Chapter 266 Reunion at the Medicine Hut

Coming out of the main hall, Chen Mu accompanied Lu Dachuan all the way to the Medicine Demon Division. Lu Dachuan was leaning on a makeshift wooden stick, limping along, but he wasn't walking slowly; he just kept chattering away non-stop.

"Brother Chen, you don't know that old man Duan. Every single day his face is long like a donkey's. He doesn't give anyone a good look. Just take last time when I went to change my medicine, I just asked one extra question about what the medicine was for, and he immediately shot me a sideways glance and asked me in a Yin and Yang tone, 'If I told you, would you even understand?' It made me so angry I almost fought him right then and there."

Chen Mu listened intently, though he didn't offer any opinion.

"But then again, that old man Duan's medical skills are truly impeccable. You count them up—how many seriously injured brothers in our division has he dragged back from the gates of hell? Even Thousand-Household Liao has to respect him three parts. It's said that back in the day, he was one of the top doctors in the Imperial Hospital in the capital. I don't know how he ended up drifting all the way here to our Jingzhou Prefecture."

Hearing this, Chen Mu finally became interested. He raised an eyebrow and asked.

"The Imperial Hospital in the capital?"

Seeing his interest, Lu Dachuan leaned in closer, looked left and right, lowered his voice, and spoke mysteriously.

"I heard he offended someone. Sigh, I don't know the specifics. But for matters involving such big shots, it's better for us to ask less."

As the two were talking, in the blink of an eye, they had arrived at the entrance of the Medicine Demon Division.

The Medicine Demon Division was located at the northernmost side of the Demon Suppression Division's yamen. It had its own separate courtyard. Although the courtyard wasn't large, it was kept extremely neat. A few patches of herbs were planted in the yard, lush and green. The air was filled with a faint scent of medicine, mixed with the slight fragrance of earth after rain; it really did have a bit of the feel of a paradise away from the world.

Just as Chen Mu helped Lu Dachuan enter the gate of the Medicine Demon Division, he heard someone inside talking loudly, their laughter bold and spirited.

That laughter was exceptionally familiar, carrying a bit of ruggedness and a bit of uninhibited joy, appearing particularly abrupt in this usually quiet Medicine Demon Division.

Lu Dachuan was stunned and subconsciously stopped in his tracks.

"Medical Officer Duan has a guest?"

He lowered his voice and tugged on Chen Mu's sleeve.

"Should we come back another day? That old man Duan has a strange temper; he hates it most when people disturb him while he's entertaining guests."

Chen Mu nodded slightly and was about to turn around when a voice, old yet full of vigor, suddenly came from inside the room.

"Who is outside? Acting all timid and hesitant, why don't you come in quickly!"

The voice carried a rare sense of delight not usually heard on normal days. Lu Dachuan's mouth twitched, and he looked at Chen Mu sheepishly.

"This old man Duan... did the sun rise from the west today?"

Chen Mu didn't speak; he helped him lift his foot and step over the threshold.

The furnishings inside the room were simple. Medicine cabinets stood against the wall, with hundreds of drawers densely labeled with the names of various medicinal herbs. The air was filled with a rich scent of medicine. By the window was a low couch, and on the small table on the couch sat teacups. Medical Officer Duan was sitting cross-legged, with a rare smile on his face.

Sitting opposite him was a person dressed in a black official robe, with a Demon Search Division token hanging from his waist. He was holding a teacup, his posture casual.

Hearing footsteps, the person looked up. As their eyes met, a sudden burst of joyful light erupted in that person's eyes.

"Chen Mu!"

The person shouted in surprise, stood up abruptly, strode to Chen Mu in a few steps, and reached out to pat him heavily on the shoulder.

"Good lad, it really is you!"

Chen Mu was also taken aback; this person was none other than Qi Huan.

Qi Huan looked more spirited than he had a few months ago in Yunmeng. His official robe was crisp, and the corners of his eyes and brows held a bit more of the dignity belonging to a superior, but at this moment, seeing Chen Mu, that air of pretension instantly vanished.

Chen Mu's mouth curled up slightly.

"Chief Qi, I trust you have been well."

"Well, well, very well!"

