Bear Gallbladder Skin Tempering Paste

Xu Gaocen arrived at the Prescription Courtyard relatively late, and Yang Chan was not surprised. Intermediate Alchemists like Xu Gaocen would not come very early. Before this, Yang Chan had been comparing various medicinal herbs. After being dried, their appearance changed somewhat, so most inspections relied on appearance, scent, medicinal aura, and the like.

The quickest and simplest method was to smell them. While remembering the scent of a medicine, one could also imprint information related to that herb more deeply into memory.

After Xu Gaocen arrived at the Prescription Courtyard, Yang Chan took the initiative to approach him. Four others walked over as well, clearly all Alchemist Assistants under Xu Gaocen.

Yang Chan had seen these people at the Medicine Hall Martial Academy, but he only knew one of their names. That person had voluntarily participated in the monthly Medicine Hall Formal Disciple Competition and ranked within the top twenty. His Jing Power was also on the verge of reaching great mastery.

That person was called Li Junhao and was somewhat well-known. Yang Chan did not know the identities of the other three.

"This is Yang Chan, my new Alchemist Assistant. From now on, he will replace Chu Mo's work. Shu Yu, take Yang Chan around today and familiarize him with the tasks an Alchemist Assistant needs to complete. The rest of you, carry on as usual."

Xu Gaocen looked toward the reserved-looking woman beside him and gave the order.

Hearing this, Yang Chan found his suspicions confirmed. This Chu Mo truly had been Pharmacist Xu's assistant. After becoming an Elite Disciple, he had vacated the position, and Yang Chan had happened to fill it. It was a stroke of luck.

"Yes, Pharmacist Xu."

Shu Yu smiled and nodded.

"The three of you, go prepare the ingredients for Bear Gallbladder Skin Tempering Paste. Junhao, go prepare Dragon Gall Grass. Snow See..."

Xu Gaocen directly assigned their tasks, and they began to busy themselves.

"Junior Brother Yang, since you have just become Pharmacist Xu's assistant, you first need to know the distribution of the medicinal herbs in the Prescription Courtyard."

"The one thousand two hundred and fifty-three commonly used medicinal herbs are all stored in these three rooms. They are arranged according to their medicinal properties, and you need to remember their locations. That way, you will not waste too much time when fetching them."

"Pharmacist Xu greatly dislikes people who are slow and prone to mistakes. If you fail to meet Pharmacist Xu's requirements after some time, he may have you become another pharmacist's assistant. You must keep this firmly in mind, so carefully memorize the locations of these herbs during this period."

Shu Yu spoke with a serious expression. After seeing Yang Chan nod earnestly, she continued onward.

"The rooms beside these are all filled with less commonly used medicinal herbs. However, Pharmacist Xu is an Intermediate Alchemist, and he may use herbs from within when preparing medicines. Though you are not required to remember the location of every medicine, it would be best to remember the locations of herbs needed for external refinement."

"For example, the Snow See used in today's Bear Gallbladder Skin Tempering Paste is in this room, right over there."

As Shu Yu spoke, she led Yang Chan inside. Li Junhao had already found the medicine chest containing Snow See and taken more than half of it away.

Li Junhao merely nodded slightly upon seeing them, then quickly entered the room next door to search for other medicinal herbs.

"There are not many of these medicines, only a little over a hundred varieties, but their locations are rather scattered. If any are used up, you must inform the steward of the Prescription Courtyard. He will arrange for someone to replenish them, so you do not find yourself without medicine when you need it later."

"Of course, the best thing would be to take a look through these rooms every day when you arrive. You should know that Pharmacist Xu comes relatively late, so you have the time..."

Shu Yu explained these practical experiences in detail, then taught Yang Chan several small tricks and told him about matters requiring attention.

Only after taking Yang Chan on a circuit through the entire Prescription Courtyard did she return to Pharmacist Xu's side. By then, Pharmacist Xu had already begun working.

Shu Yu then began teaching Yang Chan techniques related to weighing medicinal herbs, placing them in their proper locations, sorting out lower-quality medicines, and so on. There was a great deal to cover, and she explained everything in great detail.

Yang Chan listened very attentively as well. Before becoming a pharmacist, all of this was knowledge that needed to be heeded. He was extremely earnest in his work; it was simply his way of doing things.

By the time Shu Yu completed the entire process, the blazing sun had begun to slant westward.

Pharmacist Xu Gaocen also finished preparing medicine for the day and left directly. The others were already accustomed to this.

From the time he entered the Prescription Courtyard to the time he left, it had only been three shichen.

Beside where Xu Gaocen had been working sat many boxes of medicine packets. They were all prepared Bear Gallbladder Skin Tempering Paste, awaiting decoction, but that would be handled by others.

Before leaving, Xu Gaocen told them to arrange for someone to deliver the medicine packets, then return to the Prescription Courtyard three days later. They could arrange their own time otherwise.

Aside from being somewhat busy at the beginning, there was still plenty of free time left.

The others called over the steward, had people send out the prepared medicine packets, and then finished their tasks for the day.

"If you want to become a pharmacist, come to the Prescription Courtyard more often during this period. Memorize the locations of these commonly used medicines. As for those uncommon medicines, you should also know their various medicinal properties. That way, when Pharmacist Xu explains principles of medicine, medicinal properties, and related knowledge, you will not be completely lost."

Before leaving, Shu Yu once again cautioned Yang Chan.

Yang Chan nodded after hearing this but did not leave with them.

He knew far more about various medicinal herbs and medicinal principles than Shu Yu and the others had imagined. On the surface, he remained to examine the medicinal herbs, but in truth, he was observing the pharmacists prepare medicine.

He even memorized every herb and its weight needed for Xu Gaocen's Bear Gallbladder Skin Tempering Paste. He could prepare it himself, though its efficacy would not match Xu Gaocen's methods. Still, once he broke through to external refinement, he could apply Bear Gallbladder Skin Tempering Paste externally and test whether doing so could increase Potential Points.

The detailed proportions for Qi Replenishing Body Nourishing Soup were also stored in his mind.

When he left the Prescription Courtyard, he also received a bowl of Qi Replenishing Body Nourishing Soup. This was one of the benefits for Alchemist Assistants in the Prescription Courtyard. In addition, if they needed to purchase medicinal herbs, they could obtain them at the lowest price.

After giving it some thought, Yang Chan bought one set of ingredients for Qi Replenishing Body Nourishing Soup and one set for Bear Gallbladder Skin Tempering Paste. He planned to prepare them himself after returning.

The steward was not surprised by this, as it was also the choice of most Alchemist Assistants. They practiced preparing medicine and mastered the ability to compound it.

If one's medicine-preparing methods were outstanding, one would have a better chance of becoming a pharmacist.

Most of the pharmacists in the Prescription Courtyard had followed this path. Yang Chan did not stand out among them.

Carrying the two sets of medicinal ingredients and a bowl of Qi Replenishing Body Nourishing Soup, Yang Chan walked back to his room instead of heading to the Medicine Hall Martial Academy.

After returning to his room, Yang Chan practiced three sets of Ox Demon Strength Fist before drinking the Qi Replenishing Body Nourishing Soup. Only then did he light the fire and take out the medicine pot for decocting herbs.

Since he had brought back the ingredients for Bear Gallbladder Skin Tempering Paste, he naturally had to try making it. He naturally knew the requirements for decoction, because when Xu Gaocen had prepared the medicine, he had written the decoction instructions on paper for those responsible for brewing the Bear Gallbladder Skin Tempering Paste to see. Yang Chan had naturally remembered them.