The heavy bag of copper coins in his hand seemed to still carry the terrified warmth of those guards. Li Bufan weighed it in his palm. There were roughly a thousand coins, equivalent to one tael of silver. These days, one or two coins could buy a steamed bun. Converted by that measure, this money was about the equivalent of a thousand yuan in his previous life—enough for an ordinary family of three to live on for a month.
For someone who had once been a medicine-carrying servant, this was undoubtedly an enormous sum, enough to improve his life for a long time. Yet as Li Bufan looked at the money, he felt little joy. Instead, a complicated emotion welled up within him.
This money was the product of fear, the symbol of compromise. It reminded him of his former humiliation and his present circumstances.
Yet his thoughts drifted uncontrollably further into the past, back to that late autumn two months ago, when he and his younger brother had still worried over food. If Lin Manor's chief steward, Lin Fu, had not seen that he was clever and given him an opportunity—a job carrying medicine, a mouthful of food—there might no longer have been a Li Bufan in this world.
Though he had suffered plenty of bullying in the servants' quarters afterward, Lin Fu had at least given him a path to survival. He had always kept that life-saving grace in his heart. Before, he could barely protect himself and had no way to repay it. Now, he finally possessed a little insignificant capability. Perhaps... he ought to do something.
Not to curry favor, but to put his own heart at ease.
Early the next morning, Li Bufan asked Coach Qin for half a day's leave. He first went to Suxiang Zhai, the finest pastry shop in the city, where he carefully selected several expensive pastries made with generous ingredients. He wrapped them in oil paper and tied them securely with string. Then he cut off the finest portion of Snow Wolf Essence Meat from the Snow Wolf he had hunted in the mountains and wrapped it just as carefully.
The pastries alone consumed most of those thousand copper coins. But he felt they were worth it.
Carrying the gifts, he arrived outside the courtyard where chief steward Lin Fu handled affairs, at the edge of Lin Manor's inner residence. As an outer-courtyard guard, he could not enter the inner residence without being summoned. He respectfully explained his purpose to the young servant standing guard outside, hoping to see Uncle Fu and express his gratitude.
The young servant sized him up and recognized Li Bufan, who had recently gained quite a "reputation" among the guards. His tone remained fairly courteous. "Guard Li, what unfortunate timing. Three days ago, Uncle Fu received the master's orders and went to a neighboring prefecture to handle an important business matter. I'm afraid it will be another ten days or so before he returns to the manor."
Li Bufan could not help feeling disappointed, but there was nothing he could say. "I see. Thank you for informing me, brother."
He looked at the gifts in his hands, pondered briefly, then handed the precious package of Snow Wolf Essence Meat to the young servant. "In that case, could I trouble you to give this to Uncle Fu once he returns? Tell him it is a small token from Li Bufan, the medicine-carrying servant who once received his kindness, in gratitude for the life-saving grace he showed me all those years ago."
Snow Wolf Essence Meat was greatly beneficial for nourishing a warrior's blood and qi, making it perfectly suitable for Uncle Fu. As for the pastries, they were probably not suited to being kept for long.
The young servant accepted the heavy wolf meat, cold air seeping from it, and sensed the Blood Qi Power contained within. His expression grew even more polite as he hurriedly nodded. "Rest assured, Guard Li. I will certainly deliver it, and I will certainly pass on your words."
"Many thanks." Li Bufan cupped his hands, then turned and left.
Though he had not been able to meet Uncle Fu in person, at least part of his goodwill had been delivered. Carrying the pastries, he walked along Lin Manor's broad roads as his thoughts turned once more. Apart from Uncle Fu, not everyone in the servants' quarters and Huichun Hall had treated him with malice back then.
He still remembered Steward Zhang from the servants' quarters. Though stern in daily life, Steward Zhang had taken fairly good care of him. He had not deducted Li Bufan's wages, but had instead increased them a little each day. In the end, he had even allowed him to study medicine at Huichun Hall. In this world, such treatment was especially rare. There was also Doctor Liu at Huichun Hall. Though Doctor Liu had taught him medicine because Steward Zhang had spoken on his behalf, he had never held anything back because of Li Bufan's lowly status. During those days of study, Doctor Liu had taught him with all his heart.
Those small acts of kindness had also given him a trace of warmth in those bleak days.
With that thought, Li Bufan changed direction and headed first for the rear courtyard where the servants' quarters were located.
When he found Steward Zhang, the man was holding an account book and checking supplies, still wearing that same unsmiling expression. A flicker of surprise passed through his eyes when he saw Li Bufan. Li Bufan was now a guard, and recently one of the manor's "men of the hour." He and a servant steward now belonged to different worlds.
"Steward Zhang." Li Bufan stepped forward and respectfully bowed. No matter how his status changed, he still retained his respect for this elder who had once shown him some care.
"Guard Li. What is it?" Steward Zhang set down the account book, his tone calm.
Li Bufan presented the exquisite package of pastries in his hands and said sincerely, "Back when I was in the servants' quarters, thank you for your care, Steward. This humble gift is insufficient to express my respect. I hope you will accept it."
Steward Zhang looked at the clearly expensive Suxiang Zhai pastries, then at Li Bufan's sincere eyes. A faint softening, nearly imperceptible, appeared on his rigid face. After a moment of silence, he reached out and accepted the pastries. "You've put thought into this. Those are all matters of the past. Since you have made something of yourself now, do your work properly. Do not disappoint... the Eldest Miss's regard." He had clearly heard something as well.
