Seven Flavor Blood Nourishing Powder

Cock-a-doodle-doo!!

As the crowing of roosters rang through the city, the two Night Patrolmen from the Cautious Punishment Division stationed at Chen's Apothecary visibly relaxed.

Three rooster crows meant the most yin-filled hour had passed. The accumulated yin Baleful Intent had begun to disperse, and even if remnants of those evil demons' lingering thoughts remained, they were like duckweed without roots, incapable of stirring up much trouble.

Not until the first ray of dawn pierced the night and shone into the courtyard did Zhao Hu and Feng Yong, who had been guarding the rear courtyard of Chen's Apothecary, exchange a glance and rise from several stone stools that had been brought into the yard.

"The sky is bright. There is nothing more to do."

Zhao Hu spoke in an indifferent tone.

"You may clean up the courtyard."

Feng Yong casually added, then left the courtyard together with Zhao Hu.

Standing nearby, Hu Yong politely said, "My lords, since all is well, why not have a cup of morning tea before you leave?"

"No need."

Zhao Hu remained distant and paid no heed to Hu Yong's attempt to ingratiate himself.

As a Night Patrolman of the Cautious Punishment Division, even though he too was at the Second Blood Forging, his authority and status were far beyond Hu Yong's reach. Moreover, he had a fair chance of attaining the Third Blood Forging in the future. Naturally, he treated Hu Yong and the others with cold detachment, having not the slightest interest in befriending them.

Forget Hu Yong and the others—even among the young masters of the Chen Family behind this apothecary, only the second young master, Chen Hua, who had entered Return Mountain Hall of the Seven Martial Alliance's Inner Hall, barely counted as someone of note in his eyes.

Zhao Hu and Feng Yong left the courtyard directly, not sparing Hu Yong, Wu Ming, or the others a single extra glance.

Seeing the two depart.

Hu Yong escorted them all the way outside, shaking his head slightly to himself. They were officials of the Cautious Punishment Division, after all; it was perfectly normal for them not to bother with him. If Chen Gui had been here and invited them for tea, perhaps they might have given him some face.

In any case, the night had passed without real danger. They had held the main hall and suffered no significant losses.

"Everyone, have some medicinal tea together and wait for the young master to arrive."

Hu Yong turned to Sun Wang, Wu Ming, and the others behind him. After saying this, he entered the main hall, took out several qian of Bloodgrass Tea, boiled water, and steeped a large pot to the brim.

Sun Wang, Ma Liu, and the others did not stand on ceremony. They had all exerted considerable effort to defend the main hall the previous night, and some had even depleted their Blood Qi. Enjoying some Bloodgrass Tea was only natural. Once Chen Gui arrived, there would be further compensation as well.

Wu Ming also sat down beside them and took a cup along with Sun Wang and the others.

The instant he drank it, he felt the warmth of the medicinal tea spread through his belly, transforming into streams of warmth that surged throughout his body. This time, his perception was clearer than ever before. He could even sense the structure within the tea itself: it contained a special refined essence that could nourish the body and stimulate Blood Qi.

"The Blood Qi I lost before should take about a month's worth of Bloodgrass Tea to replenish."

Wu Ming's perception of changes in Blood Qi had become even more acute.

Setting aside other forms of nourishment, such as the meat he ate daily, Bloodgrass Tea alone, taken once a day, would probably replenish the Blood Qi that had been extracted and refined by the Black Emperor's Demon Subduing Diagram in around a month.

Of course, he also ate meat each day to nourish his body, so his recovery would be quicker in practice. It likely would not even take half a month; roughly ten days or so should be enough for him to fully recover.

Blood Qi was always easier to restore than to accumulate, especially during one's youth.

Not long afterward.

Chen Gui finally arrived after receiving word.

"I have already learned the general details of last night's events. You have all worked hard."

He already knew about the attack on the apothecary the previous night and how Hu Yong and the others had fought desperately to hold it. The moment he entered the courtyard, he immediately offered repeated words of concern. This apothecary might not amount to much for the Chen Family as a whole, but it was now private property allotted exclusively to him by the family, the foundation upon which he wished to build his own enterprise.

If the apothecary had suffered severe losses, he could still ask the family for aid, but he would inevitably be unable to hold his head high before his elder brothers. Being reprimanded by the old master was nothing much, but enduring the mockery of those brothers would be unbearable.

