Long Feiye glanced through the window and saw Baili Mingxiang changing the dressing on a young master’s bandages. The man was just over 20 and dressed remarkably. It was obvious his origins weren’t ordinary but extremely wealthy. Still, the frivolous, uncouth set of his brows made it clear that he was only a classic wastrel.
Baili Mingxiang fixed the wound on his leg before starting to rise, but he caught her by the wrist. She struggled a few times, but couldn’t get free. It was obvious he was taking liberties with her.
“Xiao Chongan’s1 favorite grandson, the Seventh Young Master of the Xiao Clan.” Long Feiye recognized the man at a glance.
Han Yunxi had heard of the Xiao Clan. Just this morning, she’d met Xiao Chongan, who was also the leader of the five clan heads.
“So what? He must be sick of living…if he dares to seduce people from Pill Fiend Pharmacy!” Han Yunxi was about to charge in when a bag of medicine suddenly smacked against Seventh Youth Master Xiao’s leg wound.
“Ah!” he released Baili Mingxiang’s wrist to clutch at his knee and yell. “The pain’s killing me! Who did that?! Are you seeking death?”
Su Xiaoyu stalked into the room, holding another bundle of medicine in her hands. “Me, your grandaunt!”
Forget Seventh Young Master Xiao. Even Baili Mingxiang sucked in a cold breath at the words. Su Xiaoyu was at least a dozen years younger than the man but still called herself his “grandaunt!” Han Yunxi almost laughed out loud. She decided to stay put outside and watch the show.
“Call over the guards and let’s leave,” Long Feiye said. He was too busy to care about such minor affairs.
“No need, that little ‘grandaunt’ can settle this for sure. You go along first,” Han Yunxi was in a mood to stick around. This was her first time seeing Su Xiaoyu actually come to Baili Mingxiang’s aid.
Long Feiye didn’t press her and left first. He had already received news at noon that Gu Beiyue, Gu Qishao and the rest had all returned to Pill Fiend Pharmacy. Chu Xifeng’s circumstances were worth discussing with Gu Beiyue as well. Meanwhile, Han Yunxi hid herself by the window.
Soon enough, all of the patients inside the treatment hall woke up to the sounds of Su Xiaoyu and Seventh Young Master’s Xiao’s arguing.
“Damned girl, what kind of scallion are you, backmouthing me like this?! Do you know who this young lord is?” Seventh Young Master Xiao had already stood up. Baili Mingxiang stared at the bloody wound on his leg in disbelief. He was clearly carried in here complaining about turning into a cripple. How come he can stand now?
He certainly knows how to act!
“This grandauntie don’t know what kind of scallion you are, either. This isn’t the brothel–”
Now Baili Mingxiang was fuming. Do you have to speak like that? Is this girl going to start badmouthing me next?
But Su Xiaoyu only continued, “–but if you try and touch her again, do you trust that grandauntie will poison you to death?”
“You! Which eye of yours saw this young lord touch her? I wouldn’t take trash like her even if she was given to me as a gift!” Seventh Young Master Xiao said scornfully.
Before he finished, Su Xiaoyu’s other bag of medicine smacked him straight on the head, where it split and scattered powder all over his face.
“You b*tch!” Seventh Young Master Xiao roared and threw himself at Su Xiaoyu.
“Someone! Someone come, ah!” Baili Mingxiang shouted, but Su Xiaoyu’s voice was cold.
“What are you whining for? Grandauntie’s more than enough to take care of this swine!”
The guards arrived quickly, but Su Xiaoyu waved at them to back off. She turned sideways to avoid Seventh Young Master Xiao’s claws and pulled Baili Mingxiang after her, increasing the distance between them and him. Baili Mingxiang looked at the little hand tightly gripping hers and felt a strange sensation in her chest. It was hard to describe, but she suddenly realized that this child had very cold hands.
