Watching how effortlessly it worked, it was like a master chef with thirty years of skill performing in a tavern, turning routine work into a solo showcase.
He Lingchuan actually saw unruffled composure in a monkey.
Tangweng nodded repeatedly from the side, stroking the long beard beneath his chin and murmuring praises.
In less than half a quarter of an hour, the flames died down and the pill was formed, the furnace turning back into a miniature plaything.
The ape Lingguang gestured for He Lingchuan to open his palm, then inverted the furnace and tapped the elixir pills out into his hand.
Four small pills.
Lingguang also tapped the bottom of the furnace twice with force, shaking out one more.
Tangweng looked very pleased. "One extra pill. Very good."
He Lingchuan examined the pills in his palm closely: uniform in size, round and smooth, a subtle golden glint beneath their black sheen.
The Qianding Pill was an injury medicine, named after the promise to settle a thousand wounds. It was far more expensive than ordinary trauma salve, and far more effective. He had used it twice himself, and had also seen the Gale Army rely on it during the Battle of the River Valley in the Panlong dreamscape.
For a remedy to serve as essential field medicine for the Gale Army, its quality and efficacy had to be the cream of the crop. He Lingchuan remembered the Qianding Pills produced by the army medic A'luo; their appearance was virtually identical to the ones in his hand, and when held close to the nose, they carried that same medicinal aroma tinged with a sharp pungency.
Of course, the best proof was personal trial.
He Lingchuan drew a dagger and slashed his arm—a deep cut.
Blood immediately welled up and poured forth.
He crushed one Qianding Pill and applied the powder over the wound. A cool sensation instantly counteracted the stinging burn.
Before long, the bleeding stopped.
He Lingchuan waited three to five breaths, then brushed away the loose powder, discovering that upon contacting blood, the medicine seemed to form a thin, gelatinous film that completely sealed the wound.
Lingguang added, "It will heal shut by evening, leaving no scar after two days."
The effect was even better than He Lingchuan had anticipated.
Just as he was about to speak, Fixer Liu tugged at his sleeve. "Eldest Young Master, a word in private."
Once they stepped aside, Fixer Liu whispered, "I kept feeling the name 'Lingguang' sounded familiar. Only now did I remember: this medicine ape's alchemy is indeed exceptional, but... but there is a reason it has remained here."
"What's wrong with it?"
"Its previous four employers are all dead. Every one met an untimely, violent end shortly after hiring it. The unluckiest was the most recent one—a month and a half ago, condemned as a partisan of the Grand Marshal, the entire household was exterminated. All seventy-six members of the clan were chopped in half at the waist and exposed in the marketplace for three full days while crowds watched. Someone noticed the pattern and began calling it an inauspicious ape. After that, no one dared hire it."
He Lingchuan arched a brow. "So the deaths of its former masters had no direct connection to it."
"Still, it's cursed luck," Fixer Liu said with a quiet, rueful smile. "You ought to reconsider, or perhaps we come back another day."
"I'll only be in Shihuan for a few days. Besides, I have origin power protecting me; even a curse couldn't harm me."
In truth, He Lingchuan was thinking that while comfortable, wealthy folks might dread it like a venomous snake, he himself had already drawn the worst lot from the old turtle demon—two of them, in fact. Whether he hired this monkey or not, ill fortune would hardly steer clear of him.
When you already had a body full of lice, what was a few more bites? What did he have to fear?
Besides, did he have any other choice? This was the only medicine ape left.
Thus, having said his piece, he walked back to face Lingguang. "Your craft is excellent, just what I want. Do you have any conditions, or is there anything I should know?"
Lingguang blinked, spotting Tangweng standing behind He Lingchuan, frantically twitching his eyebrows and winking.
The message was clear: *Don't say it! Whatever you do, keep quiet!*
Lingguang tilted its head in thought, yet still said, "I have no special demands. However, all my previous employers have passed away. I ought to let you know this."
