The process of escorting traders was actually quite tedious; it involved nothing but constant travel.
Although there was a horse-drawn carriage, only Chen Moshan, who acted as the manager, was privileged enough to ride in it, everyone else had to walk.
Because the carriage was filled with various supplies meant for delivery to the Spirit Medicine Manor, including fertilizer and seeds, adding the weight of more people would be too much for the horses to handle.
During the journey, Han Zheng chatted with Li Feng about medicine baths that used spiritual herbs.
He was a pharmacist at Shenghe Hall and was qualified to independently diagnose and prepare medicine baths with spiritual herbs, so he naturally understood a great deal about the subject.
Previously, Han Zheng had always thought that a medicine bath was just about following a ready-made recipe, mixing the spiritual herbs properly, and then it was ready to use.
But that wasn't the case.
Everyone's constitution was different, their cultivation techniques varied, and the focus of their training differed, so naturally, the formulas for their medicine baths varied as well.
The medicine bath formulas for those who mainly trained their physical bodies horizontally and those who enhanced their inner strength didn't have a single herb in common.
"Pharmacist Li, how much would it cost for me to get a medicine bath formula from you?"
Although Han Zheng was in a hurry, taking a medicine bath was likely the fastest way to enhance his cultivation without sacrificing materials to the Taotie Furnace.
Li Feng thought for a moment and said, "The Iron Elephant Skill practiced by your Zhenwei Martial Arts Academy is thick and balanced in nature; the spiritual herbs required aren't too high-grade. It would probably cost around a hundred taels of silver for one recipe."
"So, the money I earn from escorting a merchant caravan once isn't even enough to afford one medicine bath."
Han Zheng shook his head, truly, it was the poor using culture and the rich using martial arts.
Li Feng smiled and said, "The path of martial arts is just like this. In my many years in Shenghe Hall, I've seen hundreds, if not thousands, of martial artists.
Apart from a few who could rely purely on their talents to cultivate, most needed to depend on external substances to increase their strength.
The Postnatal Realm isn't too difficult, even without a medicine bath, one can manage to clear the acupoint meridians with enough perseverance.
But to advance to the Innate Transcendence Realm, if you don't rely on medicine baths to temper the physical body's meridians and cleanse the marrow, reverting from postnatal to innate isn't so simple.
But Brother Han, you're still young. As a disciple favored by Master Li, you definitely have a promising future in reaching the Innate level."
In minor counties like Black Stone County, entering the early stages of Innate was considered masterful.
Reaching the Late Stage of Innate Transcendence Realm and condensing the Mercury Blood Silver Marrow were regarded as top figures.
For example, Li Jingzhong and Gao Kaiyuan from the Sanhe Gang were both in the Late Stage of Innate Transcendence Realm, condensing Mercury Blood Silver Marrow.
And families like the Shen Family and Song Family, which were martial arts families, had even attained Perfection in the Innate Transcendence Realm, having mastered the Water and Fire Immortal Clothes, and dominated areas with their powerful experts.
Li Feng saying that Han Zheng would have the chance to reach Innate was indeed a huge compliment.
"By the way, Pharmacist Li, if martial artists have different levels, what about pharmacists?"
"Pharmacists have levels too, but it's not so explicitly defined.
Ordinary pharmacists can only identify spiritual herbs and rigidly follow their properties to prepare medicine baths.
Advanced pharmacists need to understand spiritual herbs better and also understand the martial artist's realm, martial attributes, etc., tailoring to each individual."
Li Feng, holding a small jade fan, spoke with a bit of pride: "Currently in the entire Shenghe Hall, less than five people can do this, including myself, Li Feng.
Of course, the Store Manager has the strongest ability and is considered a top-level pharmacist.
Those Innate Martial Artists look for him to prepare medicine baths, while we take care of the ones for Postnatal Martial Artists.
But if I could get a detailed understanding of the meridian pathways and power attributes of Innate Martial Artists, and practice a few more times, I'm confident in my ability to prepare Innate medicine baths."
"Pharmacist Li, you're just short of a bit of experience now. Once you accumulate a bit more, becoming a top-level pharmacist is just a matter of time."
Li Feng waved his hand: "I wouldn't dare claim that. Even being able to prepare Innate medicine baths doesn't mean one can claim to be a top-level pharmacist. The Store Manager's status as a top-level pharmacist is recognized by all the Innate Martial Artists in Black Stone County.
The path of martial arts is long and so is the medical path.
Preparing medicine baths is just a basic application of spiritual medicine, there's also Alchemy Dao.
Refining various spiritual medicines, changing and merging their properties to create spirit pills, this is the true major pathway of medical families.
Given the same spiritual herbs, using them to make elixirs offers medicinal effects tens of times more potent than medicine baths, and the prices are also ten times higher.
Unfortunately, Alchemy Dao is only in the hands of major sects, major families, and the court. Even someone at the level of the Store Manager can't access Alchemy Dao."
After listening to Li Feng, Han Zheng felt increasingly that the path of martial arts encompassed everything.
Medical path, or rather, Alchemy Dao, as an auxiliary existence to the path of martial arts, is so complex, not to mention martial arts itself.
At that moment, Han Zheng suddenly felt a sense of familiarity with the road.
Wasn't this the place he had just crossed over to?
There was a slightly raised hill on the roadside, which formerly had a decrepit temple on it.
But now, while the hill was there, the temple was not?
It was completely empty!
Han Zheng rubbed his head, carefully recalling the scene from that time.
It was already slightly bright then, his vision wasn't blurry; it was definitely here.
Even the somewhat crooked tree by the side of the road was the same as it was before, only the decrepit temple was missing.
