Chapter 7: Asking for Medicine

“Hehe, get me a set of clothes, the light red one...” At Chun'er's praise, Wan Ling merely gave a slight smile. Although the original owner of this body didn't have the fiery figure she once had—being noticeably a size smaller—it still had curves where it should and was slender where it should be. More importantly, though the face was small, it was exceptionally exquisite, which served as a nice compensation.

With a light chuckle, she rose and brushed aside the clothes that had been sent over. She didn't take an interest in the bright reds or deep purples, only setting her eyes on a light red gauze robe.

As Chun'er helped her dress, the lovely woman in the mirror appeared: her upper body was clad in a light red silk blouse, cinched at her delicate waist with a matching silk ribbon, while her lower body was draped in a floor-length skirt of the same color adorned with orchid patterns. She truly looked like a painting of an ancient handmaiden.

“Miss, you are so beautiful...” Seeing her so well-dressed, which was a rare occurrence, Chun'er's eyes lit up with instinctive admiration.

“You silly girl, you look quite good when you dress up too. Alright, put these on, and let's go out for a stroll...”

Wan Ling smiled faintly at Chun'er's bluntness; loving beauty was a woman's nature, and she was no exception. As she spoke, she took a green long dress she had prepared for Chun'er and told her to change as well.

Before long, both had changed into something new. Having washed up, one appeared lovely and cool, while the other was delicate and charming. Although Chun'er's foot was still slightly lame, it did nothing to diminish her prettiness and grace.

“Miss...” Having been completely transformed by her new clothes, Chun'er walked toward Wan Ling with a sweet smile dancing on her face.

“Not bad. Let's go check the pharmacy of Doctor Sun in the manor...” Satisfied with the smile on Chun'er's face, Wan Ling nodded and led Chun'er toward the pharmacy located in the front courtyard, not far from the small courtyard where they resided.

In this Jing'an General's Manor, the household employed ordinary alchemists, so their status and position were naturally significant.

“Third Young Lady, do you have business here?” As the two entered and identified themselves, a middle-aged man wearing a scholar's cap and a long robe approached the pharmacy, asking them with a look of surprise.

“Is it impossible to come if I have no business? Let me ask you, does the pharmacy have Ginseng Flowers?”

Wan Ling smiled faintly at the man's suspicion and the distance in his gaze. She stepped forward, and her slender hand suddenly reached out to grab the middle-aged man's collar, demanding an answer—a picture of a complete female rogue...

“Third Young Lady, how do you know of such a rare item? But our pharmacy does not possess such a rarity...”

At Wan Ling's words, the middle-aged Doctor Sun's brow stiffened. He was clearly surprised that she was asking for Ginseng Flowers. One had to understand pharmacology and be an extraordinary alchemist to know the use of Ginseng Flowers. Not only were they a sacred medicine for great nourishment, but they were also the king of medicines, capable of neutralizing a hundred poisons.

This Third Young Lady was a famous martial arts failure in the manor; not only did she lack martial qi to the point where she couldn't even practice basic martial arts, but she had also been weak and reclusive since childhood.

Yet, looking at this newly dressed, exceptionally lovely woman, if one were to call her the Third Young Lady, Doctor Sun could vaguely discern her original features through his years of experience. However, the transformation in her entire demeanor—the way she appeared fresh yet noble—left Doctor Sun staring blankly. After a pause, he looked at her with a bewildered, forced smile.

“Is that so? It seems Doctor Sun knows how precious Ginseng Flowers are. Does our pharmacy truly not have them?”

Wan Ling remained indifferent as Doctor Sun scrutinized her with a look of both strangeness and confusion. Hearing his response, she asked nonchalantly, stepping past the counter to look at the medicine shelves behind him.

“Third Young Lady, there truly is no such thing in the cabinets...” Seeing her approach and look up at the shelves behind him, Doctor Sun gave a fawning low laugh. Although he doubted whether the Third Young Lady, who had never learned to read since childhood, could even recognize the characters, he instinctively moved his body forward to block Wan Ling's path as she tried to walk further in.

