The rooster crowed three times, and dawn broke. An innkeeper rolled over and got up, realizing he had fallen asleep in the corner of the wall, lying on a bed of straw, next to a extinguished campfire. For a moment, he felt a bit dazed.
He remembered that quite a few people had come last night, crowding the house so much that it was uninhabitable, and they had watched a scene of butchering and healing…
The innkeeper quickly regained his senses, surveying his surroundings. It was quiet, with only the occasional sound of mules and horses sneezing and scratching the ground; there was no noisy chatter, let alone a chaotic crowd.
As dawn broke, the ghost market dispersed…
Indeed, could it be… that he had encountered something supernatural…?
“Brother, brother, the medicine is ready…”
A hoarse voice shouted from the inn.
The innkeeper quickly turned his head and saw a man running from the cooking fire, holding a bowl and heading toward a room.
At the doorway of the room stood another man.
“Quick, feed the him the medicine,” he said.
“He’s not awake yet. How can he drink it?”
“The lady said to use a funnel to pour it in…”
Inside the room, a chaotic murmur of voices could be heard.
It wasn’t a dream, nor was it some supernatural encounter. The innkeeper exhaled, realizing that last night there really was someone treating and saving lives.
But would she be able to save him? It was a scene filled with knives, fire, and rotten, messy objects.
As dawn broke, those who shared the same doubt gathered in the courtyard, discussing what had happened last night while glancing toward the rooms where the soldiers were staying, completely forgetting about hitting the road after loading their carts.
“Will they be able to save him?”
“Exactly! With all that commotion, even if he wasn’t sick, he’d lose half his life…”
The courtyard was buzzing with chatter.
Inside the room, Fourth Master Chen hadn’t slept a wink all night; he had only leaned back on the couch for a moment. Hearing the noise outside, he hurriedly sat up.
“How is it? Did he die?” he asked.
The servant outside paused for a moment before peeking in.
“They haven’t said yet, but it seems like they just administered the medicine,” he replied.
Fourth Master Chen frowned, then couldn’t help but chuckle.
“Is that really considered medicine?” he remarked.
They had hastily grabbed some grass, scraped together the soot from the bottom of the pot, and brewed something completely unrecognizable…
“Sir, shall we set off? It’s already dawn,” the servant asked.
At this time in the past, they would have already been on the road.
Fourth Master Chen pondered for a moment and shook his head.
“Let’s wait a little longer,” he said.
Wait for what? The servant was a bit puzzled.
Why was there no hurry at this time?
Time seemed to pass slowly. The people in the courtyard grew anxious, and those inside the room paced back and forth, unable to sit still.
“Can he really get better?” someone asked.
The man in charge sat on the ground, looking at the man under the quilt, who seemed to be asleep, without saying a word.
“Can these things really cure him?” another person said, unable to resist sitting closer and reaching out to lift the man’s quilt.
The man’s clothes had been cut to shreds, leaving only a few scraps to cover him. The exposed wounds were covered in a white-green hue, looking particularly terrifying.
“Hmm… cold…”
Someone murmured.
“Cold? What’s cold? Is it time to…” The man lifting the quilt glared angrily as he spoke, but suddenly stopped mid-sentence.
“What’s wrong?” The others noticed something unusual and quickly asked.
“Cold… cold…” the man stammered.
“What are you doing?” one of the people standing nearby slapped him on the head.
“It’s not me saying it’s cold,” the man shouted, hugging his head. He also loosened his grip on the quilt he had been pulling, “It’s him! He said it’s cold!”
The room fell silent for a moment.
The man in charge suddenly sat up straight, his hands clenched tightly on his knees as he stared intently at the man lying down.
“Brother, how do you feel?” he asked, his voice trembling.
Everyone else held their breath, their eyes fixed on the man as if an entire lifetime had passed, or perhaps just a single breath.
“Hmm… I’m thirsty…”
A weak and hoarse voice sounded.
The room erupted with earth-shattering howls, causing the windows to rattle and startling the people outside, who nearly jumped in fright.
Then there was a loud crash as several men squeezed out, half a door was forcibly knocked down, crashing to the ground and startling the people in the courtyard once again.
“Hey, hey, kid, breaking doors and windows means you’ll have to pay for them!” shouted the innkeeper, who was standing in the courtyard, waiting to see what would happen.
The inn wasn’t large, with two courtyards back to back, and the howling from the front was also heard in the back.
Fourth Master Chen flipped over and got up.
Did he live?
“Sir, those men are kneeling in front of the lady’s room to express their thanks,” the servant called out, his face filled with joy. “He’s awake!”
Really? For real?
Fourth Master Chen hurried outside and saw three men bowing their heads in front of Cheng Jiao-niang’s room.
“Don’t make noise,” the maid said in a low voice as she opened the door, looking displeased. “The mistress is still asleep.”
The men immediately held their breath and fell silent.
When Fourth Master Chen arrived at the front, the doorway of the room where the man was staying was packed with people, all trying to peek inside.
“Get back, get back, move aside!”
The men rushing in from the back courtyard shouted fiercely, dispersing the crowd and allowing Fourth Master Chen to step into the room.
On the mat, the man beneath the quilt lay completely still, while two men clumsily poured water.
Fourth Master Chen moved closer to inspect and saw that the man’s face was deathly pale, his eyes tightly shut, and his breathing was rapid.
Is he… alive?
As if sensing his thoughts, the man suddenly opened his eyes wide.
Fourth Master Chen Si couldn’t help but slightly lean forward.
His gaze was piercing, filled with a fierce light.
With just those eyes, there was no trace of death.
Fourth Master Chen nodded and shifted his gaze; the man closed his eyes again.
As he turned back, Fourth Master Chen walked with a light step, a joyful expression on his face. He looked up to see Cheng Jiao-niang standing under the eaves, wrapped in a cloak.
“Miss, did you sleep well?” he hurriedly said with a smile.
From beneath the hood, Cheng Jiao-niang could only see half of her face, but her lips seemed to curl up slightly.
“Are we getting ready to set off?” she asked.
Though it seemed like a random question, Fourth Master Chen was momentarily taken aback, feeling a bit uneasy in his heart.
“Have you rested enough? Then let’s set off,” he replied.
As the sun rose higher, the commotion in the courtyard had already subsided. Although they hadn’t seen what the man looked like, everyone understood from the joy of the other men that he had indeed been saved.
This miraculous event had a clear beginning and end, providing enough material for conversation, and everyone was satisfied as they went on their respective journeys.
New guests arrived at the inn, and amidst the noise, yesterday’s idle chatter was already forgotten.
Cheng Jiao-niang, who had walked to the front of the carriage, was called to stop by the men who had followed her.
First, they bowed and expressed their gratitude, then looked up, their faces tinged with a hint of shame.
“We don’t have any money; we can only owe the consultation fee. May I ask where you are from? We will definitely repay it in the future,” he said.
Cheng Jiao-niang responded with a sound of acknowledgment.
“No money?” she asked.
Her voice was flat, and it sounded almost sarcastic to their ears, causing the three men to bow their heads even lower.
“We will repay you in the future,” one of them couldn’t help but shout, his neck straining and his face flushed, appearing both ashamed and angry.
Cheng Jiao-niang turned her head to look at him.
“No money isn’t something to be proud of. Why are you act so justifiably?” she said.
