The Immortal of Plague begins by establishing the root of lung fire.

The inner room was so quiet that only the sound of the charcoal fire under the medicine stove could be heard.

Jia Chunfang's eyes were fixed on Song You's face: "How much do you know about suturing skin?"

Song You sat about ten feet away from the wooden couch, clasping his hands in a fist and palm salute: "Replying to Master, I have glanced at the book 'Medicine-Infused Wraps,' but I haven't read it carefully yet. The book says that it describes the leather-making technique for wrapping medicines, which is used to lock in the medicinal properties."

"Not bad, your brain is indeed very sharp." Jia Chunfang made a hoarse sound in her throat. "Our pharmacy supplies the temple with two main items: medicinal cuisine and medicine pouches. These two items are divided into five grades according to their level, and each grade is further divided into superior, medium, and inferior quality."

Jia Chunfang pointed to the two packets of grayish-yellow powder that Song You had just brewed: "The lung-clearing powder you made doesn't even qualify as a fifth-grade inferior medicine. However, it's your first time making it, and you managed to blend the medicinal properties together. You've entered the field of medicinal cuisine. From now on, you'll be able to handle the daily chores in the pharmacy. You won't tarnish my reputation."

Song You listened quietly without responding. Jia Chunfang brought it up specifically, indicating that he valued the medicine pouch even more. Speaking of which, Song You had seen one before, the Winter Return Medicine Pouch that Jiang Yangge took out when exchanging it with Gong Ba. It looked very precious, but he didn't know what grade it was.

"The medicinal food enters the stomach, and the medicine pouch is carried on the body." Jia Chunfang leaned forward slightly. "The medicine pouch is not used to consume and refine the medicinal food, but is worn on the body to assist in cultivation. It contains medicines similar to those in the medicinal food."

Song You understood what he meant. Once he learned how to make medicinal cuisine, all he needed to do was learn how to sew the skin, and the medicine pouch would be ready. So he followed up by asking, "Master, is sewing the skin the key to the success or failure of this medicine pouch?"

"That's right." Jia Chunfang leaned back on the wooden couch. "The medicinal ingredients stuffed into the medicine pouch are certainly indispensable, but sewing the leather is the key to locking in the medicinal properties. If the leather is bad and the sewing is poor, all the medicinal properties will leak out, and even good medicine will become useless. If the leather is good and the sewing is good, with tight stitches, the medicinal properties will circulate inside the pouch and not dissipate, which can significantly improve the quality. Inferior medicine can become medium-grade, and medium-grade medicine can become superior medicine."

Song You straightened up and said, "This disciple understands and will do his best to master this skill."

"You really need to do your best." Jia Chunfang's eyelids drooped, concealing the cold light in her eyes. "I told you a few days ago that you had one month to learn everything in the pharmacy. But these past few days, I've noticed that Liu Xiang, that beast, has been making a lot of moves over there. He's plotting something, and I don't have time to wait for you to slowly grind it out."

The old monster's tone turned cold: "I was just sitting here planning that if you can't do it within half a month, I'll use the old method. I'll force-feed the pharmacology directly into your brain. It doesn't matter if you're a little stupid, as long as your hand is steady."

A thin layer of sweat seeped out from Song You's back; this old monster had no intention of letting him live a peaceful life.

Jia Chunfang then changed the subject: "However, I'm not deliberately making things difficult for you. You don't need to read all three of the remaining books. You only need to thoroughly learn how to make medicine pouches in the book 'Medicine Pouch Making.' Today, let's test your leather sewing skills."

"I'm only giving you this opportunity because I see your rare talent, so don't let me down."

Song You quickly analyzed the current situation in his mind. Reducing the number of books from three to one and compressing the time to half a month, there was a great chance that he could do it.

Judging from Jia Chunfang's behavior, what he values ​​most is not brewing medicine, but the skill of sewing leather. The private goods he mentioned earlier must be related to this.

