“Yes, yes. They are friends,” Jia Zizai said.

  The goshawk circled a few times in the sky and flew into the distance.

  On Dongshan Mountain, Zhong Liuchuan and Jia Zizai practiced while Hu Mei walked around. She stopped at the border between Dongshan and Nanshan Hill and did not move on. She just stood there and looked around.

  The trees on Nanshan Hill were lush. Even though it was already late autumn, there were no yellow leaves. It seemed to be out of step with the autumn surroundings.

  It gradually darkened.

  “Shall we stop here today?”


  “OK.”


  The two men ended their practice. Jia Zizai and Hu Mei went down the mountain first. Zhong Liuchuan stayed on top of Dongshan Mountain for a while before leaving.

  “Have you ever been to Nanshan?” Hu Mei asked.

  “I have never been there,” Jia Zizai said.

  “Have you noticed that the feeling above Dongshan is completely different from that under the mountain?” Hu Mei asked. She felt that she was breathing more smoothly when she was on the mountain and generally more comfortable. She had never experienced such a feeling before.

  “I have felt it.”


  “Why is that?”


  “The airflow in the mountains is smoother. The more trees there are, the more natural the air will be.”


  “No, those are secondary factors.”


  “Why do you say that?” Jia Zizai asked.

  “I don’t know. Did your brother ever say something to you about that?”


  “He didn’t say anything to me, so I didn’t ask him.”


  “It might be because of the special formation, I guess.” Hu Mei smiled and asked, “Have you ever noticed that the situation on Nanshan is different from the areas around it?”


  “The trees on that mountain are extraordinarily lush. Even in autumn they are still lush and have falling leaves It is amazing!” Jia Zizai had already discovered the situation.

  “I think that is what Mr. Wang made efforts to achieve. Nanshan should feel like spring all year round.”


  “Do you want to go and see?”


  “No. Even your brother does not want to go up or exercises restraint in the thought of going up.”


  “I feel that it is a forbidden area. No one can go up without the permission of Mr. Wang.”


  “Let’s go home. What would you like to eat tonight?”


  “I have some new thoughts from reading the Taoist scriptures, so I prefer to eat something light,” Jia Zizai said. He was telling the truth. He carefully read the Taoist scriptures for two days and gained some enlightenment. He also felt calmer.

  “OK.” Hu Mei smiled and went to prepare dinner.

  The night quickly fell. Darkness shrouded the earth.

  On Nanshan Hill, there were a few lights.

  In the cottage, the firewood was burning, making a crackling noise. Wang Yao sat quietly beside it, adding some firewood from time to time.

  He had gone up the mountain earlier to collect herbs for preparing medicine.

  The herbs were added into the soup one after one. The soup gradually began to boil. The aroma of the medicine permeated the cabin and floated out. Outside the cottage, the dog smelled the aroma. He raised his head and looked toward the cottage before lying back down to sleep.

  It looks like it should be almost there.

  Wang Yao looked at the changing color and smell of the soup. Over time, the potency of the herbs was incorporated into the soup.

  Guiyuan……

  This herb reconciled Yin and Yang and fused the efficacy of the herbs. Therefore, it was necessary.

  Well, alright.

  The medicine was ready. After it naturally cooled down to a certain temperature, he poured it into a bottle.

  After that medicine was ready, Wang Yao began preparing another medicine, which was to prevent miscarriages. The medicine was based on the one he had prepared for Feng Jiahe in Jing. The only change was to purple dragon tooth. Thus, the medicine had a special effect that other medicines did not have. It helped with recuperation.

  The preparation of the two medicines didn’t end until late at night. After putting everything in order, he turned off the lights and went to sleep.

  Early the next day, he got up and practiced a round of boxing on top of Nanshan Hill. Afterward, he went to Dongshan Mountain, where Zhong Liuchuan and Jia Zizai practiced early in the mornings lately. When they were practicing, he sometimes stayed and provided them some guidance. Zhong Liuchuan had gradually become better. It was mainly because his state of mind had progressed extremely fast, which was consistent with the spiritual state of the practice. Jia Zizai was a little worse. Fortunately, in the past two days, something seed to have clicked for him. He had become calmer. The next step was to practice more.

