Chapter 69: Chapter 69: Preparing a Medicinal Bath
 

The sky was growing dark, so Qi Yue didn’t go to chop down camphor trees, but instead, quickly headed home.

After telling Shen Yu that she had returned, she plunged into the pharmacy to start looking through the notebooks Qi Fengzhang had recorded.

The contents of the notebook were disorganized, and some of the names mentioned were completely unfamiliar to her; after all, the original owner had been confused for over a decade and did not understand much about the country of Beiyuan.

However, one piece of information caught her attention.

This trade record was from two and a half years ago.

The record stated that in April of that year, Western Chu Kingdom paid its annual tribute to Beiyuan, which included a fine horse capable of covering great distances. Taking advantage of his position as a Major General in the Imperial City Division, Qi Fengzhang swapped this horse, and on the same day, handed it over to someone named Cui Jiuyuan.

She thought hard but couldn’t remember who Cui Jiuyuan was; however, the content of the trade made her suspicious.

It was just a fine horse after all, precious, yes, but not impossible to find.

Why would the master behind Qi Fengzhang take the risk to swap it? Messing with tribute could lead to the severe punishment of having one’s entire family confiscated and annihilated if discovered.

And the timing was exactly two and a half years ago.

That was the same time Zhao Xiyan became famous for his victorious battle, only to suddenly fall from his horse and become disabled.

It was too much of a coincidence not to stir some thoughts in her.

She flipped through the pages some more and found it full of records of Qi Fengzhang trading information and accepting bribes.

From the content of the booklet, it seemed that Qi Fengzhang had a very influential master to whom he reported news from Nanyue Kingdom and Western Chu Kingdom. However, it also seemed like he didn’t serve this person exclusively and was instead conducting his own business selling intelligence on the side.

He was probably something like a double agent, betraying the nation’s greater good for money, disregarding morality and shame.

The more Qi Yue read, the more she felt that someone like Qi Fengzhang, even in death, would taint the ground with his stench.

His deceit was deeply hidden.

If not for her accidental discovery, who knows how long he would have continued to get away with it.

In the end, she felt it was best to hand this information over to Zhao Xiyan, who might be able to discern more from it.

The morning after breakfast, she relayed the events to Zhao Xiyan.

Of course, she didn’t mention her discovery of the horse.

She believed that if there truly was a problem, Zhao Xiyan would surely uncover something himself, and there was no need for her to remind him.

After all, the fall from the horse two years ago marked not only the beginning of Zhao Xiyan’s disability but also the start of his dignity and character being trampled and crushed.

No one likes to be reminded of such matters by others.

After handing the notebook over to Zhao Xiyan, she planned to venture into the mountains to search for camphor trees.

Camphor wood itself is a type of medicinal herb and is particularly suitable when paired with Panax Notoginseng. If she could select old and well-grown timber to craft a bath barrel, it would add an unexpected benefit to the upcoming medicinal bath treatment.

Just as she called her wayward ox back to guard the door, Zhao Yonglian came out carrying an axe.

“Niece-in-law, I’ll come with you to give you a hand,” he said.

Qi Yue was about to refuse when she saw Zhao Xiyan watching her from under the eaves of the house, shaking his wheelchair.

From a distance, his face was a bit blurry, and his expression indiscernible.

But Qi Yue knew that Zhao Yonglian had been summoned by him, for she had not mentioned the matter of chopping camphor trees to anyone else.

Truthfully, it would have been better if Zhao Yonglian didn’t go.

Her space had the perfect tools for lumberjacking, and it would have been a quick task for her alone, but with Zhao Yonglian accompanying her, she’d have to use an ordinary axe.

Yet, recalling how Zhao Xiyan had struggled to look for her in the forest, dragging his lifeless legs when she returned late last time, she nodded in agreement.

“Alright. Then, Uncle, when we get back, I’ll need you to call Li Yuan over to make the bath barrel,” she said.

