50: Chapter 50 Donghai County

A sea breeze blew into Donghai Prefecture.

The salty, damp wind carried the scent of distant tides, passing through low eaves and swirling a few scraps of old straw paper at the street corner.

Old Third Zhao let out a loud sneeze, rubbed his reddened nose, and wrapped his patched-up old cotton coat tighter around himself as he hurriedly turned into a small alley at the end of West Market Street.

Deep within the alley, a medical clinic with a modest storefront was quietly open for business.

A wooden plaque, neither brand new nor very old, hung over the lintel. On it, the three characters for 'Jishi Hall' were written in upright, vigorous regular script.

Just as Old Third Zhao reached the clinic entrance, the door curtain was lifted. A burly Martial Artist with a saber at his waist walked out carrying several packages of medicine. With a look of gratitude on his face, he turned back to the interior and said, "Physician Jiang, many thanks! This leg injury dragged on for half a month, but more than half of it is healed after just three doses of your medicine!"

A gentle response came from inside: "You're too kind, Escort Leader Liu. Take your medicine on time, avoid alcohol and spicy food, and another ten days of rest will see you fully recovered."

The Escort Leader surnamed Liu thanked him repeatedly before striding away, his footsteps creating steady echoes on the bluestone road.

Old Third Zhao watched the departing Martial Artist's back with awe, then looked at the clinic's curtain. After a moment of hesitation, he lifted the curtain and walked in.

Inside the clinic, the light was soft and the fragrance of herbs greeted the nose.

Rows of elm-wood medicine cabinets stood against the walls, their countless small drawers labeled with the names of various herbs.

Behind a simple consultation desk sat a young man dressed in a bluish-gray cloth robe.

He looked to be about eighteen or nineteen years old, with a handsome face and a slightly darkened complexion, as if he often spent time in the sun and wind.

He was looking down, organizing the pulse pillow and silver needles on the table. His movements were unhurried, and his fingers were long and steady. Hearing footsteps, he looked up, revealing a pair of calm, gentle eyes.

It was indeed Jiang Hanzhou.

“Physician Jiang...” Old Third Zhao rubbed his hands together somewhat awkwardly. “I—I've had a headache and a stuffy nose these past two days, and I feel cold all over. I’m afraid I’ve caught a chill.”

Jiang Hanzhou smiled slightly and pointed to the stool in front of the desk. “Please sit, Uncle Zhao. I’ll take your pulse first.”

Old Third Zhao sat as instructed and extended his rough wrist.

Jiang Hanzhou placed three fingers on it, closed his eyes to concentrate for a moment, then checked his tongue coating and asked about a few symptoms before nodding.

“It is indeed a common cold from catching a chill. The wind at sea has been strong these past few days; you fishermen have a hard time, Uncle Zhao.”

He stood up and walked to the medicine cabinet, opening several drawers and skillfully weighing and mixing the herbs.

Codonopsis, siler, perilla leaves, fresh ginger... several medicinal ingredients were quickly combined into a dose in his hands and wrapped in oil paper.

“Decoct this by boiling three bowls of water down to one, and take it once in the morning and once in the evening. Avoid raw, cold, and greasy foods, and don't go out in the sea breeze for a few days,” Jiang Hanzhou instructed gently as he handed over the medicine package.

Old Third Zhao agreed repeatedly, took the package, and pulled several shiny copper coins from his bosom, carefully placing them on the desk. “Thank you, Physician Jiang, thank you...”

He paused, then lowered his voice. “If it weren’t for that gang of ‘Evil Ghost Bandits’ causing such a stir lately, we wouldn't have to go out fishing in the middle of the night. They dare to rob during the day, and it's so cold at night... Sigh!”

Jiang Hanzhou’s brow twitched imperceptibly. “Evil Ghost Bandits?”

“Yes!” Old Third Zhao said indignantly, as if opening a floodgate. “A gang of water bandits who specialize in robbing the cargo from small fishing boats like ours, and sometimes they even steal the boats! The government has sent troops to suppress them several times, but they can't even find a shadow. I heard... I heard there are Martial Artists among them, and they are very powerful!”

