Chapter 67: Before Fame

Next, Chen Jiu explained his thoughts and subsequent plans to the young helper…

A cup of tea’s time later.

“What?! You have a secret formula that can cure snake venom?” The boy shot to his feet, his face filled with disbelief.

Chen Jiu smiled faintly. “Why? Haven’t I already told you about how I met Miss Bai?”

The boy paused, then probed, “Then those people you saved, they were all poisoned by snakes?”

Chen Jiu nodded slightly.

“Don’t doubt it any longer. If you want to restore Miss Bai’s reputation, it’s all up to you now.”

The boy looked astonished. “Me? How could I possibly help Sister Bai with anything?”

Chen Jiu pressed his lips together, pondered briefly, and then asked in return, “Do you know the fastest way to spread news throughout the city?”

The boy started, then nodded. “No one’s more suited for that than the children.”

You’re a child yourself, yet you talk as if you were much older… Chen Jiu glanced at him, amused.

In truth, the boy was right. Gather a bunch of children, hand out some candies and pastries, and you’re guaranteed an afternoon’s worth of shouting! Far more cost-effective than hiring someone to make announcements.

As for the message Chen Jiu wished to spread, it was, of course, about his “antidote secret recipe.”

He needed to rapidly amass popularity in the county town and attract the attention of the Anmin Office. To do so, he had to make the most out of this poisoning incident.

Now was not the time to hide his abilities.

After a moment’s thought, Chen Jiu said, “Bring paper and ink.”

“What are you going to write?” the boy asked, puzzled.

“Flyers!”

“Flyers? What are those?”

“Don’t ask so many questions, just go get them!”

The boy shot him a strange look but quickly fetched paper and ink.

The boy ground the ink, and Chen Jiu took up the brush.

In the time it took to eat a meal, Chen Jiu had written out dozens of “flyers.”

Then he fetched the seal from the Simple Robes Hall and stamped each one.

“What is…?” The boy was bewildered.

Chen Jiu handed him the finished sheets, then pressed a tael of silver into his hand. “Listen closely. Use this money to buy some sweets and pastries, then gather as many children as you can. Have them read out loud what’s written on these flyers. You’ll have money to spare; what’s left is yours for running the errands.”

The boy’s eyes widened in shock. “Sir, this is too much. I can’t accept it!”

“And you, why are you so generous… That Skilled Hands Hall charges two hundred copper coins per patient, yet you… you want nothing…” By the end, his voice was as soft as a mosquito’s buzz, afraid to offend this noble gentleman.

Chen Jiu smiled, then patted his thin shoulder. “Just do as I say.”

The boy looked at Chen Jiu, feeling deeply moved, and then knelt down with a heavy thud. “If you can save lives and restore Sister Bai’s reputation, I would gladly serve as your servant or slave!”

“All right, all right, don’t call me ‘sir’ anymore. Call me Doctor Chen. Since I’m serving as a healer now, it’s only fitting.”

The boy scrambled to his feet and replied, “Yes, Sir!”

“I’ll be off then, Sir!” The boy then darted out of the Simple Robes Hall as if escaping.

Chen Jiu was left momentarily at a loss, half exasperated, half amused.

“Now it’s my time to shine!” Chen Jiu narrowed his eyes, confident and full of anticipation.

…

Skilled Hands Hall.

At this moment, the medicine hall was packed, with wails and groans filling the air.

A young man in resplendent purple robes stood coldly at the foot of the stone steps.

“Young Master Qin, I have news to report!” A fierce-faced man in purple robes hurried up to Qin Guan, greeting him with cupped fists.

Qin Guan’s gaunt cheeks were shadowed with gloom as he glanced at the dying people nearby, snorting softly through his nose.

“Speak. What is it?”

“Uh, well…” The purple-robed man began embellishing his tale of Chen Jiu’s “atrocities,” his miraculous sleight of hand, and his summoning of the wind.

When he finished, Qin Guan’s indifferent expression suddenly shifted.

“You’re saying he produced a Daoist robe from thin air? And conjured a wild wind to send you flying in disgrace?”

The man nodded eagerly, like a pecking chick.

