Strange Noises

Strange Noises

The sudden sound made Lu Qing freeze for a moment before he grew wary.

What was that sound? A person, a beast, or a rat?

He thought of the mysterious little beast that had stolen two large chunks of fish meat last night.

Could that fellow have come again? But he had already brought the fish meat inside. Surely it wasn't bold enough to break in, was it? Remembering the information his Supernatural Ability had uncovered that morning—that the mysterious little beast seemed to possess sharp claws—Lu Qing could not help gripping the stick beside his bed.

At that moment, he missed the electricity of his previous life more than ever.

If this had been one of his homes from his previous life, no matter what kind of little beast it was, turning on the lights would probably have scared it away.

Unfortunately, he could barely afford to light an oil lamp now, much less use light to drive off wild beasts.

The noise outside continued, sounding like something scratching at the door.

Though Lu Qing had always been bold, his scalp prickled a little now.

Gripping the stick tightly, he quietly left his room and went into the main hall.

Suddenly, he swung the stick hard against the door, producing a thunderous bang.

The sound outside immediately vanished.

Lu Qing stood in the hall with the stick in hand, forcing himself to remain calm.

After a long while, he still did not hear the sound again.

But he did not dare open the door and investigate rashly.

Only after another long wait, once he was sure there was no movement outside, did Lu Qing return to his room.

It had to be said that the Azure Armor Fish Stone's soul-calming, mind-settling effect was quite good.

Such a loud noise had not even awakened Xiao Yan.

Otherwise, Lu Qing would have had to soothe her for quite some time again.

Yet Lu Qing did not sleep well that night.

Afraid that thing might return, he barely slept at all, only dozing off for a short while when dawn was near.

As a result, when he arrived at Old Doctor Chen's place the next day, Lu Qing had two huge Dark Circles beneath his eyes and looked utterly listless.

Seeing him like that, the Old Doctor immediately frowned.

"Lu Qing, I know you wish to understand the Classic of Materia Medica as soon as possible, but learning requires a balance between work and rest. Sometimes, burying your head in study too single-mindedly only leads to twice the effort for half the result."

"Besides, if you wish to become a Medical Practitioner in the future, you must cherish your health even more. If you cannot even care for your own body, how can you maintain a clear mind and treat illnesses to save people?"

He had assumed Lu Qing looked so exhausted because he had stayed up reading the night before.

"Grandpa Chen, it isn't as you think." Lu Qing smiled bitterly. "I didn't sleep well last night for another reason."

As he spoke, he recounted what had happened the night before.

"You are saying that a wild beast tried to enter your house last night, which was why you were unable to sleep all night?" the Old Doctor asked in surprise.

"Yes. I was worried it might sneak in and hurt Xiao Yan, so I did not dare sleep." Lu Qing rubbed his eyes.

"Brother, how come Xiao Yan didn't know?"

The little girl had no idea such a thing had happened last night, and her eyes instantly widened.

"You slept like a little pig last night. Of course you didn't know."

Lu Qing reached out and tapped his sister's tiny nose.

"But this cannot go on. You cannot stay awake guarding the house every night."

The Old Doctor thought for a moment, then turned and went back inside. Before long, he came out carrying a packet and handed it to Lu Qing.

"Take this Medicinal Powder."

"Grandpa Chen, what is this?" Lu Qing asked, taking it.

"This is Medicinal Powder I compounded myself. It contains several herbs that repel insects and beasts. When I travel through the mountains, I often use it to protect myself."

"From what you said, that beast should not be very large."

"After you return, scatter the Medicinal Powder around your house. That beast will likely become wary and will not come to disturb you again."

Hearing this, Lu Qing was overjoyed. "Thank you, Grandpa Chen!"

The Old Doctor had given him this Medicinal Powder at exactly the right time.

Otherwise, Lu Qing would have had to consider setting a trap to catch that mysterious little beast.

However, some of the information his Supernatural Ability had detected earlier made him hesitant to act rashly.

After all, even the mysterious little beast's footprints were already White Light-grade.

Who knew how formidable the creature itself truly was?

After putting away the Medicinal Powder, Lu Qing took out the Classic of Materia Medica and continued asking the Old Doctor for guidance.

This time, Old Doctor Chen was even more pleasantly surprised.

He discovered that Lu Qing was learning the Classic of Materia Medica astonishingly quickly.

Not only had he completely memorized everything taught yesterday.

He had even reviewed the remaining content thoroughly and could draw inferences from one example to another.

At this rate, it would not be long before he had finished learning the entire book.

"Very good. It seems you truly did study diligently after returning yesterday."

The Old Doctor stroked his beard and nodded in satisfaction.

"I would not dare forget Grandpa Chen's instructions," Lu Qing replied respectfully.

"Alright, let us stop here for today. You are gradually becoming familiar with the Classic of Materia Medica, but familiarity with a medical text alone is not enough."

"Whether one is a Medical Practitioner or an herb gatherer, one must know how to identify and select real medicinal herbs."

"I remember that there are some common medicinal herbs growing near the village. In your daily life, observe them more and compare them with the Classic of Materia Medica. See whether the real herbs match what is recorded in the book," the Old Doctor instructed.

"Yes, Lu Qing will remember that," Lu Qing replied.

"Oh, right. You and Xiao Yan need not come up tomorrow for the time being. I am making a trip into the city, and I will sell that Red Moon Carp for you while I am there. You can simply review at home," the Old Doctor added.

"Grandpa Chen, you are going into the city?" Lu Qing asked excitedly.

"That is right. A medicine shop in the city ordered some medicinal herbs from me, and I need to deliver them." The Old Doctor said, "What is it? Do you need me to buy something for you? Once the Red Moon Carp is sold, you will have a considerable sum of money."

"Yes!" Lu Qing answered at once.

There really was something he wanted the Old Doctor to help him buy.

"Oh? What do you want to buy?"

"I want to buy an Iron Pot!" Lu Qing said. "Grandpa Chen, you know that our family suffered misfortune before. I sold off many things from the house, including our only Iron Pot, so I want to get a new one."

"An Iron Pot... that is possible." The Old Doctor pondered for a moment, then agreed. "Anything else?"

"Salt as well. We are almost out of salt at home, and I would like to stock up on some."

"Do you need anything else?"

"Nothing else. Let us just buy these two things for now." Lu Qing shook his head.

In truth, there were many other things he wanted to buy.

Oil, grain, clothes, shoes—there were many things he wanted.

But he knew one had to know one's limits.

The Old Doctor was an elder, and it was already rare enough for him to be willing to help carry things back. If Lu Qing pushed his luck and asked him to buy everything, that would be failing to know his place.

If Iron Pots and salt could be bought anywhere but the city, he would not have troubled the Old Doctor even for these two things.

As for everything else, he could buy them later at Da Ji just as well.

After returning from Old Doctor Chen's place, Lu Qing immediately scattered the packet of Medicinal Powder around the house.

He had thought that with this, all would be well and he could finally sleep soundly.

However, that night, after Xiao Yan had fallen asleep, he heard that sound again.