Chapter 9
A few days later, Minister Chen had a sturdy iron cage built at the Li residence and then had Uncle Wang transferred there. This arrangement facilitated Song Ling and Li Xinjun’s experiments and ensured minimal public knowledge of the matter.
Minister Chen was highly efficient. In addition to Uncle Wang, he also arranged for the bitten soldier and Shitou to be housed at the Li residence, effectively controlling the flow of information.
He stationed guards around the residence to ensure their safety and prevent unwanted disturbances. Any supplies they needed were promptly delivered, leaving them well-stocked and comfortable.
Song Ling and Li Xinjun spent their days immersed in research, rarely venturing out. Li Xinjun, with her superior knowledge of classical Chinese, took charge of studying the ancient texts, while Song Ling focused on finding an antidote for the corpse poison and identifying the jiangshi’s weaknesses.
Li Xinjun discovered a passage in the ancient texts mentioning that while jiangshi craved blood, they feared black dog blood. She instructed the soldiers to bring several black dogs for experimentation. First, she sedated the dogs with a sleeping potion. Once they were unconscious, she carefully drew blood from their legs, taking only a small amount from each dog to avoid causing unnecessary harm. She then bandaged their wounds.
Every day, Li Xinjun sprinkled different dog blood on Uncle Wang, observing his reaction. After several trials, she confirmed that jiangshi indeed feared black dog blood, but only pure black blood. If the dog had any other colored fur, the blood was ineffective.
However, dog blood could only repel jiangshi, not inflict actual harm. Therefore, it could only be used as a preventative measure. Excited about her discovery, Li Xinjun went to find Song Ling, only to encounter Ah Sang, the maid sent by Minister Chen, returning from the market with baskets full of groceries.
“Sister Sang, you bought so much today! Are we having a feast tonight?” Li Xinjun excitedly helped carry some of the baskets.
“No, these are ingredients that can be stored for a long time, so it’s more cost-effective to buy in bulk.”
“Oh, I thought we were in for a treat tonight. You got my hopes up.”
“You glutton! Isn’t sweet and sour pork ribs your favorite? I’ll make that for dinner.”
“Yes, yes! I love Sister Sang’s sweet and sour pork ribs.”
Li Xinjun carried the baskets towards the kitchen. As she passed by Uncle Wang’s cage, he let out a guttural growl, “Roar! Roar!” He raised his arms defensively in front of his face.
Li Xinjun looked at him curiously. Could it be that he was afraid of her because she had sprinkled black dog blood on him earlier? She approached the cage, and Uncle Wang immediately retreated to the furthest corner.
“Hey, Uncle Wang, what are you afraid of? I don’t have any dog blood on me now,” Li Xinjun said nonsensically to the jiangshi.
“Jun’er, do you think he can understand you?” Ah Sang asked playfully.
“Who knows? Don’t you think he’s acting strange? I’ve been observing him day and night these past few days, and he’s never acted like this before. How come he’s suddenly like this? He was fine just now.”
“Hahaha, maybe he’s afraid of the smell of garlic in your hand?” Ah Sang joked.
“Hahaha, Sister Sang, you’re so funny! If that’s true, then the sun will rise from the west,” Li Xinjun said, playfully waving the garlic in front of Uncle Wang. To her surprise, Uncle Wang actually cowered in fear, dodging left and right.
“Eh? Is he really afraid of garlic?”
Li Xinjun placed the garlic on a nearby table and then approached the cage again. This time, Uncle Wang lunged at her, trying to grab her. Li Xinjun stepped back, picked up the garlic, and approached again. Uncle Wang immediately retreated. Li Xinjun repeated the experiment several times with the same result.
“Sister Sang! Sister Sang! The sun really did rise from the west! Uncle Wang is actually afraid of garlic!” Li Xinjun shouted excitedly. Ah Sang, witnessing this, was also stunned. She couldn’t believe that jiangshi were actually afraid of garlic.
Looking at Uncle Wang, now a jiangshi, trapped in the cage, a mischievous grin spread across Li Xinjun’s face. She dashed to the kitchen and returned with an assortment of everyday ingredients: rice, flour, oil, salt, soy sauce, vinegar, and tea. She eyed Uncle Wang with a twinkle in her eye.
“Rice!” She threw a handful of rice at him.
“Roar!”
“Not afraid of rice? Then salt!” She continued with a handful of salt.
“Roar!” Uncle Wang remained unfazed.
“Not afraid of salt either? Hmph, then black vinegar!” This time, she hurled the entire bottle at Uncle Wang’s head. The black vinegar exploded, drenching him in a sour-smelling liquid.
“Roar! Roar! Roar!” While not afraid of the vinegar, Uncle Wang was thoroughly annoyed by Li Xinjun’s antics. He lunged at the bars, wanting to strangle her.
“Ha! A reaction! Now for flour!” Li Xinjun ripped open a bag of flour and showered Uncle Wang with it. Covered in black vinegar and now coated in flour, he transformed from a jiangshi into a comical snowman.
Brother Wu and Song Ling, passing by, witnessed this scene. Their faces mirrored each other’s astonishment as they exchanged bewildered glances.
“Doctor Song, are you just going to let her torment that jiangshi like this?”
“…”
Song Ling was speechless. She shrugged at Brother Wu, her expression a mixture of amusement and helplessness. Brother Wu silently thanked his lucky stars that he hadn’t become a jiangshi. Otherwise, he might be the one enduring Li Xinjun’s “experiments” inside the cage.
