Although Sui An went to bed very late last night, he still woke up at dawn as usual. After a simple wash-up, breakfast was very simple: steamed buns and pickled vegetables. The grandfather and grandson always lived a frugal life.
After breakfast, Sui Ping meticulously organized the medicinal herbs on the shelves, which was something he did every day. Meanwhile, Sui An was intently reading a book.
The book had no title; it was compiled by Sui Ping based on his observations, experiences, and ancient records. It contained detailed information on the uses, medicinal properties, and growing environments of various herbs. What was even rarer were the illustrations of some precious herbs, making it clear that this was the culmination of Sui An's life's work.
Sui An compared the herbs from his past memories with those in the book, one by one.
The names of the herbs in this world were not significantly different from those on Earth; many were the same. There were also many that did not exist on Earth, which Sui An needed to slowly memorize.
The grandfather and grandson each busied themselves with their own tasks, chatting idly.
Sunlight streamed through the door of the pharmacy, illuminating Sui Ping, as if further bending the already slightly stooped back of the Old Man.
Time had not granted this benevolent Old Man any special favors, Sui An thought with a touch of melancholy, looking at his grandfather's slightly hunched figure.
"Is Old Sui in?"
Just then, two people appeared at the doorway: an old woman and a four or five-year-old girl. The old woman's hair was already white, and the little girl was severely thin. Both their clothes were dirty and tattered, clearly indicating they were from a poor family.
Sui An knew both of them: Grandma Liu from the town and her granddaughter. He had accompanied his grandfather to treat them before.
Grandma Liu's husband had died a few years ago, and her son was also killed during a hunting trip. Later, her daughter-in-law remarried, leaving the Old Woman and the young girl to live a difficult life.
"Grandma Liu, please come and sit down here," Sui An immediately stood up, led them into the house, and asked, "Grandma Liu, are you feeling unwell somewhere?"
"My granddaughter hasn't been feeling well these past few days. I've come to ask Old Sui to take a look."
The old woman spoke to Sui An, but her eyes were constantly on Sui Ping.
Sui Ping also looked at Sui An with an encouraging gaze, his meaning clear: he wanted Sui An to treat the little girl.
Sui An wasn't shy at all; after all, in his previous life, he was a doctor who practiced integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine.
"Come, little sister, Big Brother will take your pulse."
The old woman hesitated upon hearing this. She didn't believe a child of only ten could treat illnesses.
"Don't worry, Sister Liu," Sui Ping said, seeing the old woman's hesitation. "Don't let Big Wazi's young age fool you; he has been studying with me for many years. His medical skills have already achieved some success, and besides, I'm here watching over him."
Although the old woman was still uneasy after Old Sui's words, she understood that Old Sui was training his Junior. She couldn't say anything more and had no choice but to agree to let Sui An examine her granddaughter.
"Where does your granddaughter feel unwell? Are there any symptoms?"
"She's been having stomach aches these past few days, can't eat, and can't sleep soundly."
Sui An then checked the little girl's tongue coating and had a general diagnosis in mind.
Sui An then took out a pulse pillow from the small medicine box, had the little girl place her arm on it, and placed his fingers on her slender wrist. He closed his eyes slightly, carefully discerning.
A moment later, Sui An withdrew his hand and said, "It's nothing, not a big problem. She has worms in her stomach. I'll prescribe some medicine for her to brew and drink. She'll be fine in two or three days. Remember not to drink raw water; boil it and let it cool before drinking."
After speaking, he got up to fetch the medicine, not writing a prescription. It wasn't because Sui An was lazy, but because most farmers were illiterate and wouldn't be able to read a prescription.
For poor families, drinking hot water was a luxury. They didn't have enough firewood to boil water, so they drank raw water, and parasitic infections were very common.
Although the old woman felt much more at ease after hearing Sui An's words, she still looked at Sui Ping with a bit of unease.
Sui Ping said nothing, just smiled and also took the little girl's pulse. He then looked at the medicine Sui An had prepared and only said two words: "Correct diagnosis."
The old woman was completely relieved after Old Sui's confirmation. Then, with a troubled expression, she fumbled through her tattered clothes for a long time before pulling out a small handful of copper coins.
She said with some difficulty, "I, I only have this much money. If it's not enough, can I, can I owe you the rest and pay it back in a few days?"
Sui An felt a pang of pity and only accepted one copper coin. This was his first real consultation, and he would keep this one coin as a memento.
Sui Ping's smile deepened upon seeing this; he was very pleased with Sui An's actions.
Grandma Liu and the little girl thanked him profusely, bowing repeatedly.
Watching the two leave, Sui An felt a little silent. Having a second chance at life, his mindset had changed greatly compared to his previous one.
He was now like an observer, quietly watching the birth, aging, sickness, and death of others, witnessing their joys and sorrows.
Sui An didn't want to impress anyone's life now, nor did he want to get involved in others' partings and reunions.
Looking up at the distant mountains was scenery,
Looking down at the rugged path beneath his feet was life.
