Ghost Stories in the Small Courtyard

Time flowed by.

The people waiting to see a doctor finally grew fewer.

Su Yi rubbed the space between his brows. His gaze swept over casually, and he saw a young attendant carrying a teapot, pouring him a steaming cup of medicinal tea.

"Son-in-law, have some water to moisten your throat."

The young attendant was respectful and humble.

Off to the side, Hu Quan and the others all watched this scene with smiles.

By now, these old hands of Apricot Yellow Medical Hall had all been thoroughly won over by Su Yi's methods.

The shock in their hearts was written all over their faces.

"Only true ability can make people genuinely convinced from the bottom of their hearts."

Not far away, after witnessing this change, Huang Qianjun's heart churned as well.

He vaguely understood why his father had insisted that he find chances to interact more with Su Yi.

At first, those fellows from Apricot Yellow Medical Hall had all had their eyes higher than the crown of their heads, arrogant and rude.

But now, every one of them had lowered their heads in admiration!

Had Su Yi used power to pressure them?

No. He had used his almost inconceivable medical skills to quietly win over everyone present!

Su Yi picked up the medicinal tea and took a sip before saying, "Starting today, I'll be living at Apricot Yellow Medical Hall."

Hu Quan immediately said, "Son-in-law, behind our medical hall is an idle courtyard. I'll send people to clean it up in a bit, and prepare some daily necessities for you. Do you think you'll also need servants to wash your clothes, maids to serve tea and water, and a cook to make meals?"

Su Yi shook his head. "No need. Just clean the courtyard and the rooms."

Hu Quan nodded and noted it down.

He had originally been the steward of Apricot Yellow Medical Hall, handling all sorts of trivial affairs. Now that Su Yi had won him over, he was already willing, heart and soul, to serve this new manager, Su Yi.

"In the future, all matters in Apricot Yellow Medical Hall will still be handled by you. Everyone will do their own work, while I'll only be responsible for the money and accounts."

Su Yi gave the instruction. He had no intention of exhausting all his time and energy on the medical hall.

After thinking for a moment, Su Yi added, "Of course, if you encounter any strange and difficult illnesses that can't be treated, you can come find me. As for ordinary illnesses, just leave them to the medical hall's physicians."

Just as he said this, a burly man built like an iron tower walked into the medical hall.

Hu Quan and the others recognized him at once. This burly man had come once at the very beginning, but when he learned that Physician Wu Guangbin wasn't present, he had cursed and grumbled, then turned and left.

And now, he had actually returned.

"Er... Young Master Su, I was too rude earlier. Please forgive me."

The burly man looked somewhat embarrassed and cupped his fists toward Su Yi in apology.

"Are you still unmarried?"

Su Yi's expression was somewhat strange.

The burly man hurriedly nodded. "That's right."

Su Yi picked up brush and paper, wrote two characters, and handed them to the burly man. "You're not sick. Just do what these two characters say. Within three months, you'll recover completely."

The burly man took the paper and looked at it, then couldn't help but feel puzzled. "Abstain... what is this second character?"

Hu Quan and the others couldn't help growing curious and crowded over. The moment they saw it, they all burst into laughter.

"Brother, this character is read 'masturbation.' On the left is 'hand,' and on the right is 'up and down.' Put together, it means 'abstain from masturbation.' Mm... you should understand what that means now, right?"

Hu Quan smiled suggestively and explained.

The burly man froze, then suddenly understood. His dark face instantly flushed red. Utterly mortified, he covered his face and left.

"Hahahahahaha..."

Only then did Huang Qianjun understand, and he clutched his belly as he roared with laughter. "This fellow is built so burly, yet he actually likes single-handed combat!"

Hu Quan and the others all chuckled, their smiles suggestive.

Men—everyone understood.

With this little interlude, the atmosphere in Apricot Yellow Medical Hall instantly became much more harmonious, the air filled with a cheerful flavor.

Seeing that there were no more patients, Su Yi rose to his full height and said, "Take me to see the place I'll be living."

