"Cuckoo!"
"Cuckoo!"
Amid the crisp, clear birdsong, Lin Ning slowly opened his eyes. The fragrance of bamboo leaves drifted in from outside the window.
Although he had gone back to the company in the first half of last night and spent half the night in meetings, the second half of the night he had slept very well.
He left his room to wash up, and just as he stepped out, he saw a small figure come stomping in from outside the courtyard gate, followed by a tall maidservant with a helpless look on her face.
"Brother-in-law!!"
Lin Ning didn't know why the tiny person was always so pleasantly surprised, as if seeing him in his own home was an enormous shock...
He said, not too pleased, "Why are you up so early? Children who don't get enough sleep won't grow tall."
Going by the time, it was only a little past six in the morning.
Little Jiu Niang said curiously, "Not enough sleep? I slept great! Elder Sister's already been up practicing her sword for ages, and she made me hold horse stance, so I snuck out, hehe!"
Lin Ning asked with a smile, "Then why aren't you off practicing martial arts? It's not even mealtime yet."
Little Jiu Niang looked at Lin Ning with her bright, sparkling eyes and said earnestly, "I'm learning from you, Brother-in-law! You never practice martial arts either..."
"Pfft!"
Aunt Chun, who had just come out of the kitchen, couldn't help but burst out laughing at the sight of Lin Ning left speechless, and said, "Didn't set a very good example, did you?"
Behind Jiu Niang, Cui'er's big face also carried a hint of a smile...
But Little Jiu Niang's face broke into a wheedling grin, and she leaned in close to Lin Ning, asking eagerly, "Brother-in-law, where are we going to play today? Are we going to carry water for Grandma Zhou and the others again?"
After bidding Aunt Chun good morning, Lin Ning smiled and said as he walked toward the stream, "Not today, let's just wander around..."
Jiu Niang stuck to him without a step's distance, her eyes rolling, and she asked tentatively, "Just wander around, then, um, Brother-in-law, can I bring Little Gray along?"
Upon hearing this, the image of "Little Gray" immediately surfaced in Lin Ning's mind.
Little Gray hadn't originally been called Little Gray—he was just called Little Gray, a mountain-guard dog raised by Tian Wuniang, and his height... was about the same as Little Jiu Niang's is now.
He was ferocious beyond compare, a fierce beast capable of taking on a wild boar one-on-one, but Tian Wuniang had trained him to be extremely obedient.
It was just that...
Back when Lin Xiaoning had first crossed paths with Little Gray strolling through the mountain stronghold, meeting him unexpectedly on a narrow path, Little Gray had approached and sniffed him—and just from that alone, Lin Xiaoning had been scared half to death.
Then, when Little Gray's huge head bumped against him, and he opened his mouth wide at him, Lin Xiaoning's eyes rolled back and he fainted.
He became the laughingstock of the entire mountain stronghold for half a month...
In the end, the matter concluded with him viciously cursing out Tian Wuniang with the most venomous words.
However, since Tian Wuniang did not, as Lin Xiaoning had demanded, put Little Gray down, Lin Xiaoning's attitude toward Tian Wuniang grew worse by the day.
When these things happened, Jiu Niang had still been too young to remember.
She was especially fond of the obedient and well-behaved Little Gray, and Cui'er had even made him a dog saddle modeled after a horse saddle, so Little Jiu Niang would often ride Little Gray around on her outings.
The people of the mountain stronghold all loved her and Little Gray, and wherever she went, there were always big bone treats to eat—everywhere, that is, except at Lin Ning's place, where it was absolutely forbidden.
These past two days had been so much fun that Little Jiu Niang had gotten a bit carried away and forgotten her sister's warning, so she went ahead and made the request.
In his previous life, Lin Ning had actually liked dogs quite a bit, but he didn't like dogs let off the leash, so he said, "If you can keep him on a leash at all times, and also have a shovel ready to immediately scoop up and bury his droppings, then you can bring him along."
Hearing this, Little Jiu Niang was so excited she could barely form coherent sentences, saying in a rush, "Okay okay okay, I can, I can, I'll go call Little Gray right now, I won't lead him, I'll ride him!"
With that, she spun around and ran off.
.....
The Herbal Hut.
