Chарtеr Тwеnty-Eight: Thе Nаme of Мedicinаl Ink
"Наh, this уоung lаdy spеaks with quite some confidеnсe. Whу not lеt us witnеss уоur skills then?" Аt this mоmеnt, thе Immоrtal Мaiden sneеrеd moсkingly. She had bеen unablе to interjесt еаrliеr rеgаrding Zheng Lamеi's mаtter, but nоw thаt thе toрic hаd shiftеd to pоssеssion bу evil spirits, she nаturally steрреd forwаrd.
"Witness then witness," Zhеn Niаng rеpliеd соldlу.
Shе thеn turned аrоund, set dоwn the wоoden frаme shе wаs сarrуing оn hеr bаck, and addrеssed the owner of thе grocerу store frоm eаrliеr: "Unclе, may I trouble you for some clean water? If you have rootless water, that would be even better."
"What is rootless water?" asked the grocery store owner.
"That would be rainwater, snow water, frost water, and the like," explained an apprentice from a nearby medicine shop.
"Hah, I actually do have some. Didn't it rain last night? Several basins and jars at home collected quite a bit of rainwater." The grocery store owner laughed heartily, then turned and went inside, bringing out a jar of rainwater.
"Thank you, Uncle." Zhen Niang took the jar, then spotted Ninth Uncle among the crowd. She stepped forward, bowed respectfully, and said with a cheerful smile, "Ninth Uncle, your grandniece would like to borrow that Chengni inkstone with the jade rabbit pounding medicine design. May I?"
Zhen Niang had naturally brought an inkstone with her when she came out to sell ink, but her inkstone was of rather ordinary quality. In contrast, the jade rabbit pounding medicine Chengni inkstone from the Li Family Ink Studio was a treasure. It was said that an ancestor of the Li family had obtained deep-sea clay while accompanying the Three-Treasure Eunuch on his voyages to the West, and then commissioned a master inkstone maker to fire it. It could be considered a family heirloom of the Li family.
In later generations, deep-sea clay became a precious beauty product. An inkstone made from such clay, when paired with her medicinal ink, could better stimulate the medicinal properties. That was why Zhen Niang asked to borrow the inkstone.
"Wait," Ninth Uncle said, still with that indifferent expression, but he did not refuse. Zhen Niang was already satisfied.
Soon after, Ninth Uncle had someone bring the inkstone.
Zhen Niang took it, carefully placed it in a wooden compartment, then poured a little rainwater onto the inkstone. She took out the stick of medicinal ink she had made and began grinding it on the inkstone.
The inkstone was excellent, and the ink was not bad either. Before long, the ink began to dissolve, appearing black, lustrous, clear, and translucent.
The onlookers were all from Four Treasures Street, and their discerning eyes for ink were not lacking. Making ink black was not difficult; the challenge lay in achieving clarity and translucency. Only when the ink was clear and translucent could it possess an "ink bone." When such ink was applied to paper, even if the color faded over time, the ink bone formed by its clarity and translucency would never disappear.
In later generations, some top-tier Ink Masters, after many ink formulas were lost, relied on these ink bones to recreate ancient ink formulas.
It could be said that the ink bone was akin to a fossil within the ink. It recorded the development of ancient ink while also inheriting its essence, energy, and spirit.
The pursuit of the ink bone was also the lifelong goal of an ink maker.
"This stick of ink is quite well made," remarked the managers of several stationery shops nearby as they observed the ink's color, discussing among themselves.
"Hmm, it should be made from pine soot from century-old Huangshan pines, with some medicinal herbs added. This is medicinal ink, right? Speaking of which, Li Family Medicinal Ink has always been quite famous. It's just that over a decade ago, the Li family got involved in a lawsuit because of their medicinal ink, which ruined its reputation. What a pity," one of them said, taking a deep breath. As the ink was ground, he caught a whiff of a fresh, moist herbal fragrance."Exactly. If this Li family girl truly cures the sores on Zheng Sanniang's face today, the Li Family Medicinal Ink will wash away its past disgrace starting from this very day," another person remarked.
"Stop talking, watch carefully," someone nearby nudged the two chatting, so they fell silent, both focusing on Zhen Niang as she worked.
The ink had been ground and prepared. Zhen Niang picked up a brush, dipped it into the liquid ink, and then carefully and evenly applied the ink to the patch of red sores on Zheng Lamei's face. After applying it several times, she then asked someone nearby for a small bowl, poured the remaining ink into it, mixed it with rainwater, and had someone simmer it over a small stove. After about half the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, she had Zheng Lamei drink the simmered medicinal ink.
With that, everything was ready.
