Myriad Spirit Pill

Xu Qing had reaped quite a harvest this time. The scattered silver and gold-leaf money he received for presiding over the funeral rites went without saying.

But the greatest gains were the information and rewards he obtained after helping the old physician pass on.

The physician whom Fourth Master Li had recognized as his godfather after death was no ordinary man.

His original name was Yang Chunfu. Born into a wealthy family, he had loved Daoist texts and medical classics since childhood. At thirteen, he had set his heart on the path; at fifteen, he had bid farewell to his parents and headed to Mount Henglu to seek knowledge and the Dao.

There was a Songyun Temple on Mount Henglu. Its abbot, Ge Hongwen, possessed Daoist attainments that could reach the profound. In the depths of winter, he could make the withered branches covering the mountain burst into green; during years of severe drought, he could keep the mountain streams flowing and the wells below the mountain from running dry.

After hearing of Immortal Master Ge's many feats in the villages and towns below the mountain, Yang Chunfu had resolved to become his disciple.

However, when he happened to encounter the temple abbot, Ge Hongwen, on the mountain path, the other man had said that although he had fate with the Dao, he lacked the capacity for it. He had advised Yang Chunfu to turn back then and there, rather than squander his finest years on the ethereal and illusory path to immortality.

That was because there were no so-called great masters in this world, nor the divine strength and immortal arts spoken of by the people.

Ge Hongwen had said this with his mouth, yet when he turned around, he had moved like a crane amid clear clouds and wind, floating across a mountain ravine more than a dozen zhang wide and flying straight toward the Daoist temple halfway up the mountain.

Yang Chunfu had been utterly dumbfounded. If that wasn't an immortal art, then what was it?

He had already yearned for such things with all his heart. Now that the wondrous Dao reaching the profound was within arm's reach, how could he give up so easily?

Faced with Yang Chunfu's persistence, Daoist Priest Ge had simply let him be, allowing him to build a hut below the mountain and ignoring his daily visits to the mountain.

Three springs and autumns passed like this. Seeing that Yang Chunfu truly was stubborn beyond reason, Daoist Priest Ge summoned him into the temple and taught him the basics of cultivation.

Yang Chunfu was overjoyed, but after three years of bitter cultivation, great sorrow took its place in his heart.

After three years of cultivation, he had failed to touch even a trace of the profound sect's true essence.

It turned out he truly had no fate with Cultivating Immortality!

Daoist Priest Ge had not been deliberately deceiving him back then.

Seeing that the Stubborn Stone had finally come to its senses, Ge Hongwen revealed a gratified smile. Before they parted, he passed on a medical text and some methods for treating illnesses and saving lives, then urged him to descend the mountain soon and not let the years pass in vain.

Yang Chunfu returned home from then on, caring for his parents until their deaths. Afterward, he gave away all his family wealth and traveled everywhere as an itinerant physician, helping the world.

During that time, he encountered many strange tales and unusual events, but what he encountered more often were natural disasters and man-made calamities.

And the calamities caused by people were worse than those caused by Heaven.

When he went northwest, a military mutiny had broken out in Beizhao Prefecture. Corpses with nowhere to be settled had piled up like mountains, and under the ravages of the Plague Disaster, the number of lives taken was far beyond a hundred thousand.

Passing through Yaozhou, he encountered an earth dragon turning over. The dikes stuffed with rice straw could not hold back the monstrous flood. In a mere few days, the waters had surged over five commanderies and thirty-six counties.

Later, when he traveled to Quyang, Hejing, Jiangning, and other places, there were often scheming people who established sects and bands, spread demonic lies, and incited the people's hearts.

Yang Chunfu had practiced medicine and saved lives for more than sixty years. In the end, he had exhausted all his strength, yet still could not save the people who died from hunger, disaster, and disease.

He had learned medicine, but he had not learned the immortal art that could fill people's bellies and teach them contentment.

That year, Yang Chunfu was eighty-nine. Daoist Priest Ge had once calculated his fate and said he would not live past the age of nine.

It was not until one day, when the villains of the Jinmen Gang said he did not know how to cure illnesses and save people, that he suddenly understood: in chaotic times, learning medicine could not save the world.

"If I had known, I might as well have studied and taken the imperial examinations."

Yang Chunfu's life had moved Xu Qing far more deeply than those of the people he had helped pass on before.

Through the other's eyes, he had come to know this world anew.

Aside from the immortal arts that had flashed into view for a fleeting instant, what existed here in greater abundance were conflicts everywhere one looked.

