Song Qing Shi clasped his hands together and said with utmost sincerity to Yue Wu Huan, "My treasure has arrived!"
For a moment, Yue Wu Huan was puzzled, only to realize that Song Qing Shi was enamored with the six white mice scurrying in the cage he held. He carefully set the cage on the laboratory table and explained, "My Lord, these were sent by the master of Ye Yu Pavilion. Are they some rare spirit beasts?"
"I had these mice located in the mortal realm, and it wasn't easy to find even these few," Song Qing Shi leaned over the table, unable to take his eyes off the adorable critters. "Wu Huan, did you know? The genes of white mice are 98% similar to humans; they're the most commonly used animal in medical experiments."
Yue Wu Huan's beautiful eyes widened, incredulous as he looked at the grubby little mice in the cage.
They shared 98% similarity with him?
"Right now, we only have these wild ones. We'll need to breed them in large quantities, cultivate different types: clean mice, specific pathogen-free mice, germ-free mice... perhaps even high-cancer and low-cancer, and diabetic mice," Song Qing Shi enthusiastically continued, his eyes glowing, "It may take decades to cultivate them, but fortunately, as a cultivator in the Nascent Soul stage, I have a long lifespan. I can afford to take it slow. Is the breeding room ready? I'll start staying in the lab from today to ensure they adapt and reproduce; they're our lifeline after all..."
A senior sister of his had once been conducting experiments abroad with lab mice she had cultivated over four years. When civil unrest broke out, she was terrified and constantly called to complain. Everyone advised her to abandon the experiments and come back, but she broke down and cried inconsolably, saying that her life was bound up with those mice. Since then, lab mice had earned the nickname 'lifeline' in their laboratory.
Understanding now, Yue Wu Huan thought of the rumors and ventured, "My Lord, even if mice are similar, they aren't humans. Why not use mortals for drug testing? That's a common practice among immortal pharmacists, isn't it?"
"Of course, we'll use humans," Song Qing Shi replied offhandedly, still engrossed in thoughts of mice. "We'll first use mice and other animals to confirm the safety of the medicine, then proceed to human trials. My mentor used to test medicines on himself first. After ascertaining their safety, he'd recruit volunteers. I've also participated several times; it's convenient for confirming the efficacy."
He revered his mentor immensely—a virtuous and selfless individual solely dedicated to the welfare of mankind.
As Hippocrates once said, the art of medicine is the most beautiful and noble of all arts.
Medical research could lead to the development of new drugs that could rescue countless patients from suffering and even alter human history.
What a marvelous endeavor that would be!
Song Qing Shi looked at the white mice as if he were gazing into a bright future.
Yue Wu Huan thought for a while before cautiously asking, "My Lord, having tested so many medicines, is your mentor... well?"
Song Qing Shi answered honestly, "He's in another world now."
Yue Wu Huan's face paled with worry, "My Lord, please let Wu Huan handle the drug testing from now on."
"Alright, once I've tested it and it's safe, you can try it," Song Qing Shi praised contentedly, "Wu Huan, you're a promising medical student—intelligent, kind, and full of compassion. Your achievements will surely be great in the future."
The Lord is wonderful in many ways, but he's rather blind when it comes to me...
Through the apothecaries, he's come to know that although the Medicine King Immortal has always been obsessed with medical studies and behaves oddly, since his arrival at Medicine King Valley, the Immortal seems to have grown a bit more emotional. He no longer erupts in inexplicable anger and has ceased conducting cruel human experiments. The trust and affection shown to him are also unprecedentedly high.
Such changes make it hard for him to suppress his flights of fancy, and today, they're stronger than ever.
If the Lord doesn't mind even these dirty mice, then could he also...
"My Lord, allow me to care for your lab mice," Yue Wu Huan softly tugged at Song Qing Shi's sleeve, imploring in a low voice, "My constitution is well-suited for drug testing. Let me test medicines for you for a lifetime, just like these mice... I'm not afraid of dying, so please don't harm yourself."
Hearing the word "death" from Yue Wu Huan's lips, Song Qing Shi felt a chill, and shadows of academic failure rushed back. Quickly processing their conversation, he vowed internally that both the lab mice and Yue Wu Huan were his lifelines, equal in his heart. His mentor's fate in another world was for other reasons and definitely not due to failed drug tests. Under his careful control, no harm would come to either.
