The Ultimate Taste of the Mortal World

"Many thanks, My Lady." Lin Qing took the hand-copied notes, bowed deeply, and said, "If I achieve success in years to come, I shall repay today's grace tenfold."

"You certainly have ambition. Go on, put in the effort. Jiang Baihe wants to cram his own people in, so I am determined to ruin his plans." Shen Lian waved a hand.

"Yes, My Lady."

Lin Qing turned and left.

Once outside, he took a deep breath, faintly feeling that he had been dragged into a factional struggle.

Wherever there were people, there was pugilistic society, and wherever there was pugilistic society, there were conflicts. In any era and in any place, it was always the same.

Yet Lin Qing also understood that he had no choice. It was Jiang Baihe who had blocked his path first, leaving him with no option but to defect to the opposing faction led by Shen Lian.

He could not worry about what would happen in the future; his immediate priority was to secure the spot for a Corpse Collector.

The next morning.

After finishing breakfast, Lin Qing sought out a secluded corner by himself, drew the martial arts study notes from his bosom, and began to read through them carefully.

The book indeed contained a vast amount of insights and experience, covering everything from the basics to perfection, equivalent to receiving one-on-one guidance from a master. It would greatly accelerate his learning speed.

The insights regarding the transition from Great Accomplishment to the Realm of Perfection were especially precious to Lin Qing.

He read quickly, and before long, he had flipped through the entire volume from front to back.

Closing the book, he frowned slightly. Without eating meat, it's simply impossible to cultivate success.

The book stated that one had to study and practice diligently for six hours every day, eating meat at every single meal and taking medicinal tonics daily in order to achieve success.

If the latter two were lacking, bitter cultivation was no different from suicide.

I have to eat meat. A strong sense of urgency rose in Lin Qing's heart.

He suddenly recalled his close-range conversation with Shen Lian yesterday, during which he had noticed a row of crimson spots on her fair-skinned arm.

Could it be shingles?

Lin Qing pondered. This ailment was unique to the Shu region, and the red spots would spread across the body, stinging like needles whenever night fell or the wind and rain picked up. The crucial point was that it was extremely difficult to cure.

I wonder if the Chen family's medical arts have a method to treat shingles. In the Shu region, this illness is considered a stubborn and difficult affliction; Chen Qingyuan cannot possibly have never seen it.

As Lin Qing pondered, a thought stirred in his mind, and he replaced Minor Accomplishment Spirit Snake Eight Strikes with Chen Family Bell Doctor Secret Codex.

In an instant.

A massive amount of information surfaced in Lin Qing's mind. Various medical arts were forcefully crammed into his brain, making him suddenly feel dizzy and heavy-headed.

After quite a while, he finally recovered his wits, closed his eyes slightly, and continued to digest this massive amount of information.

Not long after, Lin Qing opened his eyes, a flash of joy in them.

As expected, it exists. The Chen family's medical arts contain an exclusive secret recipe to cure shingles root and branch.

Lin Qing stood up and headed straight for Shen Lian's room, gently knocking on the door.

Creak!

Shen Lian opened the door with a faint smile on her face. "Lin Qing, what brings you looking for me so early in the morning?"

"Master Shen, I observed red spots growing on your arm. Could it be that you have contracted shingles?" Lin Qing asked in a low voice, bowing.

"Oh? You mean this? It has been years, and it's terribly annoying." Shen Lian frowned.

"Shingles starts with red spots on the waist, gradually spreads to the limbs, and will eventually cover the entire body. If it is not eradicated, it can even claim a person's life. My Lady, if you trust me, I can try," Lin Qing said again.

"A teenager like you understands medical arts? Stop trying to make me laugh. I've already searched through every old physician in the county, and they're all useless and unable to treat it." Shen Lian waved her hand with a smile.

"My Lady, I understand a bit of medicine. Anyway, you've just been dragging this illness along—you might as well let me try," Lin Qing added.

Shen Lian pondered for a moment, her eyebrows raising. "Medicines cannot be taken carelessly. If you want to try, I will give you a chance. If you cure it, there will be rewards, but if you make a mess of treating me, there will be heavy punishment. Do you dare take this on?"

"I dare!" Lin Qing replied decisively.

"Very well. How do you treat it?"

"Get paper and a brush."

The two entered the room, and Shen Lian fetched paper and brush. Lin Qing took up the brush and wrote rapidly, quickly scribbling down a medicinal prescription on the paper.

