Immortality, Immortality

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It is the best time of year in Jiangnan

In the fourth year of the Yongxi reign of the Song Dynasty, in Jiangning Prefecture.

Songyue Tower.

A light drizzle was falling outside the eaves; April in Jiangnan is always damp and gloomy like this. Ye Changsheng rubbed his aching shoulders; every time it rained, the days were never easy.

"Sir, your wine is here." The waiter brought the wine and dishes with a forced smile. Jia Ling, who was already impatient, was tapping the table and complaining of being hungry. Ye Changsheng poured himself a cup of wine and stared blankly at the few pedestrians on the street outside the window.

Jia Ling, standing to the side, kept muttering to herself, complaining that the wine wasn't mellow enough and that the dishes were too simple. She held her chopsticks, lingering between a dish of pickled vegetables and green beans. After a while, she finally put them down with a "snap," looked up at Ye Changsheng, and said, "I'm telling you, we can't eat this every day, can we?" She turned her head slowly, gave a soft "ah," smiled, nodded, and then turned back.

Young Master Jia rolled his eyes, wishing he could slap her across the face. Ye Changsheng had poor eyesight, was timid and cowardly, and acted in a slow and hesitant manner—he had known this person for five years, and despite claiming to be a divine doctor, she had never demonstrated any diagnostic skills, and her prescriptions, aside from one for typhoid fever and one for heatstroke, were practically nonexistent. Yet, those who knew her name treated her like a goddess, calling her "Divine Doctor" this and "Divine Doctor" that—he even guessed that it might be because Ye Changsheng's appearance was too deceptive, giving off an overly kind impression, or perhaps the glamorous name "Changsheng" truly matched the standards of a divine doctor, rightfully earning her the gleaming title of "Number One Divine Doctor in the Martial World"—she never talked about her own affairs, and he never asked.

Helplessly glancing down at the pickled vegetables on the table, Young Master Jia, besides regretting not bringing any money with him, once again questioned what he had been doing following Ye Changsheng so desperately.

Ye Changsheng was an itinerant doctor who claimed he couldn't cure illnesses. Five years ago, while crossing an unknown river, he happened to find Jia Ling, who was on the verge of death due to a relapse of her old illness. Although he believed that such a small act of kindness should be repaid many times over, Jia Ling, after recovering, refused to stay at home. Instead, she dug up the wall to follow Ye Changsheng, saying that someone who had spent their youth within the walls of a mansion was now determined to roam the world with the divine doctor.

Jia Ling's family were renowned silk merchants in the Jiangnan region. Master Jia, having only Jia Ling as his son, was naturally determined not to allow it and immediately dispatched wave after wave of servants to capture him. Jia Ling, as clever as a monkey, leaped and bounded through the streets, making him difficult to subdue.

It is said that Young Master Jia prided himself on being a dashing and talented scholar, the number one playboy in Lin'an. He could draw circles with his left hand and squares with his right, and when in danger, he would remain calm and composed, as if divinely aided—in fact, he later reminisced countless times about his "divine inspiration."

According to Young Master Jia, on that day, more than twenty servants swarmed onto the street of the horse market in Lin'an. They suddenly rushed in from all directions and were about to catch up with him in a few steps. Seeing that there was no hope for the martial arts world and his dream was not going to come true, he simply closed his eyes and fell to the ground, pretending to be dead...

The servants who arrived later, seeing that their young master had fallen ill from being chased, dared not be careless. Their cries rose and fell, and some of them ran to the pharmacy to fetch a doctor. The remaining servants carefully helped Jia Ling and were about to carry her back to the mansion when, after a moment, they saw the young master slowly wake up, muttering to himself, counting from Wang's sesame cakes on the east street to Mapo tofu on the west street. The servants, not daring to be careless, guessed that their young master might be hungry, and hurriedly went to buy sesame cakes... The last servant carrying Jia Ling on his back was also hit on the head.

And so, Jia Ling, with the speed of the wind, reached the inn at the end of the street without stopping, grabbed the bewildered Ye Changsheng, and left in full view of everyone, beaming with pride.

Time flies, and five years have passed in the blink of an eye.

"Have you heard? Master Zhu has suddenly fallen ill with a strange disease and has been bedridden for three days. Doctors have come and gone, but they all say there's no cure. Tsk tsk... What a pity..." Jia Ling came to her senses and suddenly heard someone sitting next to her say.

"Master Zhu? Is it the wealthy and powerful imperial merchant Zhu Yun?" another person asked.

"That's right. It's said that the Zhu family has searched all over Jiangling for famous doctors without success. Now, the Zhu family has posted a notice that anyone who can save Master Zhu's life will be richly rewarded!"

