Chen Xuan committed the two names to memory and continued asking, “Has anyone ever died there? Do they have guns?”
“The Imperial Court usually arranges drinking companions for wealthy clients, so its connections are quite complicated. But as far as I know, there haven’t been any deaths connected to the place. The enforcers might carry knives at most. They wouldn’t dare use guns in the city—Jiangzhou has had a strict gun ban for years. Only people of a certain rank might have access to firearms. Zhao Tianxiong and his men aren’t qualified, and they wouldn’t dare, either. There are plenty of people keeping an eye on them. If they gave anyone such an obvious handle to use against them, someone would have taken them down long ago.”
“Good.” Having gotten the information he wanted, Chen Xuan prepared to end the call.
Qin Zhenghai asked, “Are you sure you don’t need my help? Mr. Chen, this is a small matter. Leave it to me, and I can settle it quickly. Zhao Tianxiong knows me. If I step in and say a word, he definitely won’t keep making things difficult for your sister.”
“There’s no need for now. I know you mean well, but I’ll handle this myself. The Qin family’s debt to me has already been repaid with money and medicine. This is my own affair, so I shouldn’t trouble the Qin family over it.”
Chen Xuan paused.
“However, can the medicinal herbs I need be delivered tonight?”
“Of course. The herbs are already prepared. I’ll have someone deliver them to the hospital within two hours.”
“Thank you.”
“You saved my father’s life, Mr. Chen. There’s no need to stand on ceremony with me. If you change your mind, contact me at any time.”
After hanging up, Qin Zhenghai’s opinion of Chen Xuan rose once again. This man was even more worth befriending than he had expected.
Although Chen Xuan hadn’t asked for his help, Qin Zhenghai still took out his phone and dialed a number…
Meanwhile, with the information Qin Zhenghai had provided, Chen Xuan now had a general idea of what the Imperial Court was like.
It was nothing more than a group of ordinary thugs, perhaps carrying knives, but with no firearms.
As long as he recovered a portion of his strength, they would pose no threat to him.
Two hours later, Qin Yufei arrived at the hospital room with an assistant from Hundred Herbs Hall.
Two employees placed several wooden boxes on the table.
Qin Yufei had changed into a different outfit. After entering, she first glanced at Chen Xuan on the hospital bed.
“Chen Xuan, I came to see you! We’ve brought all the medicinal herbs.”
She pointed at the wooden boxes on the table with a smile.
“Raw rehmannia, fleeceflower root, angelica, and prepared rehmannia—they’re all the finest herbs from Hundred Herbs Hall’s storeroom. The fifty-year-old wild ginseng you requested is in there, too.”
The assistant opened the wooden box in the center.
Resting on a piece of bright yellow silk was a wild ginseng with its roots fully intact. The body of the ginseng was not particularly thick, but its shape was exceptionally well preserved.
As soon as the box was opened, a faint medicinal fragrance filled the room.
Zhou Lan knew nothing about medicinal herbs, but even she could tell that the wild ginseng was extremely valuable.
“Is this really a fifty-year-old wild ginseng?”
“To be precise, it’s fifty-three years old,” Qin Yufei replied. “Last year, Hundred Herbs Hall spent 480,000 yuan to acquire it from the north. It’s been kept in my grandfather’s private medicine storeroom ever since.”
She added, “My grandfather already knows about this. He personally said that giving it to you would be making the best possible use of it.”
Chen Xuan had his father bring the wooden box over to the bedside.
The instant he held the wild ginseng, he sensed a faint trace of spiritual energy hidden within it.
In the cultivation world, this tiny amount of spiritual energy wouldn’t even be enough to qualify as the lowest-grade spirit herb. But to him now, it was more than enough to serve as the spark that would rekindle his cultivation.
Chen Xuan checked the other medicinal herbs as well.
The items sent by Hundred Herbs Hall were of excellent quality. They had not substituted ordinary goods to make up the numbers.
“The herbs are fine.”
“Could we be careless with something meant for the Qin family’s lifesaving benefactor?” Qin Yufei said proudly with a smile. “Of course everything is fine. Before coming here, I had the apothecary inspect them several times. I wouldn’t have brought them over until I was certain there was nothing wrong.”
After what had happened with Qin Baichuan’s poisoning, the Qin family had become much more cautious about any medicinal ingredients intended for consumption.
Chen Xuan took a pen and paper and wrote down instructions for processing the herbs.
“Have the apothecary at Hundred Herbs Hall decoct these herbs into a medicinal solution. Use the entire fifty-year-old wild ginseng. Part of the solution will be taken orally, and the rest should be stored in a sealed medicinal vat.”
