Chapter 292 - Chapter 292: Chapter 288: Craving for Meat_1

Chapter 292: Chapter 288: Craving for Meat_1

When Ya Sen heard the little girl saying she wanted to study Forbidden Curse Technique, he couldn’t help but furrow his eyebrows.

“I heard that you’re good at pharmaceuticals, why suddenly want to enter the Yin Yang Department?”

Medical Bureau has two departments, medicine and Yin Yang, and the Yin Yang Department includes thirteen specialties.

Yingbao: “I’ve always been majoring in Forbidden Curse, my pharmaceuticals are effective only with the help of the Forbidden Curse Technique.”

She wanted to learn the Forbidden Curse, let’s see what the heroine can do about it?

Ya Sen skimmed through the booklet, his brows knotted even more tightly, trying to persuade the little girl, hoping she would change her mind: “Why should a little girl like you learn Forbidden Curse? It’s better if you learn how to make medicines with the Doctor of Medicine. It’ll be easier for you to pass the provincial government school exams.”

Yingbao blinked, “I like Forbidden Curse Technique, I won’t learn anything else.”

She didn’t want to take any provincial government school exams, which could end up drafting her to the frontier.

Because every year the Imperial Court appoints some doctors to practice medicine in different places, they are evaluated once every three years, and only those who pass could possibly be transferred to the provincial government or Beijing.

What if the place where they were sent was hit by a plague or another infectious disease? Doctors from county and provincial government bureaus would be dispatched there in advance,

If lucky, some people might be able to return intact. But if they caught an incurable epidemic disease, they could only be left to die in the wilderness.

No, it wouldn’t even be possible to bury the bodies, they would probably all be burnt, not even ashes to be abandoned.

She was still young, still not having lived enough. There was still a lot of wealth in her cave mansion that she hadn’t spent, how could she die so young?

Seeing her stubbornness, Ya Sen had no choice but to intimidate her, “Do you know, once you learn the Forbidden Curse, you must abide by the Five Precepts, Ten Virtues, Eight Precepts, and Fourfold Refuge?”

Yingbao nodded, “I know.” But whether to abide by them or not depends on her own will.

Ya Sen was left speechless for a moment.

But as this child was stubborn, he also had no solution, so he could only take her to the Yin Yang Department to meet the Forbidden Curse Master.

The medical bureau only had one Forbidden Curse Master, a more than fifty-year-old man with two students of Forbidden Curse.

At one glance, Yingbao recognized one of the younger students, just the same boy who chuckled at her earlier.

Master Zhou was quite gentle, but he didn’t say much or laugh. He wore a Feather Crown, a hundred nana Taoist robe, and held a horsetail whisk in his hand. After examining a few Forbidden Curse Techniques from the little girl, he asked her to perform two Sacrificial Dances and draw a few talismans, then he accepted her.

“These two are your senior brothers, you will study with them from now on.”

Master Zhou then turned to his two students, “Zhou Hao, Zhang Min, first take your junior sister to read the Immortal Scripture once, I will be conducting an examination in a few days.”

“Yes.” Senior Zhou Hao and second student Zhang Min saluted their master, then took their junior sister to the classroom.

As they entered the classroom, Zhang Min leaned over and laughed, “Junior sister, you’re really one of us. You walk the Yu Step better than senior brother.”

Zhou Hao glanced at the second student, then said quietly, “second student, stop talking and go get the tools for our junior sister.”

Zhang Min agreed and joyously ran off to fetch the items.

He spent all his time with this stoic senior brother and often got scolded, he was almost dying from gloominess. Now that a junior sister had arrived, he could finally act as a teacher for a while.

After a while, Zhang Min brought a wooden box, took out a set of Mage Robes, a bell and drum, a stack of Yellow Talisman Paper, a writing brush, and also a box of cinnabar.

Zhang Min handed the items to Yingbao, “We’re missing a Peach Wood Sword and a tube of Phosphorus Powder here, I’ll get it from the front later.”