Doctor An looked at Lin Ning with a hearty smile and said, "Ning Ge'er, this old man thought it over last night—learning purely from medical texts is probably still too difficult. This old man still has a bit of strength left in him for now, so why don't I first teach you to recognize the hundred herbs? Ning Ge'er, you're a man who's read books, so you understand the principle of sovereign, minister, assistant, and envoy, which means you already grasp the Great Dao of prescription compounding. What's missing is simply mastering some of the fundamentals well..."
Old Man An rambled on with kind words, flattering Lin Ning, all with the aim of getting him to settle down and study medicine seriously.
Inside the Herbal Hut, the burly, sturdily-built Cui'er stood expressionlessly at the doorway.
Little Jiu Niang, meanwhile, sat astride the back of a huge dog as large as a lion, perched happily on her little dog saddle, smiling as she watched Doctor An talk with Lin Ning.
They had just finished breakfast at Ink Bamboo Courtyard when a little maid came running over, saying that Doctor An from the Herbal Hut was looking for Lin Ning.
Lin Ning came to see Doctor An, but couldn't shake off Little Jiu Niang, and in the end even Cui'er and the big dog Little Gray had come along too...
The morning sunlight streamed into the room through the doors and windows of the Herbal Hut, making Lin Ning's fine-featured, gently smiling profile look quite handsome.
Compared to the other men of the mountain stronghold, who trekked through forests and crossed great rivers day after day, braved wind and frost, and often went ten days or half a month without washing their faces, even Cui'er—who still harbored no small amount of worry and prejudice toward Lin Ning—had to admit that, appearance alone, the fair and clean Lin Ning was indeed a cut above the rest.
Like a green bamboo stirred by a cool breeze outside the house, fresh, natural, and handsome...
"Grandpa An, last night I spent a long time reading the medical scripture, and I got through most of the section on medicinal herbs—I already recognize a lot of herbs now."
Seeing Doctor An so enthusiastic about teaching him to identify various herbs, Lin Ning couldn't help but say this with a smile.
At a normal person's learning pace, memorizing and recognizing all the herbs in the Hundred Herbs Scripture would take at least a year.
Lin Ning had no intention of wasting a year of his life in the Herbal Hut...
But his words were like a basin of cold water poured over Doctor An's head—disappointment couldn't help but surface in his cloudy old eyes, and he began to regret having been so impulsive last night, entrusting the Hundred Herbs Scripture to Lin Ning; he truly felt he had chosen the wrong person.
Sensing the tension in the atmosphere of the Herbal Hut, Little Jiu Niang rolled her eyes around, glancing at Doctor An, then at Lin Ning, and made up her mind in her heart to side with Lin Ning regardless—Aunt Chun had told her that when trouble arises, you side with family, not with what's "right"!
As for Cui'er, a hint of mockery crept onto her face—her true nature showing through at last; he really could talk a good game...
Seeing Doctor An's expression, Lin Ning couldn't bear it and said gently, "Grandpa An, if you don't believe me, why not test me? I feel that I have quite a talent for the way of medicinal herbs."
Hearing this, Doctor An's heart sank even further, but he still casually pointed to a bundle of herbs he had prepared earlier, originally meant to be used for Lin Ning's introductory lessons, and asked, "Then tell me, what herb is this, and what are its effects?"
Hearing this, Lin Ning first lowered his head to glance at Little Jiu Niang, who was gazing at him eagerly with some worry, and warmth welled up in his heart.
In his previous life he had never had a daughter, but he thought that having such a thoughtful little cotton-padded jacket of a girl would surely be a very happy thing.
He turned back and said to the grim-faced Doctor An, "This is poria, sweet in flavor, neutral in nature. It promotes diuresis and reduces swelling, strengthens the spleen and stops diarrhea, and nourishes the heart and calms the spirit."
Hm?
Hearing Lin Ning's unhurried, warm and even voice, both Doctor An and Cui'er were greatly startled.
He'd actually gotten it right!
Doctor An's dejected mood immediately lifted by more than half. He stared at Lin Ning for a moment, then took out another bundle of herbs from the medicine box and asked, "Then what is this herb, and what are its effects?"
Lin Ning looked it over, appeared to ponder for a moment as if meditating, then said, "This should be indigo naturalis, cold in nature, salty in flavor, entering the liver, lung, and stomach meridians. It clears heat and detoxifies, cools the blood and stops bleeding, and calms convulsions."
