Chapter 110

As the sky grew dark, we prepared to bid farewell to Granny Zhao and return to our respective lodgings. Before leaving, Pangzi repeatedly urged Granny Zhao, insisting that she must prepare the medicine on time for Shishi to drink, to regulate Shishi's body.

We had gathered a total of four doses of medicine, because Chinese medicine must be prescribed according to the condition. After a period of time, the pathology will change; although it's for conditioning, we also need to change the medicine according to the patient's actual situation, so Pangzi didn't dare prescribe more for the time being, only able to first prescribe four doses. After a few days, when we have free time, we will come again to visit Shishi and prescribe medicine anew.

Granny Red did not follow us back, but stayed at the Zhao residence to look after Shishi. It is evident that Granny Red genuinely likes Shishi, wants to take her as a disciple, and sign a contract with her.

Upon reflection, with Granny Red present, at least she would also protect Shishi from being disturbed by some wandering spirits and wild ghosts, thus adding a bit more security to Shishi's safety.

Just in case, I drew two talismans for Shishi to wear on her person; these are Yin talismans drawn by me personally. Since Granny Red is my subordinate, there will be any influence on her.

Having quietly completed all this, despite Granny Zhao's repeated reluctant attempts to retain us, we four still left her home.

Two men and two women walked on the unfamiliar yet familiar streets of Aomen; Pangzi and Silijing did not speak to each other, and a tranquil yet strange atmosphere lingered around them.

The reason the atmosphere became awkward was due to an inadvertent action by Yao Yirong. At some point, while walking side by side with Silijing, she quietly slowed her steps, then inadvertently pushed Pangzi forward.

Afterwards, Yao Yirong walked slower and slower, seemingly deliberately making some free space for Pangzi and Silijing.

Thus, a scene appeared on the street: Pangzi and Silijing in front, while I and Yao Yirong quietly followed behind at a distance of one meter.

"Ah, you say, you guess how many minutes will it take for Brother Weiqiang and Sister Jingjing to hold hands?" Yao Yirong munched popcorn with a gaba‑gaba sound, looking like she was watching a show.

I reached out, grabbed a handful of popcorn from the bucket and stuffed it into my mouth, glanced at Pangzi and Silijing, then looked at my watch, before answering Yao Yirong: 'About 20 minutes.'

"That long…" Yao Yirong looked at me in surprise.

I shrugged and said: 'This is my inference based on Pangzi's character. Don't look at how he usually drops his morals everywhere and runs around lecherously; in fact, deep down he is still a rather shy person.'

"Fine… I'll just watch," Yao Yirong said crisply, then stuffed another handful of popcorn into her mouth.

Ten minutes passed, and the two were still walking side by side without saying a word. 2

Twenty minutes passed, and the two seemed to turn their heads and start whispering, which made me and Yao Yirong raise our eyebrows and stare more intently; ah… this looks like a game!

Twenty minutes passed, although their hands were still not joined, there was obvious progress—they began to speak; this must be said to be a good start.

But thirty minutes passed… the two merely talked, while walking they kept their original distance, never drawing closer even half a step, not at all like lovers.

Gradually, an hour passed; we escorted Yao Yirong and Silijing back to their lodgings—not to mention holding hands, Pangzi didn't even touch a single strand of Silijing's hair.

Having watched the whole process, I was dumbfounded, unable to recover for a while. Yao Yirong, on the other hand, directly tossed the popcorn, pursed her lips and said it was boring, then followed behind Silijing upstairs.

…………

"Pangzi… I say, did you get it wrong? You spent a whole hour and didn't even touch a single strand of Silijing's hair—what the hell are you up to?" On the way back, I complained to Pangzi, feeling exhausted.

Pangzi was nibbling melon seeds, looking at me with a very pure gaze, innocently saying: 'I was chatting with Sister Jingjing the whole way!'

"What about?"

"Chatting about what she ate today."

"And then?"

"Chatting about what she ate yesterday."

"Anything else?"

"There's more…" Pangzi nodded very honestly; I instantly felt energized, as if injected with chicken blood, leaned over and curiously asked: "What else?"

I asked her what she ate the day before yesterday.

I… Pangzi, I am truly convinced by you! You sure, the girl is you trying to pick up like this?

Being bombarded by my relentless questioning, Pangzi's face also turned a bit red, and he hastily changed the subject: 'Don't mention this; quickly ask Miss Murong whether she can actually refine the Eight Treasures Purple Gold Pill—this might just be another game or dream, giving us empty joy.'

