Perfect Match – CH 090

Chapter 90

Deng Ruyun returned to Xi’an City.

Compared to the many inconveniences of the mountains, Xi’an City was much more convenient. However, she always felt a little guilty that her grandmother and Linglang had moved around with her several times.

Especially since Linglang had also contracted the plague a few days ago, the little one was feeling terribly unwell, and Deng Ruyun was too busy to attend to her. It was only thanks to Teng Xiao constantly tending to her bedside and Dafu staying with her from morning till night that she recovered quickly.

This return to Xi’an was also quite rushed. Teng Yue immediately asked her if she wanted to return to his mansion with him to bring her grandmother and the others to settle them in.

However, Deng Ruyun had already asked Shopkeeper Qin to find her a courtyard house, and coincidentally, Shopkeeper Qin mentioned that Inspector Sun’s family had a small house available for rent, not far from Yuyun Hall, and she had already agreed.

When she told Teng Yue that she wanted to move to that small house, she saw the man’s eyes darken as if night had instantly fallen.

“Then I will go with you.”

Deng Ruyun wanted to say no, but seeing him lower his head, pursing his lips into a long line, she did not say it.

But when everything in the new courtyard was almost settled, and it was completely dark, Deng Ruyun saw that most of the others had retired, but he was still in the courtyard helping her tidy up, so she called him.

“These can be done slowly tomorrow. You must be tired; go back to the mansion and rest.”

But he put down the box of books he was carrying and asked her.

“Yunniang wants me to leave?”

That was…

The mountain path was difficult to walk. Besides her personal belongings, some of the larger items would not be returned until the day after tomorrow. He would not have a bamboo bed to use tonight, and after sleeping on a bamboo bed for so long, how could he not be tired?

Deng Ruyun softly explained to him, “…I just meant for you to go home and rest.”

But if she was not going home with him, what was the point of Teng Yue going back to this “home”?

He did not respond immediately but simply carried the box of books to her room, then picked out a few she frequently read and stacked them on her desk.

Deng Ruyun followed behind him, watching him work silently without saying a word, unable to grasp his meaning, until he silently finished tidying up her books before he spoke.

“Can you guarantee you will not suddenly disappear?”

Deng Ruyun paused, looking up to see that his lips were slightly dry, his bright eyes looking at her as if trying to see into her heart.

Her heart skipped a beat. “I won’t.”

But he still stared at her. “Confirm with me again.”

Deng Ruyun thought he might as well just give her a piece of paper and have her sign it.

She glanced at the man, who, despite having repeatedly asked others to vouch for him, now looked rather aggrieved.

Deng Ruyun: “…”

“I promise,” she said, “I will not go anywhere. You should go back and get some rest.”

Having said this, he circled her room twice more, making sure everything was safe, and then ordered his personal guards to watch the courtyard at night before leaving as she had instructed.

However, Deng Ruyun slept soundly until her mouth was parched. When she tried to get up to pour herself some tea, she nearly tripped over the embroidered stool.

Tripped, she leaned forward. In a panic, she tried to grab something in the dark room, but before she could touch anything, she was caught in a hug around the waist and steadied.

In the pitch-black room, someone suddenly embraced her. Deng Ruyun almost cried out.

But the strong arms, the powerful strength, the familiar scent—Deng Ruyun was pulled into a burning embrace. She took a couple of breaths to calm herself down.

“Why did you not go back?”

She could not tell if he had not gone back or had returned, but the room was pitch black, almost completely dark. She could not see his expression, only hear his voice.

“Yunniang, I missed you.”

These words were like a knock on the door of someone who had walked all night in the snowstorm.

It resonated deeply within Deng Ruyun’s heart.

She did not push him away, nor did she utter a word of rejection. She simply let him hold her quietly.

Teng Yue had indeed gone home as she had told him, but when he returned to their Liumingxuan, the emptiness of the room filled him with unease.

He could not sleep, so he returned to her courtyard. He had only intended to stand by her bedside and look at her, but she woke up and nestled into his arms again.

At this moment, she let him hold her without the slightest resistance. Teng Yue, however, was momentarily stunned, but the next instant, he pulled her closer into his embrace.

