Time flew by, and a few more days passed.
The apothecaries and physicians of Miaoshou Garden all returned, and the incident at Xu Family Manor settled down as well.
Lu Changsheng continued to see patients at the clinic as usual.
On this day, a supervisor surnamed Zheng from the upper management of Miaoshou Garden arrived at the pharmacy with a genial smile.
"Which one is Lu Changsheng?"
Lu Changsheng looked up, glanced at the supervisor, and replied, "I am Lu Changsheng. Does the supervisor have business with me?"
"Congratulations, Doctor Lu! Starting today, you are an official physician of Miaoshou Garden, qualified to set up your own practice!"
"According to our customary terms, an ordinary physician receives four taels of silver each month, plus a commission from the pharmacy."
In the pharmacy, many apprentices were stunned.
Lu Changsheng had become a true physician so quickly?
After all, Lu Changsheng had been at Miaoshou Garden for less than two full years.
In just two years, he had transformed from a petty beggar into a respected physician.
"Thank you for bringing the news, Supervisor Zheng."
Lu Changsheng soon recovered his composure.
After all, he had long anticipated this.
With his master, Wu Jing, stepping in personally, how could Miaoshou Garden fail to give Wu Jing face?
"Changsheng, your apprenticeship is complete."
"Remember, a physician must have the heart of a caring parent."
Wu Jing gave Lu Changsheng a few words of advice.
"It is all thanks to Master's wise guidance."
Lu Changsheng bowed deeply to Wu Jing.
"Doctor Lu, Miaoshou Garden oversees many pharmacies, and you may choose one to practice in."
"You must choose carefully. If the location is good, your monthly commission won't be small."
"If the location is out of the way, the commission will be much less," Supervisor Zheng reminded him.
He would not offer such advice to an ordinary doctor.
But Lu Changsheng was Wu Jing's disciple, which naturally set him apart.
Supervisor Zheng still had to show proper respect to Wu Jing.
Lu Changsheng looked at the map of pharmacy locations handed over by Supervisor Zheng.
The pharmacies on this map currently had only one physician each. A pharmacy needed at least two physicians to avoid situations where none were available in an emergency.
Even Wu Jing's place had a second physician.
It was just that Wu Jing was so renowned that the second physician was often overlooked.
Lu Changsheng did not care much about the commission.
He already had plenty of silver.
Besides, Miaoshou Garden was giving him four taels of silver a month, which was already quite generous.
An ordinary courtyard residence in Nanyang City cost only around forty taels of silver.
Working as a physician for a single year would allow Lu Changsheng to purchase a courtyard residence—the pay was undeniably handsome.
No wonder so many apprentices strove desperately to become physicians.
The treatment of a physician was even better than that of Miaoshou Garden's martial guards.
Since he had no great demands for a commission, Lu Changsheng did not mind the pharmacy's location.
Thus, he chose a place relatively close to Miaoshou Garden, but not in the bustling center of Nanyang City—somewhat off the beaten path.
"I choose this location!"
Lu Changsheng finalized his pick.
A slightly out-of-the-way location meant there wouldn't be too many patients, which would prevent him from being too busy to practice martial arts.
As long as there were patients, it was enough; he didn't need a flood of them.
Working as a physician was merely a public identity for him.
His true identity was a martial artist, and one who aspired to the peak of the martial path!
"Are you sure about this spot?"
"I am."
Supervisor Zheng was somewhat surprised.
However, confident that Lu Changsheng understood what he meant, he did not press the matter further upon seeing Lu Changsheng's firm choice.
"Alright. Tomorrow, you will report to Miaoren Hall to practice."
Lu Changsheng nodded.
Afterward, Wu Jing gave Lu Changsheng a day off so he could rest and prepare.
Lu Changsheng thought about it. Going to practice at a new pharmacy, he would also need to bring along someone familiar, which would save a lot of trouble.
So he walked over to Zhang Huan and asked directly, "Zhang Huan, are you willing to come with me to work at Miaoren Hall?"
"Willing! Of course I am!"
"Thank you, Doctor Lu!"
Zhang Huan was overjoyed.
His past efforts had not been in vain.
Though he was an apprentice, there were differences among apprentices.
Once he followed Lu Changsheng to the new pharmacy, he would become Lu Changsheng's confidant.
Even as an apprentice, he would be the top apprentice under Lu Changsheng.
When the time came, besides the pharmacy's perks, Lu Changsheng would even grant Zhang Huan some extra pocket money for his hard work.
