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墨書 Inktalez
Chishui Town is not large, with an area of about three square kilometers and a population of just over a thousand. Such a small town might not even be found on a map, but it is the closest town to the Archaeological Team—even so, the Ancient Sorcerer and Fang Ru traveled for two hours, covering over a hundred kilometers.
Driving a Jeep, they circled the town and finally found a small traditional Chinese medicine shop in an inconspicuous alley.
The Ancient Sorcerer walked in; the small shop was dimly lit by a single overhead lamp. In front of the entrance was a counter, and behind it stood a medicine cabinet.
"What do you want to buy?"
Seeing someone enter, Kong Feng approached.
"I need one or two taels of Realgar, Pearl, limestone, peony root, Castor Bean, Aconite, and Rhubarb, and one Centipede. Do you have them?"
Kong Feng was taken aback for a moment but quickly replied, "Yes, please wait."
As he turned to get the herbs, Kong Feng glanced at the Ancient Sorcerer, his surprise growing even more.
"The items are quite good."
Watching Kong Feng take out each herb he requested, the Ancient Sorcerer silently acknowledged that he was not only capable of saving people with sorcery but was also an expert in identifying medicinal materials—he had extensive knowledge in this area stored in his mind, making it impossible for him not to understand.
The items were readily available and quickly prepared. After paying, the Ancient Sorcerer and Fang Ru left.
Not long after they departed, another person walked out of the shop.
"You finally made a sale."
Qu Cheng said as he sat down at the Eight Immortals table.
Kong Feng smiled and replied, "There isn't much business in such a small place; I hope I didn't embarrass you. However, today's sale was quite interesting."
"Oh? Why do you say that?"
Qu Cheng suddenly became curious. His old friend had an impressive background; his family had been renowned traditional Chinese medicine practitioners for three generations. It was rare to encounter something that even he found interesting.
He picked up the teapot and poured a cup of tea for Qu Cheng. Kong Feng said, "The medicine that person just bought can be formulated into a prescription called ‘Eight Poison Red Pill’, also known as ‘Zhan Gui Dan’ or ‘Killing Ghost Staff’, which primarily treats Five Corpse Syndrome, Nausea Pain, Ghostly Energy, and Ghostly Illness. Among these, Nausea Pain is quite similar to what Western medicine refers to as heart disease."
Qu Cheng casually replied, "Haven't you always said that traditional Chinese medicine has many miraculous aspects? What's so strange about a prescription for heart disease?"
"This prescription comes from Li Ziyu, a person from the Jin Dynasty. According to the records in ‘Sou Shen Hou Ji’, he was known for his medical skills and was said to have spiritual abilities. At that time, the brother of the governor of Yuzhou, Xu Yong, suffered from severe abdominal pain for over ten years due to a malevolent spirit in his belly. He was eventually cured by Li Ziyu, and the medicine used was the Eight Poison Red Pill."
"What does this mean? Are you suggesting that the young man just now used this medicine to kill ghosts?"
Qu Cheng was startled, wondering if there really were ghosts in this world.
Chuckling and shaking his head, Kong Feng said, " Li Ziyu was a shaman. Although this prescription is still used in traditional Chinese medicine today, its roots are in shamanic practices."
Now Qu Cheng understood what Kong Feng meant; his brows furrowed tightly as he asked, "Are you implying that the young man is a shaman?"
After hesitating for a moment, Kong Feng nodded and said, "Well, maybe I'm being overly sensitive. Due to various reasons, especially after the catastrophe decades ago, shamans were suppressed as feudal superstition. They have basically disappeared now, particularly the powerful ones; their lineages are likely severed."
Kong Feng sighed internally. Most people often regarded shamans as mere charlatans or superstitions, but how many knew that traditional Chinese medicine actually evolved from shamanic practices? In other words, shamans were the "ancestors" of traditional Chinese medicine. Because of his family's background, he understood how extraordinary shamans could be; in his youth, he had witnessed a powerful shaman cure someone using just a talisman!
However, such individuals had not been seen for decades.
"Forget it; I’m not interested in whether that person is a shaman or not. You know why I came to find you this time. Are you going or not? Give me a clear answer."
Qu Cheng set down his teacup; he did not travel thousands of miles just for tea and conversation.
"I mentioned three years ago that I couldn't treat that person's illness. The matter of gu is beyond my capabilities."
"But at least you can alleviate the pain."
Kong Feng fell silent, and after a long sigh, he said, "Fine, I'll go one more time. After all, he saved my grandfather's life."
Decades ago, during that catastrophe, Kong Feng's grandfather was imprisoned in a cattle shed. If it weren't for the person Qu Cheng mentioned coming to his aid, he would have long been dead.
"Great! That's wonderful! I just can't understand why you would rather give up life in the big city to stay in this small place for a whole decade!"
Qu Cheng was very pleased; he hadn't expected to persuade Kong Feng so easily.
"I'll pack my things and leave tomorrow."
A century ago, the ancestor of the Kong family learned from an old mountain dweller that a several-hundred-year-old Old Mountain Ginseng had appeared near Chishui Town. Kong Feng had stayed in Chishui Town for ten years for this reason. Unfortunately, over the past decade, he had searched hundreds of miles around without any discoveries. Of course, he couldn't tell Qu Cheng this reason—he planned to return and continue searching after everything was settled.
The Ancient Sorcerer did not know that the small pharmacy where he bought medicine concealed an extraordinary master of herbal medicine, nor did he realize that the other party had already guessed what medicine he was preparing. After leaving the pharmacy, he bought a bottle of honey and hurried back to the Archaeological Team's base with Fang Ru.
