"I saw it in a medical book," Zhao Yuan replied.
"What medical book? Where is it? Can I see it?" Wang Jiasen asked excitedly, one question after another.
The moment the words left his mouth, however, he realized his mistake. Medical texts of this caliber were always treasured heirlooms of Noble Families or famous physicians. Even close relatives might not be qualified to view them. He and Zhao Yuan were practically strangers; it was rude and presumptuous to so brazenly ask to see such a precious medical classic.
Wang Jiasen quickly added, "Don't misunderstand, I don't mean anything else. How about this—I'll trade you my copy of *Wushan Medical Tales* for it!"
Zhao Yuan hadn't even responded yet, but the surrounding crowd erupted in an uproar.
"Did I hear that right? *Wushan Medical Tales*? Isn't that the priceless classic passed down through the Wang Family for generations?"
"Elder Wang is being far too generous, isn't he? To trade *Wushan Medical Tales* for some unknown medical book."
"I heard the only reason the Wang Family has produced so many great and famous doctors generation after generation is because of that book, *Wushan Medical Tales*!"
"They say *Wushan Medical Tales* was written by a Wang Family ancestor who served in the Imperial Hospital. He wrote it after reading through the entire collection of books in the Imperial Hospital, combining it with his own knowledge and experience. It's a shame that the Wang Family has always kept it locked away as a priceless treasure, never allowing outsiders a single glance. But now, Elder Wang is actually offering it up for a trade... Could the medical book this kid has read actually be comparable in value to *Wushan Medical Tales*?"
The two young people who had come with Wang Jiasen looked even more shocked, their expressions changing drastically.
They were the promising younger generation of the Wang Family, studying medicine under Wang Jiasen. Even they weren't yet qualified to read *Wushan Medical Tales*. But now, Wang Jiasen was going to trade it for some unknown medical text? 'Is this really worth it?'
Zhao Yuan still said nothing, just standing there with a stunned look on his face.
"What's going on? Don't tell me the name *Wushan Medical Tales* scared him silly," someone guessed.
Zhao Yuan was indeed stunned, and it was indeed because of *Wushan Medical Tales*.
The moment Wang Jiasen had uttered the words "*Wushan Medical Tales*," a faint green light had bloomed on the Information Leaf. Immediately after, Zhao Yuan saw a new branch of classics appear under the medicine category, and within it was the complete text of *Wushan Medical Tales*!
'What is happening? Why did this book suddenly appear on the Information Leaf?' Zhao Yuan wondered in astonishment. 'Could it be that *Wushan Medical Tales* was already in the Inheritance Seed, but was restricted for some reason and wasn't displayed before?'
The more Zhao Yuan thought about it, the more plausible this guess seemed.
The Inheritance Seed was miraculous, but it was just a vessel for knowledge, like a USB drive. It couldn't create something from nothing! The appearance of *Wushan Medical Tales* on the Information Leaf could only mean it had been recorded in the Inheritance Seed long ago. As for why it hadn't appeared before, Zhao Yuan couldn't figure it out. 'Perhaps I hadn't activated it, or maybe my medical skills weren't high enough?'
Suddenly, Zhao Yuan thought of something else.
'*Wushan Medical Tales* is clearly a medical classic from Earth. Why would it be recorded in Wu Peng's Inheritance Seed? Did Wu Peng visit Earth? Or did a Cultivator from Earth bring this medical book to the Cultivation World?'
Zhao Yuan fell into deep thought.
Seeing him silent for so long, Wang Jiasen, who was standing to the side, grew impatient and urged, "Zhao Xiaoyou, are we trading or not? Just give me an answer. What's there to consider for so long?"
Zhao Yuan snapped out of his daze and asked casually, "Have you ever heard the name Wu Peng?"
Wang Jiasen was taken aback, unable to keep up with Zhao Yuan's leaping train of thought. Still, he thought about it seriously and said, "I don't know anyone named Wu Peng, but I have seen that name before while reading the *Classic of Mountains and Seas*. He was said to be the leader of the Lingshan Ten Witches, and the one who created the Medical Dao... Hey, why do you ask?"
