Chapter 11: Going to Town to Buy a Medicine Furnace

Just as Su Mingshan descended the mountain carrying Su Wan, the Su family members came rushing over.

“Wanwan, my dear child!” Su Fu ran so anxiously that she lost her footing and fell to the ground. Xia Xian hurried forward to help her up.

Hearing her mother’s voice, Su Wan turned her head and said, “Mother, Wanwan isn’t dead. Don’t worry.”

Su Fu took Su Wan from Su Mingshan’s arms and held her tightly, calling her over and over again: “Wanwan, Wanwan, my baby…”

She was so afraid that if she loosened her grip even a little, Su Wan would disappear again. She clung tightly, not daring to move.

Tears dripped onto Su Wan’s shoulder.

Su Wan sighed inwardly. She hadn’t meant to worry her family, but she had no choice—she had to go up the mountain.

The returning villagers placed the extra shares they’d taken on behalf of the Su family by Xia Xian’s feet.

The last to arrive was Village Chief Zhu, who spoke to comfort them: “Wanwan’s mother, your child has good fortune—she met a great person who saved her. She must be frightened. Take her home quickly.”

Upon hearing this, Su Fu seemed to regain a bit of clarity and numbly carried Su Wan as she headed home.

Xia Xian and Su Mingshan picked up several wild animals from the ground and carried them back. Su Shanyu carried a rabbit in one hand and closely followed behind Su Fu, repeatedly asking:

“Wanmei (Little Sister Wan), are you alright? Say ‘Brother,’ so I can be at ease.”

“Brother~”

“Hey! Brother’s here.” Su Shanyu smiled, though tears fell from the corners of his eyes.

Inside the house, the Su family’s elderly couple were still grieving. Hearing footsteps outside, Grandpa Su tried to get up, but his legs were numb and unresponsive—he fell with a thud to the ground.

“Wanwan, it’s such a relief you’re okay. You scared Grandma to death.” Grandma Su was anxious too, but seeing Su Fu carrying the child finally let her heart settle.

Seeing blood on Su Wan’s clothes, Grandpa Su quickly waved her over to check if she was hurt.

Su Wan softly said, “Grandpa, Grandma, don’t worry—it’s the wolf’s blood.”

“What?! You encountered wolves?” The elderly couple exclaimed in shock.

“Mm, but they were all scared off by that big brother in black. He was amazing—he saved me,” Su Wan said, pretending she had finally recovered from the fright. She then began telling the story bit by bit.

Only then did everyone learn what had happened.

“It’s fate. Our Su family wasn’t meant to be wiped out. Even the heavens are helping us,” Grandma Su said, wiping her tears.

“Yes, the heavens are helping the Su family. The Ning family has done so much evil—they deserve worse than death,” Grandpa Su said angrily.

“Big sister.” Su Xinyao’s little eyes were red and swollen; she had been worrying about Su Wan the whole time.

Su Wan hugged the little one tightly. “It’s alright, your sister has a strong life force.” Before that master left, he even said that your sister has exceptional bones and is a natural martial arts prodigy. He also said that when he has time, he’ll come visit the Su family to teach me martial arts.

Upon hearing this, the Su family members exchanged glances and saw joy in each other’s eyes.
 “Wanwan, did that expert really say that?” Su Fu asked excitedly.

Su Wan nodded solemnly, “Yes, Mother. That master said my bones are naturally suited for martial arts—an exceptional talent, born for it. He wants to take me in as his disciple.”

“That’s wonderful, truly wonderful. You must learn it. Once you do, you’ll be able to protect yourself,” Xia Xian said, visibly moved.

The whole family wholeheartedly agreed with this decision.

Su Wan smiled sweetly, clearly very happy too.

She had brought it up today so that later, when she found a suitable teacher, she could invite them into the house to instruct the rest of the family. At that time, she’d reveal a bit of her talent—just enough to avoid suspicion later on.

