Heavenly Dragon Doctor Son-in-Law-Chapter 108 - 109: The Second Queen, Yang Fei!

"However, Master Qin, Han Bing was the queen of Jiangzhong’s underworld," Zhao Ruoying said slowly, her expression worried. "Her death caused an instant shift in the power dynamics. She was always seen as a threat by an aloof beauty named Yang Fei, who has been rapidly annexing Han Bing’s territory. I believe it won’t be long before she becomes the new queen."

Upon hearing this, Qin Long sensed a hidden meaning. As a veteran of the underworld, Yang Fei would need to latch onto a powerful backer to expand her reach. Clearly, she had already taken the initiative to curry favor with him.

Originally, Zhao Ruoying had wanted to help Qin Long broaden his horizons and connect with powerful figures. Little did she know, Qin Long was a powerhouse in his own right. Heavenly Dragon, Commander of the Heavenly Dragon Army, was renowned throughout the world. Why would he need to actively seek connections with others?

"Master Qin, would you be willing to meet this Yang Fei?" Zhao Ruoying asked tentatively.

Qin Long nodded slightly.

"Alright. I will arrange it personally," Zhao Ruoying immediately replied with a nod.

TAP, TAP, TAP.

Suddenly, someone hurried over from the side, entering with an ancient-looking red brocade box.

"Quickly, bring it in!" Zhao Ruoying waved her hand.

The person respectfully handed the item to Zhao Ruoying, who promptly gave it to Qin Long.

"Master Qin, please open it and see if it’s Snow Heart Grass."

Qin Long waved his palm over the wooden box and took a sniff. He was instantly thrilled. This chilly medicinal property... It has to be Snow Heart Grass!

Snow Heart Grass was extremely rare, but its distinct coldness was easy to detect, giving off a chill the moment one drew near. An ancient stalk, in particular, could make a five-hundred-square-meter room incredibly cold, its cooling effect surpassing that of any air conditioner. Having been adopted by his master and raised in the Southern Region, Qin Long was extremely familiar with this particular herb.

He slowly opened the brocade box. A single white herb lay quietly inside. It seemed to have been picked recently, as its stalk and roots looked somewhat tender. The moment he opened the box, a blast of frigid air rushed out, making Zhao Ruoying sneeze involuntarily.

This stalk of Snow Heart Grass was only four or five centimeters long and didn’t look particularly special. Moreover, the bud in the center hadn’t yet turned white, a clear sign of its youth. Even so, this was the very herb Qin Long desperately sought.

"Master Qin, is it Snow Heart Grass?" Zhao Ruoying asked cautiously.

"Yes, it’s Snow Heart Grass," Qin Long replied, looking very pleased. He hadn’t expected Zhao Ruoying to be so capable as to actually procure it.

"That’s wonderful," Zhao Ruoying said, equally happy. "Finally, I can repay Master Qin."

Qin Long looked at the tender leaves of the Snow Heart Grass and was taken aback. "This must have been picked recently. It’s less than three years old," he observed, scrutinizing the herb.

"I don’t quite understand," Zhao Ruoying said with a slight frown, confused. It was already a stroke of luck to find any Snow Heart Grass at all, even if it’s less than three years old.

Qin Long placed the Snow Heart Grass back in the box and shook his head slightly.

"Master Qin, is something wrong?" Zhao Ruoying asked, her eyes widening in confusion. Although she doesn’t know much about the different ages of Snow Heart Grass, she reasoned that the older it is, the more potent its effects must be.

Depending on a person’s condition, different ages of the herb were required. Snow Heart Grass reached initial maturity at three years and full maturity at nine. To recover, Qin Long needed a plant that was at least nine years old.

"Is it unusable?" Zhao Ruoying asked with concern.

"It can be used, but the medicinal effect will be significantly weaker," Qin Long said, gazing at the box with a slight furrow in his brow.

It was still more than six years shy of the nine-year mark for full maturity. As such, the difference in effect would be like night and day. If it were a nine-year Snow Heart Grass, he could start refining the pill immediately and be back on his feet within seventy-two hours. But with one that’s not even three years old, I’m afraid the effects will be minimal, perhaps not even noticeable.

"Do you have a basement?" Qin Long asked after a moment of thought. "I need to refine a pill first."

Zhao Ruoying immediately had her people make preparations, gathering all the necessary herbs, along with a medicine pot and other required items.

About forty minutes later, Qin Long slowly opened the door and emerged.

"Master Qin, how did it go?" Zhao Ruoying asked, still extremely worried. "Did you use the Snow Heart Grass?" Although she didn’t understand the process, she had consulted other traditional medicine experts beforehand. She knew that refining medicine required extremely precise techniques where a single misstep could render all efforts useless.

"It’s done," Qin Long said. "But I don’t know if this pill will be effective."

He opened the medicine bottle, and a rich medicinal fragrance instantly filled the room. Surprised, Zhao Ruoying moved closer to inspect the pill. It was pure white, about the size of a plump kernel of corn, and as smooth and crystalline as a piece of fine jade.

"Master Qin, this is..." Zhao Ruoying was startled. She had never seen such a refining technique! Even a master carver couldn’t achieve such perfection, yet Qin Long had managed this feat using only small clay pots and medicine jars. She was utterly stunned.

"Master Qin, you are truly worthy of the title Medical Immortal! Your miraculous acupuncture and marvelous pill-refining techniques have really opened my eyes." After a careful inspection, Zhao Ruoying very cautiously placed the pill back.

"Just a little trick," Qin Long said, then fell into deep thought as he gazed at the pill.

Seeing this, Zhao Ruoying grew more confused. The pill is finished, so why does Master Qin still look so worried?

"Master Qin, did it not meet your expectations?" she asked, frowning slightly as she gestured toward the pill. "What exactly does it do?"

"It can allow me to completely abandon my crutch."

Hearing this, Zhao Ruoying’s mouth fell open in shock. She knew that aside from his physical disability, Qin Long was exceptional in every other way. When they first met, she had someone look into his background and learned that Tang Xuewu had exhausted countless resources to cure Qin Long’s leg, but to no avail. Since Qin Long himself was the Medical Immortal and seemed unconcerned, she had assumed his condition was incurable. Now, hearing this, she was ecstatic.

No wonder Master Qin was so fixated on the Snow Heart Grass—it’s the key to completely curing his disability!

"That’s fantastic! Master Qin, use it quickly!" Zhao Ruoying urged, her hands trembling with excitement.

But Qin Long looked at the pill and shook his head helplessly. "This Snow Heart Grass only reached initial maturity; it isn’t the nine-year-old, fully-matured version. It likely won’t have the desired effect."

He had been pondering this problem from the moment he saw the herb’s leaves. He only had one chance to restore the meridians in his leg. If he couldn’t abandon his crutch this time, then even finding a fully-matured Snow Heart Grass in the future would be useless. That was why he was so conflicted.

Zhao Ruoying noticed his dilemma.

"I have an idea, Master Qin. Don’t use this pill for now," she suggested. "I will issue a national bounty for the herb. I’m certain such a hefty reward will yield results. If that fails, you can use this pill then."