With this bit of promotion, the number of elderly people entering and leaving the medicine shop grew. When they ran into each other, they would sometimes chat about their ailments. The talk would eventually shift to their youth, and as they spoke, they would naturally pull up a stool to sit. When it was time to leave at dark, they would even agree to come back next time.
Thus, one could sometimes see several elderly men and women sitting in the shop. They weren't there for a consultation, but just to chat. They lived in the alleys on both sides of the street and didn't want to bother anyone at home. Here, they were the elders who could brag about the old days to their juniors, and they even had free hot tea to drink.
They asked Lin Yue if she had a master she wanted to apprentice under. This place didn't make money, but there were many people from the jianghu and many martial techniques. Since she had opened a shop at such a young age, she must have set her sights on someone to be her master. However, they suggested that being an apprentice was better than opening a shop. A few months ago, a sturdy, dark-skinned young man had gone to Zhou's Ironworks to be an apprentice, but he was actually trying to learn Old Zhou's ultimate technique, the Iron Sand Cloud-Clearing Palm...
Lin Yue waved her hand, saying she was also here to retire. The group didn't believe her. There were no divine doctors here, so they asked what she wanted to learn so they could offer suggestions. Having lived here for over a decade, they might not know the youngsters, but they knew most of the older generation—those who wielded sabers, swords, spears, or staves...
They were old, and the disciples they took in would eventually have to care for them and see to their funerals.
Having many skills was never a burden, and Lin Yue grew interested. She could fight, but she had never systematically learned a martial technique.
When she mentioned learning the sword, they waved their hands, saying that sword nut was a drunkard. He had suffered a shock in his youth and loved to go on drunken rampages, slashing things with his sword. Nothing in his courtyard remained unslashed. Last time, he had nearly slit his disciple's throat...
When she mentioned staves, they said it was possible, but the one who used a staff was a monk who didn't take secular disciples; she would have to shave her head.
When she mentioned sabers, they sighed. The old lady who used a saber had been eloped with by a disciple.
When she mentioned spears, they warned her to be cautious. That person had played for both teams in his youth...
Lin Yue was stunned for a moment and asked if they were taking disciples. The elderly men and women went silent for a while before dispersing, claiming they had things to do at home.
At their age, they didn't have many years left to live. Who would want to trouble themselves by taking a disciple? It wasn't as if they didn't have anyone to see to their funerals.
After that, Lin Yue didn't see them come to chat as much, and the medicine shop remained peaceful.
At the end of the first month, the Blue Dragon Gang came to collect protection money. Seeing the blacksmith shop doors were closed, they didn't dare knock and simply left.
By the end of the fourth month, a few suspicious young people suddenly appeared at the end of the street, wandering around. They bypassed Lin Yue's medicine shop and went to other shops to ask if they were hiring helpers.
Judging by their clothes, these young people didn't lack money. Being a helper paid little and required dealing with customers' whims, so it was definitely not their best choice.
Therefore, there was only one truth: they were here to find a master and learn techniques.
Lin Yue suddenly thought of a newbie village. If she had transmigrated into a game, these would be the players coming to apprentice.
After observing for a month or two, she didn't see any more sneaky young people, so she dismissed the idea.
Eight never came home, making things a bit lonely. Lin Yue inquired around and bought a month-old, homebody yellow puppy to guard the house and take Eight's place.
The little yellow dog was named Dahuang. All day long, it would wag its tail at her, stick out its tongue, and hop around. She could pet it whenever she wanted. Compared to Eight's aloofness, it was much more likable.
To show special treatment, Lin Yue bought a pig's leg bone for it to use as a toy. Dahuang would carry the bone to its nest and gnaw on it every day.
There was a small auction in the county town, so she went to check it out. They auctioned some ordinary antiques, paintings, and young medicinal herbs, which were useless to her. Her disguises relied entirely on makeup and clothing, so she asked people to keep an eye out for auction items related to medical books or disguise techniques.
