“And prepare a steamer and a brazier. Do not put water in. I will start compounding the medicine when the herbs have arrived.” Bai Zhe started to give orders, without being the least considerate.
Though Li Xi Yan was not happy that Bai Zhe had poked his nose into this and ordered around his grandfather as if the old man was his servant, the boy tried to keep the feelings to himself. Because it was clear that the person who was pointing his finger and ordering everyone was the one who had saved Matron Li.
The herbs were delivered not long after that. The streamer and brazier were placed before Bai Zhe. Without hesitation, the boy lit the brazier with just one piece of charcoal as its fuel.
After the brazier was successfully lit, Bai Zhe used his qi as fuel, replacing the charcoal. He used his psychic soul power to lift up the steamer and place it on the brazier.
The steamer’s lid was opened, and then the herbs floated into the steamer before the lid was closed.
“Be quiet from now on. Don’t interrupt me. To compound medicine by using qi power, one needs to be focused on controlling Wen Wu Fire. We will get only ashes if something goes wrong.” Bai Zhe said this to everyone in the operating room, then turned to concentrate on compounding the medicine.
The medical staff, Li Feng, and Li Xi Yan smelled a light, pleasant aroma not long after that. The moment they inhaled the pleasant scent, their qi powers were amazingly revived little by little.
“The result from just inhaling the scent is as good as our Li Clan’s best qi restoration medicine. Grandfather, isn’t this the ancient medicine fabrication technique that has been missing since three thousand years ago?” whispered Li Xi Yan.
“It might be. These days, even the Divine Sects are boiling their herbs, not using this technique. If the medicine he makes is efficient, you should befriend him. Having such a gifted friend would be highly beneficial,” whispered Li Feng. Li Xi Yan nodded in agreement.
“Done.” Bai Zhe waved his hand once. The steamer lid opened, and a translucent round object floated into his hand. The staff, Li Feng and Li Xi Yan instantly came to look at it.
“This is the medicine that has been compounded by the technique which has long disappeared. The form is exactly like what is written in the ancient textbook,” said one of the doctors.
“But we have used all of these herbs to heal her before. They only helped stabilize her condition for a while. Does using a different technique change the effect of the medicine?” Li Xi Yan questioned.
“Boiling will bring out only one in one-thousandth of the medical properties of an herb. Even if we use the present-day method of extraction for medical use, it cannot even bring out one hundred in one-thousandth of it. But the fire that is fuelled by qi power will convert the chemicals in the herbs into medical components which will be exponentially more effective. Each herb needs a different temperature and type of fire. After the medical components are distilled, qi power is used to control the fire and clean all the dirtiness in the medicine, purifying it, before forming the medicine. And for the quality of the medicine, I think you might have known about it from the ancient textbook.” Bai Zhe roughly explained the steps of medicine fabrication. However, he did not mean to teach these people, especially the method of using qi fire, which was the most important part of this technique.
“Could you possibly teach us?” Li Feng decided to ask.
“I don’t think I can, because I will use it to build my fortune in the future,” said Bai Zhe before walking over to Matron Li, who had started to wake up.
“Hmm. It seems that I have survived?” Li Zhou Ma slowly opened her eyes. She regained consciousness after she smelled the aroma of something. She felt her body start to recover little by little every time she inhaled the scent.
“Water, ma’am.” Bai Zhe handed her a glass of water, surprising the matron a little because she had never met the boy before. Still, she sat up and accepted the glass from Bai Zhe and drank from it before looking around and seeing Li Feng, Li Xi Yan, and the familiar medical staff.
“Xi Lan, is he your friend?” Li Zhou Ma asked her great-grandson. Li Xi Yan shook his head.
“No, Great-grandmother. He came here when you were in a coma and he’s the one who saved you,” answered Li Xi Yan.
“Is that so? Doctor, may I know your name?” When Li Zhou Ma knew that the boy in front of her was the one who helped to cure her, she wanted to know his name so she could pay him back in the future.
“My name is Bai Zhe. I am not a doctor. I’m just a boy who practices qi and has a little knowledge about medical treatment.” Bai Zhe did not use a fake name because he knew he could not escape the CCTV in the room, and these people would send someone to find out if this was his real name or not anyway.
“Ah. Mr. Bai Zhe, how old are you this year?” asked Li Zhou Ma.
“Fifteen, ma’am,” said Bai Zhe, handing a ceramic bottle and a translucent ball of medicine to the matron.
“This is…” Li Zhou Ma looked between the medicine, the bottle in the boy’s hands, and his face with curiosity. One thing she knew was that the medicine in front of her was a medicine that had its ten parts fully purified, exactly like how it was written in the ancient textbook.
