https://novelcool.info/chapter/Chapter-51-Great-Nourishment-Soup-Stepping-into-Qi-Xue-Jing/13688190/
Chapter 50: The Pill is Forged – Two of the Ten Delicacies
(Tuesday’s Request for Continued Reading)
Lu Qing arrived at the small mountain cottage.
To his surprise, he didn’t see his master practicing martial arts in the open space in front of the house—something that was usually a daily sight.
He stepped inside and glanced into the medicine room. The door remained tightly shut, faint traces of herbal fragrance drifting out from within.
Knowing his master was still inside refining medicine, he didn’t speak up. Instead, he placed the bucket in the corner and quietly picked up a broom, beginning to sweep the courtyard.
Xiao Yan, seeing her brother at work, hurried to the corner and dragged out a small broom of her own to help.
By the time the two had nearly finished sweeping the entire yard, Lu Qing finally heard the soft creak of the medicine room door opening.
Then came the hearty chuckle of Old Doctor.
“You two have been here for quite a while, haven’t you?”
Seeing the siblings busily cleaning, Old Doctor asked with a smile.
“Not really,” Lu Qing replied honestly. “Less than half a hour.”
“Chen Ye Ye,” Xiao Yan proudly held up her broom, “Xiao Yan helped Brother sweep too!”
Old Doctor’s eyes twinkled. “Grandpa knows. Xiao Yan is the sweetest one.”
“Haha!” The little girl beamed with delight at the praise.
“Master,” Lu Qing said, eyeing Old Doctor’s clothes—still unchanged from the day before. “You didn’t sleep at all last night?”
“Correct,” Old Doctor nodded. “Alchemical refining demands absolute focus. Especially with this Blood Nourishing and Qi Invigorating Pill. The best results come from a continuous, uninterrupted process—only then can we preserve the full potency of the Ginseng.”
“Shouldn’t you rest a little?” Lu Qing asked, concern in his voice.
“Nonsense,” Old Doctor waved it off. “Just spent the night awake. Old man that I am, I’m not so fragile. Besides, elders naturally sleep less. A little less sleep won’t hurt.”
Lu Qing studied his master’s face—still rosy, eyes bright, utterly without fatigue. He knew the man was telling the truth.
After all, Old Doctor was a martial cultivator of the Nei Fu Jing. A single night without sleep was nothing to him.
“So,” Lu Qing’s eyes lit up, “you’re saying the Blood Nourishing and Qi Invigorating Pill…?”
“Has been completed.” Old Doctor reached into his sleeve and withdrew a small, pristine white porcelain vial. “The old mountain ginseng yielded twenty pills.”
“With these twenty pills to aid you,” Old Doctor continued, “your path to entering the Qi Xue Jing will be far easier. And once you’re inside, your cultivation progress will accelerate dramatically.”
Lu Qing took the vial, feeling its substantial weight in his palm.
Then he hesitated. “Master… should I wait until I’ve actually entered the Qi Xue Jing before consuming these pills? Wouldn’t that be when their effect is strongest?”
Old Doctor paused, then nodded. “Indeed. The Blood Nourishing and Qi Invigorating Pill is one of the finest auxiliary elixirs for the Qi Xue Jing. Just one pill, once properly absorbed, can grant a significant leap in cultivation. Countless Qi Xue Jing cultivators would pay a fortune for even a single pill.”
“Then… wouldn’t it be a waste for me to take one now, before I’ve even entered the stage?”
“True, some of the potency would be lost,” Old Doctor admitted. “But your foundation is still weak. Without such aid, even with your Nourish Body Fist already mastered, breaking into the Qi Xue Jing might still take considerable time.”
Lu Qing smiled faintly, then changed the subject.
“Master, yesterday I went fishing and caught two strange fish—unusual in appearance. I thought you might want to take a look.”
“Oh? What kind of treasure did you snag this time?” Old Doctor perked up.
He knew his disciple had a rare talent for fishing, often bringing back fish that were far from ordinary. For days, the little pond behind the house had never been short of fresh catches.
The fried fish were delicious—especially with a cup of wine. In fact, they’d nearly emptied two of his prized, aged wine jars.
