There Was Never a Broken Temple!

The process of traveling as a merchant escort was actually quite dull—aside from hurrying along the road, there was nothing else.

Though there was a horse-drawn cart, only Chen Moshan, as the manager, was entitled to ride; everyone else traveled on foot.

The cart was loaded with various supplies destined for the Spirit Medicine Estate, including fertilizer and seeds. Adding a person's weight would be too much for the horses to bear.

Along the way, Han Zheng chatted with Li Feng for a while about Spirit Medicine Baths.

As a pharmacist at Shenghe Hall—one who could independently consult and prescribe Spirit Medicine Baths—Li Feng was naturally well-versed in the subject.

Han Zheng had always assumed that a Spirit Medicine Bath came with a ready-made formula: just prepare the spiritual herbs and soak in them.

But that wasn't the case.

Everyone had a different constitution, practiced different techniques, and focused on different aspects, so the formulas for Spirit Medicine Baths naturally varied.

The formula for a bath focused on tempering the physical body shared not a single herb with one meant to enhance internal energy.

"Pharmacist Li, how much would it cost if I asked you to prepare a Spirit Medicine Bath for me?"

Han Zheng had his cheat, but without materials to sacrifice to the Gluttonous Crucible, using a Spirit Medicine Bath to boost his cultivation seemed the fastest route.

Li Feng thought for a moment. "The Iron Elephant Skill of your Zhenwei Martial Arts School has a heavy, gentle nature, so the spiritual herbs needed aren't that high-grade. A single bath would cost about a hundred taels of silver."

"So the money I earn escorting a merchant convoy can't even buy one Spirit Medicine Bath."

Han Zheng shook his head. Truly, poverty led to civil arts, wealth to martial arts.

Li Feng chuckled. "That's how the martial path is. In all my years at Shenghe Hall, I've seen no fewer than a thousand martial artists, if not several hundred.

Aside from a rare few who rely entirely on talent, most need external aids to improve their strength.

The Houtian Realm is manageable—even without Spirit Medicine Baths, you can open your Acupoints and Meridians through steady, grinding effort.

But to break through to the Xiantian Mortal Transformation Realm, without a Spirit Medicine Bath to temper your body and Meridians, cleanse your marrow and wash your sinews, how could you possibly return from Houtian to Xiantian so easily?

Still, Brother Han, you're young. As a disciple favored by Master Li, you definitely have a shot at Xiantian in the future."

In a small county like Black Stone County, stepping into Xiantian already counted as an expert.

Reaching the Late Xiantian Mortal Transformation Realm and Condensing Mercury Blood and Silver Marrow made someone a notable figure.

For instance, Li Jingzhong and Gao Kaiyuan of the Three Harmonies Gang were both at Late Xiantian Mortal Transformation Realm, having Condensed Mercury Blood and Silver Marrow.

And martial families like the Shen Family and the Song Family even had experts at Xiantian Mortal Transformation Realm Perfected, who had mastered the Water-Fire Immortal Robe and stood guard over their territories.

Li Feng saying Han Zheng had a chance to reach Xiantian in his lifetime was definitely high praise.

"By the way, Pharmacist Li, martial artists have ranks. What about pharmacists?"

"Pharmacists have them too, but they're not as clear-cut.

An ordinary pharmacist can only identify spiritual herbs and rigidly follow their properties to prepare Spirit Medicine Baths.

A senior pharmacist needs a deeper understanding of spiritual herb properties, as well as knowledge of a martial artist's realm, martial attributes, and so on, to tailor a formula to each individual."

Li Feng waved a small jade folding fan, a hint of pride in his voice. "Right now, in all of Shenghe Hall, no more than five people can do that, and I'm one of them.

The Head Shopkeeper is naturally the most capable—a top-tier pharmacist.

Those Xiantian martial artists all go to him for their Spirit Medicine Baths, while we handle the ones for Houtian martial artists.

But if I could thoroughly study the Meridian pathways and power attributes of Xiantian martial artists, and get a few more chances to practice, I'm confident I could prepare Xiantian-level Spirit Medicine Baths too."

"Pharmacist Li, all you lack now is a bit of experience. With some time to accumulate it, becoming a top-tier pharmacist is just a matter of time."

Li Feng waved his hand. "I wouldn't dare say that. Being able to prepare Xiantian Spirit Medicine Baths doesn't qualify me as a top-tier pharmacist. The Head Shopkeeper's status as a top-tier pharmacist is recognized by every Xiantian martial artist in Black Stone County.

The martial path is a long road, and so is the medical path.

Preparing Spirit Medicine Baths is just a basic application of spiritual herbs. Above that lies the Pill Dao.

Refining various spiritual herbs, altering and merging their properties to create spirit pills—that is the true Great Dao of medicine.

With the same spiritual herbs, making them into pills yields medicinal effects over ten times stronger than a Spirit Medicine Bath, and the price is ten times higher.

Unfortunately, the Pill Dao is only held by the great Sects, major families, and the imperial court. Even someone at the Head Shopkeeper's level can't access it."

Listening to Li Feng, Han Zheng realized more and more that the martial path encompassed everything.

The medical path—or rather, the Pill Dao—was merely an auxiliary to the martial path, yet it was already this complex. The martial path itself must be even more so.

Just then, Han Zheng felt this stretch of road looked familiar.

Wasn't this the place where he'd first crossed over?

There was a slight rise by the roadside, with a dilapidated, abandoned temple on top.

But now, the rise was there—and the temple?

It was completely gone!

Han Zheng rubbed his head, carefully recalling the terrain from back then.

