Chapter 38 - 39: Amazing Medicinal Effects, A Purposeful Visit

Chapter 38: Chapter 39: Amazing Medicinal Effects, A Purposeful Visit

A single stalk of Red Blood Grass could be divided into about three uses. Su Chen had also prepared three portions of the other medicinal materials, meaning he had three chances to brew the concoction. If he failed, he would have no choice but to go out and buy fresh ingredients again.

He soon began the brewing process. Unlike the preparation methods used in medical clinics, this felt much more like alchemy. It required him to boil water and sequentially add the ingredients into the rolling boil. Timing was everything.

After measuring out the exact grams for all the herbs, Su Chen divided them into three portions. Then, he followed the steps detailed in the prescription. Once the water reached a rolling boil, he carefully observed the pot while adding the various herbs one by one.

After about the time it takes an incense stick to burn, a pungent and foul-smelling medicinal odor filled the kitchen. Unsurprisingly, his first attempt ended in failure. Staring at the pitch-black medicinal soup he had produced, Su Chen felt helpless. He had no choice but to start over.

According to the prescription, a successful brew would yield a pale red soup. Any other color indicated failure; not only would it be inedible, but it had to be completely disposed of.

After pouring out the black soup and its dregs, Su Chen summarized his mistakes and began his second attempt. This time, he was much more careful. His movements were slightly more practiced, no longer as frantic and clumsy as before. Unfortunately, this attempt also failed. The soup turned yellow.

"I probably added the Yellow Hemp Grass too late, which ruined it," Su Chen sighed, shaking his head slightly. "I only have one last try."

Su Chen didn’t immediately begin his third attempt. Instead, he took a short break, mentally reviewing his previous two failures. Once he felt sufficiently rested, he started again, his eyes shining brightly as he thought, "I feel like I can succeed this time!"

After giving himself a pep talk, Su Chen initiated the third round of brewing. He boiled the water, methodically added the herbs, and observed the pot.

"Well, my feeling was wrong!" Su Chen offered a bitter smile as he looked at the pale yellow soup. There was no greater illusion in life than this. "Huh? No, the color seems to be changing."

Su Chen’s gaze suddenly shifted as he noticed a transformation occurring within the medicinal pot. Under his watchful eyes, the color of the soup gradually shifted from yellow to pale red before finally settling. Overjoyed by the sight, Su Chen picked up the pot. He marveled at the light red hue and tutted in admiration, "In a word: perfect!"

After waiting for about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Su Chen poured the medicinal soup out. It came to just about one bowl’s worth. He downed it in a single gulp. After finishing the bowl, he looked at his interface. Under his expectant gaze, he indeed saw a change in the panel:

[Martial Arts: ...Iron Cloth Shirt - Incomplete 0 times (9.3/10 portions of Qi Blood Medicine/time)]

Just as he had anticipated, this prescription could indeed boost his Qi Blood, and its enhancing effects were not the least bit inferior to Hong Ming’s Qi and Blood Powder.

"What a pity. If I just had one more bowl, the progress bar would be full!"

After the initial pleasant surprise, Su Chen felt a hint of regret, though he quickly brushed it off. He had money and the prescription now. Maxing out the progress was only a matter of time.

"Tomorrow. I’ll go buy more herbs tomorrow. That should definitely be enough to fill the progress bar!" Su Chen thought to himself. Although he was thrilled tonight, he still needed to read and study.

The next day.

"I’m truly sorry, our shop is out of Red Blood Grass."

"My deepest apologies, we don’t sell Red Blood Grass here."

"I am extremely sorry, but our Red Blood Grass sold out a long time ago. We currently have no stock."

"..."

After purchasing most of his required herbs, Su Chen was met with this bad news. Just like yesterday, the vast majority of the medical clinics didn’t have any Red Blood Grass in stock. This caused Su Chen’s heart to sink slightly.

Feeling a bit uneasy, he went to the clinic where he had previously bought his supply and asked, "Do you still have any Red Blood Grass for sale here?"

"We’re out."

Sure enough, Su Chen received the disappointing reply.

"Then when will you have more?" he asked, unwilling to give up.

The shop assistant thought for a moment before answering, "I’m not sure. We probably won’t have any for a short while."

"Why is that?" Su Chen’s expression turned serious.

"It seems the people from the Medicine Gang have bought up all the Red Blood Grass on the market. They’ve also forbidden the medicinal farmers from selling any. The stalk we sold you yesterday was our very last one," the assistant replied.

Hearing this, Su Chen’s expression shifted. He pulled some broken silver from his robes and asked, "May I ask where else I might be able to buy Red Blood Grass?"

The assistant looked left and right for a moment, then accepted the silver. He lowered his voice and said, "If you want to buy Red Blood Grass, you’ll just have to try your luck over in Medicine Town. I do know of a channel, but..."

"The price is negotiable!" Su Chen knew what the other party was hinting at and replied immediately.

The assistant shook his head. "That’s not what I meant. Forget it, I’ll just give you their address. However, I can’t guarantee they’ll have any in stock. You’ll have to go ask them yourself to find out."

"Thank you!" Su Chen expressed his gratitude.

The assistant didn’t say anything more and simply wrote down an address. After receiving it, Su Chen turned and left.

On his way back, he passed by the Martial Arts Hall once again. This time, he learned from Li Mo that Hong Ming had returned. After a moment of thought, Su Chen walked into the Martial Arts Hall.

Seeing Su Chen, Hong Ming paused for a moment before asking out of concern, "You weren’t injured when you traveled with the Fang family’s merchant caravan last time, were you?"

Evidently, he had also heard about the attack on the caravan.

Su Chen shook his head. "Thank you for your concern, Master. I’m fine."

"Good." Hong Ming nodded. Seeing Su Chen’s current state, he could tell the boy was indeed fine. He then asked, "Out with it. What do you need from your master this time?"

"Uh." Su Chen found himself momentarily speechless. That made it sound like he only ever sought Hong Ming out when he needed something.

Seeing this, Hong Ming glanced at him and snorted lightly. "You only ever visit the temple when you need a favor from the gods. If you didn’t have any business with me, why would you come looking for me at the Martial Arts Hall?"

Su Chen offered an awkward laugh. For some reason, he detected a faint trace of resentment in those words, though he figured it was probably just his imagination.

"There is indeed something I wanted to ask you, Master," Su Chen said with a smile.

Hong Ming remained silent, simply looking at him.

Su Chen continued, "Master, I want to ask about power training."

"Power training?" Hong Ming’s eyebrows twitched, and he looked at Su Chen with some surprise.

Before Hong Ming could speak, Su Chen explained, "It’s like this: my trip with the caravan allowed me to witness the sheer might of a Power Training Martial Artist. Because of that, I wanted to ask you about it so I could gain an early understanding."

Hong Ming nodded thoughtfully upon hearing this. "Given your aptitude, there’s no harm in learning about it in advance. However, that level is still very far away for you."

Hearing this, Su Chen chuckled. "It’s not that far. Who knows, maybe I’ll reach it in a few years."

"You brat, talking big without looking at the circumstances. If you actually manage to reach it that quickly, your master will probably wake up laughing from his dreams!" Hong Ming joked, a rare occurrence.

Su Chen grinned, offering a noncommittal response.

Hong Ming’s expression turned serious, and he said calmly, "Since you want to know, there’s no harm in telling you. To break through to power training, three conditions must be met."