Even remaining an apprentice, Zhang Huan's future days would be quite comfortable.
"Good. Then prepare well, and do not be late for Miaoren Hall tomorrow."
Zhang Huan repeatedly promised he wouldn't be late, deeply grateful to Lu Changsheng.
Afterward, Lu Changsheng left the pharmacy.
The next day, Lu Changsheng headed straight for Miaoren Hall.
In Nanyang City, virtually every pharmacy bearing the word "Miao" in its name was affiliated with Miaoshou Garden.
"Doctor Lu, you've arrived!"
"I've already cleaned and tidied your station."
Zhang Huan came trotting out of Miaoren Hall, speaking respectfully.
Lu Changsheng nodded.
Zhang Huan had that sharp wit and was hardworking; he had cleaned Lu Changsheng's desk early in the morning.
He had even brewed a pot of hot tea and set it on the desk.
"You're very thoughtful."
Lu Changsheng was well pleased.
He glanced at the adjacent desk.
That belonged to Miaoren Hall's other doctor.
Lu Changsheng had gathered some background information beforehand: the man was named Wang Ruhai, in his forties, and had been at Miaoren Hall for over a decade—a seasoned physician.
Soon, a middle-aged man walked in from outside.
He sat down at the physician's desk.
Recognizing the man's identity immediately, Lu Changsheng stood up and took the initiative to greet him: "Might you be Doctor Wang?"
"I am Lu Changsheng, the physician who just arrived at Miaoren Hall. Please guide me well in the future, Doctor Wang!"
Wang Ruhai also hastily stood up to return the courtesy. "Doctor Lu is too polite! You are Elder Wu's only disciple to finish apprenticeship. You must have received Elder Wu's true teachings. It is I who will need your guidance in the future, Doctor Lu."
Lu Changsheng felt reassured; Wang Ruhai was modest and amiable.
Someone like this would certainly be easy to get along with.
Working together at Miaoren Hall in the future would not breed friction.
After exchanging pleasantries, both sat back down at their desks.
Then, patients began arriving.
Although Miaoren Hall was in a somewhat out-of-the-way location, it was an established establishment with a steady stream of regulars, mostly neighbors from the surrounding area.
The number of patients was still considerable.
Lu Changsheng officially began holding consultations and treating patients on his own.
Time flew by, and another month passed.
As the weather grew colder, the number of patients at Miaoren Hall gradually increased.
Though Lu Changsheng was young, he had studied under Wu Jing and had a solid medical foundation. Over this month, he had earned the patients' trust and established a firm footing at Miaoren Hall.
Even if he encountered difficult or unusual ailments he could not resolve, he would consult his master, Wu Jing.
For the most part, no major issues arose.
On this day, Lu Changsheng received a female patient.
She wore a tight-fitting red robe that accentuated her graceful figure, but a veil concealed her features.
Yet with a single glance, Lu Changsheng recognized her identity.
Li Hongzhuang!
This female patient was actually Lu Changsheng's acquaintance, Li Hongzhuang.
Hadn't Li Hongzhuang left Nanyang Prefecture long ago? Why had she returned?
However, Li Hongzhuang did not seem to recognize Lu Changsheng.
After all, Lu Changsheng had always worn black clothes and a face mask in front of her, fully disguised; naturally, she could not identify him now.
"Where does it hurt?" Lu Changsheng asked.
"I might be somewhat injured..." Li Hongzhuang hesitated, but spoke nonetheless.
"Injured?"
Lu Changsheng placed his fingers upon Li Hongzhuang's wrist to take her pulse.
"Your internal organs are injured, and your qi and blood are deficient."
"You must be a martial artist, young lady?" Lu Changsheng said.
"Yes, I am a martial artist. I accidentally injured myself during practice..." Li Hongzhuang explained.
Lu Changsheng merely smiled faintly without prying.
Such internal organ damage was not caused by practice gone wrong, but by someone's blows.
Moreover, judging by Li Hongzhuang's condition, she had likely already reached the Refining Organs Realm; otherwise, she would not have held out until now with internal organ injuries.
"It's nothing serious; the injury to your organs isn't severe."
"I'll prescribe you a formula. After a period of convalescence, you will make a full recovery."
Lu Changsheng promptly wrote out a prescription.
"Thank you, Doctor."
Li Hongzhuang breathed a slight sigh of relief.
Afterward, she purchased the medicine according to the prescription and departed in haste.
Chapter 49