Three apprentices were born in the same year, same month, same day, and at the same time.

It was as if destiny had chosen them simultaneously, with some kind of special arrangement.

Chen Ji connected this to the fact that Old Head Yao liked to use the six yao divination technique and could also resist the negative effects of the Ice Flow with the Stone Hug Pile technique. He always felt this master held many secrets.

Could it be that in this world, the six yao technique truly possessed mysterious abilities to inquire about the heavens above and the underworld below?

While he was pondering, a middle-aged man wearing a dark blue long gown arrived. Liu Qu Xing hurriedly greeted him with a smile:
“Housekeeper Wang, coming to the medical hall so late?”

The middle-aged man cupped his hands towards Old Head Yao:
“Imperial Physician Yao, my family’s old madam started vomiting and having diarrhea after eating her noon meal. Now she’s in bed in a coma. My master sent me to invite you to come and examine her. If you are willing to go, we will be extremely grateful.”

Old Head Yao glanced at him, then casually threw copper coins on the counter six times:
“Earth Fire Ming Yi, Wind Marsh Zhong Fu… It’s not suitable to go out tonight, I won’t go.”

Chen Ji:
“Huh?”

The housekeeper looked troubled:
“Old Mister Yao, you are a doctor, you need to have the benevolence of a healer. How can you disregard human life because of an illusory divination image?”

“There are so many doctors in Luoyang City, am I the only one?” Old Head Yao glared at him:
“Your Li family is always stingy. Last time you called me for a consultation at night and said you’d be heavily grateful, but when I went and diagnosed her, I just pricked one needle and cured your mother’s headache. Your old madam thought I earned money too easily and tried to renege on the so-called gratitude. When I left, she only gave me two strips of smoked salted fish. Whoever wants to go, can go!”

Housekeeper Wang was anxious:
“Imperial Physician Yao, my family’s old madam is elderly, please show some sympathy…”

Old Head Yao stroked his beard:
“Don’t talk about age. She’s more than thirty years younger than me. No one in the entire Luoyang City can rely on their age to act superior in front of me.”

Housekeeper Wang:
“…”

Old Head Yao waved his hand:
“She Deng Ke, show the guest out!”

After She Deng Ke had seen Housekeeper Wang out and returned, he said to Old Head Yao:
“Master, why didn’t you let us go for the visit? Going for a visit can also earn one or two silver.”

Old Head Yao scolded angrily:
“You two have been here for two years and can’t even feel a pulse accurately. Now you want to go for a visit? It’s like sending a killer, what’s the difference?”

She Deng Ke’s breath hitched:
“Master, I’ve been trying to learn…”

Old Head Yao raised his hand and a bamboo strip hit She Deng Ke’s arm:
“Go cook!”

She Deng Ke hurriedly went towards the backyard, and Liu Qu Xing followed behind him. One was tall and sturdy like an iron tower, the other was thin like a hemp pole.

When they reached the backyard, She Deng Ke lowered his voice:
“You went too far today, boy. We’re all fellow senior brothers, you shouldn’t bully people like this.”

Liu Qu Xing was startled:
“I went too far? How did I go too far? It’s not my fault his family didn’t pay his tuition silver, is it? Don’t forget, master only accepts one direct disciple!”

She Deng Ke fell into thought. A direct disciple could obtain an official position in the Imperial Medical Office. The three apprentices were originally in competition with each other.

…
…

The fragrance of rice wafted from the kitchen. In the courtyard, low rice tables and short-legged stools were set up. Old Head Yao held a bowl of millet porridge and slowly sipped it.

On the table were a dish of pickled vegetables and a dish of tofu. She Deng Ke and Liu Qu Xing sat properly on small stools, waiting for their master to finish eating and wipe his mouth before daring to pick up their chopsticks.

Since Chen Ji couldn’t pay his tuition silver, he didn’t even have a place to sit. He could only stand by and gnaw on a杂粮饼 (zaliang bing).

He didn’t know what wild vegetables were mixed in the杂粮饼, making it a bit hard to swallow. Chen Ji scooped a ladle of water from the water jar and swallowed the cake with the water. He then carried the water bucket and rag towards the main hall.

