Chapter 4: Cultivation and the Inheritance of Medical Arts

"Ugh—"

Before Hua Changxi could even rejoice over her newfound fortune, she was hit by a wave of dry heaving, triggered by the stench clinging to her body—a smell like kitchen waste that had been left out in the sweltering midsummer heat for days.

Just then, Madam Yao pushed the door open and entered.

Seeing her mother, Hua Changxi hurriedly cried out for help, "Mother, quickly tell Sixth Brother to fetch me some water. I need to bathe."

Madam Yao instinctively refused, "Bathe? You have wounds, you can't—"

The rest of her sentence died in her throat. As she drew closer to Hua Changxi, the pungent odor hit her, forcing her to hold her breath. At the same time, she saw the layer of filth caked onto her daughter's body.

"Jiu-niang, what happened to you?"

Worried that something was wrong with her daughter, Madam Yao spun around and rushed out of the room. In a frantic state, she dragged Hua Minghe, who was resting at home, into the room, with Hua Liulang following close behind.

As soon as Hua Liulang entered the room, he began to clamor, "Jiu-niang, why are you so stinky?" He shouted while backing away toward the door.

Hua Minghe stepped forward to inspect Hua Changxi's condition. His expression turned surprised, and he turned to Hua Liulang, saying, "Go fetch water for your sister."

Madam Yao was still worried, "But Jiu-niang's wounds..."

"Mother, it's fine. My wounds have already scabbed over." Hua Changxi had already removed the gauze used to bandage them.

Looking at her daughter's scabbing wounds, Madam Yao was astonished. "How did the injuries recover so quickly?"

Hua Minghe thought for a moment and said, "It must be that the medicinal soup from the Medical Bureau took effect."

Hua Changxi, feeling her stomach churning from the smell, pleaded, "Father, Mother, let me bathe first. We can talk about everything else later, alright?"

Seeing this, Madam Yao stopped insisting and hurriedly ordered Hua Liulang to fetch hot water from the front courtyard.

Ten minutes later, Hua Changxi submerged herself in the tub. It took five full changes of water before the strange odor finally vanished from her body.

"I finally feel alive again."

After changing into fresh clothes, Hua Changxi opened her door.

As soon as she opened it, Hua Minghe, Madam Yao, and Hua Liulang, who had been waiting outside, stepped in.

Hua Liulang circled around Hua Changxi twice. "Father, the way Jiu-niang looks... it's like a martial artist's body tempering!"

Hua Minghe did not disagree, though he was puzzled. "Does the blood-replenishing soup from the Medical Bureau also have the effect of body tempering?"

Hearing this, Hua Changxi's eyes flickered.

She felt that her situation likely had nothing to do with the Medical Bureau's soup, but was instead caused by the fortune she had just obtained. However, she said nothing. Her intuition told her that it was best not to let anyone know about a fortune gained from a demonic Taoist sacrificing eighty-one people.

Hua Liulang continued circling her. "Jiu-niang, how do you feel now?"

Hua Changxi replied, "I feel refreshed, and my body feels lighter than usual."

"Then it's definitely body tempering." Hua Liulang looked at her with envy. "Jiu-niang, you're so lucky. Do you know? A single session of body tempering for a martial artist can cost hundreds of taels of silver!"

"What do you mean 'lucky'?" Madam Yao glared at her son. "Your sister has suffered greatly this time."

Madam Yao looked at her husband. "Helang, has Jiu-niang really undergone body tempering?"

Hua Minghe nodded. "It seems so."

Madam Yao was shocked. "Are the people from the Medical Bureau that generous? Not only did they save her, but they also tempered her body as a bonus?"

Hua Minghe explained, "Physician Xu said that True Blood Wood is a new medicinal ingredient discovered by the Medical Bureau. Perhaps even the people there don't fully know all its effects."

Hua Changxi took the opportunity to interject, "Father, please don't tell anyone about this. I don't want to attract attention. If the officials from the Capital Prefecture or the Six Doors find out I've undergone body tempering, they might call me in for questioning again."

Hua Minghe had no intention of spreading the word, and he cautioned Hua Liulang, "You are not allowed to tell anyone about your sister's body tempering."

Madam Yao added, "Don't even tell the family. Second Sister-in-law was just talking a few days ago about wanting to temper Eighth Brother's body, but Mother wouldn't agree. If she finds out that Jiu-niang, a young lady, has already undergone tempering, she will surely make a scene."

Fortunately, it was midday and everyone was taking a nap, so Jiu-niang's bath hadn't drawn the attention of the rest of the household.

Hua Minghe was well aware of the family's financial situation. Even though he, his second brother, and his fourth brother all held positions in the government offices, and the family owned a pharmacy, they truly could not afford to have every son in the family undergo martial body tempering.

Seeing that her family had agreed to keep her secret, Hua Changxi felt a sense of relief.

She had not forgotten the young lady who had fought fiercely against the red-robed demonic Taoist. What worried her most was that the young lady seemed to recognize her. Now that she was alive, if news of her body tempering spread, there was no guarantee the young lady wouldn't suspect that she had obtained the fortune of the Red Stone.

To fight for that fortune, the young lady had fought the demonic Taoist to the brink of death. If she knew Hua Changxi had obtained it, would she come to kill her and seize the treasure?

At this thought, a look of doubt crossed Hua Changxi's eyes.

