Chapter 25: Medicinal Bath

"Master."

"Hmm, you're back!" 

Huo Yuanjia looked at Chen Zheng, his gaze intense. Chen Zheng felt a little uncomfortable under the scrutiny, and after a while, he quietly asked, "Master, what's wrong?"

Huo Yuanjia smiled and replied, "You've killed someone."

"Master, I…" Chen Zheng's face turned pale, a trace of panic flashing in his eyes. It wasn't just because of Huo Yuanjia's words, but also because of the violence he had just committed. He hadn't fully processed it until now. After all, it was a human life that had been taken.

"Did the person you killed deserve to die?"

"Deserve it!" Chen Zheng's words were firm, despite the paleness of his face. 

The Boxer Rebellion members and the bandits were no different—reckless with human life. They truly deserved to die. The three Westerners were ungrateful and despicable; they too were better off dead.

"Martial arts are meant to kill. As long as you kill those who deserve to die, there is no reason to feel guilty about it," Huo Yuanjia said, patting Chen Zheng's shoulder.

"Master, how did you know I killed someone?" Chen Zheng asked, curious.

Huo Yuanjia chuckled, "Your aura told me. Before, you were just someone who practiced martial arts. Now, you're a true martial artist. The Huo family's fist comes from the battlefield; it was born for killing. If Huo family fist doesn't spill blood, it's not really Huo family fist."

"Yes, Master!" Chen Zheng's voice was resolute.

"Now, tell me what happened," Huo Yuanjia said, his tone becoming more serious.

Chen Zheng recounted everything without any concealment. At first, he only wanted to avoid confrontation, but when those people came after him with deadly intent, he had no choice but to fight back. His anger had escalated after seeing the injuries on his body, and upon seeing the ginseng, his rage intensified. That's when the Westerners attempted to ambush him for the ginseng, and in a fit of fury, Chen Zheng eliminated them one by one. When he came to his senses, the men were already dead, and the weight of having taken human lives hit him hard. 

Looking at their bodies afterward, Chen Zheng felt a wave of nausea. He had always felt guilty even when killing a chicken. Taking multiple lives in one night left him feeling deeply conflicted.

However, if given the chance to do it again, he knew he would make the same choice. People had to die, and he didn't want to be one of them.

After handling the bodies, he returned to the Huo family with the ginseng, where he met with Huo Yuanjia.

After Chen Zheng finished speaking, he handed over the items he had taken from the three Boxer Rebellion members: the ginseng and a book titled *Tangmen Secret Techniques*.

"I see you've killed a traitor from the Tang Clan," Huo Yuanjia said after a brief silence. "Yue Feng, he stole the Tang Clan's secret manual and has been on the run for over two years. The Tang Clan has been hunting him down."

"So it's him!" Chen Zheng suddenly remembered. He had indeed seen the man's portrait before. No wonder he had felt that the man looked familiar. When Huo Yuanjia mentioned it, everything clicked.

Yue Feng wasn't the strongest of the three men, but he was certainly the most dangerous. Chen Zheng's injuries had been caused by him. Had Yue Feng not been searching for the ginseng, Chen Zheng was certain he would have already escaped.

"Master, should we return this manual to the Tang Clan?" Chen Zheng asked, still unsure.

Huo Yuanjia looked at him for a long moment before shaking his head lightly. "It's not that we shouldn't return it; it's that we can't. The manual has been in your hands for quite a while now. Do you understand?"

"Hmm." Chen Zheng's eyes widened slightly as he quickly understood. This manual must be very important, and returning it now would likely raise suspicions. But would the Tang Clan believe him?

"Take the manual with you. Keep it well hidden. You can look at it, but only for reference, understand?" Huo Yuanjia instructed.

"Yes, Master!" Chen Zheng replied, his face serious.

"You can study it, but don't go around showing it to anyone," Huo Yuanjia continued. "The Tang Clan has very strict rules. This manual contains many techniques for using hidden weapons, and the Tang Clan absolutely cannot afford for these methods to be leaked. If they find out you have it, the consequences will be severe."

Chen Zheng nodded solemnly. "I understand. But Master, won't you take a look at it?"

"I don't need to," Huo Yuanjia answered with pride. "As a martial artist in the *huajin* stage, I don't have much use for these techniques. It's better to stick to my own path. You can take a look, but that's all."

"Understood, Master!" Although Chen Zheng wasn't entirely sure what Huo Yuanjia meant, he knew better than to question his teacher.

"As for the ginseng, you'll give it to me for now," Huo Yuanjia continued. "I'll ask Jing Sun to prepare some medicine. It should be ready in two or three days. During this time, focus on healing. When the medicinal bath is ready, you need to be in the best condition possible to get the best effect."

"Yes, Master!" Chen Zheng nodded eagerly. 

Chen Zheng had already gone through two medicinal baths: one before reaching the *mingjin* stage, and one after. The second bath had made him fully realize what "rich in martial arts" really meant. 

The next morning, as usual, Chen Zheng woke up around three o'clock. His internal clock had become so precise that it was impossible to sleep past that time. After getting up, he felt restless unless he practiced a bit of martial arts.

Three days after returning, Huo Yuanjia had prepared the necessary ingredients for the medicinal bath. It was time for Chen Zheng's third medicinal bath. 

Medicinal baths had been a tradition in China for thousands of years. According to historical records, they had been popular since the Zhou Dynasty. The so-called "fragrant bath" involved soaking in herbal water made from a concoction of medicinal herbs like *pei lan*.

For regular people, a medicinal bath might include white wine, vinegar, and other simple ingredients to cleanse the body, relieve fatigue, and treat conditions like hemorrhoids and constipation. 

For martial artists, however, medicinal baths were far more luxurious and potent. They used precious herbs, and the bath itself involved high heat and steam, with the martial artist circulating their internal energy to absorb the medicinal properties through their skin. 

Of course, medicinal baths weren't something you could do too frequently. Moderation was key. Also, the type of herbs used needed to be tailored to the individual's condition. 

For martial artists, the bath was crucial during the early stages of their training—before reaching *mingjin* and during the *liangjin* stages. These baths were essential for strengthening their foundations and healing any internal injuries left from their training.

The better a martial artist's physical constitution, the more powerful the effects of the medicinal bath. Chen Zheng, in Huo Yuanjia's eyes, had excellent potential. Thus, this bath would use one-quarter of the precious ginseng.