Chapter 74: Yang Zixi

"The grand Yang family."

The manager of the medicine shop did not evade Zhou Donghuang's question and gave a direct answer.

"Why do they want so much ten-year survival weeds?" Zhou Donghuang asked curiously.

He was extremely familiar with the medicinal uses of ten-year survival weed, and there was no need to use much of it for any of the elixirs or potions for which it was an ingredient of.

And that grand Yang family had reserved all the ten-year survival weed in all the shops in the Chu royal city from half a year ago...

Why would the Yang family need so many ten-year survival weeds?

"They are to extend the life of the patriarch of the Yang family."

The medicine shop manager shook his head and continued, "The patriarch of the Yang family returned from the imperial city half a year ago and had mysteriously contracted some unusual form of poisoning.

"That kind of poison continually drains the life force... Apparently, although the patriarch of the Yang family is only forty-something years old, he looks like he is sixty or seventy years old, covered in wrinkles and white-haired, and it has broken his spirit.

"In the past half a year, he would have died from old age long ago, as his life force was drained, if not for the ten-year survival weed which allowed him to extend his life."

"However, buying the ten-year survival weed over the past half a year has consumed most of the Yang family's wealth... Now, the Yang family has already sold off many of their side businesses for the money to buy ten-year survival weeds to extend the life of the Yang family patriarch," the medicine shop manager said slowly.

A bunch of ten-year survival weeds cost three hundred thousand liang of silver, and when purchased in such large quantities, it was a strain even on the grand Yang family. Evidently, the patriarch of the Yang family is very important to them."

Zhou Donghuang could easily see how important the patriarch of the Yang family was to his family, given that most of the family's wealth was spent on him. However, Zhou Donghuang felt that the Yang family's actions were a waste of resources.

Ten-year survival weeds could indeed be used in this way, but to him, it was simply too wasteful. Just like directly consuming a thousand-year red fruit.

Previously, after he had processed the thousand-year red fruit obtained by Freezing Wind, it could be used as ten thousand-year red fruits, making the most of the thousand-year red fruit.

He could do the same for ten-year survival weeds.

"That's only natural."

The medicine shop manager nodded his head at Zhou Donghuang's statement. "Although the Yang family is a grand family, they are at the bottom of the pile among the grand families. The Yang family has only one level-six adept of Qi-gathering, and that is their patriarch. Once the patriarch of the Yang family dies, they will be downgraded to a preeminent family without a level-six adept.

"And the Chu royal family does not allow families of lesser status than a grand family to do business in the Chu royal city... Therefore, if the Yang family becomes a preeminent family, the Yang family's businesses in the Chu royal city will be confiscated by the Chu royal family.

"Although the Yang family could sell off their businesses before their patriarch dies... If given a choice, who would kill the chicken for its eggs?"

The medicine shop manager's explanation helped Zhou Donghuang understand the difficult situation that the grand Yang family was currently facing.

Almost as soon as the medicine shop manager had finished, a melodious voice could be heard coming from the entrance of the medicine shop.

"Manager Hu, it seems that you understand the situation of the Yang family very well."

The speaker was a young lady who had just entered the medicine shop, followed by a middle-aged lady.

The young lady was about fifteen or sixteen years old, her long hair falling like a waterfall, and she was wearing a thin, rose-red cardigan over a yellow long-sleeved dress. A purplish-red belt perfectly accentuated her slender waist.

Of course, the most attractive thing about the young lady was not her dressing or her lovely figure, but her youthful-looking, beautiful face.

This young lady was the most beautiful woman that Zhou Donghuang had seen in this life. In terms of looks, not considering temperament, she could compare to the great beauties of the great civilizations in the universe that he had seen in his previous life.

Even if those great beauties of the great civilizations in the universe had fathers who were ordinary-looking, their mothers were peerless beauties over whom wars could be fought. As long as their looks were passed on to their daughters, they would be beautiful enough.

"Zi... Lady Zixi."

The medicine shop manager smiled a bitter smile at the sound of her voice and looked at her, not realizing that a member of the Yang family had arrived to collect the ten-year survival weed just as he was talking about the Yang family.

"I'll bring the ten-year survival weed over for you now."

The medicine shop manager exchanged greetings with the young lady, then turned and walked into the medicine shop without waiting for her reply.

Zhou Donghuang could easily guess that the young lady was a member of the Yang family and that she was here to collect the ten-year survival weed that he wanted as well.

As Zhou Donghuang was evaluating the young lady, she was likewise evaluating him. With his white gown and the extraordinary air around him, even the junior direct relations of the tycoon families whom she had seen could not match up to him.

She felt that even the direct, junior relatives of the Chu royal family might not be able to match up to the youth before her.

Just as the young lady took her gaze off him, Zhou Donghuang asked, "Young lady, would it be convenient for me to have an audience with the patriarch of the Yang family?"

