A Medicinal Bath

Deng Qing thought to himself that after ten days of relentless training, the Tiger-Subduing Fist had only risen by two points.

The Violet Palace Method had increased even more instead.

At the same time, Deng Qing could feel the heat within his skin membranes piling up toward some critical threshold. All he lacked was a fierce dose of medicine to break through.

Deng Qing rose, left home, and headed straight for the pharmacy at Celebration Hall.

Before he even drew near, Deng Qing saw white smoke rising from the ground near the pharmacy.

When the cold wind blew, the white smoke spread flat across the ground before slowly being pushed back up by the heat.

The Earthfire had indeed been connected.

Deng Qing's heart eased, and his steps quickened.

When he entered the pharmacy, several laborers were moving firewood and adding water. Hearing Deng Qing ask about the Medicinal Bath, one looked up and said, "The Earthfire is on, but Elder Wu hasn't returned yet."

Deng Qing frowned. "That's not right. I asked around. In previous years, Elder Wu returned on the seventh day of the first lunar month."

Since it concerned the Medicinal Bath, Deng Qing naturally could not afford to be careless. He had asked very clearly about every step of the process.

The laborer said, "This year is special. Elder Wu's son is getting married, so he won't return until the fifteenth day of the first lunar month. He'll officially start work on the sixteenth."

Deng Qing stood there dumbstruck. Wasn't this asking for his life?

Seeing that his expression was off, the laborer tried to persuade him. "There's really nothing to be done about this. A Medicinal Bath isn't just heating up a pool of water and climbing in. Preparing the medicine, watching the fire, balancing the medicinal properties—all of it requires Elder Wu. People like us can only lend a hand."

"Where does Elder Wu live?"

The laborer froze for a moment. "Why are you asking that? Don't tell me you want to go to Elder Wu's home and call him back?"

How could that be possible? His family was holding a wedding celebration!

"Don't worry. Elder Wu will definitely hurry back on the fifteenth, and he'll officially begin work on the sixteenth. Besides, no matter how urgent the Medicinal Bath is, can't you endure a few more days?"

Deng Qing had no way to explain himself to the laborer. After asking where Elder Wu lived, he thanked him and left.

Deng Qing had no other choice. Elder Wu's son was getting married; rushing over now would be no different from dragging someone away from the wedding hall.

Other than angering Elder Wu, it would bring no benefit whatsoever.

With no other option, he could only suffer through several days at home. Early on the morning of the fifteenth, before dawn had broken, he left the city.

The wind outside the city was fierce, and the snow was heavy.

Half a foot of snow had accumulated on the official road. Each step sank straight past his ankles.

The sky was a bleak gray, and the distant road looked as though it had been swallowed by wind and snow.

Deng Qing wrapped his clothes tighter and hurried along the official road toward Dongting County.

There were almost no travelers along the way. The wind and snow smashed into his face, making his eyes sting.

Deng Qing kept his head lowered and walked on step by step. Only as the sky gradually brightened and the storm slowly weakened did the outline of Dongting County finally emerge in the distance.

After walking for some time longer, Deng Qing saw from afar an old man and a young servant approaching with their luggage.

Deng Qing strode forward. Once he clearly saw the old man's face, delight rose in his heart. From a distance, he cupped his hands in salute and offered New Year greetings.

The newcomer was Elder Wu.

Only after Deng Qing identified himself did Elder Wu recall that there was such a person.

Elder Wu examined Deng Qing closely. Seeing him covered head to toe in snow, with a layer of white frost on his hair and brows and tiny icicles hanging from the corners of his mouth, he said in surprise, "Young man, you walked more than thirty li this early in the morning. What did you come looking for me for?"

Deng Qing cupped his hands. "This junior came to fetch Elder Wu. Please return to Celebration Hall to prepare the medicine and preside over the Medicinal Bath."

Elder Wu frowned. "This old man does not officially begin work until tomorrow. The Medicinal Bath can wait one more day. Why are you rushing so desperately?"

Deng Qing immediately explained his predicament, as well as the harsh reality that the list would be announced tomorrow.

Then he bowed deeply to Elder Wu and begged him to help.

The knot between Elder Wu's brows loosened. "So that's how it is. This Medicinal Bath concerns your future—no wonder you're in such a hurry.

"Fine, let's go. No matter how tired this old man is, I can't ruin someone else's future."

