The Martial Doctor-Chapter 35: Carefree Powder

"Senior Sister, this is the method of pulse diagnosis I compiled. You can learn from it, and if there’s anything you don’t understand, feel free to come and ask me." Lin Miao handed the thin volume of "Pulse Science" to Sun Youwei.

"Junior Brother, did your father teach you this?"

"More or less."

Lin Miao hesitated for a moment and finally nodded. He couldn’t tell her otherwise, so he resorted to this ambiguous statement.

He did not write down the complex pulse patterns; it only included basic ones, serving as fundamental pulse science suitable for beginners.

"Thank you, Junior Brother." Sun Youwei accepted it happily and kept it close to herself.

...

"I’m sorry, it was Shi Yin and I who involved Mr. Lin." Miss Liuli, like a child who had done something wrong, came to Lin Miao to sincerely apologize.

"It’s not related to you." Lin Miao shook his hand and said, "Miss Liuli, a place like Huaye Tower, it’s best to leave as early as possible if you can."

"Mr. Lin, you might not be aware. For courtesans like us to leave Huaye Tower, there are only two ways: either to earn enough money to buy our freedom, or to find a wealthy patron to redeem us. There’s no third way." Miss Liuli explained, "I have already accepted my fate and no longer have that thought."

"You are quite a popular singing courtesan. How much silver would it take to buy your freedom?" Lin Miao asked out of curiosity.

"Thirty thousand taels."

"Thirty thousand taels of silver, so much?" Lin Miao was surprised upon hearing this, thinking that such an amount of silver, at the current rate of earning at the neighbors’ shop, would take three years to accumulate.

With thirty thousand taels of silver, one could buy a fine mansion or thousands of acres of good farmland. In Qingping Town, marrying a decent woman would ensure never running out or lacking anything for the rest of life.

"If I may ask, how much has Miss Liuli saved?"

"Two thousand taels!" Miss Liuli, without hesitation, revealed her entire fortune to Lin Miao. First, it was due to her trust in Lin Miao. With his medical skills, once he passed the physician exam, this amount would be trivial. Those capable renowned physicians, are they not living in wealth?

Secondly, she also felt that Lin Miao was different from the men she knew; if he were greedy and lustful, he wouldn’t have been so determined to turn them away initially.

There was an aura of trustworthiness around Lin Miao.

"To not hide from Mr. Lin, it took me ten years to save this much."

"Ten years, I see Miss Liuli seems still unwed, could it be that once free, you wish to marry an ideal partner?"

Earning so little in ten years, Huaye Tower’s exploitation was truly severe.

"My situation is somewhat special. The owner promised that I only have to perform without selling myself. As long as I save enough to redeem myself, I will be granted freedom," Miss Liuli said.

"Oh?"

"Though I signed a contract for servitude, originally it wasn’t with Huaye Tower. For performers with skills like us, changing contracts allows for negotiation and terms..."

After Liuli’s explanation, Lin Miao understood why Liuli was different from Shi Yin. Liuli wasn’t originally from Huaye Tower; she was auctioned off post-bankruptcy of her original establishment, considered as one of the valuable assets.

It’s akin to athletes transferring between clubs, though slightly different. Her original establishment went bankrupt, auctioning off its assets, among which she was considered a premium asset.

People like her could seek new employers or find someone to buy their freedom; the result was the same.

Thus, Liuli came to Huaye Tower, becoming a famed leading dancer and instructor.

This performing without selling oneself was part of the terms Liuli negotiated with Huaye Tower; if Huaye Tower didn’t agree, she could go elsewhere.

Such situations were rare; Liuli was simply lucky.

Shi Yin, however, had a different path. Sold into Huaye Tower since childhood, where food, clothing, and utilities were provided, with various skill training and education funded by Huaye Tower, every cent spent on these girls, Huaye Tower had to earn back tenfold, a hundredfold.

Particularly someone like Shi Yin, exceptionally talented and standing out among many, was a cash cow that they had to hold onto tightly, unwilling to let go.

Shi Yin’s talents in singing and dancing were unparalleled, yet due to health issues, her performances each month were greatly affected, but rather than helping her, the owner Qin Yanran forced her to perform in the flower selection every month. Failure to do so meant forcing her into presenting a coming-of-age ceremony...

Enduring unbearable pain, Shi Yin had no choice but begged Liuli to procure Xiaoyao Powder for her. This thing could indeed relieve pain and alleviate worries, allowing performances to reach a state of self-forgetfulness, making her dances even more beautiful and her reputation even more illustrious.

However, the glory brought by these drugs was but fleeting, with backlash coming swiftly.

If it weren’t for Lin Miao reaching out downstairs, Shi Yin would have long become a lingering soul in the underworld, far from remaining in this world.

