Chapter 205: 269. Doctor

The wealthier district on the opposite side of the river was like a separate world from the sprawling community that Jia and the others had just left. The buildings were solid wood, rather than the bamboo ubiquitous throughout the village, and the roof tiles were made of treated clay. Everything was painted in bright colors and laid out in artful design, luxuries that the people on the other side of the river could ill afford.

The magistrate’s office was easy to find—as the guard they’d spoken to had indicated, it was a large red pavilion right near the bridge. Its central location made it easily accessible for both sides of the town, while still being located in the nicer half. The more cynical part of Jia suspected that it also meant that the poorer townsfolk wouldn’t be seen wandering too far into the richer district.

They passed it by, for now. They’d look into it later, if only to learn more about how travel within Qin was handled, but they had more pressing matters. Rika had found them a doctor, and Jia wasn’t willing to waste another second.

The apothecary was located at the edge of town, and as the four girls approached, it was easy to see why. There was a strong, pungent odor coming from the building that Jia couldn’t identify, and the traffic around it was sparse as people gave it a wide berth. The building itself was two stories tall, painted in red and yellow with bluish green tiles on the roof. There was a low wall encircling a front courtyard, with a two door gate standing open at the entrance.

If not for the smell, it would have been quite welcoming.

Jia tried not to hold her nose as the four of them wandered into the courtyard. A young woman tending the garden noticed their arrival and quickly rushed over to meet them, hurriedly brushing bits of dirt off of her clothing as she bowed.

“Welcome, honored guests! I am Yi Lan—to what do we owe the pleasure of your company today?”

The girls exchanged uneasy glances, taken aback by the overly formal greeting. Had they come to the wrong place? If not for the acrid scent, Jia might have thought this was the estate of some young lord or lady.

Jia returned the bow.

“Hello, I am Li Meili, and we are here to meet the doctor. Would that be you?”

Yi Lan giggled and shook her head.

“Oh, no! I’m just an apprentice—well, servant, really. Do you have an appointment to see the master?”

Jia looked to Rika, who stepped forward and offered the letter she’d gotten from the midwife.

“We have a letter of introduction from Lai Jingfei, in town.”

Yi Lan accepted the letter and smiled.

“Of course! I’ll deliver it right away. Please wait here.”

The girl ran back into the building with the letter, and the four girls waited. And waited. After ten minutes had passed in awkward silence, Jia was starting to lose her patience. Eui crossed her arms and began tapping her foot.

“What the fuck is the hold up?”

Jia had been keeping her domain restrained in order to minimize the risk of detection by unseen cultivators, but she was tempted to observe the house anyway just to see what was going on. Before she could make a decision, however, Yi Lan came rushing back, bowing deeply in apology.

“I’m so sorry for the wait! Master Luo is extremely busy right now, could you please come back next week? He may be able to see you then.”

Jia frowned as she scrutinized the girl in front of her. She was blushing bright red, and Jia could sense a cocktail of embarrassment, nervousness, and exasperation. Yi Lan was also lying—though she couldn’t be certain about what.

Jia expanded her domain to cover the estate, and sensed only two people inside—a man and a woman. The woman was busy with some kind of mixture boiling over a hot stove, while the man was lying on his side on the second story, smoking from a pipe and doing nothing else in particular.

Not so busy, then. Which meant that the part about being seen in a week was probably a lie as well. In fact, Jia could sense the letter tucked away in Yi Lan’s sleeve, still unopened. They were being brushed off.

How to handle it? They were trying to keep a low profile, and making a scene here wouldn’t do, but neither was she willing to just give up.

“We’re not planning to stay in town that long, but my sister is sick and we’re worried about traveling in her condition. Would there be any way to make an exception? We can pay.”

Yi Lan smiled stiffly to hide a grimace.

“I can check...”

As she turned to leave, Jia sensed her emotions. Resignation, sympathy, and a tinge of dread. She was just going through the motions. This time, Jia used her domain to follow Yi Lan’s movements through the estate, using her clairvoyance to listen in as she went straight to the woman with the bubbling concoction.

“Mistress Wu, they are offering payment and asking to see him sooner. What should I say? I know we could use the money, but...”

Mistress Wu was an old lady, perhaps in her fifties or older, finely dressed but with the tough, leathery skin of someone who’d worked her whole life. She scoffed and shook her head, and her voice was as rough as her wrinkled skin.

“What money? That Lai woman is just after more sedatives, and we can’t afford any more handouts like that. Besides, even if they can pay, do you think that worthless lump upstairs is in any condition to work? If Mingyu were still here, maybe, but no. Tell them whatever you have to.”

Yi Lan bowed low.

“Yes, mistress.”

The servant girl began slowly meandering back, likely trying to think of something to say. While she waited, Jia turned to Eui with a frown.

“What do you think?”

“Well, they’re obviously not as well-off as they look. Are we sure this place is even worth it? Miss Wu doesn’t sound too confident in her husband.”

Jung furrowed her brows.

“What are you two talking about?”

Rika chuckled, and leaned in to whisper to her conspiratorially.

