4: Doctor Chu and Qi and Blood Pill

Inside Huichun Medical Hall, a faint herbal fragrance permeated the air, refreshing the mind and heart, causing Qin Feng's nerves, which were tense from pain, to loosen slightly. The interior was simply decorated with several wiped-clean wooden tables and chairs. Against the wall stood rows of medicine cabinets filled with small drawers for various herbs, where a young apprentice was busy on a ladder.

The resident physician was an old man with white hair and beard, yet his complexion was quite ruddy. Dressed in a faded blue Daoist robe, he possessed a somewhat transcendent and immortal-like air. He was leisurely sipping a cup of clear tea. When he saw Qin Feng enter—noticing especially his pale face and slightly staggering steps—a flash of understanding crossed his eyes.

"Young friend, seeking treatment for an injury?" The old Daoist set down his teacup, his voice gentle and carrying a strange, soothing power.

"Yes, Doctor." Qin Feng walked closer and sat on the stool opposite the old man as instructed.

"This old man is surnamed Chu, the resident doctor of this medical hall." Doctor Chu gestured for Qin Feng to extend his wrist, then placed three fingers on his pulse point, closing his eyes in concentration. After a moment, he had Qin Feng unbutton his shirt to examine the bruising on his chest and abdomen.

"Hmm..." Doctor Chu pondered for a moment, stroking his snow-white beard. "Your lungs and organs have suffered from external force, your Meridians are damaged, and your Qi and blood are stagnant. This was done by a Martial Artist, wasn't it? The strike wasn't too heavy, but for a body like yours that hasn't practiced, it's already a severe injury."

Qin Feng's heart tightened; this old doctor had a sharp eye and hit the mark with a single word. He nodded without saying much.

"However, it's nothing too serious." Doctor Chu's tone lightened as he shifted the topic. "Fortunately, your foundation isn't damaged. You just need proper care to dissolve the stagnant foreign energy and clear your Meridians. I'll prescribe a few doses of medicine for both internal and external use. Within three days, seventy to eighty percent of the damage should be resolved. After that, two weeks of rest will ensure a full recovery."

Hearing the phrases "nothing too serious" and "resolve seventy to eighty percent in three days," Qin Feng's hanging heart finally settled halfway. The System's intelligence was indeed precise!

"Xiao Chun, prepare the medicine according to this prescription." Doctor Chu picked up a brush and wrote down a prescription in a flowing script, calling out toward the medicine cabinets.

"Coming, Master!" a crisp voice, like a nightingale's, replied.

A young girl in a pale green dress emerged from behind the cabinets. She was about fourteen or fifteen years old, with bright eyes, white teeth, and her hair styled in double buns. Her skin was fair, and when she smiled, two shallow dimples appeared at the corners of her mouth, making her look very lively and cute. She took the prescription and began nimbly opening the small drawers to weigh the herbs.

Qin Feng glanced at her and couldn't help but praise her in his heart. This girl named Miss Xiao Chun was indeed beautiful, like a fresh little flower blooming quietly amidst the room full of herbal fragrance.

Soon, Miss Xiao Chun placed several large bundles of wrapped herbs and a small jar of black ointment in front of Qin Feng, saying clearly, "Young man, here are three doses of herbs. Take one dose daily. Boil three bowls of water down to one, and take it twice a day, morning and evening. Apply the ointment to the injured area three times a day. The total is thirty silver coins, or three gold coins."

The price was exactly as the System's intelligence had stated. Qin Feng did not hesitate. He took out three gold coins wrapped in a tattered cloth from his robe and placed them on the table. The gold coins made a crisp sound on the wooden surface.

A flash of surprise crossed the eyes of both Doctor Chu and Miss Xiao Chun. Thirty silver coins was no small sum for an ordinary laborer, and looking at Qin Feng's clothes, he didn't seem like a wealthy person. They hadn't expected him to pay so decisively.

Doctor Chu gave Qin Feng a deep look but didn't ask further, simply nodding. "Take your medicine on time, avoid cold and spicy food, and get plenty of rest."

"Thank you, Doctor Chu. Thank you, Miss Xiao Chun." Qin Feng picked up the medicine, bowed slightly, and then turned to leave the medical hall. Carrying a large sum of money, he didn't feel bad about spending three gold coins, as long as he could heal this life-threatening internal injury.

Returning to his low-ceilinged rented room, Qin Feng pushed open the door and saw Auntie Li waiting at the entrance, carrying a bamboo basket covered with a blue cloth.

"Xiao Feng, you're finally back!" Seeing him, Auntie Li immediately came forward, her face full of gratitude. "It's all thanks to you for finding my pendant! This is a small token of my appreciation. Take it; your recovery is what matters." As she spoke, she shoved the bamboo basket into Qin Feng's hands.

Qin Feng lifted the blue cloth to see about a dozen plump white meat buns, five or six boiled eggs, and several golden-brown flatbreads. It was a generous amount; if he ate sparingly, it would last him six or seven days.

"Auntie Li, this is too kind..." Qin Feng felt a bit embarrassed.

