Chapter 006: Blood Swallow

Now, who cares about these matters? If we anger this little divine doctor, we might immediately be driven out of the Kong residence by the lady, just like that steward!

Madam Kong was feeling anxious and uncertain about where to find the so-called "cave swallow" mentioned by Li Kou. She did not hear it very clearly and quickly asked, "Little Divine Doctor, what did you say?"

Zhang Li is a person exceptionally skilled in reading the room; from the moment he entered this house, he gradually realized that the one in charge of the Kong residence was none other than Madame Kong

Madam Kong exclaimed, "Little Divine Doctor, what is the matter?"

Zhang Li noticed that the time was almost right, and took out the blood swallow from his bosom. He said to Lady Kong: "I happen to have some top-quality cave blood swallow, which is just the remedy for your ailment. I had been holding back some breath before, and now that the assailant has also been punished by you, I present this blood swallow as an offering. Please do not blame me, my lady"

I see now

Zhang Li said lightly: "It is not something particularly strange, just a bit valuable."

Steward Kong secretly glanced at Zhang Li, noticing his expression was normal, and then continued: "In response to the madam's inquiry, the price we have set for the white swallow is one tael of white swallow for one tael of silver. This blood swallow should be..." Steward Kong pondered for a moment, "It should be one tael of blood swallow worth ten taels of silver"

Kong Guanjia immediately got up and swiftly fled the room

Zhang Li is savoring tea, calmly spitting out a tea leaf from his mouth. He then smiles, straightens his back, and says with a serious expression: "Bring it to me to have a look."

Upon hearing Zhang Li's words, everyone in the Kong residence, including Lady Kong, breathed a sigh of relief. Fifty to sixty taels of silver, while not an insignificant amount for an ordinary country gentleman, is still manageable. If Zhang Li were to demand an exorbitant price, it would be quite troublesome.

The ten stones of grain weigh approximately over one thousand jin. Steward Kong arranged for two horse-drawn carts and some books to transport the grain, and continued to deliver Zhang Li and Kang Xing'an to the outskirts of the village

Madam Kong responded repeatedly in agreement and instructed Steward Kong to take Zhang Li to collect the silver and grain

Upon hearing Zhang Li's words, Lady Kong's eyes immediately sparkled with brilliance, and she smiled apologetically, saying: "Not at all, not at all! The little divine doctor truly has a heart of a Bodhisattva!"

Madam Kong exclaimed: "Break this dog servant's hand and expel me from the Kong residence!"

The thug was clearly terrified and did not dare to evade, and with a thud, he was kicked to the ground by Lord Kong

Madam Kong wore a look of despair, murmuring to herself: "What should I do, what can I do?..."

Old Master Kong was completely flustered, murmuring: "Madam, please do not be angry, Madam, please do not be angry... I, I was indeed blind before, doubting the medical skills of the young divine doctor. Later... later I was convinced by the young divine doctor's profound arguments, and I personally brought him here to treat you!" While speaking, he looked pleadingly at Zhang Li: "Young divine doctor, I personally brought you in, didn't I?"

Madam Kong said to Butler Kong: "Later, go to the accounts room and give the young divine doctor sixty taels of silver." Seemingly recalling something, she continued: "Young divine doctor, regarding the consultation fee..."

Madam Kong had never seen the steward Kong slap himself so cleanly and decisively, and she felt somewhat puzzled: how could this dog-like servant, who usually resorted to tricks and cunning, be so honest as to slap himself?

At this moment, Kong Guanjia rushed forward in a single leap, fiercely stomping down on the servant, to the point that the servant's previously injured right hand was left a bloody mess...

Madam Kong let out a long sigh and quickly said: "I was scared to death. I was truly afraid of that moon in the well and the flower in the water; if that were the case, I would be doomed! Young divine doctor, please tell me, what is it? Is it something valuable? My residence has several thousand-year-old ginseng; do you think that could be used?"

