Chapter 130: Red Jade Soup! Astonishing Effect
Chapter 130: Chapter 130: Red Jade Soup! Astonishing Effect
"That’ll be twenty-three gold coins, sixteen silver coins, and eight copper coins for Mr. Zhu’s eight Spirit Medicines."
The attendant at the side quickly calculated the total price, his smile growing even wider.
"Twenty-three gold coins..." Zhu Ge sighed in resignation.
He had sold books and Spirit Plants, only to end up spending most of it again.
This was a huge sum!
It had to be said, being a Martial Artist really burned through money.
Of course, Zhu Ge could have chosen not to buy this Spirit Medicine.
But this Spirit Medicine was all meant to strengthen or repair his physical body.
This type of Spirit Medicine didn’t increase his cultivation power, but rather enhanced his body’s fundamental constitution. For him, it had only benefits and no drawbacks.
So, Zhu Ge paid without hesitation.
"Please wait a moment, Mr. Zhu. I’ll go get your items!" The attendant took the money, counted it, and then trotted off excitedly.
Cui Xu’s disciple also stood up. "Master, I will go retrieve the Spiritual Artifacts now."
Cui Xu nodded. "Go on, be quick. Mr. Zhu and I will wait here."
Cui Xu’s disciple bowed and took his leave.
"Mr. Cui, you’re also an apothecary?" Zhu Ge asked curiously. "Juggling so many roles must not be easy."
Whether it was being a Forest Chief or an apothecary, they were all just side professions, not paths that led to the Great Dao of cultivation.
In other words, practitioners of the Immortal Dao, the Confucian Dao, or any other path could become apothecaries, Florists, or even a Sewing Master like Hua Liusha had tried to become.
However, side professions required a great deal of energy.
This was precisely why Zhu Ge hadn’t studied the "Gusu Silk Annals."
But this Cui Xu was a Spirit Level Forest Chief, a Spirit Level Florist, and a Spirit Level apothecary.
Holding so many positions would severely divide one’s focus.
"My Cultivation is only at the Foundation Establishment Stage, and I have no hope of ever condensing a Golden Core." Cui Xu shook his head. "I have a small family to support. Rather than continue on the path of immortality, I’d rather devote myself to the study of medicinal herbs and leave something behind for my clan."
Zhu Ge nodded, understanding Cui Xu’s position.
It was the same for Yu the Scholar. After many years, he was still unable to break through to the Second Realm, stuck lingering in the First Realm.
In that kind of situation, it was better to learn a side profession to support one’s family.
"What’s the situation outside Jianshui City like recently?" Zhu Ge asked again.
He was also curious how the people inside the city viewed the Demon Beast siege.
"The world is in chaos. It is already a feat for our Jianshui City to have survived the turmoil," Cui Xu lamented. "I’ve heard that two cities in our Red River Prefecture have already been breached. The lands between them have become a Ghostly Land of fiends."
"Two cities have fallen?!" Zhu Ge’s pupils contracted.
Although he had long expected that within Red River Prefecture, some cities would hold and others would not, the news that two had fallen still came as a great shock.
"You must not have known, Mr. Zhu," Cui Xu sighed.
"The Yuan Yang City Lord is gravely injured, and the Red River Dragon Python and the Plague God Sparrow are not faring well either. As a result, countless Demons, Ghosts, Spirits, and Monsters now run rampant throughout Red River Prefecture. Those in the Third Realm can now dominate the situation."
"How many Third Realm cultivators do we have in the entire Red River Prefecture? Yet in the wilderness, the number of Third Realm aberrations is countless. Although they each fight for themselves, if they were to unite, our Human Race would be no match for them."
’It’s true!’
Zhu Ge strongly agreed with Cui Xu.
Outside the city, Demons, Ghosts, Spirits, and Monsters were everywhere.
And the Human Race?
How many cities did the Human Race even have in the whole of Red River Prefecture?
If the aberrations weren’t as scattered as loose sand, all the cities in Red River Prefecture probably wouldn’t last a single day.
