Chapter 4 (1/2)
Chapter 4: Leaving the Mountain
Although Jun Huang was mystified, she still docilely fetched a few pails of hot water.
“Alright, off with your clothes and get in.” Ole Cragfiend tested the water temperature and spoke with malicious enjoyment, “All the herbs today are to strengthen bones and tendons. Hop in for four hours; this will only bring benefits and no drawbacks.”
“Take off my clothes?” Jun Huang looked hesitantly at the old man.
“What, you want to sit in a medicinal bath with your clothes on?!” The old man’s crankiness immediately started to boil over.
Jun Huang saw that the old man hadn’t even given a thought for her privacy, so she hesitantly spoke up, “A distinction should be made between males and females, if you don’t mind…”
“How dare you throw me out!!” Ole Cragfiend was hopping with fury even before Jun Huang could finish speakinghopped with fury before Jun Huang was done speaking. “Fine, I’ll leave, I’ll leave!” he yelled irately and threw in another large handful of herbs. He jabbed at the wooden tub with his finger as he spat. “You stay in there four hours! Don’t you dare get out before four hours, or I won’t cure you of that poison!” He threw the door open and stalked out, his muttering still audible, “How dare she want me to leave, how dare she throw me out of my own house…”
Jun Huang signed resignedly as she watched the departing figure. The old man wasn’t a bad person, but that mercurial temper of his… She shook her head and softly closed the door before she turned to the tub with a frown. The water within was already turning black. She didn’t doubt his words; this concoction definitely would strengthen her bones and tendons, but when she thought back to the look of malicious glee on his face, she felt that she was overlooking something. But, she didn’t have any other choice, did she?
She took off her clothes and sank into the tub. The water temperature was just hot enough to be comfortable as the water swirled around her like a warm hug. She could feel her tendons slowly relax under the effects of the medicinal bath. She was warm all over, and the fatigue from the day’s studying ebbed out in one long sigh of comfort.
But in the next second, the warm comfort was replaced by piercing discomfort that radiated from her meridians. It felt like thousands of ants were gnawing at her bones. That heart-wrenching pain drilled into her entire body. Jun Huang gritted her teeth, but cold sweat still slowly poured down her face.
Pain. It was so painful that even breathing was uncommonly difficult. She finally understood what that expression on the old man’s face meant. She screwed her eyes shut and clenched her fists tightly. Her nails dug deep into her flesh, carving out ravines of blood in her palm. But what was this pain compared to the vengeance of family and home?
Ole Cragfiend kept busy outside the hut, but his eyes kept flitting back to the hut every so often. There was nothing out of the ordinary after an hour, and he still didn’t hear any cries of pain after two hours. It was still dead silent after three.
Bam! He suddenly flung the herbs in his hand onto the ground and looked huffily in Jun Huang’s direction. The herbs he’d added were quite potent, and he was well aware of how much it would hurt if someone was immersed in an herb infused tub. But that chit was holding up through the pain! She’s taking the pain! Soon, four hours had pa.s.sed and he still hadn’t heard anything. He finally couldn’t sit still and kicked open the door to his room with a loud bang. Sleepsleepsleep! That darned chit, she can take this much pain, huh!? You watch how I’m going to increase the dose tomorrow! Let’s see if she begs for mercy then!
A month pa.s.sed by in the blink of an eye. In the first half of the month, Ole Cragfiend would toss several books of medicines or poison to Jun Huang at the crack of dawn every day, then headed into the mountains alone to harvest herbs. He would then return at sunset to prepare medicinal baths for Jun Huang. By the second half of the month, she’d completed her studies of the books and would accompany him on his daily harvest, continuing the tradition of the bone piercing medicinal baths at night.
A month later.
The agreed upon date was here before they knew it. Ole Cragfiend shoved a large packet of medicine for injuries at Jun Huang, nattering nonstop, “This is medicine for cuts and sc.r.a.pes. This is confusion powder—it’s far too dangerous outside without these. This is a laxative, dump some into whoever irks you, their b.u.t.thole will wish they’d never been born! This is…”