Chapter 9: Moving in Danger

Three apprentices were born in the same year, month, day, and hour. It was as if fate had chosen them simultaneously, arranging something extraordinary for them. Chen Ji was reminded of Old Man Yao's fondness for divining with the Six Yao technique, as well as the "Stone-Bearing Pile Hugging Technique" that could resist icy currents. He always felt his master harbored many secrets.

Could it be that in this world, the Six Yao technique truly possessed the mystical ability to consult both the heavens and the underworld?

As he pondered, a middle-aged man in a dark blue long gown arrived at the medical hall. Liu Quxing quickly greeted him with a smile, "Steward Wang, what brings you to the clinic so late?"

The middle-aged man cupped his hands respectfully to Old Man Yao. "Imperial Physician Yao, my old madam has been suffering from vomiting and diarrhea since lunch and is now unconscious in bed. My master sent me to request a house call. We will handsomely reward you if you agree to come."

Old Man Yao merely glanced at him, then casually tossed six copper coins onto the counter. "Earth Fire Ming Yi, Wind Lake Zhong Fu... Tonight is not auspicious for going out. I won't go."

Chen Ji was surprised.

The steward's face showed difficulty. "Old Master Yao, you are a physician; you must have a compassionate heart. How can you disregard a human life based on a mere vague divination?"

"Are there so few doctors in Luocheng that you're missing me?" Old Man Yao shot him a glare. "Your Li family has always been stingy. Last time you requested a house call at night, you also promised a hefty reward. But after I cured his mother's headache with just a single needle, your old madam thought I earned my money too easily and tried to welch on the so-called thank-you gift. When I left, she only gave me two smoked salted fish! Let whoever wants to go, go!"

Steward Wang grew anxious. "Imperial Physician Yao, my old madam is quite advanced in years, please show some understanding..."

Old Man Yao stroked his beard. "Don't bring age into this. She's over thirty years younger than me. No one in Luocheng can pull rank on me by virtue of their age."

Steward Wang was speechless.

Old Man Yao waved his hand. "She Dengke, see our guest out!"

Once She Dengke had seen Steward Wang out, he returned to Old Man Yao. "Master, why won't you let us make house calls? We could earn a tael of silver for each one."

Old Man Yao, fuming, retorted, "You've been with me for two years and still can't even accurately read a pulse. Sending you on a house call now would be no different from sending an assassin!"

She Dengke's breath hitched. "Master, I really am trying my best to learn..."

Old Man Yao raised his hand and promptly smacked She Dengke's arm with a bamboo stick. "Go cook!"

She Dengke quickly headed towards the backyard, with Liu Quxing trailing behind him. One was tall and burly like an iron tower, while the other was as thin as a hemp stalk.

Once in the backyard, She Dengke said in a low voice, "You went too far today, kid. We're fellow apprentices; you shouldn't demean others like that."

Liu Quxing paused. "I went too far? How? Is it my fault his family won't pay his tuition silver? Don't forget, Master only takes one direct disciple!"

She Dengke fell into thought. Only direct disciples could secure official positions at the Imperial Medical Academy, meaning the three apprentices were inherently in competition.

The aroma of food wafted from the kitchen. In the courtyard, a low dining table and low stools had been set out. Old Man Yao held a bowl of millet porridge, slowly sipping from the edge. A dish of pickles and a plate of tofu sat on the table. She Dengke and Liu Quxing sat respectfully on their small stools, not daring to pick up their chopsticks until their master had finished eating and wiped his mouth.

Since Chen Ji couldn't afford the tuition silver, he didn't even have a place to sit, relegated to standing and gnawing on a multi-grain pancake. He didn't know what wild vegetables were mixed into the multi-grain pancake; it was rather difficult to swallow. Chen Ji drew a ladle of water from the water vat and used it to wash down the pancake, then, carrying a water bucket and rag, walked towards the main hall.

Old Man Yao glanced at him. "It's already dark; why are you still working?"