Chen Gui did not waste words on empty pleasantries.

He went straight into the main hall, quickly retrieved four packets of medicine, and handed them directly to the group.

"This is Seven Flavor Blood Nourishing Powder. You guarded the apothecary last night and suffered losses to your Qi and Blood, so use this medicine to make up for it. In addition, I will double each of your wages for this month."

Chen Gui was exceedingly generous.

Seven Flavor Blood Nourishing Powder was one type of nourishing medicinal powder. Made from seven precious herbs blended in special proportions, one packet sold for forty-five taels of silver in the shop. Wu Ming did not know its actual cost, but it could not possibly have been low.

Doubling a month's wages meant another ten taels of silver in additional payment.

Ordinary households would usually offer guards some compensation if trouble arose and the guards were injured, but it was often only a small amount of silver. Someone as lavish as Chen Gui was a rarity.

"Many thanks, Young Master!"

Sun Wang and Ma Liu were naturally very pleased. A packet of Seven Flavor Blood Nourishing Powder was enough to compensate for their depleted Blood Qi and allow them to recover quickly, while the additional silver payment was no small sum either.

Wu Ming accepted the compensation Chen Gui offered and likewise clasped his fists to thank him, but Chen Gui waved a hand and cut him off.

"No need for thanks. Brother Wu and all of you fought the evil entity with all your strength last night and held this apothecary. You prevented the medicinal ingredients in the main hall from being destroyed. I should be the one thanking Brother Wu and everyone else."

In truth, one reason he had given out so much compensation was that preserving the apothecary had indeed averted major losses. Another was that he intentionally wished to show Wu Ming that he would never mistreat those who worked for him.

Without showing such an attitude, how could he make Wu Ming willingly become his right-hand man and work for him in the future?

Wu Ming did not know Chen Gui had so many twists and turns in mind, but Chen Gui had been generous and unstinting, offering him considerable help. Naturally, he accepted this goodwill.

The group did not chat for long. After their fierce battle the previous night and their various injuries, they soon returned to their rooms to recuperate and rest.

Time flew by.

In the blink of an eye, three days had passed.

With the Seven Flavor Blood Nourishing Powder Chen Gui had given him, Wu Ming had recovered seventy to eighty percent of the Blood Qi he had lost in just three days. Though it had not yet been fully replenished, it no longer had any real effect on his body.

Over the past two days, Wu Ming had stayed in the rear courtyard of Chen's Apothecary, chatting idly with Sun Wang and the others every day. They were not needed for night patrols either; Chen Gui had temporarily brought in a courtyard guard from the Chen Family to handle patrol duty these past few nights.

"This 'Lin' true word truly has endless wondrous uses."

Inside the room,

Wu Ming sat on a simple bed, one hand supporting his chin as a thoughtful look appeared on his face.

Over the past few days, while recuperating and restoring his Blood Qi, he had also studied the "Lin" true word manifested by the Black Emperor's Demon Subduing Diagram. He had become increasingly proficient in its use, and basically contemplated the true word every night before sleeping.

Holding to the "Lin" true word, he could enter stillness and slip into sleep almost instantaneously. Yet unlike ordinary people, who lost consciousness in sleep, from the moment he entered stillness to the moment he slept, his consciousness remained fixed upon the "Lin" formula and stayed awake throughout.

From the outside, his state seemed as though he had not fallen asleep. In reality, however, it was a meditative state of embracing the origin and guarding the one, ten times more effective than ordinary sleep. He needed only maintain this state for one shichen each day to remain full of energy and spirit.

For Wu Ming, this was undoubtedly another pleasant surprise.

In the martial world, all manner of dangers emerged one after another. Sleep itself often meant danger. Once Martial Path cultivation reached a deeper level, practitioners emphasized using breathing techniques to control sleep and maintain an extremely shallow slumber, waking instantly at the slightest rustle of wind or grass to guard against hidden attacks. Even so, they still fundamentally had to sleep.

But after mastering the "Lin" formula, he no longer had such unconscious periods of rest. Throughout all twelve shichen of the day, he remained aware of his surroundings at every moment. For anyone to approach and ambush him without being discovered would be as difficult as ascending to heaven!