The sky had been faintly bright at the time; he couldn't have misjudged it. This was definitely the spot.

Even the tree by the roadside, with its slightly crooked branches, was exactly the same—only the Broken Temple was missing.

"Pharmacist Li, there used to be a Broken Temple on this rise. What happened to it?"

Li Feng glanced at the small slope and shook his head in confusion.

"Broken temple? There's never been any broken temple around here."

"Never at all?"

"That's right. When I went to the Spiritual Field Manor half a year ago, there wasn't any broken temple here either.

Besides, there isn't a single temple within fifty li of Black Stone County. These days, even the poor can barely scrape by—who has the spare heart to burn incense and worship Buddhas?"

Li Feng looked at Han Zheng with slight puzzlement. "Brother Han, are you sure you didn't misremember?"

"I might have misremembered."

Han Zheng's face was calm, but a chill crept into his heart.

There had never been a broken temple. Then what was that abandoned temple where he'd crossed over?

His transmigration didn't seem so simple after all.

The journey that followed was just as tedious—travel by day, rest after dark, with Han Zheng and the other three taking turns on night watch.

In his spare time, Han Zheng also chatted a bit with the other two martial arts school disciples.

One was named Wang Bao, the other Zhao Jinming.

Both came from modest families; their parents had nearly emptied their savings to send them to the school.

It wasn't easy for commoner disciples to train in martial arts. Their talent was average, and they had no external resources. At best, they might reach the late stage of the Houtian realm in their lifetime.

Still, they were fairly optimistic.

If they could graduate successfully, they could work as guards for wealthy households and earn back the money spent on the school.

After five straight days of travel, covering roughly eighty li each day, they were now only a day's journey from the Spirit Medicine Manor. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief.

A peaceful trip with no trouble at all—that was the Bodhisattva's blessing.

As dusk fell, Steward Chen called for everyone to set up camp and prepare dinner.

Han Zheng arranged to take the first watch. After eating, he simply sat cross-legged on the ground and began circulating the Iron Elephant Skill, accumulating inner force.

Throughout these days of travel, Han Zheng had never let up on his cultivation.

Because in the Gluttonous Crucible, he had observed the Martial Intent of the Iron Elephant Skill and witnessed the heavy, earth-shaking power of the iron elephant's stomp.

So while walking, he channeled his inner force, making each step immensely heavy, consuming the inner force from over a dozen Acupoints.

This method resonated with the true essence of the Iron Elephant Skill—it was also a form of cultivation, allowing the inner force in his Acupoints to grow denser and deeper.

Thus, though Han Zheng hadn't broken through a single Acupoint in these five days, given a quiet environment, he could break through five Acupoints in quick succession.

This, too, was a kind of accumulated burst.

"No wonder Brother Han is so highly regarded by the master—he truly never forgets to cultivate,"

Wang Bao couldn't help but praise.

It wasn't scary that someone had better talent than you; it was scary that they not only had better talent but also worked harder than you.

Li Sancheng chuckled. "Of course. My brother here is born martial arts material, no worse than those disciples from big families like Song Tianqing."

Just then, Steward Chen passed behind them. Hearing this, he sneered coldly. "The Song Family is a branch of the 'Heavenly Blade' Song Family of Shannan Dao. Do you really think you're fit to compare with them?

Besides, you were hired to escort the caravan, not to sit here and cultivate in peace!

I told the Head Shopkeeper before—there was no need to hire any martial arts school disciples.

Now look, that money's just gone down the drain!"

Han Zheng, who had been sitting with his eyes closed, suddenly opened them and said coldly, "Steward Chen, speak with a clear conscience. Have we been derelict in our duties even once on this trip?

We scout the road by day and stand watch by night—all of it done without the slightest negligence.

Isn't a smooth, safe journey a good thing?

Or does Steward Chen want something to go wrong?

This is Shenghe Hall's own business—can't you wish your own employer well?"

Steward Chen's face flushed red from the rebuttal. Li Feng stepped in to smooth things over, finally coaxing Steward Chen away.

Li Sancheng scowled and muttered under his breath, "What the hell is his problem?

Did I steal his Wife or dig up his ancestors? He's been sneering at us the whole way without a single good word.

Shenghe Hall invited us—it's not like we begged to come!"

"Blocking someone's money path is like killing their parents. It's only natural we're being targeted for getting in the way of his profits."

Han Zheng narrowed his eyes. "Steward Chen wanted his nephew's small Escort Agency to handle the caravan, but the Head Shopkeeper vetoed it and hired us instead.

If not for us, his nephew's little agency could have charged whatever they wanted, and a good chunk of that would have ended up in Steward Chen's pocket."

Li Sancheng spat. "Our fee for this trip is only two or three hundred taels of silver. As a steward of Shenghe Hall, he shouldn't be short of that kind of money.

And he still wants to skim off such a pittance? What a piece of trash!"

Zhao Jinming chimed in from the side, "We're paid to solve people's problems. Let's just get the caravan safely back to Black Stone County and be done with it."

Steward Chen is still the boss, after all. It's not good for us to clash with him.

Li Sancheng was just about to say that they couldn't let the old bastard get away with it, when suddenly a sound of heavy footsteps came from the woods beside the camp.

Han Zheng shot to his feet, staring toward the direction of the noise, gripping the Wild Goose Feather Saber tightly.

Along with a stench of filth, a massive, bloated figure nearly three meters tall emerged from the dense branches and thickets.

Its entire body was covered in coarse black bristles, wearing only a pitch-black loincloth. On its shoulders sat a huge, jet-black boar head, its mouth full of jagged teeth, with two sharp tusks curling upward.

"A Demon!!"