Although this young lady was not valued by anyone in the manor, Doctor Sun had noticed her clothing. He had also gone out not long ago and seen people carrying quilts and such, saying that the Master and Madam had instructed her to move into the courtyard where the late Madam used to reside.

As a servant—a servant of the manor—Doctor Sun had survived in the General's Manor for so many years and possessed a certain level of perceptiveness. He knew that this Third Young Lady's status and position were different from before, but in his heart, he truly did not take her seriously.

“Whether there are or not, I only trust my own eyes. Doctor Sun, would you also act this way if my eldest sister or Second Mother came asking for something?”

Wan Ling sneered inwardly at Doctor Sun's attempt to cover his tracks. He was still a servant who shifted with the wind, yet he maintained his usual shallow smile as he stepped forward again. Blocked in her path, she stopped and casually picked up a medicine bottle from a nearby shelf, looking at him as she asked.

“This... Third Young Lady, the pharmacy truly has nothing...”

Seeing her posture, Doctor Sun's expression became even more strained. He signaled to an apprentice who was organizing herbs outside.

“Stop right there. If you take one more step forward, believe it or not, I will pierce your throat next time. Don't think I don't know what kind of schemes you are playing—acting one way to my face and another behind my back. Who doesn't know how to do that? Doctor Sun, you are an old hand in this manor. If my mother were still alive, would you treat me like this? I only want a few Ginseng Flowers. Will you give me a straight answer, or are you sending that boy out to seek permission from Second Mother and Father just to go and report bad things about me?”

The apprentice paused, putting down the herbs he was wrapping, but before he could leave, Wan Ling acted as if she had eyes in the back of her head. With a flick of her long sleeve, a piece of mulberry bark she had been casually fiddling with shot toward the apprentice's leg, causing him to freeze and stop in his tracks with a low cry.

Without even looking at the apprentice's panicked and stunned expression, Wan Ling merely gave a cold warning. She turned back to look at Doctor Sun, who was blocking her way.

“You...” Doctor Sun hadn't expected her to use only a piece of bark. That mere sliver of mulberry bark had struck the apprentice who was nearly a yard behind her, and she hadn't even turned her head. Moreover, the piece of bark had almost entirely embedded itself into the apprentice's leg. If that were a frontal attack, the lethality of such a move...

Clearly, he did not know that as Wan Ling made that move, her wrist—which had been playing with the mulberry bark—was trembling slightly. Although she had been quite skilled in her past life, with silver needles being her most prized hidden weapons, her current body was truly weak, and more importantly, she was still poisoned. Unless it was to quickly restore her vitality, Wan Ling would not take such risks repeatedly.

“Third Young Lady, there truly are no Ginseng Flowers in the cabinet... those are things only mid-level or high-level alchemists possess. I am merely a physician, I truly don't have... Third Young Lady...”

Doctor Sun was merely an alchemist; although he had some combat skills, he was greatly shaken by her use of hidden weapons. In particular, the coldness in her eyes—though it was late autumn, it felt as if one had fallen into an ice cellar, and a chill seemed to spread around her. Seeing her leisurely and smilingly fiddling with those pieces of mulberry bark, it gave the impression that if he were not honest, those pieces would immediately fly into his various acupoints. He couldn't help but lift his sleeve to wipe the cold sweat suddenly breaking out on his forehead, his voice trembling.

But just as he finished speaking, Wan Ling struck again. She grabbed his chin with one hand, and as his mouth opened, she placed a pill into it with a faint smile. Doctor Sun felt a surge of tension, but it was only for a moment; as Wan Ling lightly patted his shoulder with her other hand, the pill had already slid down his throat...

“You... what did you feed me...” Once released, Doctor Sun hurriedly bowed his head and clawed at his throat, hoping to spit out the pill she had forced upon him. But he only succeeded in hurting himself, and with tears in his eyes, the pill had already descended into his stomach.

Seeing her turn away to calmly flip through a book on his counter after releasing him, Doctor Sun asked in terror.

“It is merely a poison that rots the intestines; it won't take your life immediately, so rest easy... I only want to know if there are truly Ginseng Flowers in our pharmacy. I have no other intentions.”

At the terror and panic in Doctor Sun's eyes, Wan Ling smiled faintly and spoke calmly, turning back to ask him once more.