A photographic memory

Lu Changfeng's expression did not change. He handed Wu Lingyun the thirtieth volume of Thousand Gold Prescriptions, the "Acupuncture and Moxibustion" section. "I was studying the Medicine King's needling techniques."

Wu Lingyun strode closer, snatched the book from him, and examined it carefully.

Traces of the medicinal solution she had applied earlier remained on its pages. Apart from those, there was nothing.

Once she finished, she handed it to Zhang Shouzhuo.

Refusing to believe it, Zhang Shouzhuo stared hard at every word, wishing he could burrow into the book itself, but he still found no clues.

Lu Changfeng sneered inwardly. The cultivation method was hidden throughout the thirty sections of Thousand Gold Prescriptions. Apart from the relatively obvious preface in the first section, the rest was impossible to spot without prior preparation. After all, the Medicine King was human, and an old man at that. His handwritten manuscripts were not flawless. Occasional corrections, unfinished strokes, or missing strokes could all be taken for slips of the pen. Anyone who failed to realize this would never discover it!

But now...

It was too late even if they wanted to discover it-the medicinal solution had dried, and the writing had blurred. They could no longer identify every character with missing strokes. And with a cultivation method, an error of a hair's breadth could lead a thousand miles astray!

Now, the only complete version existed in Lu Changfeng's mind!

Lu Changfeng remained perfectly composed.

"How far have you read?"

Seeing Zhang Shouzhuo shake his head, Wu Lingyun took the book back and fixed Lu Changfeng with a piercing gaze.

Lu Changfeng answered smoothly, without hesitation. "County Princess, I was just reading the passage, 'For postpartum wind stroke in women, apply moxibustion to Hundred Meeting and Fengchi.' The Medicine King described the timing of moxibustion, the size of the moxa cones, and the number to burn in detail. I was considering the subtle adjustments needed for patients of differing constitutions."

Wu Lingyun checked carefully and found that his answer matched word for word. She pressed him further. "Then what insights did you gain from reading it?"

Lu Changfeng considered briefly, then replied evenly. "The Medicine King's medicines and needling appear straightforward, but in truth, he grasped the root of each illness with remarkable precision. For postpartum wind stroke, for instance, he did not merely treat the symptoms. His subsequent prescriptions also replenished blood and qi, aiming to restore the patient's foundation. Such foresight-'preventing changes once illness has arisen'-was truly beyond an ordinary physician."

Again, not a single crack for water to seep through...

Wu Lingyun's brows knitted tightly. Lu Changfeng's excessive composure only deepened her doubts. Zhang Shouzhuo also found it suspicious. At first, Lu Changfeng had been reading Medical Compendium, a work of thirty-five volumes. Yet in so little time, he had somehow reached the final volume of the thirty-volume Thousand Gold Prescriptions...

Either he read extraordinarily fast, beyond the ability of ordinary men, or he had discovered something in the books and abandoned Medical Compendium to head straight for the final volume of Thousand Gold Prescriptions!

His instincts told him the latter was more likely.

Something was wrong!

Zhang Shouzhuo immediately said, "Director of Medicine Lu, you certainly read quickly! When we left, you were clearly reading the fifth volume of Medical Compendium. Hardly any time has passed, yet here you are holding the thirtieth volume of Thousand Gold Prescriptions. Could it be... that something special in this final volume has captivated you? County Princess, you must be on your guard!"

At those words, Wu Lingyun immediately seized upon that oddity. Her gaze turned icy, and her aura surged. A faint, sinister presence arose around her, enough to make the heart tremble, as though countless tiny venomous insects were hissing in the empty air.

She stared coldly at Lu Changfeng, and the air throughout the archive room seemed to freeze.

Zhang Shouzhuo, you're courting death...

Anger rose within Lu Changfeng, but his face remained unruffled. Meeting their oppressive stares, he said calmly, "Imperial Physician Director Zhang, your observations are keen. Indeed, I have finished reading all thirty-five volumes of Medical Compendium, along with the first twenty-nine volumes of Thousand Gold Prescriptions and this final volume just now."

"Finished all of them?"

Wu Lingyun froze, not having expected that answer. The aura around her faltered slightly.