"Compared to you finding my keepsake, what does this little bit of food matter! Just take it and recover well!" Auntie Li wouldn't take no for an answer, urged him a few more times to take care of his health, and then turned to leave.

Feeling the heavy weight of the bamboo basket in his hand and the valuable medicine in his robe, a warm current flowed through Qin Feng's heart. In this strange world, besides his second uncle, not everyone was cold-hearted.

Over the next period, Qin Feng strictly followed Doctor Chu's instructions. He lit the small clay stove and carefully decocted the medicine. He drank the bitter liquid bowl by bowl and evenly applied the black ointment to the bruises on his chest and abdomen.

Whether it was because Doctor Chu's medical skills were superb, his young body had strong restorative powers, or the herbs bought with gold coins were truly effective, by that night, Qin Feng felt the dull pain in his chest and that cold, stagnant feeling significantly lessen. His breathing also became much smoother.

As the night deepened and midnight arrived, Qin Feng refreshed the System's daily intelligence right on time.

Three pieces of white-grade intelligence arrived as expected:

[(White) Chu Yunhe, the resident doctor of Huichun Medical Hall, is actually an Outer Sect Disciple who defected from 'Medicine King Valley' thirty years ago. He was expelled for using forbidden techniques to treat a Mortal without permission and has since lived here under a pseudonym.]

[(White) Liu Ruyan, the newly crowned top courtesan of 'Chunxiang House' in the south of the city, is actually an external Disciple of 'Hundred Flowers Palace.' She was ordered to infiltrate Star South City to gather intelligence.]

[(White) On the outskirts of the Mass Grave in the west of the city, under the third weed pile near the crooked-necked Old Locust Tree, there is an oil-paper bundle containing a bottle of ten low-grade 'qi and blood pills.' You must go and retrieve it within two hours; otherwise, it will be discovered and taken by an old scavenger by chance.]

Looking at these three pieces of intelligence, Qin Feng's gaze narrowed.

Medicine King Valley! Hundred Flowers Palace!

Just by the names, these were clearly no ordinary powers. Doctor Chu was actually a defected Disciple of Medicine King Valley? And the top courtesan of Chunxiang House was a spy for Hundred Flowers Palace? This seemingly peaceful Star South City was actually surging with such undercurrents beneath the surface?

However, what attracted him most was the third piece of intelligence—the qi and blood pills!

Even though they were only low-grade, he knew from the name that they were Medicinal Pills for replenishing Qi and blood, aiding Cultivation, or healing injuries. Moreover, there was a two-hour time limit; the Opportunity would vanish in a flash!

The Mass Grave in the west of the city... that place sounded terrifying, especially in the middle of the night. But the temptation of the 'qi and blood pills' and the System's warning that the 'Opportunity would go to someone else' made him resolve his mind.

His injuries had improved a lot, and his body had accumulated some strength. No longer hesitating, he hid his remaining gold coins and medicine, tucked away his rusty dagger, took a deep breath, and pushed open the door to merge into the night once again.

This time, his steps were much steadier than the previous night as he headed purposefully toward the west of the city.

The closer he got to the west of the city, the more desolate the surroundings became, and the lights grew sparser. The night wind blew, carrying the scent of wild grass and soil, and vaguely, a trace of decay. The Mass Grave area was vast, with chaotic graves and overgrown weeds. Under the pale moonlight, it looked shadowy and indistinct. Occasionally, the cry of a night owl could be heard, adding to the gloom.

Relying on the intelligence's description, Qin Feng carefully searched for that "crooked-necked Old Locust Tree." His heart beat uncontrollably faster, out of both nervousness for the unknown environment and desire for the "qi and blood pills."

Finally, on the edge of a slightly elevated slope, he saw that Old Locust Tree with its twisted form and branches stretching toward the night sky like ghost claws.

He steadied himself and began counting the weed piles under the tree. One, two... the third one!

It was a weed pile about half a person's height, looking no different from the surroundings. Qin Feng crouched down, ignoring the dirt, and began to dig with his hands.

The soil was somewhat moist and cool. After digging about half a foot deep, his fingertips indeed touched a hard object! Overjoyed, he quickened his movements, and soon, a long object tightly wrapped in thick oil-paper was unearthed.

He impatiently tore open the oil-paper, revealing a palm-sized, coarse porcelain bottle. Uncorking the wooden stopper, a faint herbal fragrance with a hint of metallic blood-like scent wafted out. By the moonlight, he could see ten dark-red pills the size of longans lying at the bottom of the bottle.

qi and blood pills! He had them!

Carefully tucking away the porcelain bottle, Qin Feng didn't dare linger in this gloomy place. He immediately stood up and quickly returned the way he came.

Back in his rented room, he closed the door tightly and let out a long sigh of relief. Looking at these unexpectedly obtained Medicinal Pills and thinking of the secrets behind Doctor Chu and the Chunxiang House courtesan, he faintly felt that the gates to this world were slowly opening to him in an unexpected way.

And all of this had begun with that "Opportunity" in his mind.