Chapter 187
Chapter 187: Golden Corn and the Classic Prophecy
“You recognize Ox Tail Grass?” Grandma Medi was a bit surprised. This herb had almost no use except when a person was having a fever since it would cure the symptoms. But, if someone got a cold, it wouldn’t be useful anymore. Ox Tail Grass didn’t have a good medical effect and didn’t grow that easily. In the eyes of pharmacists, it was just like the weed, and many pharmacists wouldn’t even bother learning its name, effects, and theories.
Qian Jin nodded forcefully as he asked, “Do you still remember where you found it?”
Grandma Medi sighed as she shook her head. “Looks like he is from a rich family who lived collecting rare and strange plants and herbs. Brianna’s standard is too low; she found someone like him after all these time?” she thought.
“Young man, this herb doesn’t have much effect, and it won’t help your friends recover.” Grandma Medi shook her head as she thought, “This young man who is more interested in seeing a strange herb than curing his severely injured friend; that means his character won’t be that good as well! I have to find the time to tell this dumb girl to give up on him”
Qian Jin sighed alongside Grandma Medi. This Ox Tail Grass didn’t have much use, but there was something called accompanying herbs. They were the special plants and herbs that would grow near the main plants. Since they would only survive beside the main plants, they were called accompanying herbs.
It was quite fortunate! Ox Tail Grass had its own accompanying herbs—Cockscomb Grass! It was a herb that was very good for helping the bone to get back together and heal, and this effect would only show when Ox Tail Grass was used in the recipe.
At the same time, there would be an accompanying animal beside the Cockscomb Grass—Dark Demon Snake! It was about twenty centimeters long and a thumb thick. If its poisonous teeth were used together with the Cockscomb Grass and Ox Tail Grass, the effect the medicine would have on broken bones would be exceptional. Also, its gallbladder would be used to heal the energy connections for warriors.
“You really want to know? Whatever then.” Grandma Medi waved her hands as she said, “Out of this underground camp, you can walk three kilometers to the right, and there is a…”
“A muddy stinky valley, right?” Qian Jin turned his head and said as he walked out of the room. “Thank you, Grandma Medi. Oh right! You are about fifteen grams of Golden Corn short in your Bull Potion, and the Purple Cabbage wasn’t mixed into the potion at all. This potion will, at best, turn into a strong laxative…”
“B*llshit!” Grandma Medi stared at the door where Qian Jin left from as she stomped the ground with the hard black wooden stick. “Brianna, although this boy is alright, he is too fickle. He is a warrior, but he wants to learn about pharmaceuticals, and he thinks that he has mastered this subject and dared to try to correct a real pharmacist? I’m a pharmacist who was approved by Master Cromwell at the Pharmacy Union at the Holy Capital!”
Hayen Brianna was also confused; after two days of talking, she didn’t feel like Qian Jin was a fickle person. “Why is he so fickle today? Could it be that he wants to show himself in front of me since I’m wearing these clothes?” she thought.
“My Bull Potion will be ready in a few minutes!” Grandma Medi climbed back onto the ladder angrily as she said, “Go get two of your bandits and let them drink it. I will let that fickle kid know that I’m not an ordinary pharmacist that could make level 5 medicines. I’m a pharmacist who knows how to make ten kinds of level 5 medicines! And this will be my eleventh medicine!”
At the entrance, a bandit rotated a wheel that was similar to the one that was used at water wells. The iron plate that closed off the entrance slowly lift off, and the noisy raindrops sounded again in Qian Jin’s ears.
Qian Jin walked into the storm as he heard the entrance closing again. He took out the [Shooting Moon Bow] from his warrior dimension and placed a bag full of arrows onto his belt.
The place that Grandma Medi pointed out wasn’t hard to find. After Qian Jin walked in the storm carefully for about three kilometers before he found the spot that Grandma Medi was referring to.
Cockscomb Grass only grew in moist and dark muddy valleys, and the accompanying herbs could only be Ox Tail Grass. The two of them didn’t have much effect when used separately, but they have a great bone healing effect when used together.
