Chapter 382

When the sky gradually darkened, 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.

Altogether, we picked up four doses of medicine, because a Chinese doctor must prescribe 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 to prescribe more for the time being, only prescribing four doses first. After a few days, when we have free time, we will come again to visit Shishi and renew the prescription.

Granny Red did not follow us back, but stayed at the Zhao residence to look after Shishi; it was evident that Granny Red genuinely liked Shishi and wanted to take her as a disciple, signing a contract with her.

I thought to myself, with Granny Red around, 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 that I personally drew, and since Granny Red is my subordinate, they will have an effect on her.

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

Two men and two women walked along 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 actually triggered by an inadvertent action of Yao Yirong. At some point, while walking shoulder to shoulder with Silijing, she suddenly slowed her steps imperceptibly, then, without thinking, gave Pangzi a push, shoving him forward.

Afterward, Yao Yirong walked slower and slower, seemingly deliberately making a bit of free space for Pangzi and Silijing.

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

"Ah, you say, you guess how many minutes it will take for Brother Weiqiang and Sister Jingjing to hold hands?" Yao Yirong munched on popcorn with a gab-gab 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 twenty minutes."

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

I shrugged and said, "This is what I inferred from Pangzi's personality; don't look at how he usually drops his morals everywhere and runs around lecherously—actually, deep down he is still a rather shy person."

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

Ten minutes passed, and the two still walked 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 clear progress as they began to talk; this cannot be denied as a good start.

But thirty minutes passed... the two merely talked, keeping their original walking distance, never closing 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, simply tossed the popcorn aside, pursed her lips and said it was boring, then followed behind Yao Yirong and went 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, exhausted and frustrated.

Pangzi nibbled on melon seeds, looking at me with an utterly pure gaze, and said innocently, "All along the way I've been chatting with Sister Jingjing!"

"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, and I instantly felt energized as if injected with chicken blood, leaning over curiously to ask: "What else?"

I asked her what she ate the day before yesterday.

I... Pangzi, I am truly convinced by you! You sure, this is how you try to pick up girls?

Being bombarded by my relentless questioning, Pangzi's face also turned a bit red, and he hurriedly 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."

Hearing Pangzi say that, I quickly pulled out Murong Jiaja's jade pendant from my pocket; frankly, I am also very eager to see whether Murong Jiaja can refine the Eight Treasures Purple Gold Pill. First of all, this is a precious prescription, and moreover, she can cure Shishi's Spiritual Aperture. As long as Shishi's Spiritual Aperture is healed, once she becomes Granny Red's disciple, she will no longer be haunted by a hundred ghosts, and Granny Zhao will have one less worry, no longer needing to live in constant fear.

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

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

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

Seeing her appear, I hastily placed my hand on the umbrella handle. With many people on the street, seeing an umbrella floating in midair would always be a bit frightening.

"Miss Murong, do you really know how to refine the Eight Treasures Purple Gold Pill?" As soon as Murong Jiaja appeared, Pangzi couldn't wait to ask.

Murong Jiaja nodded slightly and smiled 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 Jiaja's refinement was not the genuine Eight Treasures Purple Gold Pill, Pangzi felt a bit discouraged; however, her next sentence immediately boosted his spirits again.

Actually, we all know that the earliest appearance of the Purple Gold Pill was not in the Ming Chao; it originated in the Eastern Jin. Its formula was developed by Xu Ziping. Xu Ziping served as the magistrate of Huayin County during the An Emperor's reign, 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 developed the "Taihe Purple Gold Tablet."

However, Xu Ziping's Purple Gold Tablet at that time contained only nine medicinal herbs, and its characteristics were treating metal wounds, injuries from falls and blows, and detoxification. By the Northern Song period, this Purple Gold Tablet had also become renowned throughout the world. As Wudang Daoists skilled in medicine continually traveled the land, the formula for this Purple Gold Tablet gradually spread to the populace. However, the formulas that entered the folk were mostly those with the head and tail removed, lacking complete medicinal properties. In terms of therapeutic effect, they ultimately could not match the authentic version from Mount Wudang. This is also the Wudang Daoists' peace of mind: if the authentic formula were all to flow into the populace, who would still regard the Wudang Purple Gold Tablet as anything significant?

