After a long while, Rong Zhi spoke softly, "Do I look like a ghost?"
Although she wasn't a stunning beauty, she was at least a respectable young lady. She shouldn't have scared someone like that.
Xia Yunting's expression was a bit embarrassed. He hadn't expected the renowned physician to react this way.
"He realized you were a woman and ran back in fright. So, he's not afraid of you, but of women..."
Recalling the situation, Rong Zhi found this guess plausible.
Afraid of women... that was quite peculiar.
"Since that's the case, only you can speak to him."
Rong Zhi took out the prescription and handed it to Xia Yunting.
"Don't tell him you're poisoned, and don't let him take your pulse. Just give him the prescription and say it's for my father. A traveling physician gave it to us, and the Yunlin flower is the most crucial ingredient, indispensable. See what he says."
"Understood."
Xia Yunting silently admired her caution. He took the prescription and obediently went to knock on the door.
Rong Zhi suddenly felt that the amnesiac Xia Yunting wasn't too bad, apart from his sharp tongue.
While Xia Yunting was knocking, Rong Zhi retreated a few steps, using the white cloth to shield herself, so the physician wouldn't see her.
"Divine Physician Chu, we've come to seek medicine. Lives are at stake, please grant us an audience."
Xia Yunting knocked on the door and spoke loudly.
There was no response from inside.
Chu Qingze held up a skeleton, using it to shield himself, only a single eye peeking out, filled with wariness.
"You can see a doctor... but let that woman leave. I never see women..."
"She has already left. Divine Physician Chu, she is my wife. We apologize for startling you."
Xia Yunting softened his tone as much as possible and peered through the crack in the door. He saw a skeleton slowly moving towards the entrance.
The door opened, and Chu Qingze's head emerged from behind the skeleton. Upon seeing Xia Yunting's face, a hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.
"Are you the patient?"
"I am not the patient. It is my... father-in-law who is ill. A divine physician prescribed us a formula, but we discovered a missing ingredient when we went to get the medicine. The pharmacy assistant told us to come find you."
Xia Yunting recounted the story as Rong Zhi had instructed and handed over the prescription.
Chu Qingze hesitantly took the prescription.
As they were talking, Rong Zhi's nose twitched, and she suddenly smelled a fresh soapberry fragrance, but upon closer inspection, it was sweeter and more delicate than soapberry.
It was... Yunlin flower!
It was emanating from the white cloths.
She leaned closer, her nose brushing against the white cloth, and the resemblance grew stronger.
This was the scent of Yunlin flower!
Because it was mixed with the scent of soapberry, it was easily overlooked, but for her, distinguishing the scent was effortless.
There must be Yunlin flower here!
Rong Zhi's heart leaped with joy, but then she heard an angry voice from the doorway, "There isn't any! I am a doctor, would I harm you!"
Bang!
The door slammed shut forcefully.
Xia Yunting turned his head, and when his gaze met Rong Zhi's, he frowned and shook his head.
"He said there's no Yunlin flower?"
They left the courtyard, Rong Zhi looking suspicious.
As a physician praised by all, he had the medicine but refused to treat the patient, instead hoarding it. What kind of divine physician was this?
"He seemed very unwilling to mention the Yunlin flower."
Rong Zhi's expression turned cold. "I clearly smelled Yunlin flower, yet he insists there isn't any. There must be something fishy going on!"
The sky gradually darkened. Xia Yunting said, "Shall we go back?"
"No! Your poison cannot be delayed. Every day delayed is another day of danger. Since we know there are medicinal ingredients here, I cannot leave empty-handed!"
Rong Zhi's attitude was resolute. "Wait here!"
The two indeed hid behind a stone tomb and waited.
Rong Zhi initially thought that when Chu Qingze went out, or when he fell asleep at night, she would go in and look, perhaps finding the Yunlin flower. Unexpectedly, at midnight, a troop of people arrived.
"Look quickly, someone's coming!"
Xia Yunting pointed ahead, casually stroking Rong Zhi's head and pressing her down, preventing her from being exposed.
Rong Zhi only heard the rumbling of carriage wheels. She turned her head and saw six carriages stopping one after another in front of Divine Physician Chu's house.
Leading the way was a sedan carriage, looking very luxurious. Behind it were several flatbed carts, bulging and covered tightly with oilcloth.
Besides the coachmen, there were several other helpers scattered around the convoy, holding torches that illuminated the night as bright as day.
As soon as the carriages stopped, a person descended from the leading sedan carriage. Of medium build, dressed in black, he appeared shrewd and capable, around thirty years old.
The man in black stepped forward, knocked on the door, and then shouted to the coachmen behind him, "Drive the carts in, be quick!"
The people behind responded in unison with a "Yes" and began to enter in an orderly fashion, soon all inside.
A helper holding a torch closed the door, blocking Rong Zhi's view.
"What are they doing, why are they here in the middle of the night, and so stealthily?"
Rong Zhi muttered to herself in confusion.
"It must be something illicit."
"Let's go take a look!"
The two of them went to the back of the courtyard and peeked over the wall.
The courtyard was now crowded with six carriages. Chu Qingze stood in the center of the courtyard, exchanging pleasantries with the man in black.