The man with the square face came back and asked about the blacksmith shop. Lin Yue shook her head, only saying she hadn't seen anyone for four months. The man left, looking thoughtful.
In May, Lin Yue went to the other side of the county town to attend an exchange meet.
The old ladies had told her that this was a formal exchange organized by martial arts figures to share techniques and sometimes buy or sell items. Because they were experienced, they had been invited before. It was generally held every three months. Newcomers usually needed a recommendation from a regular, so she could use their names.
Arriving at the Fortune Restaurant, Lin Yue walked inside. The second floor had been booked out. An attendant was blocking the stairs, but once she gave her recommendation, he moved aside.
Upon reaching the second floor, she saw dozens of martial artists gathered in groups. There were people in their twenties, thirties, and forties. Some looked over, while others just glanced before continuing their conversations.
"Thank you for coming, everyone. I am Yu Fei, the host of this exchange. You are a new face! How should I address you?" Someone approached with a smile.
Lin Yue gave her name and her recommenders. After some polite conversation, she found a corner to sit in, drinking tea while watching them talk. Time passed quickly, and Yu Fei stood on the stage to begin the exchange.
After a few opening remarks, he invited a sixty-something-year-old man to the stage to share combat experience, timing of moves, and angle techniques. They even had a practical demonstration. Then, someone else went up to ask how to avoid certain combos or how many ways there were to counterattack. The combos weren't difficult, and the old man spoke eloquently and in great detail, with the audience listening intently.
The old man was proficient in martial arts and thought from the perspective of his opponent's strength, making the questioner nod repeatedly.
After an hour of exchange, the second round began. As soon as Yu Fei finished speaking, a man stood up.
"Everyone! This Cold Azure Sword of mine was forged three years ago by Master Liu of the Sword Hidden Villa. It is made of high-quality cold ice iron, sharp enough to cut through iron like mud. Please, look at the blade."
The man drew his sword, and it sang with a cold flash. "...I have recently encountered difficulties and wish to part with this treasure for three hundred taels. Which hero is willing to take it?"
After a pause, someone made an offer. "One hundred taels! It looks sharp, but it has been used for three years. Three hundred is too high."
"Sir, one hundred is too cheap! This sword is made of cold ice iron. Even after three years, its hardness, sharpness, and toughness are top-tier..."
The seller and buyer argued. Later, two others also wanted it, and it finally sold for two hundred and forty taels.
Next was a freshly picked fifty-year-old Wood Scale Grass, which was exceptionally effective at treating cold toxins and relieving pain; it sold for one hundred taels. After that, there were sales of ginseng, lingzhi, sabers, swords, whips, soft armor, and some common Third-Rate techniques that had been scavenged.
Even for an ordinary technique, a book cost at least fifty taels. After buying them, one could mark up the price and sell them to wealthy families for training their guards.
Lin Yue bought some Dragon Scale Grass and spent two hundred and thirty taels on three manuals, hoping to see if she could upgrade the techniques to Second-Rate and test what she had learned over the years. Some martial artists were selling their autobiographies, which she paid for, and she also bought a secondhand short saber that could be hidden in a sleeve.
At the very end of the exchange, an old man took out a tattered parchment map, claiming there was treasure inside. This drew laughter from the crowd; people were still playing this game nowadays.
The map looked so old that a gentle tug would tear it apart. The old man wasn't trying to scam anyone and spoke directly.
"This fragment has been passed down through my ancestors for two hundred and fifty years. I heard from my grandfather that my great-grandfather told him this parchment hides a fortune beyond measure, enough to ensure the prosperity of my Li family for a thousand years. But my father lost it when he was a child."
"A few days ago, while moving, I found it in the study, tucked inside a miscellaneous book. This old man is useless and cannot decipher it. If it stays put, it will eventually rot until it's illegible. Today, I will let it go to one of you for ten taels of silver. I hope its fated owner will take it!"
As soon as the old man finished, the room broke into an uproar. Some even joked about taking it for one wen. The old man refused and insisted on ten taels. This price, which was both expensive and yet not quite, made people hesitate.
