Chapter 43: Precious Medicinal Herbs

However, Yang Xun didn’t press the issue.

Their relationship hadn’t progressed to that stage. Prying too much would only backfire and arouse Xu Yue’s resentment.

"And you?"

Xu Yue asked coolly.

"Oh, getting some medicine for my little sister."

Yang Xun answered naturally, a gentle smile spreading across his face. "She was recently discharged from the hospital. I’m going to personally nurse her back to health."

"Discharged from the hospital?"

Xu Yue frowned slightly, a rare flicker of concern in her elegant eyes. "Her illness... Is she well enough to be discharged?"

"She’ll be recuperating at home for now. I have a way."

Yang Xun’s tone was calm, but his eyes shone with confidence.

Xu Yue looked into Yang Xun’s eyes and fell silent for a moment.

Compared to the timid, subservient live-in son-in-law he used to be, the Yang Xun before her now seemed to have changed.

He had become confident.

He had become self-assured.

His eyes no longer held their former meekness and timidity; in their place was a reassuring steadiness that set one’s heart at ease.

"Mm."

Xu Yue didn’t say anything else, merely giving a slight nod in response.

After a brief silence, their conversation came to a close.

"Well, I won’t keep you. I’m going inside now."

Yang Xun broke the silence first, giving Xu Yue a slight nod.

"Mm."

Xu Yue acknowledged, then turned and walked toward the parking lot.

Yang Xun stood where he was, watching her retreating figure.

In the sunlight, she stood tall and straight, her stride unhurried and elegant.

The crisp CLACK of her high heels echoed on the empty street, each step carrying a commanding presence.

Passersby turned to look, some even taking out their phones for a stealthy picture. But Xu Yue seemed oblivious—or perhaps, she was simply used to it.

Soon, she reached a discreet Volvo, opened the door, and slid inside.

The engine rumbled to life. The Volvo pulled smoothly out of its parking spot, merged with traffic, and gradually vanished down the road.

Yang Xun pulled his gaze away, turned, and stepped through the doors of Xinglin Hall.

...

Inside, Xinglin Hall’s decor matched its antique exterior.

The main hall was spacious and bright. In the center stood an enormous medicine cabinet, at least twice the height of a person. Its countless small drawers were labeled with the names of various medicinal herbs. A rich aroma of Chinese medicine filled the air, bringing with it a strange sense of peace.

To the left was the consultation area, where several elderly traditional Chinese medicine doctors in white coats were taking patients’ pulses.

To the right was the dispensary, where several young apprentices stood behind a counter, busily weighing herbs and filling prescriptions for customers.

Yang Xun walked straight to the dispensary counter.

He pulled a neatly folded slip of paper from his pocket. It was covered in the densely written names and dosages of medicinal herbs. He had painstakingly copied it, character by character, from the Rejuvenation Medical Scripture’s recipe for the Celestial Spirit Pill.

"Hello, I’d like to have a prescription filled."

Yang Xun handed the paper over.

Behind the counter stood a young woman with her hair in a ponytail. She looked to be in her early twenties and wore a simple, elegant traditional Chinese-style tunic. A pair of round-rimmed glasses sat on her delicate face, giving her a scholarly air.

She was clearly an apprentice at Xinglin Hall.

"Alright, let me take a look."

The young woman took the paper and began to read it carefully.

At first, her expression was relaxed. She nodded as she read, occasionally converting the dosages in her head.

"Thirty grams of astragalus... twenty grams of dong quai... fifteen of atractylodes... We have all of these..."

The young woman muttered, quickly jotting things down in the register before her.

However!

When her eyes scanned the bottom half of the list, her pen suddenly froze.

Her brow slowly furrowed.

"Sir, this... what is Nine Nether Cold Jade Grass?"

The young woman looked up at Yang Xun, her face filled with confusion.

"And this one, Red Flame Reishi... a Thousand-Year-Old Ice Cocoon... Green Blood Dragon Saliva Fragrance..."

Her voice trailed off, her expression growing more and more grave.

Of the more than one hundred herbs on the list, there were five whose names she had never even heard of, let alone seen!

As an apprentice at Xinglin Hall, she had been studying Chinese pharmacology under her master for over three years. She considered herself quite knowledgeable about all sorts of medicinal herbs.

But these five herbs on the list were completely outside her scope of knowledge.

"Sir, please wait a moment."

The young woman bit her lip and said apologetically, "There are several herbs on here I’ve never seen before. I’ll have to go ask our owner."

"Alright, go ahead."

Yang Xun nodded. He wasn’t surprised.

The recipe for the Celestial Spirit Pill came from the Rejuvenation Medical Scripture, an alchemical formula from the legacy of the Medical Immortal. Some of its ingredients were so rare that never mind an apprentice, even a renowned physician would likely not recognize them.

The young woman took the list and hurried toward the stairs at the back of the hall, jogging up to the second floor.

With his hands in his pockets, Yang Xun leaned against the counter and waited quietly.

Three or four minutes passed.

CLATTER CLATTER CLATTER—

A clatter of hurried footsteps came from the second-floor staircase.

It wasn’t just one set of footsteps, but two.

Leading the way was the same ponytailed apprentice from before.

And following behind her was another figure.

The person’s pace was incredibly fast; they were practically jogging as they rushed down the stairs. They clutched the slip of paper tightly, their breathing slightly ragged.

"Where’s the customer? Anyone who asks for these ingredients is no ordinary person!!"

A slightly excited voice echoed from the staircase, and an instant later, the figure appeared before Yang Xun.

Their eyes met.

Both of them froze.

Yang Xun’s eyes widened in surprise. It was...