Hu Quan hurriedly called over two young attendants and led the way for Su Yi. Passing through the back door of Apricot Yellow Medical Hall, they soon arrived in a quiet courtyard located behind it.

At the same time, in a tea house not far from Apricot Yellow Medical Hall.

"Elder Wu, look at this prescription. The medicinal ingredients and the guiding ingredient used are simply a stroke of divinity!"

A middle-aged man exclaimed in admiration.

His name was Tan Feng, one of the physicians of Apricot Yellow Medical Hall.

Beside him sat two other people: one was a white-haired old man, and the other was a cold, stern man with dark skin.

The former was named Wu Guangbin, an old physician renowned throughout Guangling City.

The latter was named Wei Tong. Like Tan Feng, he worked at Apricot Yellow Medical Hall.

Only, after learning that Su Yi, this son-in-law, was going to take over Apricot Yellow Medical Hall, the three physicians had each found an excuse and hidden in this tea house, waiting to watch Su Yi get driven out.

But who could have imagined that after waiting for ages, they still had not seen such a scene occur?

Instead, the patients waiting in line outside Apricot Yellow Medical Hall had all been diagnosed and treated one by one!

This left Wu Guangbin and the other two astonished, and they could not help calling some patients into the tea house to ask in detail about the process of their consultations.

The result gave them a fright.

Su Yi, this insignificant son-in-law of the Wen Family, truly understood the medical arts!

"Elder Wu, Su Yi's method for treating the 'Echo Worm' really broadened my horizons."

Wei Tong sighed with feeling.

Earlier, there had been a patient who, every time he opened his mouth to speak, would have a voice in his belly repeat after him, as if some evil thing were hidden inside his body.

But Su Yi had said the patient had mistakenly eaten an "Echo Worm." He took over a pharmacopoeia and had the patient read out the names of the medicinal herbs in it one by one.

Each time the patient read the name of a medicinal herb, the voice in his belly would repeat it once.

It was not until he read the three words "Lei Wan Grass" that the voice in his belly fell silent.

Su Yi immediately instructed a young attendant to bring over a stalk of Lei Wan Grass and had the patient swallow it. Sure enough, once the medicine was taken, the illness was cured; the patient directly vomited up a bug the size of a fingernail, precisely an Echo Worm.

Tan Feng, beside him, also sighed with feeling. "And there was also that method of saving a patient by piercing the arm with silver needles. It was just as wondrous and unfathomable. I couldn't even see through the mystery within it."

Wu Guangbin, who had not said a word from beginning to end, suddenly rose and strode toward Apricot Yellow Medical Hall.

"Elder Wu, what are you going to do?"

Tan Feng and Wei Tong hurriedly got up.

"Naturally, to apologize to the young master!"

Wu Guangbin said without looking back.

Tan Feng and Wei Tong exchanged a glance, then both quickly chased after him.

In a courtyard behind Apricot Yellow Medical Hall.

Three gray-tiled houses were staggered in a triangular arrangement. To one side were vegetable beds and a vine trellis, and in the center of the courtyard stood a thick, flourishing locust tree. Beside it was a well, its cover sealed shut with a rust-mottled chain.

Because no one had lived there for a long time, dust, weeds, and spiderwebs could be seen everywhere in the courtyard.

It was almost noon, and the sunlight poured down with scorching heat.

Hu Quan directed two young attendants in cleaning the courtyard and adding furnishings.

Su Yi, meanwhile, stood beneath the locust tree, sizing up the courtyard, his brows faintly furrowed.

"Young master, this courtyard has been abandoned for several years, but as long as it's tidied up, it will still be very convenient and comfortable to live in."

Hu Quan said with a smile.

Su Yi suddenly said, "Did something bad happen here before?"

Hu Quan froze, then frowned and thought for a long while before saying, "Now that you mention it, I do recall one thing."

"About nine years ago, this courtyard housed one of our Apricot Yellow Medical Hall's physicians and two medicine apprentices, but one night, they all suddenly died."

