Decoction
Chapter 50, Preparing the Medicine
As I listened, I felt as if I had fallen into an ice cave, my whole body was cold, and I stared blankly at Lan Feiyu.
Her brows were furrowed, but when our eyes met, she smiled and her lips moved slightly. Though she didn't say anything, I knew it was to comfort me.
Iris's indifferent voice rang out again: "But we've been in contact with that 'medicine man' corpse for quite some time now, and so far there's been no change—"
Mr. Tao interrupted Yuanzi without any politeness: "Didn't the envoy hear me clearly just now? It was the curator who secretly gave you medicine to temporarily suppress the mutation, but those medicines can only delay it, not cure it."
If I hadn't been in such a terrible mood, I almost would have laughed at the expression on Mr. Tao's face: it was just like my teacher when I was a child. I could even see him puffing out his beard, glaring, shaking his head and sighing, "This child is hopeless!"
Yuanzi was clearly rarely treated like this, and her face darkened. My heart clenched, fearing that she might tear Mr. Tao apart in a fit of anger. I instinctively reached out and grabbed her arm: "Yuan, Yuanzi, this is no joke. Let Mr. Tao finish speaking!"
“He has finished speaking.” Iris glanced at me, her tone icy. “He has brought the main medicine, but we still need to purchase all of it here before brewing it, and then we will all have to take it.”
I was startled: "Everyone has to take it? Including me?"
Yes. Including the monkey.
"Are we in danger too?" I finally understood why Iris had summoned me. Thinking back to the time I almost lost my life at the hands of the "medicine man," I couldn't help but shudder.
If you're going to become that kind of alien being, you might as well just end it all yourself.
Lan Feiyu said softly, "When you killed that 'medicine man' before, you also got a lot of its blood on you. Mr. Tao said it's better to be cautious, because if it really starts to mutate, it's beyond human power to stop it."
I was already trembling with fear when Yuanzi coldly said to Lan Feiyu, "Since it was so dangerous, why didn't you mention it the whole way? You said you secretly gave us medicine... What is that medicine?" She paused, her tone becoming even colder, "Also, when did you send a message by carrier pigeon to this Mr. Tao to discuss this in secret? Why didn't I know about this?"
Lan Feiyu's expression remained unchanged, without the slightest panic. She looked directly at Yuanzi, her gaze firm and calm, and answered with composure: "Mr. Tao is my subordinate, and my contact with him does not require your approval—Envoy, whether it is between Bozhou and Tuluo, or between you and me... there is no master-servant relationship between us."
For a moment, neither of them spoke. I watched from the side, feeling as if swords and spears were about to leap from their heads. I coughed, forcing myself to speak, but unexpectedly, Mr. Tao let out a cold laugh. If Yuanzi's voice was merely cold, his was not only cold but also dripping with icy shards: "You two can continue arguing until the poison seeps into your bones. At that point, even if all the gods and Buddhas descended to earth, they wouldn't be able to save you."
These words were delivered with conviction, and Yuanzi's expression indeed changed, but she still frowned and stared intently at Mr. Tao: "How can you guarantee that you have no ulterior motives? Don't forget, you are also a person from Eastern Chu."
Mr. Tao raised an eyebrow and continued flicking the ice shards: "I am from Bozhou. I only care about the well-being of the people of Bozhou. Bozhou cannot do without the owner."
After thinking for a while, Iris finally agreed.
Mr. Tao didn't say much. He took out a scroll of paper from his sleeve and handed it to Yuanzi, saying, "Please make the purchase according to the list of medicinal materials on this scroll. There can be no delay. The medicinal materials required for this antidote are extremely special and indispensable. Moreover, some of the medicinal materials are quite rare and will require some effort. You will need to visit several pharmacies to gather them all."
Yuanzi took the paper scroll and unfolded it. I leaned over and peeked at it too. It was covered with dense writing, enough to make one's scalp tingle. Yuanzi rolled the scroll up again, got up, went to the door, and called a guard. She instructed him to buy enough medicinal herbs according to the instructions on the scroll and to prepare them as soon as possible. The guard accepted the order and hurriedly left.
While waiting for the medicinal herbs, Mr. Tao began preparing the brewing area. He found a well-ventilated spot in the courtyard and had Yuanzi fetch a large medicine cauldron, almost half a person's height, which he carefully cleaned. Then, as he instructed, several people brought several loads of firewood, which Mr. Tao carefully sorted and neatly stacked under the medicine cauldron.
Lan Feiyu wasn't idle either; she helped prepare some auxiliary tools, such as a mortar and pestle for grinding the medicine and gauze for filtering the liquid. I assisted her, following Mr. Tao's instructions and handing her things. We occasionally exchanged glances, but I didn't speak. Since heaven had given me...
The medicinal herbs arrived before dark, filling a whole basket, and the smell was so strong it was pungent.