“Chili oil!”
“Roar! Roar! Roar!”
Unable to bear the sight any longer, the two decided to leave, leaving Li Xinjun to her devices. Oblivious to their presence, she continued her “research” with unwavering enthusiasm.
After her playful antics, Li Xinjun, even more excited, went to find Song Ling to boast about her discoveries. She found Song Ling in the main hall, treating Shitou and the soldier with experimental concoctions. She stood quietly behind Song Ling, waiting patiently. When Song Ling finished, she turned around and saw Li Xinjun’s beaming face.
“What’s up? You look so happy.”
“Sister Ling, I have a major discovery!”
Song Ling chuckled. “What amazing discovery is this?”
“I found out what jiangshi are afraid of! You’ll never guess!”
“Oh? And what is it?”
“Black dog blood! But it has to be from a pure black dog. But that’s not the best part. They’re also afraid of garlic! You should have seen me messing with Uncle Wang. It was hilarious!”
“Don’t play with him, Jun’er. What if he hurts you?”
“But it was so much fun! I just held a clove of garlic, and he cowered in fear. It was a total accident. I’m thinking of trying everything, every ingredient we have. Who knows what we might discover?”
Song Ling laughed, charmed by Li Xinjun’s mischievous spirit. Li Xinjun, seeing Song Ling’s amusement, became even more animated, eager to share her ideas. She went to the kitchen and returned with a variety of ingredients, a sample of almost everything they had.
She set the assortment on the table in the main hall. Song Ling, seeing her enthusiasm, didn’t stop her, allowing her to experiment freely. Li Xinjun, noticing the soldier waiting for Song Ling, pulled him over to be her test subject.
“Brother Wu, I’m going to try some medicine on you. Sit still and be a good boy.”
“Little Jun, you’re not going to treat me like you did Uncle Wang, are you?” The injured soldier looked at her with apprehension.
“Why not? I discovered Uncle Wang’s fear of garlic by accident. Your corpse poison can be cured too! Let’s start with garlic.”
Brother Wu looked pleadingly at Song Ling, who simply shrugged, indicating she couldn’t help him. Resigned to his fate, he allowed Li Xinjun to experiment on his wound.
With a serious expression, Li Xinjun crushed several cloves of garlic into a paste and applied it to Brother Wu’s wound. The garlic stung, causing him to cry out in pain.
“Ow, ow, it hurts, it hurts!”
“That’s a good sign! Pain means it’s working! If it’s working, it could be the antidote. Be patient, Brother Wu. I’ll check on you in an hour,” Li Xinjun declared confidently, leaving the main hall to go “play” with Uncle Wang.
“Doctor Song, is it really okay for her to do this? Will my hand be crippled?”
“It won’t be crippled, but I’m afraid you’ll have to endure a bit of pain. I haven’t found a solution yet, so we’ll have to let her try her luck. It’s a last resort.”
“But if you don’t find an antidote soon, my hand will…”
“I can’t help you with that. Who told you to let her experiment on you?”
Brother Wu looked at his increasingly red and swollen arm with despair. He was under orders from Governor Chen and couldn’t refuse. He sighed, talking to his arm.
“Arm, oh arm, be patient. We’ll be back to normal soon, and then I’ll take you away from here. Be good.”
Song Ling chuckled at their banter. She walked over to Brother Wu, intending to comfort him. As she approached the table, she surveyed the array of ingredients Li Xinjun had brought. Her eyes fell on a bowl of glutinous rice, and an idea struck her. She remembered accompanying her master to their ancestor’s tomb to confront grave robbers. Her junior brother had accidentally scratched himself on a desiccated corpse, and his wound had become infected. Her master had used glutinous rice water to clean the wound.
She took the bowl of glutinous rice, added water, and used the mixture to wash Shitou’s scratch. She washed it repeatedly, and to her surprise, the water turned black. Her heart leaped with joy. It seemed Li Xinjun had stumbled upon a solution by pure chance.
Just then, Li Xinjun entered the main hall. Song Ling waved her over excitedly. “Jun’er, come here, look!”
“Eh, Sister Ling, why are you washing the wound with glutinous rice water? And why is the water black?”
“Thanks to you! You brought all these ingredients and put them on the table, remember? I saw the glutinous rice and remembered that my master once used it to detoxify my junior brother. So I tried it, and now the water is turning black. This is evidence that the toxins are being drawn out.”
“Wow! We’re so lucky! See, Brother Wu? You doubted me earlier, hmph!”
Brother Wu was speechless. This little girl had actually stumbled upon a solution! He forced a smile. “So, can you remove the garlic paste from my hand now? It hurts so much!”
“No! Maybe garlic is more effective than glutinous rice water. Leave it on for another hour. Let me observe.”
“What?! Doctor Song~”
“Just bear with it, Brother Wu~”
Brother Wu felt like he must have owed Li Xinjun’s family a debt in a past life and was now paying for it. He looked at his red and swollen arm with despair. Li Xinjun, on the other hand, was ecstatic, practically strutting with pride. She looked at Song Ling with a triumphant grin.
“Sister Ling, am I not amazing?”
“Jun’er is the best.”
Song Ling patted Li Xinjun’s cheek affectionately. Li Xinjun basked in the praise, feeling proud of herself. She grabbed more garlic, crushed it into a paste, and applied it liberally to Brother Wu’s wound.
“Argh!”
The sound of a pig being slaughtered filled the Li residence.
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