Chapter 1: Divine Doctor

"Young master, or rather, Immortal, is my master going to be saved or will he only..."

"It's nothing extraordinary, just an infection. A single injection of one hundred thousand units of penicillin should do the trick!"

"This... Immortal, are you taking out a needle to prick my master?"

"Isn't that obvious? If we don't test for an allergic reaction, aren't we playing with his life!?"

This... what could a woman like her say? Originally, the pillar of her household had merely accidentally suffered a cut less than half an inch deep, but unexpectedly, he had suffered a high fever for several consecutive days. Medicine was useless, and the local famous physicians were all at their wits' end; after several doses of their prescriptions, there was still no way out. They had no choice but to go to the temple to pray to the gods, and as a result, they encountered this "Living Immortal" in strange clothing!

Forget it, they were treating a dead horse as if it were alive anyway; she could only hope that "ten deaths and no life" would turn into "nine deaths and one life"... But this matter was strange as well. The Liu, Guan, and Zhang brothers enshrined in the Three Saints Shrine—why were the methods of the immortal they prayed for so mysterious, as if they belonged to the path of Miao Jiang witchcraft and sorcery? But if it was witchcraft, then so be it; if medicine was useless, perhaps witchcraft truly would work...

What kind of look was that? Didn't they say the people of the Ming Dynasty were very open-minded? Was a needle injection really worth such a reaction? Forget it... Although he looked like he had some money wearing gold and silver, his accent seemed to be from Shandong. In the late Ming, Shandong was a massive rural area, so it was naturally quite closed off...

Fortunately, as a newly minted Plane Merchant, Liu Baiyu had undergone simple training, reaching a level no lower than a "barefoot doctor" from the 1960s. This landlord was also very lucky not to have a penicillin-allergic constitution; after one injection, his breathing gradually stabilized, and his body temperature dropped...

Although the landlord's wife and the surrounding personal servants lacked knowledge and did not understand medicine, once this Living Immortal administered the injection, the signs of improvement were obvious. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief and began to flatter Liu Baiyu, calling him "Living Immortal" with every breath.

It seemed the first step of breaking into the world was quite successful! Liu Baiyu hadn't expected the plan formulated by the Plane Merchant to be so reliable. He relaxed, felt the weather was a bit hot, and took out several bottles of Cola to distribute to those around him.

However, after the landlord's wife took a sip, she felt that Cola must be a type of medicinal soup, so even though Liu Baiyu said this stuff was useless for the landlord's condition, she confiscated all of it.

Forget it, there was no reasoning with women. Liu Baiyu could only go back to check on the patient, only to find that this landlord had good physical fitness and was a powerful man. Furthermore, the doctors of this era were quite conscientious; the wound had been cleaned well, and in just one hour, he actually woke up!

"Young master, thank you for saving my life. Judging by your accent, do you come from Liaodong?" Liu Baiyu wondered if this guy was even human; he was actually energetic after only an hour and a half, and he possessed some insight—at least he didn't view Liu Baiyu as a god.

"A native of Liaodong, I fled here to escape the chaos of the Jiannu. I possess a bit of medical skill, but please do not pay it too much mind!" Liu Baiyu couldn't exactly tell the truth that he was from Jilin; if he did, he would surely be treated as a Manchu or a Booi. In the era of the late Ming, Manchus were basically viewed by the people of the Central Plains as no different from barbarians in a fantasy world. He didn't dare involve himself with them.

"The Jiannu are beasts with human faces. Every subject of Huaxia should execute them! It is only a pity that although I am a descendant of the Great Han's Marquis of Xixiang, Zhang Fei, I lack my ancestor's strength to repel ten thousand men and cannot eliminate this harm for the people. That is the true shame to my ancestors!" Liu Baiyu observed the man's expression and found that as he spoke, his hands were clenched tightly and his face turned red; it seemed to come from the heart. His evaluation of the man rose slightly in his mind.

One was a descendant of Liu Bei, and the other was a descendant of Zhang Fei; having met and felt an immediate kinship, the two quickly became warm with each other, almost becoming close friends or sworn brothers, lacking only the ritual of becoming sworn brothers.

Liu Baiyu learned that this man's name was Zhang Tianhong, and he was a landlord of moderate size, owning over three thousand mu of land. However, half of it was actually communal property of the clan. Now, with excessive taxes and surcharges, he had to pour money back into it, and on the other hand, due to the Little Ice Age, he couldn't collect much money. As for going out to do business, in the current Great Ming Dynasty, the local bullies, corrupt officials, and bandits and outlaws were more numerous than locusts, so he could only have some business near his hometown, which barely supplemented his household expenses.

"Hmm, Brother Zhang even knows about business? But in this vicinity, what kind of business is most profitable?" Liu Baiyu asked tentatively.

"In this era of decaying industries, unless it is trade involving the oceans and coasts, what great business is there?" Zhang Tianhong said, shaking his head, a look of disgust soon appearing on his face.

