Chapter 17: Essence Nourishing Pill, All Have A Future!
Spirit stones are crystals formed by the condensation and essence of spiritual energy from heaven and earth.
There are many types, including jade and ore, as well as charcoal jade formed from the skeletal remains of ancient trees, all containing spiritual energy from heaven and earth.
And spiritual energy from heaven and earth is the foundation for cultivators undergoing tribulation and achieving longevity.
Fang Shu now, with his deficient physical body, sensed the spiritual energy within the spirit stone and involuntarily felt a craving, hoping to ingest it to repair his physical body.
He repeatedly rubbed the spirit stone in his hand, feeling its weight.
His mind blurred for a moment, as if he had returned to the state he was in at the mass grave when listening to the weasel teach cultivation.
But Fang Shu did not absorb the spiritual energy from the spirit stone. He forcibly restrained the impulse, wrapped it again with cinnabar and yellow paper, tied it tightly to prevent the spiritual energy from leaking.
Second Uncle watched this scene, his face still smiling, and gestured with his eyes, as if saying: “Why not try absorbing a bit of spiritual energy to taste?”
Fang Shu let out a long breath of hot air and responded in a deep voice:
“How precious is a spirit stone? Second Uncle must have gone to great lengths to exchange for it.
How could I covet a trace of it and ruin its quality?”
Second Uncle heard this, a strange light flickered in his eyes, and he patted Fang Shu’s shoulder hard.
Second Uncle flipped his hand and took out a medicine bottle from his sleeve, telling Fang Shu to open it.
Immediately, a thick, unusual medicinal herb fragrance wafted from the bottle.
Fang Shu smelled it and instantly felt his qi and blood surge a bit, his physical body stirring restlessly.
Then, Second Uncle wrote an explanation, introducing the pill in his hand and its differences from the spirit stone.
It turned out this pill was called “Essence Nourishing Pill,” made by mixing essence blood from fierce tigers, brown bears, and other ferocious beasts from Mount Lu, with ginseng, deer meat, kidney essence grass, and other strongly tonifying hot-natured substances, refined into a pill.
One bottle was worth three hundred coins; an ordinary person selling blood for a month could only exchange for one bottle, and one bottle had only ten pills.
Taking this kind of pill once every three days would barely suffice for Fang Shu for a month.
Its effects could nourish essence and blood, repair the physical body’s deficiencies in the pill taker, and help control qi and blood during cultivation in the dojo, improving cultivation efficiency.
“Spiritual energy, when ingested, can also improve cultivation efficiency, but its utilization rate is related to spiritual root.
We are all mortal stock without spiritual roots; using spiritual energy for cultivation is not cost-effective. Far better to exhale and inhale the scattered spiritual energy in heaven and earth, or gather morning and evening glow, nighttime moonlight, and so on…”
Second Uncle wrote fervently, introducing:
“As for pills like this Essence Nourishing Pill, their effects are fixed. Though digestion and absorption are also related to spiritual root, the lower limit is quite high, making them the primary auxiliary for our cultivation. Essential for cultivation in the dojo.
Once you enter the dojo, seize any chance to obtain similar pills; never miss them. I will prepare what you need.”
Fang Shu read it and nodded seriously:
“Got it.”
Right then, under Second Uncle’s watch, he took one Essence Nourishing Pill to try.
As the pill entered his body, he felt as if he had eaten a bowl of hot porridge in winter; his whole body was warm and cozy, even down to his heels.
Subconsciously, Fang Shu used the Moon Grasping Breathing Technique; the air entering and exiting his mouth and nose became scorching hot, and the pill’s effects rapidly dissolved within him.
When he opened his eyes again, he felt invigorated, his physical body full of vitality.
He silently called up his Dao Talisman in his heart and found his lifespan limit had recovered by another year, with the lifespan reduction even shallower!
“This pill is excellent,” Fang Shu said.
Second Uncle saw his satisfied expression and smiled even more, then wrote:
“Essence Nourishing Pill is just the most common pill for cultivating immortal merit in the daoist temple; nothing special.