"Divine Physician Chu, long time no see. What's wrong with your complexion? Could you be ill?"
"It's nothing. A couple came to see me for treatment during the day."
"I see."
Li Hao smiled. "That couple must be from out of town, not knowing our Divine Physician Chu's fear of women. Alas, Divine Physician Chu, how will you ever get married like this?"
"That's none of your business."
Chu Qingze's tone was somewhat cold, indicating he had no interest in further conversation.
Li Hao knew when to stop and waved his hand at the people behind him.
The helpers lifted the oilcloth from the flatbed carts, revealing a patch of white.
Even in the dark night, that expanse of white was dazzling.
It was... Yunlin flower!
A full five cartloads!
"You say there's none, yet here it is! It seems this so-called divine physician is hoarding Yunlin flower. What a scoundrel, a charlatan!"
Rong Zhi was so angry she punched the wall.
"Shh!"
Xia Yunting placed his index finger on Rong Zhi's lips, signaling her to be quiet.
Rong Zhi realized she had acted impulsively. She let out a soft hum and stopped speaking.
The warm breath brushed against his fingertips. Xia Yunting hastily withdrew his hand, his expression unchanged.
Against the wall of the courtyard was a large iron plate. Several helpers came to the four sides and, working together, moved the iron plate, revealing a hollow space beneath.
It turned out to be a cellar.
The helpers began transporting the Yunlin flower into the cellar. The entire process was swift and efficient, and astonishingly, no sound was made.
Chu Qingze watched from the side with cold eyes. Only when all the Yunlin flower had been moved into the cellar did he finally speak.
"This time there are two more cartloads than last time. Have you hollowed out an entire mountain?"
Li Hao's voice was laced with a smile. "The medicinal ingredients you require, of course, we will do our best to find. Let alone hollowing out a mountain, even if we had to bore through the entire ground, digging three feet deep, we would not hesitate."
These flattering words did not make Chu Qingze any happier.
"You're harvesting too much. Ordinary pharmacies can no longer find Yunlin flower. Hunters know to leave young animals when hunting. Are you truly so ruthless to strip everything bare without leaving a single root?"
"What are the lives of those commoners to the Divine Physician's matters? Everyone says Divine Physician Chu is dedicated to his medical practice, yet I didn't expect you to have time to care about the medicinal ingredients in the pharmacies."
Chu Qingze snorted. "Who cares about them? It's just that without Yunlin flower, many illnesses cannot be treated effectively. The number of people seeking my treatment has been increasing these days, which is very troublesome."
"Indeed. If you weren't afraid of trouble, you wouldn't be living in this mass grave."
Li Hao winked at a helper, who then presented a bulging purse.
"You have contributed the most to this matter. This is a portion of the reward. There will be further rewards once the task is accomplished."
Chu Qingze did not refuse. He took the bag and opened it to find it filled with glistening golden ingots, which emitted a blinding light in the night.
He only showed a slight surprise before naturally tucking it away.
"Farewell, and don't linger."
Li Hao seemed accustomed to such a cold attitude. He chuckled twice and got into the carriage. httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
The convoy soon departed.
Rong Zhi's expression was chillingly cold.
"Greedy! You don't treat patients as people, so what kind of divine physician are you!"
"Do you want to teach him a lesson?"
Xia Yunting's voice came from beside her.
Rong Zhi froze and suddenly calmed down.
If it were any other time, she would have impulsively rushed out to teach him a lesson. But not now, Xia Yunting's injuries were not yet healed.
"Let's get the Yunlin flower first."
"How do we get it?"
"I have a way."
Chu Qingze watched the convoy leave, his calm expression cracking, his face falling dramatically.
"They always come in the dead of night, disturbing my sleep! One day I'll concoct a medicine for them to invigorate their minds, so they can't sleep for days and nights!"
He grumbled as he returned to the room at the far end of the corridor.
On his way back, the couple who had visited during the day suddenly appeared in his mind.
He had met many prominent figures in Changping County, and even officials, but he had never seen a man like the one from today.
The imposing presence emanating from him indicated he was not from some poor backwater.
And that face always felt a little strange. He couldn't quite recall why for a moment, so he decided not to think about it. As soon as he lay down, sleepiness washed over him, and he fell asleep in no time.
He didn't notice that something in the teacup on the table was emitting a faint fragrance.
Rong Zhi put away the Drunken Immortal and nodded to Xia Yunting outside the wall. Xia Yunting then climbed over the wall and entered.
The two of them arrived next to the cellar, facing the large, thick iron cover. Without a second thought, Rong Zhi bent down and began to pull with all her might.
However, after struggling for a long time, the lid remained unmoved. Instead, her face turned red with exertion.
Her expression was awkward as she looked at Xia Yunting, who was trying to suppress a smile. Her voice turned cold, "What are you looking at? Hurry up and help!"
"Oh..."
Xia Yunting stopped smiling. He grabbed one corner of the lid with one hand, lifted it up gently, and then moved it aside. The lid landed silently, as light as cotton.
Rong Zhi: "..."
Comparing people really made one angry!
"How much should we take?"
Rong Zhi looked at Xia Yunting, took a deep breath, and said, "At least one cartload."
"What?"