Old Head Yao glanced at him:
“It’s already dark and you’re still working?”

“I’m afraid I won’t finish things tomorrow, so I’m getting up early to wipe the floor,” Chen Ji explained.

Old Head Yao scratched his eyebrow:
“A bitter stratagem? You don’t have to play a bitter stratagem for me to see, I won’t soften my heart.”

Chen Ji smiled:
“I won’t, Master. I will earn the tuition silver for you as soon as possible.”

He really wanted to stay in the medical hall, not just because of the threat from Jiao Tu and Yun Yang, but also because of the unsolved mystery of the Ice Flow within his body. He needed to stay here to find solutions.

His situation since coming to this world seemed bad… But there was nothing to complain about, the world had given him a chance to live again, which was already very good.

Pessimists are always right, but optimists can always move forward.

Chen Ji placed the water bucket on the ground and wrung out the rag to wipe the floor. However, just as he bent down, the Ice Flow within his body suddenly surged without warning!

A biting cold attacked, quickly draining the temperature from Chen Ji’s body.

In just a few breaths, he was trembling all over, as if he were thinly clothed in the middle of winter.

“What exactly is this Ice Flow? Is it really a dead person’s vengeful spirit? Maybe I’ll wait for master to beat a senior brother to death and then I can observe…”

Chen Ji, trembling, performed the Stone Hug Pile technique to suppress the Ice Flow. Strangely, this time the Ice Flow didn’t retreat to his dantian but continued to rampage in his body, as if searching for something.

He felt the direction of the Ice Flow’s collision and looked towards the counter behind him, at a row of vermilion medicine cabinets.

“What is attracting you?” Chen Ji moved step by step towards the medicine cabinet until he pulled open the drawer labeled ‘ginseng’!

Fifty-year-old ginseng, there was only one stalk in the drawer.

Chen Ji felt the guidance of the Ice Flow and tried to touch the whiskers of the fifty-year-old ginseng with his hand. However, he saw the six root whiskers of the ginseng melt into a transparent liquid that flowed onto his palm, finally condensing into a bead the size of a thumb.

In an instant, the Ice Flow in his body was actually drawn away, completely clean!

Hm?

What is this thing used for?

Chen Ji picked up the bead and examined it carefully. Within the transparent bead, a snake-shaped thin mist seemed to be constantly wandering.

He wondered if he should eat this bead, but on second thought, if he ate it, wouldn’t the Ice Flow return to his body?

He decided not to rush to eat it yet. Anyway, the bead couldn’t run away. He’d check the books for information about it first.

Chen Ji stuffed the bead into his sleeve and lowered his head to look at the old ginseng. The originally quite dense root whiskers were bald by almost half…

“Will Master discover the abnormality? With his stingy character, if he discovers the old ginseng is damaged, how much money will I have to compensate? Will he directly kick me out of the medical hall?!”

Chen Ji’s heart jumped at the thought. He immediately found the medical hall’s inventory accounts to check and flipped to the page for old ginseng: “Fifty-year-old ginseng, one stalk, three qian, fourteen root whiskers.”

One qian is about 3 grams in weight. These accounts were recorded in too much detail. As long as Old Head Yao checked the inventory, he would definitely discover the problem with this stalk of old ginseng.

He frowned as he closed the drawer. His already poor family was now in even deeper trouble. He didn’t know how often Old Head Yao audited the inventory, so he had to solve this problem before the next audit.

However, what he needed to solve even more was the immediate problem: tomorrow’s exam school studies.

Chen Ji finished wiping the floor and didn’t go back to sleep. Instead, he found a general outline of medical arts to flip through. Although it was a bit late to start learning now, he still had to learn.

One day earlier he learned, one day less he’d be beaten.

At this moment, there was a slight sound of footsteps from the backyard. Chen Ji put the general outline of medical arts under the counter.

He turned his head and saw Liu Qu Xing wearing a jacket, stealthily watching him.

“Senior Brother, why are you awake?”

“I got up to urinate and came to see you,” Liu Qu Xing came over sneakily:
“I have to tell you something, otherwise my conscience won’t be at ease.”

