"Oh? Is that so?"
Zhu Fei was somewhat puzzled and didn't understand what Xu Pengfei had just said.
It was as if Xu Pengfei had read the confusion in Zhu Fei's heart. He smiled slightly and patiently explained to Zhu Fei, "Young brother, you see, this Orphan Grass, Netherworld Seed, Blue Spirit Flower, and this Pure Wild Ginseng, they are not ordinary herbs."
"Typical pharmacies, they won't stock such herbs, and even if they wanted to, they might not be able to get their hands on them."
Pausing for a moment, Xu Pengfei continued to explain, "Only our Chunqiu Pavilion, with some background and strength now, would stock these herbs and actually be able to acquire them."
At this point, when Xu Pengfei looked at Zhu Fei, he could not help but show a trace of gratitude.
"Hehe, I won't hide it from you, young brother. I, Xu Pengfei, being able to know these details about Chunqiu Pavilion, have to thank you for your help back then."
"So, now that you want to buy these herbs listed on this paper, I will sell them to you at the cost price. What do you say, young brother?"
After hearing Xu Pengfei's explanation, Zhu Fei roughly understood the meaning behind his earlier words.
To put it plainly, Xu Pengfei was now trying to curry favor with him, Zhu Fei.
As for the background and strength of Chunqiu Pavilion mentioned by Xu Pengfei, as well as his access to the above information, Zhu Fei didn't quite understand.
But one thing was certain: if he wanted to buy such cultivation herbs in the future, he would have to go to Chunqiu Pavilion.
Or rather, only by going to Chunqiu Pavilion could he buy them.
Realizing this, Zhu Fei immediately nodded and smiled, "Since that's the case, thank you, Manager Xu. How much do I owe for all these herbs?"
Upon hearing Zhu Fei's words, Xu Pengfei asked him to wait a moment, then he went to a computer at one of the counters and carefully checked and calculated before saying to Zhu Fei,
"Young brother, according to our pharmacy's retail price, these herbs would cost a total of four hundred thousand. However, since I have already promised you the cost price, you only need to pay two hundred and fifty thousand."
Hearing the price Xu Pengfei quoted, Zhu Fei couldn't help but be startled.
Although he had estimated that the herbs he wanted to buy would certainly not be cheap,
he never would have guessed that their combined price would be so high.
Just the cost price was at two hundred and fifty thousand.
It was lucky that Qiu Ruoxue had helped him claim his bounty; otherwise, if he wanted to buy these herbs now, it would have been impossible.
Thinking of this, Zhu Fei couldn't help but smile wryly.
"It seems I'll have to find ways to make money if I want to continue cultivating in the future."
Thereupon, Zhu Fei paid with his card.
His needed herbs were quickly packed into a box by Xu Pengfei and handed over to him.
"Young brother, if you need to buy this kind of herbs in the future, you can give me a call in advance so I can prepare them for you. As for the price, I will try my best to give you a discount," Xu Pengfei said as he took out a business card and handed it to Zhu Fei with a smile.
Taking the business card, Zhu Fei also smiled and nodded, "That would be great; I might need to trouble Manager Xu in the future. I thank you in advance."
After talking a bit more, Zhu Fei left Chunqiu Pavilion.
Watching Zhu Fei's departing figure, Xu Pengfei, holding the paper with the herbs written on it, greeted another person in charge at the scene and then hurried into the inner area of Chunqiu Pavilion.
...
Minutes later, in the inner area of Chunqiu Pavilion, an old man dressed in a simple grey robe, with a fair complexion and white hair, looked at the paper given to him by Xu Pengfei with a deep sense of perplexity in his eyes.
"How strange, how strange. This recipe seems chaotically matched, but actually contains extremely exquisite pharmacological wisdom. No matter how I ponder it, I cannot see through the true purpose of this recipe."
As he spoke, the old man looked at Xu Pengfei, who was standing respectfully by his side.
"Xu, it seems this young man named Zhu Fei is no ordinary person. I have studied the way of medicine for fifty years, yet I can't discern the true purpose of his formula."
After a brief pause, the old man continued, "In the future, if possible, you should foster a good relationship with this person. If you can obtain the true purpose of this formula, perhaps I can propose to the higher-ups to make you the chief person in charge of Lan City's Chunqiu Pavilion branch."
Hearing the old man's words, Xu Pengfei's whole body shook, his expression somewhat shocked, "Old Song, is this recipe really that good?"
After speaking, Xu Pengfei seemed to realize something and couldn't help but feel slightly apologetic, "I'm sorry, Old Song, I didn't mean that..."
"Hehe, it's nothing; you're just starting to get to grips with some of the real details about Chunqiu Pavilion. It's only natural that you don't understand these things. In any case, if you get the chance, try to build a good relationship with that young man."