  At about 8 a.m., Wang Yao went down the mountain and returned home. After eating breakfast, he went to the clinic.

  He called Liu Zhengfeng and asked him to come get the medicine. Less than an hour later, Liu Zhengfeng arrived from Lianshan County.

  “Mr. Wang.”


  “Here is the medicine. It is to be taken in the same way as the last one. Take her for a follow-up visit 10 days after taking it.”


  “OK, thank you!” Liu Zhengfeng happily took the medicine and paid the fee.

  Next, Wang Yao asked Wang Zecheng to bring his father over. The old man looked even worse. His eyes were dull.

  “Uncle, didn’t you sleep well last night?”


  “Well, I have had a lot of dreams!” The old man did not know why he was dreaming so much. Sometimes he herded sheep on the mountain. As a result, the sheep ran away, so he chased them through the mountains. It suddenly snowed, and the crops froze to death. He was anxious but could not do anything to rescue them. He had another dream in which he fell into water and couldn’t swim to shore. He was upset but couldn’t say anything when he wanted to shout. None of the dreams he had were pleasant.

  “Come on, drink this bowl of medicine.” Wang Yao handed the old man the medicine soup, which was made with several kinds of spiritual grasses to treat his malignant tumor.

  “Ah.” The old man drank the warm potion with a sip.

  After about 30 minutes, Wang Yao felt the old man’s pulse.

  “How are you feeling?”


  “Well, I just feel that my stomach is warm. These two places are especially hot.” He pointed to his abdomen.

  “OK, please lie down and unbutton your clothes.”


  Wang Yao let him lie down and unfasten his clothes before treating him with acupuncture. The way he inserted the needles was a bit unique. Sometimes it was fast, and sometimes it was slow. It was never done all at once. He inserted the needles into a few acupuncture points before moving on to different ones. He was using newly acquired knowledge and skills, so it took about an hour.

  The old man had different feelings in his body. Some parts were warm while others were hot. Some parts were still painful.

  “Uncle, how are you feeling?”


  “Ah, that’s fine.” The old man thought for a while.

  “You need to tell me the truth so that I can make sure the treatment is working.” Wang Yao laughed. He knew the old man likely had different feelings in different positions.

  The old man carefully told Wang Yao how he was feeling.

  “OK. Now I know. You can get up and get dressed.”


  After another 30 minutes, Wang Yao felt the old man’s pulse again.

  “That is all for today. Come back tomorrow morning.”


  “OK, thank you,” Wang Zecheng said. “What about the fee?”


  “Take Uncle home first.”


  “OK, I’ll come back later,” Wang Zecheng said.

  He helped the old man out of the clinic.

  “Dad, how are you feeling?”


  “Well, I feel weird. It’s not comfortable, but it is generally alright. I feel a little upset, but I do feel stronger than when I got up this morning.”


  “That’s good.”


  “There is no need to take me back since it is so close to home,” Wang Yilong said. “I can go back on my own. Go back and settle the consultation fee. He has been helpful to us. We can’t owe him.”


  “I’ll take you home first. I’ll go through the checkout there. It’s near home anyway.” After Wang Zecheng took his father home, he returned to the clinic.

  “How much does this medicine cost?” Wang Zecheng asked.

  “Same as last time,” Wang Yao said.

  The medicine had six kinds of spirit grass. Although the quantities of each type were different, some more and some less, they were precious. It was worth much more than thousands of dollars. He could not afford one type used in it.

  “Ah, OK.” Wang Zecheng was secretly relieved. He was worried that the medicine cost had increased to what he couldn’t afford.

  “Go back and observe any change in his disease. Come see me if you have any questions.”


  “Thank you. I will.”


  “OK, you can go back.”


  Wang Zecheng left the clinic and returned home. He went directly to his father’s room. The old man was drinking water.

  “Did you pay for the medicine?”


  “Yes.”


  “How much was it?”


  “$500.” Wang Zecheng lied.

  “Ah, that’s OK.”