Upon hearing Pangzi say that, I quickly took out Murong Jiaojiao's jade pendant from my bosom. To be honest, I am also very eager to see whether Murong Jiaojiao can refine the Eight Treasures Purple Gold Pill. First of all, this is a precious prescription; moreover, she can cure Shishi's Spiritual Aperture. As long as Shishi's Spiritual Aperture is cured, after becoming a disciple of Granny Red, she will no longer be entangled by a hundred ghosts, and Granny Zhao will have one less worry, no longer needing to live in fear all day.

Thinking of this, I took out the jade pendant and repeatedly called out Murong Jiaojiao's name.

Not long after, Murong Jiaojiao's graceful figure appeared in our sight.

Dressed in a green outfit, holding an umbrella, she walked like a fairy from a painting, still as beautiful and moving as ever.

Upon seeing her appear, I quickly placed my hand on the umbrella handle. There were many people on the street; seeing an umbrella floating in mid‑air would always be a bit frightening.

"Miss Murong, can you really refine the Eight Treasures Purple Gold Pill?" As soon as Murong Jiaojiao appeared, Pangzi eagerly asked.

Murong Jiaojiao nodded, smiling gently: 'Yes, but what I refine is probably the Lesser Eight Treasures Purple Gold Pill. In terms of efficacy, it cannot compare to the genuine Eight Treasures Purple Gold Pill of Master Zhang.'

Upon hearing that Murong Jiaojiao's refinement was not the genuine Eight Treasures Purple Gold Pill, Pangzi felt a bit discouraged. However, her next sentence immediately gave him renewed vigor.

Actually, we all know that the earliest appearance of the Purple Gold Pill was not in the Ming Chao; it first originated in the Eastern Jin. Its formula was developed by Xu Ziping. Xu Ziping served as the magistrate of Huayin County during the reign of Emperor An, then resigned to study Dao, hiding in Mount Wudang. While cultivating Dao, he devoted himself to researching medicinal herbs. Later, utilizing the abundant medicinal resources of Mount Wudang, he invented and produced the 'Taihe Purple Gold Pill'.

However, Xu Ziping's Purple Gold Pill at that time contained only nine medicinal ingredients, and its characteristics were treating traumatic injuries, falls and blows, and detoxification. By the Northern Song period, this Purple Gold Pill had also become famous throughout the world. As Wudang Daoists skilled in medicine continually traveled the land, the formula for this Purple Gold Pill gradually spread to the populace. But the formulas that entered the folk were mostly truncated, lacking complete medicinal properties. In terms of therapeutic effect, they ultimately could not compare to the orthodox version from Mount Wudang. This is also the Wudang Daoists' peace of mind: if the orthodox formula were all to flow into the populace, who would still regard the Wudang Purple Gold Pill as anything noteworthy?

After the Eastern Jin, there also appeared Taiyi Dan, Shen Shui Dan and other elixirs, whose principles are hardly different from Xu Ziping's Eight Treasures Purple Gold Pill. But the most perfected Eight Treasures Purple Gold Pill is ultimately that of Mount Wudang, compounded from one hundred and eight medicinal ingredients; it is not comparable to the ordinary so‑called Purple Gold Pill found among the folk.

Although Murong Jiaojiao says she knows how to refine the Lesser Eight Treasures, which is inferior to the orthodox Eight Treasures Purple Gold Pill, I am confident that this is certainly not comparable to the folk's truncated Purple Gold Pill; even if it were compared to the genuine Eight Treasures Purple Gold Pill, I would not want to concede much.

Of course, this conclusion is based on my sufficient understanding of Murong Jiaojiao, which is why I dare to draw it. However, Pangzi, who is not yet familiar enough with Murong Jiaojiao, upon hearing the three words 'Lesser Eight Treasures', instinctively equated it with the folk's counterfeit prescriptions.

"Although it is the Lesser Eight Treasures Purple Gold Pill, it is sufficient to cure that little girl's illness; not only that, it can also wash her tendons and marrow, improve her constitution, and in terms of efficacy, it only falls slightly short of the genuine Eight Treasures Purple Gold Pill." Murong Jiaojiao, looking at Pangzi's dejected expression, couldn't help but smile faintly.

"Oh… really, then it seems this Lesser Eight Treasures is pretty awesome, Miss Murong, when will you tell me the formula? Shishi's condition cannot be delayed." Upon hearing Murong Jiaojiao say that, Pangzi finally realized that her Lesser Eight Treasures was not the folk's counterfeit prescription, and hurriedly pressed her for more.

Murong Jiaojiao shook her head, unable to deny: 'Although it is the Lesser Eight Treasures, it is merely a simplification in the refining process compared to the complete Eight Treasures Purple Gold Pill; if one wishes to produce it, it probably cannot be done in a short time. Don't rush on this matter; let me think it over, and once I have figured it out, I will naturally tell you.'

