Measuring Medicine

Jiang Shuo followed Liu Ruyan, winding through the Dream Red Pavilion until they reached a courtyard wall in the back. The wall was plain gray-white, bare of any decoration. Liu Ruyan raised her delicate hand and knocked three times. A section of the wall, half a zhang wide, rotated, revealing a gap just wide enough for one person to pass through.

The two squeezed through, one after the other, and the wall returned to its original state. Inside was a different world, a large courtyard. They moved between corridors and courtyards, and soon arrived in front of a house.

Liu Ruyan stopped. "Miss Yu is inside examining the bodies. I won't disturb your reunion." With that, she took her leave.

Her unpredictable attitude sparked a flicker of doubt in Jiang Shuo's mind. He didn't dwell on it, raising his hand to push open the door. The room was divided into two sections by a wooden screen. In the outer room, bodies lay scattered across the floor. Some had their bellies cut open, their intestines and organs spilling out; others were dismembered, with pale bones exposed. The stench of decay in the room was overpowering. Jiang Shuo covered his nose and mouth, lowering his head to find a place to step as he moved forward. His gaze swept over the gruesome scene, sending goosebumps across his skin. Yu Yuhan's methods are as terrifying as ever, he thought to himself.

After taking only a few steps, Jiang Shuo saw a living person amidst the corpse parts – Sun Daoming.

Sun Daoming already had a favorable impression of Yu Yuhan. He had volunteered to help at the Dream Red Pavilion while Jiang Shuo was injured, mostly to get closer to Yu Yuhan, knowing that proximity breeds affection. Now, however, he was barely breathing, his complexion dark, clearly showing signs of poisoning. It was likely Yu Yuhan had poisoned him into unconsciousness, finding him to be a nuisance. He looked gaunt, having lost a significant amount of weight, and it was unclear how long he had been out.

Stepping over him, Jiang Shuo faintly heard a subtle movement from behind the screen. He tentatively called out, "Senior Sister... Yu Yuhan?"

Fearing Yu Yuhan was in the middle of something critical, Jiang Shuo didn't dare to call too loudly. He called out twice more, but received no response. Thinking of how focused Yu Yuhan could be when working, Jiang Shuo assumed she was too engrossed to hear him and decided to go around the screen. Behind the screen, two octagonal tables were joined to form a large examination table, upon which lay a corpse. The body's abdomen had been opened, its organs removed and laid out to the side. Beside the table sat a row of bottles, jars, and bowls filled with murky bodily fluids. Looking at Yu Yuhan, he saw she was lying face down on the bed by the wall, her hair disheveled, emitting faint snores from her compressed airway as she slept soundly.

Seeing her, usually so energetic and lively, in such an amusing predicament brought a smile to Jiang Shuo's lips. He then thought of her hard work over the past few days and felt a pang of concern. He walked over, pulled the thin blanket from the foot of the bed, and prepared to cover her.

The moment the blanket touched Yu Yuhan's body, she jolted as if pricked by a needle and grabbed Jiang Shuo's hand. Her eyes not yet fully open, she snapped, "Who is it?"

"It's me, Jiang Shuo." Even in her sleep, she's this sensitive. Yu Yuhan must live a very tiring life, he mused.

"Hm?" Only then did Yu Yuhan struggle to open her drowsy eyes. She glanced at Jiang Shuo, a flicker of surprised joy appearing on her face before vanishing, replaced by her usual composure. She pushed the blanket aside, sat up while rubbing her temples, and asked, "Jiang Shuo, why are you here?"

"I just recovered from my injuries. I heard another disciple was killed here at the Dream Red Pavilion, so I came to take a look." Jiang Shuo glanced at the corpse on the table and asked, "Yu Yuhan, have you found anything?"

At Jiang Shuo's question, Yu Yuhan's eyes suddenly lit up. She slapped her forehead and dashed out from under the bed. "Ah, right!"

She ran out of the room, lifted a stone brick in front of the steps, and retrieved a sealed ceramic jar from underneath. Holding the jar with both hands, she returned to the room. Without bothering to wipe the dirt off its surface, Yu Yuhan opened it directly. She peered inside, her eyebrows shooting up in delight. "It really is it!"

"What is it?" Jiang Shuo was bewildered. He saw a patch of green inside, but couldn't tell what it was.

"Wild Wood Thorn. It turns green and corrupts when it comes into contact with Spotted Snake blood. It's definitely this!" Yu Yuhan explained casually, then impatiently rushed to the medicine chest on the other cabinet. She rummaged through it, muttering, "There are about ten ingredients derived from Wild Wood Thorn. I'll need to do further screening, but I should have results soon."

When Yu Yuhan got serious about her work, she completely forgot about Jiang Shuo, leaving him to his own devices.

Jiang Shuo had some basic knowledge of pharmacology, but not enough to understand what Yu Yuhan was talking about, nor was it appropriate for him to interfere.

At that moment, Yu Yuhan pulled out several dried fruits of an unknown variety from the medicine chest and tossed them over. "Grind these into a powder."

Seeing Yu Yuhan's earnestness, Jiang Shuo didn't hesitate. He found a mortar and pestle nearby and immediately got to work. His gaze flickered, and he suddenly noticed the unconscious Sun Daoming lying nearby. "What about him?" he asked.