Deng Ruyun felt as if she were being embedded into his chest, but she said nothing, simply following his pull and nestling against his chest.

The moonless night, darkness seeped through the cracks in every brick, shrouding everything in a veil of darkness.

But this burning man’s chest was like a torch in the darkness, illuminating everything within sight.

Although they had a past more intimate than this, back then, she was merely his temporary betrothed; perhaps intimacy was always separated by that contract.

But now, that so-called contract had long since been burned to ashes by a cluster of fire; there was no longer any barrier between them, only this tight embrace.

She was no longer his betrothed wife but merely a girl from Jinzhou who ran a pharmacy, and he was no longer the great general everyone looked up to but simply the man who would appear at her bedside at night. Deng Ruyun was unaccustomed to their newly changed relationship, yet she was also somewhat eager to explore and discover within it.

Perhaps, the distance between them had never been as vast as she had imagined…

He held her close to his chest, her heart pounding strangely, and her face flushed.

She neither pulled back nor moved forward, simply letting him hold her, slowly closing her eyes.

But her not pulling back already filled Teng Yue with joy.

He tightened his embrace around her slender waist, lowering his head to gently press his face against hers. The faint scent of medicine emanating from her, along with her soft, warm breath, enveloped his nose in that instant.

And finally, he touched her soft cheek. Contrary to his expectations, her cheek was not slightly cool; instead, in the chilly autumn night, it radiated a subtle, fiery warmth.

Their breaths mingled, yet she did not push him away, letting him savor her softness and warmth.

Teng Yue’s heart, which had been pounding restlessly all night, suddenly found a moment of peace.

He dared not speak, afraid of disturbing this brief moment of tranquility, nor did he dare turn his face to kiss her cheek as he used to, afraid that she might not have fully accepted him and might resist again.

He only dared to feel the warmth of her cheek with his own, his nose lightly touching her ear beneath her wispy hair, and then, unnoticed, he secretly pressed his lips against it, kissing the strands of her hair.

Just then, something slipped into the room from the moonlight and suddenly barked at them—

“Woof!”

Startled by the sudden sound, Deng Ruyun opened her eyes abruptly, her heart pounding in her throat.

She let out a soft whimper.

Teng Yue quickly pulled her head into his arms, gently stroking her scalp with his palm.

“It’s alright, it’s alright, do not be afraid, it’s just Dafu who ran in.”

As he spoke, Dafu barked again, “Woof!”

Deng Ruyun knew it was Dafu, her brother’s good Dafu.

But even if Dafu was just a dog, not a person, his sudden appearance here, especially in the dark in the middle of the night, and their inexplicable closeness…

Deng Ruyun felt her face flush. She felt like she was having an affair!

This feeling made her burn from her face to her ears and neck.

Deng Ruyun panicked and, under Dafu’s gaze, hurriedly pushed Teng Yue away.

The man was reluctant to let go, but realizing she was really pushing him away, he could only helplessly release his grip on her.

Dafu wagged its tail with interest, watching the two strange people who were not sleeping in the middle of the night.

Deng Ruyun felt even more parched from its gaze. She then remembered she had gotten up to get a drink of water, but instead of doing this important thing, she had been preoccupied with something else.

She quickly went to the table, poured herself a bowl of tea, drank it down, and then cleared her throat heavily. She did not dare look at the person standing beside her bed, even though she could not see anything in the darkness.

But she tried to keep a respectful voice and said, “I want to sleep.”

She gave him the order to leave.

But Teng Yue received a surprise he had not dared to hope for tonight. Even though Dafu’s bark stopped him, his heart was still pounding.

He agreed, “There’s still about an hour until dawn; you should get some more sleep.”

This time, he did not mention keeping watch again, only saying, “I am going to the backyard to feed Cangju some hay. Call me anytime if you need anything.”

He did not linger after saying that and called Dafu to go with him. But when he reached the door, he stopped and turned back to look at her.

Deng Ruyun quickly lowered the curtain to block his view, and only then did she hear him walk out the door.

