress.

    "Yawn... Xiaoxin, don't just work all the time. You need to enjoy life a bit more," she yawned, leaning over to talk to the boy.

    "Big Sister, go rest. I’m almost done grinding this batch of herbs. Not a single toxic root, I promise," Xiaoxin replied eagerly, making Xuyao feel increasingly that she was exploiting child labor more and more every day.

    "We can wait for a bit. We don't need to rush to deliver the herbs just yet."

    "Big Sister, if we sell more herbal powders, we’ll make more money. Then I can save up to take you to the exam to get your medical seal," he said.

    Xuyao raised an eyebrow. Was it she or he who was the caregiver here? Why was such a small boy thinking so far ahead?

    The medical seal exam was the path to becoming a licensed apothecary and a recognized doctor. The medical seal was a symbol of the apothecary's rank, with nine levels in total similar to martial arts masters. Yet, even at the first level, she had no chance to travel to take the exam, as the exam required travel to a major city, which was very far from here.

    "Ah... I’m in no hurry," Xuyao shrugged, knowing she was still short of the necessary funds.

    Xiaoxin looked up at her before bowing his head to grind the herbs again.

    "Miss Lin! Miss Lin, are you there?!" A neighbor's voice called out, prompting Xuyao to rise reluctantly from her relaxed position.

    "Uncle?" As she approached the front of the house, she saw a middle-aged man leaning against her fence, his expression showing three parts of unease. This man, known as Pi Yizhou, was a villager in the village that Xuyao was familiar with. He was a kind-hearted villager with a decent demeanor whom she held dear as a helpful presence during her early days in Shuishan Village.

    "Miss Lin, I need to ask for your help..." with a timid look, but without introducing anything, he asked for help.

    In Shuishan Village, the help she could offer the villagers was mainly her modest medical skills.

    The villagers were poor and couldn't afford city doctors. They would take care of each other until the conditions were too severe, then they would bring the sick person and come knocking on her door. Sometimes they did not have the money for medical treatment, even though she charged a very low price for medicine. So, she would let them pay with labor instead of money. Often, she would have them dig, chop, or water the herbs she grew. Most were gratitude for the opportunity to work instead of paying for medicine.

    Xuyao was like a beacon of light in their darkness. However, there were many times when she could not help, and could only recommend that they go to the doctor in the city instead.

    "Miss Lin, please help this man. I found him at the edge of the forest. I took him to city doctors already, but none would treat him, saying it was a waste as he was doomed to die," Pi Yizhou pointed to the cart he had wheeled over. She saw... a lump of flesh. From the looks of it, it was fair to call it a lump of flesh.

    Xuyao looked at the dust that covered the body of the person lying on the cart, deducing that Pi Yizhou must have wheeled him to the doctor in the city as he said, before wheeling him back when he was refused.

    It must be noted that every city doctor possessed a medical seal. They all had to have at least the first level of the medical seal. but she was just a quack. Yet when the doctors with the medical seal refused, Pi Yizhou still wheeled the sick man back to her, a quack doctor.

    Such genuine kindness indeed.

    "Oh..."

    The young woman surveyed the lump of flesh before her once again. It was the body of a robust, large man, imbued with the martial spirit of the blade. Beyond the severe wounds, dirt and filth had infiltrated the cuts, causing inflammation and pus. Every part of his body was abnormal, his head and face so swollen that his original features were indiscernible. It could be said that the lump of flesh was more pleasing to the eye than he was. Xuyao wondered how he was still breathing.

    "Uncle Pi... he's so badly injured," she couldn't say whether he would live to recover or not. A single slash was enough to cause inflammation that could lead to death at any moment.

    "It's alright, Miss Lin. Consider this my good deed. As for the cost of medicine, can I pay with labor instead?"

    "Sigh… Never mind, Uncle Pi. I'm not so heartless. How could I not help when seeing someone who is about to die? Go ahead with your work; I'll take care of him." She sighed heavily Uncle Pi was a good man in all respects, with only one weakness: he was too kind. He had a family, with children and a wife to support, and didn't have much money. If he had to work in her herbal garden too, it would take too much time from his forest foraging.

    Despite being an unlicensed doctor without a formal medical seal, how could she watch someone die right before her? Even if he were to die later, at least she wouldn't be guilty before her own conscience.

    "Thank you! Thank you, Miss Lin."

    "Then please help me wheel him into my house."

    Pi Yizhou and Xuyao worked together to push the cart inside, then moved the injured man to a well-ventilated room.

