Tian Zhi heard this and felt that the Boss Lady probably knew sothing. He smiled and handed over so money again, "Give two packs of cigarettes, two barrels of instant noodles—Master Kong—and add two sausages."
The Boss Lady laughed cheerfully, her eyes squinted as she brought out the items from the back.
"You look like a local, so when we arrived, we headed straight to your guesthouse. Could you give us so advice? We just want to et Doctor Li."
Beisitian and Tian Zhi were already residing in the best room, and now they were buying this and that, making the Boss Lady’s attitude much better than at the beginning.
"You’ve asked the right person then; others don’t know Doctor Li’s quirks, but my family and I do. We’re even a bit related to Doctor Li."
Seeing the Boss Lady was about to ramble, Tian Zhi quickly pulled her back on topic.
"Doctor Li loves Liu Min’s homade rice wine. If you get there when he’s not busy and bring two jars, you might get to et him." The Boss Lady said with a smile.
Beisitian and Tian Zhi exchanged a glance, took Liu Min’s address, and prepared to make a visit. Such a preference wasn’t exactly ti-consuming, and they figured eting him shouldn’t be difficult.
Having settled their belongings, keeping valuables on them, Beisitian and Tian Zhi first took a cab to a village in the outskirts of the city to purchase two jars of rice wine, and then went to Doctor Li’s ho as per the address.
These days, you’re not allowed to practice dicine without a license. Most who sought Doctor Li did so through word of mouth, and there was no sign outside his door—it wouldn’t provoke the city regulators.
Upon hearing this, Beisitian and Tian Zhi’s hearts sank a little, worrying that a doctor fearing city regulators usually wouldn’t be a Mystic Doctor. City regulators dare not ddle with Mystic Doctors’ matters.
Still, holding onto so hope, they reasoned that if the doctor was an reclusive expert, he wouldn’t publicly declare himself a Mystic Doctor.
When Beisitian and Tian Zhi arrived, Doctor Li was downstairs playing chess with soone. As they appeared, the elderly man’s eyes locked straight onto the... wine jars in their hands.
Beisitian found this amusing; how much did this old man love this wine!
However, upon seeing the old man, Beisitian was sure he was just a regular old doctor, his spirit notably depleted—he couldn’t be a Mystic Doctor.
Having thoroughly studied the Mystic Doctor Talisman Scripture, Beisitian could discern another’s spirit from their features. The old man’s gaze was clouded, his spirits low, and at tis, he seed absent-minded when looking at them.
Because of that alone, he couldn’t be a Mystic Doctor.
Beisitian felt a bitter smile internally. Even with frequent disappointnts, discovering such still brought so sense of loss.
"Mr. Li, we heard you love this rice wine so much, we specifically went out to get two jars for you and hope you won’t mind." Tian Zhi said with a cheerful smile.
Mr. Li’s hair was all white, his face showing signs of age. Hearing this, he laughed heartily though with a touch of frailty.
"That’s nice, that’s nice. Alright Old Man Jiang, I’m heading ho to drink this... entertain my guests. Let’s play again another day." Mr. Li stood up, guiding the two into the building.
The older man sitting across from the chessboard looked a bit younger than Mr. Li, unperturbed by the news, packed the chessboard away, giving Beisitian and Tian Zhi an extra glance before turning to leave.
Doctor Li lived alone; the house was a single bedroom and living room, not large but very tidy.
Since Tian Zhi perceived Doctor Li wasn’t a Mystic Doctor, he didn’t ntion much, only expressing admiration and that they ca seeking him.
Doctor Li was initially a bit suspicious, but seeing how they never ntioned dical assistance, he believed they genuinely ca for admiration.
Coming purely out of admiration suggested his considerable reputation outside, bringing him great joy and making the youngsters seem quite amiable to him.
"I can’t let you spend unwarrantedly. Hang on, I’ll get you sothing good!" Doctor Li said, smiling broadly, standing up while talking, "I feel a connection with you. Normally I wouldn’t show this to just anyone, but today you can have a taste!"
Beisitian and Tian Zhi exchanged a glance, seeing Doctor Li’s mysterious deanor, feeling a bit intrigued.
Doctor Li brought over a porcelain bottle and two small cups, smiling as he approached.
"Try this, one cup each. I don’t have much of it, coaxed it out of Old Man Jiang—it’s precious!"
Both looked at the porcelain bottle and small cups, secretly speculating, but even if it was wine, once Doctor Li removed the cap, no wine scent was evident.
Doctor Li poured them each a small cup, carefully ensuring not a drop was spilled.
"Don’t underestimate it, it’s very beneficial for health!"
Seeing what’s before them, a glint of brilliance crossed Beisitian and Tian Zhi’s eyes, exchanging a glance.
Isn’t this just beneficial—it’s talismanic water!
"Drink up, we have a connection. Both of you caught my eye—lucky day for you. Don’t take it as re water; though colorless and tasteless, it’s a precious dicine!" Doctor Li said with a cheerful laugh.
Seeing Doctor Li’s deanor suggesting he didn’t know what kind of dicine it was, Beisitian’s eyes twinkled, probing, "Doctor Li, what kind of dicine is this? Why is it colorless and tasteless?"
Doctor Li shook his head, "This stuff really isn’t dicine per se, what exactly it is I don’t know, but drinking it certainly benefits health; Old Man Jiang has verified that much."
Seeing Doctor Li genuinely truthful, Beisitian thought a mont, raised the cup, and drank the talismanic water.
Afterwards, she felt surprised: the talismanic water contained over eighty kinds of herbs, yet it didn’t seem crafted through Spiritual Talisman.
Seeing this, Tian Zhi drank it too. Although he lacked so dical experience, his foundations were solid, so he sensed what Beisitian felt.
"Doctor Li, is Uncle Jiang also a doctor?" Tian Zhi set down the cup, asking with a smile.
"Him? He retired years ago, stopped working even before moving here. Now just enjoying his later years, but occasionally making so herbal redies to maintain health. His redies are peculiar indeed; I wouldn’t call them dicine, yet they’re oddly effective." Doctor Li shook his head, laughing, puzzled by it all.
Beisitian and Tian Zhi shared a smile, thinking of disappointnt initially but realizing a surprising turn!
Leaving Doctor Li’s ho, Beisitian and Tian Zhi returned to the guesthouse, discussing how to et Doctor Jiang.
According to Tian Zhi’s idea, it remained aligning with interests; however, Beisitian, now certain he was a Mystic Doctor, preferred directly visiting him to be the better option.
User Comments
0 comments from readers