Qin Yufei thought she had misheard him.
“You want to use the entire ginseng?”
“Yes.”
Qin Yufei reminded him, “I’m not a doctor, but I’ve been around medicinal herbs since I was a child. I know that ginseng isn’t something you can simply take more of for greater benefits. Your body is so weak right now. Are you sure you won’t have a problem using the entire thing at once?”
“I won’t.”
Chen Xuan answered calmly. Seeing that he hadn’t hesitated in the slightest, and remembering that her grandfather had been saved that morning by a set of acupuncture techniques no one had ever seen before, Qin Yufei decided not to press the matter.
She took out her phone.
“I’ll still tell my grandfather. After all, he was the one who gave it to you. He should at least know how you intend to use it.”
Chen Xuan did not stop her.
Qin Yufei stepped to the side and quickly placed the call.
“Grandpa, Mr. Chen has received the herbs.”
“Yes, everything’s been checked. There’s no problem.”
“However, he plans to use the entire fifty-three-year-old wild ginseng all at once.”
The person on the other end said something.
Qin Yufei glanced at Chen Xuan.
“I know the ginseng already belongs to him. I’m just worried that his body is too weak right now and that he might not be able to handle such a large amount at once.”
A moment later, she nodded.
“All right, I understand.”
“Get some rest.”
Qin Yufei hung up and returned to the bedside.
“Grandpa said that since the herbs have already been given to you, they’re yours. You can use them however you wish.”
Qin Yufei did not interfere further. Instead, she handed Chen Xuan’s written instructions to the assistant.
After reading the note, the assistant said, “Mr. Chen, the quantity of herbs you need is rather large. It will take at least three hours to finish decocting everything.”
“That’s fine. Just bring it over tonight.”
Qin Yufei also glanced at the instructions.
“The remaining medicinal solution is for soaking your body?”
“Yes.” Chen Xuan nodded.
“The hospital’s rehabilitation building has a hydrotherapy room,” Qin Yufei said after thinking for a moment. “I can help you arrange it. However, the director of the rehabilitation department will have to approve bringing outside medicinal solutions in for use.”
“Then I’ll trouble you.”
“It’s no trouble at all. You saved my grandfather’s life. Helping with something this minor is the least we can do.”
Qin Yufei took out her phone and left the hospital room to contact the director of the rehabilitation department.
After a while, she pushed the door open and came back in.
“It’s been arranged.”
“Once the medicinal solution is delivered, you can use the hydrotherapy room. However, the hospital will only provide the facilities. You’ll be responsible for the medicinal solution you prepared yourself.”
Chen Xuan nodded.
“That’s fine.”
After finishing the arrangements, Qin Yufei looked at the assistant beside her.
“Take the herbs back first. Have the apothecary process them according to Mr. Chen’s instructions. Make sure there are no mistakes.”
“Yes, Miss.”
The assistant called over the two employees, and together they carefully repacked the herbs that needed to be processed.
Before leaving, Qin Yufei glanced at Chen Xuan once more.
“Once the medicinal solution is ready, I’ll have someone deliver it directly to the hydrotherapy room. If you need anything else, just call me or my father.”
“All right.”
Only then did Qin Yufei leave the hospital room with the assistant.
The room fell silent again.
Zhou Lan looked at the wooden boxes they had taken away. Thinking about how much that wild ginseng had cost, she still felt a pang of heartache.
“Four hundred and eighty thousand yuan for a single ginseng root, and you used the whole thing?”
“Medicine is meant to be used.”
Chen Xuan didn’t care about the price.
To ordinary people, a fifty-three-year-old wild mountain ginseng could be worth hundreds of thousands of yuan. But to him, what truly mattered was the medicinal power it contained—and that faint trace of spiritual energy.
As long as it could help him recover as quickly as possible, the ginseng would not have gone to waste.
Chen Jianguo was more concerned about something else.
“Little Xuan, are you really sure? Miss Qin wasn’t wrong just now. You’ve only just woken up, and you’re taking so much medicine all at once…”
“Dad, don’t worry,” Chen Xuan said. “I know how to use it.”
That morning, his son had saved an old man whom even the doctors had been helpless to treat with just seven silver needles. Remembering this, Chen Jianguo decided not to press the matter.
“Just be careful.”
“Mm.”
There were still several hours before the medicinal decoction would be ready.
Chen Xuan closed his eyes and began circulating the Essence-Nourishing Scripture once more, slowly building up his strength.