Chapter 27: Incomplete Iron Cloth Shirt, Seeking Medicine at the Clinic

Chapter 27: Chapter 27: Incomplete Iron Cloth Shirt, Seeking Medicine at the Clinic

"Could it be related to Qi Blood?" Su Chen guessed after thinking for a while.

Martial Artists placed great emphasis on Qi Blood during their cultivation. Generally speaking, the younger one was, the more vigorous the Qi Blood in their body, making them more suited for martial arts. This was also why many Martial Arts Halls preferred to recruit young students; with abundant Qi Blood, practicing martial arts would be much easier.

When Su Chen first joined the Hong Family Martial Arts Hall, Hong Ming had commented that he was too old. Having missed his peak period of Qi Blood, he would likely struggle to achieve anything significant in the future. Although he had accepted Su Chen for the sake of money, Hong Ming didn’t actually hold out much hope for him.

"Ten portions of Qi and Blood Powder? Does that mean I need to provide the panel with ten portions of medicine that enhances Qi Blood? No, that’s not right. Since the panel specifically named ’Qi and Blood Powder,’ it means this item most likely exists in this world." Su Chen didn’t believe the panel would give him a useless clue. He wondered how he should go about finding the Qi and Blood Powder.

"I can go ask at a clinic!" He quickly came up with an idea. Naturally, medical clinics were the best place to inquire about medicine; they were much more professional in this regard than he was.

"For now, I should test the power of the Iron Cloth Shirt first."

Su Chen walked into the courtyard and bent down to pick up a stone just small enough to fit in his grip. As he gradually exerted force, a crisp crackling sound emerged from his palm. The muscle lines on his arm became increasingly defined, displaying a rugged beauty.

A moment later, he opened his hand to reveal a stone that had been squeezed into a bizarre shape, as if it were made of modeling clay. He placed it on the ground and slapped it with his palm. With a loud BANG, the stone instantly shattered into pieces.

He wasn’t done yet. Picking up another stone of a similar size, he placed it on the ground and threw a punch. With a sharp crack, the stone split open like a tender watermelon. Looking at his hands, apart from being tainted with a little dust, there wasn’t a single scratch on them.

"With a slap like this, even Zhao Kuo’s black armor wouldn’t be able to withstand it."

With this thought, Su Chen used half of his strength to strike his own chest while activating the Turtle Shell Skill.

CLANG!

A sound akin to colliding metal erupted in the quiet courtyard, leaving Su Chen breathless from the impact. He coughed a few times and rubbed the area he had struck, smiling bitterly as he said, "I shouldn’t use myself as a test subject anymore."

After the Iron Sand Palm and Iron Wire Fist were fused, even though it was only an incomplete Iron Cloth Shirt, its power was far greater than either of the two Extreme Techniques alone. It was already enough to shake a Turtle Shell Skill at the grand completion stage.

"The money I just earned is almost entirely spent in the blink of an eye. I don’t even have enough on hand to upgrade the Turtle Shell Skill anymore."

After finishing the test, Su Chen returned to his room. He glanced at his savings and felt quite helpless. One second he had over a hundred silver taels, and the next, he was almost dead broke again. His thought of using Krypton Gold to upgrade the Turtle Shell Skill could only be slightly delayed.

Fortunately, the next time he used Krypton Gold on the Turtle Shell Skill, it wouldn’t cost much silver. It only required ten taels, which he believed wouldn’t take long to scrape together. He glanced at the sky outside the window; it was already growing dark. By this time, the medical clinics were probably about to close.

"I’ll just wait until tomorrow to ask about the medicine."

Tonight, Su Chen didn’t plan on eating out. He was tired of the outside food and wanted a change of pace. Ahem, well, mainly it was because he was out of money and needed to be frugal. Fortunately, he always kept grain at home, so he could provide for himself with his own two hands.

After eating, Su Chen practiced the Iron Cloth Shirt for a while.

