He Xiaoyao walked over to Lin Anzhi and said, "Grandpa Lin, where do you live? Sometimes when I go hunting, I manage to catch some really good meat, and I'd like to bring some over for you."
Lin Anzhi said happily, "No, no need. An old man like me can't eat that much anyway."
He Xiaoyao said, "We're all fellow workers here. Even though you're older than me, we're in this together. When there's good food, we should share it."
Zhang Susu chimed in from the side, "That's right, Grandpa Lin! Don't let his age fool you—He Xiaoyao might just be a young handyman, but his cooking is top-notch. His roast meat is especially delicious."
Lin Anzhi said, "Just looking at you drooling like that makes me believe it. I live at Number One."
He Xiaoyao said, "Number One—as expected of a senior veteran. I live at Qilu Garden, Number One Hundred and Three."
Lin Anzhi said, "I know. I've heard about it."
He Xiaoyao said, "How does everyone know where I live? Am I really that famous?"
Li Dahai said, "Stop selling yourself short. You're a huge celebrity in our Immortal Sect now. Look at you—no sooner do you arrive than an immortal maiden is making fast friends with you, and the dining hall rewards you with five extra meals on top of that. Then you go and use magic to help a kid with fish bones."
He Xiaoyao said, "Stop, you're making it sound like some grand epic."
Li Dahai said, "I'm telling the truth, aren't I, Immortal Zhang?"
Not wanting to argue with him, Zhang Susu said, "Right, right, right. Everything you say is right. Your whole family is right."
Zhang Susu didn't come every single day.
However, on the ninth day, she arrived in high spirits. As soon as she stepped through the gates of Qilu Garden, she ran straight toward He Xiaoyao, threw her arms around him, and shouted, "He Xiaoyao, you cured my uncle!"
But He Xiaoyao had just woken up and was completely caught off guard, looking utterly bewildered. He had no idea what was going on, only that he was being embraced by such a warm, fragrant, and soft young woman that his head was starting to spin. *Where is the oxygen? Who am I? Where am I? What am I supposed to be doing?*
Just then, Li Dahai walked out. Seeing this scene, he quickly covered his eyes with his fingers, leaving gaps between them, and said, "Too blinding, simply blinding! Showing affection first thing in the morning."
He Xiaoyao said, "What's wrong with you? Take a breath and tell me properly."
Zhang Susu looked up at He Xiaoyao and said, "I'm talking about my uncle. You saved him! I just came over from East Peak today, and he can actually walk on his own two feet now. His spirits are great, his breathing is steady, and he's not coughing anymore."
He Xiaoyao said, "As long as he's better, that's all that matters."
Zhang Susu said, "Thank you! Tell me if there's anything you want, and I'll make sure it gets done."
He Xiaoyao said, "No need to work myself to the bone like an ox or a horse—let's leave out these impractical promises since you can't actually turn into livestock. First of all, you need to let go of me so I can breathe."
Zhang Susu looked down and realized she was still hugging He Xiaoyao tightly. Her face flushed red, and she whispered, "I just got too excited and forgot! Sorry about that."
Li Dahai said, "I didn't see anything! I didn't see a thing, I saw absolutely nothing. I definitely didn't see you two hugging each other tightly."
He Xiaoyao was left speechless. He smiled and said to Zhang Susu, "He didn't see anything. Come on, let's keep hugging for a little longer."
Zhang Susu bolted away like a flash of lightning.
Li Dahai said, "Look at you, look at you—acting like a total scoundrel and scaring the girl away. She ran faster than a rabbit."
He Xiaoyao said, "She was the one hugging me! It's not like I forced her. Didn't you see me holding my hands out in the air not daring to move?"
Li Dahai said, "The girl gave you a heartfelt hug without a second thought, and you didn't even hug her back! You just stood there with your arms spread wide. And you had the nerve to say you were going to write a book on how to pursue graceful maidens? As far as I can see, you don't know a thing—you're just a clueless, greenhorn kid."
He Xiaoyao said, "Oh, you know so much, don't you? Acting like some ancient sage. If you were in my shoes, what would you do?"
Li Dahai said, "If I were you, I would've kept my hands spread wide, said nothing, and let her hold on for as long as she wanted. I'd like to see how long she could keep it up. From dawn until dusk, until the end of time—I wouldn't budge."
He Xiaoyao said, "I can't be bothered arguing with you. Let's finish breakfast, sweep the yard, and go check on him."
The two of them went to Zhang Tianming's residence.