Mr. Tao squatted down and carefully examined the basket of medicinal herbs. I watched as he skillfully and efficiently sorted the strange-looking items, then asked for several wooden scales and solemnly instructed Yuanzi's men on what to take and how much, all in an orderly manner. I couldn't help but wonder, this Mr. Tao seems to be no ordinary person.
Once everything was ready, Mr. Tao first placed some hard medicinal herbs at the bottom of the cauldron, then added an appropriate amount of water, lit the firewood under the cauldron, and brought the water to a boil over a high flame. After the water had boiled away a bit, he added water back to the original level, repeating this process three times. Next, he sprinkled some lighter medicinal herbs on the surface of the water, removed some firewood, and reduced the heat to a simmer. Holding a long ladle, he stirred the liquid in the cauldron from time to time, his movements gentle and skillful. Although his forehead was covered with beads of sweat, his expression remained indifferent.
The process was quite long, and I was getting bored waiting on the side. I wanted to talk to Lan Feiyu, but she was helping Mr. Tao with his work, and Yuanzi was right next to me.
Even in my ignorance, I sensed something; to say I was completely unmoved wouldn't be an exaggeration. Both Yuanzi and Lan Feiyu carried burdens I didn't need to bear, yet Yuanzi was willing to send me to the King of Western Shu for her own grand scheme—even though the King of Western Shu was still a child…
...There's no "but" about it.
Listening to the "bubbling" sound coming from the medicine cauldron, a rich and unique medicinal fragrance wafted out. As time went by, the fragrance became more and more intense, as if it contained some rich herbal essence, wandering in the wind.
At first, I just felt an itch in my nasal cavity and didn't pay much attention to it. But after a while, I felt a slight swelling in my head, and the sounds around me seemed to be muffled by a layer of mist, sometimes near, sometimes far, sometimes real. With each breath, my chest felt hot, my limbs felt slightly weak, and I yawned several times in a row. Even my eyelashes felt heavy as if they were wet with water.
A vague feeling crept into my heart that something was wrong. I forced my eyelids open, which were about to droop completely, and looked into the arena. I saw that the figure of the Iris had multiplied into three, and a white light was reflected in the firelight—what was that Iris doing? Holding a sword?
I wanted to go over and see what was going on, but my body was almost completely out of my control. I managed to move one foot, but it felt like I wasn't stepping on solid ground anymore. Not only that, my body was getting heavier and heavier, and I was about to collapse.
Just then, a pair of hands suddenly caught me, and then a thin leaf-like thing was stuffed into my mouth. As soon as it entered my mouth, a strange spiciness shot from my lips and tongue throughout my entire body, impacting me from head to toe. My tears and snot almost instantly burst forth and poured down my face.
But because of this, I became more alert. Upon closer inspection, I saw that the medicine cauldron had been overturned at some point, and the medicine was spilled all over the ground. Apart from me and Lan Feiyu beside me, there was only Mr. Tao left standing on the field.
Iris also collapsed to the ground, but she still used her sword to support herself, gritting her teeth as she stared at Mr. Tao. Her voice was weak, but I heard it clearly: "Indeed, we cannot trust... the people of Dongchu..."
Before I could react, Lan Feiyu had already grabbed my wrist: "Let's go!"
Mr. Tao led the way with swift steps—I had previously thought he was a frail scholar, but it seems that was not the case at all. Under the cover of night, and with the pervasive fragrance of medicine filling the air, their escape went smoothly and without hindrance.
"Squeak..." I was running out of breath when I suddenly thought of my monkey friend. Lan Feiyu turned around, also panting heavily: "It, it will be alright."
Just as I was getting dizzy from running, Mr. Tao suddenly pointed ahead and said, "We're here! Hang in there a little longer!"
A four-horse carriage was parked not far ahead, clearly prepared by Mr. Tao. Before I was completely exhausted, I climbed onto the carriage. Before the carriage door was even closed, I heard the driver give a soft shout, and the four horses galloped off at once, and soon they were speeding along.
Only now could I finally catch my breath. I looked around at the two people who had gone to such lengths to rescue me, then stared at Lan Feiyu, let out a long sigh, turned to the side, took out the handkerchief with the blood-written name from my heart, and handed it to Lan Feiyu: "Here you go."
The bloodstains on it had dried, but a faint, distinctive fishy smell could still be detected. Lan Feiyu took it, her brows furrowing. She looked at me, then down at the handkerchief, and stared at me again: "What?"
"I thought I was about to die, and I wanted to write a letter in blood... but it was too difficult to write, so I just wrote my name. I want you and my family to know that I didn't want to die." I truthfully expressed my feelings, and thinking about how I had tried so hard but could only write two words, I felt inexplicably guilty.
Lan Feiyu bit her lip, the handkerchief trembling slightly in her hand: "Xi'er, you silly girl..."
She hugged me, and I hugged her back. Before we could even shed tears for surviving this ordeal, we heard Mr. Tao calmly say, "You don't have to die now. The curator and I will take you to see your brother."
Huh? Huh?
Does "elder brother" refer to the eldest brother? The King of Xinan of Eastern Chu?
Really?
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