Without delay, Ding Luying had a servant fetch paper and a brush, and began writing down the medicinal ingredients right then and there.
He did not write it all in one breath. Instead, he paused frequently, sometimes frowning in thought before continuing, and occasionally going back to cross out a certain herb after some deliberation, replacing it with another.
Daili watched with her heart in her throat.
Although the old gentleman didn't say it explicitly, she could sense that he hadn't helped anyone remove a Gu worm in recent years, perhaps even for over a decade.
Otherwise, why would he need to think so much?
Please, please don't write down the wrong ingredients. A tiny error could lead to a disastrous outcome...
It took about half an hour just to finish the first sheet of mulberry paper.
Ding Luying switched to a new sheet and continued.
Qin Shaozong picked up the first page. He was not well-versed in Chinese medicine, so he was merely counting at this point. There was a total of fifteen herbs on the paper; some sounded familiar, while others he didn't recognize at all.
Hu Bao, come over and make a copy, Qin Shaozong called out to Hu Bao, who was waiting outside.
Hearing this, Hu Bao sat down to the side, picked up a brush, and began to write.
Daili held a teacup in her hands. The warm tea was held until it lost its heat and turned cold, without its owner taking a single sip.
Qin Shaozong tapped the outside of the cup with a bent finger. Seeing that the tea was completely cold, he smoothly took it from her and handed it to a maid. Go change this for a fresh one.
The maid withdrew.
Qin Shaozong said in a low voice, Madam, do not worry too much. Ever since Xianshi became well-known among merchants across the world, traders coming to the North have been in an endless stream. These are just medicinal herbs; even if there are many types, it doesn't matter. We will manage to gather them all.
But there are only three months left, Daili said, fraught with anxiety.
Because that Chidan worm had an irregular diet, its lifespan was much shorter than others of its kind. It only had three months left, and if they couldn't successfully extract it, it meant Zhou Zhou also had only three months to live.
However, right after she spoke, Ding Luying shook his head. Madam, the Chidan has three months left, but the young master cannot wait that long. At the latest, all ingredients must be ready in two and a half months, leaving the remaining half month for the worm removal process.
Daili's face instantly paled significantly.
It wasn't three months; there were actually only two and a half months to prepare the medicine.
She suddenly remembered something. Back when they were passing through Dahong County in Jizhou, she received a message from the Qinglian Sect for the first time.
The medicine of Yanzhou can only be resolved by us.
They didn't say poison, nor did they say worm. The other party used the word medicine.
At the time, she thought this word meant poison, and that avoiding the direct term was a euphemism to gloss over the severity. But looking back now, it didn't just refer to the Gu worm; it also referred to the medicinal ingredients.
The other party had calculated that she would bring her son to the Ding family for medical help, knew the lifespan of the Chidan inside Zhou Zhou, and even anticipated that the required herbs would be scattered far and wide, making a two-and-a-half-month collection period likely insufficient.
That was the reason behind the arrogant phrase, can only be resolved by us.
Thinking about it this way, when her son initially secretly refused to take those divine medicines, the other party probably saw it all along but never exposed it from start to finish.
They let it happen, using it as a punishment for his capriciousness.
Daili gritted her teeth, her heart bleeding with hatred. From north to south, the distance is more than a thousand miles. A round trip, plus the time needed to find the herbs...
As she spoke, Daili became somewhat dazed. If only there were airplanes here, traveling back and forth between the north and south in a single day wouldn't be a problem.
Her voice was not loud. Only Qin Shaozong and the maid returning with fresh tea heard her.
Hearing this, the maid looked up in astonishment. Just as she glanced at Daili, a sharp, cold gaze from the side fell upon her. In that instant, it felt as if a biting winter wind had brushed her face, making her hair stand on end.
The maid hurriedly lowered her head, not daring to look further. The weight in her hands lightened as the teacup was taken away.
Qin Shaozong said, You may leave.
Suddenly, a teacup was placed in Daili's hands. The tea was at a perfect, warm temperature. The heat transferred over, warming her icy fingers until they felt cozy.