Moreover, after the Eastern Han, 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 Purple Gold Pill is ultimately the Eight Treasures Purple Gold Pill of Mount Wudang, made from a blend of one hundred and eight medicinal herbs; it is not comparable to the ordinary so-called Purple Gold Pills commonly found among the folk.

Although Murong Jiaja says she knows how to refine the Lesser Eight Treasures, which is inferior to the authentic Eight Treasures Purple Gold Pill, I am confident that this is certainly not comparable to those folk versions with the head and tail removed; 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 Jiaja, which is why I dare to draw it. However, Pangzi, who is not yet familiar enough with Murong Jiaja, upon hearing the three words "Lesser Eight Treasures," instinctively equated it with those folk counterfeit prescriptions that have the head and tail removed.

"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 physique, and in terms of efficacy, it differs from the genuine Eight Treasures Purple Gold Pill by only a little." Murong Jiaja looked at Pangzi's dejected appearance and 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 prescription? Shishi's condition cannot be delayed." Upon hearing Murong Jiaja say that, Pangzi finally realized that her Lesser Eight Treasures was not those folk counterfeit prescriptions, and he hurriedly pressed her for an answer.

Murong Jiaja shook her head, unable to deny: "Although it is the Lesser Eight Treasures, it is merely a bit simpler to produce than the full Eight Treasures Purple Gold Pill in the refinement process; if one wants to refine it, it probably cannot be done in a moment. You need not rush; let me think it over, and once I have figured it out, I will naturally tell you."

Having said that, Murong Jiaja once again turned into a wisp of green smoke, drifting into the jade pendant, leaving the anxiously Pangzi wanting to cry but unable to tears as he looked at me.

"I say, is Miss Murong really like this? Saying half and leaving half to keep people hanging." Pangzi said, wanting to cry but unable to tears.

"She really hasn't figured it out; her soul and spirit have been damaged, and many things need to be slowly recalled!" I gave him a look and said speechlessly.

I know Murong Jiaja's situation: her soul and spirit have suffered severe damage over the long years, many things she can't remember anymore, and she must slowly recollect them.

However, at this moment I am increasingly curious about Murong Jiaja's identity. Her origin does not seem at all like that of a mere wandering spirit or wild ghost; she seems well versed in the matters of Yi studies. Her identity, as far as we know so far, remains a mystery.

Anyway, it's not worth prying; everyone has their own secrets, as long as we know we're friends that's enough. There's no need to bother over whether it's mysterious or not.

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

Yuan Qiu had both hands cuffed 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 actually... Chen Mo, who had left us just last night!

"I say, what are you 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, that 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.

Yuan Qiu, having broken free, stood up and immediately lodged a dissatisfied complaint toward Chen Mo: "I already told you I'm not a thief; I just forgot to bring the key, that's why I climbed up through the window."

"You didn't bring the key, won't you ask the front desk downstairs for one?" the usually silent Pangzi weakly interjected.

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

"Then what?"

"Then I just thought that way: you can't give up halfway through a task; since I'd started climbing, I might as well reach 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, where Chen Mo mistook him for a thief and forcefully 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 herself?

With a clatter, Chen Mo pulled out a key from her pocket and smiled: "I showed my police ID, got it from the front desk downstairs, and have been waiting for you all day."

I... non-guests know to ask the front desk for a key, while guests act like thieves, foolishly climbing up the water pipe—this day and age, truly bizarre, people's thinking has gone off to a height I can't comprehend.

I first was speechless for a moment, then reminded by Chen Mo's latter sentence, I quickly asked her: "By the way, what are you waiting for us for… could it be that you've got the files in hand?"

Chen Mo's nod confirmed my guess was right; she took out a document from her bag and 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 our hands together, she slapped Pangzi's hand away and snapped at him fiercely: "You're not allowed to look."

Pangzi, not willing to be outdone, glared back at her and muttered quietly to the side: "Fine, don't look then—what's the big deal."

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

After I said that, the two seemed to feel embarrassed and simultaneously became serious.

Seeing them finally quiet, I placed the file on the table, gently opened the first page, sat and read for over two hours, and finally finished the whole file.

From the file, although these people died the same way, as Chen Mo said, their backgrounds are worlds apart, with no conceivable connection.

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

Looking at the Gregorian calendar, there's nothing different, but when I used the heavenly stems and earthly branches era to calculate their four pillars, I finally found something off.

Even so, my heart feels like an overturned river, for these people's eight characters reveal a message.

They are actually all……