The Martial Doctor-Chapter 88 - 87: Searching for Musk

"Mr. Lin, Mrs. Qin from Huaye Tower next door requests a meeting," Mr. Xie quickly approached and reported.

"What is she here for?"

Early in the morning, what is Mrs. Qin here for? Although they were neighbors and had decent relations, generally speaking, they didn’t interfere with each other.

"Invite her to the living room and serve tea," Lin Miao instructed. After all, they were neighbors, avoiding her altogether seemed impolite.

...

"Mrs. Qin, haven’t seen you for a few days, you seem to have lost some weight. What’s the reason for visiting Mr. Lin today?" Lin Miao asked with a smile.

Little fox!

Qin Yanran had already considered Lin Miao a worthy opponent, thus she had long dropped any contempt as she approached, casting a charming glance, "Mr. Lin..."

"Hold on, with your tremulous voice, I feel my heart might leap out. Also, don’t call me Mr. Lin, call me Mr. Lin or Lin Miao," Lin Miao quickly raised his hand to stop her.

"Alright, Mr. Lin, I’m here today to make a request," Qin Yanran toned down her charm, sat down, and said solemnly.

"Speak."

"Help me save someone."

"I haven’t received independent diagnostic qualifications yet, for saving someone, Mrs. Qin should seek someone more capable," Lin Miao refused outright without a second thought.

Knowing it’s a trap, jumping in would be foolish.

"If Mr. Lin agrees, name your conditions freely," Qin Yanran said.

"Xie, see the guest out!" Lin Miao picked up his tea cup directly.

"Wait, Mr. Lin, late the night before yesterday, when I woke, I accidentally saw someone heading in that direction..." Qin Yanran pointed her delicate finger towards the Qingya Small Building, speaking slowly.

Lin Miao calmly placed his tea cup down, waved to Mr. Xie, "Xie, you’re dismissed, I have important matters to discuss with Mrs. Qin."

"Yes, Mr. Lin." Mr. Xie lowered his head, he knew Lin Miao was in trouble, but he could only pretend ignorance and retreat outside, quietly eavesdropping.

"Mr. Lin, are you willing to help now?" Qin Yanran’s lips curled into a smile.

"Is Mrs. Qin so fond of prying into my privacy, perhaps you’ve truly taken a liking to me?" Lin Miao smiled slightly and asked.

"Mr. Lin, I’m merely proposing a transaction, one that’s very advantageous for you," Qin Yanran stood up and approached Lin Miao.

"Is Mrs. Qin so certain I can help you?" Lin Miao slightly leaned back, the strong and alluring fragrance from Qin Yanran deeply stimulated him, someone chaste in two lifetimes. Especially the deep cleavage on her neck, evoking a desire to explore its secrets.

"Is it appealing?"

"Appealing." Lin Miao took a deep breath, "Let’s return to the previous topic, why did Mrs. Qin choose me?"

"I have no better choice. You’re the only one I can think of now," Qin Yanran felt her chest scorching as well, quickly pulling back to conceal her beauty.

A fleeting glance, somewhat regrettable.

Lin Miao suddenly realized, aside from his senior sister, he wasn’t wholly devoted. Just now, he instinctively had thoughts about Qin Yanran.

"Given Mrs. Qin’s capabilities, you could invite the top ten renowned doctors from Dongshan City. Why bother looking for a kid without medical qualifications?"

"Isn’t Mr. Lin so clever? Can he not see?"

"It seems Mrs. Qin intends to save someone who has a status, not wishing for the news to spread," Lin Miao stated, "Let me guess, is this person Mrs. Qin’s secret lover?"

"If Mr. Lin wishes to know, just follow me for a look," Qin Yanran said with enchanting eyes.

Lin Miao thought for a moment and said, "Mrs. Qin, I can help save someone, but I have two conditions."

"Mr. Lin, please state them."

"First, I can’t guarantee I will surely assist you, but I will do my best. If it doesn’t work, don’t hold me accountable."

"Alright, I agree with that," Qin Yanran nodded.

"Second, keep what you saw the night before yesterday a secret from others," Lin Miao continued.

"If you’re willing to help, that’s entirely fine," Qin Yanran agreed without hesitation.

"Alright, arrange it. I prefer not to go through Huaye Tower’s main entrance," Lin Miao said.

"No worries, I’ll pick you up after dark," Qin Yanran nodded, as going during daylight could easily reveal one’s tracks.

At night, she’d climb over the wall to whisk him away, silently.

"Why wait till dark?"

"The person you are saving doesn’t want their whereabouts revealed, besides, they can hold out until night."

"Okay, incidentally, is the person suffering from external injuries or internal ailments?" Lin Miao asked, "I need to prepare accordingly."

"External injuries, possibly internal injuries too, but mainly bone injuries."

"Alright, I understand."

Internal injuries, or bone injuries, if they’re old injuries, she would have come early in the morning, meaning they’re new injuries, causing urgency...

This woman uses the fact she saw him going towards Qingya Small Building that night to threaten him. He was very cautious that night, even Mr. Xie wasn’t alerted. How did she follow him without him noticing?

This witch must be skilled in tracking.

For bone injuries, it’s best to prepare first, as eventually, once independent diagnostic qualifications are approved, these will be needed.

He needs to purchase some herbal medicines for orthopedics himself. Given the differences in medicinal names between the two worlds.

Moreover, he needs to search himself unless the production site is special, considering alternatives.

This indeed is troublesome.

