At those words,
Cheng Buzheng's face lit up with excitement. It was as if the sulking person from a moment ago hadn't been him at all. He wore his youthful feelings on his sleeve, like a starstruck fan.
"Then thank you, Big Brother Qian. I know how respected you are in town.
"But I'm just a Medicine Boy. No one would go out of their way to cause me trouble!"
The two of them then chatted about amusing tales from town and their families.
Suddenly,
"Big Brother, has your family's caravan passed through Yaoshan Town in the past few days?"
At those words,
Qian Zhe answered without a moment's hesitation:
"There's a caravan heading to the county seat tomorrow. It'll pass right through Yaoshan Town!"
"Why do you want to go to Yaoshan Town?"
Qian Zhe quickly caught on and asked with some curiosity.
Cheng Buzheng wore an unconcerned expression as he said:
"Doesn't the Medicine Hall need to replenish some of its herbs?
"The physician went out to see patients again, so I have nothing to do.
"I might as well go to Yaoshan Town to buy some herbs and take the chance to look around."
As he spoke, his face brightened with excitement.
"Big Brother, you know I'd have to cross the Cangqing Mountain Range to reach Yaoshan Town. It's crawling with bandits, and only your family's caravan can get through unscathed.
"Other merchants lose a layer of skin just trying to pass through.
"If I went alone, I'd be like a meat bun thrown to a dog—gone for good.
"And who knows how many wild beasts are waiting along the way to pounce on a little lamb like me!"
Cheng Buzheng spoke with a grin. As he listed the many difficulties, his face filled with helplessness.
But he felt nothing like the helplessness he showed. Instead, he waited nervously for Qian Zhe to make his final decision. This was tied to the first step on his Immortal Path.
Otherwise, he wouldn't have told Qian Zhe the recipe and preparation process for the delicious lobster dish. He'd laid the whole thing out himself, from making it by the roadside to this very day, all to lure Qian Zhe in.
Cheng Buzheng hadn't used it to bargain with him. At this crucial moment, that would have made his intentions far too obvious and risked something going wrong.
Only a handful of caravans in town had the strength to cross the Cangqing Mountain Range.
As for the other caravans, the people in charge weren't someone a mere Medicine Boy could approach. Only the physician could speak with them.
If he had a safe option, he didn't want to gamble with his life. Even if the bandits and outlaws saw how poor he was and let him pass,
he still couldn't avoid attacks from the wild beasts along the way. Those beasts wouldn't care whether he was poor or rich. They'd only have their eyes on the flesh and blood on his body.
So,
Cheng Buzheng had to rack his brains to get a chance to reach the county seat. He knew the Qian Family's caravan set out once every seven days, which left plenty of time to get there.
But he hadn't said he wanted to go straight to the county seat. Instead, he'd mentioned Yaoshan Town, the place nearest to it.
He'd been afraid his plan might fall apart, so he hadn't mentioned the county seat. This gave him a perfect excuse to cross that dangerous stretch of road.
After all, the immortals were recruiting disciples in the county seat around this time. When Cheng Buzheng said he wanted to go to Yaoshan Town to buy herbs, Qian Zhe had still questioned him closely. Clearly, he hadn't let his guard down completely.
These powerful families didn't want an immortal family to exist within their domain.
Otherwise, it could threaten their family's rule. But they couldn't openly oppose the immortals' recruitment of disciples, either.
It was even possible that the bandits and outlaws in the Cangqing Mountain Range were backed by them!
Better safe than sorry. He'd rather prepare for the worst than count on a happy ending and risk ruining his plan at the final hurdle.
Cheng Buzheng silently speculated.
In the end, Qian Zhe didn't disappoint him.
Qian Zhe swept his hand grandly, looking every bit the generous host:
"No problem. I'm heading back to the county seat tomorrow, too. You can come with me.
"That way, I'll have someone to keep me company on the road!"
"It'll be my honor to keep you company, Big Brother!"
Cheng Buzheng immediately showered him with flattery. At this critical juncture, he wouldn't let his guard down for even a moment, even if he did find himself a little sickened by it.
As the saying went, a person's life was rarely their own to command!
At the same time, Cheng Buzheng thought to himself, He's probably going to the county seat now to take part in the immortals' selection, too! Otherwise, it would be too much of a coincidence. When we get there, I'd better disguise myself so this "good big brother" doesn't recognize me!