"What are we going to do now?"
"We're going to prepare these medicines into pills. Here, you grind this Realgar and Pearl into powder with a stick while I prepare the others."
Night quickly fell, and a fire was lit in front of the tent, providing warmth. The Ancient Sorcerer tossed a lump of yellow clay directly into the campfire.
"What’s inside?"
Fang Ru curiously watched as the Ancient Sorcerer handled everything. Not long ago, he had put peeled Castor Beans into a small pot to simmer, while Aconite, Rhubarb, and Centipede were roasted on tiles.
"Inside is sulfur; it needs to be wrapped in clay and burned for several hours."
"Mr. Luo."
“Professor Jiang, what brings you here?”
Fang Ru looked up and saw that Jiang Tiesheng had come over at some point, followed by Li Zhu.
Jiang Tiesheng sat down on a low stool, waved his hand, and said to Fang Ru, “I’m feeling much better.”
Jiang Tiesheng looked at the Ancient Sorcerer, completely unaware that he would suddenly suffer from a heart attack. If it weren't for this young man in front of him, he surely wouldn't have survived.
“Mr. Luo, I can’t thank you enough for your great kindness.”
The Ancient Sorcerer smiled and said, “Oh, Professor Jiang, it was just a bit of first aid that I happen to know.”
Shaking his head, Jiang Tiesheng replied, “It may be a small effort for you, but it was a matter of life and death for me. If there’s ever anything I can help with in the future, please don’t hesitate to ask.”
“Sure, if I need anything, I won’t hold back.”
The Ancient Sorcerer was straightforward; otherwise, Jiang Tiesheng would feel even more uneasy.
“Professor Jiang, both the Ancient Sorcerer and I believe you should return to the big city as soon as possible. The medical conditions there are much better.”
The Ancient Sorcerer nodded and said, “Yes.”
“Hmph, what do you both know? What Professor Jiang needs right now is rest. It’s thousands of miles to the big city with better conditions; how can he endure such a long journey?”
Li Zhu sneered; he still couldn’t figure out how the Ancient Sorcerer managed to save Jiang Tiesheng.
“Then let’s go back. Having already walked half a foot into the gates of hell and come back to life, what is there to fear?”
Jiang Tiesheng didn’t seem too concerned.
Fang Ru glanced at Li Zhu, her gaze sharp as a knife. As a real doctor, Li Zhu had been nothing but a hindrance in this matter!
"Professor Jiang, the Ancient Sorcerer has prepared medicine for you, so you don't need to worry."
"Is this all?"
Li Zhu pointed at the centipede on the tile and continued, "Hmph! This is highly toxic stuff, and you're using it to treat illness?"
"Hah, I trust the Ancient Sorcerer."
Hearing Jiang Tiesheng say this, Li Zhu's face flushed red; it was clear he didn't believe in her at all!
"Hmph! Do whatever you want!"
Li Zhu could no longer sit still. After saying that, he turned and walked toward his tent.
"What an arrogant guy!"
Fang Ru muttered under her breath as she watched Li Zhu's back.
Jiang Tiesheng laughed and said, "Hah, Xiao Ru, it's not surprising. People like Li Zhu have received formal medical education; without medicine or hospital equipment, they can't do anything. Plus, having always had things go smoothly for him and growing up in a sheltered environment, his temperament is certainly not great."
Jiang Tiesheng was a very talkative person. The three of them gathered around the campfire and chatted about various topics until they realized it was already midnight.
"It's about time."
The Ancient Sorcerer picked up a stick and dug out the mud ball from the campfire. After breaking it open, he took out the mineral inside. Then he mixed together the powdered Realgar, Pearl, roasted Aconite, Rhubarb, Centipede, and the peeled heart of Castor Bean that had been boiled down. He first stirred them carefully until they were evenly mixed, then added honey to form a paste before rolling it into pill-sized granules.
"Ancient Sorcerer, what is this pill called?"
Fang Ru looked at the dozens of pills in front of her, feeling quite curious; she had never seen anyone make medicine before.
"This pill is called 'Eight Poison Red Pill,' and it's used to protect the heart. It's just right for Professor Jiang's current situation."
After using sorcery to bring Jiang Tiesheng back, the Ancient Sorcerer believed that the prescription in his mind would also work.
Jiang Tiesheng carefully picked up a pill and swallowed it with some saliva.
"Professor Jiang, what's wrong?"
Under the firelight, Fang Ru noticed that Jiang Tiesheng's complexion suddenly changed, which startled her.
"Hey, Xiaoru, there's no need to panic; the effect of this medicine is just too obvious!"
Seeing Fang Ru like this, Jiang Tiesheng couldn't help but laugh. He was indeed startled by the effect of the medicine. Although he had been saved by the Ancient Sorcerer, he had consumed a lot of energy, and especially felt as if a stone was pressing on his chest. However, as soon as he swallowed the pill, he immediately felt a cool sensation reaching his heart, and after relaxing, his breathing became much smoother.
"In three days, we will return to the city."
The Ancient Sorcerer had been paying attention to Jiang Tiesheng's heart area. He noticed that after swallowing the pill, the residual dark energy around Jiang Tiesheng's heart had diminished a bit more, confirming that it was indeed working.
"Okay!"
The most important thing now was Jiang Tiesheng's health, so Fang Ru agreed without any hesitation.
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