Chapter 50: The Pill is Formed, Part Two of the Ten Delicacies (Please support with reads this Tuesday)

Arriving before the Half-Mountain Courtyard.

Uncharacteristically, Lu Qing did not see his master practicing martial arts in the open space in front of the door.

He went inside to check and found the door to the medicine room still tightly closed, with a faint medicinal fragrance wafting from within.

Knowing his master was still inside refining medicine, he did not make a sound to disturb him.

Instead, he placed the bucket in a corner, took out a broom, and began cleaning the courtyard of his own accord.

Seeing her brother cleaning, Xiao Yan also went to a corner to fetch a small broom to help.

By the time the siblings had nearly finished cleaning the courtyard, Lu Qing finally heard the sound of a door opening from inside the house.

Immediately following that was the old doctor's hearty laughter.

"Have you two been here long?" the old doctor asked upon seeing Lu Qing and the girl cleaning the courtyard.

"Not long, less than half an hour," Lu Qing replied truthfully.

"Grandpa Chen, Xiao Yan helped brother clean too!" the little one said, holding up her broom to claim credit.

"Grandpa knows. Xiao Yan is the most well-behaved," the old doctor praised immediately.

"Hee hee." Receiving praise, the little girl instantly became joyful.

"Master, did you stay up all night?"

Looking at the old doctor's clothing, which was identical to yesterday's, Lu Qing couldn't help but ask.

"Indeed. This path of medicine refining allows for no negligence, especially this Blood-Replenishing Qi-Nourishing Pill. It is best to complete the process in one continuous flow to directly form the pills; only then can the medicinal efficacy of the ginseng be preserved to the maximum," the old doctor nodded.

"Then, Master, do you need to rest for a bit?" Lu Qing asked with some concern.

"There is no need. It was just staying up for one night; this old man's body isn't that far gone," the old doctor waved his hand. "Besides, old people naturally sleep less; a little less sleep is nothing."

Lu Qing observed him and found that his master's complexion was still ruddy and his spirit was bright, without a trace of fatigue.

He knew what the old man was saying was true.

It made sense; his master was a martial arts expert of the Internal Organ Realm. Staying up for a single night could not possibly affect him.

"Based on what Master is saying, that Blood-Replenishing Qi-Nourishing Pill..." Lu Qing's eyes lit up.

"It has already been refined." The old doctor took out a snow-white porcelain bottle. "That old mountain ginseng produced a total of twenty Blood-Replenishing Qi-Nourishing Pills."

"With the assistance of these twenty pills, not only will it be much easier for you to step into the Blood and Qi Realm, but once you enter it, your cultivation progress will be extremely rapid."

Lu Qing took the porcelain bottle, feeling its heavy weight.

He suddenly asked, "Master, is it best to consume these pills after stepping into the Blood and Qi Realm?"

The old doctor paused for a moment before replying, "Correct. These pills are among the best auxiliary medicines for the Blood and Qi Realm. Refining just one can bring significant progress. I don't know how many Blood and Qi Realm martial artists would be willing to pay a fortune to obtain a few."

"But since I haven't stepped into the Blood and Qi Realm yet, would taking them now be a bit of a waste?"

"Although some medicinal efficacy will be wasted, your physical foundation is somewhat weak. Without the help of the pills, even if you have mastered the Body-Nurturing Fist, I fear it would still take some time to step into the Blood and Qi Realm."

Hearing his master's words, Lu Qing smiled and did not press further, instead changing the subject.

"Master, I went fishing yesterday and caught two strangely shaped fish. They look quite unusual; I wanted to let Master take a look."

"Oh? What good things have you caught this time?" The old doctor grew interested.

He knew his disciple possessed great talent in the art of fishing and often caught unusual fish.

Lately, there had never been a shortage of small fish at his place.

Fried small fish tasted excellent and were perfect with alcohol, causing his two jars of treasured aged wine to be nearly emptied.

"This is the first time I've caught this kind of fish. They aren't large, but their strength is quite considerable; they feel very extraordinary."

Lu Qing brought the bucket containing the Golden Loaches from the corner of the courtyard.

The old doctor leaned in to look. Seeing the golden-colored Golden Loaches swimming inside, his eyes suddenly widened after a moment of identification.

