Chapter 750: Observing the Pill
(A few days ago, I posted several chapters of around 1,900 words. I always thought that would mean 900 words were free. Only yesterday, after a reminder from Dreammaker, did I realize the charging method has changed. It’s no longer that words under a thousand aren’t counted—for example, 1,900 words being charged as 1,000. Now, only if a chapter is under a thousand words total is it free. So I thought I’d just post two 900-word free chapters in the author’s note. But I’m worried readers on QQ Reading’s client might not see the author’s note, so… I’ll go ask the editor how to handle it.)
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That small pouch was very slender. When it had been inside that Great Zhou military expert’s body, the upper half must have been in his esophagus, with the opening likely at his throat. Above it seemed to be some kind of mechanism—the Wenshui Tang family could even manufacture yellow paper umbrellas, so they surely had methods to ensure anything that fell into the pouch was completely isolated from the outside world.
The shopkeeper didn’t act immediately. Instead, he washed his hands with great care, even seeming somewhat tedious, until he confirmed they were as clean as if newly born. Then he used four towels to wipe them completely dry, without a trace of moisture. Only then did he cautiously untie the pouch and take out the object inside.
It was a pill, about the size of a pea, with a deep red color like fresh blood. Perhaps it had been contaminated by the moisture in the corpse, as its surface showed slight peeling. Seeing this, the shopkeeper’s eyes revealed a pained expression, and Seventeenth Master Tang’s face also darkened.
“It should be fine,” the shopkeeper said in a trembling voice, then quickly placed that deep red pill into a basin that had been prepared in advance.
The basin was filled with wheat bran—not ordinary wheat bran, of course. It had been repeatedly sifted and dehumidified in advance, appearing ivory white, very dry, without any moisture.
The shopkeeper scooped up the wheat bran to cover the pill, then gently rubbed it with his hands. His finger movements were exceptionally tender, as if caressing a lover. The pill rolled softly in the wheat bran, becoming completely clean as time passed. The deep red color grew clearer, even giving a sense of captivating allure.
The Wenshui Tang family’s understanding of this pill was still incomplete. They only knew it dissolved upon contact with water and was extremely difficult to preserve. At this moment, the shopkeeper finally confirmed that this cleaning method was fine. His gaze toward the pill also softened, though of course, it couldn’t compare to the look he gave Seventeenth Master Tang.
Beaming with joy, he said, “Seventeenth Master, your wisdom is unmatched. This method truly works.”
Seventeenth Master Tang ignored the flattery. He took a pure white, new handkerchief from his sleeve, placed it in his palm, received the pill, and examined it seriously for a long time. When his gaze grew somewhat fervent, he suddenly sensed a change in his own state of mind. Frowning slightly, he asked in a deep voice, “Is this pill really that miraculous?”
The shopkeeper didn’t notice the subtle shift in his mood and said, “Indeed it is. Otherwise, why would we trouble you, Seventeenth Master, to make this trip personally?”
He was trying to curry favor with his master, but as he spoke these words, his gaze couldn’t help but fall on the pill in the other’s palm, and he licked his lips.
This unconscious action showed he was somewhat nervous at the moment, and also revealed the greedy desire within his heart.
Seventeenth Master Tang noticed this. The corners of his mouth lifted slightly as he asked, “Do you know what this is?”
The shopkeeper’s expression shifted slightly. He thought, isn’t this just the legendary Cinnabar Pill?
“This is not a pill, nor is it wealth. It is power,” Seventeenth Master Tang said. “The ability to decide life and death—that is the greatest power in the world.”
The shopkeeper praised, “Seventeenth Master, your words are extraordinary.”
Seventeenth Master Tang looked at him expressionlessly and said, “If some people want to covet this kind of power but lack the strength to match it, they are simply seeking death.”
The shopkeeper’s body stiffened slightly. He lowered his head and dared not look at the pill again.
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People entered the secret chamber one after another, gathering around the black stone table. Among them were a medicine hall steward from the former Heavenly Secrets Pavilion, the two most renowned physicians from Fengyang Commandery, a priest of unknown origin hired by the Tang family at great expense, and a doctor from Wenshui who regularly took Old Master Tang’s pulse.
Regardless of their status, their faces all wore the same expression at this moment.
It was an expression that seemed calm but was actually very tense, thus appearing somewhat rigid.
They were all looking at the red pill on the black table—not just once, but many times, for a long while.
The reason for their tension was that they knew the pill’s origin. They naturally felt a greedy desire to seize it, yet they knew they absolutely could not do so. One of the Fengyang physicians even forcibly turned his head away out of fear of succumbing to the temptation.
Observing, smelling, inquiring, and palpating—these were the steps a physician took when examining a patient. Now, although they were examining a pill rather than an illness, they couldn’t escape these methods.
The observation of the pill had already taken a long time. Next, naturally, came smelling.
The old doctor from Wenshui glanced at Seventeenth Master Tang.
This old doctor specialized in taking Old Master Tang’s pulse. If today’s matter weren’t so critical, even Seventeenth Master Tang couldn’t have invited him here from Wenshui City.
Seventeenth Master Tang naturally treated him with some respect and said, “Master Yang, please go ahead.”
This old doctor, addressed as Master Yang, wasted no time. He directly lowered his head, leaned over the red pill, and took a deep breath.
The next moment, Master Yang’s face turned red, his eyes grew dazed, as if he had drunk fine wine or entered a room of orchids, seemingly intoxicated and unaware of where he was.
The Heavenly Secrets Pavilion medicine hall steward frowned slightly and coughed twice.
Master Yang snapped back to his senses and said, “The main ingredient is indeed cinnabar, along with curculigo, cinnamon, angelica, wolfberry, cloves, rock sugar…”
Just by smelling it, he could distinguish so many ingredients. This man’s skill in medicine was truly remarkable.
Seventeenth Master Tang listened to these ingredients but frowned. He thought, is this for stewing meat? Why is there rock sugar?
He didn’t know that these fairly common ingredients were even used in folk stewing. It was precisely because their medicinal properties were neutral and balanced that they were perfect as supplementary materials. Most pills in the world contained them. As for rock sugar, like fried rice, it served to catalyze the medicinal effects and… neutralize bitterness.
The Heavenly Secrets Pavilion steward and the two Fengyang famous physicians were also in the medical field, so they found nothing strange. They also gathered around to smell it and reported a few more ingredient names: Chinese yam, cloves, and cistanche.
Looking at the still-wet ink on the paper, the several physicians pondered for a while, discussed among themselves, and then said to Seventeenth Master Tang, “We still need to handle it.”
From start to finish, they had first observed and then smelled, but not one of them dared to touch it, because they all knew the pill’s preciousness.
Now, handling it was the consensus of the group. The one responsible for speaking was Master Yang, because he was from the Wenshui Tang family and could speak more conveniently.
When the Cinnabar Pill first appeared, the rules set by that person were not yet complete. The Great Zhou military and the Yinghua Hall had once secretly intercepted several pills, trying to analyze and deduce their ingredients. However, they wasted three entire pills and still couldn’t fully identify all the ingredients. The physicians gathered in the secret chamber today were all remarkable figures, but how could they succeed with only observation and smelling?
Seventeenth Master Tang had mentally prepared for this long ago, but he still couldn’t help feeling somewhat disappointed, because it meant this Cinnabar Pill would soon be ruined.
“Be careful, don’t waste it,” he said with a gloomy expression. “This represents two human lives.”