Pill Recipe

A passing old man with disheveled hair and shabby clothes suddenly stopped. His eyes locked precisely onto the cloth bundle in Cui Hao's hand, and he lightly sniffed twice. "This is... Dragon Saliva Grass that's been aged for years?"

"Go! Go!" Shopkeeper Xu immediately knew they had encountered an expert. "None of your business. Move along!"

"This old man is merely a passerby. I need to prepare a dose of Wound Healing Medicine. Could you do me a favor?"

Cui Hao looked at Xu Ren.

"Junior Brother, we didn't reach a deal. You can sell it to whoever you want."

Cui Hao opened the cloth bundle, displayed the herbs, and asked the old man, "What price are you offering?"

"I don't have any silver..."

"Then there's nothing to discuss." Cui Hao put away the bundle and turned to leave.

"Wait!" The old man blocked his path. A sharp glint flashed through his cloudy eyes. "There are signs of blood-qi tempering on your body. You're a promising martial artist, but your foundation is still shallow... This old man has something that might be useful to you."

As he spoke, the old man pulled a wrinkled sheet of beast hide from inside his worn clothes. With his grimy hand, he held it out before Cui Hao. "I'll trade this."

Shopkeeper Xu sneered from the side. "You want to trade a scrap of paper for Dragon Saliva Grass? Old fool, have you gone mad?"

But Cui Hao's heart stirred. Though the old man looked slovenly, the move he had just used to block him, along with his light and swift footsteps, proved he was no ordinary person. He reached out, took the beast hide, and unfolded and smoothed it for a look.

[Name]: Startling Thunder Pill

[Grade]: Mortal Grade, Low-Rank

[Effect]: Contains a trace of heavenly thunder. After consumption, it can briefly stimulate the acupoints throughout the body and unleash the physical body's potential. For fifteen minutes, it increases a martial artist's attack speed and strength by thirty percent.

[Taboo]: The medicinal power is overbearing. Afterward, the meridians will ache for more than a day. Martial artists below the Clear Force Completion realm risk having their meridians rupture if they take it.

[Detailed Formula]

[Main Ingredients]: Three qian of Thunderstruck Wood, two liang of Crimson Blood Vine, one qian of century-old cinnabar...

[Auxiliary Ingredients]:...

Cui Hao's heart pounded wildly. The power of this Pill Recipe was astonishing, and its value was immense. He drew a deep breath, suppressed the greed in his heart, and respectfully returned the beast hide with both hands. "Senior, this Pill Recipe is far too precious. Besides, my cultivation is too low to use it... Could you... exchange it for one that I can use at my current level?"

For the first time, the old man took a careful look at Cui Hao. Then he broke into a smile, revealing a mouthful of large yellow teeth. "Interesting. You're not greedy, and you know when to advance and retreat. You're a sensible young man."

He took back the secret Startling Thunder Pill formula and pulled another sheet of beast hide from his robes, holding it out before Cui Hao. "This might be useful to you."

Cui Hao accepted it with both hands and was just about to unfold it when he noticed Xu Ren leaning his head over. He took a step back to avoid the other man's gaze, then unfolded the beast hide.

[Name]: Qi and Blood Powder

[Grade]: Mortal Grade, Low-Rank

[Effect]: Nourishes qi and blood and strengthens the foundation. It can accelerate the accumulation of qi and blood in Mortal Martial Realm martial artists and assist their cultivation.

[Taboo]: Take as directed, and do not consume excessively. Otherwise, the qi and blood will become agitated, making it easy to injure the meridians. For those at the Clear Force realm or above, the effect is negligible.

[Detailed Formula]

[Main Ingredients]: Three qian of Blood Ginseng Whisker, one liang of Angelica Sinensis, eight qian of Prepared Rehmannia Root...

[Auxiliary Ingredients]:... (Detailed proportions and refining method)

Cui Hao's hand trembled slightly—this was exactly what he needed most right now! A packet of Qi and Blood Powder cost one liang of silver. If he could refine it himself, the cost would be no more than a hundred copper coins, and he could even adjust its medicinal potency according to his own needs!

More importantly, he could raise his [Medicine Refining] skill!

"Senior..." Cui Hao raised his head, only to discover that the disheveled old man had already walked more than ten steps away. His pace looked slow, but was actually astonishingly fast.

Cui Hao hurriedly called out, "This junior comes from a poor family and only has this..." He took out two hundred copper coins and, together with two stalks of Dragon Saliva Grass, wrapped them in cloth. Then he caught up, holding the bundle out with both hands.

The old man did not turn his head, yet seemed to have eyes in the back of his head. With a sweep of his hand, the bundle landed in his grasp. He weighed it in his hand, and his voice drifted over from ahead. "Little fellow, this formula is worth more than this. But this old man is in a good mood today, so consider yourself owing me a favor. If there's a chance in the future... we'll talk then."

Before his voice had even faded, the old man had already turned the corner and vanished.

Cui Hao stood there blankly, clutching the sheet of beast hide tightly in his hand.

"Junior Brother Cui." Xu Ren came over, unable to hide his curiosity. "What was written on the beast hide that old... Senior gave you?"

Cui Hao composed himself, carefully tucked the beast hide into his robes against his body, and turned to Xu Ren with a calm expression. "Senior Brother Xu, it's just an ordinary medicinal-diet recipe. You definitely wouldn't be interested."

As he spoke, he took out twelve stalks of Qingming Grass. "I'll sell these to you as well, at the price we agreed on earlier, plus ten percent."

Xu Ren stared at Cui Hao for a long while. Knowing he would get nothing by asking, he could only nod. "All right. Uncle Xu, settle the account with Junior Brother Cui."

Shopkeeper Xu reluctantly took out four liang of silver and handed it to Cui Hao.

Cui Hao accepted the silver and cupped his fists. "Farewell."

After turning and leaving the medicine shop, Cui Hao's footsteps were much lighter than when he had arrived. The sheet of beast hide rested against his chest, almost as though it carried warmth.

He knew that he had stumbled upon a fortuitous opportunity today.