"I'll take it."
The scene went silent. Everyone looked toward the voice and smiled. Some laughed out loud that a youngster had fallen for it, while others had subtle smiles with a hint of nostalgia in their eyes.
Lin Yue bought the tattered parchment for ten taels. The old man also said with a chuckle, "I didn't lie to you. This is truly what my grandfather's grandfather said."
Lin Yue nodded, paid the money, and took it. Buying it was a pit, but not buying it would leave her always thinking about it.
Someone is always willing to jump into the pit.
Returning to the medicine shop, Lin Yue examined the parchment closely. The patterns inside were dense and illegible. It couldn't be rubbed, so she could only trace it onto paper in her spare time.
At the end of June, while Lin Yue was studying the third manual in the shop, officials seized and sealed the blacksmith shop. By July, the doors opened again under a new owner. A forty-something-year-old man moved in with two children aged seven or eight, and they continued to run it as an ironworks.
On the first day of business, the man followed Lin Yue's old example and gave gifts to the neighbors. Afterward, he began teaching the two children blacksmithing and martial arts.
While Lin Yue was reading a miscellaneous book in the shop, the little girl from across the street ran over. Pointing at Dahuang, who was licking a bone, she asked with bright, watery eyes.
"Brother, is this your dog?"
"Yes, this is Dahuang," Lin Yue said kindly.
"Can I play with Dahuang?"
"You can."
"Thank you, brother." The little girl chirped her thanks and reached out to stroke Dahuang's short, soft fur, chatting incessantly.
"Dahuang, I'll play with you, okay? My name is Xiao He. I'm from the blacksmith shop across the way, and that's my grandpa..."
Dahuang glanced at her, wagged its tail, and went back to its bone.
Watching this heartwarming scene, Lin Yue felt quite comfortable.
But if she were to raise a child, other people's children were better.
The little boy from the blacksmith shop also ran over to play with the dog, making the medicine shop even livelier. Lin Yue gave a few candies to the two children, and the old man sat at the blacksmith shop watching the scene with a smile in his eyes.
The two children came over often. As they did, the old man also began coming over to chat when he was free. Over time, they became acquainted, and Lin Yue learned about their situation.
The old man's surname was Jiang. He was originally a blacksmith in the prefecture capital. His son and daughter-in-law were martial artists who died because of some involvement in jianghu affairs. Old Man Jiang had taken his granddaughter Jiang He back to settle in his hometown. During the refugee famine, he had used a bag of grain to trade with refugees for a boy named Huasheng, whom he was now raising as a child husband for her.
"Her parents died early, and I only have one granddaughter. When this old man is gone, what if Xiao He is bullied?"
"Raising him by her side since childhood means I know his character through and through, so I can be at peace." A relieved smile appeared on Old Man Jiang's face.
"Xiao Lin, why haven't you started a family at your age?"
The two continued chatting for a while, and Old Man Jiang asked why Lin Yue had come here alone.
Lin Yue naturally let a troubled look show on her face, her eyes filled with a trace of sorrow. "I used to work for a master, and I harmed my foundation."
"You're still young. There are many famous doctors in the world. Perhaps there is hope if you see more of them," Old Man Jiang encouraged.
Lin Yue nodded silently without continuing the topic. A look of sympathy appeared in Old Man Jiang's eyes, and he changed the subject.
The weather grew colder, and it was winter once more. Lin Yue was warming herself by the fire in the shop when a cat's meow suddenly sounded outside. Looking over, a tabby cat walked in grandly, rubbed against her affectionately, and then lay down by the fire pit.
Dahuang had seen Eight a few times and immediately went over to be a submissive tail-wagger, but Eight remained as aloof as ever.
"Dahuang, come here."
Lin Yue couldn't stand seeing Dahuang pestering the cold cat and immediately called it over. Dahuang ran over instantly, wagging its tail happily and licking her, which made her feel much better.
