After I Am died, You Tell Me This Is A Life Simulation?
Chapter 17 - Returning the Gift with Medical Classics

Chapter 17: Returning the Gift with Medical Classics

“I… I’ll be going now…”

Cheng Lingsu tucked the small pouch of snacks into her chest, grabbed the bundle of medicine packets, and turned to run off.

Fang Han paused, then chuckled:

“She’s quite a shy little girl.”

But…

He looked in the direction Cheng Lingsu had left, deep in thought.

Does she know martial arts?

The way the young girl dashed away, light and nimble, she disappeared in a blink.

That looked like qinggong⁽¹⁾, didn’t it?

It should be qinggong, right?

Uh…

Fang Han sighed, his eyes tinged with a hint of envy.

I’ve never even learned qinggong myself.

Not that he had any strong desire to acquire it. With the Life Simulator on his side, his mentality had become far more relaxed.

Just wait for the second simulation…

Then I’ll go all out!

As for now, he might as well stay put and keep things simple.

…

Back at Elder Zhen’s clinic, Cheng Lingsu returned.

Though her face still had a faint blush, her expression had returned to calm serenity.

“You’re back?” Elder Zhen called when he heard the door.

“Mm.” She handed over the string of bundled herbs and said softly, “Uncle Zhen, all sorted.”

“Good, good,” he said twice in approval. He didn’t bother checking—the young girl’s medical skills were far better than his own. Mistakes were unlikely.

Watching the girl move aside to tend to a few pots of flowers, he clicked his tongue slightly.

This little niece does prefer peace.

In truth, when he first agreed to take Cheng Lingsu in, it was mostly for the sake of his senior brother.

In his heart, he had still kept a degree of wariness.

Not because of anything she had done, but because he had learned from past mistakes.

The other disciples, his senior brother had taken in earlier…

What a bunch of disappointments!

Though this little niece looked promising, he couldn’t let his guard down completely.

But that layer of caution had largely faded after just a few days.

The young girl was well-behaved and never overstepped her bounds.

And I like to think my judgment of character is pretty sound, Elder Zhen thought.

He had spotted right away that his senior brother’s previous disciples—Murong Jingyue, Jiang Tieshan, and Xue Que—were all either cold-hearted or outright fools.

Later events had proven him right.

But this girl, in his eyes, was different.

And once he realized her medical skill was genuinely exceptional, any lingering doubts nearly vanished.

After all…

With skills like hers, why would she want to harm me?

What would she even want from him?

Compared to her, his medical knowledge was inferior.

So it couldn’t be that she wanted to learn from him.

He had no wealth to speak of either.

And his little clinic? With her abilities, she could open a golden-plated clinic anywhere.

Why would she need this dusty old place?

Thus, although some hesitation remained, Elder Zhen had mostly accepted her from the bottom of his heart.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have brought her along to visit Fang Han—to try to humble the young man a bit.

To be blunt, if not for their shared sect lineage, he got along better with Fang Han than with Cheng Lingsu.

Even with their uncle-niece relationship, had he not truly accepted her, he wouldn’t have made that visit.

After all, with Fang Han, it was practically a cross-generational friendship.

But those other so-called “disciples” of his senior brother, Murong, Jiang, Xue—he wouldn’t even care to see again.

What bad luck.

After sorting the herbs, evening began to fall.

Cheng Lingsu bid Elder Zhen farewell.

Watching him stroll off slowly, she waited a moment before quietly closing the door and returning to her own in the courtyard behind the clinic.

This was her place of residence.

Although Elder Zhen had taken her in, he had always preferred solitude.

And it wouldn’t be proper for an old man and a young girl to share a home, so they gave this space to her.

Cheng Lingsu was perfectly content.

She helped out in the clinic during the day and enjoyed the quiet at night.

Sitting on the edge of the bed, she took the small pouch from her chest and gently opened it.

A faint sweet aroma wafted out.

She picked out a small piece and took a bite—crisp, sweet, delicious.

Her eyes narrowed slightly, softened by warmth.

After finishing one piece, she hesitated…

Then picked out another and slowly savored it.

She carefully tied the pouch shut again and cradled it in her arms for a while.

Then she placed it inside her small bundle with great care.

After thinking for a bit, she pulled out a booklet and flipped through it.

After a short read, she closed it again.

Her eyes sparkled slightly, as if she were wondering about something deeply.

The next day.

After efficiently helping with the clinic chores, Cheng Lingsu found a quiet moment and said a quick goodbye to Elder Zhen.

Then she hurried out the door.

Elder Zhen, seated in the back, craned his neck to watch her go.

After a while, he chuckled and leaned back, grinning.

Cheng Lingsu hurried along to the Fang Family Medical Hall.

But when she arrived, she hesitated a little.

She lingered for a while before finally mustering the courage to walk inside.

“Miss Cheng.”

Fang Han looked up and saw the slender figure enter.

He greeted her with a smile.

“Brother Fang~”

Cheng Lingsu called out cheerfully.

She seemed to have grown comfortable with the new form of address.

Still, her cheeks flushed slightly on their own.

Fang Han smiled and said,

“Have a seat.”

Once she was seated, he asked,

“Running low on herbs again?”

Cheng Lingsu shook her head slightly.

She took out several old books and a bound booklet from her bag and said clearly:

“Yesterday, Brother Fang gave me something, but I had nothing to offer in return.

I saw that you’re fond of medical classics, so I brought these for you… as a gift in return.”

Fang Han was surprised.

He took the books, which included Ling Shu (《灵枢》), Su Wen (《素问》), Zhen Jing (《针经》), and an anonymous booklet.

Among them, the first three looked ancient, while the last one was relatively newer—aro, nd seventy percent new.

Fang Han felt a tremor in his chest.

These texts—Ling Shu, Su Wen, and Zhen Jing—were all parts of the Huangdi Neijing (《黄帝内经》)⁽²⁾, the foundational canon of Traditional Chinese Medicine.

He had seen versions before.

But ancient texts, due to limited transmission methods, lost their content over time or were altered.

That made every copy unique—some even one-of-a-kind.

He opened the Su Wen and took a closer look.

The content was far more complete than what he had seen before.

There were numerous annotations and commentaries.

Just skimming it filled him with joy.

This is exactly the kind of medical literature I need!

He then quickly flipped through the Ling Shu and Zhen Jing.

Like Su Wen, they were more complete and heavily annotated.

Finally, he opened the small booklet.

The handwriting was delicate and refined.

It too contained medical insights—clearly a personal collection of reflections.

Even with his decades of experience, Fang Han felt a subtle inspiration stirring in his heart—something enlightening.

He couldn’t help but smile in genuine joy.

Looking at Cheng Lingsu, he found himself speechless.

What’s with this girl?

He gave her a pouch of snacks…

And she repaid him with a stack of medical treasures.

Could this be… what they call a treasure girl?

Footnotes:

1. 1. 轻功 (qīnggōng)– Qinggong: A fictional lightness technique used in Chinese wuxia fiction where martial artists move with supernatural speed or agility, often leaping over walls or trees as if flying.

1. 1. 黄帝内经 (Huángdì Nèijīng)– The Yellow Emperor’s Inner Canon: The oldest surviving Chinese medical text, regarded as the foundation of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Divided into Su Wen (Basic Questions), Ling Shu (Spiritual Pivot), and Zhen Jing (Classic of Acupuncture), each part deals with different branches of TCM, including diagnosis, anatomy, and acupuncture.