"Miss Liuli, what is this Xiaoyao Powder exactly, could I have a look?" Lin Miao inquired out of great curiosity, never having seen it himself.

"Mr. Lin doesn’t know?"

"Why should I know?"

"Xiaoyao Powder is a hallucinogenic drug, developed by Jiang Suchen, a master of the Imperial Physician’s Academy in the former dynasty. At that time, His Majesty the Emperor suffered from headaches, and Jiang Suchen was ordered to develop a medicine to treat them. This resulted in the creation of Xiaoyao Powder, which initially worked very well. However, it was later discovered that, although the drug could treat headaches, it also easily led to addiction, and long-term use could induce hallucinations. The Emperor once overdosed, hallucinated, and slaughtered the palace maids and eunuchs serving him. When he recovered, he remembered nothing of it. The drug was thus banned, and Jiang Suchen was convicted and exiled, eventually dying at the border. The prescription was completely destroyed, yet not many years after Jiang Suchen’s death, Xiaoyao Powder reappeared. It is said that one of Jiang Suchen’s disciples secretly kept the prescription, but did not know how to mix it, and only succeeded after years of trial."

"And the current prescription for Xiaoyao Powder?"

"Xiaoyao Powder remains a banned drug, but the recipe is no longer a secret. Otherwise, this forbidden drug wouldn’t be so easily available for purchase."

"From whom did you acquire the Xiaoyao Powder in your possession?"

"The black market, Mr. He."

"Does Miss Liuli still have any Xiaoyao Powder? Could you spare a little for me to study?" Lin Miao asked.

"There’s still a little left. If Mr. Lin wants it, I will fetch it for you." Liuli replied without hesitation, as she didn’t use it herself.

"Thank you. Just tell me the price, and I’ll pay you."

"Mr. Lin saved Shi Yin’s life, a favor akin to rebirth. A little Xiaoyao Powder is nothing in comparison!" Liuli quickly declined.

"Alright, then I shall accept your generosity with gratitude."

Liuli quickly returned, having evidently not lied, as she indeed enjoyed considerable freedom at Huaye Tower.

Unlike other songstresses, she was permitted to come and go quite freely.

Lin Miao received a small blue porcelain bottle with cloud-patterned edges and a cork stopper. It felt light in his hand, indicating that its contents were sparse.

This item seemed somewhat akin to "Xiao Hai," though the composition was likely not the same, as the technology of this world hadn’t reached that level.

He took a piece of paper, removed the cork, and tilted the bottle. A light tap with his forefinger released a gray powder-like substance.

It emitted a mildly irritating scent, not overly intense to most, though his nose was slightly more sensitive than average.

Lin Miao was informed that Xiaoyao Powder is best consumed with warm wine for rapid effectiveness, and that the maximum safe dose is no larger than a fingernail.

The remaining Xiaoyao Powder, however, was minimal, likely enough for only four or five doses at most.

Xiaoyao Powder was more valuable than gold; one ounce equaled ten ounces of gold, placing it beyond ordinary means.

Lin Miao’s tongue had sampled countless medicines in the past, and now, with a new body, his discernment of medicinal properties was exceptional.

His senses of smell, taste, and hearing had vastly improved. Having discovered that the medicinal properties here might differ from those in his past life, he would personally sample unfamiliar or differently named medicines to catalogue them in his "Herbal Notes."

This was necessary, as he couldn’t rely solely on past knowledge when prescribing medicines; he needed to test and compare them himself.

For toxic substances, he refrained from direct testing and opted for animal trials if necessary.

These considerations were for the future, currently unnecessary.

Though Xiaoyao Powder was a potent hallucinogen with high addiction potential, its safety hinged on dosage control. Moreover, once administered to Shi Yin, Ce adjustment on potential consequences was easily managed. Her use was brief; she simply took an excessive amount at one instance.

She consumed nearly ten times the regular dose due to unbearable pain, inducing strong hallucinations, leading her to leap from a third-floor window, clueless of her actions.

Following timely intervention, her recovery speed was swift.

Nevertheless, the addiction potential of Xiaoyao Powder was notably weaker than "Xiao Hai"; Shi Yin exhibited no severe withdrawal symptoms.

Lin Miao lightly touched it with the tip of his tongue.

A wave of heated sensation spread through his central nervous system as the powder dissolved and interacted with his saliva.

After closing his mouth and savoring it twice, Lin Miao discerned that it remarkably resembled the "Five Stone Powder" popular in the Wei-Jin era of his previous life.

Could it be that this world also has individuals capable of creating something akin to "Five Stone Powder"?

In his past world, the ancients developed brilliant herbal medicine practices that modern science hadn’t surpassed. Shouldn’t this world possess such talents as well?

One should never underestimate the people of the world.