Qin Shaozong spoke to her again, After Xianshi was introduced, merchants from the Great Yan, and even foreign traders from the Western Regions, frequently visited the North. It isn't cost-effective to come with empty carriages, so they inevitably bring many goods up north. Some items might be sold out along the way, but many are transported all the way here. Southern medicinal herbs might not be impossible to find in the North.
Daili lowered her eyes, looking at the gently swaying liquid in the cup. With his reassuring words, the restless heart in her chest finally settled down a bit.
Suddenly, a flurry of footsteps echoed from inside, and a person hurriedly emerged from the inner side corridor.
He was dressed simply, clearly a servant.
Master...
Seeing that there were quite a few people in the main hall, and that three generations of the host family were present, the servant immediately realized that distinguished guests had arrived at the estate.
He suddenly became hesitant, but subconsciously took two steps forward. Clearly, the matter he needed to report was extremely important in his mind.
We will discuss other matters later, Ding Lianxi said initially.
The servant hesitated and whispered, But the guard captain inside said this matter is urgent and ordered me to report it without fail.
Ding Lianxi shuddered.
The guard captain inside meant the Xuanxiao Cavalry.
Back when they learned that the young master had been afflicted with a strange poison, the Marquis had dispatched a squad overnight to rush back to Yuyang, tightly protecting the entire Ding household.
These guards arrived just in time. Almost a few days after they took their posts, the Ding family faced their first brazen nighttime assassination attempt.
The Xuanxiao Cavalry were all highly skilled and successfully cut down all the assassins. After that night, blatant assassinations decreased, occurring only once more, followed by a frequent series of minor accidents.
What is it? Ding Lianxi asked.
The servant said, Somehow a stray cat slipped into the kitchen. It took a bite of the fish bought today and collapsed in convulsions.
As the servant spoke, Daili, holding her teacup, didn't react in time. She was still in the mindset of Zhou Zhou should be saved, let me have some tea to calm my nerves, and lowered her head to take a sip.
As a result, just as the tea entered her mouth and before she could swallow, a large, dark hand suddenly reached over and spread open, cupping her cheek. Forcing Daili to lower her head, long fingers applied pressure through her skin and pried her jaws open.
Because her head was lowered, the tea flowed out before it could reach her throat.
Daili spat the tea all over Qin Shaozong's hand. Because they were standing close, some of the tea also splashed onto his black robe and boots.
His movement was incredibly fast, and he also knocked over the teacup in Daili's hand. The tea Daili spat out hit the ground almost at the same time as the teacup.
Clang! The cup shattered on the floor, the sound exceptionally abrupt in the main hall.
Qin Yanzhou was sitting with his back to Daili and didn't know she had just been drinking tea.
However, having earlier heard Qin Shaozong ask the maid to bring tea, and then hearing the Ding family servant's report, his first reaction was to turn around and look at Daili. He happened to see the scene of Qin Shaozong forcing her jaws open and her spitting water all over his hand.
The originally tense young man relaxed a little, but still asked, Mother, did you swallow any?
Daili also realized the tea might be poisoned. She pushed Qin Shaozong's hand away and coughed reflexively a couple of times. No, I didn't have time to.
Qin Yanzhou relaxed completely.
Beside them, Ding Lianxi was left dumbfounded. Not only him, but neither his parents nor his grandfather had recovered their wits; they all stared in astonishment at Daili and Qin Shaozong, whose robes were now stained with water.
Under the gaze of many, Qin Shaozong turned a blind eye. He calmly took a handkerchief from the pouch at Dai Li's waist, wiped the tea from his hands, and brushed off his robe.
He called Ding Lianxi by his courtesy name, asking, "Congjian, do poisonings like this happen often?"
Ding Lianxi quickly snapped back to attention, "Not often. Counting just now, it has only happened twice before. The Ding family has practiced medicine for generations and is highly sensitive to the scent of medicinal herbs. If anything else is added to our food, we can notice the anomaly just by smelling or taking a small sip. Moreover, after some herbs are steamed or boiled, their toxicity is far less potent than before."
Dai Li said thoughtfully, "So poisoning is useless against you."
If it wasn't aimed at the Ding family, then it was aimed at... them.
The Green Lotus Sect knew they would seek medical help immediately upon arriving in Yuyang, so they staged this?
