Chapter Two: Father and Son

Lin Yao walked ostentatiously through the courtyard behind the main hall of Spring Return Hall. Everyone he passed bowed respectfully, but their gazes held a peculiar glint. They all carefully concealed this oddity deep within their eyes, yet Lin Yao's expression grew increasingly grim.

After a few more steps, he reached the black lacquered gate at the end of the courtyard leading to the back courtyard. Unable to bear the strange looks he'd received, Lin Yao irritably turned around, snapping his folding fan shut. He pointed it forcefully in the direction of the pharmacy, about to unleash a torrent of curses.

Just then, a door in the row of guest rooms on the south side of Spring Return Hall's expansive courtyard opened. A towering old man, over nine feet tall with a full beard, dressed in extremely luxurious brocade robes, emerged slowly. As he bowed to the gaunt old man beside him, he said with a smile, "Since Elder Lin has said so, then I am relieved."

The gaunt old man, Elder Lin, only reached the armpit of the magnificent old man. However, with his clear and refined features, he naturally exuded an air of confidence and grace, making him appear no shorter than the other elder. It gave the illusion that they stood shoulder to shoulder. Elder Lin stroked his beard and chuckled softly, "The Old Madam's illness is not a major concern. This spring is fine, and with this joyous occasion, her spirits will lift, and some of the root of her illness may be dispelled. With careful nurturing for a few months, perhaps the root can be eradicated."

The magnificent old man's smile widened, and he repeatedly chuckled, "Thank you for your kind words. Thank you for your kind words. Hahaha!"

The old man clasped his fists firmly towards Elder Lin and said with a smile, "Today my son is getting married. If Elder Lin has leisure, please come and have a few drinks."

Elder Lin hastily shook his head and smiled, "Old Patriarch Wang, you are too kind, too kind. This old man is always busy, unable to get away, so, hehe!"

The old man sighed and said with great respect, "This old man understands, understands! Hahaha, Elder, your benevolence blesses the local people; this is a deed of immeasurable merit."

The two old men exchanged smiles. Elder Lin's smile was as light and airy as clouds, while the magnificent old man laughed so hard he bent over backward, his powerful true qi causing the courtyard walls to hum. With a 'clang,' three of the six-foot-tall water vats lining the north side of the courtyard shattered, and water instantly flooded half the courtyard.

Old Patriarch Wang slapped his own mouth with a 'smack.' He awkwardly clasped his fists towards Elder Lin and said with a dry laugh, "Hahaha, this, this will also be added to the account, to the account." With that, he turned to leave, but his eyes fell upon Lin Yao, who stood there dumbfounded, pointing his fan towards the pharmacy, his mouth open as if to curse, his eyes fixed on him and Elder Lin.

Old Patriarch Wang clenched his right fist and slammed it into his left palm, laughing heartily at Lin Yao, "Nephew, you're back? Hmm, your second brother Wang is doing something important today, would you like to come with me for a drink?"

Elder Lin also saw Lin Yao. His eyes widened considerably, and he shakily raised his right hand, pointing at Lin Yao repeatedly. Lin Yao, who had been about to leave with Old Patriarch Wang, felt a chill down his spine and obediently stopped his forward steps.

Old Patriarch Wang's eyes flickered to Elder Lin's face, then to Lin Yao, who stood trembling like a rabbit. He quickly bared his teeth in a silent smile, patted his backside, and turned to leave.

Watching Old Patriarch Wang's retreating back, Elder Lin said sinisterly, "Accountant~, Accountant~, make a note of it: three large water vats, three hundred taels of silver! The Wang family is rich; no need to save them money!"

Old Patriarch Wang, who possessed immense true qi and whose 'Mountain Crushing Palm' made him untouchable within a five-hundred-mile radius of Guihua City, missed his step on the stairs and nearly fell. He managed to turn his body, glared fiercely at Elder Lin, shook his head, put his hands behind his back, and strode away quickly. As he walked, he muttered, "This old man is indeed rich!"

"Where have you been? Haven't seen you for two days?" Elder Lin was already in front of Lin Yao, glaring fiercely at his eldest son, who was half a head taller than him.

"Drinking!" Lin Yao flinched, taking a small step back.

