Chapter 24 The Second Qi-Blood Powder

Lin Yuan dashed out the door, arriving at his destination in no time. After successfully obtaining the items, he turned back and headed towards the pharmacy.

"Who goes there, halt."

Lin Yuan, swift-footed, was suddenly stopped by a figure.

Under the moonlight, his back was bulging, as if carrying something. Upon opening the burlap sack and inspecting closely, it turned out a pitch-black iron pot was overturned on Lin Yuan's back, as he ran through the night. Like a sneaky shadow, it looked comical.

"Greetings, Senior Brother."

Lin Yuan looked at the newcomer, realizing it was an elite disciple patrolling the mountain. His steps were too loud, inevitably being detected by the black-clad elite disciple skilled in martial arts.

"What's on your back?"

The man, broad-shouldered, held a lantern in one hand and a mountain-staff in the other, his eyes filled with hostility, standing before Lin Yuan with an imposing presence.

The lantern moved closer to Lin Yuan's face, almost allowing him to feel the warmth of the candle burning inside.

"An iron pot," Lin Yuan answered honestly.

"Why carry a pot at midnight instead of sleeping?"

"Earlier, I practiced late and suddenly felt hungry in my stomach. The task spot wasn't prepared, so I went home to bring a pot to cook some food." Lin Yuan puffed his somewhat dry chest.

The black-clad disciple extended his left hand, using the lantern to shine on the iron pot on his back, revealing only an iron pot and some dried meat, with nothing else.

"Get lost!" After not finding anything, the man relaxed his stern expression a bit, nodded at Lin Yuan, and let him leave.

"Thank you, Senior Brother!" Lin Yuan suppressed his anger, his eyes slightly lowered as he replied.

"Even an ordinary elite disciple can attack and scold, a mere chores disciple is too weak!"

On the way, Lin Yuan couldn't help but sigh, the desire to become stronger crashing over him like waves against rocks, one after another.

After calming his emotions slightly, suppressing the turmoil within, he continued hurrying on his way.

With no further disturbances, Lin Yuan quietly returned to his residence, set up a stove, and began preparing medicinal soup in his room.

The original small clay pot was enough for You Xiaozhong to prepare his daily medicinal needs after three times.

But for Lin Yuan's cultivation, the small clay pot was like using a cup of water to put out a wagon-load of fire.

After absorbing the medicine, by the time the next batch was ready, it was still not fully prepared. Now he needed to drink fifteen bowls of medicinal soup daily, spending most of his time in preparation.

Lin Yuan considered that his small room was equipped with a large iron pot. He had thought about using an even larger one, but was concerned about the strong odor of too much medicine, and the large pot being hard to hide. After deliberation, the iron pot at home was just right.

"A ten-bowl quantity at a time, about three preparations will do."

Lin Yuan estimated silently while watching the burning charcoal. Thus he would shorten the days needed to reach the Red Spirit State by threefold.

The days passed once more, Lin Yuan traveled between the training ground and the drying-place pharmacy. His movement technique didn't change much, but his Qi-Blood accumulated day by day, swiftly approaching the Red Spirit State.

That morning, he returned from martial arts practice.

"Senior Brother, who hurt you?" Seeing You Xiaozhong with a bruised face and slightly swollen legs, Lin Yuan's expression changed.

"It's nothing, nothing. I sparred with a Senior Brother, it was my overconfidence." You Xiaozhong forced a smile.

"Was the sparring so heavy-handed?" Lin Yuan's face was calm, looking at You Xiaozhong's bruises bigger than buns, making him sad.

"Heh." On You Xiaozhong's round face, his eyes were black and blue, and speaking pulled at his painful mouth: "Recently, I made a breakthrough in martial arts, so I wanted to test the gap with the elite disciples."

Finally, You Xiaozhong let out a sigh: "As you can see, the gap not only exists but is considerable."

You Xiaozhong proactively approached someone and ended up beaten.

Lin Yuan let out a breath.

Looking at You Xiaozhong's pitiable panda eyes, Lin Yuan couldn't help but want to laugh.

"Senior Brother, what is the gap between the elite disciples and us? How does one become an elite disciple?" Lin Yuan, letting go of his worries, suddenly thought of a question existing in his mind but never had someone suitable to answer him.

"Elite disciples are basically those who have achieved the Great Achievement Realm in the four foundational martial techniques: Qi-Blood, skin membrane, muscles and veins, and bones."

"Crossing this threshold, martial arts can fundamentally improve in quality. I thought before today that lacking one martial technique to achieve Great Achievement, my gap with elite disciples wasn't that big, but it turns out I was wrong."

Lin Yuan understood as soon as he arrived, that You Xiaozhong's martial arts cultivation was far from as simple as it seemed. However, martial arts realms are generally not easily revealed, so he did not dare to inquire directly.

"My skin membrane hasn't been cultivated to Great Achievement, it still needs prolonged exercise."

"In martial arts, Qi-Blood is the main focus, bones and skin membrane are for defense, muscles and veins emphasize movement technique. If under the same strength, a person who achieved Great Achievement in skin membrane can nearly reduce the force they endure by fifty percent."

"So."

"I can't take a beating!" Lin Yuan looked at the blinking panda eyes and couldn't help but chuckle, "Senior Brother, is there anyone with Qi-Blood cultivated to perfection while other areas barely at entry level?"

Thinking of his situation, Lin Yuan couldn't help but ask.

