Tang Family Castle.
As the name suggests, those living in this fortress are all with the surname Tang, but of course, this is impossible; if all were Tang, it would be chaotic.
In fact, Tang Family Castle was indeed constructed by the Tang family, but only one-third of the residents have the surname Tang, with the rest consisting of various other surnames.
Because it is located at a crucial transit point, it is one of the many military fortresses in the northwest defense of the Da Li Dynasty, typically housing a battalion.
A fully staffed Da Li border battalion consists of about six hundred people, but in reality, it has only half that number, around three hundred people, reaching full capacity only during wartime.
Being a military fortress, it naturally has strict entry and exit protocols. Once the hour of You passes, the gates are lowered, and no one is allowed inside.
Lin Miao raced against time and finally made it into Tang Family Castle before the gates closed.
Otherwise, they would have had to camp in the wilderness.
Very dangerous indeed.
Lin Miao alone wouldn't have feared, but with two women who couldn't even kill a chicken, it would be quite difficult.
Wild beasts, bandits, thieves, highwaymen…
Along with assassins working for the officials.
Sun Youwei, in her current frail state, would likely not withstand camping outdoors.
Tang Family Castle has government-run inns and regular lodgings. The inns are inexpensive but safer, while the lodgings cost a bit more but are much more comfortable.
Government inns usually also accommodate regular civilians. After all, maintaining these military inns is a huge expenditure during peaceful border times.
By opening to civilians, they can cover the inns' normal expenses and prevent the buildings from becoming unused and deteriorating over time.
This way, the court reduces its burden, and the inn officials earn some extra income—a win-win.
Lin Miao naturally chose to stay in the inn.
An elderly inn attendant who looked old enough to be their grandfather received them.
First, they were not wealthy, and second, for safety's sake, neither the senior apprentice nor Yun, one being young and beautiful like a flower, the other being mature and charming, would draw attention wherever they go.
So, when traveling, caution is foremost.
Sun Youwei was unwell and looked sickly, while covering her face with a veil to conceal her fair appearance, Yun couldn't do this, but she slightly altered her complexion to hide her allure.
Yun was experienced in this and didn't need reminders from Lin Miao.
The combination of a sickly young girl, a slightly older matron, and a young servant was rare, and the old attendant knew precisely whom to mess with and whom not to.
The young and beautiful sick girl was one of them; one never knew about her background—it could cost them their life.
Lin Miao only asked for an upper room, so Yun and Sun Youwei could stay together for night support while he took the common lodging.
After all, it was just a three-day journey. They carried their own provisions, including Yun's pickled tofu, which were delicious; in the memories of the original self, there was plenty to eat and it was free.
After checking Sun Youwei's pulse and slightly adjusting the medication, Lin Miao left Yun to care for Youwei and went to borrow the inn kitchen to prepare the medicine.
"Young man, do you understand pharmacology?"
"Oh, elder sir, I don't understand; this is what my lady has been taking regularly," Lin Miao quickly said. While traveling, one should never casually reveal their identity and skills.
"Of course, at your age, you're just an apprentice in the art of healing," the old attendant chuckled, "I was being presumptuous."
"Elder, do you have someone ill at home?" Lin Miao felt a stirring in his heart, wanting to learn more about the world outside from this limited original memory.
"It's my wife; she has been sick for years. Every autumn and winter, she wheezes and coughs. She's seen many physicians, but none could help." The old attendant sighed.
"I see." Lin Miao nodded; healing without permission violates the ancestral rules, and he wasn't qualified to practice medicine yet.
He wasn't going to trouble himself.
But that didn't stop him from absorbing information about Tang Family Castle and Dongshan Prefecture from the talkative old attendant.
Once the medicine finished brewing and the decoction was strained, Lin Miao considered disposing of the herbal residue.
"Young man, this medicine is for the lady, right? Could you leave the herbal residue for me?" The old attendant asked wistfully.
"Elder, the wrong medicine could be harmful if taken arbitrarily." Lin Miao immediately grasped the old attendant's intention—it was somewhat reckless.
