Looking at the woman with the stiff face, Mei Anming suspected that the woman had some kind of illness that caused the stiffness in her face. It was somewhat like the symptoms of catching a cold, or it was because she had been poisoned by some kind of toxin, causing problems with the flow of blood in the small blood vessels in her face.

But she didn't say it. Mei Anming thought that since the other person was so rich, if she wanted to see a doctor, she would have already done so.

Upon hearing the pregnant woman's question, Mei Anming didn't think too much and replied directly, "'Flying Corpse Ghost' is the name of a disease. My family's ancient prescriptions record this disease and the medicine to deal with it."

She openly showed the other person the notebook containing the ancient prescriptions.

The pregnant woman seemed quite curious, touching her belly and leaning over to examine the prescription.

"Although I don't know the prescription, it seems very powerful. Can it cure this disease called 'Flying Corpse Ghost' with just a few common herbs?"

Mei Anming smiled and shook his head: "Of course these are not just a few ordinary herbs. These are the pharmacology and pathology accumulated by our predecessors through countless experiences, the precious blood and sweat recorded in those many practices."

“‘Flying Corpse Ghosts’ must have appeared before. This prescription is a record left behind to deal with the situation at that time.”

The pregnant woman looked at the ancient prescription and said, "Could I ask who wrote this prescription? He must be very skilled."

“He is my grandfather,” Mei Anming replied. “His name is Mei Moke.”

“A scholar and writer. Just hearing that makes him sound like a man of integrity,” the pregnant woman said.

Hearing this, Mei Anming asked, "Are you from Anchao?"

The pregnant woman looked slightly surprised and said, "Why do you say that?"

“My grandmother was from Anchao,” Mei Anming said. “Anchao people valued scholars the most, and there were many upright officials who dared to speak out against injustice. You said that scholars and writers sounded like people with integrity, so I guessed you were from Anchao.”

"Although my grandfather had a scholar's name, he did not take the imperial examinations. Instead, he chose to worship the heavens. Later, he became the abbot of a Taoist temple in Meijing City. In addition to presiding over the ceremony of worshipping the heavens, he would always diagnose diseases for the people and prescribe medicines to save lives."

As Mei Anming spoke, he looked at the ancient prescriptions in front of him. Each prescription was invaluable to the patient, and the very first passage recorded in this family heirloom was:

"This book is what I use to save people. Many of the prescriptions and medical methods were passed down from others. It contains ancient writings and patient experiences. It is not my own. Later generations should not keep it to themselves."

...

Chen Jing went back to the big ship for lunch. As a member of the gang, Chen Jing ate lunch with fish and meat with the sailors.

Most gang members don't eat on the ship when it docks. It's just that the sailors, as peripheral members, don't earn much, so many of them choose to save money, every little bit helps.

Today, the ship is serving grilled fish. Each table in the restaurant has a fish that has been grilled in the kitchen. Chen Jing and the sailors gather around the fish and start eating. The aroma of the grilled fish, sprinkled with chili, pepper, scallions, and various spices, reminds Chen Jing of the taste of some street food stalls before he traveled through time. Chen Jing's right hand is not so sore anymore after eating, and he is in a better mood. He also happens to be practicing his ability to use chopsticks with his left hand.

After finishing the grilled fish, everyone received a quarter of an orange. Chen Jing took a bite and almost choked on the sourness, but the other sailors ate it with relish.

After finishing his meal and timing it perfectly, Chen Jing disembarked from the large ship, intending to watch the Flying Fish depart.

Chen Jing gradually frowned. It was already past noon, but the Flying Fish was still docked in the port, showing no sign of setting sail.

What happened? Chen Jing wondered and rushed over.

He hadn't gone far when he heard a sound coming from the boat:

"Dear passengers, a drowned ghost has recently been discovered on the Song River. To ensure your safety, we will first investigate the cause of the drowned ghost's appearance and will not depart until it is confirmed to be safe."

Chen Jing listened and frowned.

He never expected that discovering the drowned ghost would bring about such a chain of changes.

“That makes sense. The drowned ghosts haven’t appeared in Songhe for a long time. If these monsters left Songhe for some reason, then setting sail rashly would be very dangerous…” Chen Jing pondered.

For example, the reason why the drowned ghosts left their original location and came into the Ash City shipping lane was that a more terrifying monster appeared in the original location of the drowned ghosts. In that case, ships that set sail rashly may suffer huge losses, or even be completely wiped out.

Similar examples are not uncommon in the history of Ash City. The so-called safe waterway is based on past experience. There are plans for when to pass through which section of the river and what to do when passing through a certain section. This is heavily dependent on the river ecology of the Song River. If the river conditions change, past experience will actually harm people.

For example, a section of the river might have originally only had ordinary man-eating water ghosts, and passing through normally wouldn't have been a problem. However, after an anomaly occurred, a group of drowned ghosts appeared in this section of the river. Boats that were originally passing through normally were attacked by several drowned ghosts climbing aboard without any precautions. If there were no Qi Realm experts on board to protect the boats, it would have been a massacre-like disaster.

Even with a Qi Realm expert present, ordinary sailors and cultivators would still suffer high casualties. No matter how powerful a Qi Realm cultivator is, it would be difficult to protect so many people on board under unexpected circumstances.

In the past, when something unusual happened in Songhe, large ships would lead the way, and powerful underworld gangs would once again explore a "safe waterway"!

Chen Jing started to worry about his younger siblings again, but at least the Flying Fish didn't set sail immediately, proving that they still valued safety, which reassured Chen Jing a little.

My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!