In the future, Second Uncle will surely send you even better pills.”
Fang Shu grinned on his face too.
The surprises were not over.
After taking out the pill, Second Uncle suddenly pulled a roll of gray fox fur from his sleeve, blew on it, and handed it back to Fang Shu.
This was exactly the fox fur magic tool Fang Shu had refined, now returned to its owner.
This surprised Fang Shu; Second Uncle had not sold the fox fur but instead obtained a spirit stone as tuition fee and even an extra bottle of pills.
Upon careful questioning, he learned Second Uncle had squatted for three days and nights at the “Monster Market” outside the marketplace.
First, he sold the tiger skin and the original Secret Mouth-Sword Technique for money, then copied the brain pulp tanning technique attached to the tiger skin and sold it as a tanning craft, hawking several copies.
This tanning minor technique did not involve secret script, so it could be sold like that, but the price was not high.
Finally, Second Uncle squatted until he found a lucky black ore minor demon and exchanged for this spirit stone from him, with three or four hundred talisman money left, then returned to the marketplace and conveniently bought the pill.
At this point, Second Uncle suddenly warned Fang Shu:
“Remember, pills must not be bought recklessly; best to purchase only from old shops in the marketplace.
If forced to exchange from others, have someone verify it first before consuming.”
“Yes, Second Uncle!”
Facing Second Uncle’s many teachings, Fang Shu nodded repeatedly, feeling that having an elder in the family is like having a treasure!
That day, the two talked until night.
Only under Second Uncle’s urging did they stop talking and go to bed.
Before lying down, they specially fetched water and washed each other to be ready to go to the dojo the next day to pay respects and learn the dao.
…………………………
The next morning.
Fang Shu wore a brand-new Daoist robe with a wooden hairpin in his hair; though simple in style, it brimmed with vibrant vitality and strong youthful vigor.
His Second Uncle was rubbing his hands, even more excited than him; he led the way out of the paper house, then urged him on, like a parent sending a child to school for the first time.
Both had just stepped out when a teasing voice sounded nearby:
“Oh! Rare sight, Yu Lao Er, did you win back your bet or strike it rich?
Up so early, and even washed up like this.”
It was the wet nurse surnamed Dou from next door; she had rolled up her sleeves, revealing her fair arms, carrying a chamber pot, talking while bending over to pour it into the gutter, exuding a striking allure.
Uncle and nephew’s gazes involuntarily fell on the wet nurse surnamed Dou’s body upon hearing, looking her up and down.
Second Uncle smiled without speaking; Fang Shu was stunned for a moment, then cupped his hands in greeting.
After exchanging greetings without chatting much, they continued along the gutter toward the depths of the marketplace.
Just as Fang Shu was about to leave the paper workshop, his peripheral vision caught a familiar figure.
The person had her head down, hands pressed on her lower abdomen, walking in small steps.
Beside her was a heavily made-up older sister chattering nonstop:
“Su little sister, let me tell you, don’t think it’s unlucky. Though that family’s son is about to die, he hasn’t yet, right?
Once you marry over and he dies, you won’t have to serve him and can eat and drink from his family. What great fortune!”
The heavily made-up older sister continued: “Once that man dies, there’s only an old thing left in the family; surely you can handle that old thing? Casually support the old one for a few years, see him off, and you can settle roots in Gu Ling Town!
We’re close sisters, I won’t hide it from you; that family just wants a clean girl to see him off. Be patient later and perform well…”
Seeming to notice people passing by, the heavily made-up older sister instinctively lowered her voice, as if afraid the good thing would leak out.
Fang Shu looked closely twice and realized the woman with her head down was Su Qin Gao, who had disembarked the boat with him!
He looked at Su Qin Gao, whose face showed shame, but also filled with expectation and longing for her future life.
Fang Shu withdrew his gaze, his own face expectant as he strode toward the marketplace.
Excellent!
Su Qin Gao had not entered a brothel but found a household to depend on; he, Fang Shu, was entering the dojo,
Both had bright futures ahead!
