Chapter 15: Drug Bath

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

The intense pain in his meridians gradually subsided, but the terrifying scene he had just experienced left him with lingering fear.

At that moment, Qin Sang suddenly heard chirping birds outside. He turned his head and saw that the sky was faintly lit; it was already dawn.

Qin Sang was secretly surprised. His entire focus had been on cultivation, and he felt as though he had only completed a few cycles, perhaps an hour at most, yet an entire night had passed.

People were moving about outside, speaking softly. Qin Sang dared not continue; he lay down fully clothed and fell into a deep sleep.

After several days of attempts, Qin Sang gradually understood the workings of the *Nether Scripture*. He could currently only circulate the qi within his body for a maximum of nine cycles; any more and the intense pain would interrupt him.

Forcing it to circulate felt as if his meridians were being torn apart, a pain that pierced him to the bone.

As a result, Qin Sang could only hope to break through to the second layer of the cultivation method. However, a month passed, and the qi had only grown by a mere thread. He had no idea how long it would take to achieve a breakthrough.

What frustrated Qin Sang even more was that the qi seemed to offer no improvement to his martial arts. When he threw a punch with full force, its power was similar to before; he couldn't even break a wooden stake.

Nevertheless, over the past month, Qin Sang had noticed subtle changes in his body, changes he hadn't initially realized were happening.

Two days prior, a trap he had set caught a wild bird. He had intended to roast and eat it, but while untying the knot, he was careless and the bird escaped.

As the bird flew into the air, Qin Sang instinctively grabbed a stone and threw it, hitting the bird squarely.

Qin Sang was startled by his own accuracy and stood there stunned.

He could clearly see the bird's flight path; to his eyes, it seemed as if the bird's speed had slowed down, allowing him to instantly determine which direction it would fly next. This would have been absolutely impossible for him before.

It was this incident that made Qin Sang recall various subtle changes in himself.

He didn't even need to mention improvements like better digestion and a significantly increased appetite.

Not only his eyes, but his ears were also much sharper than before; he could clearly hear even very faint sounds from a distance.

Practicing martial arts required physical training. He and Mingyue used stone hammers and wooden stakes for their exercises, and no matter how careful they were, injuries were inevitable. Vulnerable areas like joints and lumbar vertebrae, once injured, were difficult to heal and would occasionally ache as a reminder.

Recently, however, Qin Sang's old injuries seemed to have vanished; they hadn't bothered him in a long time.

Furthermore, he could now easily perform some of the very complex moves in the *Tiger Subduing Long Fist*. His body's flexibility was slowly improving, and his boxing skills had advanced significantly.

Considering all these things, Qin Sang realized that the *Nether Scripture* had brought him so many benefits.

If these improvements continued, his physical constitution would undoubtedly far surpass that of ordinary people.

"With such miraculous effects, even if the *Nether Scripture* cultivates slowly, I must persevere."

Qin Sang thought this to himself, humming a tune as he led the donkey.

The donkey carried a sack of coarse grain. Ever since the temple had taken in several displaced families, the old Daoist priest occasionally provided them with relief. The temple's food supply was depleted particularly quickly, and grain prices outside were soaring. Qin Sang felt that the dozens of taels of silver he had on hand would eventually have to be contributed.

Leading the donkey into the temple, Qin Sang let out a soft exclamation. "Mingyue, what are you doing dragging out a broken vat?"

"Senior Brother, quickly come help me!"

Mingyue, panting, exclaimed as if he had seen a savior, "Master told me to move the vat from the woodshed to the Azure Goat Hall. He said it would be useful tonight."

Since it was Daoist Priest Jixin's instruction, Qin Sang quickly tethered the donkey and went to help Mingyue.

The earthenware vat was very large, big enough for a person to sit inside. Although Mingyue had been practicing martial arts and eating meat with Qin Sang, making him stronger than before, moving it was still very strenuous.

It was said that during the Azure Goat Temple's prosperous era, this vat was used to hold sesame oil. Now, the Azure Goat Temple was dilapidated and didn't have that much oil, so the vat had been kept in the woodshed, filled with pine needles for kindling.

Mingyue had cleared out all the pine needles and thoroughly scrubbed the vat clean. He had no idea what the old Daoist priest intended to use it for.

Qin Sang asked Mingyue, who was also puzzled, only stating that Master had gone up the mountain to gather herbs and had given these instructions before leaving.

The two of them expended great effort to move the large vat into the Azure Goat Hall. Then, following Daoist Priest Jixin's instructions, they made a base with two stones and lifted the vat onto it.

Qin Sang wondered if the old Daoist priest was going to use this vat to decoct herbs.

For such a large vat, it was fortunate that he had used bamboo pipes to divert water; otherwise, carrying water would have exhausted Mingyue.

By evening, Daoist Priest Jixin returned with his herbs, which only filled half of his back basket. He told Mingyue to close the front and back doors of the Azure Goat Hall and began to get busy.

Qin Sang squatted nearby, sorting the herbs. He noticed that most of them were unfamiliar to him, and all appeared to be rare and valuable.

Daoist Priest Jixin usually treated minor ailments like sprains, colds, and damp-heat syndromes, using a fixed set of about a dozen herbs. Qin Sang had accompanied the old Daoist priest up the mountain several times, always collecting those familiar herbs, but this time, the old Daoist priest had gathered entirely new ones.

After sorting the herbs, Daoist Priest Jixin sat behind a long table and wrote out a prescription. He instructed Mingyue to fetch the ingredients. Qin Sang leaned closer to look; it was a new, highly complex prescription, completely incomprehensible with his rudimentary knowledge of medicine.

"Daoist Priest," Qin Sang asked, "what is this prescription for?"

Seeing Qin Sang's puzzled expression, Daoist Priest Jixin explained, "Though I am not skilled in martial arts, I understand the principle that scholarship is for the poor, while martial arts are for the rich. You and Mingyue practice martial arts intensely all day, expending great energy. Even with abundant game, it's hard to replenish your depleted vital energy, which can inevitably lead to health problems. This formula is an ancient prescription my master obtained when he was an imperial physician. It has the effect of strengthening the foundation and cultivating vital energy, making it perfectly suited for martial artists. However, this formula is for medicinal baths and must not be taken internally. Follow the prescription to gather the herbs, fill the large vat with water, and boil it until only seventy percent of the medicinal broth remains. Once the water temperature drops, bathe in it for half an hour, once in the morning and once in the evening. You can repeatedly add water and use it for seven days before replacing it with fresh herbs."

Hearing of such a good thing, Qin Sang naturally wouldn't refuse. He committed the prescription to memory and couldn't help but exclaim, "Daoist Priest, just how many good things do you still have hidden away?"

Daoist Priest Jixin closed his eyes and rested.

Qin Sang and Mingyue got busy. They quickly prepared the herbs, filled the vat with water, and brewed the medicine as the old Daoist priest had instructed. As soon as the water temperature dropped slightly, they eagerly jumped in.

"Ah!"

It was Qin Sang's first hot bath in his life. As he submerged himself up to his neck in the steaming medicinal broth, he felt utterly refreshed. All his fatigue instantly vanished, and he couldn't help but let out a groan of contentment.

Mingyue was not as resistant to heat as Qin Sang. He tentatively stepped in, but seeing Qin Sang's expression of utter comfort, he endured the heat and jumped in as well.

Mingyue was young and not very tall, so the two of them didn't feel cramped together.

The early spring air was still chilly, making a soak in the hot medicinal broth a true luxury. With his head resting against the rim of the vat, Qin Sang felt himself drifting into a deep sleep.