The Medicinal Bones Arrive Again

The Medicinal Bones Arrive Again

Ten days had passed in the blink of an eye since Eastern Terrace Academy began teaching Ironclaw Tongue, and it was now mid-month.

Every day, Zhang Yu traveled between the Academy and his residence. Apart from teaching classes and imparting knowledge, he practiced swordsmanship and cultivated himself. From time to time, he would also visit the Cultural Proclamation Hall to look up written records he needed.

His students had now grown from nineteen to thirty-one. This was not because anyone had come to fight over benefits, but because the backgrounds and identities of the Academy students had driven many people to rack their brains trying to squeeze their own children and juniors in.

Beyond that, his lectures themselves had become very popular. Although he had yet to begin teaching younger students, without even realizing it, all the places in the academy under his name had long been filled by a group of students.

The sixteenth was the Academy's rest day. Thus, after finishing his lessons on the fifteenth, while there was still time, he brought a small booklet to the eastern courtyard he had visited last time and sketched the scenery.

After returning, an Academy attendant delivered a letter signed by Zhao Xiangcheng.

He inspected it carefully. This time, it was not forged by someone else; it had indeed been sent by the Security Patrol Association's steward, and had been forwarded through a hall master at Peaceful Lodge with whom he had dealt before.

The letter stated that the profits from the Yao Salamander last time had been deposited in the Silver Office of the Protectorate Office. Whenever it was convenient for him, he merely had to sign and seal his name at the counter, and he could freely withdraw the gold yuan.

As for the exact sum, perhaps for safety's sake, or perhaps in keeping with Celestial Xia's tradition of gentlemen not speaking of profit, it was not mentioned. Still, he imagined it was no small sum.

But he could not leave yet.

Not much time had passed since Su Kuang's affair. The Divine Commandery Army was certainly still watching him. Only once he possessed sufficient ability to protect himself would it not be too late to go out.

After considering it, he wrote a letter and gave it to Li Qinghe to deliver to Peaceful Lodge. It said that he was presently entangled by trivial matters and had no time to leave the Academy, so he would need to deal with this matter after some time.

Afterward, he read the newspaper for a while, then entered the quiet room. He swallowed a newly refined Primordial Elixir and began regulating his breath.

After midday had passed, he finished his meditation, washed up, and left his residence for the Cultural Proclamation Hall.

Ever since his article about the Huli Wood idol had been published, the Hanmo Newspaper Office had written back, inviting him to write another similar piece and offering to pay him a fee. They even joked that because of that article, the price of Huli Wood in the Protectorate Office had been driven up considerably. Some timber merchants had even sent letters offering heavy sums to hire him to sing the praises of other types of wood.

This was a good beginning.

Just as Qiu Xueling had used Scholastic Inquiry to build momentum and shape himself into a great authority on languages in the Academy's Upper Layer, Zhang Yu wrote these pieces to establish an image for himself as a natural historian and appraiser of antiquities through similar means.

And while writing these pieces, he was also incidentally dispelling the ignorant worship of indigenous Strange Gods.

However, although Ancient Natural History was his specialty, it was impossible for him to truly know everything and understand everything. At such times, the Cultural Proclamation Hall of Taiyang Academy was his greatest support.

Almost anything he wished to know could be found here.

But not just anyone could do as he did.

To write such articles, one first needed broad learning, sufficient understanding of the remnants of the ancient world and the origins of gods, the ability to draw out the root from a welter of complicated things, as well as one's own unique insights and the writing skill to articulate them precisely.

Naturally, there was one more important condition: he had a way to get his articles published in the newspapers.

Next, he would find ways to publish more articles and expand his influence.

After entering the Cultural Proclamation Hall, he went directly to the third floor and slowly searched for the books and documents he needed.

But not long after he arrived, an attendant came over and said that Qu Gong wished to see him.

He followed the attendant to a tea room, where Qu Gong was waiting. After the two exchanged greetings, Qu Gong invited him to sit and pointed to the items on the table. "Brother Zhang, I found what you were looking for. It is all here."