"I'm afraid I won't finish everything tomorrow, so I thought I'd get a head start on cleaning the floor," Chen Ji explained.

Old Man Yao scratched his eyebrows. "A ploy to gain sympathy? Don't try to impress me with that; I won't soften."

Chen Ji smiled. "No, Master, I'll earn the tuition silver and give it to you as soon as I can." He truly wanted to remain at the medical hall. Whether it was the threat from the 'Bright Rabbit and Cloud Sheep' or the unresolved mystery of the icy current within his body, he needed to stay here to find a solution. His situation after arriving in this world seemed far from ideal... yet he had no complaints. The world had granted him a chance to live again, which was already a remarkable gift. Pessimists are always proven right, but only optimists can truly move forward.

Chen Ji placed the water bucket on the ground, wrung out the rag, and began wiping the floor. The moment he bent down, however, the icy current within his body surged forth without warning! A bone-chilling cold assailed him, quickly draining the warmth from his body. In just a few breaths, he was trembling uncontrollably, as if thinly clothed in the dead of winter.

"What exactly is this icy current? Is it truly the vengeful spirit of a deceased person? Perhaps I'll be able to observe it when Master eventually beats one of my senior brothers to death..."

Chen Ji trembled as he assumed the "Stone-Bearing Pile Hugging Technique" to suppress the icy current. Strangely, this time the current didn't retreat to his dantian; instead, it continued to thrash wildly within his body, seemingly searching for something. Following the direction of the current's surge, he looked behind the counter, at the rows of vermilion medicine cabinets.

"What is attracting you?" Chen Ji moved, step by step, towards the medicine cabinet, until he pulled open the drawer labeled 'Ginseng'! Inside, there was only a single fifty-year-old ginseng root.

Guided by the icy current, Chen Ji cautiously reached out to touch the root hairs of the fifty-year-old ginseng. To his astonishment, the ginseng's six root hairs seemed to melt into a transparent liquid that flowed into his palm, eventually solidifying into a thumb-sized bead. In an instant, the icy current within his body was completely drawn away, vanishing without a trace!

What was this thing for? Chen Ji picked up the bead and examined it closely. Inside the transparent orb, a thin, snake-like wisp of mist seemed to be constantly swirling. He pondered whether to consume the bead, but then reconsidered: if he ate it, wouldn't the icy current return to his body? He decided not to rush consuming it. The bead wasn't going anywhere; he should first check if there was any information about it in books.

Chen Ji slipped the bead into his sleeve, then looked down at the old ginseng. Its once lush root hairs were now half bald...

"Will Master notice something's wrong? Given his stingy nature, if he discovers the ginseng's quality is compromised, how much more money will I have to pay? Will he simply kick me out of the medical hall?!"

A jolt of alarm went through Chen Ji. He immediately retrieved the medical hall's inventory ledger and, upon finding the page for old ginseng, read: "One fifty-year-old ginseng root, three *qian*, fourteen root hairs." One *qian* is approximately 3 grams. The ledger was recorded with such meticulous detail that Old Man Yao would certainly discover the issue with this old ginseng as soon as he checked the inventory. He frowned as he closed the drawer, realizing this was yet another blow to his already meager circumstances. He didn't know how often Old Man Yao audited the inventory, but he had to resolve this problem before the next check.

However, the more pressing issue he needed to address was the immediate concern: tomorrow's academic assessment.

After wiping the floor, Chen Ji didn't return to sleep. Instead, he found the *General Principles of Medicine* and began to read through it. While it was somewhat late to start learning from scratch, he knew he had to begin somewhere. The sooner he learned, the sooner he'd stop enduring daily beatings.

Just then, faint footsteps sounded from the backyard. Chen Ji quickly tucked the *General Principles of Medicine* under the counter. He turned his head and saw Liu Quxing, wrapped in a padded jacket, stealthily peering at him.

"Senior Brother, why are you awake?"

"I woke up to relieve myself and came to check on you," Liu Quxing said, leaning in conspiratorially. "I have to tell you something, otherwise, my conscience won't be at ease."

