Return the Favor, The Way of Medicine

The heavy pouch of copper coins in his hand still seemed to carry the fearful warmth of those guards. Li Bufan weighed it—roughly a thousand coins, equivalent to one tael of silver. In these times, a single coin could buy a steamed bun; converted, this sum was about the same as a thousand yuan from his past life, enough to support an average family of three for a month.

For a former medicine-carrying laborer, this was undoubtedly a fortune, enough to improve his life for a long time. But at this moment, Li Bufan looked at the money and felt no great joy—instead, a complex emotion surged within him.

This money was the product of fear, a symbol of compromise. It reminded him of his former insignificance and his current situation.

Yet his thoughts drifted involuntarily further back, to two months ago, when he and his brother had worried about food in the deep autumn. If not for Lin Manor's head steward, Lin Fu, seeing his intelligence and giving him a chance—a job hauling medicine, a meal to keep him alive—Li Bufan would likely no longer exist in this world.

Though he'd suffered plenty of bullying in the laborer's quarters afterward, Lin Fu had at least given him a lifeline. He had always remembered this debt of survival. But before, he could barely save himself, let alone repay it. Now, with a sliver of ability, perhaps... he should do something.

Not to curry favor, but for peace of mind.

The next morning, Li Bufan asked Coach Qin for half a day off. First, he went to the city's finest pastry shop, Suxiang Zhai, carefully selecting several expensive, generously filled pastries, wrapping them in oil paper and tying them neatly with string. Then, he cut the best piece of Snow Wolf Essence Meat from the snow wolf he'd hunted in the mountains and wrapped it carefully too.

The pastries cost most of that thousand coins. But he felt it was worth it.

Carrying the gifts, he arrived at the edge of Lin Manor's inner quarters, outside the courtyard where Head Steward Lin Fu handled affairs. As an outer guard, he couldn't enter the inner quarters without summons. He respectfully stated his purpose to the attendant standing guard, asking to see Uncle Fu and express his gratitude.

The attendant sized him up, recognizing Li Bufan—who'd recently gained some "fame" among the guards—and replied politely, "Guard Li, what bad luck. Uncle Fu was sent by the master to a neighboring prefecture three days ago on urgent business. He won't be back for at least ten days."

Li Bufan felt a pang of disappointment but could only say, "I see. Thank you for telling me, brother."

He glanced at the gifts, thought for a moment, then handed the precious Snow Wolf Essence Meat to the attendant. "In that case, could I trouble you to pass this to Uncle Fu when he returns? Tell him it's a small token from Li Bufan, the former medicine carrier he helped, thanking him for saving my life back then."

Snow Wolf Essence Meat was excellent for nourishing a Warrior's blood and qi—perfect for Uncle Fu. The pastries, however, wouldn't keep well.

The attendant took the heavy, cold-tinged wolf meat, sensing the blood and qi within, and his tone grew even more respectful. He nodded quickly. "Guard Li, rest assured. I'll deliver it and pass along your words."

"Much obliged." Li Bufan cupped his hands and turned to leave.

Though he hadn't seen Uncle Fu in person, he'd at least sent part of his gratitude. Clutching the pastries, he walked along Lin Manor's broad paths, his thoughts wandering again. Besides Uncle Fu, not everyone in the laborer's quarters and Huichun Hall had been malicious.

He remembered Steward Zhang of the laborer's quarters—stern usually, but he'd treated him fairly, never skimming his wages, even raising them a bit daily, and finally letting him study medicine at Huichun Hall. In this world, that was rare. And there was Doctor Liu at Huichun Hall, who, though only teaching because Steward Zhang had asked, hadn't held back due to Li Bufan's low status. During those days of study, he'd taught with all his heart.

These small kindnesses had brought a glimmer of warmth in those gray days.

Thinking this, Li Bufan changed direction and headed to the rear courtyard where the laborer's quarters were.

He found Steward Zhang tallying items with a ledger, still wearing that unsmiling expression. When he saw Li Bufan, surprise flickered in his eyes. Now a guard and recently a "figure" in the manor, Li Bufan belonged to a different world from this labor overseer.

"Steward Zhang." Li Bufan stepped forward and bowed respectfully. No matter how his status changed, he still respected this elder who'd once shown him kindness.

"Guard Li, what brings you here?" Steward Zhang set down the ledger, his tone flat.

Li Bufan offered the neatly wrapped pastries and said sincerely, "Back in the laborer's quarters, thank you for your care. This humble gift is unworthy of your kindness, but I hope you'll accept it."

