Blood-Qi Formula, Buying Medicinal Herbs

The woman dared not delay. "Master Hu... Hu Jiao once said this was a Blood-Qi Soup formula given to him by his cousin Hu Teng. Taking the medicine according to the prescription and decocting it daily could strengthen the body, replenish qi, and nourish the blood..."

"You're very honest."

After hearing her out, Shen Han slowly nodded.

The woman hurriedly said, "Hero, as long as you spare my life, I'll enter the Buddhist fold tomorrow."

"Oh, there's no need for that."

"What do you mean, Hero?"

"As the saying goes, a family should still be kept nice and complete."

Shen Han's expression turned cold. He threw a long punch. "Die!"

His fist struck the woman squarely between the brows.

Her face was still frozen in terror when her body tilted lightly to one side and crumpled to the ground. Her consciousness dissipated, and she died beside Hu Jiao.

"Those who commit many injustices will bring about their own destruction!"

Shen Han naturally felt no guilt over killing the two of them.

Mercy toward one's enemies was cruelty toward oneself.

Had he not awakened his golden finger and gained the strength to protect himself in such a short time, there was no doubt that he and Sister Yun Yi would have been the victims in the end.

"Time to go back!"

Taking the valuables and the sheepskin parchment, he silently vanished into the night outside.

Half an hour later.

"Cousin!"

A short, fat man entered the room and discovered Hu Jiao's corpse on the floor.

"Senior Brother Hu, this..."

Two lackeys stood beside the short, fat man, their faces equally full of disbelief.

"The corpse hasn't gone cold yet. That means the killer left not long ago."

The short, fat man was Hu Jiao's cousin, Hu Teng. "Damn it, this is simply outrageous! Who the hell had the nerve to kill my cousin?!"

"Senior Brother Hu, all the silver in the room is gone."

"Ding San, Mao Si, no matter what, you two must find that killer for me!"

Hu Teng closed Hu Jiao's eyes and stomped his foot viciously.

"Yes, Senior Brother Hu."

"Handle this as soon as possible. The moment you find any clue, report to me immediately. I'll kill the murderer with my own hands and avenge my cousin!"

The next day, at noon.

Clinic No. 8 of Hanging Pot Medical Hall.

"Shen Han, have you heard?"

Feng Hao, who had been busy the entire morning, carried his meal bowl over and leaned close to Shen Han.

Shen Han asked curiously, "Heard what?"

Feng Hao said mysteriously, "A patient just told me that last night, a man and a woman died in a residence in East City. They were beaten to death alive."

"Who was so violent?"

Shen Han ate as he spoke casually.

Feng Hao said, "Probably some wandering hero. The deceased was surnamed Hu, a notorious local thug. This morning, when the neighbors heard he was dead, every one of them clapped and cheered."

"Oh..."

"Shen Han, why aren't you excited?"

"Am I not?"

Shen Han changed the subject. "By the way, Brother Feng Hao, I want to ask you something."

Feng Hao asked, "What is it?"

Shen Han's expression turned serious. "Does our Hanging Pot Medical Hall have someone named Lu Qiling?"

"Lu Qiling?"

Before Feng Hao could respond, Huang Tie beside them suddenly said, "Little Shen, do you know Doctor Lu?"

Shen Han hurriedly said, "No, I don't. I was only asking."

Huang Tie set down his meal bowl, his brows knitting slightly. "Doctor Lu was highly skilled. For years, he had been the youngest physician in our medical hall, but..."

"But what?"

Shen Han caught the hesitation in Huang Tie's voice.

Huang Tie shook his head and sighed. "Over a month ago, Doctor Lu went to Liu'an County to make house calls. Who would have thought that he would leave and never return? There has been no news of him since."

Such a thing had happened?

Shen Han and Feng Hao looked at each other in dismay.

Huang Tie continued, "Master Han took it very seriously and sent people to Liu'an County to inquire after him, but they never found any trace of Doctor Lu. A living man seemed to have vanished from the face of the earth."