Dai Li looked down at the shards on the floor, thinking that the tea was probably not poisoned; the poisoned item was likely just the fish. As for the cat, it was deliberately let into the Ding residence.
This was a reminder, or rather, a warning.
Qin Shaozong suddenly whispered to Dai Li, "Madam, the people of the Green Lotus Sect harbor evil intentions and are full of tricks. They are by no means on the righteous path."
Dai Li: "..."
By the time the servants had cleaned up the broken cup, Old Mr. Ding had finished writing down all the medicinal herbs.
A full three pages. The latter two pages didn't have as many varieties as the first, but perhaps due to their high value, the less common herbs on the latter pages had their specific quantities marked.
Ding Luying put down his brush, "Young Master, starting tomorrow, I will administer acupuncture for you every other day to suppress the Chidan's activity as much as possible."
Qin Yanzhou stood up and bowed deeply to the old man in front of him, "Thank you, Old Mr. Ding."
It wasn't proper to stare at that beautiful lady, but it was fine to look at this young man. Ding Luying had lived for many years, but this was the first time he had seen such a handsome young man.
Perhaps because he had practiced martial arts for a long time, his movements were vigorous, his back was straight, and his temperament was tough. Even though his face was as flawless as jade, there was not a trace of effeminacy.
Like a sharp, beautiful blade.
No one dislikes beautiful things and people, so Ding Luying was quite accepting of treating him.
Removing the parasite wasn't difficult for him; the hard part was gathering all the medicinal herbs. If the treatment was delayed due to incomplete ingredients, he couldn't be blamed.
However, there was one thing he had to explain in advance...
Ding Luying said seriously, "Marquis, the breeding conditions for a Gu worm like Chidan are quite harsh and uncommon. The reason I know of it is because fifty years ago, I traveled south to Jiaozhou with my elders and happened to learn about it in a small mountain village. As for where that village is now, I can no longer remember."
After fifty years, many memories had faded.
Especially for a medical fanatic like Ding Luying, he remembered what he had learned, but if you asked him the exact location, who taught him, or who else was around, he had forgotten it completely.
But looking at the young master's current condition, that small mountain village back then likely had followers of the Green Lotus Sect, or even served as a high-level hideout.
Qin Shaozong understood his implication: "No matter. Old Mr. Ding only needs to focus on removing the worm."
...
The discussion of important matters came to a temporary close. At sunset, Qin Shaozong, Dai Li, and her son left the Ding residence.
With the incident of the poisoned cat, the Ding family didn't dare ask them to stay for dinner.
They could taste the poison, but that didn't mean others could. When dining with such distinguished guests, they would surely have to invite them to take the first bite. If anything happened, they couldn't escape the blame.
Qin Shaozong had no intention of eating at the Ding residence anyway. The manor had prepared a fresh fish soup for her, and he missed the stir-fried pork. They would go home and eat their own food.
When they left, the entire Ding family saw them to the door. Qin Shaozong first helped Dai Li onto the carriage. Just as he was about to board, he seemed to notice something and sharply turned his head.
About sixty or seventy feet away, a man wearing a cross-collared short jacket and a headband met Qin Shaozong's gaze.
Probably not expecting to be suddenly discovered, and by the Marquis of Wu'an himself, the man was startled and instinctively turned his head away.
His exaggerated movement only served to give himself away.
With the cat poisoning fresh in his mind, Qin Shaozong was furious. "Hu Bao, catch him."
Hu Bao had also seen the man. Without a word, he dashed over. Seeing this, the man immediately fled, but Hu Bao caught up and sent him crashing to the ground with a flying kick.
Hu Bao dragged the man back in less than a minute. Qin Shaozong didn't even look at him, boarding the carriage without a word.
The carriage wheels rolled over the setting sun as it returned to the Qin Manor.
Upon returning, Qin Shaozong called Jin Duole over. "Jin Duole."
The heavy utterance of his name made the refined military instructor's heart skip a beat.
His superior treated military and civil officials differently. He would casually call out the full names of the former and even curse at them sometimes, but for the latter, he usually used their courtesy names.
