Burial and Buying Medicine

After a person in Anyuan County dies, their family typically keeps vigil for three days. This is to prevent the deceased's spirit from returning home and being unable to find their family, thus becoming a wandering ghost. During this time, friends, relatives, and colleagues also come to pay their respects.

Three days later, the deceased is buried, and the coffin is interred. Xiang Yang, a mere fifteen-year-old, although skilled in martial arts, was not adept at these somber affairs. Fortunately, Mr. Liu handled everything for him.

Xiang Da Niu's grave was located on Yuanbao Mountain, about ten miles from the county town. The mountain wasn't high, spanning only a few dozen miles, but its shape resembled a yuanbao (ingot). Many considered it a place of auspicious feng shui, believing that burying ancestors there would not necessarily bring great wealth but would at least bless future generations.

In front of the black mound of earth, yellow paper money was scattered across the ground. A long, pale green tombstone stood upright, inscribed with "Grave of My Late Father, Xiang Da Niu, Erected by Son Xiang Yang." On the back of the tombstone, Xiang Yang had commissioned a stone carver from the county town to engrave Xiang Da Niu's glorious deeds of fighting mountain bandits and killing two of them, a testament to his life.

Xiang Yang, wearing a white cloth headband and a white mourning garment, his handsome face solemn, respectfully kowtowed three times before Xiang Da Niu's tombstone. He silently vowed, "From this day forward, I am Xiang Yang. If my father's spirit is in heaven, please protect me as I find the mastermind and avenge you."

Stuck in the ground beside Xiang Yang were his gleaming Wild Goose Feather Saber and the wine gourd Xiang Da Niu used to drink from. A cool breeze blew, rustling the green tassels hanging from the saber's hilt, adding a touch of desolation.

After kowtowing, Xiang Yang rose, drew his saber, picked up the wine gourd, and opened the stopper. He poured the clear, sweet wine onto the Wild Goose Feather Saber. The liquid flowed down the bright, sharp blade and onto the ground, a ritualistic offering to Xiang Da Niu.

Behind Xiang Yang, Mr. Liu, dressed in blue, watched with a sigh of melancholy. Although Xiang Da Niu's life had been uneventful, it had ultimately changed his destiny. From a farmer tending the fields, he had become a heroic constable who had slain bandits and earned praise from the county magistrate. It could be said he had not lived in vain.

"Uncle Liu, thank you for your help these past two days. I will host a banquet at home another day and invite the elders to dine, as a token of my gratitude. Please don't think it's too humble."

Mr. Liu smiled and nodded. Seeing the resolute look on Xiang Yang's face, he felt relieved. His father's death had not crushed the young man. This was good; Xiang Da Niu could rest in peace in the afterlife.

Returning to the county town and entering East Street, Xiang Yang made an excuse to part ways with Mr. Liu and walked towards Huichun Hall alone.

Huichun Hall was the most reputable pharmacy and medical clinic in the county town. Its owner, An Daoquan, was an exceptionally skilled physician. He had once treated a burly man with a boil the size of a bowl on his back free of charge, successfully saving the man's life. His reputation soared, and he became known as the divine physician An, possessing both medical skill and integrity.

Xiang Yang had always gone to Huichun Hall for medicine when he caught a cold. Usually, two or three doses would cure him, demonstrating the clinic's integrity. Therefore, this time, he needed to prepare an internal medicinal soup for his Iron Crotch Technique cultivation and came to Huichun Hall to have it made, to avoid encountering unscrupulous merchants selling fake medicine.

Standing at the entrance of Huichun Hall, observing the constant stream of patients entering and exiting, Xiang Yang adjusted the Wild Goose Feather Saber in his hand and strode in with his head held high.

As soon as he entered, a pharmacy assistant approached him. Seeing Xiang Yang in mourning attire, the assistant's eyes flickered with a sense of ill omen, but his expression remained unchanged. However, when the assistant's gaze fell upon the Wild Goose Feather Saber in Xiang Yang's left hand, his attitude immediately shifted.