"There was nothing unusual about him before he left?"

Shen Han asked.

Huang Tie said, "No. He was perfectly normal. This old man even had a small drink with him."

Could Lu Qiling be Sister Yun Yi's elder brother? Was Sister Yun Yi also surnamed Lu?

That was very possible!

Shen Han reached that conclusion inwardly.

If that was the case, then Sister Yun Yi's introduction of him to the medical hall made sense.

It was just that Sister Yun Yi did not seem willing to say much about this matter for now. And where was Doctor Lu?

"All right, the patients outside can't wait any longer. Back to work!"

After lunch, Huang Tie waved a broad hand and directed the two apprentices, Shen Han and Feng Hao, back to work.

Time passed quickly.

In the blink of an eye, evening arrived.

That afternoon, Shen Han's outstanding performance once again filled Feng Hao with admiration.

He treated patients quickly and well. It could be said that the number of patients under his care had already surpassed Elder Huang's, and some patients even actively sought him out for treatment!

Huang Tie was also quite pleased by this.

Whenever Shen Han saw patients, Huang Tie diligently guided him and passed on more experience in the art of medicine.

"Elder Huang, please take a look at this prescription."

After leaving the medical hall, Shen Han took the sheepskin parchment from his robe and asked Huang Tie to examine it.

Huang Tie carefully studied it for a long while. "These nine medicinal ingredients are quite ordinary, and they are all tonics. But as for what effect they might have once made into a medicinal soup, this old man does not dare make rash claims.

Little Shen, do you intend to take it?

In this old man's opinion, you'd better be cautious."

Shen Han smiled. "Elder Huang, you misunderstand. A friend asked me to inquire about it. Why would I take this for no reason? Farewell, Elder Huang."

After leaving, Shen Han did not return to the small courtyard in East City.

Instead, he quietly went to the south of the city and entered a herbal shop called Hua'an Hall.

That was right. His friend was himself.

He had thought it over. The silver he had obtained from Hu Jiao's home the night before amounted to more than five taels, temporarily easing his pressing financial need and securing food for his clone.

As for the Blood-Qi Soup formula—

Since Hu Jiao had carefully hidden it away, this soup was surely something good. There was no reason not to give it a try.

The herbs listed in the Blood-Qi Soup formula were common, and Hanging Pot Medical Hall had all of them. The reason Shen Han went elsewhere to buy them was to avoid unnecessary trouble.

"Young master, what do you need?"

The proprietor of Hua'an Hall was named Qiao Shan, a potbellied man.

Shen Han smiled. "Shopkeeper, please help me prepare a batch of medicinal herbs."

He listed the nine herbs in the Blood-Qi Soup and their quantities.

Qiao Shan immediately filled the prescription.

In the blink of an eye, he had prepared one batch of herbs for Blood-Qi Soup. Qiao Shan rapidly flicked his abacus. "Three hundred copper coins."

Shen Han was startled.

Three hundred copper coins was no small sum. His monthly pay as a menial worker had only been five hundred copper coins.

"Can it be a little cheaper?"

"Young master, three hundred copper coins isn't expensive. To be honest, I barely make anything from this batch of medicine."

"All right, then."

Shen Han did not haggle any further. He paid three hundred copper coins and bought the herbs for the Blood-Qi Soup.

He hurried home.

He lit the fire, boiled water, washed the herbs, and decocted them.

His medical skills had long since reached the Minor Accomplishment realm, so he was naturally skilled at brewing medicine as well.

Before long, the medicinal liquid in the pot bubbled and boiled continuously.

In an instant, a strange bitter smell rushed into his nose.

"Let's try this bowl of Blood-Qi Soup!"

Shen Han poured the medicine into an earthen bowl. After letting it cool slightly, he took out the Bronze Mirror and brought the bowl before it.

The clone understood at once and drained it in one gulp.