"Artemisia..."
Song Qingchao murmured the name to herself, alone in the small courtyard. She had just accompanied Bai You'an and Xiang Yunling to see it, and still held a little of it in her hand.
As she walked, she sat down in a pavilion within the small courtyard and casually took out a medical book from her spatial dimension to peruse.
Artemisia, also known as Qinghao or Huanghua hao, is used in medicine for clearing heat, relieving summer-heat, arresting malaria, cooling blood, promoting urination, strengthening the stomach, and stopping night sweats. Additionally, it is used topically.
Song Qingchao pinched it and brought it to her nose to smell. If this were truly effective, she was determined to procure it for Bai You'an and Xiang Yunling.
She wondered if the Lin manor still had any.
The three cartloads of medicinal herbs she had brought back last time now seemed insufficient for these two.
With so many people infected inside and outside the city, the Lin manor could not hold out for long on its own.
After contemplating, Song Qingchao first took out specially made paper and a brush from her spatial dimension and wrote a secret letter requesting medicinal ingredients.
She then put it into her spatial dimension and transferred it to the secret chamber of Xiyun Pavilion.
Afterward, she retrieved ordinary brush and ink, quickly jotted down a few lines, put them in an envelope, and headed to the place she had arranged to meet Zhou Zhengxi.
This was a location she had discovered by chance.
Indeed, no matter what kind of courtyard it was, a dog hole was always present.
She bent down and placed the letter under the dog hole, then lit mugwort beside it.
Immediately, she retreated ten meters away.
Before long, she saw the letter being pulled out from the dog hole. Song Qingchao placed her hands to her lips, forming a megaphone shape, and called out, "Zhou Zhengxi, deliver this letter to Master Lin and have him find a way to obtain the items on the list. Tomorrow, at this time, I will meet you at the main gate."
After taking out the letter from outside, Zhou Zhengxi also fumigated it with mugwort. Then, he loudly responded to Song Qingchao and hurried towards the Lin manor.
He moved swiftly, arriving at the Lin manor within the time it took for a stick of incense to burn.
Since Song Qingchao had already made arrangements with Master Lin, the servants of the Lin manor did not stop him upon seeing him.
He flew into the main hall and saw a man with a striking resemblance to Song Qingchao, along with a little girl with large eyes. The words he was about to speak caught in his throat.
Master Lin noticed his hesitation, glanced at Song Qingmu, and then waved his hand, "It's alright, this is Miss Song's younger brother, and this little girl is Miss Song's younger sister."
Zhou Zhengxi finally understood and quickly apologized, "So it is the young master and young lady. Everything is well on the master's side; the two need not worry."
After a brief exchange, Song Qingmu did not say much more, "Focus on your urgent matter; do not mind us."
Zhou Zhengxi nodded. "Yes."
He took out the letter from his怀 and handed it over with both hands, "This is a letter from Miss Song to the Master, asking you to prepare everything. Tomorrow, at this time, she will be waiting at the medicine hall to receive your items."
Master Lin, with a pained expression, opened the paper. After reading the contents, his eyes widened in shock, "Why does Miss Song need so many carriages? And with canopies?"
Zhou Zhengxi had not seen the contents of the letter and looked at Master Lin helplessly, "This servant does not know what the master intends, but I believe the master certainly has her own reasons."
"But I cannot fathom why she needs so many carriages?"
Just as everyone was at a loss, Song Qingmu spoke up, "Master Lin, you do not need to ponder why elder sister is doing this. You only need to follow elder sister's instructions."
After he finished speaking, he put down the tea in his hand and took the letter from Master Lin.
He had a general idea of what his elder sister intended to do.
The entire town was in disarray now. If anyone still had the capacity to store medicinal herbs and food, apart from the Lin manor, there would likely be no other family capable of doing so.
The Chang family, the foremost clan in this town, could not even protect themselves, let alone other noble families for elder sister to rely on.
The medicinal herbs and food were in elder sister's spatial dimension.
However, she could not bring these items out without reason. But at this time, without the support of the spatial dimension, the entire town would not survive, whether it was medicine or food.
Therefore, she needed a way to legitimize the goods from her spatial dimension.
She wanted everyone to know that these items had a source.
And the ten carriages with canopies were exactly what elder sister needed for her spatial dimension.
All she needed to do was place the items from her spatial dimension into the carriages and have the servants move the items out. This way, the transaction would be deemed legitimate.
Song Qingmu put down the letter, a slight loosening on his usually stern face, "Master Lin, I have been residing in the back garden these past few days and discovered a treasure map. It states that there was once a medical immortal in this town?"
Seeing the smile on Song Qingmu's face, Master Lin shivered but still braced himself, "Yes, Young Master Song. However, he was not a medical immortal but a medical ghost, with an elusive whereabouts. Let me put it this way, if he could be found, why would I have brought so many doctors to my manor?"
Song Qingmu nodded understandingly, "I can find him."
"What?" Master Lin stood up excitedly, "You can find the medical ghost?"
Song Qingmu nodded.
In truth, he did not know who this medical ghost was. He had simply lived there for a while and interacted with those doctors. Through their sighs of exasperation, he naturally learned of the legend of the medical ghost.
This medical ghost appeared about ten years ago. His methods of diagnosis and treatment were different from those of ordinary physicians.
Some had seen him cut open the abdomen of someone with abdominal pain, extract a long section of intestines, and then use an embroidery needle to stitch up the person's belly.
It was particularly gory.
Everyone believed that person would not survive, but within a few days, that person was hopping around alive and well.
Everyone marveled at it.
From then on, the title of medical ghost emerged.
But no one had ever seen the medical ghost.
The medical ghost only intervened to save people when they were at the brink of death.
Some said the medical ghost was a child of a few years, some said an elder who never grew tall, and some even said the medical ghost was not human but a celestial being descended to bring hope to the world.
However, the common description was that this person was thin and short.
But with the spread of the epidemic, people searched for the medical ghost, yet could never find any trace of him.
He seemed to have quietly disappeared with the outbreak of this disease.
Such a legendary figure, elusive and shrouded in mystery, was precisely someone Song Qingmu could utilize now.
He curled his lips and, word by word, enticed Master Lin, "Although I haven't found where the medical ghost is, I have found his medical hall. There are countless medicinal herbs there, which I believe can solve our urgent need."
"That would be excellent! Then let us hurry!"