With the fusion of the Iron Sand Palm and the Iron Wire Fist, he didn’t even know what his moves resembled anymore. Did they lean towards fist techniques? Yet, they also carried the shadow of palm techniques. He decided to just follow the panel. Regardless of which it was, it didn’t matter to him as long as it was useful.

After his training, Su Chen spent some time reading by lamplight before finally going to sleep.

The next morning, Su Chen arrived at a clinic called Jishi Hall.

"Qi and Blood Powder?" The apothecary apprentice shook his head helplessly upon hearing Su Chen’s request. "Our clinic doesn’t carry this medicine. How about you ask around elsewhere, sir?"

Following that, Su Chen visited several other clinics to inquire, only to be told the same thing everywhere. This left him feeling somewhat frustrated. He couldn’t help but wonder, "Could it really be a nonsense name the panel made up? I’ll ask around a bit more. If I still can’t find it, I’ll have to think of another way."

Su Chen tracked down the largest medical clinic in the city and asked one of the staff, "Excuse me, do you have Qi and Blood Powder here?"

"Qi and Blood Powder? No. But we do have blood-nourishing medicine. Would you like a few prescriptions, sir?" The worker shook his head after thinking for a moment.

"Then do you know where I might find Qi and Blood Powder?" Su Chen asked, still unwilling to give up.

"Let me ask the doctor for you," the worker replied, turning to head inside the clinic.

A short while later, an old man with a white beard and hair walked out. After looking Su Chen up and down, he said, "Sir, we only have blood-nourishing medicine here. Qi and Blood Powder is a closely guarded secret of the Martial Arts Halls. How could we possibly have it? You’ve come to the wrong place."

"A closely guarded secret of the Martial Arts Halls?" Su Chen’s eyes lit up.

The old man nodded. "That’s right." Seeing that Su Chen had no intention of buying medicine, he turned and went back inside.

Su Chen paid it no mind, his thoughts entirely focused on the Qi and Blood Powder. After searching for so long, he had finally gotten a lead. However, his expression soon turned strange. "Doesn’t that mean the Hong Family Martial Arts Hall might have it?"

With this thought, Su Chen turned and headed toward the Hong Family Martial Arts Hall. He had a faint feeling that his guess was correct. After all, given the status and strength of the Hong Family Martial Arts Hall, it would be perfectly normal for them to possess Qi and Blood Powder. Moreover, he recalled that Li Mo had mentioned something about the hall’s students needing to drink medicine. He just hadn’t paid attention at the time, nor had he asked if it was Qi and Blood Powder.

An incense stick’s worth of time later, Su Chen arrived at the Martial Arts Hall.

"Brother Su!"

The disciples training in the Martial Arts Hall were clearly stunned to see him. Had the sun risen from the west today? Brother Su had actually come to the Martial Arts Hall!

Su Chen nodded at the few who greeted him and entered the inner courtyard, spotting Hong Ming right away. Hong Ming was still practicing his boxing at a leisurely pace. Seeing this, Su Chen stopped in his tracks and waited quietly to the side.

About a cup of tea’s time later, Hong Ming let out a long breath. He looked at Su Chen and asked, "Chen, what do you need me for?"

Su Chen voiced his question.

"Qi and Blood Powder?"

Hearing that this was what Su Chen wanted to ask about, Hong Ming didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. "You brat, this is what happens when you skip coming to the Martial Arts Hall every day. Now you finally know to come running to me for Qi and Blood Powder?"

Hearing this, Su Chen, who had just been confused by Hong Ming’s expression, suddenly felt a surge of wild joy. "Master, are you saying the Martial Arts Hall has Qi and Blood Powder?"

"Of course! If it weren’t for you skipping out every day, I would have given you the Qi and Blood Powder ages ago. But at least you know now, so it’s not too late." Hong Ming glared at him, making Su Chen feel a bit embarrassed.

"However..." Just as Su Chen was about to ask for the medicine, Hong Ming changed the subject. "However, if you want me to give you the Qi and Blood Powder, it will depend on whether your recent cultivation progress can satisfy me!"

Su Chen’s expression turned serious upon hearing this. He assumed a starting stance and said, "Please instruct me, Master!"