"Thank you for your care, Master." Song You clasped his hands together and raised them above his head. "Since I only need to focus on the book 'Wrapped Medicine in a Bag,' I am confident that I can do it and will never let you down, Master."

Jia Chunfang grinned, revealing her broken and blackened teeth: "Okay, Brother Jiang Yang."

Jiang Yangge, who was kneeling beside him, quickly replied, "Disciple is here."

"Take him to the backyard and pick out a piece of leather." Jia Chunfang waved her hand.

Jiang Yangge stood up and winked at Song You. The two then left the inner hall one after the other.

As they crossed the threshold, the cold wind outside dispelled the stuffiness inside. Brother Jiang led the way, walking along the bluestone path beside the pharmacy towards the backyard.

"Junior Brother Song, your talent is truly unparalleled." Brother Jiang lowered his voice, his tone ingratiating. "You were able to produce medicine on your very first attempt at opening the furnace, and now the elder is personally instructing you on how to sew skin. From now on, this pharmacy will rely entirely on you, Junior Brother."

Song You followed behind, his steps steady: "Senior brother, you flatter me. I was just lucky. I've never done this kind of leather sewing before, so I'm not sure what to do. Senior brother has been in the pharmacy for a long time, so I hope you can give me some pointers on the selection of leather."

Seeing that no one was around, Brother Jiang Yang said, "The selection of hides is a complex matter. The hides used in our pharmacy are mostly animal hides hunted in the back mountains, as well as miscellaneous hides brought in from outside, and hides produced annually within the temple. The first thing to consider when selecting hides is their toughness, the second is their texture, and the third is their compatibility. Ideally, they should allow the medicinal ingredients inside to be preserved for a longer time. Shade-dried hides are colder and suitable for containing yang-type medicines; fire-roasted hides are suitable for containing yin-type medicines."

As Song You listened, something suddenly occurred to him: the meticulousness of selecting leather was very similar to the stitching techniques he had learned in school.

Back then in the operating room, each instructor was given a piece of pigskin to practice on. Pigskin is thick with a lot of fat, so inserting the needle requires a large needle holder and a subtle, controlled force in the wrist. The tension in the epidermis, dermis, and subcutaneous tissue is completely different. The angle of the suture and the tension of the knots are strictly different depending on the location of the skin, such as the tightness of the scalp and the looseness of the abdominal skin.

The leather sewing that Jia Chunfang mentioned may just be a change in material. The essence remains the same. As long as you understand the thickness and tension of the leather and control the force of the needle insertion, this job is much easier for someone like him who has held a sewing needle before.

With this confidence, Song You felt much more at ease.

The two walked along the stone path to the end, pushed open a dilapidated wooden door, and entered a spacious courtyard, which was the pharmacy's sun-drying area.

A dozen thick bamboo poles stood in the courtyard, with hemp ropes as thick as a child's arm strung between them. Various sizes and colors of leather were draped over the ropes, while some were laid directly on mats. The air was filled with a strong smell of gunpowder, wood ash, and an unmistakable stench of blood.

The wind blew in from outside the courtyard wall, causing the leather straps on the ropes to sway back and forth, making a rustling sound.

"Junior brother, choose for yourself." Brother Jiang stopped at the courtyard gate, pointing inside. "These on the outside are processed, lower-grade hides, and those further in are medium-grade hides. Since this is your first time practicing, just pick a lower-grade one."

Song You nodded and stepped into the sun-drying area.

He walked among the drying hides, his gaze sweeping over them. Suddenly, he noticed that some hides were padded with clothing underneath, seemingly to absorb any remaining blood and grease and prevent the hides from dripping water and soiling the ground.

Song You was startled; the clothes looked somewhat familiar, leading him to suspect the origin of the leather.

When Song You reached the third row of ropes, he stopped and his gaze fell on one of the clothes used as a base layer.

It looks especially familiar.