"What is it?"

Liu Quxing explained, "When I asked you to help with work today, I genuinely wanted to help you. Otherwise, if you can't pay the tuition silver, Master will truly send you home. Don't listen to She Dengke's blather; I had no ill intentions."

Chen Ji smiled. "Don't worry, Senior Brother Liu, I know your intentions were good."

"Good, as long as you understand my good intentions," Liu Quxing said, returning to the room still wrapped in his padded jacket. She Dengke was still snoring. He shook She Dengke. "Wake up! Wake up!"

There was no response.

Liu Quxing tried again, "Wake up quickly! Chen Ji is secretly studying!"

With a sudden jolt, She Dengke sat upright. "What?!"

Liu Quxing quickly changed the subject. "I just got up to use the chamber pot and wondered why Chen Ji hadn't come back to sleep yet. Turns out he's secretly studying while we're asleep!"

She Dengke was aghast. "That despicable?!"

"Right? Why don't we start studying too?"

She Dengke irritably scoffed, "What's there to study in the middle of the night? Go to sleep! And you, you're damn well not allowed to study either!"

"Right! No studying! Sleep!"

In the middle of the night, She Dengke was woken by a full bladder. He got up and saw that at some point, he was the only one left in the room. The tall, robust youth rose suspiciously, draped a long gown over himself, and walked towards the courtyard, only to find an orange-red glow emanating from the kitchen. Pushing the door open, he was startled to see Liu Quxing, wrapped in his padded jacket, sitting on a small stool by the stove. A dim oil lamp was lit, and in his hands, he held a book on typhoid pathology...

"You damn bastard!" She Dengke covered Liu Quxing's mouth and began to pummel him. Even Chen Ji hadn't anticipated that he would introduce such a twisted, competitive spirit to the medical hall.

As the beating commenced, a girl carrying a lantern, looking hurried, arrived at the medical hall's entrance and began shouting loudly, "Imperial Physician Yao! Imperial Physician Yao!" On the white paper lantern, three characters were inscribed: "Prince Jing's Residence." The girl's shouts drew the attention of everyone in the medical hall. She Dengke immediately stopped hitting Liu Quxing and ran outside.

He went to the main hall and opened the door. "Chunhua, why are you here in the middle of the night?"

Miss Chunhua appeared to be eighteen or nineteen, dressed in a bright green skirt and top, with a graceful and clear complexion. She urgently asked, "She Dengke, where is Imperial Physician Yao?"

Just then, Old Man Yao finally arrived, leisurely asking with his hands behind his back, "What's wrong?"

Chunhua quickly said, "Something has happened to my madam. Please come and see her at once."

Everyone looked at Old Man Yao, who remained silent for a moment before stating, "Tonight is not auspicious for going out. I won't go."

Chen Ji thought, "Huh? Wasn't this clinic specifically designated for Prince Jing's Residence?"

Chunhua's forehead was slick with sweat from her anxiety. She quickly winked at She Dengke, gesturing for him to intervene. She Dengke quickly said, "Master, it's already past midnight; it's a new day. Will you divine again?"

Old Man Yao glanced at him. "Then I'll divine again." With that, he took copper coins from his cuff and tossed them six times, muttering under his breath, "Heaven creates primeval darkness; strength and softness begin to interact, bringing forth difficulty; moving in peril; Water over Thunder, 'Tun'..."

Old Man Yao's expression drastically changed. "Great misfortune! Absolutely not, I cannot go!"

Chunhua was on the verge of tears. "Imperial Physician Yao, if I can't find a doctor in the middle of the night, I'll be punished, perhaps even fatally, when I return. Besides, I've come with the Prince's Residence waist token; your medical hall is obligated to make a house call!"

She Dengke stepped forward. "Master, if you truly don't wish to go, I will!"

Old Man Yao pondered for a moment. "...Chen Ji, you go."

Chen Ji was stunned. "Me? But... me?"