These words were like a basin of cold water poured over his head, mercilessly extinguishing all the hope and anticipation in Li Jiancheng’s heart. His face turned ugly as he stared at Jirong standing with her hands down and said, “What do you mean? Didn’t you manage to formulate it?” Seeing Jirong remain silent, he became more certain of his suspicions and slammed the table hard, shouting angrily, “What audacity! You actually dare to deceive this Young Master!”
“This servant did not deceive the First Young Master.” As soon as Jirong finished speaking, Li Jiancheng’s hand was already gripping her neck forcefully, his gaze cold as he said, “You still dare say you didn’t deceive me? Jirong, do you want to die? Fine, this Young Master will fulfill your wish. Oh, and that Feng Chunxiu too—I’ll send her to the gates of hell to reunite with you!”
Li Jiancheng was furious in his heart. For this entire month, he had been looking forward to this day every single day, only to have it end in empty joy. How could he not hate this!
Jirong was afraid that Li Jiancheng would truly kill her, so she quickly squeezed out a few words from her throat, “No… no, medicine… this servant has medicine!”
Li Jiancheng was startled, then released his grip and frowned, “What exactly is going on?”
Jirong knelt on the ground, desperately breathing in the fresh air. That was close—if she had spoken any slower just now, she probably would have been strangled to death by Li Jiancheng.
“Speak quickly!” Under Li Jiancheng’s urging, she said hoarsely, “After a month of devoted research, this servant has indeed produced a Muscle-Mending Powder that is identical in both smell and color to the bottle grandfather left behind. However, whether it has the same efficacy still needs to be tested to know for certain.”
Her words made Li Jiancheng’s expression soften slightly as he asked in confusion, “How to test it?”
Jirong slowly rolled up her left sleeve, revealing her arm wrapped in white gauze. After the gauze was unwrapped, there was a wound that had already scabbed over, with some white medicinal powder still visible around the wound. “The Muscle-Mending Powder can accelerate the healing of any flesh wound. If the powder this servant formulated is truly effective, then this wound will heal completely within ten days. Otherwise, it won’t.”
Li Jiancheng said with a complex expression, “You used your own body to test medicine for me?”
“If I don’t test the medicine, how can I know the powder’s efficacy? What if it not only fails to cure the First Young Master’s foot condition but actually harms the First Young Master instead? Wouldn’t this servant deserve death ten thousand times over?” Saying this, she smiled and said, “The First Young Master need not worry about this servant. It’s just a small injury. This servant is only worried about the medicine’s effectiveness now, hoping it won’t disappoint the First Young Master. Otherwise, even if this servant dies, she cannot live up to the First Young Master’s trust.”
Li Jiancheng touched her wound and hesitated for a moment, finally relenting, “Ten days? Very well, I’ll wait another ten days for you.”
Hearing this, Jirong’s heart, which had been hanging in mid-air, finally settled down. “Thank you, First Young Master.”
Ten days should be enough time for her to find out where the problem with the Muscle-Mending Powder lay. Even if not, she believed that Wan Shi, who had tried the Celestial Jade Maiden Powder, wouldn’t let her die.
In the following days, Jirong used her arm injury as an excuse not to go to the music workshop for dance practice, staying in her room all day to study the Muscle-Mending Powder formula. Finally, on the ninth day, she found the key issue and produced a powder that was identical to the bottle her grandfather had left behind.
It was also on this day that the Yuxiu Pavilion sent someone to summon her. When she saw Wan Shi again this time, her complexion was much better than last time—rosy and lustrous, radiant with health.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Wan Shi stroked her smooth, delicate cheek and said, “The Celestial Jade Maiden Powder you sent is indeed effective. After using it for just these few days, I feel my skin has improved greatly. It’s almost like returning to my twentieth year.”
Jirong said respectfully, “As long as Madam finds it effective, this servant will send more over in a few days.”
Her tactfulness made Wan Shi very satisfied. She said, “How is the Muscle-Mending Powder coming along? Tomorrow is the tenth day that the First Young Master mentioned. If you still can’t produce it this time, I won’t be able to help you anymore.”
Jirong lowered her gaze and said, “Please rest assured, Madam. This servant has just finished making the Muscle-Mending Powder, but due to time constraints, there was no opportunity to test it. I hope the efficacy is the same.”
“That’s good then.” Wan Shi said with a pleasant expression, “Make good use of this opportunity. With your abilities, I believe it won’t be long before you can cast off the identity of a dancer.”
Jirong bowed and said, “If this servant has such a day, it will all be Madam’s blessing. This servant will never forget Madam’s kindness.” Just as she finished speaking, a figure suddenly burst through the door and threw himself into Wan Shi’s arms, “Mother, I’m back!”
Seeing who it was, the surprise on Wan Shi’s face immediately turned to joy, “Zhiyun, how did you suddenly return? Didn’t the letter you sent say you wouldn’t come back until after the New Year?”
The newcomer was none other than Wan Shi’s only son, Li Zhiyun, now ten years old. Because he had been weak and sickly since childhood, Li Yuan had sent him to a high monk who had considerable connections with the Li family to cultivate himself. This departure had lasted seven years, and he rarely returned even once a year. The last time he came back was the year before last.
Li Zhiyun said with a beaming smile, “Master saw that your son could already hit willow leaves from a hundred paces away, and had also beaten him in chess, so he let your son return early. After the New Year, I’ll go back again.”
Wan Shi said in surprise, “Hitting a willow leaf from a hundred paces? Are you really that skilled?”
“How would your son dare deceive Mother? If you don’t believe it, your son will demonstrate for you later.” Saying this, he asked with concern, “Mother, how is your health? Where is Father?”
“Mother is perfectly well, and your father is in the Songtao Residence. Mother will go there with you later.” Looking at this son, the smile on Wan Shi’s face couldn’t be stopped. Seeing that Jirong was still standing there, she said, “There’s nothing for you here anymore. You may withdraw.”
Jirong would naturally not be so tactless as to disturb this mother and son reunion. Besides, she also wanted to take advantage of having one more day to roughly test the medicine’s efficacy. If something was wrong, she could adjust the formula accordingly.
The simplest method was to observe the speed of bleeding cessation after applying the medicine. The wound on her arm had been treated with the Muscle-Mending Powder, and the bleeding had stopped almost at the same moment the powder was applied, showing its miraculous effect.
But… what could she find to test the medicine on in such a short time? If she were outside, she could just catch any stray cat or dog, but this was the Governor’s mansion. Things that could be found everywhere outside were not easy to find here, and since it was neither the first nor the fifteenth day of the month, she couldn’t even leave the mansion.
Just as she was at a loss, she heard the sound of bells behind her. Looking back, she saw no one. Just as she was wondering about this, she heard several dog barks. Looking down, she saw a small yellow and white dog following behind her. It was tiny, not much bigger than a palm, probably only a few months old.
Jirong’s heart leaped with joy. This was truly finding something after wearing out iron shoes searching for it—it came without any effort at all. Just when she was looking for a dog to test the medicine, one had delivered itself to her door. She crouched down and stroked its fur, saying, “Whose little dog are you? What are you doing here?”