"Such cases are almost impossible." You Xiaozhong shook his head, "Perfection means there's no further advancement. It implies your Qi-Blood cultivation has reached its limit. But if skin membrane, bones, and muscles and veins haven't reached the corresponding realm, it means your body can't support such a powerful Qi-Blood."

"If someone's Qi-Blood is perfect, while other aspects are just entry-level, running Qi-Blood under this condition only leads to one possibility."

"The body explodes and dies."

"Because the muscles and veins and skin membrane can't withstand the explosion of Qi-Blood," You Xiaozhong affirmed.

Lin Yuan nodded, his expression unchanged, but his heart sank suddenly.

Reflecting on his current state, the similarity to the situation You Xiaozhong described was striking.

A huge problem loomed before him, if he perfected the Red Spirit State in the future, could he dare to use it?

With You Xiaozhong beside him, Lin Yuan dared not think further.

Seeing his serious injuries, a thought came to mind. Recalling his previous life knowledge of trauma ointment, he roughly understood how to formulate it, which came in handy now.

"Senior Brother, I'll mix some ointment, wait for me."

He was quite familiar with the trauma ointment formula, and the few main herbs needed were available at the drying field. Immediately, he selected them from the herbs and took some oil from the kitchen, then Lin Yuan ground ten or so ingredients, including raw Chuanwu, raw caowu, and Borneol into powder, and mixed it with honey into a blackish ointment.

The work took most of an hour, finally completing.

"It's going to hurt a bit, bear with it."

Lin Yuan took a piece of greaseproof paper, spread the ointment evenly, and applied it to You Xiaozhong's severely swollen area.

"Hehe." You Xiaozhong smiled, in considerable pain, fine beads of sweat seeping from his forehead: "Feels nice, somewhat cooling."

After this day, over the next few days, Lin Yuan changed the medicine for You Xiaozhong several times. Coupled with a martial artist's naturally quick recovery, he soon healed completely.

This morning.

"Good days are here." You Xiaozhong regained his vitality, though his panda eyes still had some unease, his round face looked somewhat amusing.

It turned out Lin Yuan and You Xiaozhong went to the services hall together to collect this month's Qi-Blood powder and Silver Coin.

In front of Lin Yuan, You Xiaozhong opened a paper packet the size of a fingernail, used a bamboo stick to divide out a portion of Qi-Blood powder, and packed it into another paper.

You Xiaozhong seemed a bit upset as he opened his face, contemplating, then sighed: "Qi-Blood powder is good. Five amounts but only can use four."

"Senior Brother, is the separated portion saved for use during future breakthroughs?"

Seeing You Xiaozhong separate one portion, Lin Yuan couldn't help but be curious. Could it be that You Xiaozhong was storing grain for a tough winter ahead?

"You didn't know?" You Xiaozhong was taken aback by Lin Yuan's words.

By logic, a situation that new disciples encounter, how could Lin Yuan not know?

"Know what? Save Qi-Blood powder for New Year?" Lin Yuan was perplexed by the question.

"Tribute!" You Xiaozhong saw Lin Yuan's display and explained to him.

"Every month, the five portions of Qi-Blood powder we chores disciples receive need one portion separated to be handed over to a protector, meaning an elite disciple."

"Must it be handed over?" Lin Yuan's heart suddenly sank.

"Not necessarily, as long as you can beat an elite disciple, then no need to hand it over." You Xiaozhong pointed to the bruises still visible around his eyes: "Otherwise, why would I go through the effort to challenge them? To seek a beating?"

"Doesn't the academy manage this?"

"Heh," You Xiaozhong sneered, "The academy only manages elite disciples. Why would they care about the lives of lowly chores disciples?"

"Moreover, raising Gu, selecting the best disciples to be the Gu King, while other disciples are merely nourishment for the Gu King."

"Look at the tasks we are doing now; a mere village woman could handle them fine. Yet, they want the most outstanding youth from the village to do them."

"If not becoming an elite disciple, you can only scrape by in this mud pit." A trace of desolation passed through You Xiaozhong's eyes, fists clenched tightly.

Upon hearing this, Lin Yuan's joy of receiving the Qi-Blood powder vanished, You Xiaozhong's words weighed on him, his expression turning icy.

The scene where Fu Yan sent someone away in the medicine garden flashed from memory; he had already made his choice.

That night.

The sky was filled with twinkling stars, not a cloud in sight, with bright moonlight casting over the land as if wrapping the tranquil night in a layer of silver frost.

Moonlight streamed through the window, onto Lin Yuan's bed.

At this moment, Lin Yuan's eyes also gazed through the window towards the boundless starry sky.

His thoughts mirrored the twinkling stars, flickering on and off.

He contemplated if someone came to him for his Qi-Blood powder, should he give it up or not?

For it was a fifth!

He looked down at the packet of Qi-Blood powder in his palm, eyes dazing.

If he gave it up, a shadow would be cast over his heart; without the resolute martial determination, it would significantly hinder his martial development, maybe halting him forever.

Additionally, losing Qi-Blood powder would slow his cultivation pace, prolong his time at the chores disciple stage.

But if he didn't give it up, he would face oppression from elite disciples. Lin Yuan asked himself, with his current martial cultivation, he was far from countering an elite disciple directly.

"What should I do?"

The unwillingness and struggle within made it a sleepless night for Lin Yuan.

Recalling his journey since transmigration, he's had no moment of respite.

Wang Dong's mocking laughter, the village chief's expectations, Li Yuanshan's admiration—all these scenes flashed by.

He couldn't help but feel a bit weary.

He genuinely only wished to settle down without oppression, to live a normal life.