Covered in powder, Seventh Young Master Xiao rubbed his eyes before lunging at the girls again, but he only clutched air. After a few more failed attempts, he fumed, “Do you know who this young lord is? I’m the Xiao Clan’s Seventh Young–”
“You think you can just say ‘Seventh Young’ (qishao, 七少) as you please?” A clear and melodious voice cut in. The next second, a figure flipped through the window: Mu Linger.
Han Yunxi was surprised. Mu Linger’s back? In other words, Gu Qishao should have returned as well.
“Mu Linger, you’re in charge of Pill Fiend Pharmacy now, aren’t you? These two sluts dared to join up and slander this young lord. They even smashed me with medicine. Such disgusting conduct! How is your Pill Fiend Pharmacy teaching their help? I’m taking both these people with me, or else this won’t be over!”
Seventh Young Master Xiao was very familiar with Mu Linger, but he didn’t know that Su Xiaoyu and Baili Mingxiang were Qin Wangfei’s servants. Mu Linger only gave him a disdainful look before she chuckled coldly. “Didn’t you hear what this young Miss just said?”
Seventh Young Master Xiao hadn’t noticed, but he did notice her strange attitude. “What are you talking about?”
Without a word, Mu Linger went to kick him right on his leg wound. Finally, Seventh Young Master Xiao lost his footing and toppled to the ground. Su Xiaoyu looked at Mu Linger with reverent eyes, wishing she could kick him too. But Baili Mingxiang was just worried. This was a young master of the Xiao Clan. Would they cause trouble for esteemed wangfei and His Highness Duke of Qin after this?
Mu Linger looked down at the man and warned, “This young Miss told you two months ago that you’d have to suffer the consequences if I heard you calling yourself “qishao” (Seventh Young) again!”
Han Yunxi only shook her head from the window. How much does Mu Linger like Gu Qishao? She won’t even let others use words with his name in them? She’s really…a fanatic!
She assumed that Seventh Young Master Xiao would revolt, but he only withered up and looked at Mu Linger resentfully. “I, I just forgot, didn’t I? N-next time I won’t do it!”
Both Han Yunxi and Baili Mingxiang were flabbergasted. What was going on now? Meanwhile, Su Xiaoyu only worshipped Mu Linger all the more.
“Hmph,” Mu Linger smirked. “Fine. Then what about payment for touching Pill Fiend Pharmacy people? Don’t think I didn’t know what was going on.”
She was nothing less than Seventh Young Master Xiao’s star of disaster. Instead of arguing, the man quickly waved his hand. “Fine, fine! Hurry and get someone to treat this young lord’s wound and I’ll leave, how’s that?”
Mu Linger didn’t let Baili Mingxiang or Su Xiaoyu go, but hauled Seventh Young Master Xiao to a chair and personally bandaged his injury. For the next few minutes, the treatment hall was filled with nothing but the sound of howls and wails. Finally, Seventh Young Master Xiao had to be carried out of the hall instead of walking off himself.
Baili Mingxiang was the first to speak once he was gone. “Miss Linger, how…that young master from the Xiao Clan seems to fear you a lot!”
“It’s because he can’t get it up and relies on this young Miss to supply him with medicine monthly.”
Although Seventh Young Master Xiao had exhorted Mu Linger to keep this fact secret, she carelessly revealed the truth, attracting all the attention of the patients inside the hall.
Baili Mingxiang smiled. “Many thanks to Miss Linger.”
“Big sister Linger, you can even treat erectile dysfunction? Teach me how!” Su Xiaoyu was delighted.
Mu Linger knocked her upside the head. “What’s the use of you knowing that much when you’re so young?”
Su Xiaoyu still wanted to ask, but Mu Linger simply dragged them to a side hall. Curious, Han Yunxi hurried after them from outdoors.
Here, Mu Linger began to coldly question the pair. “I was barely gone, but the giant bags of Chinese goldthread and licorice root in the warehouse are already empty? How did you guys use them up?”