Having said that, Murong Jiaojiao once again turned into a wisp of green smoke, drifting into the jade pendant, leaving the anxiously waiting Pangzi looking at me, wanting to cry but unable to shed tears.

"I say, Miss Murong, is this just her personality? Saying half and leaving half to keep people in suspense." Pangzi said, wanting to cry but unable to shed tears.

"She really hasn't figured it out; her soul has been damaged, and many things need to be slowly recalled!" I gave him a glance, speechless.

I know Murong Jiaojiao's situation: her soul has been severely damaged over the long years, many things she cannot remember, and she must slowly recollect them.

However, at this moment I am increasingly curious about Murong Jiaojiao's identity. Her origin is not as simple as that of a lone wandering ghost; she seems quite versed in the matters of Yi studies. As of now, her identity remains a mystery.

Nevertheless, never mind her; everyone has their own secrets, as long as we know we are friends that's enough. Whether it's mysterious or not, there's no need to worry about all that.

After walking for more than half an hour, we finally returned to the inn; however, just as we pushed open the door, we saw an unbelievable scene.

Yuan Qiu's hands were bound behind his back, and a woman ruthlessly pressed him to the ground, where he wailed and screamed in anguish.

But when we saw that woman, we couldn't help but be greatly startled.

The one who had Yuan Qiu locked to the ground was, in fact…… Chen Mo, who had left us the previous night!!

"I say, what are you guys up to? Chen Mo, how did you come here… and Yuan Qiu, how did you provoke her?" To claim that Yuan Qiu offended Chen Mo, this reason seems insufficient; in my impression, Yuan Qiu is not such a lecherous person.

"Huh, this little thief actually knows you……" Chen Mo was surprised for a moment, then quickly let go of Yuan Qiu.

Having freed himself from the bonds, Yuan Qiu stood up and immediately complained to Chen Mo dissatisfiedly: "I already told you I'm not a thief; I only forgot to bring the key, so I climbed up through the window."

"You didn't bring the key, why didn't you ask the downstairs customer service for it?" the usually silent Pangzi weakly interjected.

"Actually, I also wanted to go ask the customer service for the key." Yuan Qiu said with a tearful face: "But by the time I thought of that, I had already climbed to the second floor……"

"Then what?"

"Then I just thought that way: you can't give up halfway when doing something; since I'd started climbing, I should keep going to the top. Anyway, I'd already climbed two floors, so what's two more?"

I…… this intelligence, this logic, are almost on par with Pangzi's.

No need to think; he must have entered the room, then Chen Mo in the room mistook him for a thief and firmly subdued him.

"By the way, how do you have the key to our room?" At that moment, I suddenly thought of a crucial question: Chen Mo isn't a guest, so how does she have our room's key…… Could it be that she picked the lock and came in?

With a clank, Chen Mo pulled out a set of keys from her pocket and smiled: "I showed my police ID, got them from the downstairs customer service, and have been waiting for you all day."

I…… non-guests know to go ask customer service for the key. Guests instead act like thieves, foolishly climbing up the drainpipe; this day and age, it's truly bizarre—people's thinking has become so eccentric it's reached a height I can't comprehend.

I first was speechless in my heart, then reminded by Chen Mo's latter sentence, I hurriedly asked her: "By the way, what are you waiting for us…… could it be that you've gotten hold of the files?"

Chen Mo's nod confirmed my guess was right; she took out something from her backpack and then handed it to me and Pangzi.

"These are the files of those previous victims; see if you can find any clues in them."

As Pangzi and I reached out together, she slapped Pangzi's hand away and fiercely told him: "You're not allowed to look."

Pangzi, not willing to be outdone, glared back at her and muttered quietly to the side: "If I'm not looking, I'm not looking; what's the big deal."

"Cut it out……" I glanced at them angrily; at this point, they're still bickering like lovers, still wondering whether they want to solve the case, whether they want to figure out what's going on.

After I said that, both of them seemed to feel embarrassed and, without prior agreement, became serious.

After seeing them finally quiet down, I placed the files on the table, gently opened the first page, and sat reading for over two hours before finishing the whole file.

From the files, although these people died in the same way, as Chen Mo said, their backgrounds are worlds apart, basically unrelated.

"No, I must have missed something." I thought that, then suddenly realized the birth dates of these ten victims are a bit strange.

Looking at the Gregorian calendar, there's nothing different; but when I used the Heavenly Stems and Earthly Branches system to calculate their four pillars, I finally found something off.

Even so, my heart right now is tumultuous, because these people's eight characters all reveal a piece of information.

They actually all are……