"Yes, I will remember Steward's instruction." Li Bufan bowed again. "This junior will take his leave."
After leaving the servants' quarters, Li Bufan went to the familiar Huichun Hall.
The scent of medicine remained as rich as ever, though the apprentice dispensing herbs in the hall was now a younger, unfamiliar face. Physician Chen sat in the inner room, wearing reading glasses and carefully grinding medicinal herbs.
Li Bufan lightly knocked on the doorframe.
Doctor Liu raised his head and looked at him through his reading glasses. It seemed to take him some time to connect the vigorous young man in guard attire before him with the grimy but gifted little servant from his memories.
"Is that you, brat?" Doctor Liu set down the pestle, sounding somewhat surprised. "I heard you joined the Guard Camp? And even made a name for yourself?"
Li Bufan entered the room, took out the remaining copper coins on him—roughly a hundred or so—and placed them on the table along with his final measure of gratitude. He bowed deeply. "This junior, Li Bufan, has come specially to thank you for allowing me to listen in on your lessons back then. These few copper coins are merely a token of my regard. I hope Physician will not disdain them."
Doctor Liu looked at the pile of coins, then at Li Bufan. His grizzled brows rose, and he suddenly laughed, his smile carrying a hint of wistfulness. "I never expected you, brat, to be someone who remembers old kindness. Enough, enough. Take the money back. This old man does not lack such a small amount. What you have today is your own good fortune."
He waved a hand, signaling Li Bufan to put away the money. Then he looked him over from head to toe and suddenly asked, "It seems martial training really can open a person's mental faculties. Let me ask you: how much of the medicinal herbs and medical knowledge you learned here do you still remember?"
Li Bufan froze briefly, then composed himself and answered seriously, "In reply to Physician, I remember most of it. For example, Panax notoginseng stops bleeding and disperses blood stasis; angelica replenishes blood and promotes circulation; astragalus boosts qi and strengthens the body's exterior; purple cloud flower is cold in nature and detoxifies, but its dosage must be handled with extreme care..."
In one breath, he recited the properties and effects of more than ten common medicinal herbs, even including certain contraindications in combining them. His explanation was orderly, and his memory precise.
As Doctor Liu listened, the surprise in his eyes grew ever deeper until it finally turned into an exclamation. "Good lad! You really do have some talent! You remembered so much merely by listening in, and even understood quite a bit of it. You're far better than these wooden lumps under my hand!"
He pointed at the apprentices outside who were bent over dispensing medicine. Their faces immediately showed embarrassment.
Doctor Liu pondered for a moment, then suddenly stood and went to search through the bookshelves at the back. After a while, he returned carrying three somewhat old but well-preserved thread-bound books and handed them to Li Bufan.
"Since you are interested in this path and possess some talent, I will give you these two books," Doctor Liu said. "Herbal Compendium is more detailed than the versions circulating on the market. When walking through forests and mountains, if you encounter any strange herbs or unusual things, recognizing a thing or two may help you make a breakthrough in your realm or bring back some wealth. The other is a collection of miscellaneous notes on pulse signs from my many years of practice. Though you do not study medicine, those who train martial arts can benefit from understanding the flow of their own blood and qi and knowing some simple pulse signs."
Looking at those two books, an immense surge of surprise and emotion immediately rose in Li Bufan's heart. They were more precious than any gold, silver, or reward he could receive. They were precisely what he needed most right now.
He hurriedly accepted them with both hands and bowed deeply once more, his voice excited. "Many thanks for your generous gift, Senior! This junior will certainly study with all his heart and never disappoint Physician's expectations!"
Doctor Liu stroked his beard and smiled. "Expectations are too much to speak of. I simply feel that someone like you should not be buried. The martial path and the medical path may seem to lead down different roads, but in truth, they share common ground. Strengthening the body and distinguishing medicinal properties can only benefit you. Go now. Cultivate well. If there is anything you do not understand... you may occasionally come and ask, so long as this old man has time."
"Yes! This junior will keep it firmly in mind!" Li Bufan carefully tucked the two books into his robe, happier than if he had obtained any martial arts manual.
When he left Huichun Hall, Li Bufan felt as though his heart and mind had suddenly opened wide. He had fulfilled several wishes, and more importantly, received an unexpected and precious gift.
He returned to the guard dormitory and impatiently opened Herbal Compendium. Beneath the oil lamp, the pages were yellowed and the ink clear. Image after image of medicinal herbs, line after line of annotations, seemed to open another gate of knowledge before him.
After Li Bufan carefully read through it once,
[Heaven Rewards Diligence] Herbal Compendium, Proficient, (210/1000)
The medicinal herb knowledge he had previously learned at Huichun Hall corresponded one by one with the contents of Herbal Compendium, allowing Li Bufan to skip directly past its introductory stage and reach proficiency. The scattered pieces of knowledge in his mind finally gained a system.
After a long while, the night deepened. The figure of the youth studying bitterly in the courtyard, together with the cold, clear moonlight of winter, formed a quiet painting filled with hope.
He knew that beyond martial cultivation, the road ahead now held another subject requiring diligent study. And all of it would become the foundation upon which he grew stronger.
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