20demayo Chapter 31 Idle Talk Amidst the Fragrance of Herbs
Chapter 31 Idle Talk Amidst the Fragrance of Herbs
Qianmen Street, Lu Residence.
As December arrived, the weather in Beiping (Beijing) became as cold as a stepmother's face, growing colder day by day.
The wind whipped up snowflakes, which seeped into the bones through the cracks at the base of the wall.
However, for the past few days, the air above the Lu family compound has been filled with an intense, lingering smell of traditional Chinese medicine.
The taste was bitter with a fishy smell, and within that fishy smell was a strange, dry fragrance.
Just passing by this alleyway, the smell alone can stir up both your cravings and your suspicions.
"Tsk tsk, can you smell that? It's that smell again."
At the entrance of the alley, in the "Juxian Teahouse," several idle men wearing thick cotton-padded coats were gathered around the stove, slurping the cheapest snacks while peering at the vermilion gate of the Lu family's house.
"I heard from the young shop assistant at Tongrentang that this Boss Lu has really gone mad."
"This morning, another fully grown old ginseng was delivered. It was said to have been dug up from Changbai Mountain, and it still has its rootstock attached. It must weigh about two ounces."
The speaker was a middleman with a mustache, gesturing with his hand to indicate his name.
"That one ginseng root alone is worth at least this much, a hundred silver dollars!"
"Wow!"
Those around gasped, their eyes filled with disbelief.
"One hundred yuan? Wasn't Lu Cheng so poor he had to pull a rickshaw before? This is way too extravagant!"
"That's what you call a nouveau riche."
The man with the mustache pursed his lips, looking sour.
"I heard that this medicine wasn't for him, but for the blind man who plays the erhu. He's been blind for twenty years, and his eyes have turned gray. Even a god couldn't save him."
"I think this money has gone down the drain."
"What a waste of money, what a waste of money..."
The rumors and gossip outside, carried by the wind and snow, also drifted into the Lu family's courtyard.
Backyard, main house.
The floor heating in the house was scorching hot, and the windows were covered tightly with paper.
Abing sat cross-legged on the kang (a heated brick bed) with his upper body bare.
His emaciated body was now covered with countless gold needles.
That was the "Thirteen Ghost Needles" performed by Mr. Le from Tongrentang, specifically designed to stimulate those meridians that had long since withered.
Lu Cheng sat behind A Bing, a light sheen of sweat on his forehead.
The room was very quiet, so quiet that the only sound could be the bubbling of the medicinal soup in the copper pot.
Shunzi squatted beside the medicine pot, holding a palm-leaf fan in his hand, carefully watching the heat.
His eyes were red, from the smoke and from the heartache he felt for the medicinal herbs.
This pot of medicine, not to mention the wild ginseng that cost a hundred yuan.
The bear bile, musk, and tiger bone powder alone are enough to feed an ordinary family for a lifetime.
"Master Lu..."
Ah Bing's voice trembled slightly.
"Stop."
"I heard everything they were saying outside. I'm a useless person, a bottomless pit. Every breath of your inner energy, every bowl of medicine you give me feels like it's tearing my flesh out..."
Ah Bing was a man with high aspirations.
Back then, he was a military instructor, and he was incredibly spirited and ambitious.
Although he had fallen on hard times in the past twenty years, he did not want to be a burden, much less a laughing stock, and to tarnish Master Lu's reputation.
"Shut up."
Lu Cheng did not open his eyes, and his voice was flat.
"Focus your mind and spirit on the dantian."
"Ah Bing, do you think I'm spending money to buy fame?"
Lu Cheng's palm slowly touched Ah Bing's back.
"I want to establish a flagpole of 'righteousness' in this Qingyun Class."
"Money can be earned back, but if we lose our spirit, we'll forever be actors who are looked down upon."
"Get ready, I'm about to circulate my qi."
The voice just fell.
"Coo-quack-quack"
Lu Cheng's abdomen suddenly swelled up as if it had been inflated, emitting a deep, thunderous croak.
This is a sign that the "Toad-Catching Strength" has reached its peak!
With that croak of a frog, Shunzi felt as if the air in the room had been sucked dry by his master, making it difficult to even breathe.
Lu Cheng's palms instantly turned bright red, like branding irons.
An extremely domineering surge of blood energy flowed wildly into Ah Bing's body through his palm.
"Ugh!!"
Ah Bing shuddered violently, clenched his teeth, and let out a painful groan.
pain!
Excruciating pain!
It was as if a red-hot knife was cutting along his spine, carving a path through his long-blocked meridians.
The gold needles inserted into the acupoints began to tremble slightly and emit a buzzing sound under the impact of this flow of qi and blood.
"Hold on."
Lu Cheng gave a low shout, "Shake!"
"Buzz—"
Lu Cheng's chest began to vibrate, and the low-frequency sound waves were transmitted through his palms to A Bing's body, vibrating the tiny capillaries around his eyes.
Only by breaking up the stagnant blood can new blood and energy flow through.
A quarter of an hour.
Two quarters of an hour.
For Ah Bing, this was like going through the deepest hell.
For Lu Cheng, this was an even greater drain on his energy.
His face began to turn pale, and his once full temples began to sag slightly.
This method of using one's own internal energy to "nourish" another person's meridians is extremely taxing on the mind.
If it were any other martial arts master, they wouldn't do it no matter how much money they were offered; they would be shortening their lifespan.
"medicine."
Lu Cheng abruptly withdrew his palm and exhaled a long breath.
Shunzi was already prepared. He picked up the bowl of dark, thick, ink-like medicinal soup and stepped to the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed).
"Master Bing, drink it quickly, while it's hot."
Ah Bing was in so much pain that he was almost collapsing, but he knew that this was an opportunity that Master Lu had risked his life for.
He grabbed the bowl of medicine, ignoring the scalding heat, and gulped it down.
The medicinal effects, once absorbed, are like oil being cooked over a raging fire.
Combined with the meridians that Lu Cheng had just opened, the medicinal power rushed straight to the top of the head.
"puff--"
Ah Bing suddenly leaned forward and spat out a mouthful of black blood.
The blood was incredibly foul-smelling, and when it fell into the charcoal brazier on the ground, it made a sizzling sound as it corroded, and a plume of black smoke rose up.
"Master!" Shunzi exclaimed in surprise.
Lu Cheng waved his hand, looking somewhat tired, but his eyes were frighteningly bright.
"This is blood stasis that has accumulated in the back of the eye for twenty years. Just spit it out and it will be fine."
He looked at Ah Bing, his voice softening slightly.
"Ah Bing, today is the seventh day."
"Try...open your eyes."
The room was deathly silent.
The only sound was the occasional crackling of the charcoal fire.
Ah Bing trembled all over, his hands gripping the flesh on his thighs tightly.
He dare not.
He feared that if he opened his eyes, he would still be met with that endless darkness that brought him despair.
If he did that, he would be letting down Master Lu's efforts over the past seven days, and the thousands of dollars worth of medicinal herbs.
"Open your eyes!"
Lu Cheng let out a low shout, carrying the might of a tiger, which made Ah Bing's heart tremble.
Subconsciously, Ah Bing slowly raised his heavy, leaden eyelids.
At first, there was nothing.
It was still pitch black.
Ah Bing's heart sank to the bottom in an instant.
"Mr. Lu, I..."
He hadn't finished speaking.
Sudden.
At the edge of that pitch-black horizon, a grayish-white shadow seemed to flicker.
That was...light?