    After Uncle Pi left, Xuyao and Xiaoxin stood looking down at the lump of flesh with heavy hearts. How could they return this lump of flesh back to a normal person? Despite having read and memorized many medical texts, the task seemed overwhelmingly daunting.

    "Big Sister, where did this lump of flesh come from?" the little boy asked, blinking his eyes. He was unable to imagine what the man once looked like and whether he could ever return to normal. The boy felt an overwhelming sense of pity in his heart.

    "Xiaoxin, prepare cleaner cloths. I'll go boil some water."

    "Understood."

    The siblings set aside their work to scurry around gathering clean cloths, heating water, and preparing medicinal powders. They began cleaning the patient's wounds, prioritizing treating all the injuries on his body before they deteriorated further. From the severity of his injuries, it was clear he had endured great hardships, yet his fighter's spirit was evident. If he had been anyone else, he might have died already.

    "It looks like his arm is broken, and a tendon in his leg is torn. Here's a stab wound through the abdomen. Eh... and there's poison too. Is he blind?" She murmured while her hands worked, and her eyes scanned the injuries. The more she examined the patient's body, the more she marveled at his resilience. Despite such serious injuries, he still managed to maintain his breathing. He must have been a high-level martial artist; otherwise, he would have died long ago. Regrettably, she couldn't determine his exact level of martial skill.

    "Xiaoxin, apply the healing powder here."

    "We need to cut away some flesh here first."

    "This part can be bandaged now."

    "Bring me the knife, we need to shave his hair off."

    "Xiaoxin, pry open his eyes. Ah... it looks like he's been poisoned. Blind in both eyes. Wrap them up for now."

    The siblings tirelessly worked on the unfortunate man. It took them more than four shichen to complete the task. By the time they finished, they were utterly exhausted, their energy completely drained.

    "Big Sister, he might not die, but I'm about to." Exhausted to the point of death.

    "Let's stop for today and see how he fares tomorrow," Xuyao assessed. Based on his overall condition, she couldn't yet say if he would be safe. His condition might worsen or improve—only heaven could show mercy now. They had done all they could.

    Yet, this patient surprised the siblings; he was much tougher than they initially thought. After several days, not only did his condition not deteriorate, but he also gradually improved, although he had not yet regained consciousness.

    "Big Sister, Dadou is really strong," Xiaoxin called the patient by the name he had given him.

    "He is a martial artist; how can he be compared to ordinary people?"

    "Are martial artists really that strong?" the young boy asked with keen interest.

    "They have to be very strong. Do you want to train?"

    "What does it take to train in martial arts?" the boy cleverly asked, knowing that martial arts training required something ordinary people couldn't easily obtain; otherwise, everyone in the village would be a martial artist. Since living with his grandfather, he had seen him practice martial arts occasionally. However, the old man never taught him, considering him too young.

    "Martial arts training?" Xuyao reminisced about the time when she was still in the Bai family manor.

    In addition to being a daughter of a concubine, she was also considered useless. Only those with a special heavenly gift could train in martial arts. Their bodies had to be capable of activating meridian points. Their muscles and tissues needed to withstand either vital energy or mental power. Those who practiced vital energy were called martial artists, while those who practiced mental power were known as mages. Mages were much rarer than martial artists; perhaps only one in a hundred could train to become a mage. Yet, her body was incapable of either, making her the family's worthless trash. Even though she was a young miss, her status was lower than that of a servant.

    Even in learning literacy, which her father had tutors teach his children, she was barred from studying with the others by the matriarch and had to secretly learn by hiding near the schoolhouse in the bushes.

    "Big Sister?" Xiaoxin called again when he saw his sister fall silent.

    "Huh... Oh," Xuyao quickly shook off her gloomy past. Never mind, the matriarch was long gone.

    "Oh... If you want to learn martial arts, you need a body capable of undergoing training, a master to guide you, and sufficient skills to attract such a master. Just having money isn't enough, they won't teach you otherwise. Martial artists are very proud."

    "Ah, why is it so complicated? If you have the money to hire them, why wouldn't they teach?" the boy asked doubtfully. Forget about skills; they didn't even have the money. Xiaoxin looked visibly disheartened.

    "Do you really want to learn martial arts?" Seeing the boy's sad face, she felt sorry for him.

    "I want to learn martial arts. Once I become skilled, I will take good care of you, Big Sister, and I will earn more money so you won't have to sell herbal medicine anymore," he said determinedly, but felt sad again, realizing they couldn't even afford a teacher.

    Xuyao raised her eyebrows slightly at the boy's earnest response. "Selling herbal medicine isn't so bad, you know," she patted Xiaoxin affectionately on the head.

