abnabooks Chapter 11 Herbal Medicine
Chapter 11 Herbal Medicine
[Martial Arts]: White Ape Six Transformations (Beginner 30/800)
Looking at the progress on the panel, Su Yu frowned slightly.
"It's still too slow... and my body can't take it anymore."
The relentless pressure of the past few days has left his muscles in a constant state of soreness and tension, like a bowstring stretched to its limit, ready to snap at any moment.
Just then, a rich aroma of medicine wafted in on the breeze.
"Stop! This week's herbal soup has arrived!" Aunt Liu's loud voice rang out in the front yard, followed by several servants carrying two steaming wooden buckets filled with herbal bone-strengthening soup!
The crowd's eyes instantly lit up, staring intently at the two wooden barrels like hungry wolves eyeing their prey.
Herbal decoction!
Su Yu's heart stirred. The herbal soup was a secret recipe of every martial arts school, made by simmering various medicinal herbs. It could assist in martial arts training and accelerate the recovery of qi and blood, which was exactly what he needed now.
Before long, Su Yu received his bowl of herbal soup, which was as black as ink and had a strong medicinal aroma.
At this moment, Xu Feng, whom Su Yu hadn't seen for several days, also came to the front yard and beckoned Su Yu over.
"I've had some things to take care of at home these past two days and haven't been at the martial arts school," Xu Feng explained, then instructed, "You've received the medicine, right? Drink it and then do a set of stance training exercises for me to see."
Su Yu nodded and drank the medicine in one gulp.
Suddenly, I felt a burning sensation in my abdomen, and a wave of heat spread throughout my body.
"First move, White Ape Embracing the Seal!"
Su Yu didn't dare to delay and, taking advantage of the medicine's effects, immediately started practicing the exercises.
This time, he felt completely different!
The spine was no longer heavy, and the stretching of the skin no longer stung. The medicinal power acted like a lubricant, making every movement smooth and fluid.
After finishing the set, Su Yu felt his pores bulge and he exhaled a breath of white air, experiencing a sense of exhilarating pleasure.
[Proficiency +1]
Does that add a little bit of proficiency?
Su Yu was overjoyed; this speed was many times faster than usual.
If this medicinal soup were available in unlimited quantities, wouldn't I be able to break through to the next level very quickly?
"Not bad." Xu Feng nodded, a rare occurrence. "It seems your weak constitution actually helps you absorb the medicine better. This herbal soup can strengthen your bones and replenish your blood. With it, you can truly begin practicing martial arts."
Su Yu nodded and asked eagerly, "Senior brother, how often is this herbal medicine supplied?"
"One dose per week." Knowing his eagerness, Xu Feng added, "If you feel that's not enough, you'll have to pay extra yourself—one tael of silver for two doses. Three doses a week should be enough to support your basic cultivation."
Two sets for one tael of silver?
Upon hearing this, Su Yu felt a chill run down his spine; it was truly expensive.
If we follow the rule of three sets per week, we'll have to spend an extra four taels of silver per month!
He now has only a little over one tael of silver left. In other words, he can only buy two more sets at most!
"Is this what they mean by 'the poor study literature, the rich study martial arts'...?"
"We have to earn more money!"
After Xu Feng left, Su Yu, like a tireless machine, frantically increased his training, taking advantage of the remaining effects of the medicine.
[Proficiency +1]
[Proficiency +1]
……
In one day, my proficiency level increased by a full 10 points!
Besides improving his proficiency, this herbal medicine also gave Su Yu a pleasant surprise: it increased his limit-breaking points!
[Breakthrough Point]: 0 points (Progress 10%)
It's important to know that the accumulation of breakthrough points becomes slower as you progress, but this medicine can actually add 5% directly, which is truly promising for the future!
At this rate, I'll be able to accumulate enough Breakthrough Points again in less than a month!
At that time, casting a wide net might break the limit again!
……
It was late at night, in room number three of building number Bing.
After taking a cold shower, Su Yu lay in bed and felt much less tired than usual.
This herbal soup has so many benefits. In martial arts training, it not only provides more blood and energy, but also helps the body recover faster, giving me more time to practice stance training.
This further strengthened Su Yu's determination to buy the herbal medicine.
"Hey, tomorrow's a day off, are you guys going home?" Ma Fei asked casually, crossing his legs.