"Drank~~~ alcohol!" Elder Lin smiled sinisterly, lightly patting his thigh, and asked in a strange tone, "There are many kinds of alcohol, brewed from grains, steeped from fruits, or colored with flower petals. Did you drink grain wine, fruit wine, or flower wine? Hmm?"

"This," Lin Yao, now half a foot shorter than Elder Lin, said with a frown, "Flower~~~ flower~~~ flower wine."

As soon as he finished speaking, Lin Yao began to cough violently, bending forward and backward. Suddenly, he opened his mouth and spat out a phlegm clot tinged with blood.

Elder Lin stared intently at the phlegm Lin Yao had spat out, biting his pure white teeth fiercely, "Good! Consumption!"

His right hand shot out like the wind. Before Lin Yao could evade, Elder Lin accurately grasped his wrist pulse with two fingers, beginning to diagnose him.

Master Hu, with a goatee, walked over quickly, holding three thumb-sized wax-sealed pills. While examining Lin Yao's pulse, Elder Lin looked back at Master Hu and asked with a frown, "What are you holding? Hmm? What is it? Purple Plum Harmony Pill! Purple Plum Harmony Pill! Who told you to get this from the medicine storage? Ah?!"

The last angry shout was like a crane's cry piercing the sky. Four more of the water vats in the courtyard burst with a 'crackling' sound.

Master Hu stood frozen, his face pale and flushed, not daring to move. He lowered his head, his hands trembling as he spread them open, revealing the three pills cupped in his palms.

Elder Lin then shouted, "Accountant~, Accountant~, make a note: Old Patriarch Wang didn't shatter three water vats, but seven! Go to his house at the end of the month to settle the bill; don't forget!"

With a sweep of his large sleeve, Elder Lin drew the three Purple Plum Harmony Pills from Master Hu's hand, who stood twenty feet away, into his palm. He cast a cold glance at Master Hu and said coldly, "Prescribe two months' worth of Gathering Yang Qi Soup for the eldest young master. If he dares to step out of Spring Return Hall within two months, break his legs!"

"You old geezer, whose legs are you going to break?" As soon as Elder Lin finished speaking, an angry curse came from the back courtyard.

With a 'clang,' the black lacquered door leading to the back courtyard was pushed open. A middle-aged woman, adorned in silk and satin, covered in jewels, and wearing twelve large gemstone rings on her fingers, rushed out in a huff. The woman was still slender and quite beautiful, but her body was wrapped in luxurious materials, making her waist look like that of a pregnant sow. Her face was covered in about two fen of white powder, completely obscuring her once beautiful features. As she shouted loudly, 'rustling' white powder slowly slid down her cheeks.

Behind the woman followed four maids, also exuding wealth, but their appearances, despite their ornate decorations, were truly difficult to look at. The most beautiful among them looked no different from Old Third, the groom who drove Lin Yao.

The woman rushed to Lin Yao's side, like a mother tiger protecting her cub, and pulled him into her embrace. She affectionately stroked Lin Yao's face and cried out in a sharp voice, "My dear Yao'er, don't worry, with your mother here, no one can touch a single hair on your head! Hmph! Your heartless, short-lived father wants to break your legs because he wants to harm you! If you die, that bastard from outside can take over Spring Return Hall!"

Elder Lin's face twitched. He lowered his voice and angrily said, "Wuniang! You~~~"

The woman sneered, looking at Elder Lin askance, and said coldly, "Me, what about me? Lin Shan, don't forget, this Spring Return Hall is my Hua Wuniang's ancestral property! You are merely my father's disciple; don't think about taking even a sliver of Spring Return Hall! I intend to leave this Spring Return Hall to Yao'er!"

"I, I don't!" Elder Lin, Lin Shan, shouted loudly, "Where do I have such intentions?" He clenched his fists tightly, his hands trembling within his sleeves, and waves of supple true qi spread from his fists, causing his wide sleeves to flutter.

"Whether you do or not~~~ you know in your own heart!" Hua Wuniang said with a cold smile, twisting her waist, and glared fiercely at Elder Lin, "That bastard in front, I've tolerated him for so many years! Hmph! Lin Shan, don't push it too far! I know you have great martial arts skills; after all, my father passed on all his ultimate techniques to you! However, this old lady isn't someone to be trifled with either!"

