Chapter Sixty-Three: The Request

Miss Bai watched as Chen Jiu carefully carried out a basin of vivid green water, her elegant brows knitting in suspicion. “Master Daoist, is this truly the antidote…?” she asked.

Chen Jiu’s expression remained unchanged. After a moment’s thought, he replied, “Yes. This is called ‘Evergreen Water’; it can dispel a hundred poisons.”

Miss Bai’s expression shifted. She distinctly remembered fetching only a basin of clear water earlier, but now the liquid glimmered with emerald hues. Clearly, the Daoist had added something to it.

Observing Miss Bai’s hesitation, Chen Jiu understood her misgivings. “Here, take it,” he said, placing the basin in her arms.

Then, under her astonished gaze, he picked up a porcelain bowl from the bamboo basket, filled it with the green water, and drank it down in a few gulps.

The “Evergreen Water” was cool and refreshing, with no trace of bitterness or any strange aftertaste—only a faintly sweet, fragrant flavor. Surprisingly delicious.

Miss Bai’s eyes widened. Within the verdant water, she sensed a surge of pure spiritual energy.

She too took a porcelain bowl, ladled out a mouthful, and drank.

As the “Evergreen Water” touched her lips, it transformed into a stream of pure energy that spread throughout her body. The fatigue she’d accumulated over the past days vanished in an instant. Her beautiful eyes lit up as she looked at Chen Jiu.

“Master Daoist, this water…!”

Chen Jiu waved his hand dismissively. “If you truly trust me, quickly give it to the elders. If you delay and the snake venom reaches their hearts, there is nothing more I can do.”

Miss Bai nodded gravely.

“Grandfathers, grandmothers, this is the antidote prepared by the Daoist. I will distribute it to you!”

With utmost care, she carried the wooden tray into the room filled with the critically ill. Most of the elders were unconscious, overwhelmed by the poison; only a few still moaned in pain.

The room echoed with cries of agony. Sorrow flickered in Miss Bai’s eyes as she hastened to set the tray down, then drew a porcelain bowl from the basket and ladled out the medicine.

Carefully, she fed the first elder a spoonful, her hands trembling with tension.

After only a few moments, the old man who had just swallowed the medicine coughed violently, spitting out a large pool of black blood.

Then, before her very eyes, the ghastly pallor left his face, replaced with a healthy flush, while the look of pain gradually faded.

Miss Bai’s elegant brows relaxed and her hands trembled. It was almost miraculous—such swift results!

She realized then that all the elders could be saved. Overcome with relief, her nose stung and her eyes filled with tears.

“Thank you, Master Daoist! Your great kindness and virtue—I have no way to repay it!” she choked, turning to kneel before Chen Jiu in gratitude.

Chen Jiu’s expression shifted, and with a flick of his finger, a green glow swirled around Miss Bai, gently lifting her to her feet.

“Master Daoist! You know the ways of the immortals?” Miss Bai stared in awe at the fading green light. Her gaze upon Chen Jiu was filled with new respect.

He smiled faintly, filling another porcelain bowl from the bamboo basket. “A trifling skill, nothing more.”

Miss Bai’s eyes sparkled. She sniffed, then said, “Thank you, Master Daoist.”

Together, they distributed all the medicine to the dozen or so elders suffering from snake venom.

Soon, the room was filled with the sounds of coughing. One after another, the afflicted spat out black, poisonous blood, and the air quickly became thick with a foul odor.

Chen Jiu frowned. “Such potent snake venom…”

Miss Bai blushed, wiping the fine sweat from her brow. “Indeed. Fortunately, the elders weren’t poisoned for long, and we were lucky you arrived when you did. Otherwise, I…”

Chen Jiu considered this, then said, “You need not blame yourself, Miss Bai. You have a kind heart, saving the dying and aiding the wounded. You have done your best.”

She was about to reply when someone interrupted.

“This medicine is truly miraculous!” exclaimed the old woman who had previously opposed Chen Jiu.

“Yes, in just the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, I feel completely refreshed!”

“This Daoist is truly capable. Even the famous Doctor Qin in the county couldn’t have cured us so swiftly.”

Chen Jiu could only smile wryly at their praise.

Miss Bai offered him a respectful salute. “If the elders offended you earlier, I beg your forgiveness on their behalf.”

He waved it off, then swept his sleeve and bowed in the Daoist manner. “Blessings of the Infinite Celestial Sovereign. I shall take my leave now. Should fate allow, we shall meet again!”

Her eyes glimmered, and she nodded gracefully. “Take care, Master Daoist.”

With a flutter of blue robes, Chen Jiu departed.

“Miss Bai, why did you let him go? What if we get poisoned again? He could save us!” someone muttered.

“That’s right! Besides, you’re not getting any younger. At twenty, you’re still unmarried. That Daoist is quite a fine-looking man—you two would be a perfect match!”

Miss Bai’s cheeks turned scarlet. “Grandmother! That Daoist… he is not an ordinary man…!”

“By the way, don’t you own a pharmacy in the county? Why not have him work there? You’d gain both reputation and keep him nearby!” the old woman suggested, her eyes bright with scheming.

Unable to withstand the chorus of chatter, Miss Bai’s ears burned with embarrassment and she fled the room.

Outside the wooden house, the winter wind bit her cheeks. She clasped her hands together, breathing warmth onto her fingers.

Winter had well and truly arrived, the path blanketed in snow. She gazed at the trail of footprints receding into the distance, hesitated for a moment, and then hurried after him…

Chen Jiu walked slowly along the snowy road, lost in thought.

His journey to Red Jade Mountain had taken several months. Now, as he emerged, autumn’s leaves had all fallen, and snow swirled through the sky.

Miss Bai had told him that following this road would soon lead him to a fork toward the county town.

He planned to settle in the county for a while, to stabilize his cultivation and gather information.

Just as he was thinking this, he sensed a demonic aura behind him, and the Amnian Token in his arms grew warm.

He drew the token from his robes and, to his astonishment, the back of it now bore the bold characters: “One thousand one hundred.”

Chen Jiu was dumbfounded. He vaguely remembered that after slaying a few bull-headed monsters, his merit stood at only two hundred fifty-one.

How had it suddenly soared to such a number?

“Could it be because of that Blood Fiend…” Chen Jiu found the thought amusing, but the more he pondered, the more likely it seemed.

He tucked the warm token back into his robes, his mood light.

“Ah, without realizing it, I’ve become rich overnight!”

He began to consider how best to spend this newfound “fortune”…

It was only when a beam of white light fell a dozen paces behind him that he turned.

Miss Bai appeared from the glow, her cheeks flushed. She saluted, then said in a clear voice, “Master Daoist, I… I have a request!”

Chen Jiu’s eyes flickered. “Speak freely.”

Seeing that he did not refuse outright, Miss Bai was moved. She approached him.

“Master Daoist, I wish to give you my pharmacy…”