Qin Guan looked at his terrified face with derision. “So you mean to say he’s really some sort of immortal?”

“N-no, I wouldn’t dare…”

“Hmph. Don’t you know that true immortals are found only within the Anmin Office? And they’re not even in the city right now… I think you’re making things up just to get me involved, so you can throw your weight around by borrowing my authority.”

The man fell silent, his heart tightening with anxiety.

It was common knowledge in Qingcheng County that Master Qin of Skilled Hands Hall had a son late in life. As a result, Young Master Qin had been doted on since childhood and grew up notorious for his arrogance and unruly ways. Not only did he associate with other local ruffians, but he also had a penchant for abducting women and oppressing the people. Though the resentment among the townsfolk had long since festered, the power of Skilled Hands Hall and the protection of the authorities left them no choice but to endure.

“Well, I’ve had my eye on that little lass’s medicine hall for quite some time…” Qin Guan recalled the gentle Miss Bai, a sly smile curling his lips. “Let’s go.”

“Yes, sir…”

…

Chen Jiu was seated cross-legged on the bed in a side room upstairs at Simple Robes Hall.

Beneath the bed stood a jar nearly four feet tall and three feet wide, filled with clear well water.

Chen Jiu’s eyes, half-closed, slowly opened.

A glint of sharp light flashed through his gaze. With a silent thought, he opened his mouth.

Suddenly, a jade-green pearl, shrouded in a faint green glow, drifted out from his lips.

Watching his life-bound treasure twirl joyfully in the air, Chen Jiu’s heart stirred.

“Go!”

With two fingers extended, he gestured toward the jar of water. The Everlasting Spring Pearl obediently dove in.

With a soft plop, the green pearl entered the water, sending out only gentle ripples, not a single splash.

But within a few breaths, the once-clear water turned a vibrant emerald, as if it were a block of natural jade.

Chen Jiu’s eyes brimmed with delight—this Everlasting Spring Pearl truly was a marvelous thing!

When the water was saturated with spiritual energy, glimmering radiantly, Chen Jiu knew it was ready.

“Come!”

He drew the Everlasting Spring Pearl back into his body with a breath.

Gazing at the jar brimming with sparkling “Everlasting Spring Water,” he willed it aloft with his magical power, then descended to the lower floor…

…

Outside Simple Robes Hall, a crowd of several dozen had already gathered.

“Hey, is it true you’re offering free treatment?” demanded a pale-faced man in coarse clothing, clutching his chest and glaring at the sweating boy at the door.

“But… I heard the owner here is a snake demon… It was her venom that poisoned us!” someone else hesitated.

“But we out-of-towners have no money, no connections, and Skilled Hands Hall won’t treat us… This place is free—what choice do we have?”

Most of those outside Simple Robes Hall were poor folk who couldn’t afford to see a doctor, and their poisoning was not severe. When they heard about the free treatment, they came in droves. Even knowing the rumors about the snake woman, with death looming, what did it matter?

Wiping sweat from his brow, the boy shouted back, “Sister Bai is not the one who poisoned anyone!”

“So what? Where is she? If she’s not here, who’s going to treat us? You, boy?” someone grumbled.

“That’s right, call your doctor out! If you’re bold enough to claim you can cure snake venom for free, prove it!”

“Yes, let’s see her!”

“If you’re lying to us, we’ll tear your hall apart!”

The wounded, growing more impatient, joined in the clamor.

As the chaos mounted, the boy grew flustered, looking toward the hall with desperate hope.

Meanwhile, Qin Guan and a group of purple-robed thugs watched from afar.

“Could Bai have sneaked back…” His eyes flashed with cold light, then with a sneer: “This tiny Simple Robes Hall dares boast it can cure snake venom for free—how utterly foolish.”

Just then, a firm voice rang out from the hall, instantly silencing the crowd:

“It was my friend, Miss Bai, who said that not only is the antidote free, but all are welcome, families and all…”

Then, under everyone’s watchful gaze, Chen Jiu carried out a large jar brimming with green water and set it down on the stone steps before the medicine hall.

With a resounding thud as the jar touched down, every heart in the crowd leapt!