Crossing the Mountains

Chapter 90 Taking advantage of the situation
"One hundred coins for a small bottle? Isn't this taking advantage of the situation?" Tan Huaike said angrily.

"That's right. Those people claim it's a miracle doctor and a magical medicine. How can you tell the truth?" Madam Pu, who brought back the news, also felt it was too expensive and advised, "A group of people from the Western Territory might just be here to scam you out of money. Madam, you'd better be cautious."

It wasn't that Tan Huaike couldn't afford the medicine, but she and Zhou Wencong had been so embarrassed and rushed when they escaped, how could they possibly have brought a hundred strings of silver with them? Regardless of the so-called miracle doctor's background or whether the elixir was genuine, asking a suburban herdsman for a hundred strings of silver wasn't just deliberately embarrassing him? That's not how business is done; it was clearly just nonsense.

Tan Huaike said, "Even Dr. Qiu, the most skilled doctor in the city, hasn't asked for such a high price. That so-called miracle doctor hasn't even seen the patient, yet he claims to have the right medicine. He must have been a fraud all along. He's not sure he can cure my brother's injury, but he still wants to inflate his reputation in front of others. He's sure we can't afford it, so he's deliberately asking for so much money."

Even so, they could avoid this trick, but Madam Pu couldn't help but worry: "That young master has a high fever and his wounds haven't healed yet. If this continues, even the strongest person won't be able to endure it."

Tan Huaike glanced at Zhou Wencong who was sleeping on the couch, frowned and said, "I'll find a way."

If all else fails, move him onto a carriage and send him back to the city. As long as he can survive the cold and bumpy ride, there's still a glimmer of hope.

Just as he was thinking about it, a clear cry was heard outside, and a wild goose flapped its wings and landed on the eaves of Pu's house.

Tan Huaike greeted him joyfully: "Qiao Mao! You're finally here!"

Pu Niangzi stretched her head to look and said in surprise, "Wow, what a majestic bird! Is there something tied to its feet? Is it bringing you a letter?"

Tan Huaike didn't consider herself particularly familiar with Qiaomao. She'd only met him once at Shentu Zhuo's house and fed him some millet, so she wasn't sure if he'd listen. But since the other owner of the house couldn't handle him, she decided to give it a try. She held a handful of millet in her hand and said to Shuoyan, "Hello, Qiaomao. Your master is injured and recuperating. Can I go and get his trust? If you agree, come rest on my arm and have something to eat."

Qiaomao adjusted his feathers with dignity. Perhaps he understood what she said, or knew that she was very familiar with both of his masters, but he obediently flew to her arm and pecked at the millet in her hand.

He took down a small bundle from Jiaomaojiao, which contained a piece of silk and a small bottle of medicine.

Tan Huaike immediately breathed a sigh of relief. Shen Tu Zhuo always knew what she needed most.

That day, after he fought with the masked man, he went to resist the assassin. He must have noticed Zhou Wencong's leg injury, so he asked Qiaomao to deliver medicine and a letter together.

Tan Huaike wrote back a letter using a charcoal stick, telling him where he and Zhou Wencong were, what their current situation was, and waiting for them to send someone to pick them up. Shentu Zhuo also asked about the identity of the masked man in the letter, but Tan Huaike himself could not figure it out, only saying that the man disappeared after sending them to the Juyan Oasis.

He went back to the house and changed the bandage on Zhou Wencong's wound. However, there was no sign of improvement in the wound, so Tan Huaike could only wait patiently, helping Pu Niangzi with some chores and looking after her children.

What Tan Huaike hadn't anticipated was that even though Shen Tuzhuo had sent him excellent medicine, Zhou Wencong's wounds were festering and oozing pus, and his body couldn't withstand the constant high fever. Even the medicine alone was no longer effective. Before anyone arrived to retrieve them, Zhou Wencong suddenly developed convulsions and delirium. Terrified, Tan Huaike abandoned all his money and rushed to the Wuxu caravan to seek a "miracle doctor."
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This man was indeed young, no more than twenty years old, with a distinctly Western appearance, pale eyes, a high nose bridge, and short, shaggy, curly hair. Tan Huaike took a quick look and admitted to her bias: such a young appearance was nothing like the miracle doctor she had imagined.

But since she had already come to the door, she still expressed her sincerity: "We will give you all the money we have. If there is not enough, we will give it to you in full when we return to the city. Please, the miracle doctor, save my brother's life!"

The doctor looked at her and said in fluent Mohe language: "Caizhu'er, don't you recognize me?"

Tan Huaike was stunned. This person... recognized her?

She looked up and carefully identified him, finally matching him with an old friend in her mind: "Are you... Fufeng? How did you get here? And become a Wuxu person?"

Fufeng was a Mohe native, a disciple of their renowned physician, Generu, who specialized in treating the nobility. In Daxuan parlance, he was considered an imperial physician. Back then, before the Mohe capital was invaded, Fufeng resigned from his position in the palace, becoming a traveling physician.

After that, he needed to find a place to stay and earn a living. He happened to meet Caizhuer who was looking for a doctor for her mother. After the two of them discussed it, Caizhuer asked her grandfather to allocate a shop for Fufeng to settle down and practice medicine. In return, Fufeng would treat her mother to pay the rent.

As more and more people came to Fufeng for treatment, he became more prosperous. Not long after, my mother's illness was completely cured. However, the Ti-Nu cavalry also attacked, and everyone fled, and there was no news of her.

I didn't recognize him just now because Fu Feng had long hair when he was in Mohe, and even when he was at his lowest point, he wore exquisite and gorgeous robes. He didn't look like him now, with his messy hair and the gray and black clothes.

Fu Feng replied, "I have no ties. I've always wanted to be a traveling doctor, saving lives and gaining experience. That's why I didn't follow the royal family to the Naxi River Valley. Instead, I traveled around the Western Territories, supporting myself by treating patients."

"Healing the world?" Since they were acquaintances, Tan Huaike was no longer polite and mocked, "A hundred strings of silver in exchange for a bottle of medicine? I don't believe it. What kind of panacea is that? Or do you think we are all princes and nobles and want to rip us off?"

"Don't be angry, don't be angry. I have my reasons for asking you for the hundred strings of silver." Fu Feng explained with a smile, "Your friend was seriously injured. If he's not careful, not only will he lose his leg, he might even lose his life.

"Originally, topical medicine would have alleviated the festering wound, but the caravan encountered obstacles along the way, delaying my arrival by a day. Ordinary medicine is no longer effective. If I want to keep him alive, including the consultation fee and my elixir, it will cost me this much money. Besides, that young master comes from a distinguished family, a true prince and nobleman, isn't he?"

Tan Huaike was surprised: "How do you know this?"

Fu Feng said, "Of course it was an evil ghost who came to tell me. It was he who rescued the caravan from the sand bandits and told me to come and meet you as soon as possible."
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　Next chapter: What is the origin of this caravan?
　　(End of this chapter)