"My Lady, quickly dispatch someone to gather the medicine, come back and boil it into a soup, and do not waste the medicinal dregs either; grind them into a powder and spread it to cover the red spots. You will see results by tonight."

A look of astonishment appeared on Shen Lian's face. She glanced over the prescription, and it certainly looked the part.

"Tonight, this lady will give it a try."

That night.

Shen Lian lay on the bed. Her waist, hips, and arms—every place where red spots had broken out—were bound with white cloth, with a layer of medicinal dregs spread underneath.

In the past, at this time of night, she would always feel a stinging sensation to the point that she could not fall asleep.

At this moment, however, she actually felt a wave of warmth, without the slightest bit of discomfort.

She yawned, and shortly after, drifted into a deep sleep.

Early the next morning, Shen Lian woke up feeling refreshed and clear-headed.

Ever since she had contracted shingles six years ago, she had never once enjoyed a peaceful sleep.

"Lin Qing, come here!"

Shen Lian opened the door and shouted toward the courtyard. Lin Qing put down his bowl and chopsticks, hurried into the room, his heart somewhat apprehensive.

"Not bad. I slept very soundly last night. Who would have thought that all the veteran physicians in the county couldn't compare to a teenage boy like you." Shen Lian's smile was radiant.

"I once read a medical book which recorded a folk remedy that could treat shingles. I didn't expect it to actually work." Lin Qing casually fabricated an excuse.

"This lady doesn't care where this prescription came from, as long as it works. I ask you, how long will it take to eradicate it completely?" Shen Lian asked calmly.

"One year."

"One year? I can afford to wait. Speak, what do you want?" Shen Lian asked.

"I have been diligently cultivating for many days and only feel that my body is depleted. I implore My Lady to give me a full meal." Lin Qing cupped his fists.

"Easy enough. Within a month, this lady will restore your depleted body back to health," Shen Lian said with a smile.

Just as they were speaking, someone brought food in, and a wave of rich culinary fragrance washed over them.

Lin Qing glanced over, and the tip of his tongue frantically secreted saliva. There were steamed buns, pork, and egg drop soup—it smelled far too appetizing!

"If you want to eat, take it. Starting tomorrow, your meals will match this lady's standards. As long as you can cure my illness, a little food and drink is nothing," Shen Lian said with a smile.

"Many thanks, My Lady."

Lin Qing did not stand on ceremony. He had already reached his limit; he picked up a large chunk of braised pork and popped it into his mouth, then bit off several huge mouthfuls of white-flour steamed buns. As he chewed slowly, the rich fragrance lingered on his lips and teeth, and he felt this was truly the ultimate taste of the mortal world.

In less than a quarter of an hour, a large table of food was completely swept clean by Lin Qing.

After finishing, his entire body felt warm and cozy, filled with an unprecedented sense of satisfaction.

Over the next few days, Lin Qing ate three meals a day with meat at every sitting, making the others in the same courtyard immensely envious.

Because of this, idle gossip even began to circulate, claiming that Lin Qing and Shen Lian had something going on.

Lin Qing did not care in the least. He only knew that after eating his fill, even if he underwent bitter cultivation for a whole day, his body would not experience excessive fatigue.

At this point, Lin Qing's life finally stepped onto the right track. Day after day of diligent and arduous martial arts practice caused his martial prowess to improve at a rapid pace.

On this day.

The outer city.

Changping Street intersection.

There was a small grocery store here, run by the couple Lin Cheng and his wife, who had been there for eight years now.

With a shop in the front and a courtyard in the back, the store displayed a large number of repaired old objects, while the courtyard was rather cluttered and piled with all sorts of sundries.

Early in the morning, Lin Cheng drove an ox cart and stopped at the courtyard entrance. This old yellow ox could be considered one of the most valuable possessions of the Lin household.

The cart was piled high with quite a few sundries, the majority being broken implements, and a small portion being old antiques of unknown origin and uncertain value.

Lin Cheng moved these sundries into the courtyard one by one. Hearing the commotion, Han Ying walked out and swept her gaze across the area, seeing Lin Cheng carrying a large Buddha statue on his shoulder. It had three heads and eight arms, stood half a man's height, emitted a dark luster, and looked very sturdy.

"Day in and day out, what kind of junk are you hauling back into the shop?" Han Ying could not help nagging.

"I didn't buy this thing; I fished it out of a foul ditch. It looked quite special, so I brought it back along the way," Lin Cheng smiled and said.

"No wonder it stinks. Just leave it here for now," Han Ying instructed.