Yue Wu Huan felt extremely satisfied with what he heard.
Considering that he might sometimes be preoccupied and require assistance, Song Qing Shi handed over a hefty manual on lab mouse breeding to Yue Wu Huan, entrusting him with their care. Yue Wu Huan solemnly took both the manual and the cage, swearing to look after the Lord's lifelines carefully.
An invoice for the lab mice and a letter from Ye Yu Pavilion arrived.
Although the lab mice weren't spirit beasts, nobody had ever requested such creatures before. They were hard to find due to their small size, and were eventually located on a remote island overseas.
All factors considered, the final price for each mouse was set at one hundred high-quality spirit stones.
"Not expensive." Song Qing Shi paid the invoice without hesitation.
Yue Wu Huan hesitated for a while before asking, "My Lord, did you... overlook the financial ledger I submitted a few days ago?"
Song Qing Shi had no interest in financial matters, so he had set the ledger aside and forgotten about it. Upon hearing Yue Wu Huan's reminder, he picked it up and was shocked to discover that Medicine King Valley was running a deficit. He pointed to the numbers on the ledger, hoping his all-capable secretary would explain.
Yue Wu Huan sighed, "My Lord, you've custom-ordered numerous specialized instruments from Tian Gong Workshop, and they come at a high price. Plus, you've also purchased a large number of expensive herbs for your research. Most notably, there is an unidentified expenditure of two hundred thousand high-quality spirit stones..."
Song Qing Shi swallowed hard. He was previously a wealthy second-generation kid who knew little about finance. His parents indulged him, never minding when he took a couple of hundred thousand to buy medicinal ingredients for his self-funded research. The lab was always well-equipped, so he never considered the costs of drug research.
Since coming here, Yue Wu Huan had sorted out his finances and established various income streams. The outlook was promising, so he just went ahead and spent liberally, never thinking he'd become a spendthrift.
He absolutely did not want Yue Wu Huan to know about the expenditure for the twenty thousand spirit stones used to buy the Wan Ling Marrow.
One reason was to avoid burdening him psychologically, and the second was to give him a pleasant surprise.
Seeing that Song Qing Shi didn't want to disclose the expenditure, Yue Wu Huan refrained from asking and reassured, "Don't worry too much, my Lord. Some revenues just take time to materialize. I will think of other ways."
Even though he wasn't reprimanded, Song Qing Shi felt tremendously guilty. He realized that he had neglected his responsibilities for quite some time. To avoid dealing with Jin Feng Mountain Villa, he had even feigned seclusion, not accepting any patients, and joyously immersed himself in his laboratory and study room every day. It was Yue Wu Huan who, in addition to his own cultivation, took on the burdensome tasks Song Qing Shi didn't want to do—earning money, taking care of his daily needs, all while making it so easy for him to forget his own responsibilities and keep causing trouble for Yue Wu Huan.
Grasping at Yue Wu Huan's sleeve, Song Qing Shi apologized with shame: "It's my fault. I won't spend money recklessly anymore. I'll give up the silk pajamas, skip the desserts, eat frugally, and put off buying any new lab equipment. I'll also start accepting wealthy patients soon. I'll work hard to earn money and not make it hard on you anymore…"
Yue Wu Huan was a top-tier beauty and a brilliant scholar. Since being with him, not only had he lived frugally, but he had also worked hard daily, even before fully recovering, in order to financially support the spendthrift and worry about the livelihood.
What kind of scum was he?
What kind of doctor treated their patients like this?
The more Song Qing Shi spoke, the more panicked he became; his eyes even reddened.
"It's not that bad," Yue Wu Huan hastily clarified, seeing that his Lord was on the verge of tears, "It's not burdensome for me at all. Your research benefits the world; I should fully support it."
Song Qing Shi clung to him, not knowing what to say, "But, but…"
A soft smile surfaced in Yue Wu Huan's eyes. He gently held his hand and softly said, "My Lord, staying busy prevents me from dwelling on the past. Let me handle it; I enjoy working for you…"
His beautiful fingertips gently traced circles in Song Qing Shi's palm, warm and tickling, making his heart itch in response.
Song Qing Shi was utterly moved by the angelic kindness before him.
Yue Wu Huan toyed with his palm and smiled, "It's just a temporary financial crunch. I plan to secure funds for purchasing medicine fields, acquiring ingredients, and training pharmacists. The low-tier elixirs produced by Medicine King Valley will sell like hotcakes. But I don't have the connections or the suitability to be in the public eye. It would be best to find someone capable to handle external affairs."