"Xie, accompany me to the East City herbal market."

"Mr. Lin, do you have a certificate for buying medicinal materials?"

"I’m already a probationary pharmacist, minor purchases for personal use aren’t an issue, it’s also permitted by the court," Lin Miao said. He preferred not to use his master’s physician order sheet, to avoid being held accountable.

Anyway, the amount he purchases at one time isn’t large, and the herb merchants know whom they rely on to make a living, so they won’t make it too difficult; even orders without a "doctor’s" certificate are processed.

...

Huaye Tower, back courtyard attic.

"Did that kid agree?" Long Po asked, enduring the severe pain in her shoulder as Qin Yanran entered through the door.

"Yes, he agreed, but it will take him a bit longer to come over."

"Why?"

"Well, it’s broad daylight, and coming to Huaye Tower is really inconvenient for him. Besides, he needs some time to prepare," Qin Yanran explained. In fact, this was her own request.

"Yanran, you don’t have your eyes on this boy, do you?"

"Master, how could I? I’m much older than him, it would be laughable." Qin Yanran said, though her eyes betrayed a slight unnaturalness.

"Your personal matters are none of my business, but don’t forget what you need to do!" Long Po gave her a stern look, reminding her.

"Understood, Master."

...

"Musk, what is this?"

"Have you heard of musk deer?" Lin Miao gave a rough description of its appearance.

"Are you referring to a little deer, my dear sir? We don’t have those here, but I do know there’s a venison shop in town. What you’re looking for might be there."

"Can you tell me the address?"

"Not far, just on the street at the west entrance of the East Market. You can spot the sign as soon as you walk over there, my dear sir."

"Thank you very much."

Lin Miao headed in the direction pointed out by the herb wholesale clerk, accompanied by Mr. Xie.

Sure enough, they found a place that specialized in venison. Once inside, Lin Miao went straight into the kitchen, having already caught a whiff of that distinct smell.

It was the odor of musk that hadn’t yet dried, freshly extracted, hence its nickname, the "stinky pod."

"This stuff is unwanted, dear sir. We usually just throw it out," the butcher said, puzzled about Lin Miao’s interest in this smelly item.

It seemed people in this world had yet to discover the benefits of musk. This was surprising; of course, Lin Miao had never seen musk mentioned in this world’s medicinal texts either.

"How much of this stuff do you have?"

"Just what’s here..." The butcher pointed to the musk sacs mixed in with a heap of innards.

"And where did the older ones go?"

"Even pigs won’t touch it, usually just dig a hole and bury it!"

"Bury it? Where?"

"Right over there..."

"Take me there." Lin Miao tossed the butcher a piece of broken silver.

The newly buried ones might still be usable; the ones buried before have likely become contaminated. The current cold weather had preserved some, thankfully.

Lin Miao eagerly collected a dozen or so musk pouches.

Musk is a precious medicinal material with many uses, and only he recognizes it here. It seems his future will be worry-free.

"In the future, whenever you have this stuff, keep it for me, or send it directly to Lin’s residence at Xiuyue Square. I’ll give you a hundred coins for each. Feel free to keep an eye out and help collect it..." Lin Miao promised, offering a reward.

The offer couldn’t be too high nor too low; too high and it would stir greed, too low and the profit isn’t enticing enough to work for.

"Thank you, my dear sir." The butcher responded joyfully, willing to exchange these scraps for money, even if they smelled bad, as money smells sweeter.

Musk was now in hand.

Also needed were bezoar, ox penis, dog’s treasure, dog kidney...

A long journey ahead!

Then there’s borneol, which needs to be prepared. However, finding the appropriate herbs shouldn’t be problematic.

At least in this world, the variety of herbs surpasses Earth’s, with about ninety percent being plant-based, while a few are mineral-based, and very few are sourced from animals.

If they knew about the principles like "treating shape with shape," or how the five organs correspond to the five elements, it might revolutionize the development of medicinal herbs.

Back home.

Lin Miao immediately started processing the musk sacs, extracting the musk. Naturally drying them would be best, but since he might need to use some tonight, he had to first remove a portion for drying and heating.

This initially foul-smelling item released a strange fragrance upon drying, stunning all the women in the house.

"This is called musk, it enters the heart and spleen meridians, is spicy and warm, opens orifices and invigorates the mind, and has refreshing and mind-clearing effects. Didn’t you find that fragrance just now made your minds clearer?" Lin Miao laughed and explained.

"Mr. Lin, is this also medicine?" Xia Zhu asked in surprise.

"Of course, it also activates the blood and regulates menstruation, and it stops bleeding. However, it should not be used during menstruation or pregnancy; otherwise, it can lead to continuous bleeding or miscarriage," Lin Miao continued.

"Mr. Lin, why haven’t I come across this item in the ’Hundred Herbs Scripture’?"

"Does the ’Hundred Herbs Scripture’ contain everything?" Lin Miao replied. "Le is only human, not divine. We study medical literature, but just because it’s not in a book doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist. Since the ’Hundred Herbs Scripture’ came into being, haven’t we discovered many herbs not recorded in it?"

"Yes, Mr. Lin, I was being narrow-minded," Xia Zhu admitted promptly.

"Junior brother, what do you intend to do with this musk?" Sun Youwei finally spoke.

"It’s a primary medicine for treating external injuries. It will definitely come in handy, so best to be prepared ahead of time." Lin Miao didn’t offer much explanation, as he didn’t want his family to know about his nighttime visit to Huaye Tower for now.