Seeing the ground littered with beast corpses, the Su family felt especially grateful to the mysterious master they had never met.

Su Wan’s eyes sparkled with a new idea. She mysteriously pulled a string of fine pearls from her sleeve pocket. Each pearl was perfectly round and lustrous.

“Mother, this was a gift from that master. You can exchange it for silver.”

Everyone gasped when they saw it.

They all guessed that the master must truly like Su Wan. If not, why would he treat her with such special care?

“It seems this master is truly sincere about taking Wanwan as his disciple,” the old Su patriarch said with a chuckle.

Su Shanyu, curious, asked from the side, “Wanwan, what does this master look like?”

Su Wan tilted her head and thought for a moment before answering,
 “He wore all black, his face covered, showing only a pair of deep, piercing eyes. He was tall, with a straight posture. Every movement of his carried an extraordinary aura.”

Lunch that day was quite hearty, with five dishes and a soup—three of the dishes were meat. Everyone ate to their heart’s content.

The leftover meat was preserved with coarse salt by Xia Xian and Su Fu.

They had gathered all the herbs needed to strengthen the body, but they still lacked a pill furnace, and two ingredients were still missing for the medicine to treat the leg injury. So, another trip to Qinghe Town would be necessary.

Spring plowing season was busy, and the villagers were all working in the fields.

It wasn’t until half a month later that they found the time. Su Mingshan drove the carriage and brought the family to escort Su Shanyu to the private school. Accompanying them were Village Chief Zhu and his son.

Because the journey was too far for daily travel, they decided that Su Shanyu would board at the school like Zhu Wa, and return only on rest days.

Xia Xian gave Su Shanyu countless reminders before finally parting reluctantly from the school.

After leaving, the group went to the pawnshop.

This time, Su Mingshan went again, but disguised himself as a swaggering young noble with a hint of roguish charm—clearly someone with status.

The process went very smoothly, and they successfully pawned the items for five hundred taels of silver.

The family headed to Zhi’an Hall, the most famous pharmacy in Qinghe Town.

There, a physician surnamed Gong was known for his exceptional medical skills. After Su Mingshan explained the situation, the doctor shook his head in disappointment. “It’s already been over two months, and the tendons and bones were injured. It’s very difficult to recover.”

“I’ll prescribe some medicine first. Let’s observe for a while after taking it.” Doctor Gong’s assessment was similar to that of the village doctor, leaving everyone disappointed.

Taking advantage of the moment when a few people went inside for diagnosis, Su Wan immediately asked the pharmacy’s shopkeeper, “Do you have Silver Moon Grass, Condensed Flower Root, Purple Cloud Flower, and Jade Lotus Root?”

The shopkeeper was surprised. “Oh? Little girl, you know medicine? These are all premium herbs. But you’re in luck—we have all of them.”

“Then give me plenty.”
 Because she was too short, Su Wan pulled over a stool and leaned over the counter.

“You have silver—” the shopkeeper hadn’t finished his sentence when Su Wan pulled a hundred-tael silver note from her sleeve and slapped it onto the counter boldly. She lied, saying, “I’m not a little girl. I just have a condition that stunted my growth. I’m already almost twenty.”

As he prepared the herbs, the shopkeeper discreetly observed Su Wan. She looked no different from a five-year-old, but the way she spoke—clear, logical, and articulate—was not something a normal child could do.

A five-year-old couldn’t possibly name those herbs, let alone carry a hundred-tael banknote.

Then she said, “Do you have a three-legged cauldron?”

“Yes, but it costs fifty taels. You don’t have enough,” the shopkeeper said, frowning. Something about the situation felt off.

Time was tight, so Su Wan pulled out another fifty taels and handed it over, urging, “Hurry up.”

The shopkeeper seemed lost in thought and moved sluggishly. Afraid Su Fu might come out and see something that would be hard to explain, Su Wan subtly moved her fingers on the counter, sending a trace of spiritual energy into the shopkeeper’s forehead, compelling him to work faster.