"As soon as I returned to the Demon Suppression Division, I heard that a very impressive newcomer had arrived at the Demon Hunting Division. In just two months, he had repeatedly performed miraculous feats: slaying a Snake Demon, fighting a Dragon, and exterminating a Human-Faced Bat. As soon as I heard, I knew it was you. I was just planning to go find you, but I was intercepted by old man Duan here to catch up. I didn't expect you to deliver yourself to my doorstep!"

The more Qi Huan spoke, the more excited he became, and he patted Chen Mu's shoulder hard again.

"Good lad, back in Yunmeng I knew you weren't someone to be contained in a small pond. I didn't expect you to make a name for yourself so quickly!"

Chen Mu smiled slightly.

"Chief Qi, you overpraise me. It was just a bit of good luck."

"Luck?"

Qi Huan's eyes widened.

"You're still pulling that with me? Back in Yunmeng, when you were taking down demon after demon, I knew that your luck was always carved out by killing!"

As the two were talking, Lu Dachuan on the side stared with wide eyes. He blankly stared at Qi Huan, then blankly stared at Chen Mu, his mouth opening and closing repeatedly, unable to squeeze out a word for a long time.

He knew who Qi Huan was—a Banner Master of the Demon Search Division, on the same level as Cheng Xiaoqing, and one of the top figures in the Prefecture Demon Suppression Division. Although he wasn't considered aloof in daily life, he was definitely not someone that bottom-level Demon Hunting Soldiers like them could get close to.

Yet this Banner Master was now acting like brothers with Chen Mu, looking like they had a deep friendship. What exactly was Chen Mu's background?

Medical Officer Duan Shenxing sat on the couch, holding his teacup and taking a slow sip. Watching this scene, a trace of a smile appeared at the corners of his mouth.

"Alright, alright, stop standing there. Sit down and talk."

He raised his hand and pointed to the stool beside him.

"Lu Dachuan, weren't you here to change your medicine? Come over, let me take a look at you."

Lu Dachuan snapped back to reality, quickly responded, limped over to the front of the couch, and sat down on the stool.

Duan Shenxing reached out to check his pulse, concentrated for a moment, and then asked him to unbutton his clothes to examine the wound on his chest.

"Hmm, it's recovering well."

He gave a rare word of praise and then shouted towards the door.

"Boy."

A young attendant responded and entered, standing with his hands hanging down.

"Take him to the backyard, change his bandages, and get him three days' worth of medicine. Take it twice a day, morning and evening, decocted."

The medicine boy acknowledged the order. Lu Dachuan hurriedly stood up, cupped his hands in salute to Duan Shenxing, nodded to Qi Huan, and then followed the medicine boy out. Only Chen Mu, Qi Huan, and Duan Shenxing remained in the room.

Qi Huan pulled Chen Mu to sit by the side of the couch and personally poured him a cup of tea.

"Come, try this. This is good tea that old man Duan keeps in his private collection. He doesn't easily bring it out to entertain guests, but today I finally managed to pry it out of his mouth."

Chen Mu took it and sipped. The tea soup was clear and bright; it tasted slightly bitter at first, but then had a sweet aftertaste.

"Chief Qi, how did this patrol go? Was it smooth?"

Hearing this, the smile on Qi Huan's face faded a bit. He set the teacup down on the table and sighed.

"Smooth? Don't even mention it."

He shook his head, his voice lowering a bit.

"After this round of inspection, I realized that the places below are practically rotten to the core."

"Corruption, oppression of the common people, collusion with demons—one case after another, it's truly shocking. And yet, those people are all local tyrants with deep-rooted connections. Pull one hair and the whole body moves; wanting to touch them is difficult!"

He didn't go into detail, sighed again, and then changed the subject.

"Forget it, forget it. Let's not talk about these troublesome matters. Seeing you makes me happy."

Chen Mu didn't press for more, just nodded. Qi Huan picked up his teacup and took another sip, his gaze landing on Chen Mu, his eyes filled with a bit of emotion.

"Chen Mu, do you know? When you left Yunmeng, I knew you would definitely be able to gain a foothold in this Prefecture, but I didn't expect you to make a name for yourself so quickly."