Sending Younger Brother to School, Using Medicinal Bath

Carrying the precious bundle of medicinal herbs out of Huichun Hall, Li Bufan felt a whirl of emotions. The winter sunlight fell on him, bringing a trace of warmth, but it was nothing compared to the warm current surging in his heart from Doctor Liu's selfless care.

"Old Doctor Liu... he's a truly good man," he murmured to himself, his fingers unconsciously rubbing the herb bundle. "If not for him, how could I have gotten this medicinal bath formula so smoothly, and even received the Complete Herbal Compendium as a gift... This debt of gratitude is as heavy as a mountain."

He recalled an old saying from his past life: a drop of kindness should be repaid like a gushing spring. What Doctor Liu had given him was far more than a drop. It was like fuel delivered in the snow, just when he needed it most to start his martial path.

"When I achieve something in the future, I will definitely repay him well." Li Bufan buried this gratitude deep in his heart, turning it into motivation to move forward.

Yet the pressure of real-world silver followed close behind. He felt his money pouch, now much flatter again, and couldn't help a bitter smile.

"Just three doses of medicinal bath herbs, at cost price, cost nearly one tael of silver... At market price, it would probably be more than double." He once again deeply understood the meaning of "poor for study, rich for martial arts." Without enough financial backing, even the most basic cultivation resources were hard to secure, let alone better techniques or pills.

"Make money—I have to find a way to make money, fast!" This thought had never been stronger.

On the way, he stopped at a cooked food stall to buy a few freshly baked, steaming, greasy meat pies, and half a catty of braised meat. Then he headed home.

Pushing open the wicker door, Ping'an had already dressed himself and was sitting on a small stool, dazed. He looked over as soon as he heard the noise.

"Big brother, you're back!"

"Mm, little brother's up? Go wash up quickly. Big brother bought meat pies." Li Bufan raised the oil-paper bundle in his hand.

"Meat pies!" Ping'an's eyes lit up instantly. Though their meals had improved greatly these days, a child's resistance to such oily, fragrant street food was low. With a cheer, he bounced up like a little rabbit and scurried to the corner of the yard to wash.

Watching his brother's eager look and the way his eyes kept darting toward the meat pies even while washing, Li Bufan broke into a genuine smile. This was how a child his age should be—innocent, lively, craving simple treats. He hoped Ping'an could always keep this pure joy.

"Big brother, I'm done!" Ping'an wiped his face haphazardly with his sleeve and rushed back, staring at the meat pies on the table, even swallowing dramatically.

"Little glutton, eat up." Li Bufan smiled and handed him the biggest meat pie, pushing the braised meat closer. "Eat it with the meat. Don't choke."

Ping'an took the pie and took a huge bite, hissing at the heat but unwilling to spit it out. His cheeks bulged, grease smeared all over his mouth, and he still managed to mumble praise: "Mmm... good! Big brother, you eat too!"

Seeing his brother wolfing down the food with such happiness, Li Bufan felt his own appetite stir. He picked up a meat pie and ate slowly. This ordinary street food tasted especially delicious now.

"Eat slowly, no rush. There's plenty," he said softly, his eyes full of affection.

The brothers enjoyed a hearty breakfast. Afterward, Li Bufan cleaned up the dishes, looking around the still-simple but now hope-filled home, and an idea struck him.

Watching his brother, full and content with a satisfied smile on his little face, Li Bufan's resolve to plan for his family's future grew clearer. He stood up, began tidying the dishes efficiently, and said to Ping'an, "Ping'an, go wipe your face clean and straighten your clothes. Big brother is taking you somewhere today."

Ping'an looked up curiously: "Big brother, where to?"

"To take a look at the school," Li Bufan replied with a smile, not stopping his work.

"School?" Ping'an's little face was full of confusion. "What's a school?"

Li Bufan put down the dishes, crouched to meet his brother's eyes, and explained patiently, "A school is a place where you learn knowledge and recognize characters. There will be learned teachers like Doctor Liu from Huichun Hall or Steward Lin, who will teach you to read and write and tell you many interesting stories. And there will be kids your age to play and study with."

He paused, then encouraged him in the simplest terms: "Does little Ping'an want to be as capable as big brother someday? Want to recognize lots of characters so you can read martial arts manuals yourself? Want to have meat and pastries every day?"

Ping'an's eyes grew brighter with each word. Especially at "lots of kids" and "meat and pastries every day," his little head bobbed like a chick pecking rice: "Yes! Ping'an wants to! Ping'an wants to go to school!"

"Good! Then let's go now!" Li Bufan laughed heartily, adjusted his brother's new cotton jacket, put on his fur hat, locked the door, and took his little hand out of the alley.

He had already asked around. Not too far from their home was a Meng School run by an old scholar named Wang, who had a good reputation. Though it took nearly half an hour to walk there, for a child in Huaiyuan County, it was considered close.

