Marrying a White Snake Wife is Super Cool
Chapter 374 - 210: A Punctured Tire Can Be Patched; If a Person Is Gone, Who Can Resurrect Them?
Who knows, one day a cerebral capillary might bleed, and then he’d be gone.
Even today, a major brain hemorrhage can be treated.
But a cerebral capillary hemorrhage is very difficult to diagnose.
It’s like a tire blowout—you know in three seconds. But a slow leak? You only find out when the tire is flat.
Of course, whether a person gets sick or a tire leaks, both require a detailed diagnosis. One must not lose their Medical Heart.
A flat tire can be patched, but if a person is gone, who can bring them back to life?
When Lu Yuan made his diagnosis yesterday, he hadn’t mentioned any of this. King Yan had asked him to help the Crown Prince lose some weight, so Lu Yuan would just take care of these other issues at the same time.
Since Lu Yuan had decided to treat Gu Gaochi’s illness, he had to see it through to the end.
In fact, extreme obesity is a disease in itself.
Today, Lu Yuan had been flipping through *The Art of Alchemy* and came up with a plan.
Just two Human Level Middle Grade Elixirs—one in the morning and one at night—would be enough to cure Gu Gaochi’s hidden ailments.
The Human Level Middle Grade Elixir for treating Gu Gaochi required medicinal herbs such as Du Zhong, Night-Intertwining Vine, Zhi Zi, and Star Spirit Grass.
Lu Yuan walked out of the study.
"Sir!" a Maid said with a bow.
"Why aren’t you teaching the mistress the four arts today?" Lu Yuan asked, looking at the Maid.
This Maid had been standing outside the room for a good part of the day, a fact Lu Yuan had sensed long ago.
’The Maid stood motionless outside the study. She certainly had stamina.’
The Maid said, "Sir, the other sisters are teaching the mistress today. I’m waiting out here in case you needed anything, so there would be someone available."
’These Maids are quite thoughtful.’
Lu Yuan said, "As it happens, there is something I need you to do."
"Sir, please just give your orders." The Maid kept her head lowered, not looking at Lu Yuan.
"This is a list of herbs. Can you go to the apothecary and get them for me?" Lu Yuan handed the freshly written list to the Maid.
The Maid quickly took the list with both hands. She unfolded the paper, glanced at it, and replied, "Sir, all of these herbs are sold in the shops except for the Star Spirit Grass."
"Oh? You seem to know quite a bit. Why isn’t Star Spirit Grass sold in the shops?" Lu Yuan asked.
"Sir, you may not know, but Star Spirit Grass is a local specialty of Yandu. It only grows on the northern mountain. It sprouts at midnight and withers by the next hour. Even if you manage to pick it, it only lasts for a day."
The Maid was a Yandu local, so she had surely heard of such a miraculous plant.
’This Star Spirit Grass is a real rarity, that’s for sure.’
If the Emperor wanted a few stalks of Star Spirit Grass, he’d have to come to Yandu in person.
Even an 800-li express courier couldn’t deliver it to the Imperial Capital within a day.
"I see. In that case, you go purchase the other herbs. I’ll take care of the Star Spirit Grass." Lu Yuan took out a silver ingot and gave it to the Maid.
"Yes, Sir." The Maid accepted the silver and went out.
Lu Yuan walked to a side room and called through the door, "Fellas, come with me."
Hearing Lu Yuan’s voice, several of his Close Retainers quickly pushed open the door and ran out, grinning. "Young Master, no need to be so formal! Just tell us what you need."
"I gave you the past few days off to rest, and you should have taken it easy. But now something’s come up," Lu Yuan said.
"Young Master, just give the order! We would go through hell and high water for you!" one of the Close Retainers declared, thumping his chest.
"It won’t be that dramatic. Just get ready. We’re going up the mountain to gather herbs, and we’ll be there overnight. Make sure you pack everything we’ll need. I don’t want to be cold, hungry, and thirsty in the middle of the night, digging for herbs with our bare hands." Lu Yuan listed everything he could think of.
An hour later, Lu Yuan was standing in the courtyard, waiting for his Close Retainers.
Eight of his Close Retainers appeared, laden with bags of all sizes. They carried hemp rope, food, cotton-padded clothes, water, grappling hooks, baskets, and other supplies.
Lu Yuan was quite pleased. "And who says men are sloppy when they work? Look how thoroughly you’ve prepared."
Lu Yuan praised them while rummaging through the bundle in a Close Retainer’s hands.
"What’s this?" Lu Yuan asked, confused for a moment.
"Young Master, those are the assembly parts for the Mortar," one of the Close Retainers said, puffing out his chest proudly.
