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.
Liao Qe's eyes widened as she exclaimed, "Impossible, you're dreaming! Even my sister can only have it once a week."
"Why is that? Is the medicine very expensive? I have money!"
Liao Qe explained, "It's not just about money! The main ingredients for the tonic soup are rare and precious, extremely hard to gather; and the brewing process is quite troublesome. The order of adding ingredients differs, and one must constantly tend to the fire, adjusting it as needed. One small mistake and the whole batch of medicine could be ruined."
A glint flashed in Lu Yao's eyes! Having taken plenty of traditional Chinese medicine for his cancer, he was somewhat familiar with this field. The issues of lacking ingredients and difficulty in preparation were solvable for him!
He then asked, "Could you tell me which ingredients are missing and the method of preparation? If possible, I'd like to buy the prescription."
"Uh…" Liao Qe looked at her sister, hesitant to make a decision on her own.
Liao Ya nodded and said, "The more than ten silver pieces Young Master Lu gave earlier are more than enough to buy a prescription. But, I can't guarantee anything."
Lu Yao clenched his fists tightly, proclaiming loudly, "I'm fighting for my life from the brink of death; I have to at least try to be content!"
~~~~~~~~~
After obtaining the complete prescription, Lu Yao eagerly dragged Liao Qe to the pharmacy to gather herbs. At that moment, his emotions were high!
It had only been a few days, yet he, who could barely crawl before and was on the brink of death, could now walk briskly!
No matter what, he had to make the "Ten-Ingredient Tonic Soup" as soon as possible!
Soon, the two arrived at the nearby Jinshou Hall, a pharmacy next to the martial arts school.
The pharmacy had been open for countless years, its old bricks mottled with patches, and thin weeds snuck through the crevices. Stepping inside, one would find rows of Chinese medicine cabinets filled with characters, and the room was thick with the scent of herbs.
The shopkeeper was a spry old man who, upon seeing Liao Qe, clasped his hands and said, "Second Miss of the Liao family, didn't you just come in yesterday?"
Liao Qe replied, "Shopkeeper He, lately your shop always seems to be low on this and out of that, so I'm buying extra to have on hand."
Shopkeeper He, feeling helpless, said, "There's nothing I can do. Times are chaotic, and many herbs are out of stock."
As they spoke, he stood up and skillfully pulled out herbs from various small drawers.
Lu Yao took this opportunity to examine closely, distinguishing carefully and chatting with the shopkeeper a few sentences, confirming that the herbs in the two worlds were exactly the same!
At this moment, Shopkeeper He said apologetically, "I'm sorry, we're out of Dijin Grass, so you'll have to make another trip for it."
Lu Yao didn't mind, for he had already obtained the information he wanted on this visit. The missing herbs could be bought back on Blue Star.
Liao Qe grumbled, "Out again… You're a leading figure of Yunzhou Pharmacy but the stock is never complete."
Shopkeeper He sighed deeply, "It's tough! Wars are daily, and not only are the goods gone, but the price of grain has tripled in one day, sigh."
Another customer joined the conversation, "You should be content. Our Yunzhou is next to the foreigners' concession, so at least it's peaceful. Just look at those other places plagued by military unrest; they're in a sorry state."
"Whether it's the Rebel Armies or the Government Forces, neither dares to offend the foreigners. Now all the rich and powerful are fleeing into the concessions."
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!"