“This is yang medicine for altering balance. Try to swallow it first,” said Bai Zhe. After he saw the matron swallow it, he took her wrist.
“I will send my qi power into you. Don’t let your qi power resist mine and observe how I control my qi to digest the medicine and move it to parts of your body. I will repeat it 3 times; then, you do it by yourself,” said the boy. He started to send his qi power into the matron’s body.
Excitedly, Li Zhou Ma focused and observed how to use qi to digest the medicine. She had been suffering from the lack of yin power for a long time. With the medicine that she was using at the moment, she started to see a way that would help her continue her life. So, she would not miss this opportunity for sure.
“Done. Do you have any questions?” the boy asked, letting go of the woman’s wrist.
Li Zhou Ma shook her head as an answer because she had already memorized the technique.
“That is good. From now on, use one of these per day. Don’t practice qi until you run out of medicine. This is absolutely forbidden. Otherwise, the symptoms will recur.” Bai Zhe reiterated the things that she should not do while she was recovering.
“Thank you so much, Dr. Bai. I owe you,” said Li Zhou Ma, then she turned to Li Feng.
“Li Feng, give the doctor a cheque. Write any number that he desires on it.” Li Feng brought the cheque book out as per Li Zhou Ma’s order. He handed her the cheque book. The lady had not even opened it when Bai Zhe spoke up.
“I cannot accept it, because the equipment belongs to the hospital, while the herbs themselves belong to your clan,” said Bai Zhe. He did not need money at the moment. Replying to them like this would make them try to offer him something else in return for his actions. And he had already thought about what he wanted in return.
“But only you could make this miraculous medicine,” said Li Zhou Ma. She wrote down an eight-figure number on the cheque, signed her name, and then handed it to Bai Zhe.
“Great-grandmother, isn’t that too much?” protested Li Xi Yan. It was a whole ten million yuan; it was too much. But when she heard this, Li Zhou Ma swiftly turned to look at her great-grandson with a scolding gaze.
“Xi Yan, do you think that my life is worth less than 10 million yuan?” She scolded her great-grandson because if Li Xi Yan was not careful with his words and made Dr. Bai displeased, when her symptoms recurred, Dr. Bai might not help her anymore.
“N…no, Great-grandmother. Your life is priceless,” the boy swiftly denied. He just thought that his great-grandmother should not give so much money to this person.
“If you are not pleased with the remuneration, first of all, may I ask whether you know a middle-aged man named Lao Lao?” Li Xi Yan gave a great start immediately after Bai Zhe’s question was asked. The boy covered his buttocks with his hands. Bai Zhe definitely noticed the boy’s reaction.
The room went quiet. Li Feng and Li Xi Yan looked as if they had just taken bitter medicine and Li Zhou Ma’s face grew solemn.
“Is something the matter?” Bai Zhe turned to ask Li Xi Yan who had the most noticeable reaction.
“He’s a lunatic. His students are boys aged 15 and older. Most of his students are not more than 25. I had the misfortune to run into him in a restroom when I went to an auction at the trade association. I was lucky that my grandfather, Li Feng, came and helped me in time. If not, he might have claimed me.” Li Xi Yan’s face turned noticeably paler when he told Bai Zhe his story. Bai Zhe guessed that the situation might be a scar in this boy’s psyche.
“From what you have been saying, I guess that he is a man who practices yin power, isn’t he? This reminds me of the Crone of the Hereafter Cave,” Bai Zhe spoke.
Li Xi Yan, Li Feng, and Li Zhou Ma were curious. They had never heard of the woman before. Li Zhou Ma questioned the boy out of curiosity.
“Dr. Bai, this Crone of the Hereafter Cave is like Lao Lao?” she asked.
“From what I have heard, it was far worse. She kidnapped good-looking men aged between 15 to 30 years old and froze them so they could not escape her. They were in a hibernation state. She would use her magic to wake whichever one she wanted to sleep with. After she was satisfied, she would feed them and freeze them again. There were about 3 thousand men held in captive hibernation in her cave.” Bai Zhe told the story of what he had witnessed when he went to rescue Chen Li, his adopted brother in Da Xian.
The reason why he told them this story was because he wanted to see Li Xi Yan’s reaction; the boy’s face turned even paler.
‘Damn, is there someone even crazier than Lao Lao? I probably shouldn’t travel alone anymore,’ Li Xi Yan thought.
“Don’t worry. My master told me that the woman has been dead for more than a thousand years.” Bai Zhe smiled after he saw Li Xi Yan’s reaction.
“Phew, that is great. If someone like that was still alive, we might be like lambs waiting to be devoured by a wolf.” Li Xi Yan let out a sigh of relief.
“So, do you have a problem with Lao Lao, Dr. Bai?” asked Li Zhou Ma. Because there could only be two reasons why he asked about Lao Lao: to take revenge or to seek protection.
