The Despised Divine Medicine

Compared to the barren wasteland of the Gobi Desert, Tian Shan was lush with dense vegetation and abundant species. As Li Wuya reached the foothills of Tian Shan, her eyes lit up.

Her days of hardship were about to end!

Even though a skilful woman can't cook without rice, in the Gobi Desert, even if she had great abilities, there was no way to use them effectively. But within Tian Shan, it was a different story.

The verdant expanse of Tian Shan was a natural treasure trove. Not to mention the precious medicinal herbs within, just relying on hunting alone could lift their family out of poverty and into prosperity!

Li Wuya checked the time. It was close to noon, and she needed to be back home before it got dark. She had about two hours left for her expedition into the Tian Shan.

After eating some dry cakes, she hung the bag of herbs around her chest, extended her psychic energy outward, held a wooden stick in her hand, and stepped into the Tian Shan.

For her first time entering Tian Shan, Li Wuya didn't plan on going too deep. She wanted to get a sense of the situation, find some herbs to enhance her healing abilities, and perhaps collect a few ingredients for the enhanced constitution potion.

Soon, however, Li Wuya's hopes were dashed.

The herbs in the mountains weren't as plentiful as she had imagined!

Thinking about the mountain villages she had seen before entering, Li Wuya felt more understanding.

Living off the mountains was more than just a saying.

At the foot of Tian Shan, there were quite a few herbalists and hunters, much like her maternal family, who had been generations of commoners living at the foot of Tian Shan, hunting and collecting herbs.

Over the years, the outskirts of Tian Shan had been mostly stripped clean. It was difficult to find any herbs there, so they had to venture further into the mountains.

After walking several miles into the mountains and crossing over a small hill, Li Wuya finally found a bit more herbs to use for preparing the enhanced constitution potion. However, the time had passed significantly. Watching the sun slanting toward the west through the trees, Li Wuya decided it was time to head back home.

If she came home too late, her mother might discover that she had been to Tian Shan. She wouldn't get another chance to come here anytime soon.

"Sister, you finally came back. Mother has been asking about you a lot."

By the time it was almost dark, Li Wuya's figure finally appeared at the village entrance. Li Qilang spotted her and immediately ran over.

"What did you tell Mother?"

"I said you were practising light skills and wouldn't come back until you completed fifty laps."

"Mother didn't suspect anything?"

"No, she didn't!"

Li Wuya sighed with relief, and with Li Qilang's help, she stored the herbs she had collected today in Ye Mo's residence before returning to her own home.

And so, with Li Qilang's cover, for the next period, Li Wuya made frequent trips to Tian Shan every one or two days.

The original formula for the enhanced constitution potion required twenty-five different ingredients. Li Wuya made a total of five trips to gather all the necessary herbs.

Although it took about ten days, she had absorbed numerous common herbs, enhancing her healing abilities significantly. Li Wuya was quite satisfied.

"Sister, are you taking medicine?"

"Yes, when it's ready, you can have a bowl."

Li Qilang shook his head vigorously like a drum: "No, I'm not sick." He still remembered from his childhood that medicine was bitter and unpleasant.

Moreover, the potion Li Wuya was brewing looked dark and probably tasted bitter too. He definitely didn't want to drink it.

Li Wuya rolled her eyes at him: "This is good stuff. Even if you want to drink it, I wouldn't give it to you."

If she had all the proper equipment, the enhanced constitution potion should look pleasingly green. But without those conditions, the result was a murky and unappetizing mixture, almost resembling sewer water.

Not only was the colour unappealing, but the smell was also quite indescribable. Frankly speaking, even she felt a bit repulsed by it.

Once the original enhanced constitution potion was ready, Li Wuya held her nose and drank a large bowl herself, then forcibly made Li Qilang drink a bowl as well.

"Yuck, it's awful!"

Sour and bitter, Li Qilang's face twisted in discomfort.

