Chapter Fourteen: Does He Know Too Much?

Morning.

It was only when people in the room began to get up one after another that Chen Yushu pretended to have just woken as well and walked out. At that moment, he deliberately glanced at Xu Hao.

There were deep circles under Xu Hao’s eyes, his complexion was pale, and his steps as he walked were unsteady. Suddenly, a fellow apprentice came over and slapped him on the shoulder; Xu Hao’s knees buckled, and he nearly stumbled to the ground.

“What’s wrong with you? Why so weak? Did you sneak off to the Mingyu pleasure boat again last night? Ended up in Moon Mushroom’s room?”

The apprentice who spoke seemed surprised, then grinned slyly.

“How could I?” Xu Hao replied. “I have no money now. I don’t even know what’s going on. I haven’t been sleeping well these days—plagued by nightmares.”

Xu Hao recognized it was Zhao Lei from Room One. Though Zhao Lei hadn’t been assigned to work inside the shop, he was a ‘senior’ apprentice responsible for the roasting and curing of medicinal herbs.

Roasting and curing was a method in medicine preparation: some herbs, even after cleaning, couldn’t be used directly. They required special processing—burning, steaming, sun-drying, neutralizing, stir-frying in earth, and so on—before they could be considered proper medicine, which would also enhance their effects.

Zhao Lei was about the same age as Xu Hao but had already been apprenticed four or five years. Xu Hao usually tried to stay in his good graces.

“Really didn’t go?” Zhao Lei looked surprised, then patted his shoulder lightly. “Don’t overdo the skilled work, you need to pace yourself.”

“I didn’t!” Xu Hao shook his head, unsure how to explain. He truly felt something was wrong these past two days.

Standing not far off, Chen Yushu thought to himself, Of course he’s weak. With a ghost clinging to him, draining his strength—even if Xu Hao has trained in the Medicine King Stance and gathered some life force, he can’t withstand such depletion.

After a moment’s consideration, Chen Yushu walked over to Li Hu and asked, as if idly, “Has anyone ever died in our shop?”

The ghost he’d seen last night wasn’t old, about the same age as the apprentices, so perhaps it had once been one of them. To become a ghost, of course, meant to have died—and not too long ago, either. Otherwise, with the Liu family’s resources, someone would surely have dealt with it.

“You’ve heard?” Li Hu’s voice dropped abruptly. He pulled Chen Yushu aside and whispered, “Someone died, yes. Actually, it wasn’t long ago—just ten days or so.

“His name was Li Pei, also an apprentice. Supposedly very talented—managed to get a handle on the Medicine King Stance within a month. But he was too driven, too diligent…”

“Too driven? Too diligent?” Chen Yushu was taken aback.

“That’s right! Gaining entry to the Medicine King Stance in a month is already impressive in our shop. The most gifted is Xu Lihao, the physician’s apprentice—the master’s favorite. He mastered the stance in seven days, reached proficiency in a year, and has now been accepted as Liu Physician’s personal disciple, learning medicine at his side. That’s a future doctor, with limitless prospects.

“But Li Pei was also talented—he gained entry in a month. Still, as you know, the stance burns through energy. After you get started, it’s even more taxing. With our food, twice a day is the limit. But he trained three, even four times a day. Soon enough, his body gave out.”

Li Hu shook his head as he spoke.

“And then he died?” Chen Yushu asked quickly, inwardly alarmed. He’d experienced firsthand how draining the stance was during last night’s practice. Without medicinal supplements, three times a day was the max, and that only with enough food. Four times a day? That would only accelerate exhaustion.

“No, not right away,” Li Hu replied. “He just fell ill. This is a pharmacy and a clinic, after all. Once he was sick, Liu Physician treated him, and he improved quickly. At the time, Xu Hao, his fellow villager, took care of him. But, I don’t know if it’s just my imagination, their relationship never seemed very good. Once, I came back early and overheard them arguing—Xu Hao seemed to be pushing him to hand something over. Then, a few days later, we came back from work and found Li Pei dead in his bed.”

“What? Hand over what?” Chen Yushu’s mind raced.

“No idea. But I have a theory.” Li Hu lowered his voice further.

Chen Yushu glanced at him curiously. Did this fellow know too much? He knew Li Hu was a blabbermouth who couldn’t keep secrets, but for him to spill everything with just a little prompting—Chen Yushu couldn’t help but admire him. Still, he’d have to be careful what he shared in the future.

“Xu Hao and Li Pei were both from Xujia Slope, while I’m from Lijia Slope—a neighboring village. Our families were distantly related, several generations back. But Li Pei’s family is all gone now, so that tie’s broken.

“As far as I know, Li Pei’s family wasn’t ordinary. Have you heard of spirit mediums? His grandfather was the spirit medium of Xujia Slope, dealing with all manner of strange things. I don’t know how skilled he was, but he could certainly put on a show. Once, someone from our village invited his grandfather, who used a possession ritual to summon an ancestor’s spirit and gave instructions. They say the fee was a couple of taels of silver.

“But half a year ago, his grandfather died—rumor has it he encountered something evil.”

At this, Li Hu’s face showed a trace of fear.

“Evil?” Chen Yushu frowned.

“Something even scarier than a ghost, apparently,” Li Hu explained. “His grandfather couldn’t withstand it—died beneath the big tree at the village entrance. In the days that followed, his family suffered one death after another, until the authorities had to intervene. It stopped after that, but by then, Li Pei was the only one left. I only learned he’d ended up here when I was sent to this shop. Who could have guessed that barely half a month after I arrived, he’d be dead?”

Li Hu sighed, sounding genuinely regretful.

“So, what’s your theory?” Chen Yushu glanced at the sky; Master Qian Qian would be arriving soon. Though he’d mastered the basics of the Medicine King Stance, with Master Qian’s expertise, even a few words of advice would be invaluable.

“Xu Hao must have been after Li Pei’s inheritance—the spirit medium’s secret arts, and any magical implements his family might have left behind,” Li Hu whispered.

Chen Yushu’s heart skipped a beat.

The legacy of a spirit medium? Magical implements?