After resting for a while and eating watermelon, the two returned to the cave to start cleaning.
Bai Nianqing pulled a large bag of shower caps and masks from her space.
She took out two caps and two masks, and they fully equipped themselves before starting to tidy up.
“Lady, you wait outside first. I’ll sweep the dust inside the cave,” Shen Wenhe said, taking the broom Bai Nianqing had brought from the space.
“All right. Sprinkle some water on the ground first so the dust won’t fly,” Bai Nianqing said, handing him a basin of water.
“Okay, go wait outside. I’ll call you when I’m done,” Shen Wenhe said.
The cave was spacious but empty; cleaning the dust was quick.
They soon reached the last room—the one containing Xu Changming’s remains.
“Lady, do you have any new red cloth?” Shen Wenhe asked after a moment.
“Yes, I’ll get it for you,” Bai Nianqing replied, immediately understanding what he intended.
She fetched a square red cloth about three feet across from her space and handed it to him.
Shen Wenhe told Bai Nianqing to wait outside while he prepared Xu Changming’s remains.
Without incense or candles, he knelt, bowed several times, and murmured a few words in respect.
Then he carefully gathered the bones onto the red cloth and wrapped them up.
“Huh? What’s this?” Shen Wenhe noticed a raised spot on the stone bed after wrapping the bones.
If he hadn’t moved the remains, he might not have noticed it.
He pressed it with his hand, and the stone bed split into two halves.
Someone had hollowed it out, and inside were two small chests about a foot long, placed side by side.
Shen Wenhe took them out and pressed the raised spot back; the stone bed returned to its original form.
He opened one chest and found two books and a letter.
The letter said the six chests outside were only decoys; the truly valuable items were here, intended only for the person preparing his remains.
Inside the chest were his family’s ancestral medical books and his personal medical notes.
The other chest contained rare herbs he had collected over the years—any of them would cause a stir if sold.
Most importantly, it also held pills he had made, such as the “Nine-Return Rebirth Pill” and various antidotes.
Shen Wenhe couldn’t help but admire Xu Changming. He was incredibly meticulous.
It was a true test of human character—if later someone had taken the gold, silver, and jewels in the cave but neglected the remains, they wouldn’t have gained the real treasures.
Luckily, Shen Wenhe and Bai Nianqing weren’t deceitful; they wouldn’t have taken the treasures without respectfully handling the remains.
Shen Wenhe called out loudly, “Lady, come in!”
He hadn’t opened the other chest yet; he planned to explore it with Bai Nianqing.
“What is it? What’s going on?” Bai Nianqing asked as she entered.
“Come see,” Shen Wenhe said, holding up the chest.
“What’s this?” Bai Nianqing asked curiously.
“These are Xu Changming’s medical books and his notes. This chest contains prepared medicines,” Shen Wenhe explained.
“Really? Let me see,” Bai Nianqing said, taking out the books.
“These… these are prescriptions? They’re so valuable!” The medical books contained thick stacks of prescriptions in addition to Xu Changming’s notes.
“Let’s see—Great Rejuvenation Pill, Beauty Pill, Longevity Pill, Universal Antidote, Nine-Return Rebirth Pill… These are all secret formulas! The Universal Antidote, for instance, is said to be one of the prized treasures of the Baicao Hall in the capital. It was originally created by a famous doctor from the previous dynasty—now I realize it must have been Xu Changming himself,” Shen Wenhe said excitedly, flipping through the prescriptions.
“When we have time, we’ll learn properly. If we can make these medicines ourselves, even just selling them could earn us a lot,” Bai Nianqing said.
They carefully examined each prescription for half a day before putting the books back in the chest.
“Let’s look at the other chest,” Shen Wenhe said, opening it.
Inside were several silk boxes and over a dozen jade bottles, each labeled with a tag.
“Black Jade Discontinuation Ointment, Rejuvenation Powder, Three-Gold Pill, White Flower Pill, Protective Pill…” Shen Wenhe read the labels one by one.
“Huh? What’s this?” Bai Nianqing noticed a small nanmu wood box at the bottom, different from the silk boxes meant for herbs. She picked it up.
“What is it?” Shen Wenhe asked, putting down the jade bottles to look.
“I’ll see…” Bai Nianqing opened the box and found a stack of prescriptions—but these weren’t for curing illness; they were for poisons.
There was also a porcelain bottle inside, labeled “One-Step Knockout.” From the name, it was clearly a sedative.
“This knockout drug is perfect. With this, even if we encounter a tiger, we won’t be afraid,” Bai Nianqing said. She had always worried about encountering large wild animals in the mountains; now they had a solution.
“Lady, look, this is the knockout formula. We can make some for self-defense. And this is the beast-repellent powder. No wonder there weren’t any snakes or insects around—the powder must have been used here. If we make enough and scatter it around, no pests will come near. We can even carry some with us outside—no fear of wild animals,” Shen Wenhe said excitedly.
“Xu Changming was really resourceful. I was wondering why the cave and wooden house weren’t infested with snakes and rats. Turns out he was well-prepared,” Bai Nianqing said.
“Yes, when we get back, I’ll learn to make these powders. They’re all made from ordinary herbs, and the instructions are written clearly. I shouldn’t have any problem,” Shen Wenhe said confidently.
They examined the herbs in the silk boxes. Besides one unusually thick ginseng, they didn’t recognize the others.
It seemed they needed to study the medical books more thoroughly. Luckily, one of Xu Changming’s books explained how to process herbs, with illustrations and introductions—so they wouldn’t have trouble understanding it.
“All right, put everything away. We still need to clean up. The sooner we finish, the sooner we can bathe and rest. Tomorrow we can head back,” Bai Nianqing said.
After a few words, she stored the chests in her space.