Chapter Forty-Nine: Seizing the Opportunity to Extort a Hundred Taels of Gold

Zhou Bing was utterly disgraced; he had not anticipated that Chu Yun would produce a remarkable object called a lantern to prove he truly possessed an immortal’s inheritance. In the end, he was powerless to prevent Chu Yun from treating Prince Qi.

Chu Yun entered Prince Qi’s chamber and saw the young man himself. He was tall—at least one meter eighty—which was exceptionally tall in this world, clearly inheriting his father’s fine genes. Yet his body was painfully thin, mere skin and bones like a bamboo stalk, obviously ravaged by years of illness until he was barely human. Prince Qi lay on the bed, eyes tightly shut, utterly motionless, resembling nothing so much as a corpse. If not for the faint rise and fall of his chest and the sound of his breathing, one would have thought him already dead.

Beside the sickbed stood four palace maids. Their task was to regularly turn Prince Qi and cleanse his body, to massage him and prevent muscle atrophy or even skin necrosis from lying abed so long. When one of the maids saw someone lead Chu Yun in, she realized he was the physician and hurried to set a stool by the bed so Chu Yun could examine the pulse.

Chu Yun sat at the bedside, observed Prince Qi’s condition, and formed an initial judgment before taking his hand to feel his pulse. By the time he finished, King Qi, Luo Feng, and Zhou Bing all entered.

King Qi asked anxiously, “Doctor Chu, can you now answer the question I asked just now?”

Luo Feng looked at Chu Yun, visibly tense.

Zhou Bing interjected, “Chu Yun, even I, the distinguished chief shaman of the Great Qi Dynasty’s branch, could not cure this illness. I advise you not to waste your effort. If you fail to cure Prince Qi, the penalty is death.”

But before he could finish, King Qi barked coldly, “Silence, Zhou Bing!” Addressing him by name and not by his title made it clear the king was truly angry. Zhou Bing rolled his eyes in irritation but dared not speak further.

King Qi continued, “Doctor Chu, proceed to treat my son as you see fit. Pay no heed to such talk. I have never said that failing to cure the prince is a capital crime.”

Chu Yun turned to Zhou Bing. “Heavenly Master Zhou, just because you cannot cure this illness does not mean I cannot.”

Zhou Bing sneered, “If you can cure him, I’ll eat the stool you’re sitting on.”

Chu Yun replied with a pleasant smile, “Very well.”

King Qi could not help but laugh with excitement. “Doctor Chu, you’re confident you can cure my son?”

Chu Yun bowed. “Your Majesty, I am confident.”

Zhou Bing snorted, “Chu Yun, don’t speak too soon. If you fail, that would be a crime of deceiving your sovereign—punishable by death.”

“Silence, Zhou Bing!” King Qi shouted angrily once more. “Guards, escort Heavenly Master Zhou out!”

“I’ll do it!” Luo Feng promptly stepped forward, stationed himself beside Zhou Bing, and said coldly, “Heavenly Master Zhou, will you leave of your own accord, or must I make you?”

But Zhou Bing protested, “Your Majesty, I think you should let me stay. I can help ensure Chu Yun doesn’t act recklessly.”

King Qi considered this reasonable. “Very well, you may remain, but not another word.”

Zhou Bing nodded. “As you command!” Thus, this troublesome man was allowed to stay.

Chu Yun paid him no mind and immediately called for brush, ink, and a bamboo slip to write a prescription.

King Qi picked up the prescription and looked it over. He was no physician and could not understand it, but he mainly wished to see if Chu Yun could write, and whether he had a good hand. Having heard Zhou Bing’s earlier doubts, he still held some suspicion that Chu Yun might be a charlatan. But upon seeing the elegant calligraphy, his mind was much eased.

His only confusion was that the prescription resembled those given by Heavenly Master Zhou and other renowned physicians; the only difference was that Chu Yun had meticulously noted the exact usage and dosage for each ingredient.

King Qi could not help asking, “Doctor Chu, is there no issue with this prescription?”

Chu Yun was momentarily surprised. “Does Your Majesty see any problem with it?”

King Qi voiced his doubts. “Is the difference in usage and dosage the key to treating my son? Still, seeing how precisely you’ve specified these details, I am convinced your medical skills do surpass those of Heavenly Master Zhou and all who have treated the prince.”

Zhou Bing was somewhat indignant. “Your Majesty, may I see what’s so special about this prescription?”

King Qi hesitated but handed over the slip. “Have a good look, Heavenly Master Zhou—this is the gap between your skill and Doctor Chu’s.”

Zhou Bing pursed his lips and examined the prescription, noting that Chu Yun’s formula was almost identical to his own, except for the precise instructions for each herb.

He said, “Your Majesty, though I did not write out the usage and dosage, we always pay careful attention to such things when preparing the medicine, and we taste it before giving it to the patient. So I believe that if I could not cure the prince, Chu Yun’s prescription will not work either. After all, Prince Qi cannot take food now; he cannot ingest the medicine, so how can he be healed?”

King Qi found this reasonable and looked toward Chu Yun for an answer. Luo Feng, too, gazed at Chu Yun anxiously.

“Who said I intended for Prince Qi to take the medicine?” Chu Yun looked at Zhou Bing and asked with a cold smile.

“If not for him to take, how do you plan to cure him?” Zhou Bing retorted.

Chu Yun smiled. “Curious, are you, Heavenly Master Zhou?”

Zhou Bing looked at him with eager curiosity.

“But why should I tell you?” Chu Yun replied.

“You—!” Zhou Bing was incensed.

Chu Yun added, “I could tell you—if you give me one hundred taels of gold.”

In a moment, Zhou Bing would see the method for himself, so Chu Yun thought he might as well extort something from him. On reflection, one hundred taels seemed too little.

But Zhou Bing agreed readily, “Very well, I’ll give you one hundred taels of gold. Now tell me—how will you cure him? How will you do it without having him take the medicine?”

Chu Yun held out his hand. “Give me the money first.”

Zhou Bing said, “I don’t have it on me. Who carries one hundred taels of gold around?”

King Qi interjected, “Heavenly Master Zhou, I can lend it to you. Someone, bring one hundred taels of gold.”

Soon, two fifty-tael gold ingots were brought in and handed to Chu Yun.

King Qi said, “Heavenly Master Zhou, remember—you owe me one hundred taels of gold.”

Zhou Bing grunted in acknowledgment and turned to Chu Yun, rolling his eyes. “Well then, Doctor Chu, how will you cure the prince with the same prescription, and without having him take it?”

You are reading the latest chapter of “The Overlord from Humble Roots” by Jin Xixi. To ensure you can access future updates promptly, be sure to bookmark this site.

Chapter 49: An Opportunistic Ransom of a Hundred Taels of Gold.