The sudden noise startled Lu Qing at first, and then made him somewhat cautious.
Human, beast, or rat?
He thought of the mysterious little beast that had stolen two large chunks of fish meat the night before.
Could it be that the critter had come back?
But he had already brought the fish meat inside his house—surely this creature wouldn't have the audacity to barge in, would it?
Recalling the information he had gathered with his superpower that morning, the mysterious little beast seemed to have sharp claws; Lu Qing couldn't help but tighten his grip on a stick that was by the bedside.
At this moment, he missed the electricity of his previous life immensely.
If this were a house from his previous life, no matter what kind of beast it was, simply turning on a light would likely scare it away.
Unfortunately, he could hardly afford to light an oil lamp at the moment, let alone use bright lights to scare off wild animals.
The noise outside persisted, sounding like something scratching at the door.
Despite Lu Qing's usual courage, his heart felt a bit fuzzy at that moment.
He gripped the stick tightly and quietly stepped out of the room, entering the hall.
Suddenly, the stick struck the door with a loud bang.
The noise outside immediately ceased.
Lu Qing stood in the hall holding the stick, forcing himself to stay calm.
It was a long time before he heard that noise again.
But he dared not open the door to rashly check.
After a long while, when he was certain there was no more movement outside, Lu Qing finally returned to his room.
There was no denying the sedative and calming effects of the Green Armor Fish Stone were quite good.
Even such a loud noise hadn't woken Little Yan.
Otherwise, Lu Qing would have had to spend a long time comforting her.
That night, however, Lu Qing did not sleep well.
Fearing that the creature might return, he hardly slept at all, only dozing off a little as dawn approached.
As a result, when he arrived at Old Doctor Chen's place the next day, Lu Qing was sporting two large dark circles under his eyes and looked utterly listless.
Seeing him , the elder doctor immediately furrowed his brows.
"Lu Qing, I know you want to master the 'Hundred Herbs Scripture' as soon as possible, but learning is about balancing work and rest. Sometimes, burying yourself in your studies can be counterproductive."
"Besides, if you wish to become a doctor, you must take good care of your own body. If you can't even look after yourself, how can you maintain a clear mind to treat and heal others?"
The elder doctor mistakenly thought Lu Qing's haggard appearance was from staying up the previous night reading.
"Grandpa Chen, it's not what you think," Lu Qing said with a wry smile, "I didn't sleep well last night for another reason."
He then told of the previous night's events.
"So you're saying there was a wild beast trying to get into your house last night, and that's why you didn't sleep well?" the elder doctor exclaimed in surprise.
"Yes, because I was worried it might sneak in and harm Little Yan, I didn't dare to sleep," Lu Qing rubbed his eyes and said.
"Brother, how come Little Yan didn't know anything about it?"
The little tyke had been completely unaware of the previous night's events and her eyes suddenly widened.
"You slept like a little pig last night, so of course, you wouldn't know."
Lu Qing reached out to tap her little nose.
"But this is no solution; you can't stay up every night on guard."
The elder doctor thought for a moment, then turned and went back into his house. Not long after, he came out with a package and handed it to Lu Qing.
"Take this herbal powder."
"Master Chen, what is this?" Lu Qing asked, holding the item.
"This is a medicinal powder that I've blended myself; it contains a variety of herbs that repel insects and beasts. When I walk through the mountains, I usually use it for protection."
"From what you've said, the wild beast shouldn't be too large."
"Once you return, scatter the powder around your house. The beast will surely be wary and it won't come to bother you again."
Upon hearing this, Lu Qing was overjoyed, "Thank you, Grandpa Chen!"
Elder Doctor's medicinal powder really came at the right time.
Otherwise, Lu Qing would have considered setting traps to catch that mysterious little beast.
However, some information previously obtained through his "Superpower" made him hesitate to act rashly.
After all, the mere footprints of that mysterious little beast were already at a white light level.
Who knows how formidable it could be as the creature itself.
Upon storing the medicinal powder, Lu Qing took out the "Hundred Herbs Scripture" and continued to seek Elder Doctor's guidance.
This time, Old Doctor Chen was even more surprised.
He found that Lu Qing was learning the "Hundred Herbs Scripture" very quickly.
Not only had he completely remembered what was taught yesterday,
He had also reviewed the remaining content, managing to infer other principles from one fact.
At this rate, it wouldn't take long for him to master the entire book.
"Very good, I can see that you really did put in the effort after going back yesterday," said the elder doctor, stroking his beard and nodding with satisfaction.
"I dare not forget the advice Grandpa Chen gave me," responded Lu Qing respectfully.
"Well, let's stop here for today. You have gradually become familiar with the 'Hundred Herbs Scripture', but just being familiar with a medical book is not enough," said Elder Doctor.
"Whether as a doctor or a herb gatherer, one must be able to identify and select real medicinal herbs."
"I remember that there are some common medicinal herbs growing near the village. On a regular basis, you should observe them more, comparing them to what's in the 'Hundred Herbs Scripture' to see if the actual herbs match the descriptions in the book," instructed the elder doctor.
"Yes, I've noted that down," replied Lu Qing.
"Oh, and tomorrow, you and Little Yan won't need to come up here. I'll be heading into the city and will take the opportunity to sell that Red Moon Carp for you. You can stay home and review the material," the elder doctor added.
"Grandpa Chen, are you going into the city?" Lu Qing asked excitedly.
"Indeed, a drugstore in the city has ordered some medicinal materials from me, which I need to deliver," explained the elder doctor. "Why, is there something you need me to buy for you? With the sale of the Red Moon Carp, you will have a tidy sum of money."
"Yes!" replied Lu Qing immediately.
He indeed had items he wished Elder Doctor could help him buy.
"Oh? What would you like to buy?"
"I want to buy a cast-iron pot!" said Lu Qing. "Grandpa Chen, you know that our family encountered a misfortune recently, and I sold many of our things. The only cast-iron pot we had was also sold, so I want to get a new one."
"A cast-iron pot... that's doable," the elder doctor pondered for a moment and then agreed. "Anything else?"
"Also, we're almost out of salt at home, and I'd like to stock up on some more."
"Do you need to buy anything else?"
"No, let's just buy these two items for now," Lu Qing shook his head.
In truth, there were many things he wanted to buy.
Oil, grain, clothes, shoes, and more. He wanted to purchase many items.
But he knew that there was a limit to everything.
The elder doctor was his senior and his willingness to help carry items was already quite rare. It would be inappropriate to ask for too much, to be overstepping and lacking propriety.
If it wasn't for the fact that cast-iron pots and salt could only be bought in the city, he wouldn't have bothered Elder Doctor even for these two things.
As for the rest, he could buy them himself at the market fair sometime later.
Upon returning from Old Doctor Chen's place, Lu Qing immediately sprinkled the medicinal powder around the perimeter of the house.
He thought that would put an end to all troubles, and he could finally have a good night's sleep.
However, after night fell and Little Yan fell asleep, he once again heard that sound.