Chapter 00175: Too Many Lice, Not Biting
# Too Many Lice, Not Biting
Chapter 175
Novel: After the Immortals Disappeared
Chapter 175: Too Many Lice, Not Biting
Looking at its casual demeanor, it resembled a chef with thirty years of skill in a tavern, performing its craft like a personal show.
He Lingchuan surprisingly saw a sense of calmness from a monkey.
Tang Weng nodded repeatedly from the side, stroking the long hair under his chin in praise.
After a short while, the fire extinguished, and the furnace transformed into a small toy.
The monkey Lingguang gestured for He Lingchuan to open his palm, then flipped the furnace over, pouring the elixirs into his hand.
Four small pills.
Lingguang even gave the bottom of the furnace a couple of hard slaps, causing another pill to fall out.
Tang Weng looked quite satisfied: “You’ve managed to refine an extra one, very good.”
He Lingchuan examined the pills in his palm closely; they were uniform in size, with a smooth surface, black with hints of gold.
Qian Ding Pill is a healing medicine, implying the ability to stabilize a thousand injuries, and is much more expensive than the Jin Chuang Medicine, with far superior effects.
He had used it twice himself and had seen the Da Feng Army use it during the battle in the Panlong Dream Valley.
For a medicine that is essential for the Da Feng Army in field operations, its quality must be top-notch.
He Lingchuan remembered the Qian Ding Pills that the military doctor A Luo had taken out; their appearance was not much different from the ones in his hand, and when he leaned in to smell, it also carried a spicy fragrance mixed with the scent of medicine.
Of course, the best way to test it was to try it personally.
He Lingchuan drew out a dagger and made a deep cut on his arm.
Blood immediately gushed out.
He crushed one Qian Ding Pill and applied the powder to the wound; a cool sensation instantly countered the fiery pain of the injury.
Soon, the bleeding stopped.
He Lingchuan waited for three to five breaths, then brushed away the residue, discovering that the powder seemed to have transformed into a thin layer of adhesive upon contact with blood, completely sealing the wound.
Lingguang added, “It will heal by evening, and there will be no trace in two days.”
This effect was even better than He Lingchuan had anticipated.
Just as he was about to speak, Liu Bangban suddenly tugged at his sleeve: “Young Master, let’s step aside to talk.”
The two moved to the side, and Liu Bangban whispered, “I always feel that the name ‘Lingguang’ sounds familiar. I just remembered that this medicinal monkey’s alchemy skills are indeed impressive, but it has been here for a reason.”
“What’s wrong?”
“All four of its previous employers died, and they all met with untimely deaths shortly after hiring it. The unluckiest was the last employer, who was executed along with his entire family, seventy-six members in total, for being a faction of the Grand Marshal, their bodies discarded in the market for the common people to witness for three whole days. Someone noticed this and dubbed it the ‘Cursed Monkey,’ and since then, no one has dared to hire it again.”
He Lingchuan raised an eyebrow: “So, the deaths of its previous employers are not directly related to it.”
“However, it’s ominous.” Liu Bangban chuckled bitterly, “You should think twice, or we can come back another day.”
“I won’t be able to stay in Shihuan for long. Besides, I have Yuan Power to protect me; even if it’s a curse, it can’t harm me.”
In fact, He Lingchuan thought that while wealthy families might fear it like a venomous snake, he himself had already drawn the short straw from the Old Turtle Demon, and with two strikes against him, whether he hired this monkey or not, misfortune would likely not be far away.
Too many lice, not biting; what’s there to fear?
Moreover, did he have any other choices? There was only this one medicinal monkey left.
Thus, he finished speaking and walked back to face Lingguang: “Your skills are quite good, just what I need. Do you have any requests, or is there anything I should know?”
Lingguang was taken aback, seeing Tang Weng standing behind He Lingchuan, making faces at it.
The implication was not to say anything, absolutely not to say anything.
Lingguang tilted its head and thought for a moment, then said, “I have no special requests, but I should inform you that all my previous employers have passed away.”
Another dead end.
Tang Weng slapped his forehead; why was this child so honest?
He Lingchuan asked curiously: “Did you kill them?”
Lingguang widened its eyes: “Of course… not!”
“As long as it wasn’t intentional, that’s fine.” He Lingchuan was unconcerned and turned to Tang Weng, “I think Lingguang is quite good; it’s honest for a monkey. How about we sign the contract?”
Tang Weng was overjoyed, not expecting this wealthy young master to be so bold and not to mind appearances: “Good, good, just a moment!” In a flash, he dashed up a tree, disappearing without a trace of old age.
“Young Master He, you truly are—” Liu Bangban had fulfilled his duty to remind, now he had to praise, “Resolute!”
Truly fearless.
“My fate is in my own hands; how can it be…” He Lingchuan initially wanted to say ‘monkey,’ but remembering that Qian Xin Liu was always against discrimination, he quickly changed his words, “How can it be decided by others?”
Lingguang’s eyes immediately lit up, standing straight and bowing deeply to him: “Thank you!”
While others feared it like a fierce beast, it had had enough.
This young master was truly a good person.
At this moment, the old monkey returned, holding three red books.
He Lingchuan took a look and found that they were actually employment contracts, three copies in total, stating that he was hiring the Qian Xin Liu medicinal monkey Lingguang as the He family’s pharmacist, with a monthly salary of fifteen taels of silver, increasing by ten percent each year, including food and lodging.
Lingguang also had dietary requirements, needing five pounds of quality fruits daily.
The master family must treat it with respect, not to beat or scold, nor to treat it as a slave or pet.
As a medicinal monkey, its status was certainly different from that of cats and dogs!
And Lingguang, as an employee, was to diligently refine medicine for He Lingchuan.