But her face was burning hot; how was she going to sleep for the remaining hour? She truly did not know…

When dawn broke, perhaps because she had not slept well the night before, or perhaps for some other reason, Deng Ruyun did not speak to anyone all day.

He, however, did not mind at all, tidying up her things in the courtyard and even going to Yuyun Hall with her twice.

Throughout the entire day, he showed no signs of having stayed up all night; his clothes fluttered in the wind as he walked, and he showed no signs of fatigue whatsoever.

*

Yanchun Hall naturally learned of Yuyun Hall’s large-scale preparation of new medicines that very day.

The second shopkeeper mentioned it to the head shopkeeper, but the latter had almost forgotten about Yuyun Hall, the small pharmacy, and only spoke after a moment’s thought.

“Yuyun Hall’s previous Lingqiao Detoxifying Pill was far less effective than our precious medicines, and the price was not exactly cheap either. I do not think Yuyun Hall will be able to cause any trouble now that Master Bai is gone. We should just shut it down as soon as the epidemic is over.”

Yanchun Hall’s medicines were good, but not every medicine was good enough to command a high price.

However, if the smaller pharmacies below all went bankrupt, closed down, or obediently followed Yanchun Hall’s orders, then even the most ordinary medicine could have its price instantly raised with a single command from Yanchun Hall.

In other words, if Yanchun Hall could monopolize the medicine market in Xi’an and even half of Shaanxi, the money it could make would be limitless.

Yanchun Hall was owned by the Prince of Qin’s Mansion. Aside from someone like Master Bai, who would dare provoke them? But right now, Master Bai had already returned to the capital, and it was uncertain when he would return.

The head shopkeeper did not care much about the new medicine Yuyun Hall was making; he only summoned the second shopkeeper and, with the people assigned by Zhu Tingguang, went to see the highly skilled pharmacist.

Zhu Tingguang’s father, the Prince of Yanshan, had been obsessed with elixirs since his youth, employing many pharmacists to prepare and refine medicines for him. Zhu Tingguang had also found many pharmacists for his father, but their skills varied greatly.

Moreover, the elixirs Prince of Yanshan wanted were mostly for pleasure-enhancing purposes. Either he would take one and lie down in bed, feeling as if he were ascending to heaven, or he would use the medicine to strengthen his essence, allowing him to enjoy several women in one night.

But what genuinely skilled pharmacist would dedicate their entire life’s learning to this? Only those seeking to swindle would fawn over them.

However, the pharmacist Zhu Tingguang brought from the western pass a few years ago was different.

This man was well hidden by Zhu Tingguang, under extremely tight security. Outsiders rarely saw him, nor did they know his true name; they could only discern a slight Jinzhou accent, so they all called him “Master Jin.”

The two shopkeepers had not seen him many times in recent years, but this time, because it involved the Prince of Yanshan’s Mansion’s desire for a large share of the profits, General Zhu Tingguang finally relented and allowed them to see him.

The two men navigated a winding path before finally entering the courtyard, where they were led by Zhu Tingguang’s personal guards into Master Jin’s courtyard.

When they arrived, Master Jin was directing his apprentices to turn over the herbs in the courtyard to dry.

The man was slender, dressed in a long cloth robe, his back turned, exuding the refined air of a scholar. Hearing their footsteps, he turned and gave a silent sneer.

“Oh, rare guests.”

In the streets, no one dared to approach the two shopkeepers without bowing and scraping, except perhaps to the various princes and nobles of the Prince Qin’s domain. No one dared speak to them like this.

However, in recent years, almost all of Yanchun Hall’s best medicines had been made by this Master Jin. Even if he scolded them, the two head shopkeeper could only force a smile.

But now, with his sarcastic remark, the two could only listen, politely presenting the gifts they had brought. He did not look at them but said nothing more and went to sit in the hall.

Seeing this, the two shopkeepers explained their purpose, showing him the prescription for a cheaper alternative to the “precious medicine,” along with a sample box of medicine, for careful examination. Master Jin was never careless when it came to medicine making. When the epidemic first broke out, the two shopkeepers came to him for help. He stayed up for several nights in a row to finalize the initial formula for the precious medicine. He then made numerous adjustments before achieving the remarkably effective medicine known today.