"Hmm?"

The young lady was momentarily stunned at Zhou Donghuang's question, but she looked at Zhou Donghuang and knitted her brows slightly and asked, "Why do you want an audience with my uncle?"

Her reply revealed her position in the Yang family to Zhou Donghuang.

The patriarch of the Yang family was the young lady's uncle. Which also meant that the young lady before him was a direct relative of the Yang family.

However, thinking about it, to be able to collect the ten-year survival weed that was worth three hundred thousand liang of silver on behalf of the Yang family meant that her status in the Yang family was more than just ordinary.

"I am well-versed in medical treatments, and I know many methods of neutralizing poisons... I would like to see what poison the patriarch of the Yang family is suffering from and whether I am able to help," Zhou Donghuang said in the most straightforward manner.

From his memories of his previous life, there were countless kinds of poisons that could result in the situation that the patriarch of the Yang family was in. As to exactly what kind of poison the patriarch of the Yang family was suffering from, he would only know if he could see it with his own eyes.

Of course, he was so enthusiastic mainly because he wanted the ten-year survival weed.

"You?"

The young lady looked Zhou Donghuang over from head to toe, her expression and gaze full of suspicion. She obviously did not believe a youth who looked barely older than she could have the ability to treat her uncle.

"Young man, your strategy for striking up a conversation is not too bad."

The middle-aged woman behind the young lady spoke up as well, "However, have you considered... just how old you are? No one will believe you could have the ability to treat the patriarch of our Yang family.

"Moreover, we have engaged nine of the ten great medicine masters in the Chu royal city to diagnose the poison that the patriarch of our Yang family is suffering from, but they were all helpless. Could a youth such as yourself compare to them? Are you taking my young lady for a fool?"

The middle-aged woman put on an air that declared that she could see through Zhou Donghuang and read his thoughts.

There were no superior-level medicine masters in the Western Ridge of the Chu King. Although the ten great medicine masters of the Chu royal city were all only intermediate-level medicine masters, they were all outstanding intermediate-level medicine masters, and if any one of them agreed to serve in the Chu royal family, they would be treated extremely well.

In any case, nine of these ten medicine masters of the Chu royal city were helpless against the poison that the patriarch of the Yang family was suffering from.

"Striking up a conversation?"

Zhou Donghuang could not help laughing. "You think... I was trying to pick up your young lady?"

"Were you not?"

The middle-aged lady gave him a look of understanding.

"It has to be said that your young lady really is quite beautiful and will definitely be a matchless beauty in the Western Ridge of the Chu King in several years' time."

The middle-aged woman's expression relaxed when Zhou Donghuang said this, and the corner of the young lady's mouth curled upwards in an expression of disdain.

But their expressions turned serious as soon as they heard what Zhou Donghuang said next.

"However, even if that's the case, it isn't enough for me, Zhou Donghuang, to take the first step to pick her up," Zhou Donghuang said indifferently.

"You..."

Just as the middle-aged woman was getting exasperated, Zhou Donghuang gazed calmly at her and said flatly, "Your accumulated labor has resulted in illness, and you suffer a persistent pain in your back lasting no less than half a day with intervals of three days at most between each episode."

The middle-aged woman's eyes widened at Zhou Donghuang's words, shock written on her face.

How could this youth know this?

There were only three people, including herself, who knew of this, and even her young lady did not know about this.

"And you."

Zhou Donghuang's calm gaze moved quickly from the middle-aged woman to the young lady.

However, he did not say anything in front of Fu and the middle-aged lady but stepped forward to the young lady's side. He said in a voice that only she was able to hear, "The past half a year, your period probably has not been regular... and recently it has not come for at least two months, am I right?

"As a virgin, it is normal to have your period once a month. If I'm not wrong, it is because of the mental stress caused by your uncle's poisoning that is causing your cycle to stop."

Once he finished, Zhou Donghuang retreated.

Immediately, the young lady blushed, and her cheeks turned red. There was a look of surprise in her eyes... because this youth before her had been spot on.

The young lady and the middle-aged woman exchanged glances in a moment and saw a look of disbelief in each other's eyes.

"Lady Zixi, this is the ten-year survival weed, please inspect it."

At this moment, the owner of the medicine shop walked out from the inner room of the shop and passed a brocaded box to the young lady.

She opened the box and nodded when she saw the weeds inside. "Correct, this is ten-year survival weed."

The weeds in the box were fresh and green as though they had always been this way, even though they were uprooted from the soil.

This weed had ten leaves in total, each leaf representing one year, and it was evidently ten-year survival weed.

Seeing the ten-year survival weed, Zhou Donghuang's eyes lit up, and he looked at the young lady and asked, "Would Young Miss consider letting me take a look at the poisoning that your patriarch of the Yang family is suffering from?"