Return of the Immortal Emperor Daddy-Chapter 284 - 286: Why Did You Hide It From Me? (4/7)

Wu Fa and Wang Cai arrived in front of Huangfu Huisheng. Wu Fa gestured for Wang Cai to check if the medicinal decoction was up to standard. No other appraiser or instrument could possibly determine if the decoction was effective, but Wang Cai would know just by smelling it. If the scent left the patient feeling refreshed and clear-headed, the prescription was a success. This method was recorded in the external treatises of Emperor Huang.

"Please," Huangfu Huisheng said, casually lifting the bowl of medicinal decoction. He seemed very confident.

Wang Cai took a sniff.

"How is it?" Wu Fa asked anxiously. He felt responsible for Wang Cai's illness, so how could he not be worried? But his anxious display only twisted the knife in Murong Yezi's heart, leaving her devastated. 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

"You… You're not deceiving me, are you?" Huangfu Huisheng began to tremble. How could my decoction possibly be substandard?

His face turned livid. He stared at the medicinal decoction in his bowl before taking a small sip, holding it in his mouth for a long while before spitting it out.

He muttered in disbelief, "This... this is just an ordinary Heavenly King Heart Restoring Decoction. Where did it go wrong?"

As the president of the Chinese Medicine Association, he was certainly a skilled physician. He knew the ingredients of the Heavenly King Heart Restoring Pill well: Salvia, Angelica, Acorus, Codonopsis, Poria, Schisandra, Ophiopogon, Asparagus Root, Rehmannia, Scrophularia, Polygala (processed), Sour Jujube Kernel (roasted), Biota Seed, Platycodon Root, Licorice, and Cinnabar. The formula for the Yin Yang Heart Restoring Pill was clearly different, yet he had somehow managed to brew it into a common Heavenly King Heart Restoring Decoction.

He had failed.

At the same time, other physicians also finished preparing their medicines, which came in the form of powders, draughts, and pills. But after Wang Cai personally appraised each one, she simply shook her head. They had all made the same mistake, ending up with Heavenly King Heart Restoring Draughts and powders. The main effect of the Heavenly King Heart Restoring Pill and its other forms was merely to nourish Yin and blood and to calm the heart and spirit. It was suitable for symptoms such as insufficient heart Yin, palpitations, forgetfulness, insomnia with frequent dreams, and dry stools. In contrast, the Yin Yang Heart Restoring Pill was meant to rejuvenate the body and cleanse the marrow. It was a harmonizing medicine that could address true Yin deficiency by nourishing Yin, and replenish Yang when it was lacking.

"Grandfather, don't be discouraged! You'll definitely succeed!" Seeing Huangfu Huisheng's slumped shoulders, his grandson, Huangfu Oathsaver, shouted from the crowd, reminding him not to disgrace the Huangfu Family.

Huangfu Huisheng nodded. He glanced at the prescription again, then at his final portion of herbs. He had a sinking feeling that if he tried again, the result would be the same—the Yin Yang Heart Restoring Pill would inevitably become a common Heavenly King Heart Restoring Decoction.

Where did I go wrong? Was it my mistake? Did I forget a crucial step?

Like Huangfu Huisheng, many of the physicians present were lost in confusion.

The little one huffed. With her hands plunged into the large pot, she used a special art created by the Empress to extract and concentrate the essence of the herbs.

But I know this is wrong, the little one thought. When she presented her bowl, which contained a beverage-like decoction, Wang Cai came over, took a sniff, and shook her head again.

Wang Cai looked at the little girl with pity. "You're still young. Don't be discouraged."

The little one clenched her teeth. To say she wasn't discouraged would be a lie. Has the Goddess of Fortune abandoned me?

"It seems that child couldn't do it either," someone in the crowd sighed. There was no real disappointment, as they hadn't expected much from a little girl to begin with. Still, seeing such a cute child looking so dejected softened the hearts of many of the women and girls present.

"Our only hope is my grandfather!" Huangfu Oathsaver announced unhappily as he noticed the crowd's wandering gazes. "Everyone, watch my grandfather! He's the president of the Chinese Medicine Association! Everyone knows that Chinese medicine is profound, but only my Huangfu Family has truly mastered its essence. My grandfather will definitely succeed!"

At his words, the people nearby turned to look at Huangfu Huisheng, who was clutching the prescription, frozen in place like a statue.

"Heh, Chinese medicine..." A derisive laugh suddenly rang out in the quiet square, causing every physician practicing Chinese medicine to turn and glare in its direction. They saw it was the witch doctor.

Just then, she tossed away one of the herbs from her pile, moving so quickly that no one saw which one it was. Then, she began to make a paste, crushing the herbs with her tools until they were mashed. Finally, she added a bug.

She knew the original recipe had one superfluous herb and was also missing one. The extra herb could simply be discarded, but the missing one was not available here. She decided to substitute it with a bug. Each of her Gu Worms was different, and sometimes, the medicinal properties of a bug could be the same as a herb.

In moments, the sticky herbal paste was complete. She smiled. "It seems my witch doctoring surpasses both Chinese and Western medicine."

Looking at Wang Cai, she said, "You can come and see if this is the Yin Yang Heart Restoring Pill."

Wang Cai stepped forward and sniffed it. The scent was indeed refreshing, but then she noticed...