The Medicine Master and the Reward

The Medicine Master and the Reward

The message was from Soft Feather. She volunteered at once: "Senior Northern River, leave the matter of prepaying Senior Song's basic cultivation method to me! Although I'm only in the Third-Grade Realm, I'll have no problem teaching a basic cultivation method! I happen to want to visit the Jiangnan Region again!"

She really wanted to see Song Shuhang refine Body Tempering Liquid with an electric stove—and more importantly, she wanted to sneak out and play for a few more days before her father returned home. Once you had tasted food, you knew its flavor; this girl had been completely captivated by the colorful world outside and was thinking about running away from home every waking moment.

The moment Soft Feather finished speaking, Mad Saber Three Waves immediately chimed in: "Stay obediently on Spirit Butterfly Island and wait for me to return. I'll set off in an hour and arrive at Spirit Butterfly Island by evening."

Of course, the person speaking in that tone was Venerable Spirit Butterfly. It seemed he was still putting Mad Saber Three Waves through the wringer and had not gone home immediately.

Soft Feather stuck out her tongue, then lurked silently and dared not speak again.

Northern River's Loose Cultivator sent a smiling face, clearly mocking Mad Saber Three Waves.

Song Shuhang smiled as well. He let out a sigh of relief and typed a few words into the interface: "Sorry for the trouble, Senior Northern River. I need to prepa—"

Before he could finish typing, ding-dong! Another message popped up in the group.

This time it was Medicine Master. He sent two brief words: "I will!"

The message was so baffling that even Northern River's Loose Cultivator could not figure out what he meant.

After a long while, Medicine Master replied: "Brother Northern River, leave the matter of teaching Little Friend Shuhang a cultivation method to me."

After another long while...

Medicine Master: "Little Friend Shuhang, I just used a spell to simulate the process of you refining Body Tempering Liquid. During it, I thought of several very interesting possibilities, which will greatly help me perfect the Simplified Body Tempering Liquid Formula. Some things are difficult to explain online. I want to personally watch you refine a batch of Body Tempering Liquid, and then have you do your best to help me perfect the Simplified Body Tempering Liquid Formula. Hmm, regardless of whether my experiment succeeds, I'll give you a decent reward as compensation for your effort—I have a set of Body-Tempering Sword Art and a Meditation Method."

After pausing for a moment, he typed again: "My sword art and Meditation Method are slightly better than Senior Northern River's."

This was a naked temptation.

"Since Brother Medicine Master intends to guide Little Friend Shuhang, that couldn't be better!" Northern River's Loose Cultivator said with a laugh. "Little Friend Shuhang, hurry up and agree to Brother Medicine Master! With a free teacher guiding you through Foundation Establishment, you absolutely can't miss this opportunity!"

Northern River's Loose Cultivator felt that Song Shuhang's Fortune was indeed extraordinary.

Generally speaking, the two most difficult steps for a Rogue Cultivator to become a cultivator were Body Tempering Liquid and Foundation Establishment.

Foundation Establishment was difficult because most Rogue Cultivators entered the path after obtaining one or two scrolls of inherited cultivation methods and teaching themselves. Without a master's guidance, or because their methods were incomplete, they could easily learn something incorrectly during Foundation Establishment and waste their time.

As for Body Tempering Liquid, there was even less to say. If a Rogue Cultivator wanted Body Tempering Liquid, they had to gather the medicinal ingredients themselves. They might even have to refine it personally. The agony of that process was something Northern River's Loose Cultivator, who had once gone bankrupt, dared not recall.

But Song Shuhang had Soft Feather giving him medicinal ingredients first, followed by Medicine Master offering to guide him through Foundation Establishment as payment—the two most difficult steps for a Rogue Cultivator entering the path looked as though he would pass them with ease.

"Thank you, Seniors." Song Shuhang was moved. The people in the Nine Provinces Number One Group really were all good people!

A mass distribution of good-person cards.

"Shuhang, your address?" Medicine Master asked.

Song Shuhang quickly replied: "Jiangnan University Town in the Jiangnan Region. I live in the student dormitory."

At the same time, Song Shuhang's eyes unconsciously fell on the small potted plant beside the computer. Inside was a crookedly growing plant resembling a coiling dragon. A row of backward-pointing spines lined its tip, while its roots and stem were purplish-black.

It was Poison Dragon Grass, the medicinal herb Medicine Master had previously posted a picture of in the group to ask about.

I wonder if Senior Medicine Master still needs this Poison Dragon Grass? Song Shuhang thought to himself.

"Contact information?" Medicine Master asked again.