Now, Master Jin carefully examined the affordable alternative medicine from Yanchun Hall before speaking.

“This affordable medicine does indeed use far fewer ingredients. As for its efficacy, it’s about 80% effective, barely enough to save lives.”

The two shopkeepers were overjoyed to hear his nod of approval. They saw that once this low-priced medicine was on the shelves, a large sum of money was within reach.

However, the two shopkeepers had come all this way; they were not just there for Master Jin to glance at the medicine.

The head shopkeeper said directly.

“Master Jin possesses an extraordinary talent for medicine-making, unmatched by ordinary people. We will be frank with you,” he said. “Actually, Yanchun Hall wants to produce another batch of medicine for the epidemic at an even lower price. But to make it cheaper, we can only use those common, inexpensive medicinal herbs available on the market.”

He said that currently, none of the pharmacists at Yanchun Hall could produce a cheap medicine with even 70% of the efficacy of a precious medicine using inexpensive herbs.

The two looked at Master Jin.

“Even if others cannot, you certainly can,” the head shopkeeper immediately said, bringing up the plight of countless ordinary people. “If you can produce an even cheaper medicine for the epidemic, millions of people will be eternally grateful for your great kindness!”

His words were grand and dignified, even involving millions of ordinary people.

But the man just chuckled.

“If such an inexpensive medicine truly exists, what would Yanchun Hall price it at?”

The second shopkeeper replied, “It would naturally be even cheaper than the current low-priced medicines, as low as one tael per pill.”

Even at five taels per pill, so many noble families were vying to buy this precious medicine. If it were one tael per pill, anyone who could afford to open a shop in Xi’an Prefecture could afford it, and sales would be even higher.

However, upon hearing the second shopkeeper’s words, Master Jin laughed.

“One tael per pill? Do you two know that one tael of silver can feed a farming family for several days? Are these farmers not considered ordinary people?”

He bombarded them with questions, leaving both shopkeepers somewhat embarrassed.

The head shopkeeper cleared his throat and could only reply with one sentence.

“Yanchun Hall is the Prince Qin’s pharmacy; naturally, it cannot sell medicine cheaply, lest it crowd out the small pharmacies in the city and leave them struggling to make ends meet.”

These words were spoken with an air of nobility and propriety.

The man chuckled twice.

He did not bring up the previous question again, but suddenly looked at the two of them and said something.

“Actually, a few days ago, I drafted a low-cost prescription. The cost is only half that of your low-cost prescription, yet its efficacy is ten percent greater.”

Adding another ten percent means it had ninety percent of the efficacy of the precious medicine, while the cost of preparation was negligible!

The two shopkeepers’ eyes lit up, their gazes fixed on this Master Jin.

The man smiled back at them but then said, “But I will not give it to you.”

The two shopkeepers froze, stunned.

The gentleman from Jinzhou’s gaze passed over the two men, over the heavily guarded courtyard, and onto the vast sky above Xi’an.

He refused to believe that among all the pharmacists in Xi’an Prefecture and even the entire Shaanxi Province, there was not a single person who could create a highly effective medicine to curb the epidemic, one that ordinary people could afford.

There must be someone.

Even if Yanchun Hall refuses to sell at a low price, this medicine would inevitably appear on the market.

It was just a matter of how long they would have to wait.

*

The two shopkeepers returned with cold faces, but their own proposed affordable medicine, sold in sets of three pills or per pill, was enough to ensure the continued success and profitability of their precious medicine.

Yanchun Hall then began mass-producing this new three-tael medicine. A few days later, they received news that the new formula for Yuyun Hall’s Lingqiao Detoxifying Pill was almost ready and would soon be sold to various small pharmacies.

The head shopkeeper did not take it seriously at all, but the second shopkeeper asked about the price.

A servant replied, “They said it’s five pills for one tael, but they will sell it for one pill!”

The second shopkeeper raised an eyebrow at the price, while the head shopkeeper was even less concerned. “Truly cheap medicine. Only those desperate people living in alleyways would buy it. Whether it can cure illness is another matter.”