The school sat in a relatively quiet alley, an ordinary blue-brick courtyard. From a distance, he could hear the childish but earnest sound of children reciting. Here, the living conditions of the surrounding residents were clearly better than in Li Bufan's area—at least brick houses, and the children's clothes had few patches.

Li Bufan took a deep breath and led the nervous but curious Ping'an inside. An old man with graying hair and beard, wearing a square cap and looking somewhat stern, was supervising the students' recitation in the yard. This must be Scholar Wang.

Li Bufan stepped forward and respectfully stated his purpose: to enroll his younger brother Li Ping'an.

Scholar Wang sized up the two brothers. Li Bufan, though plainly dressed, had bright eyes and a steady demeanor, unlike the usual street loafers. Little Ping'an, though a bit shy, had clear eyes and seemed clever. The old man nodded, asked Ping'an a few simple questions about his age and whether he could count, and though nervous, Ping'an answered.

"Mm, teachable material." Scholar Wang stroked his beard. "The Meng School rule is one month's tuition of fifty coppers. Lunch must be brought. Brushes, ink, paper, and books must be bought yourself. I can purchase them for you, or you can bring your own."

"Thank you, sir." Li Bufan nodded without hesitation, counted out fifty coppers from his pocket for the first month's tuition, and asked Scholar Wang to buy a basic set of the Three Character Classic and Hundred Family Surnames, along with brushes, ink, and paper. All told, it cost nearly another fifty coppers.

Looking at his money pouch, now nearly half empty, Li Bufan sighed again at how raising a child and training in martial arts both burned silver. But he felt it was money well spent.

With the formalities done, Scholar Wang led Ping'an into a classroom and placed him at an empty seat. Ping'an looked back nervously at his brother. Li Bufan gave him an encouraging smile and waved.

Watching his little brother sit properly in that small seat, curiously looking around at the other kids and the books on the table, an indescribable feeling of relief and responsibility filled Li Bufan's chest. He stood outside the window for a while, until the teacher began the lesson, then quietly left.

Leaving the school, Li Bufan headed straight home. He needed to seize every moment to cultivate!

Today, he planned to try the potent medicinal bath! He took out one of the herb bundles he'd bought that day, fetched the large wooden tub from the last bath, set it up, boiled water, and threw in the bundle.

Soon, a rich herbal aroma filled the air. The liquid turned pitch-black, yet faintly tinged with red.

Li Bufan stripped off his shirt, revealing his lean, muscular upper body. When the liquid had cooled a bit, he gritted his teeth and sat down into it!

"Sss—!"

A burning, stinging sensation instantly enveloped him! The medicinal power, like countless fine needles, drilled into his body through his pores, instantly resonating and reacting with the Cinnabar Fruit's power already settled in him!

He didn't dare slack off. He immediately activated the breathing method of the Spirit Ape Muscle Tempering Technique inside the bath, struggling to circulate his blood and qi, guiding these two powerful forces to temper his flesh with all his might!

This process was far more painful than simple cultivation, but also far more efficient!

The light of the [Heaven Rewards Diligence] fate shone with unprecedented brightness!

By the time the sun was setting and the liquid had faded to a very pale color, Li Bufan crawled out, utterly exhausted. His muscles ached and stung, yet there was an indescribable feeling of relief and strength.

He quickly dressed, cleaned up all traces, and dragged his tired but excited body to the school at a fast pace.

When he arrived, school had just let out. Children streamed out, chattering. Ping'an spotted his brother at once and ran over happily.

"Big brother!"

"Mm, school's out? What did you learn today?" Li Bufan took his little brother's small backpack and held his hand as they walked home.

Ping'an immediately got excited, gesturing with his tiny fingers as they walked. "Teacher taught us to read! One, big, sky, sun, mouth... and lots more! Ping'an remembered them all!" He tilted his little face up, wearing an expectant expression that screamed "Praise me!"

Li Bufan looked at his brother's face, so full of accomplishment, and his heart softened into a puddle. He didn't hold back his praise. "Really? Our little Ping'an is so amazing! You learned that many characters on your first day! What a clever kid!"

Hearing his brother's compliment, Ping'an beamed even brighter, chattering nonstop about all the fun things at school as they walked.

The setting sun stretched the two brothers' shadows long. When they got home, Li Bufan made a simple dinner, and they ate while chatting. After the meal, Li Bufan practiced his boxing slowly in the yard under the moonlight, digesting the gains from the day's cultivation, while Ping'an lay on the kang table, using a twig to carefully review the dozen or so characters he'd learned that day in a sand tray, lit only by the faint glow of an oil lamp.

Inside and outside the house—one with the pen, one with the sword—yet it was filled with ordinary warmth and upward hope.

That day quietly passed in this fulfilling and peaceful atmosphere.