“Don’t worry, I’ll call him as soon as we get back,” he assured her.

The two of them followed each other into the woods and soon found a camphor tree.

Just as they were about to start chopping, two local natives suddenly appeared, shooting a short arrow over and roaring angrily with the clear intent of stopping her from felling the tree.

Qi Yue didn’t make a sound, simply pulled out the Firewood Chopping Knife from her bosom, and flung it with force.

The knife flew straight between the two natives and embedded itself in the tree behind them, instantly bending their knees with fright.

The locals were already short, and now their legs suddenly buckled into a loop, looking quite humorous, which made Qi Yue slightly hook her lips up into a smile.

It had been such a long time since anyone had successfully obstructed what she wanted to do.

“Scram!”

The two natives looked back at the Firewood Chopping Knife deep in the tree trunk, their dark faces turning pale, and then they took to their heels and ran.

Seeing that Qi Yue had already started to swing the axe to chop the tree, Zhao Yonglian suddenly felt redundant and thought about retrieving the knife.

He hustled over and discovered that the Firewood Chopping Knife was completely sunk into the tree trunk, leaving only the handle sticking out.

Knowing that he might not be able to pull it out, he still stubbornly hung a hand on it, only to end up shaking it for a long time to no avail, breaking into a sweat instead.

Just as he was thinking how embarrassingly inept he was, he heard a “crack” sound and hastily looked back to see the thick camphor tree was already falling to one side.

Zhao Yonglian quickly ran back before Qi Yue noticed his foolish stunt, picking up the axe to help chop off the branches.

Little did he know, Qi Yue had already seen the whole scene and was struggling to hold back her laughter.

The two of them efficiently processed the camphor wood, first carrying back the main trunk and then gradually dealing with the rest.

The entire camphor tree was valuable; its wood could be turned into beads to be placed in closets to repel insects.

On the way back, Qi Yue didn’t forget about her Firewood Chopping Knife.

She casually pulled the tree with one hand and gently extracted the knife with the other, tucking it back into her bosom.

Walking behind her, Zhao Yonglian saw this and stumbled immediately.

They called Li Yuan to her home to make a bath tub that very afternoon.

Li Yuan didn’t come alone; his family of more than ten followed a systematic process; by the next afternoon, they had placed two shiny, beautifully grained bath tubs in front of Qi Yue.

Considering the upcoming treatments, Qi Yue installed the bath tubs in the pharmacy.

The space was large, and it was convenient to change the water!

Because she liked the camphor wood bath tub, she also purposely kept one in her space, intending to soak in it when she had time.

Everything was prepared; by that evening, she was ready to conduct a medicinal bath treatment for Zhao Xiyan.

Having not let him eat dinner, Qi Yue took him into the pharmacy, explaining to him the basic steps and points to be mindful of for the treatment to come.

All the while, Zhao Xiyan listened quietly, his calm and composed face betrayed no embarrassment, and he appeared as a well-behaved, docile rabbit, making it hard for Qi Yue not to feel a sense of reassurance.

“Zhao Xiyan, halfway through the medicinal bath, I will come in to give you an acupuncture treatment. Just think of me as an ordinary doctor, so don’t feel any psychological pressure,” she said.

“Mm. I will listen to Yueyue,” he replied.

Zhao Xiyan always looked at her gently, his gaze clear and sincere.

Qi Yue knew he yearned to stand up, so she encouraged him further, her heart filled with anticipation for the evening’s treatment.

She preliminarily estimated it would take five nights to see significant results, and the first night was especially important; once his meridians were opened, an inevitable period of pain would follow, and she hoped he could withstand it.

The water for the medicinal bath was mixed with Spiritual Spring Water. Although she hadn’t fully researched all the wonders of this water, she was aware of its numerous benefits and boldly included it in his treatment.

With everything ready, the sky had darkened.

Standing outside, only after hearing that Zhao Xiyan had safely entered the bath tub did Qi Yue finally sigh with relief.