Baizhu, the owner of “Bubu Pharmacy,” is a master of the medicinal arts. He is benevolent and kind, yet also shrouded in mystery and other contradictions.
Despite having countless admiring physicians begging for his attention, he has insisted on choosing a zombie who can barely sort medicinal ingredients to be his apprentice.
And though only a mortal, a talking snake with powerful spiritual energy is always wrapped around his shoulders.
Maladies major and minor may all be mitigated with his medicine, but the physician seems unable to cure himself.
Such a person does not go unnoticed in Liyue, for the greater a person’s capabilities, the greater the calamity they could cause should their heart harbor any evil intent.
Yet both public observation and private investigation have not only found no trace of any hidden wickedness, but have seemed to confirm time and time again that his unimpeachable reputation as a benevolent doctor was, in fact, the unvarnished truth.
As for all those inscrutable secrets, Baizhu simply smiles and laughs:
“Good medicine is so bitter, so it shouldn’t be a problem to let a good doctor keep a few secrets, no?”
Baizhu habitually has a pot of water before boiling a pot of tea after waking up early in the morning. There is never a shortage of pastries at the Pharmacy, both sweet and salty, delivered from nearby shops and from around the neighborhood. This routine has never ceased, and is unchanged through all four seasons.
The snacks are divided into three portions, two large and one small. The large plates are for Baizhu and Herbalist Gui, and the small plate is for Qiqi and Changsheng. Whichever of them so desires can take a bite, and this counts as having had breakfast with everyone.
In addition, the doors of the Pharmacy are always lined with fresh supplies when it opens in the morning: vegetables, rice, fresh fish, melons and fruits… there is always an abundance of food at Bubu Pharmacy.
Baizhu has repeatedly attempted to persuade the community not to give him such gifts, as he does not like to take things from others for free. But the public knows that Dr. Baizhu doesn’t always charge for his consultations, and offers steep discounts upon already reduced prices to the people. The child of this family, the grandfather of that household…
The number of people who have benefited from his care is beyond count. Of course, since cheaper healthcare means more Mora in the pocket, using the savings to give gifts by way of thanks is a perfectly sensible thing to do. Baizhu’s attempts to dissuade his well-wishers were defeated by this logic, and his only remaining response was to ask Herbalist Gui to bring all the gifts from the door into the shop.
After breakfast, the clinic opens for consultations. Baizhu remains in the shop to see patients, and Herbalist Gui delivers medicines wrapped and prepared the previous night to elderly patients who have difficulty walking. Each package comes with a detailed note explaining clearly both the frequency and quantity of medicine to be taken for the convenience of the patient.
When patients begin arriving at the clinic, Changsheng takes leave of her perch on Baizhu’s body and wanders about the clinic. If she catches Qiqi performing her calisthenics in the courtyard, she will wind about Qiqi’s shoulders and help her keep time with a “one two three one two three,” and so on. If she runs into Herbalist Gui delivering medicine in the corridor, she will rest on his arm and ask after the latest neighborhood gossip.
After the talking is done, the medicine weighted and packaged, and the tea has cooled, it is time for lunch. At this time, Baizhu is at leisure to personally prepare a nutritious meal and sweet soup that are both healthy and tasty for all who come to call.
Afternoons in Liyue Harbor are a leisurely affair, with studying children, tottering old grandparents, Millelith carrying spears… An endless patter of footfalls. Changsheng and Qiqi lie by the pharmacy door, basking in the sun and watching the flow of people. They idly observe that the one on the left has let their hair grow too long and needs a haircut, while that one on the right has a rash on their face, and might be suffering from an internal imbalance. The sound of their chatter reaches Herbalist Gui’s ears, and fearing disturbing others, he brings over a bench and moves Changsheng and Qiqi back inside the pharmacy.
The commotion reaches Baizhu’s clinic, and he listens to their exchange as he writes a prescription. Time is like boiling water in a copper kettle: at once both a turbulent tumult but also sitting quietly beside you.
As night falls, Bubu Pharmacy closes for the day. Herbalist Gui sometimes stays for dinner, and sometimes goes home to eat with his family. Then only Baizhu, Qiqi, and Changsheng remain, and the two people and one snake may eat and drink to their hearts’ content, returning to their rooms to rest by the light of the moon.
One cannot call such a day anything out of the ordinary. It is simply a day at Bubu Pharmacy. Though, if Herbalist Gui suddenly had the thought to come back and take a peek before going to bed, more like than not he would happen upon Baizhu teaching Qiqi new exercises in the courtyard to keep her limber.
One-two-three, one-two-three… Morning, noon, and night, spring, summer, and fall — oh, and also winter… Calisthenics and life both have their rhythm.
The storyteller rapped the wooden table, opened his mouth, and began to tell a tale of ghosts and demons. Though the public loves to hear these stories, they get old after too many tellings, and so people asked, “is there anything else? You’ve told the one about the jewel-seller and the one about the thief, what else is there?”
At that moment, Baizhu came down the stairs, and the audience saw him and thought to themselves: Dr. Baizhu has many stories, surely, but putting them into a book might be far too difficult. Other than discussing his exemplary behavior and medical ethics, if one wishes to say a few words about him over tea or after dinner, the most that can be talked about is the Doctor’s private pursuit of the adeptal arts and the like, a matter that Baizhu has never intended to conceal.
