Inside Zhenwei Martial Arts Academy.
Han Zheng sat cross-legged in a corner of the training hall, silently ditating.
His arm was injured and not suitable for practicing White Ape Extended Arm Fist, and it could also easily be discovered by Li Jingzhong.
Thus, after arriving at the academy today, he had told Li Jingzhong that he wanted to practice his Inner Strength and solidify his Cultivation.
Inner Strength Realm and Martial Skill complent each other, both indispensable. What Han Zheng said was quite normal.
At this ti, the disciples within the academy were gathered in groups, fervently discussing the murder of Feng Yuan, Punishnt Hall Master of Sanhe Gang.
Black Stone County was only so big, and Feng Yuan was certainly a top figure in the county town.
Yet, he had been tragically killed on the street with a single punch, his head smashed open—this was undoubtedly explosive news.
However, most people suspected the Black Tiger Gang or Sky Eagle Gang were behind it, thinking that a great battle between the gangs was about to start.
At this mont, Li Feng entered the martial arts hall, carrying two large bundles.
Seeing Han Zheng practicing in the corner, Li Feng approached cheerfully and said, "Now I see why you're the top student in the academy.
While everyone else is chatting, you alone are practicing.
The dicine bath is ready, I brought it today to show you how to use it."
"Thank you, Pharmacist Li."
Han Zheng's eyes lit up, and he quickly took the two bundles from Li Feng.
"Eh? This is quite heavy?"
Han Zheng was slightly surprised.
These two large bundles must weigh over twenty pounds, all filled with Spiritual dicine?
Li Feng spoke softly, "Store Manager Chen told to prepare a dicine bath for you, but actually, as long as the proportions of the Spiritual dicine are correct, a little more or less doesn't matter.
I added a bit extra to each type of dicine, so this is akin to one and a half doses of dicine bath."
"Many thanks, many thanks."
Han Zheng bowed slightly and took Li Feng to an inner hall in the academy, asking the academy's servants to brew a cup of tea.
Now as a true disciple of Li Jingzhong, the academy's servants were very courteous towards Han Zheng.
Li Feng sipped the tea and said, "The procedure to maximize the effects of the dicine bath is sowhat complex.
After you go ho, first buy a large bath tub. Soak the Spiritual dicine in boiling water for an hour, and once the dicinal power starts to disperse, you can enter the bath to cultivate.
Rember, each session in the dicine bath cannot exceed an hour, or else your body might absorb too much of the dicine's power and could potentially block your acupoint ridians.
Normally a single dose of Spiritual dicine should last about three days, but since I've added more ingredients, it could last about four to five days."
Han Zheng nodded and suddenly asked, "If it was an Elixir, would the process be less complicated?"
"Of course," answered Li Feng. "You just swallow an Elixir directly and it tabolizes on its own. Even if you can't digest it all at once, it just takes a bit longer, and it won't result in blocked acupoint ridians.
However, those Dan Recipes are exceedingly precious. We small-town pharmacists can only envy them. We can't even dream of becoming Alchemists soday."
Although Li Feng said this, his eyes still revealed a hint of longing.
Alchemists and pharmacists occupied completely different statuses—the forr commanded high respect in great families and sects.
"By the way, Pharmacist Li, have you heard about the murder of Feng Yuan, the Punishnt Hall Master of Sanhe Gang today?"
Although killing Feng Yuan was ant to silence him, Han Zheng was sure Gao Kaiyuan wouldn't let things rest, and he was still at risk of exposure, only having delayed it for a few days.
Thus, Han Zheng also wanted to probe the external situation to assess his next move.
The news heard by the disciples within the academy was mixed and mostly rumors, of little use to Han Zheng.
As one of the few high-level pharmacists in Black Stone County, Li Feng had extensive connections and more reliable sources of information.
"Of course I've heard, it's all over the place outside.
But who moved the hand is not yet known. Afterwards, I heard that in the Sanhe Gang eting, Gao Kaiyuan and Gang Leader Cao Bin had another quarrel."
Han Zheng asked in surprise, "Isn't it said that the three Gang Leaders of Sanhe Gang are sworn brothers, and that's why they founded Sanhe Gang together? Do they often have conflicts?"
"It's easy to share hardships, but hard to share wealth," sighed Li Feng. "Originally, they were sworn brothers, sharing life and death situations. That allowed them to rapidly grow Sanhe Gang into one of the top three gangs in Black Stone County within just a few years.
But once the gang grew powerful, wealth and authority proved tempting, and who can truly say they are without self-interest?
Cao Bin, the eldest, is nearly sixty now. He has deteriorated physically due to old injuries, and his vitality is not what it used to be.
The store manager once prescribed him dicine, but it only delayed the deterioration.
Out of the three gang leaders of Sanhe Gang, only Cao Bin has a son nad Cao Rui, so Cao Bin has always wanted to pass the position of Gang Leader to his own son.
But naturally, Gao Kaiyuan is unwilling. At just over forty, in the pri of life, he wants to control Sanhe Gang, so they've nearly co to blows over this.
As for the third gang leader, Jiang Tai, he's the youngest and weakest, not well-supported within the gang, so he stays neutral.