Hu Quan pointed to the well sealed with chains on one side. "That physician drowned in this well. When he was fished up, his flesh had already rotted away. As for the corpses of those two medicine apprentices, they had turned into shriveled skins and were hanging from the branches of this locust tree."

As he spoke, he pointed again at the locust branches above their heads.

Su Yi's eyes flickered, and he asked, "Turned into shriveled skins? Was it that their flesh, blood, and internal organs had all vanished for no reason?"

Hu Quan said in surprise, "How did you know, young master?"

Su Yi did not explain, and said, "So from that time on, this courtyard was abandoned?"

"Exactly. Everyone says this place is a haunted house. Uh... young master, I did not deliberately arrange for you to live here. It's just that in our Apricot Yellow Medical Hall, this is the only place where someone can stay."

Hu Quan quickly explained, somewhat anxious and uneasy.

Su Yi smiled and said, "It's fine. In my view, this place is actually quite good."

Huang Qianjun eagerly offered his services. "Brother Su, in such a large courtyard, you'll inevitably be lonely living here alone. How about I go find some young beauties to serve you? I guarantee their looks and temperaments will satisfy you!"

Su Yi gave him a smile that was not quite a smile. "In your mind, am I that kind of person who lives in arrogance, luxury, debauchery, and ease?"

"Brother Su, don't misunderstand. How would I dare?"

Cold sweat instantly broke out on Huang Qianjun's forehead, and he hurriedly denied it. Only then did he realize he had overdone it and slapped his flattery right onto the horse's hoof.

But Su Yi merely pondered briefly, then said, "Help me do something. Go to the market and catch a rooster; the more imposing, the better. In addition, prepare some fresh Willow Branches, and a three-foot-long section of Green Peach Wood with ten years of fire."

What was he preparing these things for?

Though Huang Qianjun found it utterly strange, being ordered around by Su Yi had already made him wild with joy. He hurriedly turned and left.

"Brother Su, wait a moment. I'll be back before you know it!"

His voice was still echoing, but the man was already gone.

Hu Quan could not help sighing inwardly. Huang Qianjun was such a domineering young villain, yet he actually bowed his head and obeyed the young master so meekly. It was truly an eye-opener!

"Young Master, what are you preparing all this for?"

Hu Quan was curious too.

Roosters, peach wood, willow branches... These all seemed like things wandering Daoist priests used to drive off ghosts and banish evil. Could the young master suspect there were ghosts in this residence?

At the thought, Hu Quan's heart trembled.

Ghosts!

To the ordinary people of Guangling City, they were no strangers. There were many rumors that spoke with hammer-and-nail certainty, saying that vicious ghosts appeared on Ghost Mother Ridge outside the city!

"Just making some preparations, in case something happens."

Su Yi did not explain too much.

At that moment, three figures hurried into the courtyard.

When the white-haired old man in the lead saw Su Yi, he bowed on the spot and greeted him. "This Little Old One is Wu Guangbin. I have a guilty conscience, and have come specially to ask forgiveness!"

Seeing this, Tan Feng and Wei Tong hurriedly bowed and apologized as well.

Su Yi glanced at them and immediately understood. "Those who don't know are not to blame. Let this matter end here. Apricot Yellow Medical Hall will still need the three of you holding it down in the future, so get up. However, I do not wish there to be a next time."

Only then did Wu Guangbin and the other two let out sighs of relief.

Hu Quan was also very happy, and said, "I won't hide it from you three. Though the young master is young, his attainments in the medical arts can be called superb beyond compare. You didn't see it..."

Once he opened the floodgates, he began speaking endlessly about how Su Yi had treated the patient earlier, his brows dancing and his expression vivid.

After all, there were many things Wu Guangbin and the others did not know. Now, they could not help listening in fascination, their hearts filling with leisurely yearning.

By the time Hu Quan finished, when they faced Su Yi, there was already a faint look of reverence in their eyes.

P.S. How about this: monthly tickets are 150 votes short of 300. As long as we reach it, there'll be another extra update today~