Medicine Supplements Acquired

As soon as he stepped out of the yard, Xie An saw He Chunli wiping down the shop's doors and windows.

The young apprentice, seeing Xie An looking so energetic, was overjoyed. "Master, you look much more spirited."

Xie An was in a good mood and spoke with a smile, "I've been in good spirits lately, so I feel more energetic. By the way, where is Zhang Bing?"

Even before his stroke, Xie An didn't look old; after all, being an appraiser wasn't strenuous work, and he had maintained himself reasonably well. Although his appearance was now younger than before, there was no need to hide anything.

But if his appearance continued to grow younger, truly reversing his age... he would indeed need to find a plausible reason.

He Chunli's expression dimmed. "Brother Zhang is still sleeping. He won't be up until the hour of Chen."

Xie An glanced and saw He Chunli's hands were covered in cracked frostbite, and he immediately understood.

His apprentice Han Li had taken several months off due to family matters, so there was nothing to say about that.

It was Zhang Bing who truly considered himself the Appraisal Master and casually ordered around and bullied He Chunli.

In the past half month, Zhang Bing had only visited Xie An twice, and each time he had been perfunctory.

Xie An even keenly sensed that every time Zhang Bing visited him, he paid special attention to his complexion.

Rather than visiting, it was more like he was afraid Xie An would recover and wished for him to die sooner.

Xie An encouraged He Chunli. "Little He, keep up the good work, and you'll surely succeed in the future."

He Chunli was confused but still scratched his head. "Yes, Master."

Xie An said no more and turned to leave.

With Xie An's current physical condition, returning to work at the shop was more than enough. But since Master Li had given him three months, he might as well make good use of the time.

Moreover, although practicing the Health Cultivation Technique was tedious and arduous, he found joy in it every time he saw his body grow stronger and his lifespan increase.

In comparison, he didn't have much interest in appraising items anymore.

If one were to talk about the most prominent figure in town, it would naturally be Master Chen Lei of the Chen Martial Arts School. He had mastered extraordinary martial arts, ventured into the jianghu, and returned home to establish a martial arts school, training martial artists for the local community. He was truly an influential figure in Wuqiao Town.

In these chaotic times, martial arts were always the most respected profession.

Although the Li Manor was wealthy, it was nothing compared to the Chen Manor. Master Li had to bow his head and act subserviently when meeting Master Chen.

And when it came to purchasing medicinal aids for training, there was no better place in all of Wuqiao Town than the Chen Martial Arts School.

Next to the main entrance of the Chen Martial Arts School was the Chen's Pharmacy.

The medicinal aids they prepared were first supplied to the martial arts school's apprentices and practitioners, and any surplus was sold to the public.

The shopkeeper of Chen's Pharmacy, Chen He, was a distant cousin of Chen Lei. He was forty-nine years old and had practiced martial arts, maintaining himself very well. He had privately sought Xie An's appraisal of many antique items numerous times, so they were acquainted.

Practitioners of martial arts were often straightforward and not overly concerned with rules. Chen He did not look down on Xie An for being a slave; instead, he was surprised by his extraordinary appraisal skills.

"Old Xie, why are you out so early? Aren't you afraid of catching a chill... Hey, why do you look so energetic?"

Chen He, sitting behind the pharmacy counter, sized up Xie An and looked very surprised.

Xie An chuckled and said, "I recently found a Health Cultivation Technique to invigorate my muscles and bones. Perhaps that's why. By the way, do you have any medicinal aids that complement the Five Animal Play?"

Chen He retracted his gaze and began introducing them like a treasure trove. "Of course, we do. A general-purpose one is the Bone Strengthening Soup, three qian of silver per dose, three doses a day. For someone like you, Old Xie, who's just practicing for fun, the Bone Strengthening Soup is sufficient."

Knowing Xie An was a slave, his recommendation was quite reasonable.

The problem was, Xie An wasn't practicing for fun...

Xie An was not satisfied. "Do you have anything better?"

Chen He seemed slightly surprised. "We have the Blood Nourishing Soup, eight qian of silver per dose, to be taken morning and evening. We also have the Vitality Nourishing Soup..."

"What's the best?"

Chen He was even more astonished. "The best medicinal aid I have to go with the Health Cultivation Technique is the Qi Generating Soup. It contains ginseng, Angelica sinensis... and deer blood. Two taels of silver per dose, one dose every two days."

Two taels per dose, one dose every two days. This meant he would have to spend one tael of silver daily.

