72, Fire and Medicine

At night, between 9 and 11 PM.

Everyone in the Medical Hall was sound asleep, except for a light still burning in the main hall.

The flame of the oil residue lamp flickered on the counter, casting only a small patch of light.

Chen Ji, with his sleeves rolled up, stood behind a mahogany counter. His hair was tied up with a wooden hairpin on top of his head as he focused on grinding pieces of charcoal into powder and mixing them with a jar of high-proof Fire Saber Wine he had bought previously, spreading it across the counter.

He pushed the oil residue lamp away, quietly waiting for the alcohol, hydrocarbons, and oxides to fully evaporate.

As he waited for evaporation, he gently fanned himself while lifting his gaze to the roof beams.

A small spider was slowly spinning its web on the beam. A moth slammed into the web, struggling fiercely. The spider crawled towards the moth, oblivious to the gecko lurking at the edge of its web.