Travelling Doctor (3)
As Mu Mingtang was scared that Xie Xuanchen would start a conflict with the little Taoist, she smiled politely to refuse the Taoist’s request and was about to leave with Xie Xuanchen, but the Taoist who had been soliciting for so long but didn’t get a single coin in return had another thought: “I will only charge half of the price for both of you. It’s fine if you two don’t want to know about your future, you can buy my herbal plasters. I can smell a slight amount of Wuyufei and Datura from your bodies, so using my plaster will make you feel refreshed and clean.”
[TL Notes – Wuyufei and Datura are toxic herbs.]
Xie Xuanchen stopped in his tracks, and Mu Mingtang’s face also changed after she heard the little Taoist’s words. She hurriedly turned around and asked in a shaky voice, “What did you say?”
Slowly turning around towards the little Taoist, Xie Xuanchen remained silent but had a terrifyingly icy look in his eyes.
The Taoist was frightened by their extreme reactions, mainly by Xie Xuanchen’s eyes. His voice unknowingly weakened, “I said my plaster can bring life back. It is an elixir…”
“No, not that. What did you say before that?” Mu Mingtang asked anxiously.
“Before? You have the smell of Wuyufei and Datura on your bodies? Don’t you know the herbs you used?” Taoist replied with a hint of confusion.
Both Xie Xuanchen and Mu Mingtang stood frozen and exchanged silent glances. Mu Mingtang returned to the Taoist’s fortune-telling booth and placed the silver ingot there. “This silver ingot is yours. There will be more rewards if you tell us all about the two herbs you mentioned just now.”
“Okay! Okay!” The little Taoist was very excited, and immediately responded, “I know everything about them. Don’t worry. I also know that you two won’t go back on your words and will definitely reward me handsomely. But before I answer, let me have a careful sniff of your bodies so I can be sure what other medicines are there.”
The Taoist saw that his fortune would thrive soon and didn’t dare to talk nonsense anymore.
He hurriedly took a strong sniff, and after deliberating for a while, he said: “Madam, can you give me your sleeves? I want to take a close sniff.”
Xie Xuanchen’s face darkened, and he raised his eyebrows when he heard the Taoist: “What did you say? Can you say it again?”
“My lord, I don’t intend to be rude. I just want a piece of clothing to detect the smell clearly.”
Xie Xuanchen finally gave a piece of his handkerchief made of pure white brocade. The Taoist sniffed it as he moved a little closer and said slowly, “So I really got the right smell. Wuyufei is the primary ingredient, and mandala, morning beauty, wormwood, agarwood, and musk are also included. It is difficult to identify more herbs as their smell is masked by the scent of the primary herbs. The important thing is that the effects remain the same.”
Mu Mingtang’s face was serious, and she asked, “What is this?”
“Chao Yan, Mandala, and some more are all hallucinogenic herbs, among which Wuyufei is the most rare. This kind of exotic herb is produced in southern Xinjiang, and you have to go to Dali to pick it, and its effect is also the best. Wuyufei’s fragrance is light and weak, and it won’t have any big changes in a person at the beginning, but after a long time of smelling, the symptoms will appear little by little.”