Zhang Shouzhuo naturally did not believe him. He immediately picked up the ninth volume of Medical Compendium from the floor, flipped rapidly to a page, and asked, "Since Director of Medicine Lu has finished reading it, allow me to ask! For the 'bone-steaming consumptive fever' described in this volume, with heat at night and coolness in the morning, and a wiry, fine pulse, what prescription should be used? And why?" He deliberately chose a complicated condition requiring diagnostic differentiation, intent on testing him.

You claim you've 'read' it all, don't you?

Then I'll treat that as having 'memorized' it all!

One mistake in your recitation will prove something is amiss. You'll have deceived the County Princess, and under harsh torture, there'll be no fear of failing to wring the truth out of you!

Zhang Shouzhuo used public authority to settle a private grudge, laying a trap outright.

Lu Changfeng understood perfectly. Murderous intent flared within him, but his face remained impassive as he said, "This is latent heat in the yin aspect, lodged deep within the sinews and bones. It should be treated with Sweet Wormwood and Tortoise Shell Decoction. Sweet wormwood's fragrance penetrates the channels, drawing the pathogenic influence outward; tortoise shell enters the yin aspect directly, nourishing yin and seeking out the pathogen; anemarrhena and moutan bark support them, clearing heat and cooling the blood. The purpose of this prescription is not to induce sweating, but to vent latent heat from the yin aspect, allowing it to emerge into the yang aspect and dissipate. Imperial Physician Director Zhang, would you also like me to recite the dosages and the modifications for different symptoms?"

Zhang Shouzhuo's expression shifted slightly. Still unwilling to accept it, he grabbed the second volume of Thousand Gold Prescriptions and asked about an acupuncture and moxibustion treatment for "wind-induced vertigo and dizziness."

Once again, Lu Changfeng answered fluently. Not only did he name the acupuncture points, but even the needle depths and the number of moxa cones were exact.

The sinister aura around Wu Lingyun gradually receded. The chill in her eyes gave way to surprise and curiosity.

She looked Lu Changfeng up and down. "You... what is your name?"

Such a photographic memory was anything but ordinary.

"Your subordinate is Lu Changfeng."

Lu Changfeng answered calmly.

Seeing Wu Lingyun soften, Zhang Shouzhuo sensed trouble and tried to persist. "County Princess, he..."

"Sir!"

Qing Dai's voice rang out at the doorway just in time.

She hurried inside and bowed to Lu Changfeng, speaking urgently. "Sir, there is an emergency case at the Spirit Pivot Institute. You must return immediately to decide how to proceed!"

Relief stirred in Lu Changfeng's heart. Taking the opportunity, he cupped his hands toward Wu Lingyun. "County Princess, duty calls. I shall take my leave."

With that, he gave Zhang Shouzhuo no further chance to attack him and swiftly left the archive room with Qing Dai.

Wu Lingyun watched Lu Changfeng's retreating figure, her eyes flickering thoughtfully.

Zhang Shouzhuo's face was livid. He said urgently, "County Princess! This was no coincidence! Lu Changfeng must have discovered something in the books, which is why he was so eager to escape! This fellow is deeply scheming. Better to kill the wrong man than let him slip away!"

The jealousy and provocation in his tone were almost spilling out into the open.

Yet Wu Lingyun's reaction was entirely unexpected.

Instead of becoming angry, she swept an exceedingly cold, almost mocking gaze over Zhang Shouzhuo, as though looking at a clown jumping about on a stage.

"Zhang Shouzhuo."

Her red lips parted as she said coldly, "Are you teaching me how to conduct my affairs? Or... are you taking me for a fool?"

Zhang Shouzhuo went rigid. "I would not dare!"

"You would not dare?"

Wu Lingyun snorted coldly. Her gaze was sharp as a sword, piercing straight into Zhang Shouzhuo's heart. "Don't think I don't know. I heard his name just yesterday! He cured Xue Chongyin, the Prince of Shouyang, whom you useless fools at the Imperial Medical Bureau couldn't cure!"

Zhang Shouzhuo's expression changed abruptly.

Wu Lingyun said, "He answered every question fluently just now, meeting every test you and I posed. He has already proven that he possesses a photographic memory! What is strange about someone like that reading and remembering quickly? Or does every intelligent person under heaven become a schemer in your eyes, Imperial Physician Director Zhang?!"

"Or perhaps..."

Wu Lingyun abruptly changed tack, her tone growing colder still. "Your own medical skills are inadequate, and you cannot find the cultivation method. Jealous of another man's ability, you hoped to use my hand to eliminate a rival and vent your private resentment?"

