Since Xu Bin refused the weapon slip, Chen Sanshi naturally couldn't let it go to waste.
It just so happened that his current plum-blossom spear was too ordinary. Though it didn't hold him back, it also offered no real improvement.
Inside the armory, rows of weapons filled the racks.
Most were standard-issue arms, while a smaller section contained finely crafted officer-grade weapons. Among them, spears were the rarest—only two or three types in total.
Chen Sanshi's gaze landed on a long spear placed right in the center of the last row.
The weapon was about thirteen chi long, with a slender, willow-shaped spearhead and a tuft of red tassels behind the blade. The shaft was slightly thicker than his plum-blossom spear, made from white waxwood at its core, soaked in oil and reinforced with bamboo strips wrapped tightly around it. The surface was lacquered black, and the butt end fitted with a conical spear weight.
"This one's called the Willow-Leaf Spear," explained the armory keeper. "A former Hundred-Household left it behind. Been collecting dust here ever since. If you fancy it, Flag Officer Chen, just take it."
"Thank you."
Chen Sanshi took the long spear, weighed it in his hands—it was about twenty to thirty catties heavy—and began practicing right outside the armory.
The Basic Spearsmanship for Infantry was designed for long weapons like this.
With the Willow-Leaf Spear in hand, his movements flowed naturally, each strike faster and stronger than before.
After about half an hour, he felt his qi and blood start to wane.
"Training really is a bottomless pit," he sighed, carrying his spear toward the apothecary.
From afar, the smell of herbal medicine wafted through the air.
The apothecary was quiet, with only one old man and two assistants inside. Several clay pots bubbled softly over the fire.
"Uncle, I'm here to claim my Blood-Replenishing Soup," Chen Sanshi said, handing over his slip.
The old man took it and asked, "Have you already cultivated qi and blood? Those who haven't are forbidden from drinking it."
Chen Sanshi frowned, unfamiliar with medicine. "There's a rule like that?"
"Of course," the old man said, stroking his beard. "All medicine carries some poison. Only those who've cultivated qi and blood can expel the toxins through sweat during training. Otherwise, if you drink too much, the poison will build up, corroding your meridians until you're crippled."
Chen Sanshi nodded and confirmed that he had already cultivated qi and blood.
"Good," said the old man, accepting the slip. He stood and began selecting herbs, preparing to brew the medicine on the spot.
While waiting, they got to know each other.
The old man's surname was Jiang—Medical Officer Jiang. His family had served as hereditary medics in the Thousand-Household Division for generations, though without any official rank.
After about half an hour, Chen Sanshi received a bowl of pitch-black medicine.
He took a cautious sip—and nearly gagged.
The taste was bitter and acrid, with an underlying stench like a foul ditch. No wonder it was said to be poisonous!
Unlike bear heart, the soup didn't immediately make his qi and blood surge. Instead, it left a strange sensation in his abdomen—something heavy and uncomfortable.
That must be the medicinal energy, waiting to be refined through practice.
Medical Officer Jiang said, "Next time you need Blood-Replenishing Soup, let me know ahead of time. That way you won't have to wait around."
"Alright," Chen Sanshi replied. He then asked, curious, "As a Flag Officer, I'm allowed one bowl every three days, right? If I run out of my quota, how can I get more medicine?"
"Buy it," Jiang replied simply, fanning the fire with a woven fan. "But not from here. You'll have to buy it from a martial hall's apothecary in town. One prescription for Blood-Replenishing Soup costs ten taels of silver, enough to brew two bowls."
"How much?!"
Chen Sanshi stared, dumbfounded.
A bear heart cost around twenty taels—and even that was considered expensive.
Ten taels of silver could feed an average family for a whole year during peaceful times, and it only bought two bowls of medicine?
"Anything that strengthens cultivation isn't made from ordinary herbs," Jiang explained patiently. "Most take at least ten years—some even eight or more—to mature, and they're incredibly rare. Naturally, they're expensive. But that's only part of the reason."
"What's the main reason?" Chen Sanshi asked.
"Monopoly," Jiang said slowly.
"Monopoly?"
"You mean the martial halls?"
"Exactly."
Jiang let out a long sigh. "Herbs for cultivation require extremely specific growing conditions. There's only so much land suitable for medicinal gardens, and over half of it's been sold off to the martial halls. How could prices not skyrocket?"
"Why would they sell it?"
