Since all these rules and superstitions are outdated, what's wrong with me indulging in some me

The three quickened their pace, following Xiaolian at a distance that was neither too close nor too far.

Xiao Lian seemed to know the route well; after several twists and turns, she soon arrived at the alleyway where their temporary residence was located.

She stopped, turned around to look at Lu Changsheng and the other two who had followed her, a sweet smile returning to her face as she pointed to the courtyard gate ahead:

"Brother Lu, is this the place? Shall we go in?"

After saying that, she actually pushed the door open and went inside.

Inside the room, the oil lamp flickered.

Mark sat against the wall, his face ashen, the bandages on his arms unwrapped, revealing shocking bluish-black spreading marks, and his forehead covered in cold sweat.

The burly black man lay silently at the other end of the earthen bed, covered with a sheet.

As soon as Xiaolian entered the room, her eyes were immediately drawn to the two patients inside.

A perfectly measured look of concern appeared on her face:

"Oh dear, this young man is badly injured! And that uncle... did he hurt his leg? He's bleeding a lot, isn't he?"

As she spoke, she walked straight to the earthen bed, placed the small bamboo basket on the edge of the bed, and took out the two black pottery medicine bottles from it.

"This bottle is for detoxification," she said, picking up one of the bottles and pulling out the cork. A strong, bitter herbal scent, mixed with a strange sweet and fishy smell, instantly filled the air.

She placed the medicine bottle on the table. "Apply it externally to the wound, make sure to apply a thick layer. This bottle is for stopping bleeding and promoting tissue regeneration." She then picked up another bottle. "For internal use, dissolve it in water and drink it."

Her movements and words were so fluid and natural, it was hard to believe that a child could do such a thing.

"I'll leave the medicine here."

She clapped her hands, as if she had accomplished a task.

After saying that, she really didn't linger and waved to Lu Changsheng:

"Goodbye, Brother Lu! I hope I'll see you again sometime!"

Then, she turned around, a smile on her face, but her gaze was devoid of emotion as she glanced at Cheng Caijun, a glance that made his hair stand on end.

But it was only a glance, so fast that Cheng Caijun thought it was an illusion. Then, Xiaolian took light steps, just like when she came, skipping and hopping through the courtyard gate, her figure quickly disappearing into the darkness of the alley outside the gate.

"What does she mean? Is she here to deliver medicine?"

Emily's voice came from behind. She had just gone out to do something and was now coming back when she ran into Xiaolian, who was walking out.

"Check carefully first."

Lu Changsheng said in a deep voice.

Emily followed him in, and when she came to Lu Changsheng's side, he smelled a faint scent of blood on her.

He raised an eyebrow but said nothing.

The atmosphere inside the room was heavy.

All eyes were focused on the two small black ceramic medicine bottles, as if they were not medicine, but two bombs that could explode at any moment.

"The system store doesn't have tools to detect unknown drugs," Kevin frowned. "Regular senses of smell and color recognition are simply unreliable in a place like this."

"Let's give it a try!"

An Zhiyu uncorked the medicine bottle and brought it to her nose to smell it.

She uncorked the bottle that claimed to be an "antidote." The strong, bitter smell of the medicine, mixed with a strange sweet and fishy odor, filled the air once again.

Anzhiyu didn't inhale the scent directly; instead, she let it diffuse, her nostrils twitching slightly as she carefully discerned it.

A few seconds later, she frowned slightly, moved the medicine bottle away a little, and looked at Lu Changsheng and Kevin:

"The smell is complex, with at least a dozen kinds of herbs, most of which are common heat-clearing and detoxifying herbs, but there are a few that I can't smell, but they are somewhat similar to the smell of aged incense ash."

She handed the medicine bottle to Lu Changsheng. Lu Changsheng took it and carefully smelled it as well.

Lu Changsheng put the medicine bottle back on the table and looked at another bottle of "Hemostasis and Tissue Regeneration" oral medicine. "Take a look at this bottle too."

An Zhiyu did as instructed and uncorked the second medicine bottle. A sweeter, even slightly rusty and bloody smell wafted out, revealing a thick, dark red liquid inside.

"The smell of blood." An Zhiyu's voice grew even colder. "Processed blood. A mixture of at least three different animal blood types, possibly including human blood."

Everyone looked at the two bottles of medicine on the table.

Rule 4: Don't accept kindness indiscriminately.

The rules do not state that you must refuse other people's kindness.

However, the rule states that one should not readily accept kindness from others, and this rule itself requires careful consideration.

"I'll do it."

Seeing that everyone was clueless about the two bottles of medicine and had no intention of using them.

Lu Changsheng suddenly spoke.

He stepped forward and looked at Yamamoto Ichiro.

"Mr. Yamamoto, could I borrow the half-burnt incense ash you found at the shaman's door earlier?"

Yamamoto Ichiro was taken aback for a moment, then nodded and took out a small cloth bag from his pocket.

He handed several broken incense sticks to Lu Changsheng.

Thank you.

Lu Changsheng accepted it and nodded his thanks.

"What are you going to do?"

Kevin frowned slightly.

"I'll try another method."

Lu Changsheng took out three broken incense sticks and stuck them in the soil.

"Incense divination".

Lu Changsheng explained in a steady voice, "Incense communicates with the divine and also connects with the netherworld. The shape of the smoke trail, the speed of burning, and the shape of the ash can sometimes indicate good or bad fortune, especially in matters involving sacrifices and fortune telling, where there may be a connection."

"Emily, can I borrow a light?"

Emily flickered a few small flames from her fingertips, and with a "pop," she lit the three incense sticks on the ground.

Everyone held their breath and watched.

Three incense sticks burned quietly, the flames steady, and the blue smoke rose straight up.

Most importantly, the three incense sticks burned at almost the same speed, and the ash grew, bent, and fell in sync, forming a uniform and fine layer at the bottom of the bowl, with a clean grayish-white color.

The three incense sticks on the left, center, and right presented a near-perfect picture of "being of equal length, burning at the same time, and setting ashes at the same time"!

A hint of surprise flashed in Lu Changsheng's eyes, but he did not jump to conclusions and patiently observed for about a minute.

The incense had burned more than halfway, yet its shape remained stable and synchronized.

"Great fortune."

Lu Changsheng extinguished the incense and stood up.

The divination results indicate great fortune?

The room fell silent. This outcome was unexpected by everyone.

"This... medicine is good?"

Cheng Caijun asked somewhat uncertainly.

"Judging from the appearance of the incense divination, it does indeed indicate that 'everything will go smoothly, the home will be peaceful, the mind and body will be at peace, and the things you seek will be on the right track.'"

Lu Changsheng said slowly.

Everyone was taken aback.

The room fell silent for a moment, everyone stunned by the result of the incense divination.

"Everything is going smoothly... and what I'm seeking is on track?"

Kevin repeated, his brow furrowed.

"Lu Duanming, are you sure? Can this divination be trusted?"

"Sanji, this at least proves that these two bottles of medicine are harmless, or even beneficial."

Lu Changsheng's expression remained unchanged.

He paused, looking at Mark's dark arms and the unconscious Leo on the kang (heated brick bed):

"Of course, this is just a prediction based on divination, and divination isn't always 100% accurate. The risks still exist, but we may not have a better choice. Mark's poison is spreading, Leo is bleeding and unconscious, and dragging this out will only make things worse."

"You mean, give it a try?"