Trial Production of Qi and Blood Powder

Qingyuan City originally had two high-ranking officials. One was the City Guard Pang Gaoshan, who had already died in an explosion.

The other was the City Governor Fan Xin, a man who almost never appeared in public.

There were even rumors that Fan Xin wasn't in Qingyuan at all, and that all matters were handled by his secretary, Tao He, as proof.

Unbeknownst to Fan Xin, who was secretly investigating, he packed a jar of marinated tiger meat for Lin Da. After thanking him, Lin Da closed his courtyard gate, temporarily shutting out the outside noise.

Calming his mind, he officially began the first trial production of medicinal powder in his life—Qi and Blood Powder.

Although the rewards from the preliminary exam and the spoils from hunting the tiger meant he wasn't short of Qi and Blood Powder for the moment, mastering this skill himself not only meant a more stable supply but also gave him more confidence to survive and thrive.

He took a deep breath, calmed his mind, and began the first step—drying the Blood Essence Grass.

The high-quality silver silk charcoal crackled softly under the medicine furnace, and the furnace walls gradually heated evenly.

Discarding tools like bamboo clips, he held his hand directly above the furnace opening, his fingertips sensing every subtle change in the hot airflow.

Just as he was concentrating on sensing the temperature, a new panel quietly appeared in his consciousness.

[Medicine Crafting: Novice (1/100)]

He only glanced at it, his mind undisturbed.

Medicinal ingredients were precious and could not be wasted.

A five-year-old Blood Essence Grass was worth a lot. Although the eight stalks he had were only three years old, they were still quite valuable.

On his first attempt, the charcoal fire was a bit too strong, and the edges of the leaves quickly turned black. Failure.

On his second attempt, he adjusted the heat but made a mistake in the rhythm of turning, resulting in uneven heating. Failure.

Cui Hao remained calm and unhurried. He took a deep breath and placed the Blood Essence Grass into the furnace for the third time.

This time, his mind was clear and empty, the charcoal fire was as steady as a rock, and his fingertips sensed the subtle transition of the leaves from moist to crisp.

His hands moved like dancing butterflies as he turned them.

Finally, at a precise moment that was difficult to describe, he moved his fingers and took out the perfectly dried Blood Essence Grass—it was dark red and full in color, crisp in texture, and the medicinal aroma was concentrated and did not dissipate.

Out of the eight stalks of medicinal ingredients, five were successfully prepared.

For someone who had just started learning about medicine, this success rate was a pleasant surprise.

Next was the more patience-testing drying of the Ginseng.

The ginseng slices were dense, requiring even stricter control over heat and time.

His first attempt resulted in the edges being scorched due to slightly high temperature. Cui Hao immediately stopped. After a moment of thought, he turned and went to the kitchen to get a white radish, sliced it thinly, and began practicing.

With single-minded focus, he repeatedly simulated the process with radish slices until he could evenly dry them into thin, crisp "jade slices."

His control over the heat and the changes in the material in his hands had improved by another level.

He challenged the Ginseng again, his mind as still as water. His hands moved lightly, and under the just-right heat, the ginseng slices slowly lost their moisture, becoming golden and crisp, with a mellow ginseng aroma. Success!

The rest was repetitive work.

By the time the last batch of ginseng slices was successfully out of the furnace, the sky outside was already showing the first light of dawn.

He had stayed up all night, but Cui Hao's eyes shone brightly, and his heart was filled with the sense of accomplishment from mastering a new skill.

"Brother Cui Hao..." Su Yun came over with a bowl of warm water. She had stayed with him all night.

Lingdang stood by the door, her eyes full of concern.

Cui Hao took the bowl, drank it down in one gulp, and nodded affirmatively, "The drying of the medicine is considered passed."

Su Yun's face bloomed into a smile, relieved. "That's good! I'll go heat up some food."

After a simple breakfast and a short rest, Cui Hao entered the most crucial stage—synthesis.

He placed the dried Blood Essence Grass and Ginseng into stone mortars respectively and patiently ground them until they became a powder as fine as dust.