*Ruined again.* Tangweng slapped his forehead. *Why does this kid have to be so painfully honest?*
He Lingchuan asked in amusement, "Did you kill them?"
Lingguang's eyes went wide. "Of course... not!"
"As long as it wasn't on purpose." Eldest Young Master He didn't mind in the least, turning to Tangweng. "I think Lingguang is quite fine, and remarkably candid for a monkey. Shall we sign the agreement?"
Tangweng was overjoyed. He had never expected this wealthy scion to be so daring and unbothered—truly, you couldn't judge a book by its cover. "Good, good! Wait just a moment!" With a whoosh, he scurried up the tree, devoid of any elderly decrepitude.
"Young Master He, you truly are..." Having fulfilled his duty to warn, Fixer Liu now unleashed his full capacity for flattery. "...resolute!"
*He really has no fear of death.*
"My fate is in my own hands. How could it be dictated by..." He Lingchuan was about to say "a monkey," but remembering the Qianxin Sect's stance against discrimination, he hastily amended, "...by outsiders?"
Lingguang's eyes instantly lit up. Standing bolt upright, it bowed deeply to him. "Thank you!"
It had endured enough of others shrinking back from it as if from a ferocious beast.
This young master was truly a good person.
Just then, the old monkey returned, holding up three red booklets. He Lingchuan took them and looked: they were employment contracts in triplicate, stating that he hired the Qianxin Sect medicine ape Lingguang as the He family's apothecary, with a salary of fifteen taels of silver per month, an annual increase of ten percent, plus room and board.
There were also requirements for Lingguang's diet: five jin of prime fruit daily. The master was to treat it with the respect due an honored retainer, never scolding or beating it, nor treating it as a slave or pet.
A medicine ape naturally held a far different status from cats and dogs!
In return, as an employee, Lingguang was bound to refine medicine diligently for He Lingchuan. The contract set out detailed parameters for allowable failure rates; if Lingguang failed to meet them, the Qianxin Sect would provide a free replacement medicine ape—no, a replacement apothecary.
It took He Lingchuan a quarter of an hour to read it through. "These terms are remarkably... comprehensive." Tedious, and a standard form contract to boot.
Tangweng replied in a muffled tone, "Comprehensive terms and an agreement beforehand are the only way to avoid being shortchanged."
Maotao curled his lip to the side, thinking these monkeys must have suffered terribly in past dealings with humans to have patched their contracts so obsessively.
He Lingchuan and Lingguang both signed and affixed their marks to the three contracts, each party keeping a copy for the record. Tucking away his copy, Tangweng patted Lingguang's shoulder with earnest gravity: "Do well this time. Your Martial Uncle doesn't want to see your face for years."
Lingguang nodded heavily, tears glistening in its eyes.
He Lingchuan extended a hand to it. "In that case, Apothecary, please come home with me."
The monkey tucked away its contract, leapt onto his shoulder, and tipped its conical bamboo hat toward Tangweng. "Take care, Elder!"
As He Lingchuan and the others walked down the mountain, monkeys chattered throughout the woods along the way. Even the old monkeys perched on the gateway arch were beaming, visibly relieved that He Lingchuan had taken a massive headache off their hands.
*Damn it. If I'd known, I should have bargained harder.*
Climbing into the carriage, He Lingchuan directed the driver to make another trip to the market to purchase medicinal herbs.
Whether martial artist or mystic practitioner, one had to rely on medicinal power in cultivation. He Lingchuan knew full well that if one wished for one's cultivation to advance by leaps and bounds, consuming pills like daily meals was standard fare. Having a skilled alchemist at one's disposal was simply indispensable.
Several hours later, at the Songyang Mansion retreat.
The Marquis of Songyang was reading in his study when a sudden flutter sounded outside the window as a plump bird took wing, showering snowflakes from the bough.
Then came the steward, hurrying in to report:
"My Lord, people have arrived from Mount Yang."