When Qian Jin bent his back and reached for the Cockscomb Grass, some mud suddenly shot out from the ground like an arrow. However, there were also two faint fluorescent lights in this mud.
Sisi! A vicious hoarse whinny sounded from the mud. Qian Jin grabbed onto this mud with his thumb and index finger as a smile appeared on his face. “Accompanying animal of Cockscomb Grass and Ox Tail Grass—Dark Demon Snake. It’s about fifteen centimeters long and as thick as a thumb. Both of its poisonous teeth are able to pierce through leather armors, and they are great ingredients to bone healing potions.”
Qian Jin pinched onto the snake with both of his fingers, and the snake’s body softened after some struggle; two of its teeth also fell off automatically. These two teeth would only fell off after it died.
Qian Jin then held onto the snake with one of his hand and squeezed through the snake’s body with his thumb and index finger on the other hand. Two spherical objects were pushed to the mouth of the snake through its soft body.
“Dual gallbladder?” Qian Jin laughed. It looked like his luck was exceptional today! Dark Demon Snakes rarely had two gallbladders, but if they did, one of them must be golden!
The golden gallbladder of the Dark Demon Snake could decrease heat energy in one’s body. If demon beast Copper-Skinned Green Snake’s gallbladder and demon beast Silver-furred Deer’s antler and blood could be used as secondary ingredients, Energy Essence Potion would be made.
Warrior power would usually increase in an incremental manner, but some warriors would dig into their potentials and result in a huge jump in warrior power in a short time in critical life-threatening moments. This made all the pharmacists attempt to find a shortcut to training, and many types of potions that could stimulate the growth of warrior power were created. They all had different levels of negative after effects, and the worst after effects would be losing the chance to advance further in a lifetime after a sudden huge boost in warrior power.
The effect of Energy Essence Potion wasn’t that aggressive, so it would only help a warrior to speed up their training process a little bit, and it didn’t have any negative side and after effect. However, the recipe for this potion was confidential, and it required the pharmacist to have a ton of precision, temperature control, and time control.
“If I can find a Half-Dragon Fire Lizard, I will be able to make the Energy Essence Mystic Potion that is more mystic and has a more aggressive effect!” As Qian Jin thought, he swiped the cold sweat and the rain from his forehead. “Whatever, I will let the mystic potion go for now. If anything went wrong in the process, that potion will turn into a deadly poison.”
Qian Jin straightened his bent back as he murmured, “Grandma Medi’s level 5 medicine is good, but I’m a little bit in a rush. I need to participate in the General Exam, so a level 5 medicine is not enough. After all, pharmacists should be able to make level 7 medicine under the best circumstances.”
Level 1 to 4 medicines should fall under the abilities of a pharmacist trainee or apprentice. Level 5 to 7 medicines should be made by real pharmacists.
Qian Jin soon mocked himself. “After I learned so much from Adams, my standard has become very high as well. The only criterion of a pharmacist is to be able to make a level 5 medicine. Only master Adams would have the criteria for a pharmacist to master all level 5 medicines. I’m not sure if I benefited from it or became a victim… Only after mastering all level 7 medicines can I start learning about level 8 medicines and become a pharmacist master…”
The wet soil suddenly started to wriggle, and Qian Jin laughed as he saw a red rat that was the size of a human head. “Hard-teeth Mouse? I’m lucky. If I can find some very common herbs and get some of the precious ones from Grandma Medi, I could make level 7 Bone Recovery Potion. Thank god that I have access to Grandma Medi’s pharmacy. Otherwise, I could only make level 6 potions when I don’t have proper tools.”
The Hard-teeth Mouse cried as a bloody tooth detached from its mouth. When Qian Jin let go of it, the mouse dived into the mud without looking back.
“Then, I need to find something that heals the energy connections…” Qian Jin put all the materials into his warrior dimension as he swiped some of the rain off of his black hair. “The real damages were caused to their energy connections. If these injuries couldn’t be cured and they end up having sequels, it would be a huge barrier to their future improvements. Too bad I’m at the Frontier; if I’m in a jungle or a mountain, herbs and materials would be a lot easier to find.”