If the Red Stone was the fortune, but she had thrown the stone into the lava, how had she obtained the fortune? Was it simply because she had touched it?

Hua Changxi couldn't quite figure it out, but the mere thought of the young lady potentially coming for her made her anxious.

Seeing her daughter's pale complexion, Madam Yao assumed it was due to her injuries and waved Hua Minghe and Hua Liulang away. "That's enough. Jiu-niang needs to rest. Stop standing around here."

Seeing that Hua Changxi was indeed fine, Hua Minghe led Hua Liulang away.

Once the father and son had left, Madam Yao told Hua Changxi not to sleep yet and hurried to the kitchen, returning with a clay pot of chicken soup.

"Are you hungry? I specially brewed this chicken soup for you. Eat it while it's hot."

Because her daughter had been injured, Madam Yao had gone to the market early that morning to buy black chicken, stewing it into a nourishing Angelica black chicken soup to replenish her strength.

Hua Changxi was indeed hungry. She took the soup and began to drink, but after only a few sips, she let out a surprised "Huh?"

[Scripture of a Hundred Herbs (Introductory): Tasting Herbs 1/10]

Another line of text appeared in her field of vision.

With a goji berry from the soup in her mouth, Hua Changxi forgot to swallow.

Madam Yao looked at her, puzzled. "What is it? Is the soup not to your taste?"

Hua Changxi swallowed the berry and shook her head quickly. "No, the soup is delicious." As she spoke, she picked up her chopsticks and placed a slice of Astragalus from the soup into her mouth.

[Scripture of a Hundred Herbs (Introductory): Tasting Herbs 2/10]

Hua Changxi took another piece of Angelica. [Scripture of a Hundred Herbs (Introductory): Tasting Herbs 3/10]

Seeing her daughter eating heartily, a smile appeared on Madam Yao's face. "Eat slowly. I'm going to tidy up the kitchen."

Hua Changxi gave a distracted nod.

By the time Hua Changxi had finished eating all the medicinal ingredients in the soup, the text in her vision changed to: [Scripture of a Hundred Herbs (Introductory): Tasting Herbs 8/10]

This...

Hua Changxi was confused. She couldn't understand what kind of fortune she had actually obtained.

[Realm: Qi Condensation Stage 1/1000]

This was clearly cultivation.

[Scripture of a Hundred Herbs (Introductory): Tasting Herbs 8/10]

Based on the wording, this should be related to medicine.

Cultivation plus a medical inheritance—the fortune she had obtained was quite extraordinary!

[Tasting Herbs 8/10]

Only two more ingredients to go.

Eager to know what would happen once she reached ten herbs, Hua Changxi rose and left her room.

The Hua residence was a two-courtyard estate. The house faced south, and each courtyard followed the same layout: five main rooms facing north, plus two side rooms, with three wing rooms on each side. The difference was that the first courtyard had three facing rooms on the south side and a well in the yard.

Old Master Hua and Old Madam Hua had three sons and one daughter. The eldest, Hua Minghe, was married to Madam Yao and had three sons and two daughters; the second son, Hua Mingang, was married to Madam Fan and had two sons and two daughters; the third daughter, Hua Zhiyan, married into the Shen family and also had two sons and two daughters; the fourth son, Hua Mingcheng, was married to Madam Liu and had two sons and three daughters.

The first courtyard was occupied by the grandparents and the eldest branch's family, with the three facing rooms serving as the kitchen, woodshed, and storage room. The second courtyard was inhabited by the second and fourth branches.

In the sweltering heat of July in the capital, midday was the most drowsy time. The courtyard was silent as everyone took their afternoon naps.

Hua Changxi left her room and headed straight for the northwest corner of the courtyard. Several medicinal racks were placed there, holding various herbs that her elder brother, Hua Sanlang, had gathered from the mountains.

Reaching the racks, Hua Changxi quickly popped a Perilla leaf and some Bletilla into her mouth.

Soon, the text in her vision changed.

[Scripture of a Hundred Herbs (Introductory): Tasting Herbs 10/10]

The moment the text changed, an ethereal, otherworldly voice echoed in her mind.

"The 'Vegetative Chapter' of the *Scripture of a Hundred Herbs* is now unlocked."

Immediately after, Hua Changxi felt a swelling sensation in her head. In an instant, a vast amount of knowledge regarding Chinese medicine flooded her mind. This knowledge covered not only plants but also animals, minerals, and more, complete with illustrations and detailed listings of their medicinal and toxic properties.

At that moment, she felt as though she had instantly memorized dozens of medical texts, with the knowledge etched permanently into her brain.

Hua Changxi was stunned; this method of medical inheritance was simply god-like.

As she processed the information, she realized that this knowledge encompassed not only what she had learned in her previous life but also included records of medicinal herbs used by martial artists in this life—things she had never known before.

Among them was a description of True Blood Wood.

*True Blood Wood, Vegetative. Replenishes and restores blood. A sacred medicine for blood replenishment for mortals; an essential herb for body cultivators.*

"The Vegetative Chapter"...

What would come after the Vegetative Chapter?

[Realm: Qi Condensation Stage 1/1000] [Scripture of a Hundred Herbs (Introductory): Tasting Herbs 10/10]

Cultivation and medical inheritance...

Hua Changxi had already been surprised enough when she realized this world contained martial arts masters; now, cultivation and legacies had appeared as well.

Just what kind of world had she traveled to?