Chapter 7: Daoist Physician

Gu Yanfei closed her eyes completely, her senses magnifying several times over.

The evening breeze was as cool as water, and the flowers and trees in the courtyard danced in the wind.

She could clearly hear the sound of the wind brushing against the branches, the sound of falling petals, the murmur of water, the flapping of birds' wings... and the barely audible chirping of insects.

A moment later, she finally opened her eyes, certain of one thing—

The spiritual energy in this small world was thin, nearly non-existent. Even a peerless genius with a Heavenly Spiritual Root would be unable to draw energy into their body, no matter how hard they tried throughout their entire life.

Unable to cultivate, she could only be a mortal with no strength to truss a chicken.

The cool outdoor breeze blew in through the window, lifting a corner of the stack of white paper under the paperweight, causing it to rustle.

Gu Yanfei pulled out a sheet of paper, laid it flat on the desk, and began to grind ink in a leisurely manner. The ink stick circled the inkstone again and again, and the fragrance of the ink grew stronger...

The candlelight on the desk made Gu Yanfei’s dark pupils shine exceptionally bright, like a night sky filled with vast stars.

The Master said: "Do not be concerned that you have no position; be concerned that you have no means to stand. Do not be concerned that no one knows you; seek to be worthy of being known."

Having lived two lifetimes, Gu Yanfei could more deeply appreciate the profound meaning of this statement. In this life, if one wants to establish a foothold, one must have a skill to rely on.

Gu Yanfei picked up a wolf-hair brush, dipped the tip in ink, and wrote the two characters "Daoist Medicine" (Dao Yi) on the paper.

The characters were written like flowing clouds and moving water, vigorous and powerful. The finish was clean and crisp, giving a feeling of effortless grace.

Gu Yanfei gazed quietly at these two characters.

The "Dao" in Daoist Medicine was not the Dao of Daoism.

Daoist Medicine uses the Dao to benefit life and medicine to save the world. It not only excels in using herbs, decoctions, prescriptions, and acupuncture to treat illnesses, but also includes health-preserving methods such as guidance, breath regulation, internal alchemy, and fasting. Furthermore, it encompasses various means such as Dao, virtue, talismans, divination, lots, incantations, fasting, sacrifices, and prayers. It emphasizes treating both the physical form and the spirit, forming a complete system of its own.

When she was in the Yaoling Realm, she was a medical cultivator, having entered her master's sect at the age of five.

Her master taught her that all things in the world follow different paths but reach the same destination; the "Dao" is within things, and things are within the "Dao."

This small world would naturally have its own "Dao."

Gu Yanfei curled her lips into a smile, as bright and vivid as a peony in full bloom under the moonlight.

"Miss."

Juanbi’s voice sounded from outside the door.

After Gu Yanfei responded, Juanbi pushed the door open and entered, carrying a food box in one hand, her delicate round face unable to hide her worry.

"Miss, the kitchen matron told this servant that Nanny Xu is going back to the capital," Juanbi reported while setting down the food box. "Nanny Xu said that you have no manners, Miss, and that returning to the capital would only bring shame to the Marquis's mansion, so she won't be taking you back."

Juanbi frowned tightly, looking very troubled.

Given Nanny Xu’s petty and vindictive nature, she would surely complain to the Grand Madam upon returning to the capital, and the Grand Madam’s likes and dislikes would determine whether the Second Miss could return...

Gu Yanfei didn't even twitch an eyelid, calmly spitting out three words: "Let her go."

"But..." Juanbi wanted to say more, but was interrupted by Gu Yanfei.

"Have someone go to Xijiao Mountain to collect the bodies." As she spoke, Gu Yanfei rose and walked to the dressing table, taking out a pair of red gold earrings inlaid with pearls from her jewelry box. "Take these earrings to the Dou family pawnshop and pawn them, then hire someone to handle it."

Juanbi took the earrings, feeling a warmth in her heart, followed by a wave of deep bitterness.

Nanny Xu was intent on giving the Miss a hard time, so no one in the residence would listen to the Miss; they could only hire outsiders to collect the bodies.

Thinking of the tragic state of the coachman, Old Wang, and Nanny Zhang, Juanbi felt a heavy weight on her shoulders.

"Miss, don't worry, this servant will go handle it right away." Juanbi took the order and hurried off, momentarily forgetting about Nanny Xu’s claim that she was leaving.

The news of Juanbi leaving the house reached Nanny Xu’s ears immediately.

A matron in her early fifties with a face full of brown spots looked at Nanny Xu with a fawning smile and said flatteringly, "I deliberately let it slip to Juanbi, and it scared her so much she nearly dropped the food box. After she went to the Second Miss's place just now, she hurried out."

"I reckon the Second Miss must know she was wrong and sent Juanbi out to buy some good things to honor you, Nanny!"

Nanny Xu picked up her teacup, curled her lips with composure, and sighed, "The Second Miss grew up outside since she was a child, and her temperament is strange... As servants, we can only be a bit more patient."

Nanny Xu had just knocked out a front tooth, so when she opened her mouth, there was a black gap, making her speech inevitably whistle.

The matron nodded repeatedly, adding more sycophantic compliments.

Nearby, two young maids were packing luggage, coming over from time to time to ask Nanny Xu for instructions.

"Matron Feng, you go and keep an eye on the Second Miss's side."

Nanny Xu dismissed Matron Feng casually, a flash of malice in her eyes: The Second Miss had caused her to lose great face in front of the servants, and she would absolutely not let this matter rest.

However—

An incense stick of time passed, an hour passed, two hours passed... When the candles burned out and the moon set and the sun rose, Nanny Xu still hadn't waited for Gu Yanfei.

"Nanny Xu, the luggage is all packed. Old Li is asking when we will set off..."

After breakfast, a young maid braced herself to ask Nanny Xu, not daring to look directly at her ink-black, gloomy face.

Having not slept well all night, the composure on Nanny Xu’s face had long since vanished, replaced by embarrassment and anger.

She slammed the teacup onto the side table, the heavy sound making the young maid’s heart tremble, causing her to lower her head even further.

"..." Nanny Xu rubbed her temples in irritation.

Now, she only had two paths to take: either slap her own face and not leave, or leave the Second Miss behind and set off for the capital immediately.

She would, of course, prefer the second option, but the problem was that if she returned to the capital alone without the Second Miss, it would be difficult to explain.

She remembered that before she left the capital in June, the Grand Madam had specifically instructed her to teach the Second Miss manners, as it concerned the reputation of both the Gu and Fang families.

The Grand Madam valued the marriage between the Marquis's mansion and the Duke of Ying's mansion highly and was waiting for the Second Miss to return to fulfill the marriage contract.

This task could not fail... To put it bluntly, if she didn't handle it well, there were many people in the Marquis's mansion waiting to take over!

Thinking of this, Nanny Xu felt a throbbing pain in the spot where her tooth was missing, a pain that seemed to penetrate to her very marrow.

"Nanny Xu, it's bad!" Matron Feng shouted, making a fuss as she ran into the room, her round chin and bloated body shaking with every step.

Nanny Xu despised Matron Feng for being vulgar, but still asked, "What is it?"

Matron Feng replied, "Early this morning, when Matron Qian, who does the purchasing, passed by the Dou family pawnshop, she was stopped by the clerk there. The clerk said that someone went to the pawnshop yesterday evening to pawn a pair of earrings, and the earrings had our Marquis's mansion's mark on them."

"Now, word is spreading outside, asking if our Dingyuan Marquis's mansion has fallen and is out of money... and if we are about to be stripped of our title."

The voice of the last five words grew lower and lower, as thin as the buzzing of a mosquito.