Chapter 4: Ten-Ingredient Tonic Soup

Chapter 4: Ten-Ingredient Tonic Soup

The three arrived at Liao Ya's exclusive Cultivation Quiet Room. In addition to the girl's fragrance, the room was filled with a faint scent of herbs.

A sand pot was bubbling away, and Liao Qe took out three bowls, pouring the medicinal juice into them.

Liao Ya's portion was the most, a full bowl; Liao Qe's own was the next; Lu Yao's was the least, merely a mouthful.

She explained, "Young Master Lu, it's not that I'm being stingy. Your body is too frail to handle nourishment. The Ten-Ingredient Tonic Soup, I only dare to give you this much."

Lu Yao curiously sniffed it, the strong scent of medicine was infused with a unique aroma.

After suffering from organ failure and having no appetite for a long time, he actually began to salivate subconsciously, his body instinctively craving the Ten-Ingredient Tonic Soup!

He hurriedly drank it down, only to feel a warmth flow from his esophagus into his stomach, then spreading throughout his body, providing an extremely comfortable warmth.

His body, previously barely mobile after acupuncture, now already had some strength!

It was like having a fever of 39 degrees that dropped to 38, the relief was substantial.

Lu Yao moved his limbs, unable to help exclaiming, "Such an immediate effect, it's magical!"

Liao Qe said proudly, "This is a secret prescription handed down by my Liao Family, brewed from 10 expensive and rare medicinal ingredients! It nourishes vital energy, greatly benefiting martial artists in their practice. The prescription comes from 'Mister Bin Hu' himself."

Mister Bin Hu was Li Shizhen, they say there's no cure for stupidity, that guy.

Lu Yao responded with utmost respect, "I've heard so much about it, its effectiveness is truly astonishing!"

He then inquired of Liao Ya, "Master Liao, this medicine is miraculous. After having a small sip, I feel much better. If combined with your acupuncture, can it cure my illness?"

Liao Ya, who had drunk her own medicine and was regulating her breathing, opened her eyes and said,

"Tonic medicine can only provide a temporary spark of life. Your body is like a leaky sieve, it will eventually run out of oil."

The girl spoke bluntly without sugarcoating, and Lu Yao felt somewhat crestfallen upon hearing this, but he persisted doggedly, "Is there really no hope whatsoever?"

Liao Ya thought for a moment and said honestly, "Advancing in martial practice to the 'Blood-Exchange Realm', any illness can be cured without medication. But your body... simply cannot practice martial arts."

There are nine realms in the martial path, the first five are respectively – Sinew-Strengthening, Bone-Tempering, Organ Refining, Marrow-Cleansing, Blood-Exchange.

Liao Ya, with her diligent practice from a young age, had only reached Organ Refining.

For Lu Yao, a terminal cancer patient, to think of reaching the Blood-Exchange Realm was as delusional as a dream! It would be as difficult as a 3-year-old child taking the college entrance exam and getting into a top university.

There was a long silence.

Suddenly, Lu Yao looked up, his gaunt and sallow face filled with determination, "If... if I drank Ten-Ingredient Tonic Soup every day, to my fill! Could I then practice martial arts?"

"Drink it every day... to your fill!?" Liao Ya, upon hearing this, was visibly startled.

The crowd took the chance to complain about the state of the times, bemoaning the difficulty of making a living.

Yunzhou, known as the "Crossroads of Five Provinces," boasts a critical junction of water and land transportation with docks and ports in abundance. It's a precious piece of the Shun Dynasty, but alas, it's dotted with foreign concessions.

Lu Yao also remembered this humiliating period of history he had learned in his history classes and sighed.

With their own survival at stake, there was no energy left to worry about others. After paying and collecting the herbs, he left the pharmacy with Liao Qe.

~~~~~~~~

On the way back, Lu Yao struck up a casual conversation:

"Does martial arts training cost a lot of money? I remember you once said that Master Liao wants to advance to the Marrow-Cleansing Realm, but he doesn't have enough money?"

Liao Qe nodded vigorously, looking as if it was painful to even say, "There's a saying, 'the literati are poor, the warriors are rich.' Martial arts training really is like throwing money into a bottomless pit! You saw just now when we were buying herbs, 4,000 coppers gone just like that, and that's even without being able to purchase the Dijin Grass."

Lu Yao, with high emotional intelligence, chimed in repeatedly, "Yeah, it's exorbitantly expensive~"

In fact, he didn't think it costly at all. He had bought a large batch of herbs, including luxury items like Ginseng and Lingzhi, and it had only cost him 100 dollars! How was that expensive?

Liao Qe continued, "Martial arts is such an expensive endeavor, that's why I'm working myself to the bone to earn money. And then, that fool of an elder sister keeps hitting me, it's so frustrating."

"You really are the pillar of the family! Master Liao will be grateful to you sooner or later."

"Ha, of course! With my sister being such an idiot, she'd get sold and still help count the money."

Lu Yao's flattery made the young girl beam with delight.

After enjoying the foolish merriment, Liao Qe's face grew serious, and she whispered, "If you trained in martial arts, you would likely train to death."

Lu Yao laughed, "I know. But... there's some hope if I train; without training, I'm definitely dead. I can't accept that, I want to give it a shot."

Liao Qe, looking down, said softly, "Who wants to die... After we get home, I'll ask my sister to see if she can help you. You're quite an interesting person, I don't want you to die either."

"Right, without me, you'd have no money to make, you little money-grubber."

"That's not it, I genuinely don't want you to die young, Young Master Lu~"

The two joked around for a while, lightening the somber mood, when they passed a stall selling ornaments.

Liao Qe, being at the age where she loved to dress up, immediately ran over and tried on a full head of them, her smile radiant.

Lu Yao was about to pay for them, but the young girl stopped him, "No, casually accepting things from men, especially jewelry, my sister would kill me."

Having said that, she quickly put down the trinkets and hurried Lu Yao away.

Glancing at the roughly-made baubles, Lu Yao didn't insist and simply said:

"Liao Qe, I'm heading home. I might not be back tonight, so don't worry. I'll bring you a big surprise when I return!"