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Although they were on Zheng Family's territory, Medicine King Pavilion had never paid any taxes to the Zhengs, a fact naturally attributed to the Pavilion's overwhelming strength.
In Luming Town, the Medicine King Pavilion was merely a branch; in fact, every town in Chuyun Country had a branch.
It could be said that Medicine King Pavilion controlled the trade of over half the medicinal herbs in the entire Chuyun Country.
This was infuriating, and the discomfort felt like something that had to be endured, but Zheng Ming thought that if he didn't vent this frustration, it would be unbearably suffocating.
As thoughts flickered through his mind, Zheng Ming couldn't help but remember the herbal medicine he had obtained from Li Zhong.
In the past few days, to prepare for the competition with his third grandson, he had dedicated all his energy to training, hardly testing the Jianghu herbal medicine, not knowing whether these herbs were truly effective.
"Bang"
The sound of shattering porcelain came from Zheng Ming's room. The noise attracted a maid who, upon seeing Zheng Ming sitting sullen in his chair, as if someone owed him a great deal of money, was too scared to utter a word. She quickly cleaned up the broken teacup then hurried out.
Zheng Ming didn't say a word to the maid, as his heart was bleeding! Two thousand red Prestige Points, gone!
The two thousand Prestige Points he had earned by defeating Zheng Hu and his third grandson had been thrown into the water. He had drawn from the Martial Arts Hero Card and the Military General Card, both draws ending in failure.
A one percent chance of failure was one thing, but he even failed at a ten percent chance, which was absolutely maddening.
This left Zheng Ming feeling somewhat furious, as his Prestige Points were again increasing at a snail's pace. Who knew when he would be able to draw a random card again?
However, after smashing the teacup, Zheng Ming vented out some of his rage. Although these last two tries had come up empty, he had obtained valuable items in his first two draws.
Even though Xu Xiake's card left much to be desired, Li Ruohai's card was indeed a lifesaver.
Collecting himself, Zheng Ming headed towards his family's medicinal storehouse. As Luming Town's premier family, the Zhengs had a considerable stockpile of medicinal ingredients.
Although they were all common medicines, they were sufficient for Zheng Ming's needs.
Within two hours, Zheng Ming had acquired two porcelain bottles–one filled with black pills and the other with red powder.
These were the most common items from Li Zhong's Jianghu herbal medicine: Strength Pills and Golden Wound Medicine. From the Basic Card, Zheng Ming had not only obtained the recipes but also the experience in making them, which meant it didn't take too much effort.
The Strength Pills primarily enhanced bodily strength and, according to Li Zhong's memories, they were quite effective when used during martial arts training.
The Golden Wound Medicine could be applied topically or taken internally, and it was quite effective for internal injuries as well.
However, at this moment, Zheng Ming had yet to discover the effects of the two medicines he had made.
Standing in the family's training ground, Zheng Ming hesitated for a moment before extracting one Strength Pill from the black porcelain bottle.
It shouldn't be lethal, right? With that thought, Zheng Ming opened his mouth and swallowed one of the Strength Pills he had made.
The moment the pill entered his stomach, Zheng Ming felt a surge of heat rise from his belly. This heat was exactly the same as when he had first cultivated Inner Strength.
With his heart stirred, Zheng Ming immediately began performing the Bear Hug Technique. He hadn't completed all sixteen forms when he felt a new stream of Inner Strength emerge within his body.
"Iron Bear Crashing Tree!"
This time, Zheng Ming charged at an Ironwood Stake in the Zheng family training grounds!
The stake, roughly one foot in diameter, was made from a unique type of Ironwood found in Qingchuan County and was mainly used to train palm strength.
"Boom!" Zheng Ming's body slammed heavily against the Ironwood Stake, splitting it in two in an instant.
Three streams of Inner Strength, Eleventh Rank!
His Cultivation Level had finally reached Eleventh Rank! Looking at the broken Ironwood Stake, joy flashed in Zheng Ming's eyes. He reveled in the sensation of the third stream of Inner Strength circulating within his body, his eyes brimming with delight.
In less than ten days, he had advanced from unranked to Eleventh Rank.
To reach this level, his brother Zheng Heng had trained for a full fifteen years!
The reason for his rapid progress was not only years of accumulated experience but also the Cang Bear Body gained from the card and, of course, the Strength Pills.
Of course, Zheng Ming didn't know that Fu Yuqing, who had knocked him unconscious, also played a significant role in his breakthrough.
The Strength Pill could generate heat, which was tremendously beneficial for Martial Artists below Rank 10. Although Zheng Ming wasn't sure how much less effective the Strength Pills were compared to the Yellow Earth Pill, one thing he knew for certain was that Strength Pills were cheap!
One Yellow Earth Pill was priced at fifteen thousand taels of silver by the Medicine King Pavilion, whereas Zheng Ming's Strength Pills cost three taels of silver for a bottle of thirteen pills.
Which meant, four Strength Pills cost less than one tael of silver to produce!
Suddenly, a spark of insight flashed in Zheng Ming's eyes, and a plan began to take shape in his heart at that very moment.
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"Second brother, did you... did you break this?" Zheng Heng walked in from outside and looked at the broken ironwood stake in the training ground, his voice tinged with disbelief.
Zheng Ming looked at the astonished Zheng Heng and nodded seriously, "Yes!"
"You... you've really reached the Eleventh Rank? This... How is this possible!" Zheng Heng's eyes were wide open, full of disbelief.
Just as Zheng Ming was about to explain the situation he had prepared in his heart—how he managed to leap from a rankless state to his current status—he heard Zheng Heng shaking his head and saying, "Marrying a good wife is so important."