"From now on, we'll each have to drink a bowl every month."

Upon hearing this, Li Qilang's face instantly fell: "Can't we skip it?"

Li Wuya was resolute: "No." With that, she poured the remaining potion into a pot, "Come on, let's take this to mother and elder sister."

Hearing that their mother and elder sister were also going to drink it, Li Qilang felt somewhat relieved.

Thankfully, Li Wuya wasn't subjecting just him to this ordeal.

If she suffered, the whole family suffered.

Yes, that's called sharing the burden!

Soon, Li Wuya and Li Qilang arrived at their family's field carrying the pot.

"Wuya, did you bring water? Quick, let me have a sip."

Li Changlin rushed to the edge of the field and reached for the pot.

Li Wuya sidestepped him, responding with an air of mystery, "Uncle, this isn't water, it's a divine elixir."

Li Changlin was puzzled: "What kind of divine elixir?"

Li Wuya lowered her voice, "A Taoist master came to the inn. I made this divine elixir according to his recipe."

Li Changlin was taken aback, following her tone, "Is it really?"

Li Wuya nodded and cautiously opened the pot, handing it to Li Changlin.

"Ew~"

The acrid taste hit Li Changlin, who promptly retched and leapt back, distancing himself from Li Wuya. "Wuya, what did you bring? Take it away! Ew~"

With that, he hurriedly ran off without looking back.

Seeing this, Li Wuya heaved a long sigh and muttered, "Uncle, you're not drinking it~"

"Drink it yourself!"

Shaking his head in disbelief, Li Changlin gestured for her to leave.

Li Changlin's wife had been about to ask Li Wuya to bring water, but before she could say anything, Li Wuya had already approached carrying the pot.

"Mother, come drink this divine elixir!"

"Ew~"

Old Madam Li had been musing that the sun had set too early today. But when she saw the so-called divine elixir, she had the same reaction as Li Changlin.

"Just take it away. Don't waste our time here!"

As Old Madam Li couldn't get away from it fast enough, Li Wuya looked disappointed and turned to Li Changsen.

Li Changsen met her gaze, quickly averted his eyes, and waved her away, making it clear she should leave immediately.

"If you don't want to drink, fine. I'll take it to mother and elder sister."

Seeing Li Wuya leave with the pot, the rest of the Li family collectively breathed a sigh of relief.

"What a little troublemaker. She's going to pester Jinshi and Erya with this next."

On the other side, Jin Yue'e and Li Erya had heard the commotion and were looking puzzled at Li Wuya and Li Qilang's approach.

When they saw the "divine elixir" they were delivering, both of their mouths involuntarily twitched.

"Wuya, Mother and I are not thirsty!"

"Wuya, sister is not thirsty either!"

Li Wuya became upset, putting on a hurt expression and crossed her arms, saying, "I worked hard to make this, and I brought it, especially for you. It hurts my feelings that you won't drink it."

Li Qilang chimed in, trying to persuade them, "Yeah, mother, elder sister, both Wuya and I drank it. You really should drink it too; it's good stuff."

Jin Yue'e, startled by the fact that Li Qilang and Li Wuya had already consumed it, exclaimed, "You drank it?! How could you casually drink something so unclear?"

Li Wuya struggled to explain and resorted to a playful tone, "Mother, this is good stuff. You and your elder sister should drink it quickly. I need to go home and practice my skills, don't waste my time."

Jin Yue'e was somewhat speechless, glancing at the murky concoction in the pot and quickly averting her gaze, showing her reluctance to drink it.

Seeing this, Li Wuya glanced at Li Qilang.

Li Qilang, seeing her look, pouted and reluctantly began, "Mother, I drank it, so you both must drink it. If you don't, I won't leave." He even threw a tantrum.

The other members of the Li family, watching this, couldn't help but find it somewhat amusing.

Old Madam Li chimed in, "Daughter-in-law, since Wuya and Qilang went to the trouble of bringing it for you, you should drink it. Quickly now, don't let others mock us."

