After a moment, a lazy voice replied, “This old man is here.”
The canopy door suddenly pushed open, but no one appeared.
Curious, Ning Wanwan entered the canopy. Inside, a long narrow table held an incense burner, writing materials, and a pulse-taking pillow.
Behind the table lay a reclining figure, facing away, with graying hair and wearing only a blue robe, seemingly unbothered by the winter chill.
Hearing her enter, he said lazily, “Consultation fee is twenty taels, pay first before diagnosis. The fee is non-refundable.”
Regardless of his diagnostic accuracy, the consultation fee would not be returned, likely deterring ordinary people from seeking his services.
Such an arrogant and shameless traveling physician explained his cold and deserted business.
“I’m not here to see a doctor,” Ning Wanwan said.
“Then what are you doing in my boat?” the man asked as he turned to look at her.
Ning Wanwan was shocked by his appearance; despite his white hair, he had a youthful, jade-like face.
Perhaps the physician had some skills, she thought, and pulled out a copied medical record, placing it on the long table. “Look at this,” she urged.
The physician merely glanced at the record, saying, “I only look at living beings,” and attempted to lie down again.
Ning Wanwan then pulled out a gold ingot from her pouch and slapped it onto the medical record.
The traveling physician’s eyes lit up at the sight of the gold. He nodded and said cheerfully, “Now that’s interesting.”
He sat up, tucked the gold into his chest, and then picked up the medical record to read.
“Ahem…” The physician cleared his throat and hinted, “This old man only diagnoses illnesses…”
Ning Wanwan, remembering her past lifetimes, understood his intention. She took out a silver note from her pouch and placed it on the table, “Here are a hundred taels.”
The physician’s face brightened as he picked up the silver note, saying, “It’s called Bone-Eroding Cold, reportedly a toxic poison that can prevent heat from forming in one’s five organs and six viscera.”
“Bone-Eroding Cold?” The name suggested a powerful poison. Ning Wanwan’s brow furrowed, “Is there an antidote?”
“Bone-Eroding Cold is rare. Only traveling physicians have heard whispers of it, and it’s hard to encounter even once in a hundred years, let alone know an antidote,” he said, then looked at her. “Could you suspect the person in your medical case was poisoned by Bone-Eroding Cold?”
It wasn’t a suspicion but a certainty.
In her previous life, she learned from Si Zhan and Yuan Bi that Si Zhan’s weak constitution was due to poisoning, not birth.
She asked, “Does the master think this is possible?”
The traveling physician pondered, “From some pulse and symptoms, there is indeed some possibility.”
Ning Wanwan placed another hundred-tael silver note in front of the physician, saying, “I’ll add another hundred taels. I only ask that you tell me the antidote for Bone-Eroding Cold.”
The physician’s eyes brightened at the sight of the silver. He folded the notes and tucked them into his chest, smiling, “It’s not that I won’t tell you, but I don’t know the antidote for Bone-Eroding Cold.” Noticing Ning Wanwan’s displeasure, he added, “I know someone who can cure this poison.”
“Who?”
“The Poison Saint, Ghost Boundless. If you want to inquire about poisons, there’s no poison he can’t cure.”
“Where can I find him?”
“I don’t know.”
Ning Wanwan suppressed her anger and slapped another silver note on the table, gritting her teeth, “I’ll add another hundred taels.”
Unexpectedly, the physician, who had been eager for money, disdainfully pushed the note back, shaking his head. “Even if you add a thousand taels, I still don’t know. There are rumors in the jianghu that Ghost Boundless has achieved the Dao and ascended to immortality, others say he wanders as a beggar, and some say he doesn’t exist at all. So I truly don’t know where he is or if he’s alive or dead.”
Ning Wanwan’s eyes darkened, and she fell silent.
The physician sighed, “Who is this person to you?”
Ning Wanwan replied, “Someone important.”
“How important?”
“As important as my own life,” she said without hesitation.
The physician understood, “Oh, so he’s your sweetheart.”
Ning Wanwan considered clarifying that Si Zhan was not her sweetheart, but she thought they would not meet again, so she silently accepted it.
The physician seemed moved, his expression softening. “Seeing as you’ve paid me generously, I’ll tell you a method to temporarily relieve the symptoms.”
Ning Wanwan excitedly asked, “Please tell me!”
“If your sweetheart is indeed poisoned by Bone-Eroding Cold, there’s something that can temporarily suppress the poison.”
“What is it?”
“Fire Spirit Fungus.”
Ning Wanwan recalled having heard of it, but knew it was rare and hard to obtain.
The physician stated, “Fire Spirit Fungus is a rare divine medicine, potent against cold poison. However, if your sweetheart is poisoned by Bone-Eroding Cold, his stomach and spleen are likely too damaged to handle such a strong medicine.”
Initially skeptical, Ning Wanwan began to believe the physician could accurately assess Si Zhan’s condition.
“You’ll need to find the blood of a pure virgin to nourish the Fire Spirit Fungus daily. After seven days, it will neutralize its fierce nature. Brew medicine with it, and your sweetheart can take it directly, preserving his life for two to three years while minimizing suffering.”
Ning Wanwan stood up and bowed deeply, saying, “Thank you.”
“Why thank me? Thank this,” the physician replied, patting the silver notes in his chest. “Tonight, I can enjoy myself at the Pomegranate Pavilion again.”
Ning Wanwan’s respect for the physician vanished with his frivolous remarks.
As she left the boat and stepped ashore, she contemplated how to obtain the Fire Spirit Fungus, lost in thought and oblivious to the chaos surrounding her. A pair of startled donkeys pulling a peace cart charged through the crowd toward her.
In that instant, Ning Wanwan forgot how to react, standing frozen in place.
Suddenly, an urgent cry came from beside her ear: “Watch out!”
Her body was embraced and spun rapidly, narrowly avoiding being crushed by the peace cart. After the near miss, Ning Wanwan’s heart raced as she took a long, shaky breath.
“Thank you for sav—”
As she turned, a jade-like face came into view. “Imperial Uncle?”
Ning Wanwan was startled, then exclaimed with joy: “You, how are you here?”
Si Zhan, with one hand still around her waist, calmed his own panic and put his hand behind his back, secretly clenching it.
With a somewhat unnatural expression, he said: “I was just passing by.”
Ning Wanwan was about to speak when Fu Yi rushed through the crowd, grabbing her arm and gasping: “Miss, I finally found you! Where did you go? You almost scared me to death.”
Ning Wanwan realized she had forgotten Fu Yi and smiled awkwardly: “I was just wandering around nearby.”
Oh, it seems the word count is a bit high recently, so I’m thinking of reducing it. Little fairy sisters, please give me some advice.
Chapter 27: Playful
Fu Yi then noticed Si Zhan standing next to Ning Wanwan. She looked at him with complex eyes and curtsied.
Si Zhan nodded slightly.
Ning Wanwan quickly turned to Si Zhan, smiling and asking, “Uncle, do you have something to do?” A prince as noble as Si Zhan wouldn’t casually wander into a crowd.
Si Zhan shook his head: “Nothing.”
Ning Wanwan replied with surprise and joy: “That’s perfect. The New Year is coming soon. I’ve heard there are many new and interesting things at the Great Xiangguo Temple. Why don’t we go take a look?”
Seeing Ning Wanwan’s sparkling eyes full of expectation, Si Zhan was stunned.
She wasn’t angry with him? He had thought she was avoiding him due to Yuan Zhu.