"This thing... it's a Golden Loach!"

"Master recognizes this fish?" Lu Qing asked.

"Of course I do." The old doctor's expression was quite excited. "Do you remember that Red Moon Carp you caught before? I once said it was one of the Ten Delicacies of the World."

"Could this fish also be one of the Ten Delicacies?" Lu Qing's heart stirred.

He truly hadn't expected that.

"Indeed. This fish is also a type of rare fish called the Golden Loach, and it is also one of the Ten Delicacies. However, its ranking among the ten is much lower than the Red Moon Carp, sitting near the bottom. Thus, its flavor is somewhat inferior to the Red Moon Carp."

"But while the flavor is slightly lacking, the Golden Loach has one quality that is superior to the Red Moon Carp: it has a very high nutritional effect, making it most suitable for those with weak constitutions."

"Last time I told you, your Red Moon Carp was bought by a noble in the city to nourish his wife's body."

"After that noble lady ate the Red Moon Carp, her health improved significantly, but she remained somewhat frail."

"If she had eaten this Golden Loach that day, she likely would have made a complete recovery."

The Golden Loach was actually one of the Ten Delicacies.

Lu Qing was astonished.

Calculating it this way, he had already caught two types of the Ten Delicacies in this river outside the village.

For a small village river to harbor two, or perhaps even more, rare fish was truly thought-provoking.

Was it because of the Blood Apricot seeds, or some other unknown reason?

Lu Qing couldn't help but think deeply.

The old doctor had clearly thought of this problem as well.

"A-Qing, where did you catch this Golden Loach?"

"In the same place I caught the Red Moon Carp last time," Lu Qing replied without hiding anything.

"This small river outside the village can actually host both Red Moon Carp and Golden Loaches simultaneously?"

The old doctor realized something was unusual.

"Master, is there something wrong?" Lu Qing asked humbly.

"It is indeed quite unusual," the old doctor said. "But as for the reason, even this old man cannot say. However..."

"However what?"

Seeing the old doctor's expression turn somewhat solemn, Lu Qing asked hurriedly.

"Regarding the fact that rare fish are hidden in the river outside the village, do not mention it to anyone else in the future," the old doctor said solemnly. "Rare fish are hard to come by, and their value is extremely high. Once the news leaks out, it might not be a good thing for the village."

"Disciple understands."

Lu Qing understood his master's meaning.

It was the principle of "possessing a jade brings peril"—the value of these rare fish was too high.

If others knew the river outside the village held such fish, there was no guarantee people wouldn't try to seize the waterway or drive the villagers away.

He had seen many such examples in the news in his previous life.

To the villagers of Jiuli Village, it would be nothing short of a disaster.

It seemed that if he caught any more rare fish in the future, he could not reveal them to the outside world.

Having realized this, Lu Qing made an immediate decision.

Even if he caught more rare fish later, he would not sell them.

In any case, he had already reached an agreement with the little black beast; at most, he would trade the rare fish for ginseng.

"It is good that you remember."

The old doctor nodded, knowing his disciple had always been intelligent and did not require much prompting.

However, he became curious about something else.

"Didn't you say you caught two Golden Loaches? I recall that Golden Loaches always appear in pairs and never travel alone. So where is the other one?"

"The other one was eaten by that little black beast."

Lu Qing gave a wry smile and then explained how the little black beast insisted on eating the rare fish.

He only omitted the details of his agreement with the beast.

"I originally intended to keep both Golden Loaches, but that beast wouldn't let it go, so I had no choice but to give it one."

"So that's how it is. It doesn't matter. That beast gave you a century-old mountain ginseng; it is only right to give it a rare fish in return."

The old doctor did not find it a waste.

"Master, since there is only one Golden Loach left, you should enjoy it. Consider it a small token of my respect," Lu Qing said.

"Such a good thing... if I were to enjoy it all by myself, it would be a bit of a waste," the old doctor laughed. "Let's eat it together."

"Speaking of which, your timing for catching this Golden Loach was truly excellent. If you are lucky, perhaps you could even step into the Blood and Qi Realm today."

Hearing this, Lu Qing was momentarily stunned.