northernbook Chapter 216 Secret Recipe
Chapter 216 Secret Recipe
About ten days later, Nianyao said goodbye to Gelang: "May is the anniversary of my parents' death, and I have to go back to my hometown."
Grandma said, "Don't you have no home?"
Nianyao said, "I don't have a home, but I have ancestors, parents, and an ancestral home. My ancestral home is in Hacha, and my parents are buried there."
Grand asked, "When are you coming back?"
Nianyao said, "I'll come back when I have time. Thank you for taking care of me these past few days, Aunt and Brother."
Seeing that Nianyao was determined to leave, Gelangniang didn't want to stop her. She took out a few pieces of silver and said, "This is for your travel expenses. Be careful on your journey."
Nianyao quickly refused, but Gelang advised, "Take it first, and come back after the ancestral worship."
After thanking them, Nianyao left the Gelang family and headed towards Alan City.
Luo An's note contained only five words: "Wait for me in Alan City."
At times like this, Nianyao felt her mind couldn't keep up. She wasn't sure if Luo An had other plans or if he was just trying to separate her from Tumet.
She can't stay at the Grand family's house any longer. If something happens to her, the investigation will inevitably reach the Grand family, which could implicate them.
But going to Alan City and waiting for Luo An there made Nianyao feel slighted: as if she were an innocent young lady who didn't know the ways of the world!
After much deliberation, Nianyao rode back. She changed back into women's clothing and set up a small stall selling glass in the market east of Tumote. After all, it would be too conspicuous for a grown man to set up a small stall.
From here, she could see the main road; if Roan returned to Alan City, she could see it. Next to her stall was a tea stall, where people came and went, drinking tea and chatting; she could hear all sorts of news there.
Ten days or so passed, and she neither saw him nor heard any news. Nianyao began to worry: Had something gone wrong? Was Luo An in danger? Should she try to go back to the military camp to investigate?
Luo An guessed that Nian Yao should have left Tumote. When he routinely delivered the calming and nourishing medicine to Batu, he said to Batu, "The Khan's body has recovered and can proceed to the next stage of treatment."
Batu asked, "What's the next step in the treatment?"
Luo An said, "According to the secret records of Yan's Life-Saving Formula, there is a formula that can promote the growth of yin and penis, but the formula is rare and extremely difficult to obtain."
Batu's eyes lit up: "Dr. Luo, please tell me. As long as the prescription is effective, I will go to heaven and earth to get it."
Indeed, people lose their reason when they are extremely eager, just like people's obsession with immortality.
Luo An said, "This prescription is called the Deer Antler Recipe. It requires pure white snow deer antlers that grow in the White Mountains and golden antlers that grow by Tianchi Lake. However, the White Mountains and Tianchi Lake are very far from here, and snow deer and golden antlers are extremely difficult to find. Folk legend says that they are a once-in-a-millennium find. I am not sure if I can definitely find them."
Batu stood up and waved his hand: "Divine Doctor, as long as there is a glimmer of hope, we cannot give up. You can choose any soldiers in the army. Is a thousand men enough?"
Luo An was surprised by Batu's generosity and said calmly, "The Great Khan needs manpower right now, how can I take so many people away? If the Great Khan trusts us, he can send fifty people. We can ask the local people in Baishan to help us find them; they know the area better than we do."
"The Divine Physician is indeed very thoughtful. I will select one hundred men to accompany the Divine Physician and depart immediately. I will prepare sufficient funds for you." Batu took off the gold clasp from his jade belt and handed it to him: "With this Golden Eagle, you can travel freely in the Northern Desert."
Luo An accepted it generously and bowed slightly: "Thank you, Great Khan."
Batu patted him on the shoulder: "As long as you can match this prescription well, I will guarantee you a lifetime of wealth and honor. You will be the prince consort of the northern desert, and you will be second only to the emperor."
Luo An swayed slightly, barely managing to steady himself: "Great Khan, a wife who has shared hardship should not be abandoned. I have already married in Dongyang. If I return safely with the divine medicine, I beg you to bring my wife from Dongyang to the northern desert so that we can be reunited."
Batu said, "It's rare to see such deep affection from Doctor Luo, but it's normal for a man to have three wives and four concubines. Doctor Luo, your wife doesn't need to be received. Buchi has already led 100,000 troops to confront Dongyang head-on. Once we conquer Dongyang, you will naturally be reunited with your wife. At that time, the divine physician will become my personal physician, and your wife will be granted the title of Lady of the Imperial Decree."
Batu assigned Manduo to select about a hundred elite soldiers to escort several large chests of gold and silver jewelry. Knowing that Luo An was not good at riding and archery, he specially arranged for an ultra-luxurious carriage.
Luo An leaned comfortably against the carriage as the group headed towards Baishan.
Nianyao chewed on a fried dough stick as she went to the tea stall. As usual, the old man at the tea stall served her a bowl of tea and greeted her, "Miss Du, have some tea."
Nianyao used to think she couldn't tell the difference between good and bad tea, and she didn't think there was anything special about the tea Luo An drank. Nanfei even mocked her for this.
Nianyao initially thought Luo An and Nan Fei were just being pretentious, but she realized she was wrong when she drank tea at the tea stall.
You don't know until you compare; the difference between Luo'an's tea and the tea from the tea stalls is immediately apparent. The tea from the tea stalls is astringent; even someone as easygoing as Nianyao finds it unpleasant to drink!
After experiencing truly excellent things, others may be acceptable, but one's standards can never be lowered.
Just like Luo An's tea, just like Luo An himself! I've met many people, but I've never encountered anyone like Luo An again.
While sipping her tea, Nianyao asked, "Grandpa, what were those people doing just now?"
Someone nearby replied, "The Great Khan is currently fighting against Dongyang; of course they're there to fight."
People talk about war every day, it's nothing special. This group of people, armed with curved swords, riding horses, and fully equipped with bows and armor, it's hard to imagine what else they could do besides fighting.
Nianyao asked, "Then why is there a carriage?"
The same man said, "I heard that the Great Khan is in poor health and hasn't ridden a horse in a long time, so of course he's sitting in the carriage."
The people at the tea stall all agreed, and Nianyao also thought it made sense.
If Batu was in the carriage, then Luoan should have been there too, right? After all, Luoan was there specifically to treat the Great Khan.
Nianyao tossed two coins on the table and got up to pack up her stall.
Someone from the tea stall followed them over: "Shopkeeper, how much is the glass?"
The man was probably around thirty years old. His gray long robe looked simple, but at first glance, it appeared to be made of high-quality material. His eyes were bright and his demeanor was calm and composed; he was definitely not an ordinary herdsman.
Nianyao was about to say she wouldn't sell, but then changed her mind. Her business instincts, honed over the years, naturally kicked in: the customer is king, the customer is money, and you can never turn down money.
The caravan wasn't moving fast, there was no rush. Nianyao sized him up: this was the last deal; after this, the mountains were high and the roads were long, and they would never meet again.
Nianyao's mind worked quickly, and she kept talking: "Sir, you have a good eye. Our glass is crystal clear and dazzling. It's unique in the world. Encountering such a rare treasure is a matter of fate. Fate is priceless, but our glass is cheap. One string of glass is only one tael of silver."
Nianyao raised one finger, her expression resolute, demonstrating that she was an honest person.
"One tael of silver?" The man was quite surprised: "These crudely made things from the desert are selling for such a high price."