    After nearly a month of taking care of the patient, his condition had improved steadily. Although his wounds were not yet fully healed and his face was still somewhat swollen, that lump of flesh had finally woken up.

    "Big Sister! Dadou has woken up!" Xiaoxin shouted from inside the house while Xuyao was cheerfully watering her herb garden. Hearing Xiaoxin's delighted shout, the young woman couldn't help but smile fondly. Since taking in this special patient, it was mostly Xiaoxin who had taken care of him, as this was the first patient to be treated in their house. The young boy had been particularly eager, which might be said to be his first patient. She only monitored the condition and administered the right herbal medicines. However, the young child took on the responsibility of bathing and feeding all the patients diligently. As soon as his first patient had woken up, the boy shouted out across the courtyard.

    Xuyao left the watering can and walked into the patient's room to see Xiaoxin unwrapping the bandages around the patient's eyes. However, his eyes had turned a complete gray, unable to distinguish light from dark like a normal person, indicating that he was indeed blind.

    "Big Sister, Dadou really is blind," Xiaoxin said sadly and compassionately, unaware of what the dark world under the blind eyes must be like. It must be agonizing not to see the beauty of this world anymore.

    "Saving his life is already a great achievement," Xuyao consoled. Keeping someone alive was the most important thing. She had seen many patients lose arms, legs, tongues, or even their eyes. Such things were unavoidable. She and Xiaoxin had done their best to help.

    The siblings were unaware that even doctors with a level-one or even level-three medical seal would have struggled to save this young man's life due to his severe injuries.

    "What is your name?" Xuyao asked the patient, whose face was still swollen beyond recognition.

    However, all she received in return was silence, accompanied by furrowed brows that seemed swollen, as if he was recalling his past.

    A slow silence built between the three of them for more than one ke until Xuyao could no longer bear it.

    "Never mind, you should rest more," she said before going to prepare breakfast. She decided to call him Dadou, as Xiaoxin had named him, not realizing that in addition to being blind, her patient was also mute.

    "Hey, brother, I'll call you Dadou then. My name is Xiaoxin, and my sister here is Xuyao. Are you really mute?" It was truly pitiable that, besides being blind, he was also mute. Well, from now on, he would take even better care of Dadou.

    Dadou just listened to the young boy talk without responding. His body was indeed in severe pain, the worst he had ever been in his life. The young man tried to circulate his vital energy slowly, only to find that his vital energy flow was greatly obstructed, his injuries more severe than he had anticipated.

    "Where is this place?" The young man's hoarse voice finally broke the silence, startling the little boy grinding medicine next to him. His eyes widened in excitement. Ah... he wasn't mute after all. The young boy quickly ran to fetch a bowl of water for him, his throat must be terribly dry.

    "Drink slowly. This is Dacheng Region, Shuishan Village. Uncle Pi found you behind that hill and carried you down for treatment. I thought you were going to die. Don't worry, my sister and I will take care of you, but we might not be able to do much for your eyes," the boy rambled on.

    "Um, thank you," the young man's voice was still hoarse.

    "It's okay. Even though my sister is an unlicensed doctor, she's very skilled. She's treated many villagers. You wouldn't believe it, but Uncle Pi took you to the doctors in town, and they all said you were going to die for sure. When there were no other options, Uncle Pi brought you to my sister. Tsk, those doctors are no match for my sister at all. Don’t you agree?" The boy boasted proudly, his sister was the sky to him; she was the best in his eyes.

    Dadou raised an eyebrow. He was being treated by an unlicensed doctor? Yet, somehow, he felt an inexplicable trust in this unlicensed doctor, knowing well how grave his physical condition was. Even a second or third-level doctor might not have been able to save his life, but this unlicensed doctor had pulled him back from the brink of death. How could her skills be inferior?

    "Dadou, rest well. I need to go help my sister grinding the medicine," the boy said as he wrapped the bandage around the young man's eyes before leaving cheerfully.

    Meanwhile, Dadou lay back down to try and piece together the events that had happened. It seemed he had made a grave mistake that nearly cost him his life.

    Two months later, the patient's condition continued to improve. He gradually began to sit up on his own, and the siblings even made him crutches so he could walk freely in the yard. Although the young man was blind and his eyes were bandaged, he moved and dodged objects with agility as if he could see clearly. Xiaoxin was amazed at his capabilities.

    "How can he do that, Big Sister?"

    "He is a martial artist; his senses are far sharper than ordinary people's."

    "Ah... being a martial artist is so beneficial," the little boy muttered enviously. How wonderful it would be if he could train in martial arts too? If he asked Dadou to teach him martial arts, would he agree to be his master?

