Chapter 121

Everyone has that unforgettable taste lodged in their memory, especially if they’re human.

However, whether that delicious memory is truly because it tasted good or just a fleeting excitement brought on by the state of one’s body and emotions can only be determined when they try it again.

Just like the food from the school cafeteria served back in the day.

Our young lady Seomun had her own version of this, reminiscing about the yuzu honey cold tea she drank last night.

Was it the secret ingredients in the yuzu honey tea that made it so good, or was it simply because her body was parched from sweating? There wasn’t a clear distinction.

So, she thought about asking for another glass, which brought her to find Tang Nan-ah at the Tang Family clinic.

But wow, were there really this many patients?

The queues of patients were tightly packed around the Seven Great Gates, and the assistants were busily hurrying about with herbs and medicinal soups.

Maybe that was why Tang Nan-ah looked utterly exhausted.

Her usually fair skin, which was always well cared for, seemed pale without any makeup, and her hair was simply tied up messily without washing.

Her bare lips were chapped, and the dark circles under her eyes made it look like she hadn’t slept in days.

Last night she was clutching her stomach and disappeared for a bit.

Could it be that she caught some stomach bug?

After all, they say physicians can’t cure their own illnesses.

“You don’t look so good. Are you okay?”

“W-What?”

Tang Nan-ah jumped up as if jolted awake.

Her gaze was filled with resentment, and her eyes even started to glisten with tears.

“Are you okay? I mean, last night… Yesterday.”

Tang Nan-ah seemed unable to finish her thought, her lips just flapping, until finally, a single tear rolled down her cheek.

“If it’s that hard, just take a break.”

“Hmph! Do you think I have the luxury to lounge around like you? It’s chaos because of the Five Sheep Juice, I can’t just call it a day because I’m tired!”

“Five Sheep Juice? Is that the carp juice?”

“Yeah. There’s this weird cooperative poisoning spreading around, so where on earth did this bee venom come from…”

The Five Sheep Juice was harmless on its own, but when paired with the venom from the Red Double-Headed Hornet, it could cause fever and blemishes, leaving a person bedridden for days. And don’t even get me started on mixing in the ant venom—things could get deadly.

That’s why those troublemakers from the Poison Door were on the lookout, scattering boracic acid in the flower fields around the city.

But even without spotting a single bee, patients started lining up at the Seven Great Gates displaying mild cooperative poisoning symptoms over the past few days.

“How could this happen?”

“It seems those crazy idiots have been watering their vegetables with something.”

Since the Tang Family clinic was the only one around, they had to evaluate all those patients and concluded they had all eaten the same vegetable, which tested positive for bee venom.

They shockingly figured out that they mixed bee venom in when watering those vegetables.

“Then can’t we just avoid eating them?”

“There are already several confirmed cases. If they keep switching the crops, we can’t respond fast enough. For now, we’re telling them not to use river water and treating the wells with neutralizers…”

With no places to store water, it was like pouring water into a broken jar.

“Then can’t we just get rid of the Five Sheep Juice entirely? Like a poison that only targets the Five Sheep Juice?”

“Are you some kind of idiot? Where do you expect to find such a poison?”

“Why not mobilize the fishermen?”

“Actually, I’ve already put a reward on one fish for a silver coin, but even after that, the gold coins have already run out, and the water still stands unchanged. They’re definitely not catching them from the river but buying them from Yunnan instead.”

“Then can’t we explain the situation and ask for cooperation?”

Tang Nan-ah looked at Seomun as if he were the biggest fool on the planet.

“If we did that, half the people in the city would flee, and out of the remaining half, half would become bandits, and only the last group would pay the price!”

“Oh. Right.”

Seomun realized his blunder.

Here, in this uncivilized, primitive China, they couldn’t expect or even hope for a mature citizenry.

Then, suddenly, an idea struck him.

“Anyway, if we just get rid of the Five Sheep Juice, that should be enough, right?”

“Why? You think you can just slaughter them with your fancy methods?”

“No. Just say it’s good for vitality.”

Tang Nan-ah frowned.

“What’s that supposed to mean? Does it even make sense?”

“Does it really matter? Look at those vigorous carp swimming upstream from Yunnan! It’s not just any fish, it’s carp! Leaping elegantly! Ah, I can’t find a better way to explain how great it is!”

Tang Nan-ah’s face turned beet red.

“What a crass thing to say! How can you even speak such filthy words?”

“In any case, there’s no downside to giving it a try, right? If it works, great; if not, who cares?”

“And if people eat it that way, they’ll be drenched in Five Sheep Juice!”

“I heard you have some neutralizer or whatever. Tell them to cook it with that and boil it thoroughly.”

“Hmm…?”

Tang Nan-ah seemed to be pondering something and then her eyes suddenly lit up.

“Wait, so you want to take credit for this idea?”

“Are you gonna pretend you thought of it first?”

Could it be because her eyes sparkled like a cat’s?