The winter that year wasn't very cold, but people still froze to death every year. When beggars came for food, Lin Yue gave them a small bowl of hot coarse grain porridge to ward off the cold.
Two years later, Lin Yue finally managed to buy a book on disguise techniques from a small auction. The author was an actor, and it was a common version, but it was better than nothing.
Disguise techniques were divided into three methods: masks, which were fast and convenient but required high-quality masks and were easily discovered.
The second was makeup, using various cosmetics on one's own or another's face to change skin tone, texture, and luster, thereby changing the appearance.
The third was the most advanced, difficult, and risky: changing the facial bones, muscles, and fat through various means, such as the legendary Bone-Shrinking Technique.
Lin Yue still used makeup, changing her skin texture and darkening her tone to make her features look more rugged. She adjusted her eyebrows, nose, lips, and eyes, making herself look fifty percent like her true self. She still needed to further study painting and buy better cosmetics.
After being familiar with Old Man Jiang for two years, Lin Yue mentioned she wanted to learn blacksmithing when he came over to chat, offering a hundred-tael banknote as payment.
She had always wanted to learn this to secretly forge hidden weapons so that if she couldn't win a fight in the jianghu, she could wound her enemies in secret.
Old Man Jiang happily agreed. "No problem, no problem! No need for money."
If his family had any ailments in the future, a doctor could help them out. Old Man Jiang naturally wouldn't pass up this opportunity. Moreover, the fact that the other party offered a hundred taels upfront meant they weren't ordinary; learning blacksmithing was likely just a whim.
Despite what Old Man Jiang said, Lin Yue spent two hundred taels to buy a mediocre little shop for Xiao He, letting her become a landlady at the age of eight.
"Then I'll keep it for Xiao He and give it to her for security when she grows up." Old Man Jiang couldn't refuse. Realizing the other party didn't lack this bit of money, he accepted it cheerfully.
When she had nothing to do, Lin Yue would go to the blacksmith shop across the street to learn.
Lin Yue didn't need to learn from scratch for long. She had studied martial arts and acupuncture, so she could control the strength and accuracy of her strikes. It was mostly about getting familiar with the process and the feel.
Steal is forged through a hundred temperings, and blacksmithing was a process of repeated forging. Lin Yue started by making the simplest farm tools. Under Old Man Jiang's full guidance, she could forge a decent-looking hoe after seven days of work.
After practicing for several months, Lin Yue could forge iron tools quite well. She forged a longsword for herself, as well as sleeve weapons and other hidden projectiles.
The buying and selling of weapons required registration. Seeing this, Old Man Jiang only recorded the longsword in the register.
That year, Dahuang gave birth to a litter of three puppies, all of which looked like it. They were soft and comfortable to touch. Lin Yue gave one to Jiang He and kept the other two.
After a few months, only one of the two puppies remained; the other had disappeared.
After searching for a few days with the dogs and finding nothing, Lin Yue assumed it had been taken by dog traffickers. Fuming, she paid a high price for the location of their hideout. That night, she quietly beat them all up, confiscated their money, and found a dozen people to report them to the county yamen.
However, the county yamen didn't budge. Lin Yue steeled herself and stole the County Magistrate's son Yaozu's dog, General.
As expected, the Magistrate was furious. By the next day, many hideouts were raided. The government cracked down for a year, and for three whole years, no one stole dogs. Yaozu's General became the biggest dog-theft case in the history of Puning County.
Only after the traffickers were mostly caught did Lin Yue return General. She also used an iron chain to tether Dahuang's remaining puppy.
After being tethered for a while, seeing it howling in the courtyard all day and looking miserable, Lin Yue grew quite annoyed and let it out again.
Most commoners' dogs were free-roaming, their lives left to fate.
Spring went and autumn came. Three years passed in a flash. Jiang He had also persisted in learning blacksmithing for three years and was physically strong. When she forged her first spoon, she excitedly showed it off to everyone, and Lin Yue praised her for being capable.
Encouraged by everyone's praise, Jiang He worked even harder, forging hoes, sickles, and large pots. She often brought them over to show off to Dahuang, who would crouch on the ground in fear and whine incessantly.