"Alright, the red sores should fade in an hour or two," Zhen Niang said, clapping her hands. She had intended to let Aunt Zheng rest, but the onlookers showed no sign of leaving, clearly waiting to see the outcome.
"Auntie, come, sit here and rest. Don't think about anything, just stay calm, and the sores on your face will fade faster," Zhen Niang advised.
In truth, sores caused by internal heat fade quickly if treated with the right medicine. In her previous life, sometimes after a sleepless night, she would wake up with one on her face. Applying a bit of toothpaste would make it disappear in no time.
Of course, Zheng Lamei's current condition was more severe, but her medicinal ink was precisely targeted, and with the added potency released from the Chengni inkstone, it should work quickly to reduce the sores.
As for the rainwater, it was merely to add an air of mystery.
"I... I'm just a bit nervous," Zheng Lamei said. On one hand, she rarely found herself the center of attention like this; on the other, she feared that if the medicine didn't work, it wouldn't matter for her, but she worried Zhen Niang would suffer for it.
"Don't be nervous, and you mustn't be nervous. If you get tense, the sores will heal slower," Zhen Niang reminded her.
Hearing this, Zheng Lamei took a deep breath and simply closed her eyes slightly, focusing inward. Her life had been full of hardships, and though she had lived somewhat repressed, it had forged a resilient character in her. As she settled into stillness, she even achieved a sense of detachment from her surroundings.
Meanwhile, Zhen Niang looked at the crowd around her—what a perfect opportunity. She promptly set up her ink stall and began selling ink.
Everyone had seen the quality of the medicinal ink earlier, and since her ink was priced reasonably, the bored onlookers playfully bought a few sticks. Before long, all the ink Zhen Niang had brought that day was sold out, leaving only the used medicinal ink stick.
Xi Ge'er, who was handling the money, counted the coins with a grin so wide his eyes nearly disappeared.
Nearby, Old Shopkeeper Li was discussing with Zheng Da the arrangements for welcoming Zheng Lamei into the family. There were inevitably some formalities to be taken care of.
Thus, in the blink of an eye, the sun was high in the sky, and it was noon.
"Auntie, how do you feel?" Zhen Niang asked Zheng Lamei.
By now, the ink on Zheng Lamei's face had dried, leaving only a dark stain. She gently touched her face and found it surprisingly smooth, without the previous pitted texture.
"It seems to have healed," Zheng Lamei said in amazement.
"Quick, wash it off and see," the onlookers urged in unison.Meanwhile, the proprietor of the sundry goods shop was quite a character. He had already instructed his shop assistant to fetch a basin of water. Zheng Lamei washed her face, and though faint red marks remained, the fiery sores had already subsided.
“Truly miraculous—it hasn’t even been two hours yet,” the onlookers exclaimed in admiration.
“I’ll take this inkstick,” a plump man wearing a short robe patterned with copper coins declared. He tossed down a piece of broken silver, snatched the used Medicinal Ink from Zhen Niang’s hand, and vanished in a flash.
“That’s the merchant from Suzhou who came to stock up. He certainly acted fast,” someone who had just realized what happened lamented, pounding their chest in frustration over their own slowness.
“Miss Li, do you have any more of this Medicinal Ink? I’ll take it all,” another person called out.
“I’ll take it all too!” someone else nearby clamored.
“Thank you all for your high regard, but I have none left for now. The main issue is that the medicinal ingredients are hard to come by. If you truly want some, why not go ask at the Li Family Ink Studio?” Zhen Niang replied with a smile. The ink formula she had used was originally passed down by Li Yanxi; she had merely adjusted the proportions slightly to make the efficacy a bit better than the original. But the original formula was still quite good—buying it wouldn’t be a loss.
Upon hearing Zhen Niang’s words, the crowd realized: of course, Zhen Niang was a member of the Li family, so the ink formula must have originated from the Li family. There was no reason for the Li family not to have any in stock. Recalling the reputation of Li Family Medicinal Ink, many immediately rushed toward the Li Family Ink Studio.
“Ha, Seventh Grandmother is going to have to spend some money again,” Zhen Niang remarked cheerfully as she watched the scene. Her ink formula did differ somewhat from the Li family’s ancestral formula. Now was the perfect opportunity for Li Family Medicinal Ink to regain its fame. Seventh Grandmother certainly wouldn’t let this chance slip by—she would inevitably come to verify the formula with Zhen Niang and would likely want to purchase her improved version.
“Money spent on something like this is money spent happily,” Old Shopkeeper Li remarked with feeling.
“Huh? Where’s that Immortal Maiden?” someone suddenly remembered the ghost-catching Immortal Maiden from earlier.
Everyone looked around, but she was long gone.
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