As Zhu Ge and Cui Xu were talking, the attendant returned, leading a line of maids.
The maids were carrying various medicinal herbs. Some of these were Spirit Grass, some were Mortal Grass, and some were items rich in spiritual energy that fell somewhere in between.
These were all ingredients for the Spirit Medicine Zhu Ge required, and they had to be paid for separately.
Then, Cui Xu’s disciple also brought over several Spiritual Artifacts.
A low-grade Spirit Level pestle, a low-grade Spirit Level cleaver, a mid-grade Spirit Level pot for brewing medicine, and some ordinary mortal tools for weighing.
It was a very professional-looking set of tools. They had no combat capability but were effective for concocting Spirit Medicine.
"Mr. Zhu, I will begin now. Please wait a moment." Cui Xu didn’t hesitate and immediately rose to his feet.
First, he instructed the maids to set up a screen to block Zhu Ge’s line of sight, ensuring the formula would not be leaked.
Then he took the items from the wooden trays the maids were holding behind the screen, dismissed the maids, and began to prepare the Spirit Medicine.
This way, the customer wouldn’t know the formula for their Spirit Medicine, but they could be sure that the items they purchased were actually being used and they weren’t being cheated.
Therefore, Zhu Ge was quite satisfied with this arrangement.
Half an hour later, Cui Xu’s disciple came out first, carrying a bowl of broth that emitted a faint white glow. In his other hand, he held a spoon, which seemed to contain a small, black pill.
"Mr. Zhu, this is the Red Jade Soup."
Cui Xu’s disciple placed the bowl of soup in front of Zhu Ge, then held up the spoon.
"If you plan to take it with you, Mr. Zhu, you’ll need two containers: one for the broth and one for the medicinal primer."
"When you are ready to consume it, just drop this primer into the broth and drink it all within fifteen breaths."
’So this is the Red Jade Soup?’
Zhu Ge was a little curious, and waved his hand. "No need to take it to go. I’ll drink it here."
Cui Xu’s disciple nodded. "Then I’ll add the primer for you, Mr. Zhu."
As he spoke, Cui Xu’s disciple used the spoon to gently place the primer into the broth.
HISS—
The next moment, upon touching the broth, the pitch-black primer immediately turned red, like a glowing piece of red jade.
Even the broth, which had originally emitted a white glow, turned red, its faint luminescence resembling that of a red jewel.
"Mr. Zhu, drink it quickly," Cui Xu’s disciple urged.
"Alright!" Seeing this, Zhu Ge didn’t hesitate. He raised the bowl and drained it in one go.
As he drank, the primer seemed to gradually dissolve in the liquid; Zhu Ge didn’t feel any solid bits as he downed the entire bowl.
Furthermore, the soup had a sweet and sour taste, unlike the bitter and foul-tasting medicinal broths of his memory.
"Huh?"
However, not long after the potion went down, Zhu Ge suddenly felt a hot current rise up from his abdomen.
His Martial Arts Heart pulsed slightly, releasing a wisp of Blood Qi and gathering it in his stomach.
As soon as this hot current touched the Blood Qi, it immediately rushed out from his stomach, flowing through his blood vessels and capillaries into his liver and kidneys.
Zhu Ge’s liver and kidneys were organs that had been tempered and hardened by the Great Sun Glaze Body technique for a long time.
Yet at this moment, they became scorching hot, as if they were metal being forged in fire.
And amid this scorching heat, Zhu Ge could feel the two organs strengthening.
A stronger liver, stronger kidneys!
After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, Zhu Ge let out a long breath.
He had to admit, a Spirit Level potion was truly effective.
Zhu Ge felt that the enhancement of his liver and kidney functions not only improved his detoxification abilities but would also allow him to endure the next Wind Refining for two more seconds.
Don’t underestimate those two seconds. Enduring for a few more seconds meant that his entire physical body could become even tougher.
Just then, the astonished voice of Cui Xu’s disciple reached his ears:
"Mr. Zhu, is this your first time drinking a medicinal potion?!"