That old physician had probably never understood the truth behind the Jinmen Gang's troublemaking, even up to the moment of his death.

The ceaseless wars; the corrupt vermin who greedily preyed on the people and extorted their wealth; the evil sects that corroded human hearts and harbored ulterior motives.

Whether the culprit had been the Jinmen Gang or the Tianxin Cult no longer seemed important.

The information he had gathered this time merely made Xu Qing realize one thing: if he wanted to lie quietly as a corpse in this chaotic world, he had to be like Daoist Priest Ge and take up Cultivating Immortality!

And if that still wasn't enough, then he simply had not cultivated deeply enough!

Though both had encountered guidance from true cultivators who followed the Dao, Master Liu and Yang Chunfu had led utterly different lives, yet arrived at the same destination by different routes.

The former had schemed and struggled for himself all his life, only to meet a miserable end.

The latter had given everything for others, yet still failed to fulfill his lifelong wish.

But that did not stop Xu Qing from admiring Yang Chunfu.

That was also why he had been willing to put his heart into arranging the old physician's funeral.

Yang Chunfu had spent his entire life helping the world and saving people. If no one he had ever treated had come to see him off after his death, it would have been unbearably bleak.

Fortunately, Fourth Master Li had not disappointed him.

Afterward, when Xu Qing counted the rewards for helping the old physician pass on, he discovered that the skills and items he had received were mostly related to medicine as well.

A Human-grade High-quality "Herbal Compendium," a Human-grade mid-quality "Jia Yi Acupuncture Method," and three Earth-grade low-tier Myriad Spirit Pills.

The Herbal Compendium could identify most of the common medicinal herbs in the mortal world.

In ancient times, Shen Nong had tasted every herb, identifying their medicinal properties and clarifying their principles. Today, there was the Herbal Compendium, which could help later generations drive away illness and strengthen their bodies.

Xu Qing thought about it, but in the end he still set aside this craft, which was suited for opening an apothecary.

He had no intention of changing careers to become an apothecary. Compared with gathering and selling medicinal herbs, he still preferred staying with the dead.

The Jia Yi Acupuncture Method was likewise a wondrous medical art for treating illnesses and saving lives. Many diseases that did not require medicine or other remedies could be cured with a few needles using this method.

Of course, patients who did require medicine or other remedies could also use this acupuncture method as an aid to their recovery.

Xu Qing looked toward his Corpse Driver's Shop. The people lying dead there did not seem to have any use for this acupuncture method either.

As for the final three Myriad Spirit Pills, he was quite interested in them.

Unlike common pills with a single purpose, each Myriad Spirit Pill could be used in different situations.

For example, placing one in a bowl of arsenic diluted with water could neutralize the arsenic's poison.

Feeding one to someone whose life was withering away, who was nearing the end of their natural span or dying from illness, could extend their life by ten years or cure even a grave disease!

Even that Prefect who had an unmentionable ailment could regain his former vigor with a single pill. He could battle for three days and three nights in the brothels and pleasure houses along Changdeng Street without a problem.

However, there were only three Myriad Spirit Pills. After thinking it over again and again, Xu Qing carefully sealed them away. Pills this unreasonable were often more useful when brought out at a critical moment.

Early the next morning, Xu Qing, who had swallowed a night's worth of lunar radiance and yin energy, removed the door panels and stepped out of the shop.

The old physician's matter was settled. Today, he was going to the broker's office to inquire about purchasing a residence.

After crossing several streets and alleys, he arrived at the broker's office. Before Xu Qing had even entered, he saw a figure that soured his mood.

Enemies were bound to meet.

Zhao Zhonghe, who had been speaking with Third Master Huang, seemed to sense something. He turned his head and happened to catch Xu Qing's look of disdain.

"Third Huang, we'll discuss your matter later. I'll deal with mine first!"

With that, Zhao Zhonghe shifted sideways with his saber across his body and walked straight over to block someone's path.

"How dare you? You even dared to steal my belongings!"

Xu Qing frowned. "What do you mean, Constable? What did I steal from you?"

Zhao Zhonghe reached toward his waist. The place where he had once kept the Dog Beating Staff was now empty.

"Stop playing dumb. My staff must have been stolen by you!"

Xu Qing sidestepped to open up some distance and said impatiently, "I don't have the staff you're looking for. If you really want to find your staff, why come looking for me? I don't have that kind of habit. If that's what you're after, go to the men's brothel. They have plenty of shit-stirring sticks there."