The Seventh Princess Insists on Making Me Live Off Her - Chapter 24

Dawn was just beginning to break over Qingyue Mountain.

The mountain wind was bitterly cold. After finishing breakfast, Lian Liejin put on her mask and walked into the courtyard, where she happened to encounter Little Radish coming to summon her to the clinic.

“Hurry over. It’s your turn to see patients again today, while everyone else has gone off to enjoy themselves. Fifty patients are waiting for you.”

The Stellar Medicine Sect’s clinic was extremely crude—nothing more than a slightly enlarged thatched shelter, though it did at least have a paper window.

Lian Liejin called it “increasing revenue and reducing expenditure.”

The clinic was fully stocked with brushes and ink, and it had three small pulse pillows alone. Lian Liejin slowly sat down, and a woman dressed in coarse clothing approached and placed her right wrist on one of the pillows.

“Madam, did you give birth less than half a year ago?” After carefully checking her pulse, Lian Liejin cautiously asked, “Did you eat a large quantity of wild mushrooms during your postpartum confinement?”

“Yes. After I gave birth to our second child, my husband gathered a lot of mushrooms, fried them in oil, and used them to cook noodles for me. For the past several months, my waist and back have hurt so badly every day that I can’t sleep.”

Lian Liejin picked up a purple-hare brush, dipped it into the prepared lacquer ink, and swiftly wrote out a prescription. “Stop eating the mushrooms for now. Drink this medicine continuously for half a month, and you should recover. Please collect the medicine from the dispensary.”

“Thank you, Physician.” The woman looked over the prescription: Wangbuliuxing, Ziran Tong, Shuihongzi, Zaoxintu…

A sudden commotion erupted outside the clinic. It sounded as though someone was attempting to force their way inside. Little Radish shouted from beyond the door, “Hey, hey! We’re only seeing fifty patients today, and all the places have already been filled. Can’t you see how many people are still waiting in line?”

“The three of us have not come seeking treatment. We are here to find Physician Guan Xie!”

Little Radish planted her hands on her hips and shouted, “Then you still have to wait! Physician Guan Xie is currently seeing patients. Please go back down the mountain and return earlier tomorrow.”

The two sides appeared to begin arguing, but the Stellar Medicine Sect had always been skilled at dealing with people who came to cause trouble. Before long, the noisy voices gradually faded into the distance. Lian Liejin remained in the clinic for the entire day, with even her lunch delivered by Little Radish.

Only near dusk did she finish seeing the final two patients. Her waist and back were aching from exhaustion. After asking someone to bring water so she could wash her hands, she suddenly asked,

“Who was looking for me earlier?”

“I heard those people have come asking about you many times. The moment they learned you had returned, they went practically insane.” Little Radish clicked her tongue in wonder. “I really don’t know what makes you so charming.”

“Perhaps they were patients I treated before.” Lian Liejin smiled helplessly, clearly recalling the time a grateful patient had sent three hundred chicks up the mountain. There had been both roosters and hens, and they laid clutch after clutch of eggs.

That year, not a single flower or plant in her courtyard had escaped unharmed. The chickens had pecked all of them to pieces.

“Hahaha.” The moment Little Radish saw Lian Liejin’s expression, she knew what she was remembering and sighed nostalgically. “The chicken soup that year was truly delicious. By the way, I heard those people’s master will come up the mountain to find you soon. Are you going to meet her or not?”

“I finally managed to return, so I may as well meet her. Perhaps I won’t have another opportunity in the future. Once she arrives, take her directly to my courtyard.” Lian Liejin dried her hands, picked up a strangely shaped key, and headed deeper into the Stellar Medicine Sect.

“Are you going to Master’s study to read medical books? Then I’m going to find something entertaining to relieve my boredom. If we become short-handed, I’ll come call you.”

“Mm. I’ve been married for over a month and haven’t read in a long time.” Lian Liejin rubbed her head, sent Little Radish away, and proceeded directly toward an area filled with exotic flowers and unusual plants.

Vines twisted around a vermilion wooden door. Snow-white fruits hung heavily from the green vines, looking plump and adorable.

When she inserted the key into the lock, the heavy wooden door slowly opened, sending a cloud of dust into her face.

The secret chamber contained an enormous number of books. They were not all medical texts; a significant portion consisted of military strategies, geographical miscellanies, and historical biographies.

Using the light from the eternal lamps lining both sides, Lian Liejin found an entirely black ancient book and turned to its final pages—

“Immortal Powder has slender, vermilion roots that may be used medicinally to revive the dying and save lives. Its fruit, however, is pure black and causes addiction when consumed.

“Immortal Powder is exceedingly difficult to cultivate and harvest. It grows in bitterly cold regions, most often among the cliffs and precipices of snow-covered mountains.”

Her master had told her all of this long ago. Somewhat irritated, she flipped farther back, only to discover a line of tiny writing near the book’s spine:

“If cultivated within a greenhouse, perhaps one or two plants out of ten may survive, though their medicinal properties may be diminished…”

Lian Liejin gently closed the book and returned it to its original position. After thinking for a moment, she took it again and slipped it inside her robes.

She knew perfectly well which medicinal plants were cultivated within the Stellar Medicine Sect. Immortal Powder had supposedly been eradicated several decades ago. If someone from the sect was secretly growing it, who could that person be?

The study was not a forbidden area. Most disciples had permission to enter. Lian Liejin rubbed her head in frustration. As expected, she was not suited to thinking about conspiracies and schemes.

While leisurely walking toward the Stellar Medicine Sect’s dining hall, Lian Liejin was stopped again by Junior Sister Zhao. “Senior Sister Guan Xie, Eldest Senior Sister left instructions that once you returned, your meals were to be prepared separately.”

“Is that so?” Lian Liejin cursed inwardly. Junior Sister Zhao had caught her again, which meant she had no choice but to eat those nearly inedible medicinal dishes.

“Return to your courtyard first. I’ll bring your dinner over later.”

The sky gradually darkened, and the mountain forest became even colder after nightfall. Although Qingyue Mountain enjoyed springlike weather throughout the year, it was still winter. The cold wind stung people’s cheeks, occasionally carrying grains of snow that made it difficult to keep their eyes open.

Two people approached from a distance, one walking in front of the other. The person in front wore the blue-and-silver uniform of a Stellar Medicine Sect disciple. Holding an oil lamp in one hand, she pointed out the path with the other and led the way to a small courtyard with blue-gray roof tiles. Pointing inside, she said softly,

“Physician Guan Xie said she would be inside that room. You may enter and speak with her directly.”

Behind the disciple stood a woman wearing a white veil. The two of them were now standing outside the blue-tiled courtyard where Lian Liejin lived.