Zhang Yu's gaze fell upon the table. There was a thick document satchel there, its fastening tightly bound with string. He cupped his hands and said, "Thank you, Brother Qu. I have troubled you this time."

Qu Gong smiled. "No trouble at all. I am also very interested in this matter, and the things inside are indeed quite interesting. I will not say much here. Let us have tea first. After Brother Zhang takes it back, you can examine it slowly and carefully."

Zhang Yu drank tea with Qu Gong for more than a Xia hour, then went back out to search through materials. It was only at dusk that he left the Cultural Proclamation Hall.

After returning to his residence and entering the study, he opened the document satchel. The first thing he took out was a stack of old newspapers. Every noteworthy passage had been underlined by Qu Gong in erasable red ink.

He skimmed through them briefly, then took out a medical clinic record. It appeared to be quite old. Beneath that was a case file from the Judicial Office, and he did not know where Qu Gong had found such a thing.

There were still various miscellaneous items in the satchel. The last thing he poured out was a jade pendant stained with blood. A complex seal-script character was carved upon it, but at a glance, he recognized it as a variant of ancient Celestial Xia script and identified it as the character "Qiu."

After examining everything carefully, a clear thread of events gradually emerged in his mind.

He pondered for a long while, then put everything back into the document satchel and stored it away with care. There was no need for these things yet; they would only prove useful at a critical moment.

The next day, after getting up, he practiced swordsmanship in the rear courtyard for a while. He felt that his efforts over the past ten-plus days had brought him some further improvement. The Sword Seal on the Turbid Canon had brightened a little more, and a feeling arose within him that perhaps he could improve it without using Divine Essence.

But that thought merely circled through his mind before he discarded it. The time required might be counted in years, so he might as well use Divine Essence to raise it directly.

After finishing his sword practice, since it was a rest day and he did not need to teach, and since he had more or less gathered what he had been searching for, he returned to the study, intending to write another article.

But he had barely written a few words when Li Qinghe came to report, "Sir, there is news from the Miscellaneous Storehouse again. They say the second batch of medicinal materials has arrived—the kind of medicinal material you specifically ordered."

"Oh?"

Zhang Yu paused, a gleam flickering in his eyes, then set down his brush.

He had been waiting for this for a long time.

"Qinghe, make preparations. Come out with me."

"Yes, sir."

After making some brief preparations, Zhang Yu took up the Xia Sword and left with Li Qinghe.

When they arrived at the Miscellaneous Storehouse, Ren Yi was already waiting at the entrance and respectfully welcomed him inside. This batch of medicinal materials involved nothing else, only that one type of Strange Monster bone fragment.

Zhang Yu inspected them. There were indeed many bone fragments this time, nearly twice as many as last time, and most contained Source Energy.

Ren Yi explained that the pharmacy had learned the buyer was dissatisfied with the previous goods, so they had voluntarily added more this time. However, the thing was deeply buried underground and difficult to excavate, so they could not obtain much at once, and they asked for his understanding.

Based on these bones, Zhang Yu roughly estimated that this Strange Beast must have been enormous in life. What had fallen into his hands now was at most one-tenth of it.

But not every bone fragment contained Source Energy. Like those before him, although they came from the same source, more than half were no different from ordinary bone fragments. Even so, if even a small half of the bones yet to be excavated contained Source Energy, it would be an enormous surprise.

After having Li Qinghe settle the account with Ren Yi, he brought the bone fragments back to his residence. He also instructed Li Qinghe that he needed to cultivate in seclusion, and that he was to see no visitors, whoever came.

He entered the quiet room and absorbed all the Source Energy contained within the bone fragments.

At this moment, he possessed more Divine Essence than ever before. It was already enough for him to read four Seal Glyphs, so he should be able to cultivate according to the method taught by the Profound Residence.

Thus, he swallowed two Primordial Elixirs and sat in meditation for a moment. Once he felt his spirit was full and complete, a thought stirred in his heart, and he summoned forth the Profound Dao Chapter.