She stomped her foot forcefully on the ground. The roughly foot-thick bluestone slabs beneath her feet instantly turned to powder.

Holding her head high with arrogance, Hua Wuniang picked up Lin Yao like a chicken and carried him into the back courtyard. She said with a gentle smile, "My dear Yao'er, don't be afraid. Your mother will stand up for you. Within five hundred miles of Guihua City, who dares to touch a single hair on your head?"

Lin Yao coughed as he loudly flattered Hua Wuniang.

Elder Lin stared blankly at Hua Wuniang and her son's retreating backs. He listlessly tossed the three Purple Plum Harmony Pills in his hand to Master Hu.

Closing his eyes, tears streamed down his face. Elder Lin muttered softly, "Master, Father-in-law... Wuniang is like this, but Yao'er... is ruined."

Spring Return Hall was busy from early morning until the moon hung high, only then did it return to peace.

Lin Xiao, who had been busy in the pharmacy all day, carefully extinguished the charcoal in the last stove. After picking up and cleaning the mortar lids and pestles carelessly discarded on the floor by the Spring Return Hall apprentices, he extinguished the lights in the pharmacy and was the last to leave.

In the main hall, Master Hu and several other presiding masters were gathered, laughing and talking. Upon seeing Lin Xiao, they all nodded in greeting. Their eyes were filled with friendliness and admiration, and an unspeakable sense of helplessness.

Lin Xiao smiled faintly, respectfully bowed to the presiding masters in the manner of a disciple, and quickly headed towards the back courtyard.

In a corner of the main hall, a black cloth curtain was suddenly lifted. A shopkeeper, with two whiskers resembling a rat's and a pair of triangular eyes that blinked incessantly, emerged slowly from the accounting room, holding a small teapot. Upon seeing Lin Xiao's back, the shopkeeper's whiskers twitched slightly, and he let out a soft sigh.

As if contagious, Master Hu and the other presiding masters all sighed heavily.

The shopkeeper shook his head and waved his hand, "Alright, gentlemen, let's go for drinks. Hmm, Old Patriarch Wang sent a jar of tribute wine to the master today; it's perfect for us to enjoy."

The presiding masters exchanged glances, sighed deeply once more, beckoned a few apprentices nearby to close the main hall doors, and then rose to follow the shopkeeper into the back courtyard.

The back courtyard of Spring Return Hall was a large compound with five sections. The front four sections were allocated to the various presiding masters, attending physicians, pharmacy masters, apprentices, and servants of Spring Return Hall. The last section housed Lin Shan's family. Lin Shan, Hua Wuniang, Lin Yao, Lin Xiao, and some of their relatives resided there.

Lin Xiao, dressed in a blue cloth robe, walked quietly along a slightly eerie path lined with flowers. The surrounding lights were dim, but the brilliant lights from the main house in the distant back courtyard cast a glow, making the path before him faintly visible. However, the dim light was not a significant problem for him. Having practiced the internal energy art 'Evergreen Art,' taught by Lin Shan since childhood, ten years of diligent effort resulted in him being able to see as clearly as in broad daylight with even the slightest glimmer of light.

Lin Xiao's mood was as dim as the surroundings.

Lively cheers could be heard from the main house in the distance. Hua Wuniang was hosting a grand banquet, her favorite pastime.

Lin Yao was likely mingling amongst them, basking in the praise of countless guests. As the future heir to the largest pharmacy and medical hall in several northwestern prefectures, Lin Yao certainly had the standing to be flattered.

And himself? He was nothing more than the illegitimate child of Lin Shan and a concubine he secretly kept.

Lin Xiao stood beneath a large plum tree, hands tucked into his sleeves, quietly observing the brightly lit main house and the surrounding buildings.

He would never be allowed near that area. After his mother's inexplicable and sudden death from illness, Lin Shan brought Lin Xiao back to Spring Return Hall. However, Hua Wuniang had him placed in a storage room in the back. He had no right to approach the main house, which was reserved only for direct descendants of the Hua family. Even Lin Shan, the current head of Spring Return Hall, was powerless to change this. After all, Spring Return Hall was the Hua family's property.