Qian Jin tiptoed as he walked in the rain as the knowledge he learned from Endless World were recalled and flowing through his brain. He would stop sometimes and try to find some herbs from all the weed and bushes, but a helpless smile was always on his face. “The Frontier is a really poor place in terms of resources; it has a lot fewer herbs compared with Four Season Valley. If I didn’t learn from Adams for more than two years, I probably have to let Burg, Kunge, and Flet use the level 5 ointment that Grandma Medi created out of care.”
Qian Jin walked around in the rain for about five hours. In this time, he had buried himself in the mud to avoid the searching of two groups of bandits. Although he was able to kill them easily, it wasn’t worth it since he would be exposed.
When he returned to the ruins, his body and mind both relaxed. With curiosity, he looked at Grandma Medi who had the black wooden stick in her hands; it looked like she was here to welcome him.
Four very strong and ripped bandits whose muscles had completely filled their loose clothes were standing behind her with a bitter and helpless smile on their faces. Every one of them had a test-tube filled with a blue potion that was bubbling and had a nose-piercing smell.
“Kid, didn’t you say that my Bull Potion is going to be a laxative?” Grandma Medi said as she waved her stick at the four bandits. “After they drink the potion, I will let them test their strength with you…”
Qian Jin shrugged his shoulder with the herbs in his hand and said, “That’s not really necessary…”
“What do you mean?” Grandma Medi’s yellow eyes almost popped out of her eye frame. “It’s okay that you had insulted a great pharmacist, but I have to tell you that although you may be smart, every subject is vast and hard to master. Brianna seems like she is set on you, so I have to teach you a lesson for her. I will let you know that it’s not a good idea to lose focus; otherwise, you couldn’t achieve anything great in the future, and that would be really bad for Brianna in my opinion.”
Qian Jin sighed. “What is this? Why does Grandma Medi think that Brianna likes me? Also…” He thought to himself.
“Drink! Quick! What are you guys standing there for?” Grandma Medi turned her head and stared at the four bandits. “Do you guys want me to give you some poison when you guys get injured in the future?” she said with her loud voice.
“Don’t drink!” Qian Jin raised her hands as he said with a nervous expression on his face, “For real, don’t drink! Otherwise, you guys might die from pooping. If you don’t have medicine to stop the laxation, you might need to sleep on the toilet tonight.”
“Kid, how dare you provoke me…” Grandma Medi stomped her wooden stick on the ground and said again, “Quick! Drink it while it’s warm! The effect will be stronger!”
Qian Jin covered his eyes with his hands as he didn’t want to witness the “tragic ending” of these four bandits. The effect of the potions was stronger when they were warm, but these potions were strong laxatives; the stronger the effect, the worse the outcome.
Bulp… Bulp… Bulp…
Qian Jin helplessly sighed again as he heard the sound of the potion gushing down these four bandits’ throat.
“How do you guys feel?” Grandma Medi looked at the bandits with hope. “Do you guys feel a heat energy rotating in your abdomens?” she asked.
The bandits nodded in unison, and so did Qian Jin; the first effect of this formula could be a heat energy rotating in the body.
“Do you guys feel like you are filled with strength?” Grandma Medi asked again as an excited expression filled her face.
The bandits shook their heads and said in unison, “I only feel the heat energy that is rotating in my body getting stronger and stronger.”
“Stronger and stronger?” Grandma Medi’s frowned as she murmured, “Why would it get stronger and stronger?”
“Do you guys feeling like your guts are getting heavier and heavier as if it is sinking downward?” Qian Jin quietly asked, “As if the heat energy is rushing to your butts?”
The bandits all nodded together. Qian Jin then pointed out his index finger, then the middle finger as he said, “One, two, three… Can you guys still hold it in?”
“Ouch! My stomach! It hurts!”
“Sht! I’m really about to sht…”
The four bandits shouted in chaos as they placed their hands on their butts and rushed away. “No, no! I really can’t hold it in…”
In the blink of an eye, the entrance of the ruin only had Qian Jin, Grandma Medi, Hayen Brianna, and the bandits who were controlling the gate to the ruin standing there.
The four people looked at each other, and it was really quiet. Nobody except Qian Jin expected this to happen. The Bull Potion that Grandma Medi used a month to prepare and a full day to make turned into a strong laxative.
