Chapter 15: Medicinal Bath

After a long while, Qin Sang recovered. He gasped for air and opened his eyes, which were filled with terror.

The excruciating pain in his meridians gradually faded, but the memory of the horrifying scene from moments ago still left him trembling with lingering fear.

Just then, Qin Sang suddenly heard the chirping of birds outside. He turned his head to see the faint light of dawn breaking through the sky; it was already daybreak.

Qin Sang couldn't help but feel secretly surprised. His mind had been entirely focused on his cultivation; he had only circulated his energy for a few cycles and felt as though at most an hour had passed, yet an entire night had gone by.

He heard the sound of footsteps and low voices outside. Not daring to continue, Qin Sang lay down in his clothes and fell into a deep sleep.

After several days of trial and error, Qin Sang had gradually grasped the patterns of the *Netherworld Scripture*. At most, he could now drive that surge of energy through his body for nine cycles; any more, and the intense pain would interrupt him.

If he forced the circulation, it felt as if his meridians were being torn apart, a pain that pierced straight to the bone.

Consequently, Qin Sang could only hope to break through to the second level of the technique. To his dismay, after a month had passed, the surge of energy had only grown slightly stronger. He had no idea how long it would take to achieve a breakthrough.

Even more frustrating was that the energy didn't seem to improve his martial arts much. When he threw a punch with full strength, the power was roughly the same as before, and he couldn't even break a wooden stake.

However, over the past month, Qin Sang had discovered that his body was undergoing changes. These changes were subtle and gradual, and he hadn't realized them at first.

Two days ago, one of his mechanical traps caught a wild bird. He had intended to roast it over a fire, but he accidentally let it slip through his fingers while untying the ropes.

As the bird took flight, Qin Sang instinctively grabbed a stone and hurled it. It struck true, hitting the bird dead center.

Qin Sang was startled by his own accuracy and stood there in a daze.

He could actually see the bird's flight trajectory with absolute clarity. In his eyes, it was as if the bird's speed had slowed down; he could instantly judge which direction it would fly in the next moment—something that would have been absolutely impossible before.

Because of this incident, Qin Sang couldn't help but connect it to various other details about himself.

Not to mention his digestion had improved and his appetite had increased significantly.

Beyond his eyes, his hearing had also become much sharper than before; he could clearly hear even the smallest movements from a distance.

Martial arts training also required physical conditioning. When he and Ming Yue trained with stone hammers and wooden stakes, injuries were inevitable no matter how careful they were. Fragile areas like joints or the lumbar spine, once injured, were difficult to heal and would often flare up to remind him of their existence.

During this period, however, the old injuries on Qin Sang's body seemed to have vanished, having not bothered him for a long time.

Furthermore, he could now easily perform some of the more complex moves in the *Tiger-Subduing Long Fist*. His body's flexibility was steadily improving, and his boxing skills were advancing greatly.

Upon reflecting on all this, Qin Sang realized just how many benefits the *Netherworld Scripture* had actually brought him.

If this improvement continued, his physical constitution would surely far surpass that of an ordinary person.

"With such miraculous effects, even if the cultivation speed of the *Netherworld Scripture* is slow, I must persist," Qin Sang thought to himself as he hummed a tune while leading his donkey.

The donkey carried a sack of coarse grain. Ever since the Taoist temple had taken in several refugee families, the old Taoist had been providing them with relief from time to time. The food in the temple was being consumed very quickly, and with grain prices rising wildly outside, Qin Sang felt that the few dozen taels of silver in his possession would eventually be spent.

As he drove the donkey into the temple, Qin Sang let out a soft exclamation of surprise. "Ming Yue, what are you doing moving that broken vat out here?"

"Senior Brother, come help me quickly!"

Ming Yue shouted breathlessly, looking as if she had seen a savior. "Master told me to move the vat from the woodshed to the Green Goat Hall. He said it would be useful tonight."

Since it was an order from Taoist Jixin, Qin Sang quickly tethered the donkey and went to assist Ming Yue.

