Mythical Three Kingdoms

”Is there anything else, Physician Hua?” Chen Xi saw Hua Tuo turn back and knew there must be something on his mind.

”I’d like to swap my courtyard with the one next door,” Hua Tuo made a rather strange request.

”Why?” Chen Xi asked in confusion.

”The Feng Shui of the courtyard next door is good, suitable for living. Medicinal herbs always seem to grow there; it’s now filled with various kinds. Although Fenggao has a stock of dried herbs, I need some fresh ones to confirm their properties,” Hua Tuo said with a solemn expression.

”...That’s Hanmou’s planting, not a natural occurrence,” Chen Xi explained, expressionless. He felt like Qu Qi was about to break down, and now even the courtyard he used for research was at risk of being taken over.

”Herbs are naturally grown, brought forth by heaven and earth, how could they be cultivated by man?” Hua Tuo waved his hand dismissively, clearly disbelieving, indicating that Chen Xi shouldn’t try to fool him.

”How should I put this? Look, grains are also sown by people, but what about in the very beginning?” Chen Xi said helplessly. Explaining these things to people from ancient times is always a hassle.

”There was the ancestor, the Yan Emperor Shennong Clan, who created the five grains, a deity of ancient times. How could mere mortals compare?” Hua Tuo said discontentedly. As a deity of the medical family, Shennong was not to be disrespected by mortals.

”I’m at a loss here, you see. Have you ever heard of anyone performing surgery before?” Watching Jia Xu gaze at the sky and Li Youu count ants, Chen Xi had no choice but to explain by himself.

As for Jia Xu and Li Youu, they didn’t have any particular thoughts about whether herbs could be cultivated since they had seen Qu Qi grow mushrooms and wood ear mushrooms before, which he would then stir-fry and eat, leading them to believe that Qu Qi could grow all sorts of odd things without a fuss.

”Play?” Hua Tuo looked at Chen Xi with dissatisfaction, then after thinking for a bit, he said, ”There has been no such thing. I can perform surgery because I witnessed it by chance. It’s not as others say, some immortal technique.”

”Elder Brother Hua, your medical skills are even more mysterious than the techniques of immortals,” Jia Xu commented.

The healing effects of Zuo Ci’s Taoist arts aren’t as abnormal as those of Hua Tuo. After reaching the pinnacle, Hua Tuo developed a talent-like ability derived from his medical skills. Combined with his own expertise, he was nearly indistinguishable from a monster, not only able to intuitively identify the properties of herbs but also, more remarkably, able to suppress illnesses for a time.

”That’s just it, the absence of something in the past doesn’t mean it doesn’t exist now. You’ve heard of the guy who lives next door. The high yield grain production on Mount Tai of Qing Xu was his doing. He’s very good at growing things; if not, I wouldn’t have placed him next to you. He is a rare talent, just like you,” Chen Xi said with a smile.

Hua Tuo was visibly taken aback, ”Can it really be grown?”

”If you need, you could have him plant some in your courtyard too, then you would see the results for yourself,” Chen Xi said soothingly. As for whether Qu Qi would be watched by Hua Tuo, Chen Xi couldn’t care less.

”Then I’ll go back and pay close attention,” Hua Tuo nodded, turned, and left with his hands behind his back and a thoughtful shake of his head.

”Clang.” Huang Yueying appeared before Chen Xi, and then a small hammer fell out of her sleeve, almost hitting Chen Xi’s foot.

”Miss Huang, hehehe, do you also have something to ask me?” Chen Xi asked, looking at Huang Yueying, who seemed somewhat embarrassed by the small hammer dropping from her sleeve.

”I came with Master Zheng. I need some support, and Master Zheng has some things to report,” Huang Yueying replied with an air of straightforwardness, giving Chen Xi a bow before speaking.

”I don’t deserve the honor of being called ’Miss Huang,’” Zheng Hun quickly waved his hands, declining the title. He did not wish to accept even the half-ritual of respect from her, fearing he had nothing to teach her.

When Huang Yueying first showed up in Zheng Hun’s courtyard while they were making models, Zheng Hun didn’t think much of it, since women who appeared there were usually of noble birth, coming by occasionally to order some items.

Of course, the woman who had been visiting frequently of late was named Wang Yi, who kept urging Zheng Hun to hurry up with the design of water wheels and overturned carts. Naturally, Zheng Hun thought Huang Yueying belonged to that category too, but her performance that very day had taken Zheng Hun by surprise.

It was only later that Zheng Hun learned Huang Yueying was there to pick out a house and, seeing a bunch of craftsmen, she had come over to take a look.

Zheng Hun was not like Hua Tuo or Qu Qi, who only cared about their own affairs and ignored everything else. Zheng Hun was very aware that those who could pick out houses here were definitely the top talents among all craftsmen. Not to mention the former two, he also lived next to someone named Pu Yuan, a master of sword and knife casting.

Usually, the houses here were uninhabited; they were used for research during the day, while the craftsmen returned to their lodgings on Mount Tai at night. It wasn’t that they couldn’t rest here, but that meant this place was essentially dedicated purely to research, so Zheng Hun couldn’t help but be curious about what this little girl was here to study.

To his complete shock, after inquiring, Zheng Hun discovered that the girl was a genius. She quickly proposed solutions with her ingenious ideas to problems he couldn’t solve, and after he manufactured the physical models, she would disassemble them and make corrections, allowing them to create finished products in no time at all.

After a few days of interaction, Zheng Hun became absolutely certain that she was not any kind of family-taught craftswoman; indeed, she was a noble lady, to say that her ten fingers had never been soiled by spring water was an understatement. Thus, Zheng Hun grew even more curious about how she had learned all this, given that he had not spotted a single callus on her hands.

However, Huang Yueying’s presence in Zheng Hun’s courtyard for research was somewhat intrusive, so she chose a small courtyard and had a team from the municipal management transport her just for research purposes. As for what she was researching, Zheng Hun didn’t know, but Huang Yueying often appeared without much arrogance. However, what gave Zheng Hun a headache was that she almost always treated him with the respect due to a master.

”Oh, what do you want?” Chen Xi asked, half contemplative, not daring to answer too confidently for Huang Yueying.

”I want to go around the city to take a look, and if possible, have a planning map given to me. I will need someone to protect me in this regard. I hope the Library Pavilion can grant me full access to all books related to the craftsmen. Also, I need Grand Craftsmen to manufacture the things I have designed...” Huang Yueying listed a dozen or so requests in succession.

”I can understand the first few requests, but the last ones, what do you want those glazed pendants, glassware, and round mirrors for?” Chen Xi asked, puzzled.

Huang Yueying didn’t answer, only gazing at Chen Xi with shining eyes. Her look reminded Chen Xi of Mi Zhen the first time she saw a whole sparkling set of glassware along with a large glass mirror. It also brought back the memory of the trouble of deciding who to give the single set of finished products to, and later, the disappointment of his own Fan Jian and Chen Lan when it was eventually given to Cai Yan. Chen Xi couldn’t help but sigh. (To be continued. If you like this work, you are welcome to vote for it on Qidian (qidian.com), and your support is my greatest motivation. Mobile users, please visit m.qidian.com to read.)