Chapter 88: Li Zhiyun

Her words were like a bucket of cold water mercilessly dousing all the hope and anticipation in Li Jiancheng’s heart. His face darkened as he glared at Ji Rong, who stood with her head bowed. “What do you mean? Are you saying you haven’t made it?” When Ji Rong remained silent, his suspicions were confirmed, and he slammed the table angrily, his voice sharp and biting. “How dare you deceive me!”

“I didn’t deceive the Young Master,” Ji Rong replied quickly. But before she could finish, Li Jiancheng had already grabbed her throat tightly, his gaze icy. “Still denying it? Ji Rong, do you want to die? Fine, I’ll grant your wish. And that Feng Chunxiu—I’ll send her to join you in hell!”

Li Jiancheng was seething with rage. For an entire month, he had waited anxiously for this day, only to be met with disappointment. How could he not feel hatred?

Fearing that Li Jiancheng might actually kill her, Ji Rong forced out a few words through her constricted throat. “N-no... It’s not that. The medicine... I have the medicine!”

Li Jiancheng paused, then loosened his grip slightly, frowning deeply. “Explain yourself.”

Ji Rong knelt on the ground, gasping for fresh air. That was close—if she had spoken any slower, she might have been strangled to death by now.

“Speak!” Under Li Jiancheng’s urging, she hoarsely explained, “After a month of dedicated research, I’ve successfully created a powder that matches the scent and color of what my grandfather left behind. However, its efficacy remains uncertain until tested.”

Her words somewhat eased Li Jiancheng’s expression, but he still asked skeptically, “How do we test it?”

Slowly, Ji Rong rolled up the sleeve of her left arm, revealing a wound wrapped in white gauze. After unwrapping it, the injury—already scabbed over—was visible, with traces of white powder still clinging to the surrounding skin. “The tendon-repairing muscle-regenerating powder accelerates the healing of any flesh wound. If my formulation is effective, this wound will heal completely within ten days. Otherwise, it won’t.”

Li Jiancheng’s expression grew complex. “You’re using your own body to test the medicine for me?”

“If I don’t test it, how can I confirm its efficacy? What if it not only fails to cure your foot ailment but harms you instead? Wouldn’t that make me deserve death?” She managed a strained smile. “Please don’t worry about me, Young Master. It’s just a minor wound. Right now, I’m only concerned about whether the medicine meets your expectations. If it doesn’t, even if I die, I wouldn’t be able to repay your trust.”

Li Jiancheng gently touched her wound, hesitating for a moment before finally relenting. “Ten days, you said? Fine, I’ll wait another ten days.”

Hearing this, Ji Rong’s heart, which had been hanging precariously, finally settled. “Thank you, Young Master.”

Ten days should be enough time for her to identify the issue with the tendon-repairing muscle-regenerating powder. Even if she failed, she believed Lady Wan, who had tried the Celestial Goddess Powder , wouldn’t let her die.

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In the following days, Ji Rong used her injured arm as an excuse to skip dance practice at the music hall and instead devoted herself entirely to refining the formula. On the ninth day, she finally pinpointed the critical flaw and successfully created a powder identical to the one her grandfather had left behind.

On that very day, someone from Yuxiu Pavilion came to summon her. When she saw Lady Wan again, the latter’s complexion looked significantly better—rosy, smooth, and radiant.

After exchanging pleasantries, Lady Wan stroked her now silky-smooth cheeks and remarked, “The Celestial Goddess Powder you brought truly works wonders. After using it for just a few days, my skin feels much improved, as if I’ve returned to my youthful prime.”

Ji Rong respectfully responded, “I’m glad to hear it suits you, esteemed Lady. I’ll bring more in a few days.”

Her tactfulness pleased Lady Wan immensely. Smiling, she asked, “How’s the tendon-repairing muscle-regenerating powder coming along? Tomorrow marks the tenth day—the deadline set by the Young Master. If you fail to deliver this time, even I won’t be able to save you.”

Ji Rong lowered her eyes. “Please rest assured, esteemed Lady. I’ve just completed the tendon-repairing muscle-regenerating powder. However, due to the tight schedule, I haven’t had time to test it. I hope its efficacy matches the original.”

“That’s good.” Lady Wan softened her tone. “Seize this opportunity well. With your abilities, I’m confident you’ll soon rise above your current position as a dancer.”

Ji Rong bowed deeply. “If I achieve that one day, it will be entirely thanks to your kindness, esteemed Lady. I’ll never forget your generosity.” As soon as she finished speaking, a figure suddenly burst through the door and rushed into Lady Wan’s arms. “Mother, I’m back!”

Upon recognizing the newcomer, Lady Wan’s surprise instantly turned to joy. “Zhiyun! Why have you returned so suddenly? Your letter said you wouldn’t come back until after the New Year!”

The visitor was none other than Lady Wan’s only son, Li Zhiyun, who was ten years old. Due to his frail health since childhood, Li Yuan had sent him to live with a highly respected monk closely tied to the Li family. He had been away for seven years, returning home only once every couple of years. His last visit was two years ago.

Li Zhiyun grinned. “Master saw that I could hit a willow leaf from a hundred paces away and defeated him in chess, so he allowed me to return early. I’ll go back after the New Year.”

Lady Wan was astonished. “A hundred paces? Is it really that impressive?”

“How could I lie to you, Mother? If you don’t believe me, I’ll demonstrate later.” Then, showing concern, he asked, “How are you feeling, Mother? And Father?”

“I’m fine, and your father is in Songtao Residence. We’ll go see him together later.” Gazing at her son fondly, Lady Wan couldn’t stop smiling. Noticing Ji Rong still standing there, she dismissed her politely. “There’s nothing left for you to do here. You may leave.”

Ji Rong knew better than to intrude on their mother-son reunion. Besides, she wanted to use the remaining day to roughly test the medicine’s efficacy. If something went wrong, she’d still have time to adjust the formula.

The simplest method was to observe how quickly the bleeding stopped after applying the medicine. Earlier, when she applied the tendon-repairing muscle-regenerating powder to her arm wound, the bleeding had stopped almost instantly, proving its remarkable potency.

But... where could she find something to test it on right now? Outside the governor’s residence, catching a stray cat or dog would be easy, but inside these walls, such creatures were hard to come by. Moreover, it wasn’t the first or fifteenth day of the lunar month, so leaving the estate was impossible.

Just as she was pondering this dilemma, a faint jingling sound reached her ears. Turning around, she saw no one nearby. Puzzled, she heard a few barks and looked down to see a small yellow-and-white puppy trailing behind her. Barely larger than a palm, it appeared to be only a few months old.

Ji Rong’s heart leapt with joy. What luck! She had been searching for a dog to test the medicine on, and here one had come to her doorstep. Squatting down, she stroked its fur gently. “Where did you come from, little pup? What are you doing here?”