Chapter 2

The two Daoists, whose minds were almost on the verge of shutting down, stood there like wooden chickens, which made Wei Chigong unhappy. He pulled a face that looked as if the whole world owed him several hundred strings of coins.

"What, is it not possible?"

Although he ranked below Cheng the Tyrant on the list of bullies, he was equally unreasonable and tyrannical, and his unhappy black face was notorious.

The two burly, unreasonable men glared at them with large, round eyes, and the two Daoists immediately felt unsteady on their feet. They must be getting old, drinking less bone soup, and their legs were weak.

"It might be worth a try; perhaps it will have some effect, right, Daoist Sun?"

Yuan Tiangang quickly submitted. We won't argue with these rough men. Hmm... we, as people outside the mundane world, don't need to quarrel with them.

"Hmm, perhaps it might work..." Under the watchful eyes of the Tang Dynasty bullies, Sun Simiao could only reluctantly agree.

"We should still go and see him first..."

By the Three Pure Ones, if I step into the Duke of Lu's residence again, my name will be written backward. This time, it's fine since we're already here.

Sun Simiao, ultimately a dedicated healer, didn't forget the purpose of their visit despite his bad mood.

"Once we go in, no matter what Cheng Sanlang says, please don't contradict him to avoid stirring up his emotions."

Cheng Chubing, who had rushed to the front hall upon receiving the news, stared in disbelief as his brothers happily carried a black bear and a leopard past him, even greeting him.

"Third Brother, there's some good food. Uncle Wei sent it to you, saying it will help you recover from your mental disorder by eating the bear's heart and the leopard's gallbladder."

"???" Cheng Chubing was completely baffled. What kind of bear's heart and leopard's gallbladder? I know bear gallbladder is a medicinal ingredient, bear paws are one of the eight delicacies, and leopard bones can be used to make wine...

Speaking of which, he had never tasted these two protected animals. Bear paws are suitable for stewing, and leopard meat might be better stir-fried or braised, but definitely with plenty of spices to mask the wild game's gamey flavor.

In this world, only medicine and food should not be wasted. Cheng Chubing's thoughts were flying everywhere when his father, Cheng Yaojin, dragged him over.

With a loving face that trembled with his fierce, cross muscles, he slapped Cheng Chubing's back, almost knocking his own son to the ground.

"You silly child, why are you so dazed? Haven't you greeted Uncle Wei and these two old bulls, um, Daoists?"

"Greeting Uncle Wei, greeting the two old bull Daoists." Cheng Chubing's mind was a bit muddled, still not recovered from the idea of using bear's heart and leopard's gallbladder to treat his mental disorder.

"... This poor Daoist is not surnamed Niu, but Sun." The two most famous Daoist masters of the Tang Dynasty had faces as black as the bottom of a pot and hands trembling with the urge to hit someone.

What kind of bull Daoist, you scoundrel, are you maliciously attacking people outside the mundane world?

"This poor Daoist is surnamed Yuan..." Yuan Tiangang really wanted to take out the Daoist talismans from his sleeve and stick one on this old bully, but he thought better of it and dryly explained.

These two old bullies, Cheng and Wei, were fierce and brutal generals of the Tang Dynasty. Even if they were proficient in the Five Animal Exercises, they couldn't beat either of them...

"Master, Prince of Shu requests an audience." A servant rushed in and shouted.

Prince of Shu, Cheng Chubing looked puzzled. Who is it, one of Li Shimin's brothers or his son?

Cheng Chubing's puzzled expression was instantly captured by the two Daoist masters skilled in medicine.

"From the looks of it, he has amnesia." Yuan Tiangang stroked his long beard and whispered, and Sun Simiao nodded and stroked his beard. "Let's see more."

A young man in Hu clothing, about the same age as Cheng Chubing, appeared. This handsome young man, who should have been dignified, was now bowing and smiling ingratiatingly, like a translator seeing a grand matron.

Behind him, a servant of the Cheng household carried a rather strong blue wolf, which, as a second-class protected animal, also became a sacrifice for Cheng Chubing's mental disorder.

"Greeting the two uncles and the two Daoists, Third Brother, you're finally awake.

Today, I and Fang Jun went to the West Garden and finally caught a fierce beast, which I specially brought to help Third Brother recover..."

Cheng Yaojin was delighted and flipped the blue wolf's mouth with his big hand.

"Hmm, Prince Ke is indeed thoughtful. Elder, when we go out, go to the alley behind the courtyard and slaughter the watchdog at the Hou family's house. Take out the lungs and stew them with the wolf's heart. Let Prince Ke taste it too."

"Ah?" Cheng Chumeng, who had just returned, was baffled. The alley behind the courtyard was the residence of the Duke of Chen, Hou Jijun.