Sui An only wanted to live this life peacefully. In a few years, when he was older, he would travel the world. Since he had a rare chance to come here, he had to go out and see things. Qing Shi Town was too small to contain Sui An's restless heart.
Time flew by as Sui An studied and treated patients. Just as Sui An thought he could continue living such a peaceful and simple life, a major event occurred in Qing Shi Town.
It was an afternoon a month later, when someone shouted, "Look, it's an Immortal, it's a deity!"
The voice was so loud that nearby residents heard it, and then the town erupted in a clamor, like a boiling pot.
Sui An also heard the shouts from outside and quickly went out of the pharmacy with his grandfather. When he got outside, Sui An saw that many people had already come out onto the street, and many were kneeling on the ground, kowtowing repeatedly.
Sui An suddenly looked up and saw a rainbow streak across the sky, not moving very fast. He could vaguely make out a person flying in the sky, seemingly stepping on something.
Flying with an artifact!!!
In a short while, the figure in the sky disappeared into the distance. The kneeling crowd still hadn't risen, some with bloody foreheads from kowtowing, muttering continuously.
Sui An also stood rooted to the spot, lost in thought, and only came back to his senses after a long while. This scene shattered his worldview; it turned out there really were Immortals who could fly in this world!!!
He wasn't sure if it was an illusion, but Sui An always felt that the Immortal in the sky was flying a bit unsteadily.
That night, Sui An was completely sleepless, tossing and turning. The events of the day had impacted him too greatly.
Sui An had certainly flown in airplanes in his previous life, but that was completely different from flying with an artifact.
"Could it be a Cultivator? Or some other mysterious power I don't know about? Or is the technology in this world far beyond my imagination, like a personal flying device?"
Sui An pondered in his heart, thinking that the possibility of Cultivators was the greatest. If it were the power of technology, this small island, no matter how remote, shouldn't be completely unheard of.
The residents of Xiao Lang Island were still in the era of slash-and-burn agriculture, hunting, and gathering. A glimpse through a tube reveals the whole leopard; it could be foreseen that the technology in this world was not developed.
As Sui An's mind wandered, the night quickly passed.
In the morning, Sui An saw his grandfather's large dark circles and knew that his grandfather must have also been sleepless all night.
"Grandpa, have you heard stories of Immortals? Was that person yesterday an Immortal?"
Sui Ping rubbed his face hard, thought for a moment, and then replied, "I remember hearing my grandfather mention it once when I was a child."
It turned out that Sui Ping's grandfather was not a native of Xiao Lang Island, but a person from the mainland across the sea. He had come here by sea to escape war.
When he was young, he and a few hunters, while chasing an extremely rare white deer, unknowingly pursued it deep into the mountains. Just as they were about to catch up, the deer plunged into a patch of white fog and disappeared. As they hesitated whether to follow, a young man flew out of the thick fog. Upon seeing them, he shouted, "This is the domain of my Ten Thousand Beasts Sect. Mortals, retreat quickly, unless you wish to die!"
Sui Ping's grandfather and the others were terrified, their faces pale. They all knelt, kowtowed, apologized, and fled as if their lives depended on it.
After returning home, he spoke of the incident to his family, still shaken, and to avoid unnecessary trouble, he made his family promise never to mention it again.
Nearly sixty years had passed. If it weren't for encountering an Immortal again yesterday, Sui Ping estimated he would never have remembered this incident in his life.
Sui An listened, dumbfounded. So, there really were Cultivators in this world. Then, his heart burned with excitement.
"Grandpa, did Great-Grandpa ever tell you where he met the Immortal?"
"No."
"Then do you know where Great-Grandpa and his family used to live?"
"I'm not entirely sure. When my grandfather passed away, I came to this Xiao Lang Island. My father did tell me that they used to live in a country called Dongshui Country. Why, are you thinking of..."
"I was just asking, don't overthink it. I don't even know if I'll be able to leave Xiao Lang Island in this lifetime."
Sui An would be lying if he said he wasn't tempted; those were Cultivators! He couldn't tell his grandfather, so he just firmly memorized the name Dongshui Country.
After a simple breakfast, Sui An went through all the ancient books he could find in the town, focusing on the ones that recorded humanities, geography, and legends. He read them carefully but still found nothing. The town was too small, and there were too few books.
Despite being sleepless all night yesterday, Sui An still had no desire to sleep by evening.
He definitely had to leave Qing Shi Town as soon as possible. There would be more comprehensive books in the city, and he would surely find some records.
Sui An thought silently, as long as it existed, there would be clues. If not, he would go to the mainland, to that country called Dongshui Country.
Since there were Immortals there, people must have seen them. Cultivators also go out; they can't stay in the mountains forever, and flying in the sky would inevitably be seen by people.
Finding eyewitnesses and clarifying the Immortal's flight direction, then combining that with the locations of famous mountains and rivers in Dongshui Country, should allow him to pinpoint a few general locations.
He just didn't know if rushing there would lead to his immediate demise. It seemed he would have to wait until he reached Dongshui Country to make further plans. As for how to get to Dongshui Country, Sui An wasn't too worried. Since others could flee from Dongshui Country to here, he would find a way to get there himself.