Song Shuhang immediately sent his mobile phone number.

Medicine Master: "I'll arrive tomorrow morning. I'll find you!"

Then, before Song Shuhang could say anything else, Medicine Master quickly went offline.

He had originally wanted to mention the Poison Dragon Grass to Medicine Master, but forget it. He would bring it up after Medicine Master arrived.

"Tomorrow morning?" Song Shuhang began to ponder. I have class tomorrow morning, don't I?

Forget it. If it really came to it, he could ask for another morning off. He had taken quite a few days off recently anyway; he did not mind taking one more morning.

In the Nine Provinces Number One Group.

Soft Feather, who had just been frightened back into hiding by her father, quietly poked her head out again: "Senior Song, have you really decided to take the path of a Rogue Cultivator? Even with everyone in the Nine Provinces Number One Group helping you, being a Rogue Cultivator is truly very difficult."

"This is the method that suits me best for now." Song Shuhang replied with a smile: "Also, Soft Feather, thinking back on it now, the two professors being hospitalized the day before yesterday wasn't a coincidence, was it?"

"Wahaha, Senior Song, what are you talking about? It was absolutely a coincidence, a coincidence! I've never told a lie in my entire life!" Soft Feather replied rapidly. "Oh, right, my senior brother is calling me. He must have something to discuss with me. You all chat slowly, Senior. I'll be logging off first~"

After saying that, she did not give Shuhang a chance to reply and quickly went offline.

Song Shuhang rubbed his chin. "It really wasn't a coincidence. I knew it! How could there be such a coincidence in the world? Two professors being hospitalized at the same time because of foot injuries?"

He felt a little sorry toward Teacher Renshui and Professor Smith. When he had some free time in a few days, should he go visit them?

After all, it was their injuries that had allowed him to accompany Soft Feather to Luoxin District, obtain two boxes of medicinal ingredients from Soft Feather as payment, and get the chance to come into contact with the world of cultivation.

Come to think of it, the conversation in the group just now had been practically like a dream.

Originally, in his imagination, becoming a cultivator would certainly require him to undergo all kinds of trials from the seniors in the group, then endure hardship after hardship like Tang Sanzang on his journey for scriptures before he could obtain the Longevity Method.

He had never expected that the seniors in the group would not only give him no difficult trials, but instead offer all kinds of help.

If this really was a dream, then he sincerely hoped he would never wake up.

In the Nine Provinces Number One Group, Northern River's Loose Cultivator sent another message, advising Shuhang: "Little Friend Shuhang, if you encounter anything you don't understand on your future path of cultivation, feel free to ask us in the group."

"You chose to be a Rogue Cultivator, which means no teacher will guide you in cultivation. So ask immediately whenever you don't understand something, especially when it comes to cultivation. Don't be shy. Otherwise, one wrong step will lead to mistake after mistake. At best, you'll waste your cultivation time; at worst, your cultivation will go awry, inviting a great tribulation upon yourself."

"Thank you for the reminder, Senior." Speaking of questions, Song Shuhang immediately thought of one: "By the way, Senior Northern River, I wanted to ask—can Body Tempering Liquid be given to other people? For example, my parents and relatives? Are there any taboos about this in the group?"

Song Shuhang was not a selfish person.

The effects of Body Tempering Liquid were so good that it could even eliminate many hidden ailments during the Body Tempering process. Thus, he thought of Dad Song and Mom Song immediately. After all, filial piety came before all virtues.

"We have no taboos regarding this. As long as you have extra medicinal pills, it's fine to give them to your relatives. After all, medicinal pills and cultivation methods are different. Cultivation methods cannot easily be passed on to outsiders, but medicinal pills have no such restriction."

Northern River's Loose Cultivator continued: "However, I must remind you that the medicinal ingredients in this world are not as abundant as you imagine. Moreover, there aren't many people as generous as Soft Feather. It's very likely that you won't be able to obtain more medicinal ingredients for quite some time. And with thirty-two portions of alchemy materials, even if you successfully refine them every time, you can only obtain thirty-two portions of Body Tempering Liquid. That amount is not even enough for what you need for Hundred-Day Foundation Establishment." Northern River's Loose Cultivator explained gently.

He did not dislike Shuhang's wish to give the medicinal liquid to his family. In fact, he rather admired it.

When experiencing the effects of Body Tempering, someone who thought of his relatives and friends first was exactly the kind of person he liked. Someone who knew benevolence, justice, courtesy, and filial piety could safely become a fellow Daoist.

After all, not many people would want to become life-and-death friends with fickle-minded demons and crooked practitioners.