Kong Guan habitually felt a bit of pain as he glanced at the blood swallows that had fallen on the ground, which were originally from the residence. These were no worse than those brought by Zhang Li, yet they were only worth six or seven taels of silver.

Upon hearing this, Kong Guanjia felt as if his heart had died instantly: This, this is going to drive me to my death!

Zhang Li put down the teacup and smiled, saying: "Indeed, Butler Kong has a discerning eye, but I wonder how the prices of these swallow nests and cave nests should be calculated"

Zhang Lidian nodded and said: "Blood swallows are divided into two types: house swallows and cave swallows. As the name suggests, house swallows are collected from under the eaves; while cave swallows are produced from sheer cliffs. House swallows are easy to collect and have a high yield, but they lack the spiritual energy found in the wild. Cave swallows, on the other hand, are just the opposite. Madam, house swallows have no effect on your condition at all"

Kong Guanjia looked at Zhang Li with immense respect and awkwardly smiled, saying: "With the limited perspective of a petty person, I only know about the white swallow and the blood swallow; how could I have any experience with the cave swallow? I dare not recklessly state a price!"

Zhang Li felt a surge of resentment in his heart. Seeing that Green Lotus had brought the tea, he chose not to speak, instead lifting the cup to savor the exquisite flavor of the tea before the rain.

I see, what a clever sleight of hand, shifting the focus like this? I still haven't gotten back at the punch I took!

Sighing deeply, Zhang Li displayed an expression of profound sorrow on his face.

Then Lady Kong fixed her gaze on Old Master Kong like a knife: "Kong Donggua! Speak, was it your tacit approval? Without your nod, would that dog servant dare to act? You ungrateful wretch, have you forgotten that without my scholar brother bribing the county examination officials, with your half-baked level of not even having fully read the Analects, could you have ever passed the examination to become a xiucai?"

Kong Guanjia made a decisive decision, not waiting for Zhang Li to continue speaking, and exclaimed: "Madam, Madam! A few days ago, I collected some blood swallows with *Tu* books, and I haven't had the chance to transport them to the Wei City yet. I will go fetch them right away"

Zhang Li understood his meaning; this was a matter of asking for an exorbitant price. Regardless of the price, he would have to accept it with resignation

Manager Kong quickly brought up all the blood swallows he had previously collected. Zhang Li noticed that he did not dare to look him in the eye, clearly showing some fear.

Madam Kong looked at Zhang Li anxiously and said, "Little Divine Doctor, the blood swallow has been brought. How should it be consumed?"

Zhang Li pondered that although the Kong family had considerable influence in this area, they were ultimately just minor gentry, so it would not be appropriate to make things too difficult for them. He then spoke up, saying: "The cave swallow should at least be priced at five times the amount."

Madam Kong had never heard of it and was somewhat surprised: "House Swallow?"

The sound of slaps continues incessantly

Seeing the look of disappointment on Lady Kong's face, Zhang Li felt it was inappropriate to tease her further: "The golden needle at your Baihui point needs to be taken with blood swallow in order to achieve the full effect"

Madam Kong smiled and nodded repeatedly: "Kong Er, did you hear that clearly?"

Zhang Li expressed with some difficulty: "Two needles have already been inserted, and now only the Baihui acupoint of Lady Kong remains with one needle. A medicinal guide is now needed; only then can the needle be applied to achieve full effect. Without the medicinal guide, I fear all previous efforts will be in vain"

Estimating that the time was about right, Zhang Li withdrew the golden needle from the Baihui point on Lady Kong's head and said to her: "The acupuncture session for today has concluded. Lady Kong still needs to rest. I will come again tomorrow, so there is no need for you to worry."

In ancient times, the efficacy of medicinal catalysts was often exaggerated to an extraordinary degree. Lady Kong was well aware of the importance of these catalysts and quickly nodded, saying: "Little divine doctor, please speak quickly; I would even have them fetch the moon from the sky!"

