The Great Medicine

"In times of famine like this, it's only natural for the price of rice to go up."

Lu Danian's tone was steady, without much surprise.

"If we stretch this rice, mix in some wild greens, it'll be enough for the three of us for half a month or more."

Then he asked the most critical question: "Did you get the details on Chuanzi learning martial arts? How much will it cost?"

Mother Lu's face immediately showed her reluctance.

"I asked around. There are three proper Martial Arts Halls in town that teach weapons. The cheapest is Master Zheng's hall on South Street, specializing in the Mountain Splitting Saber Technique. The tuition... is ten taels of silver."

Her voice trembled. "And that's just for half a year's tuition! Every half year after that, we'll have to pay the same!"

"Ten taels of silver?! That expensive?!"

Even with some mental preparation, Lu Danian was still shocked into a sharp intake of breath.

What did ten taels of silver mean?

For an ordinary farming family, even with a smooth year of good weather, after taxes and food, saving two or three taels was considered decent.

Ten taels? That would take years to scrape together!

For a moment, Lu Chuan also found it troublesome.

The five maces of silver on the table seemed utterly insignificant next to the huge sum of ten taels.

After a pause, he spoke up: "Dad, Mom, don't worry too much. I'll figure out the money."

"What are you going to figure out?" Lu Danian cut him off.

"That's a full ten taels of silver! You're just going to rely on luck up in the mountains every day?"

"Chuanzi, in the dead of winter, game is scarce. Bagging that Mountain Pheasant today was already good fortune. Saving ten taels that way? Who knows how long that'd take."

Lu Chuan, hit on the mark by his father, didn't argue.

Lu Danian sighed. "The money... I'll figure something out."

"Dad?" Lu Chuan and Mother Lu both looked at him, surprised.

A flash of insight struck Lu Chuan, and he suddenly remembered that Snow Fox. "Dad, you... can you hunt another Snow Fox?"

He'd almost forgotten—his dad had brought back a Snow Fox worth five taels just a couple of days ago!

And before he passed out the other day, Dad had promised they wouldn't starve...

Maybe Dad really did have the Burning Art to teach him!

A glimmer of hope lit up Mother Lu's eyes too.

But Lu Danian shook his head. "Snow Fox? That's a rare find. Getting another one? Hard."

He shifted gears. "Can't get a Snow Fox... but your dad knows where a Great Medicine is."

"Great Medicine?!" Lu Chuan and Mother Lu both exclaimed.

That word was even more tempting than a Snow Fox.

In the mountain folk's understanding, a Great Medicine meant a rare herb of great age—the finest of ginseng, lingzhi, cordyceps, and the like—something you could only hope to stumble upon!

"Dad, what kind of medicine is it... and why didn't you bring it back sooner?" Lu Chuan was thoroughly intrigued.

Lu Danian said gravely, "Don't rush. The Great Medicine I'm talking about is a Yellow Essence. Judging by its stalk and leaves, it's got at least eighty to a hundred years of maturity."

"Yellow Essence?" Lu Chuan searched his memory.

He knew the stuff—common in the mountains, its tuber was both food and medicine, called by doctors 'immortal's leftover grain.' Legend said long use made the body light and strong.

But what people usually dug up were a few years old, maybe a decade, worth just a few dozen coppers—nothing special.

Once the age climbed, though, it was a whole different story.

Lu Danian's eyes gleamed.

"Yellow Essence—the longer it lives, the more its Medicinal Power settles. A century-old Yellow Essence has a rich, mellow potency, perfect for building a foundation."

"Sell that, and Chuanzi will have the money to train!"

"Then why didn't you bring it back earlier?" Lu Chuan didn't understand.

"You think a century-old mountain treasure is like roadside grass, just there for the picking?" Lu Danian gave a bitter laugh.

"That Yellow Essence grows on a cliff face. To get to it, you'd have to lower yourself down from the top with a rope."

"Last time, I was chasing a wounded Rock Sheep when I spotted it from the opposite ridge."

His tone suddenly turned serious.

"But I didn't touch it then, because there was a Companion Beast guarding it!"

"Companion Beast?"

Lu Chuan's heart stirred. The word reminded him of the fantasy novels he'd read in his past life.

Could it be that in this world, there really were Exotic Beasts guarding rare treasures?

"That's right," Lu Danian nodded.

"Spiritual herbs like this naturally emit a special fragrance that's almost irresistible to the beasts of the mountains."

"Ordinary hares and mountain rats will be unconsciously drawn to it, lingering nearby, and those little critters will in turn attract fiercer predators."

"Over time, the place where the herb's scent is strongest will become home to a formidable beast—that's a Companion Beast."

Lu Chuan listened, captivated. He'd never heard of such a thing.

"Then... what Companion Beast is guarding this Yellow Essence?"

A flicker of wariness passed through Lu Danian's eyes:

"A Great Serpent."

"That Great Serpent's body is as thick as a bowl's rim, over two zhang long! Its scales are pitch-black and gleaming."

"Didn't you go check on it in winter?" Mother Lu couldn't help asking.

Snakes hibernate in winter; in theory, you could catch it off guard.

"It's there in winter too!"

"It doesn't hibernate?" Lu Chuan blurted out.

Lu Danian's voice carried lingering fear:

"That's why I say it's unnatural. That time, I just threw a stone from a distance to scare it off, and it spat a cloud of poison gas at me on the spot. I barely escaped."

"When I got back, I knew it was too risky to do this alone, but I couldn't find help either—after all, this is a fortune that defies fate."

He paused, his gaze settling on Lu Chuan.

"But now, Chuanzi, you've grown strong. The two of us can work together."

"In a couple of days, once this heavy snow lets up a bit, we'll make the trip together."

Two days passed in the blink of an eye.

After a few doses of warming herbal decoctions and proper rest, Lu Danian's complexion had clearly improved.

He'd spent years toughening himself in the mountains, so his foundation was solid, and recovery came quickly.

Early that morning, Lu Danian got out of bed with ease.

"Chuanzi, stop sleeping! Fill the water skins and pack the rations! We're making the trip today!"

Lu Chuan had been itching to go, but still asked, "Dad, are you really okay? Want to rest a couple more days?"

"No need!" Lu Danian waved a hand. "Any more lying around, and these bones will rust!"

Father and son began their careful preparations.

When everything was ready, Lu Danian reached for the hunting bow on the wall out of habit—but his hand grabbed nothing.

"Strange, where the hell is my bow?"