Qi and Blood Pill

"Two days ago, I overheard some guests from Kaoshan Village chatting. They said a young man in their village took out two silver taels to pay the Mountain Tax for a neighbor in trouble, and managed to save the man's daughter from Wang Kun of the Black Tiger Gang."

Zhao Xuanhe paused, then added, "I was wondering..."

Lu Chuan didn't hide it. "That's right. The man Brother Zhao heard about was me."

A flicker of admiration passed through Zhao Xuanhe's eyes, and he clasped his fists. "Brother Lu, your righteousness is admirable! To stand up for a neighbor and part with your money without hesitation—such courage and benevolence are truly rare."

In this world, playing it safe was the norm. An act of justice like Lu Chuan's was a genuine rarity.

Lu Chuan shook his head. "It's nothing so lofty. Uncle Zhao once helped my family too."

Zhao Xuanhe smiled. "Repaying a drop of kindness with a gushing spring—that alone is already quite remarkable."

After a few more pleasantries, Zhao Xuanhe remembered his business. "Ah, right. Brother Lu, you've graced my humble shop today—have you come across some fine herbs to sell?"

Lu Chuan shook his head and got straight to the point. "Not selling. I want to buy."

"Oh? Buy what?"

"Qi and Blood Pills."

Zhao Xuanhe nodded, turned, and walked into the back pharmacy.

A moment later, he came out with a porcelain bottle and took out a dark red pill the size of a longan.

"This is the Qi and Blood Pill sold at my Renhetang Pharmacy."

He handed it to Lu Chuan. "It's made from dozens of nourishing herbs, prepared according to ancient methods. Brother Lu likely knows its effects—it's quite beneficial for those who practice the Martial Way. Two silver taels per pill."

Lu Chuan took the pill, sniffed it, and confirmed there was no issue before speaking. "I'll take three."

He still had over thirty taels of ill-gotten gains from Wang Kun on him.

But buying too many at once would draw attention, especially in this sensitive period.

A hint of surprise flickered in Zhao Xuanhe's eyes. He nodded. "Good."

He took out the pills, handed them to Lu Chuan, and added a warning. "By the way, Brother Lu hasn't broken through yet, so your body's capacity for Qi and Blood is limited. Remember to take each pill over three days. If you take it all at once, your body won't have time to refine it, and most of the potency will be wasted."

"Thank you for the reminder, Brother Zhao. I'll keep that in mind."

He paid six silver taels and took his leave from Renhetang.

Back at his own courtyard gate, Lu Chuan felt the atmosphere at home was off.

When his parents saw him return, their smiles were strained, and their eyes darted away.

"What's wrong?" Lu Chuan set down his things, scanning his parents' faces.

"Nothing... nothing." Lu Danian tried to cover it up. "Chuanzi's back. Hungry? Dinner's almost ready."

Mother Lu quickly chimed in, "Right, right. Today we cooked millet rice, and there's that rabbit meat you caught yesterday..."

Lu Chuan didn't move. He just looked at them. "You think you can hide it from me? Spit it out. What happened?"

Lu Danian opened his mouth, glanced at his wife, then lowered his head. Mother Lu sighed. "Actually... it's nothing major. It's just... over at the old house, your cousin Lu Tao... he... he's become a Martial Artist."

Hearing this, the restless knot in Lu Chuan's heart finally settled.

He'd thought the Black Tiger Gang had come by today, but it turned out to be something this trivial.

Cousin Lu Tao, a year younger than him, was the old man's favorite grandson.

To fund his martial training, the old man had not only dug into his own coffin savings but also snatched a Snow Fox from Lu Chuan's family.

All told, at least fifty silver taels had been sunk into the cousin.

Becoming a Martial Artist now was only natural.

Lu Chuan also understood why his parents wore that expression.

These past two months, he'd hunted a Golden Pheasant, shot and killed a five-hundred-pound Wild Boar King, and generously fronted the money for the Zhao family.

In his parents' eyes, he'd already become the most promising young man in the village.

Though the two elders never said it out loud, they'd secretly hoped he'd make a name for himself on the Martial Way too.

And now, he'd fallen short in that regard, dashing a good deal of their expectations.

Lu Chuan was in a hurry to break through the Blood Pass and had no time to console them. He just asked casually, "So he broke through... By the way, when Wang Kun came to collect the second round of money yesterday, did Grandpa's family pay?"

The old man's household had over a dozen acres of good land and two oxen—plenty of assets. Lu Chuan figured Wang Kun wouldn't let such a fat sheep slip by.

"They paid, of course. Lu Tao only broke through today."

Hearing this, Lu Chuan's face showed nothing, but inside, he was overjoyed.

"The Black Tiger Gang's man just died, and my dear cousin broke through to Martial Artist right on cue—what a perfect scapegoat..."

As long as the Black Tiger Gang investigated Wang Kun's death, Lu Tao, this cousin who'd become a Martial Artist right around the time of the conflict, would naturally draw most of the attention.

"I understand."

Lu Chuan made up his mind: even if he broke through the Blood Pass this time, he'd have to hide it for two months before letting the news out.

Inside the room, Lu Chuan went to the bedside, sat cross-legged, and pulled the small porcelain bottle from his chest.

He popped out the cork and tipped out a dark red Qi and Blood Pill.

The pill faintly exuded a medicinal fragrance.

He split the Qi and Blood Pill into three parts and placed one portion into his mouth.

The pill dissolved into a warm current, sliding down his throat, then bursting open in his chest and abdomen.

Lu Chuan steadied his mind and, following the basic Qi and Blood circulation method of the Mountain Splitting Saber, guided this external Medicinal Power into his meridians.

Wherever the Medicinal Power passed, his Qi and Blood immediately grew lively.

He could clearly feel his muscles and sinews swelling slightly under the Medicinal Power's scouring, and the total amount of Qi and Blood was steadily increasing!

This sensation of tangible strength improvement stirred a barely suppressible joy in Lu Chuan's heart.

Ever since his strength had risen, Qi and Blood Soup and ordinary Flesh and Blood had lost their effect, and his Qi and Blood growth had become excruciatingly slow.

"These two taels of silver... were really worth it," Lu Chuan thought to himself.

No wonder Martial Way cultivation consumed so many resources—without these external aids, relying solely on hard training and ordinary food, breaking through was as hard as reaching the sky.

He wasted no more time, sinking his mind completely into his body.

At the Lu Family Old Residence.

The courtyard was buzzing with activity; several tables were set up, packed with visiting villagers, relatives, and friends.

Old Master Lu sat at the head seat, his face glowing: "I said it from the start—this boy Tao has been sharp since he was little, a natural for martial training!"

"Look, in less than four months, he's broken the Blood Pass and become a true Martial Artist!"

Second Old Lu, sitting nearby, chimed in: "Father's right! Our Tao is a true dragon!"

"Some people bag a few wild beasts and think they're something special—how can they compare to our Tao, a proper Martial Artist?"

Relatives and friends raised their glasses in flattery, and phrases like "youthful prodigy" and "the Lu Family's rise" filled the air.

Lu Tao, surrounded by the crowd, wore a smug expression.

Just as the atmosphere peaked, the courtyard gate was suddenly kicked open!

A dozen grim-faced men filed in, freezing the banquet's mood instantly.

The leader was about forty, with a gaunt face and prominent cheekbones. His eyes swept over the crowd, finally settling on Lu Tao, whose Qi and Blood radiated outward.

"You're Lu Tao?"

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