The fact that it could cure illness did make the second shopkeeper somewhat uneasy. After all, Yuyun Hall’s Lingqiao Detoxifying Pill had been quite effective before, and this new medicine must be even more effective than the old formula. And the price was so low, it made him a little uneasy.

But the head shopkeeper waved his hand. “Do not worry about it. I do not believe Yuyun Hall can still cause trouble without Master Bai.”

… …

The next day, Yuyun Hall’s new Lingqiao Detoxifying Pill went on sale. The medicine was from Yuyun Hall, but it was not just sold on Yuyun Hall’s counter. Any small pharmacy that had previously sold Yuyun Hall’s prepared medicines, as long as their reputation was sound, could now obtain a portion of the new medicine and add it to their own shelves.

That day, more than ten small pharmacies throughout Xi’an simultaneously stocked the newly made Lingqiao Detoxifying Pill. Immediately, queues formed in front of each shop.

The two shopkeepers of Yanchun Hall also heard about this phenomenon.

The head shopkeeper was quite surprised. “When did Yuyun Hall become so famous?”

The second shopkeeper could not help but frown. “After all, the old formula was quite effective, and it’s so cheap… Would this not affect our new three-tael medicine?”

Could the small Yuyun Hall affect the renowned Yanchun Hall?

Even if the head shopkeeper was surprised, he was not afraid.

He said, “Let Yuyun Hall make money for a couple of days first. Once our new medicine hits the market the day after tomorrow, I will see how much they cry. If Yuyun Hall’s new medicine does not sell, do not blame me for raiding their pharmacy at a low price.”

Yanchun Hall naturally built up hype for its new medicine in advance. On the day of its launch, long queues formed outside its door, and the threshold was worn down.

The head shopkeeper stroked his beard with satisfaction, feeling that this would satisfy the masters of the Prince Qin’s Mansion, especially General Zhu Tingguang of the Prince of Yanshan’s Mansion.

The second shopkeeper also breathed a small sigh of relief.

However, the frenzy outside Yanchun Hall did not last three days; suddenly, the shop became deserted.

On the contrary, the cheap medicine from Yuyun Hall, which the head shopkeeper had described, was selling better and better. All the small pharmacies he had previously suppressed were now bustling with people waiting to buy Yuyun Hall’s new detoxifying pills, everyone praising their excellent efficacy.

Seeing so many customers, Yuyun Hall offered a 20% discount. In no time, the entire Xi’an pharmacy market was abuzz with the news.

The head shopkeeper asked, “What’s going on?”

His subordinates replied, “They all say that Yuyun Hall’s new medicine is comparable to Yanchun Hall’s precious medicine!”

But the price was affordable even for street vendors.

Once this rumor spread like wildfire, Yanchun Hall’s precious medicines lost all their business. The head shopkeeper nearly fainted from shock, while the second shopkeeper stared blankly at the long lines of small pharmacies in the alley.

*

The rumors that were spreading like wildfire throughout the Xi’an medicinal market, even under the tightest security—not even a bird could fly out—had reached the quiet courtyard of “Master Jin.”

The man asked again, “Is there really such a medicine on the market? What’s it called?”

The apprentice replied, “It’s called Lingqiao Detoxifying Pill.”

The name was unremarkable, but the man felt a strange sense of familiarity.

He asked again, “Then which pharmacy makes this Lingqiao Detoxifying Pill?”

A pharmacy that could produce such a good thing must be a large one.

But the apprentice scratched his head, thinking for a moment, before remembering.

“Reporting to you, sir, the pharmacy seems to be a newly opened one, called…oh, Yuyun Hall!”

As soon as he finished speaking, the man suddenly froze in the center of the courtyard.

His legs felt unsteady, the world seemed to spin, and his ears rang.

In his daze, he seemed to hear words spoken to him many, many years ago.

The voice, clear, crisp, and melodious, echoed in his ears.

“Brother, if I ever open my own pharmacy, guess what I will call my shop?”

“What will you call your shop?” he asked with a smile.

She giggled, pulling his hand, her bright eyes shining beneath her delicate willow-leaf eyebrows.

“I will call my shop ‘Yuyun Hall’!”