Previous Partners

More than two years ago, Victoria was on a mission and passing through a deep mountain forest; she found these two wild ginseng plants at the entrance of a mountain cave. She thought it was rare, so she took them away. People accompanying her was a good friend from the same sect with whom she shared a life-and-death relationship, her only trustworthy partner in the Shadow. However, for that mission, her friend couldn't make it out alive with her. Victoria buried her body on the spot. When passing through Biddeford, she, dazed and confused, casually threw the two wild ginseng plants into the Bright Hall. What had been given away should not be taken back - whether the ginseng was sold, given away, or consumed by Franklin had nothing to do with her anymore. Seeing her pale face, Franklin was concerned about her at the time. But if he went back on the original promise to only use them for emergencies and tried to profit off it, Victoria wouldn't step into Bright Hall again. "Bring a ladder and retrieve the object in the second box on the right at the top shelf for Miss Ricardo," Franklin instructed the medicine apprentice. "Master, allow me to retrieve it," Whether it was remorse or not, the middle-aged man volunteered to retrieve the item, hoping to earn some redemption. Franklin looked at him and, soft-heartedly, nodded. Breathing a sigh of relief, the middle-aged man quickly took over the ladder from the boy, climbed up, opened the compartment, and just as he was about to reach in, he heard Franklin say, "Take them both down." "Oh," The middle-aged man hesitated but agreed. Franklin then said to Valentina, "These two 200-year-old wild ginseng were given to me by a girl. She and you..." He took a good look at Valentina, then with a congenial smile, said, "You are approximately of the same age, and even your dispositions are somewhat similar." He sighed regretfully after, "It's a pity she hasn't visited me for a while. Young lady, I believe we are fated. I am giving you both of these wild ginseng. Take them home and use them." "Get a box, and I'll pack these for Miss Ricardo." The middle-aged man deftly wrapped the two wild ginsengs in his hand and packed them into the box brought by the medicine apprentice. "Hold on." However, Valentina stopped him. Caught off guard, the middle-aged man looked up at Valentina, his gaze dark and ambiguous, "Is there a problem?" "I want to see what the two-hundred-year-old wild ginseng looks like." Valentina stretched out her hand to ask for the wild ginseng. "What? Do you think there's something wrong with the products from Bright Hall? Besides, what could a girl like you understand?" The man's eyes released a venomous gaze. "My master gives you this as a gift without asking for a penny. You're really ungrateful." "Alex, watch your language," Franklin scolded. "Isn't it natural for a patient to see the medicine they're buying? Let her check it." His expression hardened. However, the middle-aged man remained static holding the wild ginseng. At this point, Franklin realized something was amiss. He immediately went forward, forcibly snatching the wild ginseng from the man's hand. Upon inspection, this was far from a two-hundred-year-old wild ginseng. It was simply ordinary, commercially cultivated ginseng from a store. The elder was greatly taken aback, "Where are my two wild ginsengs?" He questioned the middle-aged man and quickly instructed the apprentice to climb up the ladder and check, only to find that there was nothing left in the box. "Master, there's nothing," the apprentice confirmed. The middle-aged man sank to his knees with a thud, crawling on his knees to face Franklin. Clutching at Franklin's trouser leg, he had tears immediiately. "M-master, I was blinded by my greed. I'm to blame, Master! Scold me, hit me," sobbed the middle-aged man, his regret palpable. "You..." Franklin, pointing at the middle-aged man, was too angry to speak coherently. "Home is where the most difficult defenses lie," Franklin fumed, raising his hand. "Those two stalks of wild ginseng are so rare that it's hard to find again in a hundred years. Those who you gifted them to will never appreciate your generosity. It's only fair that we charge for our services when our medicine could save lives. "You... you ungrateful wretch." Franklin was trembling with rage. Despite all his anger, his palm finally found its way to the middle-aged man's cheek with a resounding slap. The middle-aged man fell to the ground, got back up, and forcibly slapped himself a few times before continuing to cling on to Franklin's clothing. "Master... Since you've hit and scolded me, please forgive me this once. I swear I won't do it again." Franklin flung him off, pointing towards the door. "Get out of here. Get out of Bright Hall. I don't want to see you anymore." Seeing the determined face of Franklin, the fear and remorse in the middle-aged man's eyes quickly vanished, replaced by a cold ruthlessness. He gradually dialed down his voice, looked at Franklin, and stood up without a glance back. He turned and walked out. "You stole the ginseng, kept the money, and passed off farmed ginseng as hundred-year-old wild ginseng. You've ruined the hundred-year-old reputation of the Bright Hall, and you're getting away with it? How could there be such a good deal in this world?" The cold voice of Valentina echoed. Her words successfully stopped the middle-aged man in his tracks. He glared viciously at Valentina and warned, "You wench, this isn't your place to intervene. I swear if you continue running your mouth, I'll make sure you'll never talk again." Originally, Franklin wanted to preserve some dignity for his past master-disciple relationship by letting him go. Now, seeing him unrepentant and full of malice, unfit to be a healer, Franklin regretted his blindness. He shouted towards the security guard at the entrance, "Stop him - Arthur, call the police!" The middle-aged man, seeing the situation, became scared. He pushed aside the incoming security guard and attempted to run away. But the next second, Valentina, who seemingly moved like a ghost right behind him, easily subdued him. Once he was overpowered and trod upon by Valentina, the middle-aged man struggled, only to find out that he couldn't get up no matter how he tried, so he began to curse and threaten Valentina angrily. Soon, the middle-aged man was taken away by the police. "My sincerest apologies." Franklin, trying hard to suppress his grief, instructed his assistant to get the two most premium ginseng from the store for Valentina. He then handed over to Valentina the item she wanted. It was a set of needles for acupuncture. Accepting them, Valentina noticed they were identical to the set she used before. People only knew that Seely, the doctor, was capable of miraculous medical work with a single scalpel, but they were completely oblivious to her mastery of herb medicine. Her technique was phenomenal, even a single silver needle could bring the dying back to the brink of life and heal the injured like magic. "Young lady, could you tell me who your friend is?" Franklin asked. A smith once came from Franklin's family, excelling in his craftsmanship, but this art was only passed down to Franklin's paternal great-uncle. The acupuncture needles on the market were miles away from the ones crafted by his paternal great-uncle. His paternal great-uncle said that these needles were only for those destined to receive them. All he accepted was the material cost, only a few people knew about his skills. So far, Franklin had only given them to that girl. When he received a call from Valentina, initially, he thought she was that girl. However, upon hearing the voice, he realized she wasn't. Now that he was looking at her physically, it was clear they were two different people. "It's that person you're thinking of," Valentina said. After hearing this, Franklin wasn't too surprised and asked, "Is she doing well?" "Very well." Looking at the benevolent and kind expression on Franklin's face, Valentina thought for a moment before adding, "She asked me to visit you when I had the chance." But to her surprise, Franklin only said in a you-can't-fool-me tone, "No, she wouldn't." Although they only met a few times, Franklin could tell that the girl wasn't a person to care about others easily. Without saying anything more, Valentina took her medicine and needles and left.