True enough, Zhang Tianming was able to walk on his own. When he saw He Xiaoyao and Li Dahai arrive, he immediately said, "Little brother Xiaoyao, you're here! Look, I can walk on my own two feet now. I really have to thank you—thank you so much! Just tell me whatever you want, name your price."
Thinking Zhang Tianming was going to talk about working like an ox or a horse just like Zhang Susu had, He Xiaoyao hurriedly said, "No, no need. Curator Zhang, you're being far too polite. It was just a small favor."
Zhang Tianming said, "To you it was a small matter, but to me it was a matter of life and death. I must reward you this time, so don't refuse."
He Xiaoyao said, "Well, since you put it that way, alright then. If I think of anything I want, I'll let you know."
Zhang Tianming said, "That's how it should be, absolutely."
Lin Yuan also came over to thank He Xiaoyao. His whole family thanked He Xiaoyao.
He Xiaoyao asked, "Curator Zhang, how does your body feel now?"
Zhang Tianming said, "My body isn't burning up like before, my breathing is much smoother, and my legs have a bit of strength for walking. I want to ask—can I practice my Cultivation Manual now? When can I start cultivating again?"
He Xiaoyao said, "Let me take your pulse first." The pulse was much steadier than before, but it hadn't fully returned to normal stability yet, which meant further treatment was still required.
He Xiaoyao spoke up, "Curator Zhang, you shouldn't resume your cultivation just yet—especially not any Cultivation Manuals related to fire. You must avoid those entirely. I'll go gather some more herbs tomorrow to continue your treatment, and supplement them with a few other ingredients. In about a month, you should be mostly recovered, and by then you can slowly resume your cultivation."
Zhang Tianming said, "Very well then, thank you."
Zhang Susu chimed in from the side, "I'll go with you to gather herbs tomorrow."
He Xiaoyao said, "Alright. The herbs we gathered previously have run out, and I haven't had a rest these past few days or any time to go herb-picking. We'll set out early tomorrow morning."
North Meng Mountain.
The weather was beginning to turn cool.
Zhang Susu brought out a small silver bow and arrow, handed it to He Xiaoyao, and said, "I'm giving this to you."
He Xiaoyao didn't refuse and accepted it.
Li Dahai said, "This is the first time I've ever seen someone give a bow and arrow as a token of affection."
He Xiaoyao said, "Then what do tokens of affection usually look like in your experience? Have you ever seen one with your own eyes?"
Li Dahai said, "Even if I haven't seen one, I've heard of them. Even if you haven't raised a pig, haven't you eaten pork? People usually give things like jade pendants or small sachets—who gives weapons!"
Zhang Susu said, "Don't talk nonsense. This isn't a token of affection."
Li Dahai said, "Then you mean you've got a different gift lined up as a token of affection?"
Zhang Susu said huffily, "Fine, fine! When He Xiaoyao and I get married, I won't forget to invite you to the feast."
Li Dahai said with a thoroughly satisfied look, "That's more like it. I'll definitely come to eat—even if I'm on a diet, I'll stuff myself silly and get my money's worth. I need to start saving up now so I can give you guys a cash gift later, but honestly, having to eat this wedding feast is going to cost me—it's too much trouble. Starting tomorrow, I'm eating salted vegetables."
He Xiaoyao said, "Stop eyeing my salted vegetables! My salted vegetables are top-tier. Don't you go eating all of them."
Zhang Susu joined in on the teasing, saying, "I want some too, I want some too."
He Xiaoyao said, "Why are you acting like Li Dahai, all wanting my salted vegetables? I'm poor; I need to take those to the market to sell. How nice it would be to make one or two Immortal Coins."
Zhang Susu said, "I'll give you three Immortal Coins, just give the whole batch to me."
Li Dahai said, "You were just talking about getting married a moment ago, and now you're still dividing things between yourselves and talking about Immortal Coins? Aren't they just a few stalks of salted vegetables? There's no need to draw such a clear line."
He Xiaoyao said, "Stop talking nonsense!"
Li Dahai said, "People in your countryside get married at sixteen, don't they? Where I'm from, some people even get married at fourteen."
He Xiaoyao sighed and said, "You make it sound so real."
The group chatted and laughed as they walked forward while gathering herbs.
The varieties of medicinal herbs on the Immortal Sect's mountains were vastly different from those in the mortal realm, and recognizing and harvesting the ones they needed was no easy task.
After a busy day of hard work, the three of them finally gathered all the herbs they needed.
He Xiaoyao said, "We didn't even manage to hunt a single rabbit today, but fortunately we got all the medicinal herbs we needed."