Calling him by his full name right off the bat was something Jin Duole hadn't experienced in a very long time.
Jin Duole immediately turned serious. "Marquis, what important matter do you have to command?"
Qin Shaozong placed the three sheets of mulberry paper on the desk. "For these three lists of medicinal herbs, spare no manpower or financial resources. They must be fully collected within two months. Do you understand?"
When he said this, Qin Shaozong spoke slower than usual, emphasizing the words "financial resources" and staring unblinkingly at Jin Duole, revealing a rare solemnity and seriousness.
Jin Duole's narrow eyes widened slightly, instantly realizing that for this task, the Marquis would not tolerate his usual stinginess. He quickly bowed and replied, "This subordinate understands. Please rest assured, I will strictly follow your orders this time."
Qin Shaozong: "Report back to me in ten days. Go and send Qiao Wangfei in."
Jin Duole agreed, took the lists, and left in a hurry.
A moment later, Qiao Wangfei entered. "Marquis, you were looking for me."
As winter approached, the sky darkened faster. The sunset had been brilliant when they returned, but now the sky was mostly dark.
The tall and sturdy man sat behind the desk. The afterglow slipped in through the window and fell diagonally across him, using his straight nose as a dividing line between light and shadow. "Madam once saved your life. Do you remember?"
Qiao Wangfei immediately said, "I will never forget her life-saving grace."
Qin Shaozong took out another list.
Unlike the complete list given to Jin Duole, if Ding Luying were here, he would definitely recognize that this list consisted entirely of herbs not found in the North.
Qin Shaozong spoke openly, "Some of the herbs on this list grow in the South, while others are in the East or West. They are all needed to treat the Madam's son's stubborn illness. Tomorrow, go to the army and select a group of soldiers, and lead them yourself to collect the herbs. I don't care what methods you use—whether you buy them from merchants along the way or split up to go to where the herbs grow. In short, you must return with the collected herbs in at most seventy days."
Qin Shaozong knew well that besides leveraging gratitude, he had to provide incentives. "When you return, you will be rewarded with five hundred taels of silver, a grand mansion, and a hundred acres of fertile land. The soldiers who travel with you will each receive fifty taels, and for every herb collected, their reward will increase by ten taels each."
Nowadays, a single cow costs no more than two taels of silver. A two-courtyard house in a small county town sells for a mere twenty taels.
Fifty taels is a massive fortune to many people, yet Qin Shaozong was essentially giving away the equivalent of two houses right off the bat.
Not to mention the five hundred taels Qiao Wangfei stood to receive.
Qiao Wangfei knew his superior had always been generous and never mistreated those of merit. However, this was the first time such a large sum of silver had been promised before the task was even accomplished.
"My lord, you need not reward me with silver. I owe Lady Dai my life, and I am more than willing to run errands for her," Qiao Wangfei said hastily.
The ray of sunset that had slipped into the study gradually faded, and the face of the man behind the desk was swallowed by the shadows. "Take it since it is given to you. Go now. Leave the city and return to the suburban barracks to select your men before the curfew. You depart first thing tomorrow morning."
Hearing the unquestionable tone in his voice, Qiao Wangfei cupped his hands in obedience. "This subordinate will do his absolute utmost to complete the mission, so as not to fail Lady Dai's great kindness."
Qin Shaozong left the study and entered the main courtyard, arriving just in time as dinner was being served in the room. The delicious, savory aroma of fish soup drifted out, whetting the appetite.
Qin Shaozong quickened his pace. Without needing anyone to invite him, he took a seat right next to Dai Li.
Seeing him arrive, Dai Li reached for the soup ladle. Before her fingertips could even touch the wooden handle, a pale, scarred hand reached over.
"Mother, let me."
Dai Li smiled, not stopping her son from helping to serve the soup.
Qin Yanzhou first served a bowl for Dai Li, then ladled one for Qin Shaozong, and finally served himself.
Just as the soup bowls were set down, approaching footsteps sounded from outside. It turned out to be Hu Bao.
"My lord, the man who was spying on us earlier claims to be a servant of the Wei family. How should we deal with him?"
As he finished speaking, Dai Li could not help but cast a glance at Qin Shaozong.