Song Qing Shi knew what he was concerned about and also didn't dare let him go out alone for fear he would attract undesirable attention.
The realm of immortals was rife with murders and thefts; only those with formidable powers could engage in large transactions.
In Medicine King Valley, Song Qing Shi was the only one who could hold sway. Asking this social-phobic individual to negotiate with old foxes in business would be like sending him to his death...
After contemplating for a while, Song Qing Shi suddenly thought of a good idea. He pulled out a letter from a pile and hurried over, "An Long is visiting in a few days. He's the sect leader of Wan Gu Sect, which has a significant influence in the West Woods and owns a spirit stone mine. He's wealthy and well-connected. How about we try to get him to be our angel investor?"
Both his father and sister in his original world were domineering CEOs. Although he was naive, daily exposure to them meant he understood some things.
Yue Wu Huan glanced at the letter box and found that the letters from An Long were the majority, almost three to four each month, all under the guise of academic discussions. Moreover, the ledger showed frequent gift exchanges with Wan Gu Sect, whose gifts were always more valuable. He frowned slightly, feeling uneasy and sensing the need to clarify the situation.
...
Song Qing Shi didn't hide anything and took a considerable amount of time to explain his relationship with An Long.
Recently, the memories of his original self had been increasingly integrating with his own, sometimes giving him the illusion that they were one soul. The original self was just colder and more aggressive in methods, having never been taught morality. But their lifestyle habits and study methods were identical. Due to the original self's indifference towards anything besides research and cultivation, as well as anyone else, his memories of An Long were somewhat vague in detail, although they generally matched up.
"We met over five hundred years ago. Back then, I hadn't reached the Nascent Soul stage, and he was just a cultivator who had newly formed his Foundation," Song Qing Shi carefully chose his words, speaking to Yue Wu Huan. "As I recall, he was slightly older than you, around seventeen or eighteen—quite a rebellious young man."
Yue Wu Huan interjected to correct: "My Lord, my appearance has been kept youthful due to the He Huan Seal halting my growth before I fully matured. It doesn't mean I was that young. In fact, I was already an adult when I formed my Foundation."
"Yes, you will resume your normal growth once the seal is removed," Song Qing Shi recalled his own lesson and advised cautiously. "Don't form your Golden Core too early. A cultivator's growth slows down after forming their Foundation. The Golden Core stage sets your form; if you form it too early, you'll end up like me, unless you specialize in body-cultivation techniques or reshape your body at the Soul Severing stage..."
His youthful face was a tragic result of his high innate talent.
He didn't wish to body-cultivate just for appearance's sake, so he had resigned himself to his fate.
"I understand." Yue Wu Huan looked at him contentedly and licked his lips. "You're perfectly fine the way you are."
Taking it as a consolation, Song Qing Shi returned to the serious topic: "I met An Long while gathering herbs in a secret realm. We discussed pharmacology and found each other insightful. His knowledge of poisons was also impressive, so I invited him to visit Medicine King Valley for further exchanges. However, he was quite mischievous, liked to tease me, and enjoyed making me angry. A few years later, for some unknown reason, we had a massive argument. He grew inexplicably furious, cursed wildly, made a big scene, and eventually left Medicine King Valley."
Yue Wu Huan gently tapped his fingers on the table, lost in thought.
"Two hundred years later, he reached the Nascent Soul stage and suddenly realized his mistakes. He wrote an apology, and since then, we've been keeping up a good correspondence," Song Qing Shi concluded, satisfied. "Looking back, it seems like he grew out of his adolescent rebellious phase."
Yue Wu Huan cautiously asked, "My Lord, is he attracted to men or..."
"Don't worry!" Song Qing Shi, knowing Yue Wu Huan's concerns, asserted decisively, "An Long may be flamboyant and playful, but he's utterly straight! I always saw him flirting with girls when we were together. If he wasn't seducing some fairy, he was charming some courtesan! Rumor has it that he's incurred quite a few romantic debts out there, but I've never heard of him showing interest in men!"
Yue Wu Huan still seemed somewhat skeptical.
Song Qing Shi patted his chest as a guarantee: "Rest assured! If he dares to lay a finger on you, I'll break his legs!"