Steward Zhang looked at the clearly expensive Suxiang Zhai pastries, then at Li Bufan's earnest eyes. A faint, almost imperceptible softening crossed his rigid face. He paused, then took the pastries. "You're thoughtful. That's all in the past. Now that you've made something of yourself, work hard and don't let down... the Young Miss's regard." He'd clearly heard the rumors.

"Yes, I'll remember your advice." Li Bufan bowed again. "I'll take my leave."

Leaving the laborer's quarters, Li Bufan went to the familiar Huichun Hall.

The scent of medicine was still strong, but the apprentice grinding herbs inside was a younger, unfamiliar face. Physician Chen sat in the inner room, wearing reading glasses, carefully pulverizing ingredients.

Li Bufan tapped the doorframe lightly.

Doctor Liu looked up through his glasses, taking a moment to connect this spirited young man in guard uniform with the grimy but sharp-witted little laborer in his memory.

"You, boy?" Doctor Liu set down his pestle, surprise in his voice. "I heard you joined the Guard Camp? Made a name for yourself?"

Li Bufan stepped inside, placed the few remaining copper coins—about a hundred—on the table along with his final thanks, and bowed deeply. "Li Bufan comes specially to thank you, senior, for allowing me to sit in on your lessons back then. A small sum, just a token of my gratitude. Please don't refuse it."

Doctor Liu looked at the coins, then at Li Bufan. His white eyebrows rose, and he suddenly laughed, a hint of emotion in it. "Didn't expect you to be one who remembers old favors. Forget it, take the money back. I don't need it. That you've come this far is your own doing."

He waved his hand, signaling Li Bufan to put the money away, then looked him over. "Seems martial arts can open a person's mind. Let me ask you—how much of the herbs and medicine you learned here do you still remember?"

Li Bufan paused, then focused and answered seriously, "Most of it, sir. For example, Panax notoginseng stops bleeding and dissolves stasis; angelica nourishes blood and promotes circulation; astragalus strengthens qi and consolidates the exterior; purple cloud flower is cold and detoxifying but must be used with extreme caution..."

He rattled off the properties and effects of over a dozen common herbs, including some compatibility taboos, with clear logic and accurate recall.

Doctor Liu listened, his surprise growing, until he finally exclaimed, "Good lad! You've got talent! Just from sitting in, you remembered all this and understood it—far better than those blockheads under me!" He pointed at the apprentices outside, who hung their heads in shame.

Doctor Liu pondered a moment, then stood and went to the bookshelf in back. After a while, he returned with three slightly worn but well-preserved thread-bound books and handed them to Li Bufan.

"Since you have an interest in this and some talent, I'll give you these two books," Doctor Liu said. "Herbal Compendium—more detailed than the common versions. If you come across strange herbs or plants in the mountains, knowing them might help you break through a realm or bring back some wealth. And this one is a collection of my pulse-reading notes from years of practice. You're not a physician, but as a martial artist, understanding your own blood and qi flow and knowing some basic pulse patterns will benefit you."

Li Bufan stared at the two books, a surge of immense joy and gratitude flooding him! This was more precious than any gold or silver gift! It was exactly what he needed most!

He quickly took them with both hands, bowed deeply again, and said with emotion, "Thank you for your generous gift, senior! I will study them diligently and never let you down!"

Doctor Liu stroked his beard and smiled. "I don't expect anything. I just think a seedling like you shouldn't be wasted. Martial arts and medicine seem different, but they share common ground. Strengthening your body and understanding herbs will only help you. Go on, train hard. If there's something you don't understand... you can come ask, when I have time."

"Yes! I'll remember that!" Li Bufan tucked the two books carefully into his chest, feeling happier than if he'd obtained any martial arts manual.

Leaving Huichun Hall, Li Bufan felt his heart open wide. He'd settled a few debts, and more importantly, gained an unexpected, precious gift.

Back in the guard dormitory, he couldn't wait to open Herbal Compendium. Under the oil lamp, the yellowed paper bore clear ink—illustrations of herbs, lines of annotations, opening a new door of knowledge for him.

After Li Bufan carefully read through it once:

[Heaven Rewards Diligence]

Herbal Compendium, Proficiency, (210/1000)

The herb knowledge he'd learned at Huichun Hall matched the contents of Herbal Compendium point for point, letting Li Bufan skip the introductory stage and jump straight to proficiency. The scattered fragments in his mind now formed a system.

Time passed. The night grew deep. The young man's figure studying hard in the courtyard, paired with the cold winter moonlight, formed a quiet, hopeful tableau.

He knew that ahead, besides martial training, another subject demanded his diligent study. And all of this would become the foundation for him to grow stronger.