Wang Hu, who was in the corner, scratched his head and said in a muffled voice, "My mother made pancakes, I have to go home to eat."
"Go home for a pancake?" Ma Fei rolled his eyes. "Where are you from? Don't tell me you'd walk dozens of miles of mountain roads just for a pancake."
Wang Hu scratched his head again and whispered, "It's not far, my home is on Liuxiang Street."
"What?" Ma Fei sat up abruptly, his eyes almost popping out of their sockets. "Liuxiang Street? You're from the city?"
"Hmm..." Wang Hu shrank his neck, his voice becoming even softer.
Ma Fei's facial expressions instantly became a fascinating mix.
Shock, jealousy, bitterness...
No wonder this big oaf doesn't show off his skills when practicing, yet he's progressing faster than me! Turns out he's a young master from the city, who knows how much herbal medicine he's been drinking in secret!
"City people are still crammed into this shared dormitory, what are they pretending for..." Ma Fei muttered under his breath, a hint of resentment flashing across his face. He ignored Wang Xiaohu and inquired about Su Yu's situation.
Upon hearing that he lived in Qingxi Village, a smile immediately appeared on his face. "Ayu, we live close by. I live in Shewan Village, right by the Blackwater River."
"Ah Yu, we're going the same way, shall we go together tomorrow morning?"
"Okay," Su Yu replied.
He really had to go back. His family was out of money, and he had to try his luck at the Blackwater River.
If we happen to encounter another precious white-scaled fish, or even a more valuable treasure fish, perhaps we'll have enough silver to buy medicine.
"By the way, what does your family do, A-Yu?" Ma Fei completely ignored Wang Hu and started talking to Su Yu.
"Fishermen."
Hearing this, Ma Fei's smile widened. "That's great, we both come from fishing backgrounds."
……
The following morning, a thin mist shrouded the official road.
Su Yu and Ma Fei left the city together.
Throughout the journey, Ma Fei's mouth never stopped, filled with nothing but complaints.
"Ah Yu, what kind of situation is this? We paid ten taels of silver, but the master didn't even show his face, and the senior brother just gave us a perfunctory response. We're like leeks in a field, harvested one crop after another!"
"I've heard that the inner courtyard not only has martial arts senior brothers, but also some apprentices who are related to the master. They can eat meat and drink soup every day, and they even eat spirit deer meat as their main meal! Look at us, we eat pig swill and practice our death-strength training!"
"This world is fucking unfair! For us poor people, turning our lives around is harder than climbing to heaven!"
Su Yu listened silently, nodding occasionally, without saying anything more.
He knew Ma Fei might be right, but complaining wouldn't solve the problem.
Fortunately, in less than an hour, several iconic old crooked trees appeared ahead.
"We've arrived. Snake Bay Village is just ahead."
Just as Ma Fei was about to say goodbye, he found a large crowd gathered at the village entrance, with the noise mixed with the wailing of women.
"Something happened?"
Su Yu frowned and quickly followed to check.
Pushing through the crowd, a nauseating stench assaulted my senses.
There was a corpse lying on the muddy ground.
No, to be precise, it was a human skin that had been drained.
The deceased's entire body was an eerie grayish-white color, with skin clinging tightly to the bones, eye sockets sunken into two black holes, and mouth wide open, as if he had seen something extremely terrifying before he died.
He was like a fly whose life force had been drained by a giant spider, twisted, shriveled, and light, exuding a chilling aura.
"This is...Li Er?"
"What a tragedy! He went fishing in the Blackwater River last night, and he was gone this morning. He was just dragged back from the riverbank; they said he was as light as a tattered piece of clothing!"
"This didn't drown, it's clearly... it ran into something dirty!"
The villagers watching turned pale, fear spreading through the crowd.
"It's all those damned Water Snake Gang's fault! If they hadn't been forcing me to pay taxes every day, Li Er wouldn't have dared to go down to the river in the middle of the night!"
Su Yu's heart skipped a beat when he looked at the dried corpse.
This aura...
He remembered the black stone he had seen in the reeds that day, and the aura emanating from the corpse was very similar to that of the stone.
"Brother Ma, take care."
Su Yu didn't dare linger. He hurriedly bid farewell to the pale-faced Ma Fei and ran like the wind towards Qingxi Village.
Shewan Village is not far from Qingxi Village. If something happens here, Qingxi Village will probably not be safe either!