"Father said that all your achievements are thanks to your wife, is that true?"
Zheng Heng's words filled Zheng Ming with joy. He had been worried that the explanation he had concocted was a bit far-fetched, but it turned out that his father had already thought it through for him.
It wasn't that he didn't want to tell his father the truth, but the matter of the card in his mind was so incredible that Zheng Ming felt even if he told them, Zheng Gongxuan and the others wouldn't believe it.
Pushing everything onto Fu Yuqing was a good choice.
Zheng Ming quickly nodded and, looking at the medicine bottle in his hand, then at Zheng Heng, he suddenly had an idea.
Half an hour later, Zheng Heng, with a cut on the back of his hand, looked enviously at the Golden Wound Medicine in Zheng Ming's hand and said, "Second brother, this really is good medicine. I barely sprinkled it on, and the bleeding stopped. Where did you get it?"
After making a few excuses on behalf of Fu Yuqing, Zheng Ming took the Golden Wound Medicine and quickly walked toward Zheng Gongxuan's room.
Zheng Gongxuan's injuries had not yet recovered much, and this Golden Wound Medicine was just what he needed.
Entering Zheng Gongxuan's courtyard, Zheng Ming overheard him conversing with Duanyang Ying. Duanyang Ying said, "You, you are always so hard on yourself. The Stop Blood Powder from Medicine King Pavilion might be a bit expensive, but it works. Even if our family is going through hard times, we can still afford those three hundred taels of silver."
"Three hundred taels of silver is still money, isn't it? The Stop Blood Powder and Blood Conversion Ointment essentially have the same effect, except for some added pain-relieving herbs. I, a full-grown man, am not afraid of a little pain!" Zheng Gongxuan's words were full of resolve.
However, as soon as he had finished speaking, he winced and said, "My lady, be gentle, the Blood Conversion Ointment needs to be applied lightly."
You're just stubborn!" Duanyang Ying complained half in reproach and half in concern, "You're willing to do anything for Heng'er and Ming'er, but when it comes to yourself... sigh..."
"Right, don't tell anyone that I'm using the Blood Conversion Ointment, especially Ming'er. He might seem cheerful on the surface, but he's quite sensitive," Zheng Gongxuan whispered a reminder to Duanyang Ying.
"I know," Duanyang Ying paused before asking, "Do you really think all of Ming'er's accomplishments, including defeating Zheng Hu, are thanks to that girl Yuqing?"
"What Yuqing? Remember, even when no one is around, you must refer to her as Miss Yuqing. And you mustn't bring up their marriage and such matters carelessly in the future, as it's a matter of life and death for our family!"
At this moment, Zheng Gongxuan's voice carried a severe tone, and he continued with a sigh, "The Sacred Land... that's not something our family can afford to provoke."
Zheng Ming did not pay much attention to the Sacred Land mentioned by Zheng Gongxuan. Standing outside the door, he was deeply moved by the conversation he had just heard.
His father could buy a Peiyuan Pill worth ten thousand taels of silver for him, whereas he, to save two hundred taels, was using a Blood Conversion Ointment that was not very effective.
With a touch of emotion in his eyes, Zheng Ming quietly stepped back a few steps before calling out loudly, "Father, I've brought you medicine."
When Zheng Ming entered the room, he saw Zheng Gongxuan half-naked with several ferocious scars, most of which had healed, but some still oozed blood.
These scars were sustained in an attempt to give himself a chance, a chance to enter the Jade Blood Pool and become a Martial Artist.
"Father, this Golden Wound Medicine was prepared by Yuqing. She says it's quite effective, you should try it," Zheng Ming said, suppressing the sourness in his heart and deliberately sounding cheerful.
"Prepared by Yuqing, then let's try it quickly," Duanyang Ying urged impatiently, having already associated Yuqing with a very significant figure.
Zheng Ming carefully applied the Golden Wound Medicine to Zheng Gongxuan's wounds. As the medicine was placed on the bleeding areas, the previously seeping wounds immediately stopped bleeding.
"Worthy of the medicine from the Sacred Land, it's even better than the Stop Blood Powder! Ming'er, thank Yuqing fairy... I mean, the young lady for me," Zheng Gongxuan said, appreciative.
"Father, rest assured, I will be sure to thank Yuqing properly," Zheng Ming said confidently.
"Hmm, you should rest more in the next few days and try not to disturb Miss Yuqing unless necessary. Oh, and the family has sent word, in twenty days' time, it's the day to enter the Jade Blood Pool. Prepare yourself well," Zheng Gongxuan added with some anticipation.
"By soaking in the Jade Blood Pool this time, perhaps Ming'er, you could become the first in our family to break through to the Ninth Grade!"
"I will definitely break through the Ninth Grade!" Zheng Ming clenched his fist and said with conviction.
Zheng Gongxuan chuckled, "That's the spirit, my boy. But don't put too much pressure on yourself. When I was your age, I too believed I could break through the Ninth Grade."
After leaving Zheng Gongxuan's room, Zheng Ming's already firm resolve became even more unwavering.
He would not let down his parents' expectations. He aimed not just to break through the Ninth Grade but to stand at the pinnacle of the world.
For now, the most important thing for him was not cultivation, but to implement a plan, a plan that had just formed in his mind.
He would never allow that person, who took advantage of his family's misfortune and forced his father to reveal their treasured armor, to gloat in freedom.
And the tools to teach that person a lesson were the Strength Pill and Golden Wound Medicine he had just made!