This earthenware vat was very large, big enough for a person to sit inside. Although Ming Yue had become sturdier than before from training and eating meat with Qin Sang, moving it was still quite strenuous.

He had heard that during the prosperous days of the Green Goat Temple, this vat was used to hold fragrant oil. Now that it was a dilapidated temple, there wasn't much oil to store, so it had been sitting in the woodshed, piled high with pine needles used for kindling.

Ming Yue had cleared out the pine needles and scrubbed the vat clean, though they didn't know what the old Taoist intended to use it for.

When Qin Sang asked, Ming Yue was also equally confused, saying only that her Master had given the instruction before heading up the mountain to gather herbs.

The two of them exerted great effort to move the large vat into the Green Goat Hall. Following Taoist Jixin's instructions, they used two stones to create a base and set the vat upon it.

Qin Sang wondered if the old Taoist intended to use the vat to decoct herbal medicine.

Fortunately, he used a bamboo pipe to draw water into the large vat; otherwise, carrying water would have exhausted Ming Yue.

By evening, Taoist Jixin returned from herb gathering. The herbs only filled half of his basket. He instructed Ming Yue to close the front and back doors of the Green Goat Hall and began to get to work.

Qin Sang squatted to one side to sort the herbs and realized that most of them were things he had never seen before, and they all appeared to be rare herbs of extraordinary value.

The most common ailments Taoist Jixin treated were minor issues like bruises, wind-cold, or damp-heat, using a fixed set of about a dozen herbs. Qin Sang had accompanied the old Taoist up the mountain several times, but they had always gathered those same herbs. This time, however, the old Taoist had gathered entirely new ones.

After sorting the herbs, Taoist Jixin sat behind the long table and wrote a prescription, telling Ming Yue to prepare the medicine. Qin Sang leaned in to look; it was a new prescription with a very complex formula, far beyond his rudimentary understanding of medical theory.

"Taoist, what is this prescription for?"

Seeing Qin Sang's confusion, Taoist Jixin explained, "Although I am not skilled in martial arts, I understand the principle that 'literary pursuits are cheap, while martial pursuits are expensive.' You and Ming Yue practice martial arts all day, consuming a great deal of energy. No matter how much wild game you eat, it is difficult to fully replenish the depleted primordial essence, which inevitably leaves behind hidden troubles. This formula is an ancient recipe my Master obtained while serving as an imperial physician. It has the effect of strengthening the foundation and nourishing the primordial essence, making it perfect for martial artists. However, this formula is for a medicinal bath and must not be ingested. Prepare the herbs as instructed, fill the large vat with water, and decoct it until only seventy percent of the liquid remains. Once the water temperature has dropped, soak in it for half an hour. Do this once in the morning and once in the evening every day. You may add water repeatedly and use it for seven days before replacing it with fresh herbs."

Hearing of such a wonderful thing, Qin Sang naturally would not refuse. He memorized the prescription and couldn't help but exclaim, "Taoist, just how many treasures are you hiding in your hands?"

Taoist Jixin closed his eyes to rest.

Qin Sang and Ming Yue busied themselves, quickly preparing the herbs, filling the vat with water, and decocting the medicine according to the old Taoist's instructions. As soon as the water temperature dropped slightly, they couldn't wait to jump in.

"Ah!"

It was the first hot bath of his life. With everything from his neck down submerged in the scalding medicinal soup, Qin Sang felt a sense of total comfort. His fatigue vanished instantly, and he couldn't help but let out a groan of pleasure.

Ming Yue was not as resistant to heat as Qin Sang. She tentatively stepped in, but seeing Qin Sang's expression of pure bliss, she endured the heat and jumped in as well.

Ming Yue was young and not very tall, so the two of them did not feel crowded.

The early spring air was still chilly, making the soak in the hot medicinal soup an absolute luxury. With the back of his head resting against the rim of the vat, Qin Sang felt as if he were about to drift into a deep sleep.