Kong Guanjia slapped himself on the face with his right hand, and then immediately followed up with a blow from his left hand

After swallowing a mouthful of saliva, Lady Kong said to Steward Kong: "You dog servant! Why are you still standing there? Quickly calculate how much this swallow's nest is worth for the young divine doctor, and make sure the young divine doctor does not suffer any loss!"

Kong Guanjia had previously slapped himself hard, and now he quickly wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, hurriedly saying: "Madam, I was blind to the exquisite blood swallow from the little divine doctor; I misjudged it. I had weighed it before, and it is one tael and five qian!"

Madam Kong was still pondering the meaning of Zhang Li's earlier words, and before she could regain her composure, upon hearing the steward Kong mention that there was blood swallow in the residence, she did not think much of it and exclaimed: "Quick! Hurry! Bring it over!"

Zhang Li sighed, "Alas! This is a house swallow, it is of no use!"

Madam Kong publicly reprimanded Master Kong, showing him not the slightest bit of leniency

Zhang Li appeared unfazed, casually uttering a few words: "Why is there still a faint pain in my chest—"

Kong Guanjia lowered his head, carefully presenting the blood swallow, his eyes filled with a hint of pleading.

Zhang Li laughed and said, "A thousand-year-old ginseng is indeed precious, but it does not address your ailment."

Zhang Li smiled faintly and said to Madame Kong: "Madame, do not be angry; it was indeed Master Kong who brought me in."

Zhang Li furrowed his brows, noticing that Lady Kong was looking at him with some surprise. He slowly said: "I have heard that Lady Kong is ill and in a critical condition. Therefore, I took the liberty to come and offer my services to treat you. However, I did not expect that, being a person of little renown, I would be beaten by the servants at your esteemed residence..."

Zhang Li smiled lightly and casually added, "All together, it amounts to fifty taels of silver and ten stones of grain"

I originally thought that Master Kong was merely under the thumb of his wife, but little did I know that his wife's family held such significant power. No wonder Master Kong appears so obedient and compliant.

Kong Guanjia fell to his knees with a thud, the plate in his hand also shattered, and the blood swallow fell to the ground: "I, being blind to the greatness of the mountain, have been blinded by pig oil; I apologize to the divine physician, Grandfather!"

Blood Swallow! The steward Kong, who was kneeling on the ground, had previously found an opportunity to stop knocking his head and was pondering how to avoid some punishment today. Upon hearing the words "Blood Swallow," his heart immediately sank!

Kong Guanjia felt a sudden jolt in his heart, and his legs nearly gave way beneath him

Zhang Li did not look at him, but sighed to Lady Kong, saying: "Alas! Originally, I had some blood nests in my possession, but Steward Kong said that my blood nests were mixed with rust. After Steward Kong said this, I truly did not dare to offer them to Lady Kong. If one were to use bird's nests mixed with rust, would it not endanger lives?"

At this moment, how could Manager Kong not understand Zhang Li's intentions? ... Even if a deer were brought to him now, Zhang Li could still convince everyone that it was a horse...

Manager Kong repeatedly agreed

The price has increased tenfold

Old Master Kong no longer knelt, sprang to his feet, and quickly rushed to the kneeling thug, delivering a kick: "You filthy dog, how dare you lay a hand on the little divine doctor? I will skin you alive!"

Zhang Li calmly took a sip of tea, and immediately felt the fragrance penetrate his lungs. He casually glanced at Kang Xing'an, who appeared dumbfounded, seemingly unable to believe that Steward Kong would actually say such a thing

Upon hearing these words, Master Kong let out a sigh of relief and gratefully looked towards Zhang Li

Upon hearing this, Lady Kong was instantly furious: Not even the Heavenly King is more important than one's own life; this dog servant nearly cut off my path to survival

However, the others in the room heard it clearly, and everyone couldn't help but shudder.

Kong Guanjia immediately became spirited; this was a good opportunity to earn more money. Perhaps the little divine doctor would no longer hold a grudge against him.