“His student has a problem with me. Could you please have a chat with Lao Lao so the boy will not bother me anymore?” Bai Zhe immediately said what he wanted.
“Hahaha, of course. I will talk to him for you. You don’t need to be worried. However, could you come and visit me at my clan’s home after this?” Li Zhou Ma agreed to help and invited Bai Zhe to visit the Li Clan.
“Hmm? Is there someone who has fallen sick like you, Matron Li?” asked Bai Zhe.
“No. But based on your skills, I would like for you to help guide the junior members of my clan. My great-granddaughter is passionate about herbs and medicine fabrication, but she is very arrogant. I want you to help to destroy her ego and make her realise that behind an able man, there are always other able men. I surely won’t ask you to help for free. If you reform her behaviour, I am willing to help you whenever you have a problem. Or if you like her, I will let you marry her.” Li Zhou Ma explained the reason why she invited him. But the end of her explanation made Bai Zhe immediately realise that she planned to matchmake him with her great-granddaughter.
“Well, I’ll ask for the number to contact you at, then. I will visit you when I am free. And in regard to the marriage issue, I’m just a fifteen-year-old boy. It might have to be shelved for now,” said Bai Zhe.
Matron Li had Li Xi Yan write their contact number down and hand it to Bai Zhe. When Bai Zhe reached out his hand to accept the paper, he used his qi to observe Li Xi Yan before giving a smile.
“Too little muscle training. Qi control isn’t very good yet. That’s why you cannot fight for a sustained period. You should put some weights on your arms and legs when you are training and practice qi control and qi compression. That is all that I will suggest,” said Bai Zhe before leaving the operating room.
“Li Feng,” called Li Zhou Ma.
“Ma’am?” Li Feng responded.
“Do what he said. I hope you will not be mad at me, Great-grandson. This is for your own future,” said Li Zhou Ma, turning to give the boy a gentle smile. Nevertheless, her eyes indicated that the boy better obeyed her order.
“Yes, Great-grandmother.” The boy could not do anything but follow the order.
But he was not mad at the person who had made these suggestions to his great-grandmother, though. He knew for sure that compared to Li Bai, his brother, he could not fight for a long while nor fight with someone bigger than he was, and these weaknesses were seen merely by Bai Zhe who was cursorily scanning him. He started to think that he had to befriend Bai Zhe if he wanted to be stronger than Li Bai and Li Mei.
As for Bai Zhe, he met someone familiar after he left the operating room. That person was Meng Dong. The old man was with a young woman. She had her hair tied in a ponytail. Both her hair and eyes were brown. The woman was in the clothing of an office worker. Bai Zhe could feel that his soul was shaking at the sight of her. His heart was beating uncontrollably fast.
‘Is this love at first sight? Her ambience is like that of Qing Er, almost as if they were the same person,’ thought Bai Zhe. He recalled his lover’s face from a long time ago because the aura of the woman in front of him felt exactly like that of his lover’s.
“Hello, Grandpa Meng.” The boy walked over to greet Meng Dong, making the young woman, who was standing beside the old man, turn to look at him.
“Oh, Master Bai. What are you doing here? Are you sick? Shall I introduce you to some skilled doctors?” asked Meng Dong.
“I got into an accident at school. So, my teacher had me get some check-ups to make sure that I am all right,” answered Bai Zhe.
“Really? Well, it’s good that you are all right. Oh, this is my granddaughter. Her name is Qing Qing.” Meng Dong waved his hand in Qing Qing's direction. Bai Zhe's eyes shone brightly for a moment.
“My name is Meng Qing Qing. I am pleased to meet you, Master Bai.” Qing Qing introduced herself and reached out her hand to shake his in greeting. She could not understand why her heart was beating so fast and she felt so familiar with the boy in front of her.
“I am pleased to meet you, too.” He accepted her hand as courtesy dictated.
“Oh, Qing Qing, Master Bai is about to receive training at the LSA training centre. I ask you to take care of him, please,” Meng Dong said, bringing up this conversation topic.
“Oh, you are about to become a celebrity?” Meng Qing Qing asked Bai Zhe.
“Yes. Mr. Chen Feng asked me if I wanted to work in the entertainment industry. This is definitely my dream,” answered Bai Zhe.
“Really? I am an intern at the LSA as well. At the moment, I’m working in the training centre. If you have to go there regularly, I will help take care of you. You can come to me when you need anything,” said Qing Qing.
“Good, good. Oh, Qing Qing, excuse me to go to the restroom. You and Bai Zhe could go and wait for me in front of the examination room on the fourth floor. I will follow you,” Meng Dong said before taking his leave to go to the restroom.
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