"Young Master, wait for me!" Another Close Retainer came running from the rear wing of the house, carrying several long guns on his back and with a number of Treasure Swords tucked into his belt.
The man ran up to the group, panting for breath. "Young Master, see? I’m the one who prepared properly. They only brought one Mortar."
"What... what are you all doing? Why did you bring this stuff? We’re not going to war," Lu Yuan said in astonishment.
"Young Master, we grabbed these from the cart just in case," the Close Retainer said after catching his breath. "The mountain isn’t safe at night. Those Xingzi Demon Beasts run wild. How could we not bring something to defend ourselves?"
Lu Yuan stroked his chin. ’He has a point,’ he thought. ’We’re in an unfamiliar place. Can’t be without weapons for self-defense.’
"Fine, bring them along. But we don’t need this many people. Grab the supplies. Four of you will be enough to come with me." After speaking, Lu Yuan turned and headed for the gate.
The Close Retainers exchanged glances, then chose the four with the highest Martial Arts skills. They picked up the bags of various sizes and followed Lu Yuan.
"Dear, where are you all going?" Su Liyan suddenly appeared behind them.
Su Liyan had been able to perceive everything Lu Yuan and his retainers were doing an hour ago.
It was just how things were. Both Lu Yuan and Su Liyan had the ability to perceive everything that happened within a radius of several hundred meters.
If they wanted to, they could even sense what their neighbors, Uncle Wang and Granny Liu, were up to in the middle of the night.
"Heh heh, darling, you found out. I’m just going to the mountain to find an herb. I’ll be back tomorrow morning," Lu Yuan said with a smile.
"Dear, you’re not coming home tonight, and you weren’t even going to tell me in person?" Su Liyan feigned anger, turning her head away.
Lu Yuan stepped forward and, right in front of his retainers, gave her a smooch. "There, there, sweetheart. I’ll bring you back some of Brother Wu’s pancakes and tofu pudding tomorrow morning."
"Alright, dear." Su Liyan took the cloak she had been holding and personally draped it over Lu Yuan’s shoulders. "It’s getting cold, and the dew is heavy late at night. Don’t let your clothes get damp, or you’ll catch a cold."
Lu Yuan patted her hand. "You’re so thoughtful, darling."
Seeing this, the Close Retainers all felt a little homesick for their own wives.
After bidding his wife farewell, Lu Yuan left the residence and headed straight for the north side of Yandu.
To the north of Yandu, there is only one mountain.
Lu Yuan and his four Close Retainers set off to climb the mountain. According to the Maid, Star Spirit Grass grew in no predictable pattern; finding it would be a matter of luck.
It wasn’t quite 6:00 PM when Lu Yuan and his men reached the foot of the mountain. The sky was already growing dark. They couldn’t see the sunset, only a faint red glow lingering on a distant western peak.
Lu Yuan and the four Close Retainers found a clearing at the foot of the mountain.
The men sat on some rocks. They spread sauce on flatbreads, rolled them up with shredded pickles and scallions, and took a crunchy bite.
The flatbread with scallions was delicious.
The flatbread was the hard, thin kind. You had to chew it with your molars, not your incisors, or you might chip a tooth.
Lu Yuan chewed his flatbread and said, "After we finish eating and have some water, we’ll rest for a bit, then follow that small trail up ahead."
"Yes, Young Master," the Close Retainers replied.
Lu Yuan was experienced in these matters. You couldn’t find herbs by taking the main road up a mountain. It was on the narrow, winding trails that you were likely to find a few growing by the wayside.
This was all precious experience gained from following his mother up the mountains as a child to dig for shepherd’s purse and bitter greens.
After nightfall, they walked with two Close Retainers in front of Lu Yuan and two behind.
Each retainer carried a high-powered Spirit Stone Lamp that illuminated their surroundings clearly.
It wasn’t yet midnight, but whenever they came across any decent herbs along the path, Lu Yuan had his retainers pick them and place them in the baskets on their backs.
’Since we’re here, might as well not let it go to waste.’
Lu Yuan and his men arrived halfway up the mountain.
They were still three hours away from midnight.
Lu Yuan decided they would start climbing from the midway point toward the summit right at midnight. That would give them a full two hours to search for the herb.
Lu Yuan made his decision. "Set up two tents. We’ll squeeze in and get some proper rest. We set out at midnight."
"Young Master, shouldn’t we post a guard for the night?" one of the Close Retainers asked.
"A guard? What for? I’ll just set up some Talismans in a formation around us. No Xingzi will be able to get close," Lu Yuan said, flicking Talismans in all directions as he spoke. He also sprinkled some sulfur on the ground.
The sulfur was left over from their last encounter with the Long Snake.
"Alright, all set. Let’s get in the tents and sleep."
"Yes, Young Master!"