“What is it?”

Liu Qu Xing said:
“When I asked you to help with work today, I really wanted to help you a little. Otherwise, if you can’t pay your tuition silver, Master will really kick you home. You must not listen to She Deng Ke’s nonsense, I have no ill intentions.”

Chen Ji smiled and said:
“Don’t worry, Senior Brother Liu, I know your good intentions.”

“Alright, it’s good that you know my good intentions,” Liu Qu Xing, wearing his jacket, returned to the room. She Deng Ke was still snoring.

He shook She Deng Ke:
“Wake up! Wake up!”

No reaction.

Liu Qu Xing said again:
“Quickly wake up, Chen Ji is secretly reviewing his studies!”

With a whoosh, She Deng Ke sat up:
“What?!”

Liu Qu Xing hurriedly changed the subject:
“I just got up to urinate and thought I’d go see why Chen Ji still hadn’t come back to sleep. It turns out he’s been reading books secretly while we were sleeping!”

She Deng Ke was greatly shocked:
“So despicable?!”

“Isn’t it? Then let’s learn too!”

She Deng Ke was impatient:
“Learn what in the middle of the night? Go to sleep! You’re not allowed to learn!”

“Okay! Not learning! Sleeping!”

At midnight, She Deng Ke was woken up by the urge to urinate. He got up and looked around, realizing he was the only one left in the room.

The tall and sturdy young man got up suspiciously, put on his long gown, and went towards the courtyard. He discovered that there was actually an orange-red firelight in the kitchen.

He pushed open the door and saw Liu Qu Xing wearing a jacket, sitting on a small stool by the stove, lighting an oil lamp, and holding a book on typhoid pathology…

“You damn!” She Deng Ke covered Liu Qu Xing’s mouth and started hitting him. Even Chen Ji didn’t expect that he had actually brought the crooked wind of internal competition to the medical hall.

While he was hitting him, a girl carrying a lantern, with an anxious expression, came to the medical hall door and shouted loudly:
“Imperial Physician Yao, Imperial Physician Yao!”

The white paper lantern had the words “Jing Wang Fu” written on it.

The girl’s shouting attracted everyone’s attention in the medical hall. She Deng Ke stopped hitting Liu Qu Xing and ran outside.

He came to the main hall and opened the door:
“Chun Hua, why are you here so late?”

The girl, Chun Hua, looked about eighteen or nineteen years old, wearing a bright green襦裙 (ru qun), with a clear and beautiful appearance. She said urgently:
“She Deng Ke, where is Imperial Physician Yao?”

At this time, Old Head Yao slowly came out, with his hands behind his back, and slowly asked:
“What happened?”

Chun Hua hurriedly said:
“Something has happened to my madam, please go and see quickly.”

Everyone looked at Old Head Yao, but saw him silent for a moment:
“It’s not suitable to go out tonight, I won’t go.”

Chen Ji:
“Huh?”

Wasn’t this the Imperial Physician’s Hall specifically for Jing Wang Fu?

Chun Hua was so anxious that sweat beaded on her forehead. She hurriedly gave She Deng Ke a look, hinting for him to help persuade.

She Deng Ke quickly said:
“Master, it’s already past midnight, a new day. Do you want to divine again?”

Old Head Yao glanced at him:
“Then I’ll divine again.”

Saying this, he took out copper coins from his sleeve and threw them six times, muttering:
“Heaven creates chaos, just and soft begin to interact and difficulty is born, moving in danger, Water Thunder Tun…”

Old Head Yao’s face changed greatly:
“Great ominous! Not going, not going, I definitely can’t go now!”

Chun Hua was so anxious she wanted to cry out:
“Imperial Physician Yao, if I can’t invite a doctor in the middle of the night, I’ll die when I go back. Moreover, I’m carrying the Wang Fu waist token, your Imperial Physician’s Hall must go for a visit!”

She Deng Ke stepped forward:
“Master, if you really don’t want to go, I’ll go!”

Old Head Yao thought for a moment:
“… Chen Ji, you go.”

Chen Ji:
“Huh? Me?”