TGCFNM -Chapter 11 The Divine Hemostatic Medicine

The moment Chu Ling stepped through the gates of the county town, she caught sight of Zhang Dong standing there with a lantern, waiting. Just as she was about to wave, the torch in her hand fizzled out with a hiss.

Zhang Dong immediately leaned on his cane and hurried over. “My lord.”

Chu Ling shook her legs, stiff from the long walk, then looked at Su He and said, “I’ll leave these remains to you for examination. Also, the donkey was rented from the south of the county—please return it tomorrow morning.”

Su He frowned slightly, but seeing Chu Ling looking half-dead from exhaustion, he hesitated for a moment before agreeing.

At that moment, Wu Lianzhi gestured toward her own remains, indicating that she would follow Forensic Examiner Su first.

A ghost could follow Chu Ling, or it could follow its own corpse. At worst, Chu Ling could go to the mortuary tomorrow and bring the ghost back.

Chu Ling gave a small nod in agreement and, while she was at it, slipped half a string of coins into Su He’s hand. She said nothing more, simply cupped her hands in farewell. Then she and Zhang Dong limped off toward the yamen. From a distance, their backs made it look as though they were equally badly injured.

The Ghost Scholar floated nearby, unable to hold back his laughter. “With that little frame of yours, my lord, you’re not even as sturdy as Examiner Su.”

Chu Ling pressed a hand to her forehead. She could only blame the terrible roads.

Once they returned to the yamen, Xiao Hua immediately brought over a large basin of hot water for washing feet, carrying it steadily in her arms. The sight startled Chu Ling.

“My lord, I—I was born with great strength,” Xiao Hua said, twisting her hands shyly.

Chu Ling gave her a thumbs-up. “Heaven’s chosen one. Well done.”

As the hot water covered her calves, Chu Ling drank the wild chicken soup Xiao Hua had brought. After finishing more than half the bowl, she finally stopped, catching her breath. “If there’s no transportation in the future, I’m not going anywhere.”

Cui Xi stood to the side, looking particularly pleased. “Miss, Xiao Hua is quick and reliable. Her brother seems good too. When he saw you hadn’t returned, he went early to wait at the county gate.”

Chu Ling set the bowl aside and kneaded her legs. “I really did stumble into two capable helpers by sheer luck. At the very least, we won’t starve in the future.”

Cui Xi smiled bashfully. She couldn’t cook and had always ordered food from restaurants.

After easing her soreness a little, Bai Su arrived at the agreed hour the next day. She glanced at the purple-bone grass Chu Ling had gathered and nodded. “Not bad.”

“Aunt Su, what about my Adam’s apple?”

“Tomorrow, Wen… the Ghost Scholar will guide you to a place. I buried something there. If I remember correctly, there should be a false Adam’s apple.”

“Is there any money?” Chu Ling quickly asked.

Bai Su thought carefully. “After so long, the banknotes must have already decayed.”

Chu Ling looked as if she had suffered a blow, her voice weak. “No gold, silver, or jade either?”

“I wander the martial world. Gold and jade aren’t nearly as convenient as banknotes,” Bai Su said, tapping Chu Ling lightly between the brows. She then pulled Chu Ling over and began explaining which medicinal ingredients to buy and the preparation steps. After watching closely as Chu Ling carefully wrote down the prescription, she drifted away.

After Bai Su left, the Ghost Scholar departed as well.

Clutching her prescription for the hemostatic medicine, Chu Ling collapsed onto the bed. Before she could double-check it carefully, exhaustion made her eyelids droop, and she fell asleep at once.

The next day.

The first thing Chu Ling did after opening her eyes was drag her aching legs out of bed. After washing up, she hurried to the apothecary to buy medicine. When she returned, she took the bowl of plain porridge Xiao Hua handed her and quickly finished it.