Then, he took out the exquisite copper scale, held his breath, and began weighing.

Five qian of Blood Essence Grass powder, three qian of Ginseng powder, two qian of Dewdrop Flower powder, and one and a half qian of Poria powder.

The four medicinal powders, with their different colors and scents, were mixed in the mortar.

He took half a cup of three-year-old Yellow Wine, with its orange-yellow color and rich wine aroma, and slowly poured it along the edge of the stone mortar.

Using the pestle, he ground and stirred in the same direction, evenly and steadily.

This allowed the medicinal powder and wine to fully blend, the color gradually becoming uniform, forming a moist, dark red medicinal paste.

The final step was to dry and shape it to activate the medicinal properties.

He relit the medicine furnace, immersing his entire mind in sensing the furnace temperature.

When he felt that subtle sensation of "heat without burning the skin" from his fingertips, Cui Hao's eyes sharpened. He used a bamboo slice to pick up a lump of medicinal paste and quickly, accurately, and steadily placed it in the hot spot of the furnace.

At this critical moment that would determine success or failure—

"Bang bang bang!" The courtyard gate was knocked upon, not too hard, not too soft.

Cui Hao's brow didn't even twitch, as if the knocking sound came from another world.

He connected all his senses, his mind, and even the rhythm of his breath to the medicinal paste in the furnace.

His hands became two blurs, quickly and gently tending to and turning the paste within the scorching furnace.

In just three breaths! The soft medicinal paste rapidly contracted, solidified, and dispersed into a pile of fine particles, uniform in size and dark red like agate, under precise heat catalysis.

The time was right!

Cui Hao slammed his red-hot palm onto the rim of the furnace, exhaling lightly.

With a soft "swish," all the medicinal particles bounced up under the vibration, tracing neat arcs as they all fell into the prepared white porcelain dish, making a crisp and pleasant sound.

Only then did Cui Hao exhale a stale breath, lowering his head to the porcelain dish.

He sniffed gently; the medicinal aroma was pure and mild.

He dipped a tiny amount with his fingertip and cautiously tasted it with his tongue. A familiar warm sensation spread from the root of his tongue, slowly diffusing to his limbs.

--It worked! The medicinal effect was even purer than he had expected.

"Brother Hao, did it work?" Su Yun, who had been waiting by his side, couldn't help but ask, her voice full of anticipation.

Cui Hao turned and gave his wife a confident smile. "It worked."

Su Yun was instantly overjoyed, almost jumping up, all her tension and worry vanishing.

"Bring the scale."

After a moment, the division was complete, yielding six packets, each about two qian.

Cui Hao estimated in his heart that these six packets of finished product, at market price, could be worth twelve liang of silver.

However, when he started calculating the costs, his expression slowly stiffened.

The Blood Essence Grass, after consumption, cost about five liang. Half a mature Ginseng was worth five liang. The Dewdrop Flower, Poria, and other auxiliary herbs cost about one liang... The cost of the medicinal ingredients alone reached eleven liang.

This didn't even include the wear and tear on the medicinal furnace, the expensive silver charcoal, and the effort and time he had poured in for this day and night.

The profit was so thin it was almost nonexistent, and he could even lose money with the slightest mistake.

Where was the problem?

Cui Hao's mind raced, and he finally understood!

This was clearly an ingenious calculation, designed to allow low-level pharmacists with some understanding of medicine to barely make a living, not starve to death.

Yet, it also completely stifled any possibility for low-level pharmacists to accumulate capital through this craft and climb higher.

He collected his thoughts, carefully put away the medicinal powder and tools, and then Cui Hao walked towards the courtyard gate.

Standing outside were Aunt Wang and Aunt Li. Cui Hao asked expressionlessly, "Is something wrong?"

"Brother Hao is here too," Aunt Wang asked with a smile. "Is Su Yun in? We want to chat with her."

Cui Hao's blood and qi surged within him, the veins on the back of his hand gripping the doorframe bulging slightly.

He really wanted to punch them to death!