Chapter 24: Girl, how could you possibly know these things?

Wei Yuanzhi’s words brought Lu Shijiu back to her senses, and the red hue in her eyes gradually faded.

"Niece, what are you saying? Didn't your mother leave a tael of silver at Huichuntang for Doctor Wei to treat you? Why are you making it sound as if we neglected you?" Lu Tianxing shook his leg, his face full of impatience.

"If it hadn't been for the righteous intervention of the uncles, elders, and aunts that day, would I have even had a chance to be treated? You beat me black and blue time and time again; do you have no idea how badly I was injured? A tael of silver wouldn't even cover the cost of a single dressing, so where do you get the audacity to come here after disappearing for four or five days, only to start lecturing Grandpa Wei the moment you arrive? And where do you find the gall to demand a share of the profits from him?"

"Fusheng, throw this scoundrel who is causing trouble in the clinic far away! If he returns, have the inspectors take him to the county jail to sober up!" Tan Simiao flicked his sleeves and ordered in a deep voice.

"Yes!"

"Noble sir, don't arrest me! I'm leaving, I'm leaving!" Before the guards could even move, Lu Tianxing had scrambled away.

"Thank you, Divine Doctor Tan!" Lu Shijiu bowed to Tan Simiao.

Before she could straighten her back, she felt a gust of wind. Lu Shijiu instinctively dodged to the side, but just as she thought she had escaped, she felt her wrist being tightly gripped.

"It’s actually a girl!"

Tan Simiao looked at Lu Shijiu in astonishment. Seeing her struggle, he quickly explained, "Don't be afraid! I just want to check your pulse!"

As time passed, the expression on his face grew increasingly solemn.

"Such a fine child, how could her body be so severely depleted?"

Wei Yuanzhi sighed. "It's either a congenital deficiency or she has been poorly nourished since birth. It is a miracle she survived at all!"

After finishing the pulse reading, Tan Simiao clasped his hands behind his back and looked up in deep thought for a few moments before confirming, "It is definitely a case of poor nourishment since birth. If not for her having a strong foundation in the womb, she truly wouldn't have survived!"

After hearing this, Zheng Zhongyuan also took Lu Shijiu's pulse. Once he had clearly felt her pulse, his old eyes widened, and he couldn't help but curse bitterly, "What heartless beasts!"

He then seemed to remember something and snapped his gaze toward Wei Yuanzhi. "I never expected this! I never expected that you, old Wei, would go to such great lengths! I was the one being petty-minded before."

"What lengths would I have to go to?" Wei Yuanzhi turned his head away, feeling uncomfortable.

"Hmph! Who was it that forced the little girl to compete against your apprentice? And who was it that chased people away at just the right moment when I came to watch the commotion? And who sat on the results for so long without announcing them? Wasn't it all to pique my curiosity and get me to help you prove that this little girl is a genuine prodigy?"

Zheng Zhongyuan wanted to spit in his face; he had been outplayed by this old fox!

Lu Shijiu listened in confusion, not knowing what riddle the three old men were playing at.

Seeing that she was clueless, Zheng Zhongyuan gritted his teeth and said to her, "Little girl, don't let this old Wei fool you. He may look upright and proper, but he is extremely pedantic and mercenary, reeking of copper coins." He twisted his neck and lowered his voice, "However, his heart is truly beyond reproach."

Seeing her still looking blank, he continued to enlighten her: "Your talent will indeed give you an advantage in medicine, but you are a girl. So, as soon as your talent manifested, he took advantage of the situation to make you famous. That way, even if your eyes are different from others, with the reputation of a 'child prodigy,' as long as you don't make any major mistakes, you will always have a place in any clinic or pharmacy in Le'an County! Even if your family mistreats you, you can still support yourself!"

Wei Yuanzhi was so angry at the first part that he almost started a fight with the old shameless man. How could he smear his reputation in front of the younger generation? Didn't he have his pride? Hearing the latter part, he was even more irritated—who asked him to praise his character?

