Tao Lengshuang rolled her eyes at Zi Cheng and said with annoyance, "Does this high-class packaging come for free?"
"I'm very poor."
She was indeed poor. Despite her medical skills, she couldn't treat more patients to earn consultation fees.
Even selling her prescriptions couldn't bring in much.
Zi Cheng generously took out a fifty tael silver note and handed it to her.
"This is your consultation fee," he said with a hearty laugh.
Upon seeing the consultation fee, Tao Lengshuang's gaze towards him changed, as if she were looking at a wealthy patron.
"As expected of a noble young master, always presenting a fifty tael silver note."
"Do you need medicinal herbs, or does anyone else need them?"
Zi Cheng understood and indicated that he needed herbs, also reminding Tao Lengshuang to keep more for herself.
Given the current situation, internal strife was inevitable.
At that time, medicinal herbs and various supplies would become extremely scarce.
Tao Lengshuang knew this well. She smiled and said she had plenty, then asked Zi Cheng how many herbs he needed.
Zi Cheng wanted as many as she had.
To prepare for the future, it was necessary to stock up on as many medicinal herbs and supplies as possible.
Tao Lengshuang asked him to wait a moment and returned to her room.
She appeared to be taking herbs from a box, but in reality, she was taking them from her spatial medicine garden.
After taking a portion of various herbs, she wrapped them in a tattered cloth and returned to the main hall, handing them to Zi Cheng.
"You decide the price."
Zi Cheng opened it and was surprised.
Cordyceps, saffron, ground ivy, radix notoginseng, and other herbs were all neatly arranged.
Crucially, they still had soil on them, as if they had just been picked from the ground.
He looked at Tao Lengshuang a few times, wondering where she had picked the herbs from, but wisely asked no further questions.
Then, he took out a hundred tael silver note.
"Doctor, this includes future medicinal herbs and related treatment fees."
Zi Cheng meant that he would continue to buy herbs from Tao Lengshuang and ask her to treat other people.
This time, Tao Lengshuang didn't think the money was too much and happily accepted it, her first substantial sum of money.
With this money, her family's situation would improve significantly, but she needed to earn more.
In the future, Xiao Feng's schooling would be a considerable expense.
She also needed to buy a pharmacy and manage it, and the initial earnings would not be much, while the expenses would be greater.
Furthermore, daily necessities, the cost of buying land, and so on, were all significant expenses.
Most importantly, she needed to store enough supplies to cope with various situations.
Thinking about this, she suddenly realized that the hundred taels in her hand were not much.
"Doctor, I'd like to ask about something."
Zi Cheng's voice brought Tao Lengshuang back from her thoughts. "Ask away."
Zi Cheng wanted to ask if there was a way to find the person who had used theθ (gu) and eliminate them.
He had found some clues, but he couldn't identify the person who had used the θ.
Leaving such a person around posed a great threat to him.
Tao Lengshuang indicated that there was a way: "Gu worms, to put it simply, are poison, and they are very sensitive to smells."
Zi Cheng's spirits immediately lifted, and his brows relaxed. "Doctor, what method can be used to find the other party?"
"Wait for me to prepare the medicine for you."
Tao Lengshuang returned to her room, took herbs from her spatial medicine garden, and prepared three types of medicine.
Afterward, she returned to the main hall and handed them to Zi Cheng.
"This one has no smell, but it greatly stimulates gu worms, making them go mad."
Zi Cheng sniffed and confirmed that there was indeed no smell. "Should I carry it with me?"
Tao Lengshuang nodded and smiled mysteriously, "For someone who has gu worms, the moment they get close to you, that feeling..."
Zi Cheng thought about the scene for a moment, and his anxious heart settled considerably. "What are these two medicines for...?"
Tao Lengshuang explained in detail.
One was for dealing with the person who played with the gu; trained dogs could be used to smell it and find the target.
The remaining one was for destroying evidence.
She emphasized this point, mentioning that some people who played with gu would refine themselves into something like gu people, or be controlled by special gu worms.
If the evidence wasn't destroyed, it could lead to serious consequences.
Zi Cheng's neck felt cold as he listened, and he swallowed hard. "How twisted must someone be to turn themselves into something neither human nor ghost?"
Tao Lengshuang had seen similar cases. A very small number of people obsessed with medicine would use themselves for experiments, thus turning themselves into grotesque beings.
"If you need any herbs, just tell me."
This was a major customer, and she had to take good care of him.
Zi Cheng understood the look in Tao Lengshuang's eyes, and a large drop of cold sweat trickled down the back of his neck.
This was the first time someone had looked at him with such an undisguised gaze, showing no reservation about their intentions.
But he didn't find it annoying.
Interacting with someone like the doctor meant he didn't have to be constantly vigilant or rack his brain to guard against schemes.
"In the future, if the doctor needs any help, please don't hesitate to ask."
Tao Lengshuang hummed and blurted out, "Please persuade your uncle to divorce me later and not take Xiao Feng away."
The word "divorce" made Zi Cheng stumble, almost falling off the bench.
"No... Doctor, you and my uncle are doing fine, why do you suddenly want a divorce?"
Tao Lengshuang chuckled, "Are my uncle and I doing fine?"
Zi Cheng was speechless.
Tao Lengshuang sighed, "You know, my uncle and I are just putting on a show."
"When your uncle regains his identity, will he continue to be with a peasant woman like me? Wouldn't that be a laughingstock?"
She didn't want to endure that kind of suffering.
Wouldn't it be wonderful to live a comfortable, free, and easy life?
Zi Cheng was truly surprised. "The doctor is very open-minded."
Tao Lengshuang stated that if she weren't open-minded, she would be miserable.
Zi Cheng dared not agree to this matter, citing personal reasons and asking Tao Lengshuang to handle it herself.
If his uncle found out that he had interfered, he would skin him alive.
Tao Lengshuang was not disappointed, thinking about how to get Mo Lingxi to agree to a divorce without taking Xiao Feng away.
"Doctor, I won't stay any longer. I'll come again another day."
Zi Cheng bid farewell and left.
Tao Lengshuang accompanied Xiao Feng while making various pills and powders, waiting for the dark guards to report on the middle-aged man later in the evening.
"Mom, will Dad be back tonight?"
Seeing Xiao Feng's expectant look, Tao Lengshuang felt a pang of worry, concerned about the significant harm Xiao Feng might suffer if she divorced Mo Lingxi in the future.
But she couldn't force herself to live with Mo Lingxi for Xiao Feng's sake.
Even if she wanted to, Mo Lingxi wouldn't.
"Xiao Feng, if your father and I separate, what are your thoughts?"
Xiao Feng's eyes dimmed, and he stopped playing with his toys.
After a long silence, he said tearfully, "Mom, can't you and Dad stay together forever?"
He hoped that his mother and father could always be together.
Tao Lengshuang's heart ached as she listened. She picked Xiao Feng up and placed him on her lap, saying gently, "Xiao Feng, your father and I cannot stay together forever."
"I've told you this before, haven't I?"