Forget the bear's heart and leopard's gallbladder, this... wolf's heart and dog's lungs, what a perfect match.

Suddenly, a series of snickers, like farts, echoed in the courtyard outside the front hall. The two Daoist masters quickly covered their embarrassment with coughs.

As the main party, Cheng Chubing didn't know what expression to show.

It was like coming to a pig trough factory, where every trough made him want to lie down to express his surging emotions.

Li Ke stood there, his expression incredibly awkward. Fortunately, Wei Chigong spoke up to break the awkward silence, stroking his steel-needle-like beard and looking toward the gate.

"Your Uncle Cheng is just joking with you. Where is the Fang family's boy?"

"He was injured and said the smell of blood was too strong, so he's waiting outside." Li Ke quickly answered obediently.

"I went to the West Garden with Fang Jun, searched for a long time, and didn't find any fierce beasts. Unexpectedly, this vicious wolf attacked us.

Fortunately, Fang Jun is strong and overpowered it, but he was still injured..."

"Quickly bring him in and let me see his injuries." Cheng Yaojin frowned. "You two young boys, if you don't have the skills, don't try to tear tigers and leopards apart to show off."

After a while, a well-built young man with a slightly immature face walked over, gritting his teeth and raising his arm to bow.

"Greeting Uncle Cheng, Uncle Wei, Daoist Sun, and Daoist Yuan..."

Cheng Chubing, seeing the young man, who was about fifteen or sixteen but already tall and strong, with his right arm wrapped in a blood-stained bandage, asked out of medical responsibility, "Did the wolf bite you?"

"Greeting Brother Chubing, no, it was just a deep scratch from its claws." Fang Jun smiled honestly.

Seeing him chuckle, Cheng Chubing immediately turned serious.

"You can still laugh? Many canines have rabies. If you get infected, you won't even know how you died. Did you disinfect and clean the wound?"

"..." Everyone's eyes fell on Cheng Chubing. What is rabies? What is disinfection and cleaning?

The two skilled Daoist masters looked deeply puzzled...

Cheng Yaojin, seeing his third son spouting nonsense again, was a bit worried. Is he having an episode?

He turned his head and saw Yuan Tiangang shake his head and then step forward with a smile.

"Nephew, step aside, let this poor Daoist examine Fang Jun..."

Seeing the Daoist trying to take over, Cheng Chubing felt his professional authority challenged and immediately got angry.

But his respect for the elderly and love for the young kept him from lashing out, and he forced a smile as he blocked the Daoist.

"Daoist, don't mess around. I can't refine elixirs or draw talismans, but you can't treat patients."

"..." A cold breeze gently blew through the front hall of the Duke of Lu's residence, as if sweeping away all the sounds, leaving everyone stunned.

Yuan Tiangang was baffled, his face alternating between green and black, pointing at Cheng Chubing and then at himself. This kid is defaming me. By the Three Pure Ones, I...

"Calm down, a bit more..." Sun Simiao reached out to stop him and subtly pointed to his forehead.

Yuan Tiangang nodded helplessly and resignedly. Fine, no need to argue with a mentally deranged junior. It seems this kid definitely has a mental disorder, just the severity needs to be determined.

"I just washed the wound with water and bandaged it. Is that not enough?" Li Ke immediately became nervous, feeling uneasy from Cheng Chubing's serious demeanor.

"Rabies? Have you heard of such a disease, Daoists?" Wei Chigong asked in a low voice.

Yuan Tiangang thought for a moment. "It seems to refer to the disease caused by mad dogs, generally called 'hydrophobia.'"

Sun Simiao nodded. "He calls it rabies, which fits the cause of the disease." Cheng Chubing is a patient with a mental disorder, so whatever he says is true.

Hearing that the wound was only washed with water, Cheng Chubing frowned. "That won't do. Let me help you treat the wound."

"Brother, I need boiled water, boiled bandages, salt, scissors, and a needle and thread..."

Unexpectedly, after just arriving in the Tang Dynasty, he had a chance to use his medical skills. It was a good opportunity to test if his skills were the same as in his previous life.

"..." The elders, who were whispering, all turned to look at him. Using water to clean wounds was common, but salt, needles, and thread? What for?

"Really?" Cheng Chumeng looked baffled and turned to his father for help. Third Brother must be having an episode. Father, what should we do?

Cheng Yaojin glanced at the two Daoists, who didn't object, and nodded. "Go and get them quickly."

Sun Simiao and Yuan Tiangang's doubts grew. Cheng Sanlang's behavior was truly strange.

Why does he seem so organized and clear about what he's doing? And the look on his face when he examined the wound seemed excited.

"Why does he look so hungry..." The handsome Prince of Shu, Li Ke, looked stunned and frightened, feeling that something was wrong with Cheng Chubing. This guy must be crazy...