"My aunt's sister-in-law's neighbor, Old Wang's son, works for the Zhu family. Master Zhu recently married a seventeenth wife, and he spoils her rotten... Could it be that this seventeenth wife is too powerful... Hehe..."

Ye Changsheng looked over with great interest, and their eyes met—she saw a dark-faced man with a thunderous mouth give her a meaningful smile.

"You don't know, I've heard that this Eighteenth Madam is no ordinary woman. She's beautiful and talented, a true beauty! If I were lucky enough to meet her, my life would be complete!"

Young Master Jia snorted dismissively, picked up a green bean, and said with disdain, "These greasy-haired, filthy country folk, when they're bored, they just gossip about trivial things to satisfy their cravings. Which courtesan isn't beautiful?"

Ye Changsheng smiled and nodded, then suddenly stood up and pointed to the stairs: "Let's go—"

"Where are we going?" Young Master Jia was clearly bewildered by her sudden action.

"The Zhu residence."

"What? You're not going to treat that old man Zhu, are you?" Jia Ling's eyes widened, and she added at the end, "With your medical skills?"

"You want to improve your meals? I only have two taels of silver left." Ye Changsheng patted his pocket and smiled gently.

Although Jia was unwilling—or rather, uneasy—he really didn't want to live a life of pickled green beans and vegetables. With a determined heart, he jumped off the stool and said, "Let's go!"

Leaving the restaurant, the two walked along the street under oil-paper umbrellas, taking in the bustling scene of Jiangning Prefecture. The bluestone pavement under their feet was spotless after the rain, and the various shops on both sides were not crowded due to the weather.

After asking around, they finally arrived at the Zhu family mansion.

"The Zhu family is truly wealthy. Just look at this facade; it surpasses even my own." He stepped forward and knocked on the vermilion gate of the Zhu mansion, which was studded with gold nails. After a moment, a series of light footsteps came from inside. A young boy with his hair in two buns, dressed like a servant, opened the door. He stared at the young man in brocade robes, who was smiling with dimples and waving a gold-edged folding fan, with wide, round eyes.

"You are..."

"We're here to treat your master's illness," Jia Ling said with a smile, snapping her folding fan open. "Please lead the way, young man."

The young boy looked at the young man in brocade robes and assumed he was the young master's friend, but he didn't expect him to be a doctor who had come to treat the master's illness after accepting the proclamation.

He nodded quickly and said, "Please, both of you."

"Good boy." Young Master Jia pulled Ye Changsheng behind him. "Let's go then."

They followed the children through the garden, where artificial hills and flowing water surrounded the tortoise-shell patterned jade path, ancient trees reaching for the sky, with covered corridors, stone bridges, pavilions, and waterside terraces. A flower field nearby was filled with purple cinnabar blossoms, swaying gracefully in the breeze after a light drizzle, alluring yet dignified like royalty.

Golden teapots and delicate leaves, a thousand blossoms dancing in the air. Who remembers me, my temples now streaked with gray, coming here to share this feast?

Ye Changsheng suddenly remembered someone.

After passing several artificial hills and winding corridors—just as Ye Changsheng was getting dizzy, the group finally arrived at the main hall. The boy turned to them and said, "Please wait a moment while I go and fetch the young master."

The two sat on the armchairs in front of the hall, and a maidservant had already served them tea.

Ye Changsheng sat properly, smiled politely at the girl serving tea, and looked around the living room with great interest.

The house was large and divided into several rooms. In the center of the outer hall stood a bronze four-cornered incense burner with two animal figures, about half the height of a person, facing a painting of a white tiger lying in the shade on the wall.

Ye Changsheng touched the table, then tapped the stool, and finally exclaimed sincerely, "Good wood." Young Master Jia looked at her with disdain, thinking that this person was really ignorant of the world. He waved his fan with a self-assured air and said, "It's just rosewood, what's so special about it?"

As they were talking, a man in a blue robe, who looked to be about twenty-five or twenty-six years old, and an old man came out to greet them.

"I am Zhu Rui, the eldest son of the Zhu family." Zhu Rui narrowed his eyes, sizing up the "expert" the boy was talking about.

A woman, around twenty years old, smiled, her features delicate and her skin fair, though her face was haggard and weary. She had waist-length black hair, casually tied back with a single silver ribbon. She wore an old, greyish-white cloth dress, incongruously adorned with exquisitely flowing lotus patterns. A long belt reached her armpits and was tied high at the back. A faint, sweet aroma of candied fruit wafted from her movements.

Another young man, dressed in fine clot

……