The Marquis of Songyang replied curtly, "I have no time. I won't see them."
"They heard the He father and son have reached Shihuan and wish to inquire about intelligence."
"Intelligence on the He father and son?" The Marquis of Songyang closed his book. "He Chunhua and his family of four are staying at the Hua'an Inn. His retinue, including dependents, numbers six hundred and forty people, billeted separately between the north and west post stations. Seven officers share the inn with He Chunhua, and this Governor-General has at least four guards at his side—and that is merely out in the open; whether there are covert guards is unknown.
"Ever since he escorted Zhu Xiyan's granddaughter back, this Governor-General traveling north to take office has already received nine waves of visitors. From what I see, he intends to cultivate broad connections and draw closer to the royal court.
"He Chunhua's personal cultivation is mediocre, though a few martial artists under his command are decent. Ah, right—the Zhu family is hosting a banquet at Luming Garden tonight to welcome their recovered granddaughter. The He family is ninety-nine percent certain to attend." The Marquis of Songyang instructed, "Just relay what I have said."
The steward acknowledged the order and asked, "The eldest son of the He clan visited Songyang Mansion today. Should we tell them?"
"Why mention that?" The Marquis of Songyang sneered. "That is Songyang Mansion's business. What does it have to do with them?"
The steward withdrew as instructed.
Two quarters of an hour later, he returned to report: "I have relayed it, word for word. But the guests from Mount Yang wish to know whether you will be going to Luming Garden tomorrow evening."
"It is inconvenient for me to attend. Let them do as they see fit," the Marquis of Songyang said lazily. "By the way, give them another piece of news—one they are bound to find interesting: at tonight's welcome banquet, a prominent figure will also be attending, and that is..."
***
"What?! You spent fifteen taels of silver just to hire a monkey for me?!"
Madam Ying glared at He Lingchuan... and the bamboo-hatted monkey perched on his shoulder, barely suppressing the urge to slam the table, though her voice shot up three pitches.
He Lingchuan said with utter solemnity, "Mother, the Qianxin Sect dislikes people calling them monkeys."
Lingguang's cultivation was far shallower than the elder ape Tangweng's. Faced with a furious Madam Ying, it dared not argue its case and could only shrink behind He Lingchuan's neck.
A monkey was a monkey; who was it to forbid the word? Even though the creature took off its bamboo hat and bowed politely to her, Madam Ying kept her face taut. "Even in the capital, do you have any idea what caliber of guard fifteen taels of silver could hire?"
"Lingguang isn't a guard, he's an apothecary. Mother, whenever you have a headache, a fever, feel frail and sluggish, or even during those days of the month when you suffer from chills and cramps, you can have him concoct medicine on the spot—"
Madam Ying couldn't bear to hear another word. Grabbing two jujubes, she hurled them straight at his face. "Get out!"
Two bright-red, plump jujubes that had just been steeped in hot water. He Lingchuan caught them, handed them to the monkey, gave a quick acknowledgment, and greased his heels to slip away.
Before he vanished, Madam Ying caught sight of the monkey stuffing the red dates into its mouth, puffing out its cheeks like round sacks.
He Chunhua offered a cup of warm tea, unruffled and serene. "Calm yourself, my dear."
"Look at your fine son!" Madam Ying took it and gulped down a mouthful. "Finding brand-new ways to squander our wealth!"
Over the past few months together, she had thought her eldest son had finally turned over a new leaf and learned some sense. Who knew that the moment he arrived in Shihuan City, he would only double down? Fifteen taels of silver—that was fifteen thousand copper coins! How many monkeys could that buy?
And that was a monthly salary!
"There's even a formal contract! Our household actually drew up a contract of hire for a monkey—what an absolute farce!" The more Madam Ying thought about it, the angrier she grew. "Those fifteen taels will be deducted straight from his monthly allowance. Not a single extra coin will he get from me!"
Chapter 169