"No reason, just a casual question," Zhao Yuan said dismissively. His expression seemed calm, but a storm was raging in his heart. 'So Wu Peng really has been to Earth... No, maybe he was from Earth to begin with!'
Taking a deep breath to calm his turbulent emotions, Zhao Yuan finally spoke amidst Wang Jiasen's repeated prodding. "The *Wushan Medical Tales* you're talking about, was it written by the late Ming Dynasty Imperial Physician, Wang Wenning?"
"That's right!" Wang Jiasen puffed out his chest with pride and said with a smile, "Wang Wenning is our ancestor! Zhao Xiaoyou, since you know of *Wushan Medical Tales*, you should understand how valuable it is. It's no exaggeration to call it a medical treasure! This trade definitely won't be a loss for you. To be honest, if it weren't for your profound medical skills at such a young age, which shows you have limitless potential, I'd be truly reluctant to let you see our Wang Family's greatest treasure."
His tone carried the air of an elder looking out for a junior.
Just hearing his words, an uninformed person would think Zhao Yuan was getting the deal of a lifetime.
In fact, not only did Wang Jiasen think so, but the onlookers also shared the same opinion.
"Elder Wang is so selfless!"
"Who else but Elder Wang would go so far to support the younger generation?"
"That kid really lucked out! I refuse to believe the medical book he's read is any better than the Wang Family's treasured *Wushan Medical Tales*!"
In everyone's eyes, Zhao Yuan should have seized this opportunity, agreed to the exchange in a heartbeat, and even shown his immense gratitude to Wang Jiasen. But unfortunately for them, Zhao Yuan had no intention of following their script.
"No trade," Zhao Yuan said, shaking his head and uttering two words.
"Wh-what? No trade?" Wang Jiasen was stunned, his face a mask of disbelief.
The onlookers were all dumbfounded.
'To refuse such a great deal where he's clearly getting the better end... Is there something wrong with this kid's head?'
"Don't you understand how valuable *Wushan Medical Tales* is?" Wang Jiasen asked emotionally, grabbing Zhao Yuan's arm.
"I know the value of *Wushan Medical Tales* is very high," Zhao Yuan replied. 'Any medical book worthy of being included in the Inheritance Seed couldn't possibly be ordinary.'
"Then why won't you trade?" Wang Jiasen asked with a frown. He, too, was beginning to wonder if there was something wrong with Zhao Yuan's mind.
"Because I've already read it," Zhao Yuan answered.
He spoke the five words calmly, but to Wang Jiasen and the crowd, they boomed like a clap of thunder.
"Impossible!" the young man to Wang Jiasen's left cried out. The young woman to his right added doubtfully, "*Wushan Medical Tales* is a secret of our Wang Family, passed down only to insiders. In hundreds of years, only a handful of outsiders have ever read it, and they all swore a solemn oath never to reveal its contents. How could you possibly have read this book?!"
The two younger members of the Wang Family, who had been silent until now, could no longer hold back.
They were completely shocked!
"Wang Xu, Wang Zheng, both of you be quiet," Wang Jiasen snapped at them before turning his gaze back to Zhao Yuan. "Zhao Xiaoyou, what do you mean by that?"
"Exactly what I said," Zhao Yuan replied, too lazy to explain. He simply began reciting from the *Wushan Medical Tales* on his Information Leaf: "The ancients observed the five Qi, the five colors, and the five sounds to determine life and death. This is based on the principle that inner truth manifests externally, allowing illness to be seen. Though it may lie dormant and unexpressed, the internal organs are already injured, thus it must manifest in form, sound, and movement. It is like a fire hazard in a room; at first, it is not noticed, but when smoke and flames fill the space, it erupts uncontrollably..."
The others in the crowd didn't think much of this passage, but Wang Jiasen's face was a picture of shock and utter disbelief.
Because that was the exact content of the opening summary of *Wushan Medical Tales*!
Zhao Yuan hadn't misspoken a single word. The only difference was that the cadence of a few phrases was slightly different from how he had learned it.