The Martial Doctor-Chapter 36: Uninvited Guest

The tongue can taste and analyze the medicinal properties the most, determining whether it is cold, hot, or warm, etc. To know the ingredients, unless there are obvious characteristics, is challenging. This powder seems like it’s made from grinding and mixing certain minerals.

It indeed resembles Five Stone Powder.

However, it’s slightly different from the Five Stone Powder Lin Miao remembers. The formula for Five Stone Powder is not singular; it’s just a general term.

So, he couldn’t be certain.

This wasn’t Lin Miao’s main concern at the moment, so he just put away the porcelain bottle. Besides his senior sister Sun Youwei, no one else was allowed into his study.

If it needed cleaning, he did it himself and did not rely on others.

...

Someone compiled previous exam questions, bound them into booklets, and sold them to those taking the "Medical Scholar Exam."

Practicing exam questions is one of the essential skills for "small town examiners."

Over the years, the scope of questions remained consistent, and practicing them was the quickest way to pass the written exam.

This world is not short of clever people.

Lin Miao also spent money to buy a set, which wasn’t expensive—three taels of silver. Since someone had put effort into compiling and transcribing it.

The money was well-spent, especially for first-time examinees like Lin Miao, rather than those who had taken the exam multiple times.

This year, the number of applicants increased by half compared to the previous year, and most were young people. That’s why this year’s collection of past "Medical Scholar Exam" papers and reference answers was particularly popular.

Lin Miao’s method was simple: he would work through a set on his own, then compare it with the reference answers, doing set after set.

As he continued, every set he did aligned closely with or matched the reference answers.

"Mr. Lin, Young Mistress Youwei instructed me to prepare a late-night snack for you?" Luu Wan approached the study with a bowl of supper, knocked on the door frame, and inquired.

"Bring it in."

Luu Wan pushed the door open, slightly turned her body, lowered her head, and entered. She walked up to Lin Miao’s desk, "Mr. Lin, where should I place it for you?"

"Just put it on the table by the window over there," Lin Miao slightly lifted his head and pointed to the table opposite him.

"Yes, enjoy it while it’s hot. It won’t taste as good if it cools down."

"Got it, Mrs. Luu, you can go rest now. Just come and collect the bowls and spoons tomorrow."

"Yes, I’ll take my leave now."

After Luu Wan closed the door and walked far away, Lin Miao got up, went over, seated himself on the chair by the table, and picked up the bowl.

The bowl was naturally warm, and inside was cooked lotus root flour dumplings, meticulously crafted with a faint aroma of osmanthus flowers.

There was no osmanthus tree at home, so the osmanthus must have been picked from outside.

The fragrance was enticing, truly stimulating one’s appetite. However, for those with weak stomachs, foods like dumplings can be difficult to digest. But for someone who practices martial arts, this was mere child’s play.

For a martial artist, all the internal organs would be strengthened. A simple bowl of dumplings could be easily digested with a punch’s worth of energy.

He had already perfected the Yin Jue, but didn’t immediately move to the next step of Bone Forging, still honing it to reach an extreme state before choosing to break through.

Some tasks, if done at all, must be done excellently.

He’s still considering the prescription required for the medicinal baths for Bone Forging, which might be a major expense, so he must be cautious.

His main focus remained on medicine; practicing martial arts served to strengthen his body and to be prepared for unexpected needs.

After having his supper, he continued reading medical books.

If he couldn’t pass the "Medical Scholar Exam" in one go, it would severely impact his subsequent plans, so he had to ensure everything was foolproof.

Since falling ill, there hadn’t been an occasion where he put so much effort into something.

Having a young body indeed is great.

Having sat for a long time, he suddenly felt a soreness in his calf and stood to stretch. Just then, he heard a faint "thud" sound falling to the ground outside the window.

As if a civet cat leaped off the beam, landing with a thump.

That’s not right.

If a cat jumped down, there would have been two sounds, front and back, but just now there was only one sound. In this tranquil night, even the lively Huaye Tower next door had quieted down, so Lin Miao could hear it clearly. His hearing was particularly sensitive to sounds now.

Someone had entered his yard; an uninvited guest had arrived.