After descending the mountain and returning to Qilu Garden, there was no roasted rabbit to eat this time. He Xiaoyao simply whipped up two dishes, a soup, and a large platter of rice.
Zhang Susu dug in with great enthusiasm, loudly praising He Xiaoyao's culinary skills. "The flavor is really something! I should come here to eat every single day."
Li Dahai said, "See? What did I tell you? You should just move in here directly."
Zhang Susu said, "No wonder you're willing to live here, Li Dahai. It turns out you get to eat such delicious food every day—no wonder you refuse to leave."
Li Dahai said, "You can come live here too."
Zhang Susu said, "I can't, it's inconvenient. I live all the way over at East Peak. If I took a crane back and forth every day, it would cost me forty Immortal Coins each time. I'm poor."
Li Dahai said, "Your master doesn't teach you the Cultivation Manual every single day. You could stay here and just go back once or twice a month to ask your master for guidance."
Zhang Susu said, "My master would break my legs."
He Xiaoyao said, "It's fine. If your legs get broken, I'll cure them for you."
Zhang Susu said, "How can you be so heartless? If I get my legs broken just to come see you, would your conscience feel good about it?"
He Xiaoyao said, "You're not really coming to see me; you just want to eat. You're a regular foodie. Look at the two of you—if this keeps up, Immortal Zhang, you'll end up looking just like Li Dahai and turn into a big, chubby immortal maiden. I'd like to see who would marry you then."
Zhang Susu said, "Then I'll just latch onto your place and refuse to leave."
He Xiaoyao said, "Not only are you getting chubby just like Li Dahai, but you're also learning his habit of spouting nonsense. Where did your thick skin and shamelessness come from?"
Zhang Susu said, "I learned this part from you."
He Xiaoyao said, "No way, my skin is very thin. You've even said before that I blush easily, which proves my skin is very thin—delicate enough to break at a mere puff of wind."
Li Dahai said, "Oh, look at you busting out the idioms! Your literary studies are really paying off. Running to the Scripture Pavilion every day has actually taught you something, now you're showing off your idioms."
He Xiaoyao said, "Studying Cultivation Manuals all day is too monotonous; don't I need to study some culture too?"
After taking the medicine for a month, Zhang Tianming had fully recovered and was in great shape. He also slowly began to resume his cultivation.
As soon as this news spread, the entire Immortal Sect was thrown into an uproar. An illness that the Immortal Medical Hall had failed to cure over the course of several months had been successfully treated by a little handyman.
From that moment on, He Xiaoyao's name spread far and wide. Countless people came looking for him to treat their illnesses.
The Immortal Medical Hall relied primarily on True Qi to treat ailments, which made it extremely draining. The Medical Hall currently had six physicians with quite high cultivation levels, all having reached the Six-Star Stage with abundant True Qi.
Even so, a single physician could only examine and treat three patients a day. If they encountered severe illnesses or major injuries, they might only be able to treat one per day; otherwise, they would completely exhaust their True Qi.
Moreover, the physicians at the Immortal Medical Hall could not hold consultations every day; they had to take turns working one day and resting two. As a result, only two physicians held consultations daily, seeing roughly five or six people a day. Those with less critical illnesses couldn't even get a number in line.
Consequently, all those patients who couldn't get a spot in line or hadn't been cured started flocking to He Xiaoyao for consultations instead.
He Xiaoyao simply built an extra thatched cottage on the open ground in front of the gates of Qilu Garden. He hung a plaque over the cottage with the two characters "Thatched Cottage" written on it.
Li Dahai would also help out at the cottage whenever he had free time.
Of course, He Xiaoyao still had to do his chores every day—cleaning up around the lakeside and growing vegetables, not a single task was neglected. On top of that, he still had to practice his cultivation, gather herbs, go hunting, and catch fish.
Fortunately, the medicinal herbs he had planted were now ready to be harvested and used.
Furthermore, He Xiaoyao charged a fee for treating people.
Following the pricing standards of the Immortal Medical Hall, minor ailments cost twenty to thirty Immortal Coins, while slightly more serious injuries and illnesses cost upwards of one hundred Immortal Coins.
If He Xiaoyao saw fellow handymen, he only charged them for the cost of the medicine plus one or two extra Immortal Coins. If the visitor happened to be a Cultivator, however, he charged according to the standard rates of the Immortal Medical Hall.
After all, handymen had limited income and couldn't be charged exorbitant amounts. He Xiaoyao never forgot his identity as a handyman.
Life grew busy.