Jin Yue'e sighed and faced the prospect of her mother-in-law's persuasive words. Just as she was about to relent, she noticed her younger daughter firmly gripping her elder sister's arm, coercing her to drink half of the pot.

"Mother, sister already drank it. Now it's your turn."

Li Qilang abandoned his tantrum approach and eagerly brought the pot to Jin Yue'e, saying, "Mother, our family shares blessings and hardships together. You can't abstain. In a few days, when big brother gets a break and comes back, we'll bring it to Father as well."

Jin Yue'e realized that her children weren't playing around, and she looked at Li Wuya with a smile, not wanting to further question the situation. She just urged her to take Li Qilang home.

That night, the entire main family suffered from upset stomachs, making multiple trips to the outhouse.

Word spread among the Li family, and they all chuckled.

"Wuya and Qilang must've used some dirty water they found. Drinking it was a surefire way to get an upset stomach!"

"Upset stomach is not a trivial matter. If it goes wrong, it could even be life-threatening."

"Thankfully, the busy farming season is over; otherwise, their stomach issues might have interfered with the work in the fields."

"If our eldest daughter-in-law keeps having stomach troubles, she might not be able to work at the inn anymore. If she can't get up tomorrow morning, Mother, you should tell her that I'll take her place at the inn."

"Thinking of such good things! Let's wait and see. If our eldest daughter-in-law's condition persists, I'll talk to her."

In the eastern room, Jin Yue'e held her rumbling stomach, deeply regretting letting the kids mess around. Now she had no energy left after all the trips to the outhouse.

After getting up a couple more times, Jin Yue'e finally fell into a deep sleep.

Expecting to wake up sluggish the next morning, Jin Yue'e was surprised to find herself brimming with energy. She felt an almost inexhaustible strength coursing through her body, invigorating her. Her three children were also lively and energetic.

Indeed, a miraculous elixir!

Jin Yue'e quickly realized that the prescription from the Taoist wasn't ordinary. She promptly cautioned Li Wuya not to spread the word indiscriminately.

"Mother, don't worry. I'm not that foolish."

On April 15th, after working at the horse ranch for three months, Li Sanlang finally got a three-day break to visit his family.

After briefing Jin Yue'e about his affairs at the ranch, Li Sanlang was warmly welcomed by his younger siblings.

"Brother, I specially made this divine elixir for you. Drink up!" Li Wuya offered a pot of the dark elixir with a smiling face.

Li Sanlang didn't retch like the others, but his furrowed brow and tight lips clearly expressed his reluctance and aversion.

Li Qilang added, "Brother, we both drank it. You must too." He pushed the bowl of elixir toward Li Sanlang.

Li Sanlang glanced at his mother, who didn't stop him, and his sister who was enjoying the scene. He considered for a moment and then picked up the bowl, downing the elixir in one gulp.

Li Wuya looked at Li Sanlang curiously, "Brother, how's the taste?"

Li Sanlang realized Li Wuya was fishing for his reaction and kept a straight face, "The taste is passable."

Li Wuya grinned, "Since you're okay with it, from now on, Wuya and Qilang will bring you a dose every month."

Given the Li family's health conditions, drinking the original enhanced constitution elixir once a month was advisable, as it could maximize their body's potential.

Upon hearing this, Li Sanlang's expression stiffened.

At this point, Jin Yue'e intervened, "Wuya said the prescription isn't related to the Taoist. It's from a divine doctor in the Tian Shan Mountains."

Li Sanlang widened his eyes, looking at Li Wuya in disbelief, "Another divine doctor?"

Meanwhile, Li Erya asked, "Wuya, have you been to the Tian Shan Mountains?"

Li Wuya realized it was time to stop hiding her visit to Tian Shan, so she told her siblings about it, weaving a story of meeting a divine doctor there, "The divine doctor took me as an apprentice because he found me clever."