The contract also detailed the failure rate of the furnace; if Lingguang could not meet the requirements, Qian Xin Liu could replace it with another medicinal monkey, no, replace it with another pharmacist.
He Lingchuan took a quarter of an hour to finish reading: “These terms are quite… comprehensive.” Lengthy, and still a standard contract.
Tang Weng said in a deep voice: “With comprehensive terms and agreements in place, one can suffer less loss.”
Mao Tao on the side curled his lips, thinking that perhaps these monkeys had suffered great losses in dealings with humans before, which was why they were so adamant about adding clauses to the employment contract.
He Lingchuan and Lingguang both signed the three copies of the contract, with each party keeping a copy.
Tang Weng put away the original, patted Lingguang on the shoulder, and said earnestly: “You need to work hard this time; your master uncle doesn’t want to see you for several years.”
Lingguang nodded heavily, tears in its eyes.
He Lingchuan extended his hand: “Then, please follow me home, Pharmacist.”
The monkey tucked the contracts away, jumped onto his shoulder, and tipped its hat to Tang Weng: “Take care!”
As He Lingchuan and the others descended the mountain, monkeys chattered in the forest along the way.
The old monkeys on the archway were also smiling broadly, clearly relieved that He Lingchuan had solved their big problem.
Damn, had he known this, he should have bargained a bit more.
He Lingchuan got into the carriage and instructed the driver to make another trip to the market to buy medicinal materials.
Whether martial artists or sorcerers, they all needed to rely on medicinal power during their cultivation.
He Lingchuan knew very well that if he wanted to make rapid progress in his cultivation, consuming elixirs regularly was the norm.
Having a good alchemist to serve him was truly important.
￥￥￥￥￥
Several hours later, in the villa of Songyang Prefecture.
The Marquis of Songyang was reading in his study when he suddenly heard a flapping sound, and a fat bird flew up outside the window, shaking the branches and causing snow to flutter down.
Then the steward hurried in to report:
“Your Grace, someone from Yangshan has arrived.”
The Marquis of Songyang replied succinctly: “No time, don’t see them.”
“They heard that the He family father and son have arrived in Shihuan and want to inquire about some information.”
“The information about the He family father and son?” The Marquis of Songyang closed the book, “He Chunhua’s family of four is staying at the Hua’an Inn, and his subordinate team, including their families, totals six hundred and forty people, settled in the northern and western post stations of the city. Seven officers are staying in the same inn as He Chunhua, and this He steward has at least four bodyguards by his side, and that’s just the visible ones; it’s unclear if there are any hidden guards.”
“Since he sent back Zhu Xiyan’s granddaughter, this chief steward, who is going north for a new appointment, has already received nine waves of visitors. I see he intends to build connections and get closer to the royal court.”
“He Chunhua himself has ordinary cultivation, but he has a few decent martial artists under him. Oh, right, the Zhu family is holding a banquet tonight at Luming Garden to welcome back the newly found granddaughter; the He family will most likely attend.” The Marquis of Songyang instructed, “Just relay what I’ve said.”
The steward complied and then asked: “The He family’s eldest son came to the Songyang Prefecture today; should we inform them?”
“What’s the point of saying that?” The Marquis of Songyang scoffed, “This is the business of Songyang Prefecture; what does it have to do with them?”
The steward withdrew as instructed.
After a quarter of an hour, he returned to report: “I have relayed the message, word for word, but the guests from Yangshan want to know if you will be going to Luming Garden tomorrow night.”
“I can’t go; let them be.” The Marquis of Songyang said lazily, “By the way, send them another message; they will definitely be interested: at tonight’s welcome banquet, a big shot will also be attending, and that is…”
￥￥￥￥￥
“What? You spent fifteen taels of silver to hire a monkey for me!”
Madam Ying glared at He Lingchuan… and the monkey wearing a hat on his shoulder, barely suppressing the urge to slam the table, but her voice still rose by three degrees.
He Lingchuan replied earnestly: “Mother, Qian Xin Liu doesn’t like others calling them monkeys.”
Lingguang’s cultivation was much shallower than the old monkey Tang Weng’s, and upon encountering the furious Madam Ying, it dared not argue and could only shrink back behind He Lingchuan’s neck.
A monkey is still a monkey; can’t we say it? Although this monkey took off its hat and politely bowed to her, Madam Ying still maintained a stern face: “Even in the capital, fifteen taels of silver can hire excellent bodyguards; do you know that?”
“Lingguang is not a bodyguard but a pharmacist. Mother, in the future, if you have headaches, fevers, weakness, or even those few days of the month when you feel cold and have abdominal pain, you can ask it to refine medicine for you on the spot…”
Madam Ying could no longer listen, grabbing two jujubes and throwing them at his face: “Get out!”
Two bright red, freshly soaked jujubes.
He Lingchuan caught them and handed them to the monkey, which responded with a sound and quickly fled.
Before he disappeared, Madam Ying saw the monkey stuff the jujubes into its mouth, puffing its cheeks out.
He Chunhua offered a cup of warm tea, looking calm: “Madam, please calm down.”
“Look at your good son!” Madam Ying took the cup, gulping down a large mouthful, “Squandering money in all sorts of ways!”
After spending these months together, she thought her eldest son had finally changed and become sensible, but who knew that once he arrived in Shihuan City, he would become even more excessive.
Fifteen taels of silver, fifteen thousand coins, how many monkeys could that buy?
And that was a monthly salary!
“Even has an employment contract; my family actually gave a monkey an employment contract, what a joke!” The more Madam Ying thought about it, the angrier she became, “This fifteen taels will be deducted from his monthly allowance; he can forget about getting another penny from me!”
(End of Chapter)