Another two years passed. Lin Yue only practiced blacksmithing occasionally, continuing with her old profession as a doctor. She only needed to know the basics of blacksmithing; she didn't rely on it for her livelihood.
Dahuang had also birthed several litters, all of which Lin Yue had given away. Dahuang and its child, Xiaohuang, were enough.
Jiang He was fifteen. Having practiced martial arts for years, she was agile and more talented in both hunting and blacksmithing than Huasheng. Huasheng was seventeen, an honest blacksmith with bronze skin.
Reaching the age for marriage, Jiang He insisted on going out to roam the world, having a major fight with Huasheng, who only wanted a quiet life.
"Brother Lin, I don't want to get married so soon. I want to travel the jianghu, see the outside world, and attend the Martial Arts Convention." Jiang He plopped down on a stool in the medicine shop, venting her frustrations as she watched Lin Yue slowly organize medicinal herbs.
She had heard stories from her neighbors about roaming the jianghu and was very curious. Her parents had been martial artists, and she wanted to experience their lives and travel everywhere.
If she got married, she would be trapped here and unable to go.
"What does Old Man Jiang say?" Lin Yue asked.
"Grandpa says the jianghu is full of danger and not safe. He wants me to inherit the blacksmith shop." Jiang He sighed.
"Old Man Jiang isn't wrong. The jianghu isn't as simple as you think. You're still young; it's a bit early for marriage. It wouldn't hurt to wait two years," Lin Yue remarked.
"Hmm?" Jiang He couldn't tell if Lin Yue was supporting her or opposing her.
Jiang He wanted to ask more, but Lin Yue only smiled without answering.
Old Man Jiang also came over to talk about it, his hair turning white with worry. Now that he was old, he just wanted his family to stay by his side.
Lin Yue comforted him, saying that everyone was passionate and rebellious in their youth, and given the environment with so many martial artists living here, it was to be expected.
"Xiao Lin, you're still so young. You've been here so long; why don't you go out and see the world?"
Old Man Jiang asked, but the answer he received was unexpected.
"If I leave, what will happen to Dahuang and Eight?" Lin Yue had attachments now. She could take the dogs with her, but Eight was already an elderly cat and couldn't handle the journey.
Old Man Jiang: "...I'll watch them for you."
Lin Yue understood Old Man Jiang's intent—he wanted her to look after Jiang He—but she didn't want to get too deeply involved with others.
This wasn't a good task. For her, each of them being well in their own way was the best result.
In the end, Jiang He still left to roam. She forged a sword for herself, packed a small bundle, and left before dawn.
Huasheng followed her. The blacksmith shop across the street fell silent. Old Man Jiang stopped blacksmithing and began his retirement.
The day Jiang He left, something big happened. Dahuang dug up the entire courtyard and couldn't find its bone. Like a coward, it found a gap and wailed its heart out.
Lin Yue suspected Jiang He had stolen it. She comforted the dog and bought it a new one. Dahuang kicked it away in disdain and continued sobbing. It took a long time for Lin Yue to coax it into accepting reality.
She had never been this patient when coaxing a person.
Sunlight slipped through her fingers, and time flew by like a white stallion. When she was bored, Lin Yue would take the dogs into the mountains to hunt, study the treasure map, or cultivate. It was quite a free life.
Another three years passed. Dahuang was ten years old. In its old age, it fell ill during a sudden plague.
Lin Yue's medical skills were limited, and medical conditions were underdeveloped. Dahuang could not be cured and eventually passed away.
Lin Yue stood by a small mound in the outskirts, watching Xiaohuang lie on the mound and whine. It was unclear if it wanted to dig out its mother who had just been buried, or if it wanted a large bone as a burial offering.
As a loyal companion, Dahuang had won her heart more than even a donkey. Lin Yue specifically found a place with good feng shui for its burial and burned paper money, hoping it would have a good rebirth.
Rate on N.U.