This was Pill Fiend Pharmacy’s main store, so no outsiders were allowed to fill prescriptions. Mu Linger had been personally overseeing its duties, but gave the job to the two females when she left. Hearing this, Han Yunxi knitted her brows as well.
Chinese goldthread was a precious and rare ingredient. Modern medicine had developed underwood planting to raise the plant before they increased its quantity and survival rate in the wild. But even so, it took five to six years for human-cultivated crops to reach maturity. Moreover, the plants had to be carefully dried after harvest before they could be stored and used. In the past, such plants were found growing wild, but only in small quantities. Pill Fiend Pharmacy had planted its own and only selected the best of the best. It still wasn’t easy to get their hands on them!
On the other hand, licorice root was a wild plant was well. Only Medicine City’s Wang Clan had the means to cultivate them as a crop. Every ten prescriptions had nine or so that needed it for an ingredient, so massive quantities were required. Thus, both wild and domesticated strains struggled to meet demand. This too, was a difficult plant to obtain.
How could two big sacks of ingredients be emptied so quickly? Could it be that the two had stolen them? Even Han Yunxi found the idea ridiculous.
“What’s going on?” Mu Linger asked angrily.
Baili Mingxiang and Su Xiaoyu both stood with heads bowed, not saying a word.
“You won’t tell?” Mu Linger arched a brow.
“Isn’t it all her fault?! She always puts extra licorice root in the prescriptions, saying how she’s afraid it’ll be too bitter for the patients to eat,” Su Xiaoyu said coldly. “Baili Mingxiang, if you’re so moral, why don’t you go be a Bodhisattva instead? What’s the point of you staying by esteemed wangfei’s side?”
Baili Mingxiang hastened to explain. “Miss Linger, the weather’s been unstable this whole month. Many children fell sick, and a lot of the prescriptions we filled didn’t have much licorice root at all. Most of them were very bitter ingredients instead, so I…” She paused, before continuing, “I secretly put in licorice root after carefully examining the prescriptions. Large quantities of licorice won’t have any adverse effects. I’ll pay back the losses myself.”
“Heheh, not even claiming credit for your good deeds, huh!” Su Xiaoyu mocked.
Now Baili Mingxiang was mad. “Miss Linger, this girl was the one who used up all the Chinese goldthread. I have to tell you about this. If any patients say something that displeases her, she adds Chinese goldthread to their prescriptions. Although it isn’t fatal, it’s too immoral. Suppose someone who understands medicine caught onto what she did? Then our reputation as Pill Fiend Pharmacy will be ruined!”
Han Yunxi had already rolled her eyes multiple times by this point. What should she say? Baili Mingxiang and Su Xiaoyu…had to be a perfect match! To do such things together!
“How would I ruin anything? Chinese goldthread was added for the patient’s health. It can expel poisons. And it’s so pricey that they should thank me for giving them some for free!” Su Xiaoyu said slyly.
Mu Linger was about to lose her mind. After a long period of silence, she finally fumed, “If not for Han Yunxi’s sake, I wouldn’t forgive either of you! You have ten days’ time to get me licorice root and Chinese goldthread. If you fail, just watch! Forget about Han Yunxi, I won’t even give Long Feiye any face for what you’ve done!”
After that, she stalked off in a temper.
Su Xiaoyu only whispered, “His Highness Duke of Qin wouldn’t care about something so trivial!” Then she ignored Baili Mingxiang and turned to leave.
Baili Mingxiang stared after her back before shouting after her, “Girl, thanks for back there.”
It wasn’t clear whether Su Xiaoyu heard her because she simply kept walking without looking back. Han Yunxi was too busy to linger any longer. She didn’t have to worry with Mu Linger in charge, at any rate. She was about to find her when someone tapped her shoulder from behind.
“Poison lass, shh…”
1. Xiao Chongan (萧崇安) – Xiao is a surname that means “desolate, dreary,” Chong is “high, lofty, sublime,” An is “peace.”