There are a multitude of visitors to Bubu Pharmacy, and those with sharp eyes cannot avoid noticing the books Baizhu reads in his spare time. In addition to medical treatises are ancient tomes which record the ways in which the adepti may be sought out. In addition, the medicine chests at Bubu Pharmacy contain a multitude of rare herbs and ingredients which are of no use in treating common illnesses, but are constantly used and replenished in an endless cycle. Though the average patient may not understand the arcane implications, those from families which practice alchemy or thaumaturgical arts can instantly recognize that all of these are ingredients used to refine various “Elixirs of Immortality” spoken of in legend.
For most ordinary people, “immortality” is simply too strange a concept. But there are people whose curiosity will be aroused, and who will seek to know just how Baizhu wishes to attain immortality and how far along the road he has come… But this has proved akin to walking on a tightrope at night — it is difficult to take even a single step.
Eventually, news of Baizhu’s quest spread. Once the news was leaked, people formed an opinion. Some coveted his knowledge, some opposed this pursuit, and others didn’t particularly care about his goal of immortality, but were concerned about the trouble his methods might cause.
Baizhu himself was in his clinic, but his fingers were on the pulse of the street, and he had anticipated this would happen. In the vast land of Liyue, the concerns of the third group of people would be the most difficult to assuage. He had initially planned to quietly dispel any doubts, but the name “Baizhu” had already appeared on the Ministry of Civil Affairs’ persons of special interest list. Fortunately, Baizhu always conducted himself impeccably in his daily life, and is amiable and willing to chat with his patients during their consultations. From these visits, he learned that the Ministry of Civil Affairs was keeping a close eye on him.
He saw through their methods, and turned the ears and mouths of the people to his own ends, letting them spread the word on his behalf that his research and approach had no ill intent and would cause no trouble.
Rumors spread more quickly than the most infectious pathogen, and soon the fact his quest was benign had spread to every corner. This push and pull between Baizhu and Ministry continued for some time, but eventually he was able to avoid unwanted attention and his name avoided appearing in the top secret intelligence reports of the owner of Yanshang Teahouse, Yelan.
As for the aforementioned second group of people, their beliefs are already a known quantity, and set in stone. Many are the descendants of a clan that believes firmly in the principle that some things are divinely ordained, and that the impermanence of life and permanence of death are among those immutable truths. It must be pure coincidence that the representative of this second group lives but a street away at Wangsheng Funeral Parlor.
As the saying goes, neighbors are like relatives and friends, and Bubu Pharmacy and Wangsheng Funeral Parlor have had many interactions over the years, and both parties greet each other with a smile when their paths cross in the street. As for those questions of life and death, death and life, the opinion of the 77th Director of the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor Hu Tao is as follows: If the matter cannot be explained or settled in a couple words, it’s better to have Baizhu over for dinner! And as for a sensible person like Baizhu? Of course one should attend the banquet! Season after season, year after year, without going into too much detail, the two households with very different views have spent many a day together, and could be considered close friends, albeit with each keeping their secrets.
When two parties do not align closely, they merely speak of etiquette. But when they align, one may speak of duty. For Bubu Pharmacy is in the business of healing the sick, and in the course of business it is inevitable that there will be those beyond saving or at the end of their lives. Those with good fortune are cared for by their family, but those less lucky will breathe their last in Bubu Pharmacy. When this happens, Bubu Pharmacy and Wangsheng Funeral Parlor will jointly ensure their final rest is peaceful.
The last rites and journey of the deceased is of great importance, and Director Hu Tao entrusts this to her most dependable consultant, Zhongli. For Bubu Pharmacy, Baizhu cares greatly for those patients who pass away under his care, and personally sees to their arrangements. The two parties hold a ceremony in a secluded thatched cottage in the dead of night. Baizhu sends the deceased there, and the Wangsheng Funeral Parlor consultant holds the ceremony and performs the final rites, carrying out each step in an orderly manner. Even if it is simply going through the motions, the departed may rest in peace.
It is a pity that though the soul has passed on, no living soul will ever thank Bubu Pharmacy or Wangsheng Funeral Parlor on the deceased’s behalf. But the heavens wheel ever onward, and so too does the cycle of life and death continue unceasingly. Doctor and Funeral Director and consultant are neighbors by coincidence, friends over the dinner table, but only truly meet heart-to-heart when conducting the solemn duty of seeing off the souls of the deceased. Once they walk out of that thatched cottage, they return to their former selves. As for the aforementioned first type of people, those who covet the secret of immortality, though they are many in number, their methods are crude, and they are easy to deal with.
Bandits are common in the wilderness and in the mountains, and a few particularly stupid and shortsighted ones once ran into Baizhu alone on a mountain road. Baizhu was refining medicine, and the bandits, having heard rumors of Baizhu’s quest, came to the conclusion that he had made something of value here in this remote location. They struck, expecting to plunder the secret medicine Baizhu had created. A few hours later, the Millelith arrived at the scene of the crime, having received a report. It was difficult to tell who was the real victim, with the ruffians laid out upon the ground and Baizhu standing beside them with a smile.
“The facts of the case come first, so forgive me for asking,” the Millelith soldier began hesitantly, “but did you really come to place this remote just to make cold medicine?”
“If I was refining some special medicine…” Baizhu laughed and shook his head. “Would they ever have found me?”
These stories traveled round and round, eventually returning to the ears of the storyteller. He thought for a moment, then shook his head and sighed: “Forget it. At the end of the day, Dr. Baizhu is just a doctor. What fascinating tales could there be?”
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