"Pharmacist Li, there used to be a decrepit temple on this hill, why is it gone now?"
Li Feng glanced at the hill and shook his head, puzzled.
"A decrepit temple? There's never been a decrepit temple here."
"There's never been one?"
```
"Yes, half a year ago when I went to the Spirit Medicine Manor, there were no such temples around here.
Moreover, within fifty miles of Black Stone County, there were no temples either. These days, poor people can barely survive, let alone have the leisure to burn incense and worship Buddha."
Li Feng glanced at Han Zheng with a slightly puzzled expression, "Brother Han, could you be mistaken?"
"It's possible that I misremembered."
Han Zheng appeared calm on the surface, but there was a chill in his heart.
If there had never been a decrepit temple, then what was that abandoned temple where I had found myself when I traveled through time?
My traversal through time might not have been so simple.
The journey that followed was just as tedious—traveling by day, resting by night, with Han Zheng and the other three taking turns keeping watch.
During their free moments, Han Zheng also chatted briefly with the other two disciples from the martial arts hall.
One was named Wang Bao and the other Zhao Jinming.
Both came from modest backgrounds, with their parents nearly draining their savings to send them to the martial arts academy.
For commoner disciples, practicing martial arts was not easy; they had average talent and lacked external resources, so reaching the peak of the Postnatal Realm might be the furthest they could go in this lifetime.
However, they were quite optimistic.
If they could successfully graduate, they could work as protectors for wealthy families, which would pay back the money they spent on the martial arts academy.
After walking for five days, nearly covering eighty miles each day, they were only a day's journey from the Spirit Medicine Manor, and everyone breathed a sigh of relief.
If the journey had been peaceful and smooth, it must have been the protection of the Bodhisattva.
As dusk approached, Manager Chen instructed everyone to start camping and cooking on the spot.
Han Zheng arranged for himself to take the first night watch. After dinner, he simply sat cross-legged on the ground, running the Iron Elephant Skill to accumulate inner strength.
During the days of travel, Han Zheng had never once stopped cultivating.
Having observed the true intent of the Iron Elephant Skill in the Taotie Furnace and experienced the heaviness of the iron elephant's tread,
Han Zheng had been utilizing his inner strength while walking, making each step immensely powerful, consuming inner strength from more than a dozen acupoints.
This method subtly conformed to the true intent of the Iron Elephant Skill, serving as a form of cultivation that could make the inner strength in his acupoints robust and profound.
Therefore, although Han Zheng hadn't broken through any acupoints in these five days, given a tranquil environment, he could swiftly achieve breakthroughs in five acupoints.
This was also a form of accumulating gradually and achieving a sudden breakthrough.
"No wonder Brother Han is so highly regarded and praised by the head of the hall; he truly never forgets to cultivate at any time."
Wang Bao couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.
It's not that people fear others with better talents; they fear those whose talents are not only no better but also more diligent than theirs.
Li Sancheng chuckled and said, "Exactly, my brother is naturally cut out for practicing martial arts, not inferior to those disciples from great families like Song Tianqing."
At this moment, Manager Chen passed by behind them. Hearing this, he couldn't help but scoff, "The Song Family is a branch of the 'Heavenly Blade' Song Family of Southern Mountain Road; do you even deserve to compare yourselves to them?
And we hired you to escort the merchant caravan, not to come here and cultivate at ease!
I've told the store manager before, there's no need to hire disciples from the martial arts hall.
Now look, this money is totally wasted!"
Han Zheng, who had been closing his eyes and meditating, suddenly opened his eyes and said coldly, "Manager Chen, you should speak with a conscience. Have we been negligent at all along the way?
Exploring the path by day, guarding at night, all of these tasks were performed by us without any slack.
Isn't it good that the journey has been safe and smooth?
Are you, Manager Chen, actually hoping for an accident to happen?
This is your own business with Shenghe Hall; can't you wish for things to go well?"
Manager Chen, countered by these words, turned red-faced. Li Feng stepped in to mediate, which finally persuaded Manager Chen to leave.
Li Sancheng grimaced and muttered under his breath, "What an ass!
Did I steal his wife or dig up his ancestral grave? All the way he has been nothing but sarcastic and never showed a good face.
It was Shenghe Hall who asked us to come, not us rushing to be here!"
"Blocking people's wealth is like murdering their parents; it's normal for us to be targeted because we are blocking their money."
Han Zheng squinted his eyes and said, "Manager Chen wanted his nephew's small escort agency to take on the escort of the merchant caravan, but the store manager denied it, hence they hired us.
Without us, his nephew's small escort agency would probably have asked for a lot of silver, and most of it would certainly have ended up in Manager Chen's hands."
Li Sancheng spat, "The payment for our escort job is merely two to three hundred silver taels. As a manager of Shenghe Hall, he shouldn't lack this small amount of money.
To be greedy for such a trifling sum, he's really despicable!"
Zhao Jinming intervened from the side, "We are paid to ward off disasters for others; just safely leading the merchant caravan back to Black Stone County is enough.
After all, Manager Chen is still our employer, and it's not good for us to conflict with him."
Just as Li Sancheng was about to reply that they shouldn't indulge such a nasty person, a heavy thudding noise suddenly came from the forest next to the camp.
Han Zheng swiftly stood up and looked in the direction of the sound, gripping the Yanling Blade in his hand.
Accompanied by a foul stench, a huge, corpulent figure, close to three meters tall, appeared from among the dense branches.
Covered in thick black hair, wearing only a pitch-black loin cloth, its head was that of a gigantic black wild boar, with a mouth full of sharp teeth and two fiercely upturned tusks.
"Demons!!"
```