The barrage of questions struck like a series of resounding slaps, leaving Zhang Shouzhuo dizzy and dazed. Cold sweat instantly soaked his back.

Only then did he realize how perceptive this seemingly arrogant County Princess truly was!

"I... I had no such intention!"

Zhang Shouzhuo dropped to his knees with a thud, his voice trembling.

Wu Lingyun could not even be bothered to look at him again. She waved impatiently. "Get up! The very sight of you offends my eyes!"

Her gaze returned to the direction Lu Changfeng had gone, a glimmer of appreciation and curiosity passing through her eyes. "A photographic memory, and medical skills bordering on the divine... It seems an interesting man has arrived at the Princess's Residence."

She murmured to herself, a playful curve forming at the corner of her lips, then cast Zhang Shouzhuo a sidelong glance. "Far better than certain useless fools who know only how to stir up trouble!"

With that, she ignored the ashen-faced Zhang Shouzhuo and turned to instruct the attendants she had summoned. "Pack all these handwritten manuscripts of Sun Simiao's into trunks and take them back to my residence! Not a single volume is to be left behind! I shall search them at my leisure!"

The attendants exchanged uneasy looks. "County Princess, this... the rules of the Pivot of Heaven Pavilion..."

"Rules?"

Wu Lingyun sneered. "We of the Wu family are the rules! If Princess Taiping asks, tell her I borrowed them to study medical principles. Would she really tear apart relations with my father over such a trivial matter? It's not as though I've touched any martial arts manuals! Get moving!"

"Yes!"

The attendants immediately obeyed and set to work.

Kneeling on the floor, Zhang Shouzhuo watched Wu Lingyun's resolute back and the manuscripts being packed away, his heart turning ice-cold. Even so, he did not believe his suspicions were mistaken.

Then why had he been staring so intently at Thousand Gold Prescriptions?

There had to be something wrong here!

I must report this to Senior Brother Sun!

Elsewhere.

Lu Changfeng walked out of the Pivot of Heaven Pavilion and emerged into daylight once more. He could not help letting out a soft breath before turning to Qing Dai with a smile. "Thank you for getting me out of that, Qing Dai."

His gaze was gentle, his smile sincere.

Qing Dai lowered her head slightly. The faintest blush quietly colored her fair earlobes, but her voice remained steady. "You are too kind, sir. It was only my duty. County Lady Wu is of exalted status, and her temperament is... direct. Imperial Physician Director Zhang also bears a grudge against you. I acted as circumstances required and only hope I did not interfere with your affairs."

Lu Changfeng smiled. "Your timing was perfect. How could you have interfered? Had you not arrived when you did, I would likely have had to waste more words dealing with those two."

He paused and looked at her earnestly. "But is there really trouble at the Spirit Pivot Institute? Or did you..."

Qing Dai raised her eyes, her gaze clear, and answered candidly. "I saw County Lady Wu return looking displeased and feared trouble might arise, so I used an emergency case as a pretext. I have an acquaintance there, so even if anyone checks afterward, it should pose no problem. I only regret interrupting your enjoyment of reading..."

"It's all right."

Lu Changfeng shook his head, his tone light. "I've already committed everything I needed to read to memory."

He pointed to his head, his smile confident and carefree.

At the sight of his expression, the corners of Qing Dai's lips unconsciously lifted in the tiniest smile. She quickly suppressed it and regained her composure.

She said softly, "Your photographic memory is admirable, sir. Now that we are out, will you return to the Spirit Pivot Institute, or..."

"Let's head back and have a look first."

Lu Changfeng stepped forward, speaking with easy composure. "After all, that 'emergency case' still needs me to 'decide how to proceed'... What is County Lady Wu's cultivation level? She practices poison arts, doesn't she?"

"Yes."

Qing Dai's expression grew serious. "County Lady Wu studies under one of the 'Ten Absolutes' of the world, the Great Grandmaster 'Myriad Poisons Primordial Lady,' Xiao Changchun. She cultivates the Hundred Calamities Plague Emperor Curse, and her poison arts have already reached the Xiantian Realm. She can injure others without leaving a trace! You must be careful, sir!"

Lu Changfeng nodded. "Mm... Oh, right. Help me prepare a few things when we get back."

Qing Dai asked curiously, "What are you planning to do, sir?"

Lu Changfeng said, "Take an old dog's life!"