“They’re playing dirty. Listening in on the poor girl while she plays middle-man.”

Jia ignored their banter and focused on the matter at hand. Something felt off to her, but she couldn’t place what it was. She wanted to meet them in person to get a better feel for the situation.

As Yi Lan emerged from the house, Jia reached into her sleeve and produced a small sack of gold from her dimensional ring. Before Yi Lan could make her excuses, Jia tossed it to her. The girl nearly dropped it, surprised by the weight of it, and Jia winced—she’d forgotten how heavy gold was to mortals.

Yi Lan looked down at the sack in confusion, her eyes turning into saucers as she peeked inside.

“M-Miss Li?! What is this for?”

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“We’re being turned down again, right? I can tell when I’m being brushed off. Ten minutes is all I ask. Let us meet the doctor face to face, and you can keep that as payment even if we’re turned away again.”

“I—o-one second!”

Yi Lan barely squeaked out her response before turning around and bolting back inside. Eui snickered.

“Look at you, throwing around money to force your way. You’re starting to turn into a proper noble lady.”

“Ew, don’t even joke about that.”

A few moments later, Yi Lan rushed out again, this time with her mistress in tow. The pair bowed as Miss Wu herself greeted them.

“My apologies for the delay. I am Wu Yuan, Master Luo’s wife. Please, come inside.”

The girls followed as they were ushered into the house and led to a well decorated sitting room with plush seating around a solid wooden table. Yi Lan served them tea while Wu Yuan eyed them in silence. Once they were all served, Yi Lan retreated to a corner and kept her head bowed as Wu Yuan broke the silence.

“So, before we get down to business, I have to ask—who is your backer?”

Jia blinked.

“I’m sorry?”

“Your backer, girl. Don’t play dumb with me. Young women like yourselves don’t come across this kind of money on their own, much less spend it so frivolously. So who sent you? A cultivator perhaps? It would fit—they spend gold like water.”

Jia fought down a blush—she hadn’t meant to give herself away so soon.

“Eui, am I bad with money?”

“The worst.”

She coughed, trying desperately not to react to Eui’s brutal honesty before composing herself enough to answer Miss Wu’s question.

“I’d rather not say, but we can pay whatever it takes to—”

Wu Yuan cut her off with a sharp gesture.

“Money isn’t the issue, girl. Powerful people have powerful enemies, and if your mystery backer is willing to entrust his interests to the hands of a bunch of naive little girls to hide his identity, then I have to wonder who it is he fears offending.”

Jia pursed her lips. Miss Wu was frustratingly close, yet completely off the mark. How could she explain the need for secrecy without giving herself away? She shook her head.

“Miss Wu, regardless of who may or may not support us, this matter is personal. My sister, Li Zhen, is sick and she needs help. We were told that the master here is the best doctor in town.”

Not strictly true, but a bit of flattery never hurt. Wu Yuan chortled at that.

“He’s the only doctor. You think a town this size has room for more than one apothecary? What makes you think we’re worth all this time and effort?”

Jia shrugged, unable to put her thoughts into words.

“Just a feeling.”

“Well, I’m afraid your feelings have led you astray. My husband isn’t taking patients, nor will he be meeting with anyone. Thank you for your kind donation, but I think it’s time for you to leave.”

Before Jia could respond an unfamiliar voice interrupted.

“Oh, come off it you crotchety old hag!”

Master Luo himself emerged from the doorway, pipe in hand. His voice was low and gravelly, and his speech was slightly slurred. Jia also noticed a small sway in his steps as he approached. Her nose wrinkled at the smell coming from his pipe—it was one she recognized from the gambling dens back home.

The old man chuckled.

“Oho, you got keen senses, lass. Most people would lose their sense of smell entirely after a few minutes in this place—Emperor knows I have.”

Master Luo dropped unceremoniously into the seat next to his exasperated wife and took a long drag from his pipe, never breaking eye-contact with Jia. When he exhaled, the acrid smoke made her eyes water.

“Yi Lan, tea. The proper stuff, not whatever garbage my wife is trying to foist on our guests.”

Wu Yuan scowled, waving away the smoke as she glared at her husband.

“Luo Huang, I was—”

“Being rude to our guests, as usual. Don’t hold it against her, ladies—I’d fall apart without her around to hold things together, but she’s got a fire that can’t be put out.”

Wu Yuan huffed, but didn’t argue. Master Luo turned his attention back to the girls and smiled—his teeth were black and rotten from whatever he was smoking.

“Now then, let’s introduce ourselves, shall we? I am Master Luo Huang, a humble doctor and apothecary for this little town I’ve made my home. Who do I have the honor of hosting?”

Jia bowed.

“My name is Li Meili, and this is my sister Li Zhen. Accompanying us are our friends, Jing Yi, and Tian Lihua. We’ve come to ask if you can help treat Li Zhen’s illness.”

Luo Huang grunted in acknowledgement and took another long drag from his pipe.

“No you’re not. Those are lovely names, but they’re fake. So let’s try this again—who are you, really, and why have you come to bother me?”