After staring blankly at the lights for a while, Lin Xiao shook his head, a hint of determination appearing on his childish face.

He spoke in a low voice, "I won't rely on anyone. I have a head and I have hands. I want to become an even more formidable divine physician than my father. I can survive on my own."

"Mother, Xiao'er will live well! Please, don't worry." Lin Xiao gritted his teeth tightly, turned around completely, and headed towards the storage room where he lived.

He remembered the horrific scene eight years ago when his mother suddenly vomited black blood and died. Especially her desperate cries to him before she died: "Xiao'er, promise your mother, you must live well."

His hands in his sleeves clenched into fists. Of course, he had to live.

He had some clues over the years about how his mother died. An illness that even his father, Lin Shan, known as a divine physician, couldn't diagnose could only have originated from Hua Wuniang.

It was said that the Hua family's Hundred Diseases Hundred Herbs Scripture had a chapter that was absolutely forbidden for outsiders to learn. Lin Shan was undoubtedly an outsider.

Lin Xiao's small but incredibly upright figure slowly moved to the front of the storage room. He gently pushed the door open, and the light inside suddenly flashed as someone lit the desk lamp on the square table.

Lin Shan, dressed in plain white, was sitting by the table, quietly watching Lin Xiao.

Lin Xiao looked at Lin Shan with surprise, then quickly bowed his head, "Xiao'er greets Father."

Lin Shan gently waved his right hand, and an extremely soft surge of energy slowly lifted Lin Xiao. He said calmly, "Good son, there's no need for formalities. Sit and talk!"

Lin Xiao sat down by the square table, casually picked up the teapot on the table, poured Lin Shan a cup of tea, then picked up the teapot and drank heartily.

The water wet the front of Lin Xiao's clothes. Lin Shan looked at Lin Xiao with affection and said very gently, "Regarding Old Madam Wang's illness, you should know from when you accompanied me on a house call last time. It shouldn't have relapsed. However, three days ago, her condition suddenly worsened, causing Old Patriarch Wang to hastily arrange the marriage for the Wang family's second young master to the young lady of the Zhang family from Guiying within three days. This is a ceremony to ward off evil spirits."

Lin Xiao put down the teapot, wiped the water from his mouth with his sleeve in surprise, and frowned, "Old Madam's illness shouldn't have relapsed. Is there a reason for this?"

Lin Shan nodded slightly and said calmly, "Three days ago, dire news arrived that Gui Shun City, located three hundred and seventy li to the north, was breached by the 'Black Blade Bandits'. All ninety thousand plus inhabitants, old and young, were annihilated."

"Hiss—" Lin Xiao gasped, exclaiming in shock, "Black Blade Bandits? Half a month ago, they were still two thousand li to the north!"

Lin Shan gently tapped the tabletop with his finger and said leisurely, "The world is in chaos, what strange things can't happen? Keep these two items safe."

On the table in front of Lin Shan lay a blue cloth package. He opened it, revealing a thick family genealogy book and a palm-sized green wood token.

"This is our Lin family's genealogy. It cannot be lost. The souls of our ancestors in heaven must not be without descendants to worship and provide for them," Lin Shan said coldly, gently pointing at the genealogy, "Do you remember? You are the last branch of our Lin family's lineage."

"Eldest Brother..." Lin Xiao looked at Lin Shan hesitantly.

"Hmph, don't mention him," Lin Shan interrupted Lin Xiao unceremoniously. He then picked up the green wood token again and placed it solemnly into Lin Xiao's palm, "Good son, take this 'Pill Token'. If anything unexpected happens in the future, with this Pill Token, if you can find the person who issued it, you can at least ensure your safety."

Lin Xiao's hands were trembling. He had only vaguely heard of such a thing as a Pill Token.

A Pill Token represented the identity of the master of Spring Return Hall!

But the future master of Spring Return Hall should be Lin Yao!

Lin Shan narrowed his eyes, looked at Lin Xiao, and smiled faintly, "It's alright, just take it. This Guihua City... tsk tsk!"

Standing up, Lin Shan said no more. He sighed softly and drifted away. (To be continued)