Yingbao nodded, “Thank you, second senior.”

Next, Yingbao officially started her studies in the Yin Yang Department.

Every day, not only did she have to memorize the spells, she also had to practice the Qi Changing Method with Master Zhou.

This technique, combined with the stepping method, could draw genuine energy into the body, circulate it through the hundred meridians, and could both strengthen the body and heal diseases, save lives.

Master Zhou, who developed these techniques, even created a boxing technique that he made his disciples practice daily.

In the blink of an eye, ten days had passed. Since it was a day off, Yingbao decided to visit her shop and buy some daily necessities.

Of course, the main reason was she wanted to relax leisurely and secretly eat some meat.

Because the master said, learning the Forbidden Curse required one to abstain from meat, wine, lust, spicy foods, not to argue with others, avoid sudden anger and joy, and not to kill indiscriminately.

She could accept the other conditions, but not giving up meat.

So, Yingbao planned to sneak back to her shop alone and have her brother buy meat for her.

Just as she walked out of the gates of the medical department, she heard someone call: “Yingbao, where are you going?”

Turning around, she saw Chen Tiantian, Wen Yurong, and Senior Xueqing.

“I’m going home.” Yingbao didn’t want to pay attention to Chen Tiantian, but since Senior Xueqing was present, she had to reply.

Xueqing was surprised: “So, your family lives in town.”

Yingbao nodded.

Chen Tiantian spoke up with a grin: “Yingbao, we don’t know where your house is. Can you take us to see it?”

“No.” Yingbao didn’t want to indulge her and said, “My elders don’t live in town, only my eldest brother and his wife live here. Since they just got married, it’s not convenient to entertain unmarried women.”

Before Chen Tiantian could say anything else, Yingbao turned to Xueqing and said, “Senior, I have something to do so I’ll leave first.”

Then she quickly left.

Chen Tiantian gritted her teeth secretly, yet she smiled and said to Xueqing and Wen Yurong, “Yingbao always behaves like this. It’s fine if she doesn’t treat me well, but she’s also disrespectful to Senior Xueqing and Sister Yurong.”

Xueqing and Wen Yurong both looked uncomfortable.

Being directly rejected was truly embarrassing.

Wen Yurong complained, “Tiantian, we’re not even that familiar with her, and she’s been rude to you. Why on earth did you suggest to visit her house?” Chen Tiantian’s embarrassment was her own fault, but she also involved her and Xueqing, which was absolutely confusing.

Chen Tiantian paused, then said plaintively, “We are classmates after all. I thought of reconciling our relationship, but she’s so indifferent, she doesn’t even respect Senior Xueqing.”

Xueqing frowned at her for a moment, then said, “I have something to do, I won’t go shopping with you two.” Then she turned around and went back to the medical department.

Even though Wen Yurong felt Chen Tiantian was a bit strange, especially when facing Yingbao, she was alone in this strange land, so she had to stick with her.

“Tiantian, didn’t you grow up in this town? Let’s go to your house instead?” To alleviate the awkwardness, Wen Yurong tried to make conversation.

Chen Tiantian was silent for a moment, then agreed.

Her uncle had sold the house, but she has a hundred taels of silver sent by her mother and another one hundred taels from the Xiao family, so she wondered if two hundred taels of silver could buy her old home back.

The two young girls, dressed in white robes from the medical department, were not bothered by anyone. Hence, they hired an oxcart and headed towards Bamboo Branch Alley.

Upon arriving, Chen Tiantian got off the cart and stood in front of her old home.

The property consisted of a three-room tiled house with a kitchen, enclosed by a low wall creating a small courtyard, which one could easily overlook.

“Second child?” A woman came out of the kitchen and saw two girls in white robes and black turbans standing outside the low wall. She then took a closer look and directly called out with Chen Tiantian’s childhood nickname.