The Deluded

After these days of cultivation, with the help of the Heaven Rewards Diligence System, Qin Dongcheng had gained a sufficient understanding of the properties of all kinds of medicinal herbs. He was even confident that he could prepare most ordinary pills and the like.

It was time for the next step in his cultivation: refining medicinal elixirs.

So-called medicinal elixirs were not like the simple decoctions of his previous life. They required many complex methods and techniques to fuse the effects of different medicinal herbs together to the greatest extent, unleashing effects beyond imagination.

Simply put, it was Alchemy.

Ordinary pills and the like were mainly for common people, while these medicinal elixirs were chiefly consumed by Martial Artists who had condensed Blood Qi. Their prices far exceeded those of ordinary pills.

The difficulty of refining them, as well as the quantity and preciousness of the medicinal herbs consumed, far surpassed that of ordinary pills.

The medicinal liquids and pills brewed by the traditional physicians of his previous life could not be considered medicinal elixirs at all.

As long as Qin Dongcheng could refine a single medicinal elixir, it would mean he had stepped through the gates of Alchemy and become an Alchemy Apprentice.

If he could refine three types of medicinal elixirs, he could advance to become an Official Alchemist. From then on, his status would be utterly different, and he could easily become an Official Disciple of the Five Elements Sect.

Refining medicinal elixirs could also bring him a considerable amount of Sect Contribution, which he could use to exchange for all sorts of good things, such as cultivation techniques, combat techniques, and secret arts.

Once he cultivated to Body Phase Perfection, Qin Dongcheng would need a Skin Refining Technique to break through into the Skin Phase Realm. He had to begin accumulating Sect Contribution in advance.

No sooner said than done. After finishing a day's farm work, Qin Dongcheng headed to the Black Market near Bamboo Forest Valley.

Most of the people in this Black Market were disciples of the Five Elements Sect. It had been spontaneously formed by the sect's disciples and was called the Bamboo Forest Black Market.

Here, one could trade Sect Contribution or purchase many things needed by Martial Artists. Though some items, such as Sect Contribution, were explicitly forbidden from being traded, some things simply could not be prohibited.

After all, even those who made the rules were involved. So long as things did not go too far, the Five Elements Sect would not interfere.

What Qin Dongcheng needed to purchase was the Basic Alchemy Canon. It detailed various foundational alchemy techniques and methods, along with the medicinal property combinations of many herbs.

Most precious of all were several methods for refining low-level medicinal elixirs. If one could thoroughly comprehend them and refine those low-level elixirs, one could enter the ranks of a Low-level Alchemist. From then on, one's status would be entirely different.

Rather than buying from a street stall, Qin Dongcheng went to a bookstore called the Bamboo Forest Bookstore. It was said to have been opened by an Inner Sect Disciple and sold all kinds of basic cultivation techniques, combat techniques, secret arts, and more, including basic alchemy texts.

The books sold at street stalls had many errors, and some were even fraudulent. Qin Dongcheng did not feel at ease. He would rather spend a few extra taels of silver to buy a correct Basic Alchemy Canon.

Seeing Qin Dongcheng enter, a pleasant-faced shop assistant immediately came forward. "What kind of text does sir require?"

"The Basic Alchemy Canon," Qin Dongcheng said directly.

The assistant smiled and flattered him. "I didn't expect sir to be an apothecary. A Basic Alchemy Canon costs twenty taels of silver. You may also purchase it with Sect Contribution. If you discover any errors after taking it home, you may return it here for an exchange."

The Bamboo Forest Bookstore did not permit haggling, and its prices matched the normal market rates. Qin Dongcheng handed the assistant the only twenty taels of silver he had on him, and the man quickly fetched a Basic Alchemy Canon.

This price was not expensive. After all, the Basic Alchemy Canon could help an ordinary Martial Artist become an Official Alchemist.

If the chance of success had not been so low, causing more and more Martial Artists to stop falling for it, the price of this book would likely have been even higher.

Even so, it drained all of Qin Dongcheng's savings from the past few months. Had he not sold some medicinal herbs before coming here, he would not even have been able to afford this Basic Alchemy Canon.

As they watched Qin Dongcheng leave, several Five Elements Sect disciples in the bookstore began to laugh.

"Another fool dreaming of becoming an Alchemist. If Official Alchemists were so easy to become, how could a Basic Alchemy Canon possibly be sold so cheaply?"

"Forget becoming an Official Alchemist. He can forget even becoming an Alchemy Apprentice. How could refining elixirs and preparing medicine be easy? Only young newcomers like these still believe in that nonsense."

"I know that fellow. He should be an Herb Field Handyman from our Bamboo Forest Valley. He does have some skill in growing medicinal herbs, no wonder he dares to dream of becoming an Alchemist."

"Have there been few Herb Field Handymen dreaming of becoming Alchemists over the years? Apart from that one person who succeeded several decades ago, has there been a second Herb Field Handyman to become an Official Alchemist in these past decades?"

Clearly, no one thought Qin Dongcheng could become an Official Alchemist. Even the assistant who had repeatedly called him an apothecary had merely been flattering him. At this moment, a look of pity appeared on his face as well.

Yet this was clearly a good thing for him. A Basic Alchemy Canon cost twenty taels of silver, enough to cover a normal family's living expenses for several years.

Without such suckers, where would his sales performance come from?

Qin Dongcheng had not deliberately concealed his identity. After all, he still intended to obtain all kinds of resources through alchemy and medicine-making in the future. This was simply giving them advance notice.

Though he had also heard some mockery, Qin Dongcheng could not possibly rush over and start a fight just because of a few remarks. He would wait until he became an Alchemy Apprentice, or even an Alchemist, then slap these fellows in the face with his strength.

Seeing that there was no food left in his pouch, Qin Dongcheng sold several more medicinal herbs, careful not to exceed a certain quantity lest he arouse suspicion.

Many Herb Field Handymen did the same. So long as they turned in enough medicinal herbs on schedule, any surplus belonged to the Herb Field Handymen. This was an unspoken rule everyone tacitly accepted.

Qin Dongcheng had also weighed his options again and again when selling the medicinal herbs.

However, if he needed to sell medicinal herbs in large quantities later on, he would disguise himself to some extent to avoid anyone noticing anything unusual.

After completing the transaction, Qin Dongcheng bought some daily necessities before returning to his Bamboo House in Bamboo Forest Valley.

Bamboo Forest Valley was vast, covering several hundred square kilometers. Besides Herb Fields, it also had farmlands, vegetable fields, Beast Fields... cultivating all kinds of crops and beasts for the Official Disciples to use.

Yet among the many Handymen, Herb Field Handymen ranked near the top. Even some Official Disciples treated them with considerable respect.

Qin Dongcheng's Bamboo House had been built by a former Herb Field Handyman. The workmanship was quite good. It had been in use for decades without any problems, and it was very close to the Herb Field he was responsible for.

After eating something, Qin Dongcheng took out the Basic Alchemy Canon and began studying it.

Once he had understood it well enough, he planned to begin refining in earnest. During this trip to the Black Market, he had also purchased the tools needed to refine medicinal elixirs. Everything was ready; only the east wind was lacking.

As long as he could refine a single medicinal elixir, he could improve his life without restraint from then on, without worrying about arousing suspicion.