"I have no choice; she's gotten worse since autumn started. She hasn't been able to get out of bed for half a month now, so it's a desperate attempt with no other options." The old attendant sighed, "If it's too much trouble, just pretend I didn't ask."
Lin Miao sighed: "I can't give you the herbal residue, but if someone picks up what I throw away, then it's out of my hands."
He couldn't give the herbal residue directly to the old attendant, but if someone collected what he discarded and consumed it, should anything happen, it wouldn't be his responsibility.
The old attendant's eyes welled with tears, gratefully saying, "Thank you, young man. You are a good person and will surely have a long life."
Lin Miao chuckled self-deprecatingly.
Good person, perhaps.
Carrying the decoction, he entered Sun Youwei's room.
"Senior sister, come, drink the medicine."
Sun Youwei appeared to be in good spirits. Despite the pain of losing her father and enduring a day of turmoil and fright, she somehow managed to hold on; this girl seemed weak externally but was quite strong inside.
This was all thanks to Lin Miao's earlier prescriptions; she had taken her father's medicine before, but it never achieved such results.
After drinking the medicine, rinsing her mouth with water, Youwei lay down, quickly closing her eyes in exhaustion, and fell deeply asleep.
"Mrs. Yun, if you may, take care of the senior sister. This is her first long trip, so she lacks experience." Lin Miao instructed Yun.
"Don't worry, Lin." Yun tenderly glanced at the sleeping Sun Youwei and nodded.
"Then I'm going."
In the common lodging now it was mostly empty and cheap; Lin Miao didn't care about the space as long as he had a place to lie down and sleep.
Though the smell was strong, enduring it for a while was fine. In his past, he had suffered all kinds of hardships.
Yijing Bone Forging Chapter was like a lower-tier version of Yijinjing but he found it more comprehensible and accessible. The original body's aptitude was likely decent; the shortfall seemed to be insight!
In martial arts, the body is a person's lower boundary, while insight is the upper boundary. Even horizontal training, reaching a certain level, can be terrifying, but fully developing inner breath makes all the difference.
Without insight, how could inner breath be cultivated?
Historically, medicine and martial arts have always been intertwined; isn't the Five Animals Qigong invented by Hua Tuo? It's simply leaned towards health cultivation, but considering it powerless would be a great mistake.
In Hua Tuo's era, without martial prowess beside him, could he dare roam the world alone, treating and saving lives?
Hua Tuo must have been a master.
But his medical skills far overshadowed his martial abilities, overshadowing everything else.
His past self, even with inner breath, couldn't do anything since the body was failing—it was all in vain. Now, having a new, young, healthy body, things were different.
Practicing martial arts not only strengthens the body but protects oneself and loved ones, which is paramount in these times where martial virtue is esteemed.
The mere branch of the Huang Family is so formidable, yet the Huang family's main branch is average at best, with top families and sects above it.
No world is simple.
...
The old attendant had been stationed here for thirty years, having injured his leg in the war and placed at the inn, where he eventually brought his wife to join him.
His youthful injuries harmed his core. They had no children, cherishing each other for thirty years, considering each other the most important.
An inn attendant's wage is limited, coupled with his poor social skills, naturally missing out on benefits. Additionally, as age made work harder, he was limited to gate-keeping and kitchen chores.
But at least he could stay with his wife; despite the hardships, life seemed sweet still.
"Wife, sit up, drink some medicine; it's what I begged for, supposed to target your condition…" The old attendant held his frail wife up against his shoulder, holding a bowl of slightly brownish decoction.
This medicine was brewed from Lin Miao's leftover herbal residue for Sun Youwei. Its effectiveness was certain, but whether it was suitable, was unknown.
Knowing the origin of this medicine, the couple had run out of money for treatment; and were unsure of where this medicine materialized from.
Perhaps it's…
The silver-haired, emaciated old lady forced herself through violent coughs, drinking all the decoction in front of the old attendant.
"Old man, I'm going ahead."
Going ahead?
The old attendant froze, his lifelong partner wouldn't have misunderstood, would she?
No longer explaining anymore.
If effective, fate wasn't meant to end; if ineffective, once his wife departed, he would have no intent to continue living.