Several days of autumn rain had finally stopped, and two shop assistants added a few clothes and went to the backyard to tend the stove.
"This fire is too big," Liu'er said, cracking melon seeds.
Now, aside from tending the shop, they had also started being tasked with preparing medicine, and their assigned job was to watch over the stove.
Since the shop assistants were being paid, they should do more work, but why did he, the shopkeeper, also have to work?
Seventh Chen poured a pack of sliced herbs into the water, then picked up a wooden stick to stir.
"Stir in one direction, don't draw randomly," Fang Jinxiu instructed as she passed by, carrying washed medicinal herbs.
She was responsible for drying the herbs, which she did inside the house—it was especially stifling.
Seventh Chen pursed his lips, stood up straight to stir properly, and looked up to see Miss Jun walking out of the backyard.
"Liu'er, let's go out," she said.
Liu'er promptly responded, putting away the melon seeds.
"Where are you headed?" Seventh Chen asked eagerly.
Currently, Jiuling Hall still adhered to the ritual of seeing patients three, six, or nine days a week; the rest of the time was spent closed, preparing medicine, and Miss Jun hardly ever went out.
"I haven't been a bell healer for a while; I'm going out for a walk," Miss Jun said.
Bell healers?
What a leisurely pastime.
Seventh Chen thought to himself, of course not daring to say it aloud, watching Miss Jun and her servant leave.
"Don't be lazy, all this must be done today," Liu'er called back, not forgetting to instruct.
It really was a case of being soft-spoken and taking what was handed to them, Seventh Chen shook his head, vigorously stirring the large pot.
When the sound of bells rang out, and as they saw Miss Jun approaching, the people on the street were immediately overjoyed and surged forward.
The preceding hostility and dissatisfaction had dissolved along with the deeds of those physicians.
Miss Jun indeed had not treated many people, but she did not neglect them either; any doctor who encountered difficult cases could seek her out, and she would generously share her knowledge.
Just as Miss Jun had said, she alone, no matter how skilled, could not treat everyone. It was better to let more physicians save people, and she would only handle those complex and rare illnesses.
This was not only a stroke of good fortune for the physicians but also a great blessing for these common folk.
Where was the notion that Miss Jun was only interested in money and lacked compassion? Miss Jun truly embodied the great virtues of healing and saving the world.
Miss Jun had not been out in a while; was she resuming her role as a bell healer now?
Who knew which lucky individual would be warned by Miss Jun of an ominous sign?
But everyone was aware of Miss Jun's rules and dared not ask outright; instead, they watched her carefully yet eagerly.
"Miss Jun."
"Divine Doctor."
As she walked by, greetings were warmly exchanged, and Miss Jun slightly nodded in acknowledgment with a smile.
As she moved along, more and more people who heard the news almost lined the streets to welcome her.
Shopkeeper Liu stood inside De Sheng Chang watching the scene and shook his head.
"Shopkeeper, what's the matter?" an assistant asked, "Worried about Miss Jun again?"
Shopkeeper Liu laughed heartily.
"Why would I worry about Miss Jun? I would definitely not worry for her," he said, his expression reflecting admiration. "In these six months, she really has stood her ground. I can't figure out how she managed it."
"How else could she do it? Obviously, she has real skills," the assistant laughed.
Shopkeeper Liu laughed again.
"Right, exactly," he said.
Some things were that simple: having real skills would let you stand out.
But sometimes, things were not that simple; many skilled people existed, but not everyone received fair treatment.
That's why he did not know how to feel about this Miss Jun—it was both her real ability and good fortune, indeed.
Miss Jun had already circled half the city by now. This area was somewhat desolate since along the way no one had been marked with an ominous sign. Everyone knew there was no point in following further, except for a few idlers waiting to see who the lucky one with an ominous sign might be, and most had dispersed.
"Miss, that ahead is the Temple of Emperor Guan," Liu'er said while passing her a water flask.
Miss Jun took the flask, using the act of drinking as a pause to look ahead.
Two months had passed since her last visit here, and she hadn't made it to her intended destination last time. This time, she could try again.
Although this place was quieter than others, the many people who had flocked here also made the alley lively.
The locals, hearing the commotion, came out to see Miss Jun and were overjoyed, eagerly lining the path to welcome her.
"Miss Jun, can you see if I have any ominous signs?" someone boldly shouted, their voice filled with hope.
Standing not far away, a young vendor selling steamed dumplings couldn't help but laugh upon hearing this.
"How amusing, someone actually likes having ominous signs," he laughed.
The crowd beside him glared at him.
"What do you know? Being detected by Miss Jun for having an ominous sign means you can be safe for life," they said, before enthusiastically following her.
The young vendor chuckled but didn't join the crowd, instead he stood by the roadside, shouting to sell his dumplings.
Just as everyone thought Miss Jun would simply walk past as usual, she suddenly stopped and looked thoughtfully at a house.
An ominous sign!
The surroundings instantly quieted down, and the woman standing in front of that house felt a chill down her spine.
She couldn't tell if she was happy or scared.
"Miss, Divine Doctor," she stuttered, "do I, do I have an ominous sign?"
Miss Jun looked at her for a moment.
"May I speak inside?" she asked.
Exactly as expected!
The onlookers got excited, but they also felt regretful that they couldn't hear exactly what the ominous sign was, as they watched the woman leading Miss Jun and her servant into the yard before closing the door.
Inside the yard, after a series of questions, the woman nodded vigorously, her emotions high.
"Yes, yes, yes, Miss Jun, you are right; those are exactly my symptoms," she said, her tone tense, "then how can I be saved?"
However, she was internally calculating her family's financial situation.
A visit from Miss Jun for diagnosis cost a thousand taels, and starting the medication also cost a thousand taels.
She couldn't afford this amount, but she was also unwilling to wait for death without seeking treatment.
"This matter is very simple; you don't need to take any medication," Miss Jun said, pointing at the courtyard wall, "Your neighbor can cure you."
The woman was stunned. A neighbor?
"The tree in your neighbor's yard, if you can cut it down, the feng shui of your home will change, the yin and yang will balance, and your illness will be cured," Miss Jun explained.
The woman was overjoyed.
"Is that all?" she exclaimed happily, "That's easy to handle."
Why don't you call your neighbor to discuss it? It'll be easier to convince her with me here.
Miss Jun waited with a smile.
"No need to discuss," the woman continued, laughing, "My neighbor has already moved away, and I've bought their house. I'm going to cut down that tree right now."
Miss Jun's smile froze on her face.
Moved, away.
.........................
"Sir, we don't know when they moved away, or where they went, no news at all,"
two Jinyiwei bowed as they reported to Lu Yunqi.
Having completed their report, they could feel the increasingly suffocating silence in the room and the chilly gaze that fell upon them.
It seemed like a long time before Lu Yunqi's voice finally sounded.
"No news," he said indifferently, "Then you may leave."
As these words were spoken, the two Jinyiwei stiffened, their heads still lowered, but their necks blanching.
This departure was not simply exiting the room; it meant going from living to dead, from the mortal world to the underworld.
***************************************
Thank you to the Southern Ice for rewarding a Spirit Beast Egg.
Thank you to Zixing Qi Yue, ?The Last Shot?, and md12 for rewarding He's Bi.
Thank you all for your great support, thank you so much.