Whenever they twinkled, she seemed mischievous.

Seomun nodded, harboring such thoughts.

—-

A few days later, at the river by Daogang.

Countless fishermen stood with their ankles submerged, casting their lines.

And not just by the riverside; even those in boats were spaced out on the river as if they were treasure hunters, entirely focused.

“Ooh, it’s here, it’s here!”

One fisherman’s rod bent like a bow.

After a fierce battle against the rebellious fishing rod, a sturdy Five Sheep appeared, snagged right in the brow.

Amidst envious glances from the bystanders, several fishermen stealthily crept closer.

There’s a basic rule among fishermen not to infringe on others’ zones, or else the lines may get tangled, causing conflicts, and the fish would either escape or take the bait and swim away.

Strangely enough, the ones who break this rule are often just some elderly folks out for a stroll.

It seems the same goes for the Central Plains.

Perhaps that temperament has its roots in the continent, spreading across regions.

The truth hides deep within the river, so who knows?

On the other hand, some folks threw nets, letting the trivial fish go, intent primarily on catching the Five Sheep.

The Five Sheep!

Cooked well, they say the essence would also rise, hence the name Fifth Ascending Sheep.

Where do you think that vigor—coming all the way upstream from Yunnan—comes from?

Moreover, thanks to all this, the Tang Family Chief has seven sons, so you can bet the yang energy is rising.

Word has spread far and wide about those who have seen results.

Still, it could be said that even a fake medicine can work wonders because of people’s belief, so maybe it’s not all a lie.

Some who claim it doesn’t work are thought to be just rambling after consuming some cheap fakes from the market.

And just like that, during the harvest season, an unexpected wave of wild Five Sheep hit the scene.

—-

Tang Nan-ah was on the lookout, like a sly cat waiting for her chance to embarrass the young lady Seomun.

So the tactic that Seomun proposed was presented with immense confidence during the family meeting.

“Hey! Seomun’s Young Lady just came up with an idea! She’s betting her name on it! Even putting her family’s honor on the line! If it doesn’t work, she’ll take all the responsibility!”

Oh, so what is it?

The Five Sheep Juice is… good for ____! Let’s spread the word!

What’s good for it, I mean, where is that space?

Um, that… where is it?

Uh, ahem!

…Yin water,

Although she felt embarrassed alone in the back.

But still, the family members thought, “Would people really go fishing so idly for such a simple trick?”

In the midst of this busy season?

Some elders even expressed discomfort, thinking they were belittling the people of Sichuan.

That’s why, a fortnight ago, Tang Nan-ah was flush-faced, secretly celebrating.

“Heh, indeed. What a clever move, Seomun laid her finger right on the pulse of what a man worries about. It’s true she spoke confidently!”

“I had no idea Young Lady Seomun was so wise. I thought she was just frivolous.”

“Everyone living in the city owes Young Lady Seomun a debt of gratitude.”

“To resolve matters that couldn’t be tackled with twenty gold coins, just by spreading a word!”

Thanks to that, she had skyrocketed from being just a pretty beggar to a wise little girl with a mysterious charm.

“Wait—why is this working?!”

Only Tang Nan-ah could fume in frustration.

However, as soon as the water returned, and the physicians got busy again, another side effect emerged.

“Hey, by any chance, would you like to take a boat ride tonight?”

“Hey, who do you think you can mess with, huh?”

“Uh, brother, isn’t it a bit rude to interrupt me like this?”

Because the Five Sheep couldn’t hold and began to collapse after barely a fortnight, the Tang Family clinic returned to its original state.

Which meant, once again, the burdensome gazes of the older brothers and the unfortunate youngest son would resume.

Had they been any worse, they might have slapped each other, but.

This chaos had caused the brothers to forego sleep attending to patients that resulted from the combination of carp and wasps.

In the Tang Family, there was a safe space for those brothers, namely the female clinic in the corner of the Tang Family clinic.

Officially in the Central Plains, there are no female physicians.

That’s because physicians don’t recognize women as physicians.

Instead, women who practiced medicine were called “herb gathers,” meaning they were just old hags dealing with medicine.

Or it could also refer to a pitiful-looking old hag shuffling around, foraging for herbal remedies.

“Hey, you old hag!”

But speaking such things in Sichuan often leads to dire consequences, as the women in the Tang Family have all been well-educated in the medical arts.

Thus, men entering their clinic was a big no-no.

As a result, even the direct descendants of the Tang Family avoided entering.

So, Seomun quickly took refuge in the women’s clinic.

It was a shame that Choi Riyong took innocent criticism for this, but since his opponent was a calm and polite elderly man, it didn’t take long for respect to return.

Thus, when Seomun watched from behind Tang Nan-ah witnessing patients while also using it as a chance to evade others, the next patient came in quietly.

With that, the malicious arrival caught Seomun’s eye, and it was none other than…

“The enemy of the elder brother! Dead!”

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