(When the Great Plague broke out, you treated patients everywhere, and Yaoshi, being the most severely ill, followed you everywhere and learned medicine by watching you.)
(At the end of the plague, after you saved her life, she chose to stay by your side, and you took her in as your daughter and disciple. Having learned from experience, you had already prepared preventive measures in advance, so she never contracted the plague again.)
(After the plague ended, you returned with her to Mùchūn Táng.)
(The workers at Mùchūn Táng all liked this child. Her temperament was as gentle as a rabbit, and she had a pretty face.)
(Like you, she showed great medical talent, so you invested heavily in her training. When she made mistakes in preparing medicine, you would sometimes strike her palms lightly with a soft wooden ruler.)
(The path of medicine allows no carelessness. A single decision can determine life or death.)
(When you prescribed medicine, you would have her do the same, then correct her work.)
(In private, when no one was around, you called her Yao-Yao, and she called you Mother.)
...
"Mother, what is on the other side of the mountain?"
Yao-Yao pointed toward the rows of neatly arranged wooden tablets on the back mountain.
"Over there is where your Grandmaster rests, who was also my father. Many ancestors of Mùchūn Táng are buried there. Among them is a fellow who did not keep his word. Every time I go to see him, I always bring a few bags of candy and cake."
"What kind of person was Grandmaster?"
"He… he was a selfless savior of the world. He saved many people but never asked for anything in return, not even from me."
"Then he must have lived for a hundred years, right?"
"Lived for a hundred years? How could anyone live that long? Yao-Yao, is your head full of nothing but medicinal herbs?"
"Your Grandmaster was in his forties, but he looked like someone in his sixties. He wasn't even fifty when he passed."
"Mother, did Grandmaster ever hit your palms?"
"Rarely, because I usually didn't make mistakes in mixing medicine. So you'd better study hard if you don't want that to happen to you" Ruò Héng said, fixing her gaze on Yao-Yao.
"...And the clinic is waiting for you to take over in the future," Ruò Héng said, turning her face toward the rows of neatly arranged wooden tablets.
...
(You taught her to identify herbs and write prescriptions. Her progress was slightly slower than yours, but she was deeply devoted to medicine. Occasionally, she would even come up with novel ideas.)
(Age 21: Yao-Yao began treating patients as well. You noticed that, even with identical herbs, her prescriptions seemed more effective. When you asked her about it, she explained that she could infuse vitality into herbs, increasing their medicinal properties.)
(You warned her not to use or reveal this ability lightly in front of others.)
(Over the years, you researched a formula for immortality. One day, Yao-Yao accidentally discovered your work. She became deeply interested in the path of immortality and asked to study it with you.)
(You agreed. The two of you began researching the elixir of immortality together.)
(You thought life would continue peacefully like this. But reality always goes against one wishes.)
(Age 25: a swarm of dark insect-like creatures descended upon the world. They had no reason or emotion. Blades and weapons meant nothing to them they were like monsters without pain, driven only by consumption, reproduction, and destruction. Wherever they passed, nothing living remained. Their bodies also carried toxins, even a single bite could slowly spread poison throughout the body.)
...
"Yao-Yao, Mother is going to the front lines. Take care of yourself. Also, help the poor families more when you see them. Do not let someone lose their life just because they have no money."
"One without constant virtue cannot practice medicine. I always remember that."
"But Mother… will you come back? Will you be like Grandmaster and the others, never returning?" Tears filled her eyes, just as they once had for Ruò Héng. She had never stopped clinging to her since childhood.
With disasters and disease spreading everywhere, Ruò Héng had never considered marriage or children, choosing instead to devote herself fully to medicine. In that sense, Yao-Yao was Ruò Héng daughter, her only remaining family.
Ruò Héng hated liars, so she thought about it and decided to tell the truth.
"If I return, I will teach you everything I have learned in the days to come. If I do not return…"
"Yao-Yao… then... just bury Mother."
Silence filled the space between them.
"Mother… why must you go?" Yao-Yao cried.
"I cannot turn away from those in need."
"All sentient beings suffer. I shall be the one who saves them."
She gently wiped the tears from Yao-Yao's face, then turned and walked away.
Yao-Yao could only stand there, watching in silence.
...
(You enlisted in the army and became a military doctor. At first, people felt that you could not change anything. What frightened soldiers more than the insect toxins was the fear they inspired. Many lost their will to fight after just one battle. Even when they returned to the front, they would become prey the moment they saw the insects again.)
(You continued what you had always done, treating every patient with care.)
(You sit by their beds, reading letters from home to those who could no longer sleep. treated rotting wounds through the night as cries echoed in the dark. Under your care, the mortality rate among hospitalized soldiers dropped by ninety percent.)
(But you could not save everyone. When a soldier was about to step into the starry sky, you would gently embrace him like a loving mother, easing his pain as much as possible before death.)
(People said you were a deity descended from heaven. As your deeds spread, some commoners began to worship you with fanatic devotion.)
(But you knew you were neither goddess nor angel. You were simply a healer fulfilling her duty.)
(The disaster was merciless. In the end, the soldiers could not stop the endlessly multiplying insect swarms. When the front lines finally collapsed, you were evacuated.)
(The king of the kingdom struck a deal with an unknown evil god, bringing pollution upon the world. All flora and fauna mutated. Insects that consumed them died shortly after.)
(The insect plague eventually subsided under the influence of the pollution, but humans began suffering from strange diseases. Many fell into madness and slaughtered their own relatives. Herbs that once healed and saved lives also changed in nature, becoming highly toxic and unstable. Healers were left in confusion.)
(You returned to the clinic, and when Yao-Yao saw you, she rushed over and hugged you tightly.)
(You returned the embrace briefly before gently setting her down, as there were still more important matters to attend to.)
(You decided to test the plant on yourself.)
(One mutated herb after another entered your mouth. You wrote down their properties, but unlike before, every single herb brought you immense pain.)
(Yao-Yao stayed beside you in the Herb Garden, watching as you suffered, as you fed yourself the mutated herbs one by one. One day, she could not bear it and tried to follow your example, attempting to analyze them by eating them herself.)
(For the first time, you lost your temper and struck her heavily. Her hands were injured by your ruler.)
(Immediately after, you broke down in tears and held her tightly. She cried in your arms.)
...
(You endured all the herbs and completed a new medical book.)
(Not every patient you healed was grateful. Because of the pollution, even when diseases were cured, lifespans were still shortened. Some people even turned their anger toward you.)
("Is it worth it?" Yao-Yao asked you one day.)
("I do not care about such things. A healer duty to save all lives cannot be measured like a transaction. If everything is reduced to gain and loss, then the dream of saving the world has no meaning," you said, gently patting her head.)
(Some called you a fool. You only responded with a tired smile.)
(You believed you still had a purpose. to become medicine itself, something capable of granting immortality.)
(Together with Yao-Yao, you continued your research into immortality. Her talent in this field far exceeded yours.)
(Age 28: a thunderclap shattered the silence as the Elixir of Immortality was finally completed.)
...
...
QnA
Q: Why is Yaoshi called Yao-Yao?
A: It's a nickname given by her mother, Ruò Héng. It will also serve a purpose in the next chapter.