Deng Qing immediately took the bundle from Elder Wu, then grabbed the luggage from the young servant and slung it over his shoulder. He had the servant support Elder Wu and follow behind him.

Along the way, Deng Qing seemed to become a wall against the wind, sheltering Elder Wu and the young servant from the snowstorm.

The three of them trudged through the snow, one foot deep and the next shallow, toward Everjoy County.

At last, before the hour of Wei, the three reached Celebration Hall.

Deng Qing asked Elder Wu to rest for a while, but Elder Wu waved a hand. "Hurry up. Once you're soaking, I'll have plenty of time to rest."

After saying that, Elder Wu took Deng Qing's exchange voucher and entered the pharmacy.

When the laborers in the pharmacy saw him return, they hurried over.

Elder Wu set his luggage aside and immediately ordered them to open the pool and prepare the medicine.

The pharmacy burst into activity.

The Earthfire had long since been connected, and the medicinal pool had already been cleaned. Only the medicine remained to be mixed and added to the pool.

As Elder Wu inspected the herbs, he turned back to look at Deng Qing. "You've replenished your qi and blood quite well, but I'm afraid you may be rushing this too much."

Deng Qing cupped his hands. "Please enlighten me, Elder Wu."

Elder Wu said, "This Medicinal Bath is not meant to slowly nourish you. It uses medicinal power to force open a barrier.

"I can see that the qi and blood within your body have already been built up thickly. Once the Medicinal Bath strikes, if you can suppress it, you'll break through;

"But if you cannot, your qi and blood will run wild. At best, you'll injure your body. At worst, you'll damage the foundation of your skin membranes."

Deng Qing nodded. "I understand."

Elder Wu looked at him. "Understanding is one thing. Whether you can endure it is another."

Deng Qing did not argue. He cupped his hands and said, "Please open the pool, Elder Wu."

"Prepare the medicine."

The medicinal ingredients went into the pot, and the scent of medicine gradually rose.

The pharmacy was quickly filled with hot mist and medicinal fragrance.

The Earthfire burned upward, and hot bubbles churned in the pool as the water rapidly deepened in color.

At the first quarter of the hour of You, medicinal vapor surged.

Deng Qing removed his outer clothes and stepped into the medicinal pool. The medicine quickly rose past his waist and abdomen, all the way to his chest.

He closed his eyes and slowly settled his breathing.

The moment the medicine covered his chest, heat burrowed inward through his pores.

The medicinal power was like sparks falling into a wok of oil, and his chest and abdomen immediately began to churn.

Elder Wu watched the fire beside the pool and reminded him, "Circulate your method. Don't endure it by force."

Deng Qing kept his eyes closed and did not answer. The Violet Palace Method began to turn slowly.

As the invisible millstone within his chest and abdomen moved, it caught the medicinal power bit by bit and refined it into his body.

The qi and blood formed from the pig intestines and pig lungs he had consumed over the past several days had still been somewhat coarse and heavy. But when the medicinal power struck it, it immediately roiled without end.

Before long, the heat beneath Deng Qing's skin membranes grew heavier and heavier.

Back at the Skin Tempering First Layer, Deng Qing had clearly felt that his qi and blood only pulsed through several patches of skin membrane. Each area belonged to itself. Though they could generate force, they remained distinct from one another.

But now it was different.

Layer upon layer, the medicinal power pressed down. Those once-separated currents of heat seemed to be drawn by an invisible thread, slowly linking together.

When his arms grew hot, his shoulders and back tightened in response. When his waist and hips sank, his chest and abdomen also began to pulse.

Deng Qing clenched his teeth and slowly assumed the stance of the Tiger-Subduing Fist.

Inside the medicinal pool, he could not make broad, sweeping movements. He could only use his breathing to move his shoulders, back, waist, hips, and arms, guiding the heat through his body.

After another half cup of tea, Deng Qing's skin darkened from red, while the veins on his forehead gradually bulged.

Suddenly, he felt as though a severed layer of skin membrane within his body had been forcibly joined together by medicinal power and qi and blood.

The several currents of force that had once fought their own battles became one in that instant.

Deng Qing suppressed the joy in his heart and continued circulating his method.

Elder Wu watched from beside the pool and gave a slight nod.

After more than half an hour, Deng Qing suddenly felt an emptiness in his chest, as though some membrane had been pierced.

He slowly opened his eyes. With a thought, a clear radiance appeared.