Prescription

The clinic was bustling. The itinerant doctor was diagnosing the NPC farmers, and the village leaders had all gathered, whispering in hushed tones.

Ah Fei quietly approached Zhan Xiaobai, his tone disdainful as he asked, “Big brother, why is this NPC doctor so formidable? You try to curry favor with him, yet he doesn’t care. Look at that battered basket of his—it's nearly overflowing with copper coins. How about, when he leaves, I assemble a group to rob him?”

“Stop with the nonsense, that’s a terrible idea!”

Zhan Xiaobai tapped Ah Fei’s head, thinking to himself: if it weren’t for wanting Li Ah San to learn some medicinal skills from him, he wouldn’t bother with currying favor at all. Glancing around and seeing no one else nearby, he suddenly conceived a mischievous plan and whispered, “Ah Fei, go arrange for a player to seek medical attention. Inflict a real knife wound and see how he treats it. If he uses herbs to heal, there’ll be good drama.”

Ah Fei was startled, “What? We’re supposed to pay him, too?”

Zhan Xiaobai replied, “Just do as I say! Remember, it has to be a real injury—don’t try to fool him with chicken blood or duck blood.”

Ah Fei grinned, “Alright, I’ll listen to you, big brother. Leave it to me.”

Ah Fei dashed out of the clinic to set things up.

...

Not long after, a player with “I am NPC” floating above his head suddenly rushed into the clinic, covered in blood and knife wounds, collapsing with a thud before the itinerant doctor. Reaching out, he screamed hoarsely, “Doctor, save me! Stop the bleeding, I’m dying!”

The crowd was startled—how terrifying, blood everywhere. Yet, despite being so badly wounded, he still had the strength to shout so loudly—quite impressive!

The itinerant doctor hurried forward, grasped the player’s wrist to check his pulse, and soon frowned.

Everyone grew tense, waiting for him to write a prescription.

But the doctor didn’t prescribe medicine; instead, he rummaged through his basket for unknown herbs, placed them in a mortar, and personally began to prepare them. After crushing them, he extracted some juice. The dried, crushed herbs were made into powder and applied to the player’s wound, while the juice was administered orally.

Zhan Xiaobai signaled to Li Ah San, who nodded quietly, memorizing the herbs and process. Now it was just a matter of observing the medicine’s effect.

Sword Tyrant, Young Hero of Spring and Autumn, and Autumn Water were secretly delighted. They had already guessed Zhan Xiaobai’s intentions, and it seemed there was indeed hope. If the medicine worked, it would truly cause a sensation.

After finishing, the itinerant doctor declared, “Alright, in about ten minutes, you’ll be fully recovered.”

The player, task completed, happily said, “Thank you, doctor!”

“No thanks needed—pay up. Twenty copper coins, not a single one less.”

“What?” The player was dumbfounded. Ah Fei had sent him to fake an injury, but hadn’t mentioned any payment! “I don’t have any money.”

“What?” The doctor was furious, jumping up. “No money, yet you come for treatment? Hurry up and pay!”

“But I really don’t have any.”

The player guarded his pockets, managing to pull out three or four copper coins.

The doctor snatched them up, “What else?”

The crowd found it amusing—it seemed the doctor wouldn’t rest until he’d emptied the player’s pockets.

The player, feeling wronged, kept pulling out bits and pieces: “I’ve got some junk here—herbs, stones, pigskin, deer tendon... how about these?”

The doctor tossed the stones aside, “What do I need your worthless stones for? Give me the herbs and the deer tendon, count those as six copper coins. Still not enough!”

Zhan Xiaobai couldn’t stand it anymore and stepped forward, “Doctor, let it be, I’ll pay for him. Whatever he’s short, I’ll cover.”

The doctor sneered, “No. I’m not treating you—it has to be paid by him.”

Zhan Xiaobai was speechless. Even that wouldn’t work?

Suddenly, the disabled veteran’s eyes lit up. He picked up the stones and said to Zhan Xiaobai, “My lord, look, this is…”

Zhan Xiaobai glanced at the stones—dark brown, and was surprised, “Iron ore?”

The veteran replied happily, “Yes, it’s quite valuable.”

Zhan Xiaobai didn’t care. What difference did value make if it wasn’t useful? For him, anything he couldn’t use was no better than a stone. “We don’t have a blacksmith here, so it’s useless.”

The disabled veteran clicked his tongue, “You don’t know, my lord… Let me buy them first.” He pulled out a dozen copper coins and gave them to the player, trading for the ore.

The player was overjoyed, quickly agreeing, and used the money to pay the doctor, who finally let him go.

The veteran, clutching the small pile of ore, left the clinic.

Zhan Xiaobai didn’t stay long. He called over Sword Tyrant, Autumn Water, Young Hero of Spring and Autumn, Li Ah San, and the wounded player “I am NPC,” and hurried out. Outside, he spotted Ah Fei waiting and pulled him along as well.

The group found a quiet spot in the village and immediately examined “I am NPC’s” wound.

Autumn Water smiled, “Brother Bai, it’s already starting to heal. Looks like we have hope for making medicine.”

Sword Tyrant was delighted, “Hey, medicine-making is the number one way to get rich. Apart from real estate, few things can compare. Once we open up this source of income, our village will be the top trading hub for miles around. Players from other villages will flock here to buy medicine.”

Young Hero of Spring and Autumn added, “Right. Don’t sell all the medicine. Later, when we level up quickly, it’ll be thanks to this—saving loads of time.”

Ah Fei asked, “Wait, medicine? What medicine?... Don’t tell me it’s for players?” He was astonished, “Damn, so that’s what you guys were plotting. You were scheming this all along.”

Zhan Xiaobai just smiled and said nothing, thinking for a moment before turning to “I am NPC,” “By the way, how much health have you recovered now?”

“I am NPC” was bewildered by their fussing, not understanding at all. When Zhan Xiaobai asked, he quickly checked his health. Seeing the numbers, he exclaimed in surprise, “Huh? It’s full! I lost more than twenty points just now!”

Everyone burst out laughing. In less than ten minutes, he had fully recovered.

Zhan Xiaobai muttered something to Li Ah San, who immediately went to study the herbs. Though they now had the recipe and the process, there was still one step left to actually produce the medicine. Only Li Ah San, as a novice apprentice, could continue to refine it.