Medicinal Bath

Inside the Zhenwei Martial Arts School.

Han Zheng sat cross-legged in a corner of the training grounds, silently meditating and cultivating.

His arm was injured, making it unsuitable for practicing the White Ape Through-Arm Fist for now, and it would be too easy for Li Jingzhong to notice.

So today, after arriving at the school, he told Li Jingzhong he wanted to train his internal energy and solidify his cultivation base.

Internal cultivation and martial combat skills complemented each other—neither could be neglected. Han Zheng's explanation was perfectly reasonable.

At this moment, the other disciples in the school were gathered in small groups, heatedly discussing the murder of Feng Yuan, the Punishment Hall Master of the Three Harmonies Gang.

Black Stone County was only so big, and Feng Yuan had been a notable figure in the county.

Yet he'd been brutally punched to death in the street, his head smashed open—an explosive piece of news.

Most people suspected the Black Tiger Gang or the Sky Eagle Gang, assuming another major conflict was brewing among the three gangs.

Just then, Li Feng walked into the school, carrying two large bundles.

Spotting Han Zheng cultivating in the corner, Li Feng ambled over with a grin. "Now I see why you came out on top in this school. Everyone else is chatting, and you're the only one training. The medicinal bath is ready—I brought it for you today and I'll show you how to use it."

"Troubling you, Senior Pharmacist Li."

Han Zheng's eyes lit up as he quickly took the two bundles from Li Feng.

"Huh? This heavy?"

Han Zheng was slightly surprised. These two bundles must weigh over ten jin—was it all Spiritual Medicine?

Li Feng lowered his voice. "Shopkeeper Chen said to give you one dose for the bath, but in practice, as long as the proportions are right, a little more or less doesn't matter. I added extra of each ingredient—this is basically one and a half doses."

"Many thanks."

Han Zheng clasped his hands and led Li Feng to the inner hall of the school, asking a servant to brew them some tea.

Now that he was Li Jingzhong's true disciple, the servants treated him with considerable respect.

Li Feng took a sip of tea and said, "This medicinal bath takes some effort to work properly. When you get home, buy a large tub first. Soak the Spiritual Medicine in boiling water for two hours. Once the medicinal power disperses, you can enter and cultivate. Remember, don't stay in the bath for more than two hours at a time, or your body won't be able to absorb all the medicinal energy—it might even clog your Acupoints and Meridians. Normally, one dose lasts about three days before the effects fade. With the extra I added, it should last four to five days."

Han Zheng nodded, then asked, "Would pills be less troublesome?"

"Of course. You just swallow a pill and refine it directly. Even if you can't digest it all at once, you can take your time—no risk of clogging your Acupoints or Meridians. But those pill formulas are priceless treasures. Us pharmacists in small counties can only envy them from afar; we never dream of becoming alchemists."

Though Li Feng said this, a flicker of longing showed in his eyes.

Alchemists and pharmacists occupied entirely different statuses. Even in great families and Sects, alchemists held high positions.

"By the way, Senior Pharmacist Li, have you heard about the murder of Feng Yuan, the Punishment Hall Master of the Three Harmonies Gang, today?"

Killing Feng Yuan had been a way to silence him, but Han Zheng was certain Gao Kaiyuan wouldn't let the matter drop. He was still at risk of exposure—this only bought him a few days.

So Han Zheng wanted to gauge the outside situation and figure out his next move.

The rumors circulating among the school's disciples were a jumble of nonsense, useless to him.

As one of the few Senior Pharmacists in Black Stone County, Li Feng had broad connections and far more reliable information.

"Of course I've heard. It's all over town. No one knows who did it yet, but word is that during the Three Harmonies Gang's council afterward, Gao Kaiyuan had another fight with First Gang Leader Cao Bin."

Han Zheng was surprised. "Aren't the three gang leaders sworn brothers who founded the gang together? They have conflicts?"

"Sharing hardship is easy; sharing prosperity is hard."

Li Feng sighed. "They were indeed sworn brothers at first, the kind who'd live and die together. That's how they built the Three Harmonies Gang into one of Black Stone County's three major gangs in just a few years. But once the gang grew, with wealth and power in front of them, who can honestly say they have no selfish motives? Cao Bin is the oldest, nearly sixty. His body was injured in his younger days, and now his qi and blood are declining. The Head Shopkeeper once prescribed him medicine, but it only slowed the deterioration. Among the three leaders, only Cao Bin has a son, named Cao Rui, so he's always wanted to pass the gang leader position to him. Naturally, Gao Kaiyuan isn't willing. He's just over forty, in his prime, and wants to control the gang himself. They've practically fallen out over this. As for Third Gang Leader Jiang Tai, he's the youngest and weakest, with little support in the gang, so he stays neutral. The only reason those two haven't come to blows is the Black Tiger Gang and the Sky Eagle Gang outside—they don't dare fight, afraid of letting outsiders take advantage."