Chen Sanshi frowned. This was clearly a strategic resource—how could they just give it up?
Jiang chuckled dryly. "Why else? The officials ran out of money."
"My father told me that when he was young, our Thousand-Household Division had over two hundred scattered medicinal plots. But with every new magistrate, more land was sold off. Decades later, there's nothing left."
"You're new here, so you don't know," said Medical Officer Jiang. "In the old days, it wasn't just the pay they owed us—they even owed us medicine. A lot of people couldn't stand it anymore. They ran off to the prefecture or the province, hid their names, and worked as servants for the great sects, rather than stay in the garrisons rotting away."
"If it hadn't been for Grand Secretary Yan's reforms, reclaiming a bit of land, you youngsters wouldn't even have medicine to drink now."
"But most of the land still ended up in the hands of the martial halls. Even the Hundred-Household Officers don't get as much medicine as they want."
"Ridiculous."
That one word from Chen Sanshi summed it up.
Corruption had sunk this deep—it was a miracle the dynasty was still standing at all.
No wonder Thousand-Household Officer Xiang Tingchun had resorted to blackmail to get things done, and even then, success wasn't guaranteed.
After saying his goodbyes, Chen Sanshi left the apothecary and returned to the training ground.
He gripped the Willow-Leaf Spear and began to move.
With stance training, spear techniques, breathing rhythm, and qi and blood circulation working together, his body entered a state of high-intensity operation.
That was when the medicine's power truly began to show.
Every time his qi and blood neared exhaustion, the medicinal energy would activate again, stimulating every organ in his body, accelerating the refinement of his qi and blood. The process cycled over and over, pushing him steadily closer to birthing a second current of qi and blood—marking the step into the Mastery stage of tempering blood.
By the time he finished several full sequences of spear drills, his whole body was drenched in foul-smelling sweat. But the improvement in his skill proficiency was tremendous.
At this pace, it wouldn't take long before his spear technique reached complete mastery.
The medicinal power from that single bowl of Blood-Replenishing Soup hadn't been fully spent either—it would last him another two days of practice.
"My cultivation's still at a low stage. One bowl every three days is just right. No need to spend extra silver yet," he thought.
"If I add more beast meat into my meals, I can push my training speed even further!"
"Time to eat."
As dusk fell, Chen Sanshi gathered his gear and headed home.
Dinner was already set on the table. As soon as he entered, Gu Xinlan helped him remove his armor and poured him water. After the meal, she even heated water for him to wash his feet. The familiar warmth of it all left him fully at ease.
"By the way," Gu Xinlan said as she carried the wooden basin, "someone came looking for you today. They want to invite you over tomorrow."
"Who?" asked Chen Sanshi.
"The Tianyuan Martial Hall," she replied, pouring the wash water into the basin. "They said the meeting place is at Spring Full Pavilion—sounds like one of those high-end spots. If I remember right, your friend Qin Xiong's younger brother, Qin Feng, trains at Tianyuan, doesn't he?"
Chen Sanshi lay on the bed, lost in thought.
Could it be Qin Feng? Possible—but not likely.
He was now a Selected Flag Officer, his name recorded directly with the Grand Commander's Office. If the visit wasn't about him personally, then…
Perhaps it was about the immortal treasure.
That whole incident had been pure coincidence.
When he went after Qin Feng, he never expected to run into the barbarians.
It was likely that Young Master Liang suspected he had obtained the treasure.
Fortunately, they had no proof—just assumptions. And with tensions already rising between the martial halls and the army, they wouldn't dare move against him openly right now.
Still, it was a reminder.
He really did need to strengthen himself faster.
"If they come again, just tell them no," he said finally.
…
In the days that followed, Chen Sanshi devoted every spare moment to cultivation when not on city patrol.
Blood-Replenishing Soup, beast meat, and Xu Bin as his sparring partner—it was more effective than he'd imagined.
After six days, he broke through at last.
"Hngh—!"
Utterly exhausted, Chen Sanshi planted the butt of his spear into the ground. A second surge of blazing-hot blood coursed through his body.
But something was different.
Unlike others whose qi and blood condensed into mere "threads," his had formed into full "currents."
[Skill: Basic Spearsmanship for Infantry (Mastery)]
[Progress: (0/1000)]
[Effect: Spear strikes fierce and swift; endurance extraordinary; qi and blood vigorous]