After agreeing on an exact time with Qian Zhe, Cheng Buzheng went back to praising him. Then he kept the witty remarks flowing until his "good big brother" was beaming with delight.
In the afternoon,
Cheng Buzheng stepped out of Liuxian Restaurant with an easy stride. A gentle breeze cooled his face, making him shiver.
The faint joy that had just been on his face vanished without a trace. He silently warned himself, Until everything is settled, I mustn't make even the slightest mistake!
After steadying himself,
Cheng Buzheng returned to his usual calm. He watched the bustling street: a young villager haggled fiercely with a peddler over a single copper coin, while old men and women sold their homegrown vegetables, little fish, and tofu along both sides of the road.
How much alike were the lives of ordinary people? This was the short life of a mortal. Perhaps one day, he too would spend his life struggling to make ends meet.
Born as insignificant as an ant, he would still aspire to ascend among the immortals.
Cheng Buzheng made a quiet vow. A resolute look flashed across his face, and he headed for the town's post station without delay.
That evening, at Bairen Pharmacy,
Xiao Li was on duty, half-sprawled in a broad chair, listlessly gazing into the distance.
Suddenly,
Xiao Li noticed a shadow fall over him and cried out in fright. Then he patted his little chest, looking as if he'd nearly been scared out of his wits.
"Martial Brother Buzheng, you nearly scared me to death! You have to make it up to me with one—two—skewers of candied hawthorn! Otherwise, I won't let this go!"
Cheng Buzheng looked at Xiao Li's chubby little face and laughed.
"You, though. When the physician's here, why are you so full of energy? The moment he leaves, you're dragging yourself around!"
"How is that the same?" Xiao Li shot Cheng Buzheng a sideways glance and pouted.
Cheng Buzheng looked at Xiao Li, half-sprawled in his chair and listless. He found him rather amusing. He thought of all the Medicine Boys as little brothers and usually looked after them.
But he was leaving tomorrow. He didn't know whether the immortals would accept him. Even if they didn't, he wouldn't come back to be a Medicine Boy.
Who knew how many years it would be before he returned?
He'd just reached out when Xiao Li dodged him.
"I'm not letting you pinch me again!" Xiao Li glared at him angrily.
Cheng Buzheng smiled and teased him. "I'm not going to pinch you. Do you believe me?"
"Nope!"
Cheng Buzheng turned to glance at the sky and said:
"All right. Keep watch for one more hour, then get ready to close up.
"Get some rest early!"
At those words,
Xiao Li's face immediately brightened. He silently thought, That's much earlier than we usually close!
"Thanks, Martial Brother. Do you want to pinch me now?"
As he spoke, he leaned forward, his face glowing with delight.
"Maybe next time." Cheng Buzheng waved a hand and turned toward the stairs.
Back on the second floor, he glanced at the physician's bedroom. The door was firmly shut, and a copper lock hung from the handle, securing it tight.
Cheng Buzheng's heart stirred.
He returned to his room and sat in a chair. He pulled a sheet of white paper from the table, took out a brush, dipped it in ink, and began writing about his impending departure.
The writing in this world was very different from that of his previous life. After being reborn, he'd known that literacy was of the utmost importance. Without it, everything he tried to do in the future would be hampered at every turn.
Unless he wanted to spend his whole life digging for food in the soil.
So he'd dragged his older brother along to secretly study with the village scholar. Drawing on the wisdom of his previous life, he'd learned to read fluently in less than half a year. He still couldn't write a decent essay, but he was more than qualified to be a tutor.
His older brother had been much slower. Cheng Buzheng had annotated the characters with phonetic spellings and finally taught him to read, so he wouldn't have to memorize tens of thousands of characters by rote.
The result was encouraging. A year later, his older brother could read fluently, too.
As Cheng Buzheng wrote about his departure, he left out some of the details. For instance, he didn't mention the immortal selection or that he'd be traveling with the Qian Family's caravan.
The physician had treated him well, and he didn't want to disappear without a word. But he didn't want to invite trouble, either. He wrote down what he could and glossed over what he couldn't.
A quarter of an hour later, he finished writing.
Cheng Buzheng waited quietly for the ink to dry, reviewing his plans and searching for anything he might have overlooked.
Half an hour later, Cheng Buzheng opened his door and looked around. Seeing no one outside, he walked to the physician's room, took a letter from his robes, and slipped it through the gap beneath the door.
He pushed the letter into the physician's room.
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