The reason these two haven't openly clashed is solely due to the presence of Black Tiger Gang and Sky Eagle Gang outside; they dare not fight, fearing outsiders might profit from their conflict."
Han Zheng nodded thoughtfully.
Li Feng had a short chat with Han Zheng and then bid farewell to return to Shenghe Hall.
After the morning class, Han Zheng imdiately bought a big bath tub and returned ho to prepare for a dicine bath.
First, he threw a heap of spiritual dicine into the tub and then heated pot after pot of boiling water to soak them.
These spiritual dicines were varied in type, color, and taste, which, once soaked in boiling water, resembled a tub of murky, yellow soup emitting a strong dicinal scent.
Han Zheng slightly frowned.
No wonder disciples from big sects didn't use dicine baths but instead took elixirs.
dicine baths were indeed cumberso and sowhat undignified.
An hour later, when the dicinal strength dispersed, Han Zheng stripped off his clothes and jumped in, imdiately enveloped by a surging wave of spiritual energy.
Cycling the Dragon Elephant Wisdom Technique, a majestic dicinal strength was frantically absorbed into Han Zheng's body, and his inner strength flowed almost crazily.
Acupoint after acupoint was blasted open, and with the boost from the dicine bath, he broke through continually like a tempest sweeping away leaves, not even needing to recharge his inner strength.
Before, Han Zheng could unblock around two to three acupoints a day.
That was already his limit enhanced by the Dragon Elephant Wisdom Technique.
But now, in just an hour, Han Zheng had opened more than ten acupoints smoothly and without any obstruction.
Li Feng had warned Han Zheng not to exceed an hour in the dicine bath as the body couldn't absorb so much dicinal strength.
But that was because Li Feng didn't know about the Dragon Elephant Wisdom Technique Han Zheng possessed.
Dragon Swallowing Elephant Drink.
The full activation of the Dragon Elephant Wisdom Technique's power was truly terrifying, as dicinal strength was furiously absorbed by Han Zheng, and then just as wildly surged throughout his body, unblocking acupoints.
Three hours later, the dicinal bath, which should have lasted for four to five days, was completely used up in one night by Han Zheng, with no dicinal strength left.
At that mont, a faint luminescence flowed all over Han Zheng's body, barely visible in the darkness.
It was a manifestation of perfected acupoints and inner strength coursing through his entire body.
He had two ridians left unopened, but for Han Zheng now, they were no longer obstacles.
With a thought, both ridians were instantly penetrated by the roaring inner strength.
Three hundred and sixty-five acupoints echoing the Celestial Stars, twelve ridians piercing his body, Han Zheng had reached the complete postnatal stage!
Glancing at the bath tub, now much reduced in water, Han Zheng lightly shook his head.
No wonder so many martial artists crave dicine baths and elixirs; they are indeed incredibly effective.
This one session of the dicine bath was equivalent to a month of arduous training for Han Zheng.
Of course, that was only because Han Zheng had a profound foundation and dared to do so supported by a congenital cultivation technique like the Dragon Elephant Wisdom Technique.
Other martial artists of his level could only do as Li Feng said—soak for an hour a day as too much could block their acupoints and ridians.
Looking at his arm, even a minor fracture from before had been healed by the dicinal power in the bath.
He pushed open the yard door, the sky outside was just beginning to lighten.
Han Zheng suppressed part of the energy within his body and then headed off to practice at the martial arts hall.
Li Jingzhong knew about the dicine bath Li Feng had provided for him.
But using up the dicine bath in one night and having his cultivation skyrocket to complete postnatal level was sowhat shocking; he had to keep it under wraps.
Today was a major class day at the martial arts hall; after class in the evening, Han Zheng visited a small restaurant recomnded by Li Sancheng that sold braised large intestines.
Li Sancheng didn't have many hobbies, but he did love to eat.
Last ti, after escorting a rchant caravan and earning a good amount of silver, Li Sancheng gave so to his father and spent nearly all of the rest on food.
However, he also uncovered quite a few quality yet affordable eateries.
This small restaurant selling braised large intestines was in South City, an unassuming little stand.
In these tis, poor families could hardly afford at, let alone full als, so pork offal was quite valuable.
But large intestines had a foul sll, and the spices needed to remove the odor were expensive, far beyond what poor people could afford.
Thus, among various offal foods, there were not many takers for large intestines.
Only this little stand's owner had a jar of ancestral braising broth, reputed to have been passed down through generations, capable of removing the foul sll from the intestines, making it popular among the common folk.
Han Zheng bought a bowl of braised large intestines and went next door to buy a couple of baked buns to eat them with.
Flicking through the fragrant large intestines, making sure there was no residual sll, he then confidently took a bite.
Indeed, it was rich, tender, and thoroughly flavorful.
Just then, a figure dressed in black and red official robes suddenly sat opposite Han Zheng with a bowl of braised large intestines.
"I didn't expect this braised intestines restaurant to still be open.
I rember the stand was originally opened by his father, who later encountered gang violence.
But his father still clung to that jar of braising broth and ran off slowly, ending up sliced in half by a randomly flying knife, dying while still clutching his jar of broth."
Zhang Tianyang chewed on the braised intestines while squinting at Han Zheng.
"People fear greed the most, don't they? If his father had chosen to drop the jar and run for his life, wouldn't he have survived?"
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