It was truly outrageously expensive...

Although Xie An felt the pinch, he was determined to get this medicine. However, he still put on a troubled expression. "I want to buy five doses. Shopkeeper Chen, can you give me a discount?"

Five doses amounted to ten taels.

Chen He had been running the pharmacy for so many years, and he rarely encountered such a wealthy customer.

If it were anyone else, Chen He would have tried to persuade them, but facing Xie An, he offered a word of caution. "Old Xie, this is not a small sum. Don't be impulsive. With this money, you could learn martial arts. Spending it on the Health Cultivation Technique isn't cost-effective."

If it were before, Xie An would have been reluctant.

But having recently tasted the benefits of the Health Cultivation Technique, he was resolute. "Thank you for your kind intentions, Shopkeeper Chen, but I'm too old to practice martial arts now, so I'm focusing on the Health Cultivation Technique."

Chen He didn't try to persuade him further. "Five doses of Qi Generating Soup, I'll give them to you for eight taels of silver. What do you say?"

Xie An knew this was already quite generous, so he agreed. "Alright."

Chen He expertly measured out the herbs and wrapped five doses in mulberry paper. Just as he was about to collect the money, he suddenly said, "Old Xie, I have an item here. Could you take a look for me?"

Wealthy families in this era often had the habit of collecting antiques and calligraphy.

Xie An readily agreed and took the item, examining it.

It was a Jade Ruyi Scepter, with a good luster and very pure, crystal-clear translucence.

While Xie An was appraising it, Chen He explained the item's origin. "I picked this up at the county's antique market a while back for ten taels of silver. They said it belonged to a princess from the previous dynasty. But when I took it to the pawnshop, they called it a fake. Damn it..."

Xie An examined it for a long time, pointing to the marlin carving on the jade pendant. "Marlin carvings originated in the late previous dynasty, but few imitated them back then; they were mostly popular among the nobility in the capital. It wasn't until the 20th year of Emperor Jingtai's reign in this dynasty that they became widely popular. Later, due to changing trends, marlin carvings became less common."

Chen He nervously rubbed his hands together. "Is it worth anything?"

Xie An said, "Marlin carvings are inherently unique, and their period of popularity was brief. They possess a certain scarcity. However, the claim of it belonging to a princess from the previous dynasty is an exaggeration. It likely belonged to a noblewoman from the Jingtai era of this dynasty, about thirty years old. If you find someone knowledgeable, selling it for twenty taels shouldn't be a problem."

Chen He couldn't believe it. "Really?"

Xie An was very confident in his appraisal skills. "If you can hold onto it for another ten years before selling, its value could double. If you don't believe me, you can go to the Li Family Pawnshop today, and I'll buy it for twenty taels. But you'll be at a disadvantage."

"Hahaha, I naturally trust your words, Brother Xie." Chen He was in a much better mood and unconsciously started calling him 'Brother Xie'.

When it was time to pay, he only accepted three taels of silver from Xie An, claiming it was just the cost price.

Xie An naturally accepted this favor.

He didn't have much surplus to begin with, so saving a little was always good.

"Oh, right. In a month, a Health Cultivation Master will be coming to the martial arts school to give lessons. You can audit for just two taels of silver. Old Man Xie, do you want to come?"

"I'll see."

Back in the small room behind the pawnshop's backyard, the sky was already bright.

Xie An closed the door, moved a stove from the corner, and started a fire to decoct medicine.

While the medicine was simmering, Xie An practiced his Health Cultivation Technique.

Chen He's last sentence couldn't help but surface in his mind.

"Lately, my progress in the Health Cultivation Technique has slowed down considerably. Besides the lack of medicinal supplements, could it be that I'm practicing it incorrectly?"

The Health Cultivation Technique seemed simple, but achieving mastery was not easy.

Although he could slowly improve his progress by 'burning the midnight oil', if he did it the wrong way, it would be too slow and lead to many detours.

If he had a Health Cultivation Master to guide him, 'burning the midnight oil' would undoubtedly yield twice the results with half the effort.

It was like the appraisal craft; an ordinary apprentice relying on self-exploration might not achieve anything in ten years. But with his guidance, they could make significant progress in two to three years.

"It seems I have to spend these two taels for auditing."

As he was thinking, the medicine was ready.

Xie An, dragging his exhausted body, consumed three large bowls of Qi Generating Soup and was immediately stunned.

Buzz!

The warm current in his lower abdomen seemed to have been injected with a stimulant, growing wildly