    "Xiaoxin," Xuyao called the young boy when she saw his determined yet forlorn expression. How could she not know that the little boy wanted to train in martial arts? However, they weren't in a position to hire or solicit a master to teach him. Xuyao herself wished to fulfill his dream.

    "Yes?"

    "If you want to train in martial arts, once we've sold enough herbal medicine, I will hire a master to teach you, okay?" She gently stroked the boy's head. This child was sincere and knowledgeable. He had been with her for over a year, fostering a love and care for him as if he were her true younger brother.

    "But you said that even with money, hiring is not possible." And they didn't have any money either. Not even enough for Xuyao to afford the travel expenses to take her medical seal exam. Where would they find the money to hire a martial arts teacher for him? Moreover, he didn't want to burden his sister further. Having a place to sleep and enough food to eat every day was already a great blessing, almost mother-like. It would be too much to expect her to find money to hire a martial arts teacher for him.

    "It's alright, we'll just try to make more money."

    "Thank you," the little boy nodded in agreement.

    The two siblings sat talking on a bench not far from where Dadou was sunbathing on another bench. Having improved somewhat, he often sat in the sun in the courtyard, listening to the sounds of the siblings grinding herbs and digging in the garden plots. Dadou absorbed their simplicity gradually. Despite his desire to help, his body did not cooperate due to his condition.

    Though far away, with his considerable martial skills, he could overhear the siblings' conversation unintentionally. Hearing that little Xiaoxin wanted to train in martial arts, he raised an eyebrow and continued to lie down, listening to the crows’ caw as usual.

    These siblings had been very kind to him. Even though they currently had no money to pay for his treatment, they took great care of him and were sincerely open about everything. Occasionally, a man named Pi Yizhou would visit, the same man who had carried him down from the hill, a person of generous spirit indeed.

    As his condition significantly improved, Xiaoxin regularly took care of Dadou, changing his bandages and applying medicine as Xuyao instructed. The boy's adeptness in handling the bandages surprised the young man.

    "Big Brother, your body heals so quickly."

    "Mm," the patient responded briefly.

    Xiaoxin was used to the patient's minimalistic way of speaking. It's no wonder his sister initially thought Dadou was mute.

    "Here’s your food. Today my sister made fish soup and a little pickled cabbage. Eat up," the boy handed a bowl to the patient. Since Dadou could now move one arm and eat by himself, Xuyao had insisted he eat on his own every time. It was surprising that, despite being blind, the young man managed to live almost like a normal person.

    "I have to take some medicine to Grandfather Bai first. Take your time eating," Xiaoxin said before leaving.

    The patient slowly ate the rice from the bowl. Never in his life had he tasted such simple fish soup and pickled vegetables, yet they were more delicious than the finest dishes he had ever eaten.

    A clattering sound outside the house momentarily distracted the young man. A faint floral scent tickled his highly sensitive olfactory senses. A normal person not trained in martial arts might not notice, but Dadou remembered the fresh, pleasant fragrance of this unlicensed doctor well. Although they hadn't been in close contact often lately, this scent was deeply ingrained in his memory, a true hallmark.

    "How are you feeling?"

    "Much better now."

    "Um..."

    Xuyao fell silent for several breaths, glancing at the white cloth Xiaoxin had wrapped around the young man's eyes before sighing deeply and speaking again. "Your eyes have been severely poisoned. You need an antidote within two years, or you'll be permanently blind. I regret that my limited knowledge can't cure you."

    Although she was an unlicensed doctor, not officially allowed to practice medicine, she still considered herself a healer. Failing to heal her patients weighed heavily on her, but she was also disheartened by her inability to procure rare ingredients for the antidote. The antidote required exotic herbs and parts of high-level mythical beasts. Not even the emperor could easily obtain these ingredients.

    However, she was somewhat familiar with the formula for making the antidote.

    Since escaping from the Bai family, Xuyao had never neglected her studies. When she had enough money, she didn't buy clothes or jewelry like other women but instead purchased medical texts and herbology books to educate herself. It might even be said that she was passionate about this field. Some books took her months to save up for, and she honed her skills by treating the local villagers who couldn't afford to pay. Unbeknownst to her, her expertise might even surpass that of the licensed doctors of levels two or three in the city, with the only difference being her lack of an official medical seal.

    "It's alright. You've already done me a great service by preserving my life."

    Xuyao nodded, although he couldn't see her. She wanted to ask what he would do next, whether he wanted to return to his family, but she felt it too intrusive to voice such questions. Would he think she was narrow-minded if she asked?

    "Then continue eating."

    Finally, she stood up to leave. Let him rest until he fully recovers, then they could discuss the future.