"Unscrupulous businesses are quite good—things like usury, rice speculation, or human trafficking... Surely, younger brother wouldn't be interested in those!"

"Naturally not, but there are some things I would like Brother Zhang to estimate the price of..." Liu Baiyu said mysteriously.

"Then I must see them for myself!" Although Zhang Tianhong didn't believe Liu Baiyu possessed any immortal arts, since this man could easily cure him, he must possess some extraordinary skills!

"Please, take a look!" Liu Baiyu took out the specialized Plane Merchant suitcase and pulled out item after item, leaving Zhang Tianhong dazzled!

"Younger brother, what is this?" Zhang Tianhong's face was full of wonder.

"Didn't you taste it, Brother? It's sugar, it's sweet!" Liu Baiyu asked curiously.

"But the taste has no impurities, it is mellow with an endless aftertaste, and why is it so white, as if it were ice and snow?" Zhang Tianhong asked.

"This... I will explain later. Brother, how much do you think one jin of this could sell for?"

"Such a gift from heaven, how can it be measured in jins? I think one liang would be enough to exchange for one qian of silver..."

*So luxury goods are only worth this much!?* Liu Baiyu's expression turned bitter.

"Younger brother, do not think the price is low. Shandong is not Jiangnan or the Capital! Even if prices are high in the Capital or Jiangnan, one must give the business to powerful families; letting them take the lion's share is the proper way. Otherwise, sudden calamities are only natural..." Zhang Tianhong reminded him.

*As expected of a feudal society, all sorts of privileges hindering the circulation of goods... it's hard to make money!* Liu Baiyu sighed inwardly, but suddenly his eyes lit up when he saw the furniture in the room...

"I wonder, what is the value of this piece of furniture, Brother?"

"Perhaps twenty taels of silver! Although it uses high-quality wood and was made by a famous carpenter in the county, it is not an antique, so it should be around that amount!"

*Right now, silver is about four yuan per gram. It would be better to just use silver to buy antiques and exchange them for cash!* Liu Baiyu suddenly realized his logic seemed wrong. 1 tael = 50 grams, meaning this solid wood antique furniture was only worth four thousand. This was a good deal!

Thinking of this, Liu Baiyu suddenly said

"Brother, this piece of furniture is thirty taels of silver. Would you be willing to part with it?"

"How could I do that? Younger brother has saved my life; if you like it, just take it... Eh? Younger brother's silver is truly beautiful!"

When Zhang Tianhong took the silver ingot Liu Baiyu produced, he found its appearance to be excellent and was immediately captivated, looking at it closely. Contrary to what most people thought, the silver held by old men in period dramas was almost always smooth and shiny, but the silver actually used in circulation by ancient people was not like that. As currency, silver was very practical; people only cared about weight and not appearance. Perhaps only the official "patterned silver" would pay attention to "appearance."

Commoners could not afford a whole silver ingot either; they mostly had to break it into pieces, the so-called "fragmented silver." After a long time in circulation, its appearance could be imagined; it couldn't compare to the silver ingots Liu Baiyu brought from the modern era.

However, what shocked Zhang Tianhong even more was yet to come. Liu Baiyu stepped forward and touched the furniture, and the furniture vanished into thin air, as if it had disappeared into nothingness.

"Younger brother, younger brother! Could it be that my wife was right, and you truly are an immortal from the celestial realm???" Although Zhang Tianhong was a Confucian scholar who believed that "the Master did not speak of monsters, spirits, or gods," the scene before him forced him to believe that immortals truly existed in the world...

"It is true that I was once an immortal from the celestial realm, but to save the people in this chaotic world, I was reincarnated as a human. Ninety-nine percent of my immortal arts have failed, leaving me with only these few trivial ones!" Liu Baiyu said tentatively, following the text in the Plane Merchant guide.

"Could it be that younger brother intends to assist the current Emperor and become a Liu Bowen or a Zhuge Wuhou!" Zhang Tianhong said excitedly. He could never have imagined that this seemingly gentle and elegant younger brother wanted to be a rebel!

"That depends on whether His Majesty is willing to invite Zhuge three times. It is better to seek the direct path than to search through the crooked!" Liu Baiyu deliberately put on airs.

"This... younger brother, although the current Emperor is a wise ruler, there are rules for the imperial examinations now. Even if your ability is heaven-defying, if you wish to be enfeoffed as a Marquis or a Prime Minister, I fear the Emperor cannot decide alone. After all, the imperial examinations are the proper path..." Zhang Tianhong, thinking Liu Baiyu wanted to be a Liu Bowen or Zhuge Liang, advised him with sincerity.

"This is fate; it cannot be forced," Liu Baiyu said mysteriously, then changed the subject with a single sentence.

"Since our ancestors were sworn brothers, how about we become sworn brothers today?"

"I could not ask for more. May you and I follow our ancestors, regulate our families, cultivate ourselves, govern the state, and bring peace to the world!" Liu Baiyu said casually.

He scared Zhang Tianhong half to death; the implication of "governing the state and bringing peace to the world" was far too grand in its tone!