28 – Strange Noises

The sudden noise made Lu Qing pause for a moment, then he became vigilant.

What sound is that? A person, a beast, or a rat?

He thought of the mysterious little beast that stole two large pieces of fish meat last night.

Could it be that guy again?

But he had already put the fish meat inside the house… Would that little guy be so bold as to break in?

Recalling the information his abilities revealed in the morning, that mysterious little beast seemed to have sharp claws. Lu Qing couldn’t help but grip the stick placed beside his bed.

At this moment, he missed the electricity from his previous life immensely…

If this were his home in his previous life, no matter what little beast it was, turning on the light would probably scare it away.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t even afford to light oil lamps now, let alone use bright light to scare away wild animals.

The sound outside continued, like something scratching at the door.

Even though Lu Qing was usually brave, he felt a bit creeped out at this moment.

He gripped the stick tightly and walked lightly out of the room to the hall.

Suddenly, he swung the stick hard against the door, making a loud noise.

The sound outside immediately stopped.

Holding the stick, Lu Qing stood in the hall trying to calm himself.

After a long while, he did not hear the sound again.

However, he didn’t dare to open the door to check recklessly.

After confirming there was no movement outside for a long time, Lu Qing returned to his room.

It had to be said, the calming and concentrating effect of the Green Armored Fish Stone was quite good.

Even with such a loud noise, it didn’t wake Xiao Yan.

Otherwise, Lu Qing would have had to soothe her for a long time.

That night, Lu Qing couldn’t sleep well.

Out of fear that the thing might return, he hardly slept at all, only dozing off a bit close to dawn.

As a result, when he went to Old Doctor Chen the next day, Lu Qing had two big dark circles under his eyes and looked exhausted and listless.

Seeing him like this, the old doctor frowned immediately.

“Lu Qing, I know you want to understand the ‘Herbal Scripture’ as soon as possible, but learning requires a balance of work and rest. Sometimes burying your head in reading could yield half the result with twice the effort.”

“Moreover, if you want to become a doctor in the future, you need to cherish your own body. If you can’t take good care of your own body, how can you maintain a clear mind to treat and save others?”

He thought Lu Qing was listless because he stayed up late reading.

“Grandpa Chen, it’s not what you think,” Lu Qing said with a bitter smile. “I didn’t sleep well last night for another reason.”

He then recounted what happened last night.

“You’re saying a wild beast tried to enter your house last night, and that kept you from sleeping well?” the old doctor asked in surprise.

“Yes, because I was worried it might sneak in and hurt Xiao Yan, so I didn’t dare to sleep,” Lu Qing said, rubbing his eyes.

“Brother, why didn’t I know?”

The little girl had no idea about what happened last night, her eyes widening instantly.

“You slept like a little pig last night, of course, you didn’t know.”

Lu Qing reached out and tapped the tip of his sister’s nose.

“But this is not a solution. You can’t stay awake guarding every night.”

The old doctor thought for a moment, went back into the room, and after a while, returned with a packet, handing it to Lu Qing.

“Take this medicine powder.”

“Grandpa Chen, what is this?” Lu Qing asked, holding the packet.

“This is a medicine powder I mixed myself, containing various herbs that repel insects and beasts. When I walk in the mountains, I mostly use it for protection.”

“From what you said, that beast shouldn’t be too large.”

“When you get back, sprinkle this medicinal powder around the house. The beast will surely be wary and won’t come to disturb you again.”

Upon hearing this, Lu Qing was overjoyed. “Thank you, Grandpa Chen!”

This medicinal powder from the old doctor came just in time.

Otherwise, Lu Qing would have had to consider setting traps to catch that mysterious little beast.

However, some information he had gleaned from his special abilities made him hesitant to act rashly.

After all, just the footprints of that mysterious little beast were already of a remarkable grade.

Who knows how powerful it truly is.

After putting away the medicinal powder, Lu Qing took out the ‘Herbal Scripture’ to continue seeking guidance from the old doctor.

This time, Old Doctor Chen was even more astonished.

He discovered that Lu Qing was learning the ‘Herbal Scripture’ incredibly quickly.

Not only did he fully remember everything he was taught yesterday,

but he had also thoroughly reviewed the remaining content, drawing inferences from what he had learned.

At this rate, it wouldn’t be long until he had mastered the entire book.

“Very good, I can tell that you indeed worked hard after you went back yesterday.”

The old doctor stroked his beard and nodded in satisfaction.

“I dare not forget Grandpa Chen’s instructions,” Lu Qing respectfully said.

“Alright, that’s it for today. You are gradually becoming familiar with this ‘Herbal Scripture,’ but merely knowing the book is not enough.”

“Whether as a healer or an herbal gatherer, one must be able to identify and select real medicinal ingredients.”

“I remember there are some common herbs growing near the village. You can observe them often and compare them with what’s recorded in the ‘Herbal Scripture’ to see if the real herbs match the descriptions in the book,” the old doctor instructed.

“Yes, Lu Qing will remember that,” Lu Qing replied.

“By the way, you and Xiao Yan don’t need to come up tomorrow. I’m going to the city and will help you sell that Red Moon Carp. You can stay home and continue your studies,” the old doctor added.

“Grandpa Chen, you’re going to the city?” Lu Qing asked, a bit excited.

“That’s right, the pharmacy in the city ordered some medicinal ingredients from me, and I need to deliver them,” the old doctor said. “By the way, do you have anything you need me to buy for you? Once the Red Moon Carp is sold, you’ll have a considerable amount of money.”

“I do!” Lu Qing immediately responded.

He indeed had something he wanted the old doctor to buy.

“Oh? What do you want to buy?”

“I want to buy an iron pot!” Lu Qing said. “As you know, Grandpa Chen, our family went through some trouble, and we had to sell off a lot of our belongings, including the only iron pot we had. So I need a new one.”

“An iron pot… That can be arranged,” the old doctor said after a moment of thought, agreeing. “Anything else?”

“Salt as well. We’re almost out, and I want to get more.”

“Do you need anything else?”

“Nothing else for now, just these two items,” Lu Qing shook his head.

In truth, there were many more things he wanted to buy.

Oil, grain, clothes, shoes—there were many items he desired.

But he knew he had to be considerate.

The old doctor, as an elder, was already kind enough to help bring things. Asking for too much would be overstepping.

If iron pots and salt weren’t available except in the city, Lu Qing wouldn’t have troubled the old doctor even with these requests.

As for other items, he could buy them at the local market later.

After returning from the old doctor, the first thing Lu Qing did was sprinkle that packet of medicinal powder around the house.

He thought that this would finally bring peace and he could get a good night’s sleep.

However, when night came and Xiao Yan had fallen asleep, he once again heard that sound…