“Zhang Dong, keep watch for me today. If Coroner Su delivers the autopsy report, just accept it for me for now,” Chu Ling instructed. After gulping down the last few mouthfuls of porridge, she grabbed the newly purchased medicine jar and went straight into her room.

Xiao Hua turned to her brother. “Big Brother, is Sir going to brew medicine?”

“Our Sir has had more than his share of misfortune. Maybe he’s making something to strengthen his body,” Zhang Dong replied, then told Xiao Hua to keep her mouth shut and not gossip.

Inside the room, Chu Ling looked at the pre-cut herbs and took a deep breath. Then she pressed her palms together, gazed devoutly at the sky, and muttered under her breath:

“It has to succeed. I don’t ask for great wealth or glory—just let me earn some money…”

Just as she finished speaking, the Ghost Scholar arrived and saw the scene. He instinctively raised his brows and looked at Cui Xi in question. Cui Xi pointed at the herbs and mouthed, “She spent all her money on this. Miss is broke.”

The Ghost Scholar immediately understood. He turned and passed through the door, disappearing. A moment later, he returned with Bai Su.

With Bai Su guiding her step by step, Chu Ling’s movements gradually became steadier. By the time all the herbs were used up, it was already afternoon. Looking at the thick layer of medicinal powder on the tea tray, she knew she had finally refined it successfully.

Stretching her stiff back, Chu Ling carefully portioned the powder into small packets and casually asked, “Aunt Su, how much does your medicine usually sell for?”

“Some people offer a thousand taels for my medicine, and I don’t necessarily sell it,” Bai Su replied proudly.

Chu Ling leaned closer, curiosity written across her face. “What were you before, Aunt Su? The number one miracle doctor in the jianghu?”

“Stop prying and hurry up and sell the medicine for money,” Bai Su said, rising abruptly and vanishing.

Chu Ling stood, packed away the prepared hemostatic powder, and pushed open the door. Outside, she saw the siblings sitting on the steps. The moment they saw her, they asked, “Sir, are you eating?”

Chu Ling tossed a packet of powder to Zhang Dong. “This stops bleeding and promotes healing. Try it.”

Zhang Dong froze, then his eyes reddened. Was this medicine specially refined for him?

Xiao Hua reacted first. “I’ll go bring Sir his meal.”

Chu Ling sat down at the stone table in the courtyard. “Don’t just stand there. Go try it. No—try it here. Let me see the effect.”

Zhang Dong responded with an “Alright,” rolled up his trouser leg, and revealed the still-horrifying wound. The area where he had been beaten continued to bleed, the skin rotting and refusing to heal.

Carefully unwrapping the bandage, he glanced at Chu Ling. Seeing no trace of disgust on his face, he boldly sprinkled the powder onto the wound.

In only a few moments, the bleeding stopped. Even the pain and itching seemed to lessen by seventy or eighty percent.

“Sir!” Zhang Dong twisted around and knelt. “Such precious medicine—how, how could you give it to a commoner like me?”

“You’re kneeling right after using such precious medicine? Now the powder’s all contaminated with dirt,” Chu Ling said, waving him up. “Since you’ve used my medicine, I won’t be paying you this month’s wages. We’ll talk about next month.”

“This commoner… this commoner thanks you, Sir!” Zhang Dong’s eyes were red as he knocked his head once more before rising.

Chu Ling also let out a breath of relief. For such a miraculous medicine, pricing it at ten taels per packet wasn’t too much… right?

“Oh, by the way—has Coroner Su come?”

Zhang Dong shook his head. “I waited as you instructed, but Coroner Su hasn’t come. Should I go urge him?”

Chu Ling shook her head. Su He took his work as a coroner very seriously. If he hadn’t come yet, it meant the cause of death was still uncertain.

After a simple meal, Chu Ling told the two siblings to stay and watch the house. Then she set out with the Ghost Scholar, heading straight for the apothecary to sell the medicine. At the same time, she planned to stop by the morgue to see what exactly was going on with the corpse.