"Is this young hero here to see a doctor or to get medicine? For consultations, I recommend Doctor Zhao in the clinic. If you're getting medicine, I can assist you."

Xiang Yang's eyes were sharp. He noticed the fleeting sense of misfortune and dislike in the assistant's eyes but paid it no mind. He simply nodded with a stern face and said, "I'm here to get medicine. Fill this prescription for me. If there's any shortage in weight or any fake medicine, I'll hold you accountable."

He worried that the assistant, wary of him being in mourning, might not fill the prescription carefully, hence his stern tone.

The assistant cast a fearful glance at the Wild Goose Feather Saber in Xiang Yang's hand and quickly bowed, leading Xiang Yang to the medicine counter. He took the yellow paper from Xiang Yang and began to gather the herbs.

Meanwhile, Xiang Yang surveyed Huichun Hall. The spacious interior was divided into two. He was in the pharmacy, with medicine shelves lining the walls on both sides, and the air was filled with the scent of herbs. The medicine cabinets were made of precious wood, providing excellent preservation.

Beside the assistant filling his order, four other similarly dressed assistants were serving customers. They were all busy, while the patients on the sides looked unwell, some with sallow complexions, others coughing incessantly, all having come here for treatment and medicine.

On the other side was the area for doctors to see patients, shielded by a dark yellow curtain. Figures could be vaguely seen inside, presumably patients waiting for diagnosis. Xiang Yang counted them and clicked his tongue. No matter the world, being a doctor was a lucrative profession.

The assistant filling the prescription was quick. In no time, he had gathered all the herbs Xiang Yang needed, packed them in yellow paper, and handed them to him.

"Young hero, the medicine is ready. The weight is definitely sufficient, and the efficacy is good. However, the price is a bit high, totaling twenty-five taels and three qian. Since you're a valued customer, I've taken the liberty to waive these three qian, making it twenty-five taels."

Xiang Yang's phoenix eyes widened, and he was about to scold them. Damn it, his family was burying his father, and after essential expenses, they only had a little over seventy taels of silver left. This amount wouldn't even cover three doses. How could he practice his cultivation?

The pharmacy assistant, being perceptive, knew Xiang Yang was unfamiliar with medicine and the specifics of the herbs. He quickly explained, "Young hero, please calm down. The herbs in your prescription, such as Cuscuta seed, Cynanchum root, Schisandra berry, Polygala root, and Asparagus root, are not expensive. The key is the seven qian of He Shou Wu, which accounts for the bulk of the cost. I assure you, I haven't cheated you."

Xiang Yang thought about it and realized it was indeed the case. Many of the herbs required for the Iron Crotch Technique soup were common. Only He Shou Wu was crucial, needing its potent essence to activate the medicinal properties. The brewing process also had its own requirements, with specific temperatures and sequences being secret methods.

"Fine, give me the herbs. This three qian is for you. From now on, when I come to get medicine, I'll look for you."

Taking the medicine packet, he took out twenty-five taels of silver from his bosom and handed it to the assistant. After a moment's thought, he gritted his teeth and pulled out three qian as a tip.

Xiang Yang would definitely need to practice frequently in the future, and the medicinal soup for his cultivation was very important. This assistant was decent, and crucially, he was timid, not daring to pass off fake or inferior medicine to him.

The assistant took the three qian with a smile on his face but inwardly scoffed. He had saved Xiang Yang a full three hundred wen, and all he got was three qian. The richer one gets, the stingier they become.

What the assistant found even more contemptible was that Xiang Yang, at such a young age and clearly in mourning, was still purchasing tonifying and aphrodisiac herbs. He was worse than a beast, undoubtedly spending his nights carousing at the Crimson Tower in the county town. He was truly an unfeeling wretch.

If Xiang Yang knew what the assistant was thinking, he would have beaten him up. Damn it, he had lived two lives, a total of forty years as a virgin. Where would he have found time for carousing?