In the area of Qingshui Town, there is Medicine Mountain. There are many drug merchants coming and going to purchase herbs in the town, so naturally, there are quite a few pharmacies.
Compared to the blacksmith shops located at the edges of Juren Street, the pharmacies are situated in the bustling central area. Su Mu left the shop and walked toward the dense crowd.
Soon, in his field of vision, various banners with gigantic characters of "medicinal" swayed in the wind.
Su Mu casually entered one of the shops called Tongfu Pharmacy.
Inside, a thirteen or fourteen-year-old medicine boy glanced at Su Mu's coarse cloth clothes and listlessly asked, "Young man, what do you want to buy?"
"Does the shop have any medicine for strengthening the body?"
"Strengthening the body?"
The medicine boy hesitantly asked, "Young man, are you planning to practice martial arts?"
Su Mu nodded. Immediately, the medicine boy perked up a little, "Young man, please sit here for a moment. I'll go get the master."
Soon, an old man walked out from the inner hall of the pharmacy, sized up Su Mu for a moment, and then reported a price in a flat tone.
"Our small shop has a recipe handed down from our ancestors, which is quite effective for martial artists. It can promote qi blood circulation, relieve muscle soreness, and treat some common bruises and injuries. It's an excellent supplement for martial arts practice."
"Usually, martial arts halls, gangs, and knights of the Jianghu often come to our little shop to buy it. One dose of this recipe can be used three times, once a day, one tael of silver per dose, no bargaining."
Upon hearing the effects of promoting qi blood circulation and relieving muscle soreness, Su Mu's eyes lit up slightly—this was exactly what he needed. But when he heard that the price was one tael of silver per dose, he couldn't help but click his tongue.
One tael of silver is enough for an ordinary household of three to live on for several months, but here it's only enough to buy one dose of medicine. One dose can be used three times, one dose every three days, requiring ten doses a month, which is ten taels of silver.
After calculating in detail, Su Mu suddenly realized that the twenty-six taels of silver sponsored by Sun Li were not much.
However, buying medicine was not the main goal of Su Mu's visit today. If possible, he would prefer to buy a recipe, as practicing martial arts could not be accomplished overnight; this would be more cost-effective.
So Su Mu asked straightforwardly, "Old doctor, is this recipe for sale?"
The old doctor frowned and shook his head directly. Recipes are treasures in any pharmacy, especially recipes for martial artists; they are the root of making money and cannot be easily sold.
"The recipe is not for sale."
After leaving Tongfu Pharmacy, Su Mu went to several other shops, all of which did not sell recipes, and the price of one dose was one tael of silver.
"The prices are most likely agreed upon among the pharmacies in town."
"I'll buy a few doses to try their effects...perhaps I can take them back for Doctor Xiao to examine."
With a sigh, Su Mu finally chose a pharmacy and spent three taels of silver to buy three doses of Body-Strengthening Soup, only to find that his intention came to nothing. The medicine for martial artists was already prepared as ready-made powder by the pharmacy.
Even if he could distinguish the herbs from the powder, the proportions would be very hard to replicate. A slight difference in the proportions could lead to a huge difference in efficacy.
Giving up on the idea of directly purchasing recipes from the pharmacy, Su Mu thought of another way.
If pharmacies won't sell recipes, then perhaps the black market is worth a try.
"The black market is a mix of good and bad…there's no rush for this matter. At the very least, I must first strengthen the power within my body and truly become a Refining Force Martial Artist."
With this decision made, Su Mu quickly spent another twenty silver coins at the market to buy a sand pot for brewing medicine.
Returning to the village, Su Mu began to brew the medicine.
Once the ready-made Body-Strengthening Soup powder is placed in the sand pot, simply add three large bowls of clear water and boil it down to one bowl.
The firewood crackled, and as the sound of boiling filled the air, the fragrance of the herbs wafted through the kitchen. Gradually, as the boiling continued, the fragrance transformed into a bitter aroma.
Su Mu frowned slightly, his thoughts inadvertently drifting back to his childhood in the past life. Su Mu was not afraid of injections or injuries from a young age, but he feared taking medicine, especially Chinese medicine. His parents would use a paper-wrapped candy to coax him into taking medicine.
Now he had traversed time and couldn't go back. In his past life, he was most likely roasted in that fire. He was an unfilial son, but fortunately, there was still a little sister at home…
Sigh!
The young man let out a light sigh, his youthful face showing determination. Having lived a life anew, he had to live well no matter what.
When the Body-Strengthening Soup was ready, Su Mu took a deep breath and drank a mouthful, his expression changing immediately. It was the familiar taste, bitter on his tongue like a mouthful of coptis root.
Better to endure short, sharp pain than prolonged agony.
Gulping it down, Su Mu tilted his head back and finished the bowl of medicinal soup, then quickly left the house and went to the courtyard to practice Five Animals Qigong and Tiger Subduing Fist.
"Let's practice and see the effects!"
Huff, huff, huff.
His punches pierced the air with whistling sounds. Su Mu initially practiced partly to distract himself from the intensely bitter medicinal soup, but soon his eyes brightened.
"Hmm? It seems to be working!"
As he entered a state of cultivation, the efficacy of the Body-Strengthening Soup quickly emerged, transforming the intensely bitter liquid he consumed into a warm current within his body, making him feel warm all over. The swelling and sore arms relieved slightly after a gentle numbness.
Under this state, cultivation was highly efficient. In just one morning, Su Mu was surprised to find that the proficiency of his entry-level Tiger Subduing Fist had increased by 1%.
"It truly is an excellent Body-Strengthening Soup for martial artists…it's just a bit too expensive."
Su Mu couldn't help but sigh. Later, he should quickly forge a true Ten-Refined Weapon, as a Quasi-Blacksmith's monthly salary of 300 cents can't support such terrifying expenses.
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, three days had passed.
With the help of the Body-Strengthening Soup, the swelling in Su Mu's arms had mostly subsided, and the strand of power within him had grown more than double in size since it began.
Under the cover of night, Su Mu quietly left the small courtyard. He arrived at a tree as thick as an arm outside the back mountain of the village.
In the next second.
Su Mu's muscles tensed, his body leaned forward, and he unleashed a punch with his right palm in a practiced motion.
First move of Tiger Subduing Fist: Fierce Tiger Pounce.
Bam.
With a considerable sound followed by a crisp "crack," the arm-thick poplar tree was directly broken in two, snapped by Su Mu with a single punch.
If this punch had landed on an ordinary person's flesh and blood, it's likely it would break tendons and bones.
Seeing this scene, even Su Mu was a bit shocked as he looked at his right fist. After delivering a punch that broke a tree with bare hands, it didn't leave any marks, not even a hint of pain was felt by Su Mu himself.
"Refining Power and Transforming Force! Power not only increases a martial artist's destructive ability but also protects their body!"
Now that the power within Su Mu had strengthened, it allowed him to throw a full-force punch, a punch strong enough to break a poplar tree.
"Tomorrow, I should return to the shop."
Su Mu got up early. After a morning round of Five Animals Qigong and Tiger Subduing Fist practice, he headed toward the town.
After being unseen for three days, Su Mu exchanged a few pleasantries with the blacksmith masters in the forge room before returning to the forge to continue working on the unfinished long saber.
Suddenly, chaos erupted outside the shop, followed by an angry shout.
"Where is the person in charge? Tell him to get out here and give our Black Tiger Gang an explanation today!"