Doctor An's old eyes lit up. With nimble hands he quickly fetched another herb and asked again, "What herb is this, and what are its medicinal effects?"
Lin Ning looked it over and no longer bothered putting on airs—there was no hiding that this was a "miracle" no matter what—and said with a smile, "This is patrinia herb, pungent and bitter in flavor, cool in nature, entering the stomach, large intestine, and liver meridians. It clears heat and detoxifies, and dispels stasis to drain pus."
"Heavens above... Patriarch, bless me!"
Doctor An's old face flushed with excitement. He circled around Lin Ning back and forth several times, looking at him with eyes as if gazing upon an uncut jade, and rubbing his hands together, asked, "And... and what else did you manage to memorize?"
Lin Ning thought for a moment and said, "I memorized a few acupoints and several prescriptions... but it's all superficial, without really digging into the details—just a shallow memory, and I still don't understand the underlying medical theory."
Doctor An's astonishment turned into outright shock: "In just one night, you've even memorized all the acupoints on the body?"
Lin Ning simply smiled and nodded, not mentioning that he had also gained a preliminary understanding of the method of administering acupuncture—though for now, he wasn't confident enough to actually attempt it himself; he had only gotten an initial glimpse into it...
But Doctor An didn't care about any of that. If Lin Ning could also perform acupuncture after just one night, then this old man would have no choice but to stamp his feet and curse out the Patriarch right then and there for playing favorites far too much!
He recalled how, back when he himself had memorized those herbs and drilled the acupoints until he'd mastered them fluently, it had taken him no less than two years, and he'd been scolded and even struck by his examining teachers more times than he could count.
Back in the glory days of Medicine King Valley, talents had emerged one after another, and many truly were geniuses of extraordinary gifts, stunning beyond compare.
But even Doctor An had never heard of anyone as absurd as Lin Ning, able to memorize so much in a single night...
"What acupoint is this?"
Still holding on to a sliver of hope, Doctor An pointed at a spot between Lin Ning's brows and asked.
Lin Ning answered, "The Zanzhu point."
Doctor An then pointed to the middle of his own eyebrow and asked with a look, and Lin Ning answered, "The Yuyao point."
Seeing Doctor An's hand move up an inch, he said, "This is the Yangbai point."
Doctor An finally gave up entirely, looking at Lin Ning with the eyes one might use to look upon a peerless treasure. But before he could ask anything more, Lin Ning said, "Grandpa An, that's all I learned last night. If you keep testing me, I won't be able to keep up."
Doctor An shook his head repeatedly, saying, "That's already more than good enough, more than good enough—it's the best I've seen in my entire life. No, it's simply the best, period!"
As he spoke, the thoroughly excited Doctor An suddenly turned and went back into the inner room, leaving Lin Ning and the proudly beaming Little Jiu Niang staring at each other.
He returned before long, holding in his hands a foot-long lacquered rosewood box.
When he opened it, a row of gleaming silver needles came into view, varying in length.
Doctor An let out a deeply wistful sigh and said, "These needles are... they are the Medicine King Needles passed down directly through this old man's sect—not the same thing as the so-called Medicine King Needles that circulate out there... Only the direct disciples of my sect ever possess these. Paired with the acupuncture techniques recorded in the medical text this old man gave you, the effectiveness of your needlework will increase by no less than thirty percent! Ah, ever since I fell gravely ill some years back and became half a cripple, I've never been able to use these needles again. Ning Ge'er, you take them. Don't let them go to waste..."
Having handed over the last item from his sect that remained in his possession, Doctor An's back visibly stooped even further, and his vitality seemed to wilt even more than before.
Jiu Niang and Cui'er didn't understand the reason, but Lin Ning did—the aged Doctor An had never once forgotten his sect. Now, having handed over the two remaining items from Medicine King Valley to him, Doctor An had, in a sense, made a final break with his past.
With a sigh, Lin Ning moved closer to support Doctor An to help him go rest, but the old man only waved his hand tremulously. Lin Ning didn't press the matter further—he helped the old man settle into a chair, then left with Little Jiu Niang and her maidservant, though he privately resolved to come by every day from then on to bring him meals.
And beyond that, he hoped that one day, Medicine King Valley might be restored, and its benefits extended to the whole world.
.....
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