Wei Yuanzhi awkwardly stroked his beard and explained to Lu Shijiu in a flat tone, "Don't listen to that old fool. I had my own selfish motives. Once your reputation grew, it would also boost the business of my Huichuntang."

He sighed. "Everything was going fine, but I hadn't expected to attract the attention of Divine Doctor Tan. I tried to prevent him from seeing you because I felt you weren't suited for contact with him. You could live a stable life in Le'an County. But once you deal with the powerful and wealthy, you will inevitably leave this place to see a broader world. People out there have seen more; your talent wouldn't be considered rare among the masses. It might fascinate them for a while, but it's hard to gain a foothold in such prosperous places."

"With me, Tan Simiao, as your mentor, are you afraid you won't be able to stand firm in those prosperous places?" The composure on Tan Simiao's face began to crack.

"Would you take her on as an apprentice and teach her everything you know? You might not care about her 'Ghost Eyes,' but do you really not care that she is a girl?" Wei Yuanzhi asked, neck stiffened.

Tan Simiao wanted to flick his sleeves and say "Yes!", but his reason stopped him.

The world held many constraints and prejudices against women. Even if he didn't care about worldly bias and taught her everything, the girl would find it difficult to apply her talents later. For one thing, the mere act of taking a man's pulse would be enough to draw public scorn. Not to mention her "Ghost Eyes"—fools fear what they don't understand; who would dare let her treat them?

"Forget it! It seems we are not destined for a master-apprentice relationship!" Tan Simiao let out a long, regretful sigh. After staring at Lu Shijiu for a few moments, he said, "Meeting is fate. How about I give you a prescription for fading scars? You are a girl, after all; it would be a pity to be troubled by these scars in the future."

Lu Shijiu refused coldly, "Thank you for the kindness, but I cannot accept gifts from others."

Seeing that things had gone wrong, Zheng Zhongyuan hurriedly spoke up, "Divine Doctor Tan, why don't you sell the prescription to me? I will prepare the medicine and sell it to her later. That way, it fulfills your intentions without violating the little girl's principles."

"No need for such trouble. Divine Doctor Tan can just sell it to our Huichuntang!" Wei Yuanzhi realized what was happening and added quickly.

Tan Simiao was silent for a moment. "It's just a prescription, I'll give it to you! I only have one requirement: do not use this to profiteer!"

"Certainly! Certainly!" Both Zheng Zhongyuan and Wei Yuanzhi bowed to Tan Simiao as students would. "Divine Doctor Tan is truly virtuous!"

After writing the prescription, Tan Simiao blew on it, looking regretful. "It is a pity that Dragon Bone is hard to find. Otherwise, if we added this ingredient, the scars on the girl's face and body would disappear completely in less than two days."

"Dragon Bone? What medicine is that?" Zheng Zhongyuan was thoroughly confused.

"I once saw a record of this prescription and a description of its effects in an ancient text, but I don't know what it actually is. However, even without this ingredient, fading the scars won't be a problem; it will just take a bit longer."

Wei Yuanzhi stroked his beard, deep in thought. "Could there really be dragons in this world? Otherwise, things like earthworms are called 'earth dragons,' but they have no bones!"

"Dragons? This... isn't this a species that only exists in legends?" Zheng Zhongyuan was so anxious that his white beard shook uncontrollably. Having a good prescription but being unable to verify it was driving him mad!

"Dragon Bone is not the bone of a real dragon. Where Dragon Bone is produced, the rocks are jagged, and the streams and hills are rugged. There are things that look like dragon scales and hidden things like claws and teeth. If you dig wherever you find them, you will find Dragon Bone. How could there be so many real dragon bones, and all accumulated in the mountains of Liang and Yi? They are all things like stone swallows and stone crabs, formed by vapor—they are petrified, not dragon-made."

Tan Simiao paused abruptly, his wise eyes burning as he stared at Lu Shijiu. "Girl, how do you know all this?"