Old Song smiled gently, clearly showing no intention of blaming Xu Pengfei.
This reassured the slightly anxious Xu Pengfei, who was now definitely relieved.
He was well aware that Chunqiu Pavilion, while seemingly a nationwide pharmacy chain, actually possessed strength and a background beyond the imagination of ordinary people.
The position of chief person in charge of Lan City's Chunqiu Pavilion branch—this status truly made one an insider of Chunqiu Pavilion.
Old Song was willing to make such a promise to get the true use of Zhu Fei's prescription, how could this not shock Xu Pengfei?
...
After leaving Chunqiu Pavilion, Zhu Fei went straight to a furniture market, where he bought an electrically heated wooden soaking tub, and then went straight home.
When he got home, Zhu Fei placed the tub in the living room, and then went straight into the kitchen with the herbs.
Taking out a clay pot used for boiling medicine, Zhu Fei added a portion of the herbs in a certain order.
Then he ignited the flame and placed the clay pot filled with water on top.
What Zhu Fei was concocting was a Body Refining Medicine Liquid called Spirit Communication Powder.
One part to be taken orally, the other for soaking; combining both was the true way to use Spirit Communication Powder.
At this moment, Zhu Fei didn't waste time. While concocting the oral Spirit Communication Powder, he filled the tub he had bought with water and plugged it in.
...
About an hour later, a bowl of greenish Medicine Liquid appeared before Zhu Fei.
At the same time, the tub filled with water was also emitting strands of green bubbles and billowing green mist.
Zhu Fei knew that refining his body wasn't a comfortable task.
He had to soak for over three hours in the boiling Medicine Liquid, expelling impurities accumulated in his body to achieve the initial effect of Body Refining.
And the bowl of Spirit Communication Powder for oral intake was the key support for him to endure and refine his body in such scalding water.
Otherwise, with his current body condition, barely better than an average person's, he would probably be scalded to death the moment he entered the tub.
After recalibrating the time, when Zhu Fei felt it was finally right, he picked up the bowl of Spirit Communication Powder for oral intake and gulped it down.
As soon as the Medicine Liquid entered his stomach, Zhu Fei felt a sudden warmth and indescribable comfort.
However, he didn't dare to delay, clenching his teeth and flipping his body, he submerged himself into the boiling water infused with Spirit Communication Powder for soaking!
The scorching boiling water immediately made Zhu Fei cry out in pain.
His skin, under such high temperatures, rapidly began to redden and blister, with signs of peeling starting to faintly appear.
At that moment, he couldn't do anything.
All he could do, or perhaps the only thing he was able to do, was endure and endure even more. At least until he achieved the initial Body Refining effect, he couldn't use any mental methods.
...
Time slowly passed in this agonizing ordeal.
After an indeterminate amount of time, just when Zhu Fei's consciousness began to blur, a warm surge of energy filled with vitality suddenly burst forth from within his body, pulling his consciousness back to reality.
Zhu Fei narrowed his eyes, a bitter smile emerging in his heart.
Situations like the near-unconsciousness he had just experienced had already occurred more than once since he entered the tub with Spirit Communication Powder.
Zhu Fei knew that if it wasn't for the oral Spirit Communication Powder he had taken beforehand, he wouldn't have lasted until now and would probably be nothing more than a horrifyingly disfigured corpse.
Thinking this, just as Zhu Fei wanted to check on his body's condition as before, his body suddenly shook violently!
The Medicine Liquid in the tub for Body Refining and the one he had ingested earlier suddenly synergized! Strands of mighty Spiritual Energy, treating Zhu Fei's body as the core, surged into his meridians!
Seeing this, Zhu Fei was not shocked but pleasantly surprised!
He knew that his Body Refining was now evidently initially complete!
Without hesitation, Zhu Fei ran the Five Elements Creation and Transformation Skill that was ingrained in his mind from past memories.
In an instant, strands of pure Spiritual Energy swiftly passed through his meridians, then converging into the Mud Pill Palace at his Upper Dantian.
Around Zhu Fei's body, astonishingly, green, red, yellow, white, and black dragon-shaped streams of energy spiraled up and down around him.
Gradually, the five-colored dragon-shaped energies began to merge with each other, then separated again, transforming with the nature of Five Elements mutual generation and overcoming, embodying the mysteries of Dao.
Finally, after spiraling around Zhu Fei's body for some time, these five-colored dragon-shaped energies turned into five beams of light that flew into the center of Zhu Fei's forehead!
"Boom!"
Zhu Fei felt a swell in his head followed by a jolt in his body.
Immediately after, a self-sustaining cycle of Five Elements Spiritual Power began flowing within the meridians of his body.
At this moment, Zhu Fei's cultivation had truly broken through to the Qi Refining First Level!