As he spoke, he shrank his neck in fear, seemingly afraid of being overheard. He hurriedly cupped his hands toward Jiang Hanzhou. “Physician Jiang, I’ll be going now. Many thanks, many thanks!”

With that, he quickly left the clinic, his figure soon disappearing at the mouth of the alley.

Jiang Hanzhou looked at the copper coins on the desk, remained silent for a moment, and then put them away.

The evening sun gradually sank in the west, and orange-red light spilled through the gaps in the door curtain, casting long shadows on the bluestone floor.

He waited for about another hour, but no one else came.

Jiang Hanzhou stood up, locked the medicine cabinets one by one, organized the consultation desk, blew out the oil lamp on the counter, walked to the door to hang the 'Closed' sign, and shut the door panels.

After locking the clinic door, he turned and walked deeper into the alley.

After turning several corners, he arrived in front of a secluded courtyard.

The courtyard was not large, with blue bricks and gray tiles, and some withered vines climbing the walls.

This was a small courtyard Jiang Hanzhou had purchased after arriving in Donghai Prefecture two months ago. It cost three hundred taels of silver—not expensive, and its main virtue was its tranquility.

He pushed the door open to enter and bolted it behind him.

The courtyard was kept clean and tidy. In one corner, some dried medicinal herbs were piled, and a wooden bucket sat next to a well.

There were three main rooms: a bedroom, a study, and a kitchen.

Jiang Hanzhou went straight into the kitchen, where he skillfully started a fire, washed rice, and chopped vegetables.

The hearth fire reflected off his calm profile. Those eyes, which were gentle in the clinic, were now as deep as a pool, showing no ripples.

He pulled a fish from a waist-high ceramic fish tank in the corner.

The fish was about a foot long and silvery-white all over. Its scales shimmered with faint green ripples under the firelight. Most peculiar were the gills, fins, and the tip of the tail, each marked with a circle of crimson patterns like three rings of flames.

Three-Crimson Green-Wave Silver Fish, a Medium Grade Spirit Fish. It has miraculous effects on a Martial Artist's blood and Qi nourishment and the tempering of muscles and bones. On the market, it is worth at least five hundred taels of silver per fish.

Jiang Hanzhou had caught this two nights ago while out at sea, in a treacherous reef area thirty miles away.

With his current cultivation at the Viscera Burning Realm and his newly formed dao bone, diving into the deep sea was like walking on flat ground; ordinary sea beasts couldn't even get close to him.

He skillfully descaled, gutted, and deboned the fish, slicing the meat into thin pieces. He placed the fish bones and head into a ceramic pot, added several warming medicinal herbs, poured in well water, covered it, and let it simmer over a low fire.

The fresh fragrance of the fish soup gradually filled the air.

Jiang Hanzhou wiped his hands clean and took a leather-bound notebook from his bosom.

The notebook was not thick, about twenty or thirty pages. There was no writing on the cover, and the corners were heavily worn, clearly showing it was frequently read.

This was Bai Tianxiao’s diary.

After the battle at Old Stork Bay, Jiang Hanzhou did not leave immediately after killing Bai Tianxiao.

He had sneaked into the White Dragon Gang headquarters under the cover of night and found this diary, thirteen thousand taels in silver notes, and the Complete Manual of the Evil Flood Dragon Wave Surfing Art in a hidden compartment in Bai Tianxiao’s bedroom.

What kind of proper Martial Artist writes a diary?

Jiang Hanzhou initially found it absurd, but after flipping through it, he discovered that the information recorded in this diary was far more valuable than the silver notes and the Cultivation Technique.

The diary began thirty years ago and was intermittent, recording the majority of Bai Tianxiao’s life experiences.

He was not a local of Flying Fish City but came from a family with a small, dilapidated martial arts hall in Donghai Prefecture.

At the age of sixteen, because his talent was decent, he was spotted by an Outer Sect Deacon of the Dragon Abyss Palace who was passing through Donghai Prefecture. He was taken back to the sect and became an Outer Sect Disciple.

Five whole pages in the diary were used to describe the magnificent atmosphere of the Dragon Abyss Palace in detail.