“These are the first I’ve ever caught,” Lu Qing said. “Small in size, but surprisingly strong. They feel… different.”
He walked to the corner of the yard and retrieved the bucket holding the Golden Loach.
Old Doctor leaned in, peering inside. His eyes widened instantly.
“Wait—this is a Golden Loach!”
“Master, you know this fish?” Lu Qing asked.
“Of course I do!” Old Doctor’s voice was filled with excitement. “Remember the Red Moon Carp you caught before? I told you it was one of the Ten Delicacies of the World.”
“Could this Golden Loach be one of the Ten Delicacies too?” Lu Qing’s mind raced.
He hadn’t expected that at all.
“Exactly,” Old Doctor confirmed. “This is a rare fish, known as the Golden Loach. Yes—it’s one of the Ten Delicacies. However, it ranks much lower than the Red Moon Carp—near the bottom of the list. So while its flavor isn’t quite as exquisite, it makes up for it in another way.”
“Even though its taste is slightly inferior,” Old Doctor continued, “its nourishing properties are exceptional. It’s ideal for those with weak constitutions.”
“Earlier, I told you the Red Moon Carp you caught was purchased by a nobleman in the city—given to his wife to strengthen her health.”
“After eating it, her condition improved greatly, but she still wasn’t fully recovered.”
“If she’d eaten this Golden Loach instead, she might have been completely restored.”
Lu Qing was stunned. The Golden Loach was truly one of the Ten Delicacies.
That meant he’d now caught two of the legendary fish in the river outside the village.
A humble, rural stream—holding not just one, but two, perhaps even more, rare creatures.
That was… deeply intriguing.
Was it the Blood Apricot? Or something even more mysterious and unknown?
Lu Qing’s thoughts drifted deeper.
Old Doctor, too, had clearly considered the same question.
“A Qing,” he asked, “where exactly did you catch this Golden Loach?”
“Right where I caught the Red Moon Carp last time,” Lu Qing answered without hesitation.
“Here, in the village’s outer stream… both the Red Moon Carp and the Golden Loach?” Old Doctor’s expression darkened slightly.
“Master, is something wrong?” Lu Qing asked, genuinely curious.
“Indeed,” Old Doctor admitted. “It’s unusual. But… I can’t say exactly why.”
“Still,” he added, his tone growing serious, “from now on, you must never speak of this to anyone. The existence of these rare fish in the river—keep it to yourself.”
“Why, Master?”
“Because rare fish are priceless. If word gets out, someone might try to seize the river, drive the villagers away. That kind of trouble has happened before—many times.”
Lu Qing understood at once.
He who carries a treasure is doomed to suffer.
The value of these fish was too great. If outsiders learned of the hidden bounty, the village would be in danger.
He’d seen such stories in the news from his previous life—whole communities displaced, their land stolen.
He made up his mind on the spot.
From now on, even if he caught more rare fish, he wouldn’t sell them.
He’d stick to his agreement with the black little beast—exchange the fish for Ginseng.
“Understood, Master,” he said.
Old Doctor nodded. He trusted his disciple’s intelligence—no need to spell it out.
But now, another question arose.
“You said you caught two Golden Loach,” he said. “But Golden Loach are always found in pairs—never alone. Where’s the second one?”
Lu Qing let out a wry smile.
“The other one… was eaten by the black little beast.”
He explained how the creature had insisted on devouring the fish, though he omitted the part about their agreement.
“I wanted to keep both,” Lu Qing said, “but it wouldn’t let go. So I had no choice but to give it one.”
Old Doctor chuckled. “Ah, that’s fine. The little beast gave you a Centennial Old Mountain Ginseng in return. Fair trade. It’s only right to let it eat one.”
“Master,” Lu Qing offered, “there’s only one Golden Loach left. Please, let me give it to you as a token of respect.”
Old Doctor shook his head with a warm smile. “Such a rare treasure? I couldn’t enjoy it all by myself. Let’s share it.”
He paused, then added, “Besides… the timing of your catch was perfect. If fortune favors you, you might even break through to the Qi Xue Jing today.”
Lu Qing froze.
His breath caught.
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