Han Zheng nodded thoughtfully.

Li Feng chatted a bit more with Han Zheng before taking his leave and returning to Shenghe Hall.

After morning lessons ended, Han Zheng immediately bought a large bathing tub and went home to prepare a medicinal bath.

He tossed a heap of Spiritual Medicine into the tub, then boiled pot after pot of water to steep them in.

The medicines came in all sorts of colors and scents; once soaked in boiling water, they turned into a murky yellow broth, giving off a thick, pungent medicinal odor.

Han Zheng furrowed his brow slightly.

No wonder those disciples from major Sects all used pills instead of medicinal baths.

This whole bath business was cumbersome and hardly dignified.

After an hour, when the medicinal power had diffused, Han Zheng stripped off his clothes and plunged in. In an instant, a surging tide of spiritual energy enveloped him.

Activating the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill, he frantically absorbed the potent medicinal force into his body, his inner energy churning and flowing with wild abandon.

One Acupoint after another burst open, without even needing to build up inner energy again. With the bath's boost, it was like a whirlwind sweeping through, relentlessly breaking through the Acupoints inside him.

At his previous pace, Han Zheng could open about two or three Acupoints per day.

That was already the limit with the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill's enhancement.

But now, in just half an hour, he had opened over a dozen Acupoints, smooth and effortless, without a single hitch.

Li Feng had told Han Zheng not to soak for more than an hour, because the body couldn't absorb that much medicinal power.

But that was because Li Feng didn't know Han Zheng had the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill.

A dragon's gulp, an elephant's draught.

When he pushed the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill to its full might, the effect was terrifying. The medicinal power was devoured madly by Han Zheng, then surged and crashed through his body, opening Acupoints.

After three full hours, a batch of medicine that should have lasted four or five days was completely spent in a single night, its potency drained.

At this point, a faint shimmer rippled across Han Zheng's skin, visible only in the darkness.

That was a sign of Acupoints reaching fullness, with inner force suffusing his entire body.

Two Meridians in his body remained unopened, but to Han Zheng now, they were no longer an obstacle.

With a single thought, the two Meridians were instantly pierced through by the surging inner force.

Three hundred and sixty-five Acupoints aligned with the cycle of the stars, twelve Meridians running through his whole body—Han Zheng had reached the Peak Acquired Stage!

He glanced at the tub, where much of the water had already evaporated, and shook his head lightly.

No wonder so many martial artists chased after external resources like medicinal baths and pills—they were just too effective.

This single batch of medicine was worth a full month of bitter cultivation for Han Zheng.

Of course, that was only possible because his foundation was solid and he had a Xiantian technique like the Dragon Elephant Prajna Skill to back it up.

Other martial artists at the same level could only do what Li Feng said—soak for an hour a day, any more and they'd clog their Acupoints and Meridians.

He looked at his arm. Thanks to the bath's nourishment, even the slight fracture from before had been healed by the medicinal power.

Pushing open the courtyard gate, the sky outside was already faintly light.

Han Zheng suppressed part of his aura before heading to the training hall.

Li Jingzhong knew Li Feng had given him the medicinal bath.

But using it all in one night and jumping to the Peak Acquired Stage—that would be too shocking. He had to keep it hidden.

Today's training was a group class. After evening lessons ended, Han Zheng went to a small shop Li Sancheng had recommended, one that sold braised pork intestines.

Li Sancheng didn't have many hobbies, but he loved to eat.

After the last Merchant Caravan escort earned him a good sum, he gave part to his father and spent almost all the rest on food.

Still, he'd uncovered quite a few cheap and tasty little places.

This braised intestine stall was in South City, an unremarkable little stand.

In these times, poor families couldn't even fill their bellies with rice, let alone meat, so pig offal was still valuable.

But intestines were rank and foul-smelling, and the spices needed to remove the stench were far too expensive for the common poor to afford.

So even among offal, pig intestines weren't something many people wanted to eat.

Only this stall's owner had a vat of ancestral brine, passed down for generations, that could strip the stench from the intestines, making it a favorite among the locals.

Han Zheng bought a bowl of braised intestines and went next door for two flatbreads to go with them.

He flipped through the fragrant, richly braised intestines, checked that none of the original smell lingered inside, and then took a bite.

Sure enough, it was tender, savory, and deeply flavorful.

Just then, a figure in a black-and-red official uniform sat down across from Han Zheng, also holding a bowl of braised intestines.

"Didn't think this place was still running.

I remember this stall was started by his father. Then one day, a gang fight broke out.

His old man was still hobbling away, clutching that vat of brine, when a stray blade from who-knows-where lopped off half his head. He died still holding the brine vat."

Zhang Tianyang chewed on a piece of intestine, squinting at Han Zheng.

"People, you know—the worst thing is greed. If his father had just let go of that brine vat and run, do you think he'd still be alive?"