Quietness!
It was so quiet at the entrance of the ruin that Qian Jin felt like he could hear the ants talk.
Grandma Medi was really embarrassed. A faint red appeared on her yellow and wrinkled face. The fact that she was very confident in her “Bull Potion” was embarrassing enough, but that wasn’t the worse! The most embarrassing thing was that this young warrior who was less than twenty years old predicted it!
He didn’t climb up the ladder to take a look at the potion, and he didn’t even taste the potion in multiple stages to analyze the makeup. He only stood in the pharmacy that had a lot of mixed smells and predicted it!
At first, Grandma Medi was really embarrassed, but that soon turned to surprise. She got more and more surprised as she thought back and recalled Qian Jin’s calmness several hours ago!
“Identifying the makeup the potion and the dosage of each herb from just smelling… No one could do that if he or she didn’t have a strong analytic skill, didn’t have a vast fundamental herbs bank, and didn’t spend time with herbs for more than dozens of years! Just couldn’t!” She thought.
“K-Kid, did you grow up in a potion tub in a pharmacy?” Grandma Medi looked at Qian Jin in astonishment. “Or you were just bllshtting? Or you know that Bull Potion had a high chance of turning into a laxative if it failed so you took the chance and gambled with me?”
“Growing up in a potion tub?” Qian Jin shook his head. For the last two years, he interacted with lots of potions after he drank Memory Potions. He also had a very strict, high standard, and knowledgeable teacher; it would be hard for him not to know this! When he didn’t learn properly and failed tests, his master Adams would turn into a devil and give him some laxatives in secret.
Those kind of laxatives were more ferocious compared with this failed Bull Potion. Toilets weren’t even good enough. He had to dig a huge hole on the ground and just squat there. He didn’t need to get up and pull his pants up; all he needed to do was to squat there for a full day.
“Kid, say something.” Grandma Medi was getting a little bit anxious; she asked as he stomped the ground with her black wooden stick habitually.
“Uh… Grandma Medi…” Qian Jin licked his lips and said, “It’s good that you had a great temperature control; you stirred the potion in the process and got rid of the excess heat. If the temperature was higher by 5 degrees, those guys wouldn’t need to go to the toilet; they would fall asleep here instantly. Your Bull Potion would turn into a Sleep Potion with strong laxative effects. Of course, those kinds of potion have strong side effects. When they get up, they would be extremely tired. When they get excited, they would instantly fall asleep. Later when they go out for robberies, they would fall asleep first before landing their knives onto their enemies.”
“Really?” Grandma Medi couldn’t believe it. The potion would usually have zero negative effect; it was rare that the failed potion would result in other effects.
“If someone drinks your potion with deer made from wheat…” Qian Jin continued, “If mages drink them together, their magic power would be increased a little, just enough to cast a Fire Ball Spell.”
…
Grandma Medi looked at Qian Jin with a weird expression. “This is getting stranger and stranger by the second. Is he Bllshtting again?” she thought to herself.
“Cough… To put it in a simple term,” Qian Jin coughed and said, “your potion is very close to a mystic potion. Of course, the main reason is that the Golden Corn that you used isn’t pure enough. The person who sold you this probably wanted to boost up the volume so he or she cross breed the Golden Corn with regular corn.”
This time, Hayen Brianna looked at Qian Jin in surprise. This Golden Corn was actually not pure! The stores nowadays would do something shady and crossbreed to get more output. Normally, it would lower the effect of the ingredients, but it could be covered by adding a bit more ingredients. A while ago, she wasn’t able to get pure Golden Corn so she got the ones that were crossbred. But Grandma Medi said that it was okay.
Hayen Brianna looked at Qian Jin as she thought, “He is able to tell that this Golden Corn is not pure? He said it so confidently as if he was with me when I bought them. What is the background of this young man that I just picked up? He was an ordinary warrior that has the strength of a level 9 Demon Fighter, but he was able to kill an Iron-Arm Mantis Bloodline Warrior, and a Two Stars soldier of the Dark Group and leave alive. And, it seems like he knows how to make potions?”