There wasn’t anything valuable at home. Could this thief be after his senior sister? Remembering the two people encountered at Xinglin Institute made Lin Miao’s heart tighten.

If they really were after his senior sister, then he’d have to resort to severe measures. He would never let anyone harm his senior sister Sun Youwei.

With a wave of his hand, the lamp in the study was extinguished.

He quickly went to the window, gently opened a slit, and peered through it into the courtyard. Sure enough, he saw a black-clad, masked figure approaching the main house stealthily like a civet cat.

No, he couldn’t just hide in the study. If that person was heading towards his senior sister, he couldn’t let the intruder frighten her...

He decided to take the initiative to become the bait.

Lin Miao had an idea, swiftly moving from the study to his own bedroom, and turning on the bedroom light.

The masked Ding San’Er was startled when Lin Miao’s room light suddenly turned on, thinking he had been discovered. He quickly flipped, jumping onto the corridor beam, hiding his body there.

Shortly after, Lin Miao opened the door, half-dressed, appearing half-awake. Was he getting up in the middle of the night to go use the restroom?

As Ding San’Er saw this, realizing it was the young Mr. Lin from next door, he decided to follow him, intending to teach him a lesson, so he could go back and report to Qin Yanran. Thus, he took a deep breath and jumped down, following him.

Lin Miao sensed someone following and thought, is this person after me, or is he looking for guidance?

Judging by the person’s breath and martial arts skills, they were probably on par with Mr. Huang’s level, likely around the Bone Forging Realm.

He wasn’t the Lin Miao from a month ago; if Mr. Huang faced him now, perhaps he’d knock him out with just one punch, sending him to meet Huang San.

The restroom was in the backyard. Lin Miao, feigning urgency, quickly walked there, not giving the other person a chance to think.

With a swift movement.

Lin Miao opened the restroom door and went inside, and then a loud "relieved" sound came from inside.

Ding San’Er outside the restroom was overjoyed; this was a golden opportunity!

Squatting down there, his pants were likely down. If he didn’t make a move now, when would he?

Ding San’Er almost laughed out loud, he directly pushed the door open and went inside, eyes wide open looking that there wasn’t a ghostly shadow by the latrine pit.

Where is he?

Realizing something was wrong, about to turn and flee.

He suddenly felt a fierce wind at the back of his head.

What a blow; it felt like a hit that sent stars twinkling all around. Ding San’Er spun in a circle; if not for Lin Miao’s quick hands, he feared he would’ve fallen straight into that smelly latrine pit.

Lifting the mask, the face was unfamiliar, confirming he hadn’t seen it before. However, the night attire underneath was quite recognizable.

The protectors employed by the neighboring Huaye Tower all dressed like this, didn’t they?

Is Qin Yanran really that petty-hearted, sending her henchmen for revenge so soon? But this person on the mission didn’t seem too bright?

Qin Yanran, do you really consider yourself a child?

Aside from my age, I’m not small elsewhere!

But how to deal with this person?

Leaving him in my house isn’t an option. If he wakes up, what to do? Taking him next door to demand answers seems pointless; that’d be tearing relationships apart.

After reflecting for a while.

What goes around comes around.

This person followed me into the restroom with obvious ill intentions. Though murder wasn’t on his mind, he probably intended to humiliate me by dumping me into the latrine for a lesson.

That’s vile.

Fine, since you like teaching lessons in the latrine, you can spend a night there, too.

But not here; instead, I’ll send you back to the neighboring Huaye Tower. I’m sure tomorrow morning, seeing her man in her latrine will put a fantastic expression on Qin Yanran’s face.

Although I’ve never been to Huaye Tower myself, I’ve gleaned some understanding of its layout from discussions with Liuli and Shi Yin. So, infiltrating Huaye Tower shouldn’t be too difficult as long as no expert is encountered.

Determined, he hoisted Ding San’Er up, took a sprint, and leaped easily over the three-meter courtyard wall, entering the back courtyard of Huaye next door without much effort.

This body might not excel in other skills, but its lightweight skill is decent, most likely honed from following Sun Simiao into the mountains for herbal gathering, mastering rock climbing and wall traversing.