After the appointment results were scheduled to be released three days later, Gu Yuan could only return home to practice his boxing techniques during these days. However, according to Wang Hu, Gu Yuan's performance in the assessment was definitely enough to become a Bronze Walker.
After bidding farewell to Wang Hu at the intersection, Gu Yuan returned home alone.
The air in his home, which he hadn't returned to for over half a month, was filled with a strange scent.
He opened the windows to ventilate, turned on the air purifier, swept up the dust that had fallen on the floor, and packed up the spoiled ingredients from the refrigerator to discard later.
After tidying up his home, Gu Yuan picked up the trash and left.
He threw the trash into the bin downstairs and hailed a taxi at the community entrance. After giving the driver the destination, Gu Yuan closed his eyes, waiting to arrive.
Twenty minutes later, Gu Yuan settled the fare, got out of the car, and looked at the ancient-style building before him. His nostrils twitched; the air was filled with a peculiar medicinal aroma.
Yao Ge.
A renowned chain of traditional Chinese medicine pharmacies across the Great Ming Empire, it even enjoyed fame worldwide.
It supplied medicinal ingredients to a large number of martial artists, and the quality of the herbs was excellent. This was the address recommended by Wang Hu; the owner here was an old acquaintance of his, and mentioning Wang Hu's name primarily ensured a discount.
Gu Yuan tidied his clothes and walked in leisurely.
As soon as he entered, a staff member in a qipao approached him.
"Sir, what can I get for you?"
Gu Yuan smiled and said, "Is your store manager in?"
"Yes, sir. May I ask what you need?"
"Could you tell the store manager? Just say a friend of Wang Hu's is here to buy medicine."
The staff member nodded, "Alright, sir, please wait a moment."
Gu Yuan nodded and sat in the waiting area, awaiting the staff member.
The staff member went to a door on the second floor, knocked, and respectfully said, "Manager, someone claims to be Wang Hu's friend and is here to buy medicine."
"Oh, alright, I'll be right there."
A robust voice responded, and the door opened, revealing a tall figure standing before the staff member. His hair and beard were entirely white, yet his face was devoid of wrinkles, smooth as jade, like an infant's. His posture was incredibly upright, showing no signs of age.
Gu Yuan was flipping through a promotional brochure on a nearby bookshelf when a voice spoke beside him.
"Sir, are you a friend of Wang Hu?"
Gu Yuan looked up to see a tall, upright elder standing before him.
He stood up, shook hands with the elder, and smiled, "Hello, Manager. I was introduced by Wang Hu. My surname is Gu."
He marveled inwardly; the manager before him was clearly a master of internal martial arts. Judging by his skin alone, his martial arts realm was certainly not low.
"Hello, Mr. Gu. I won't go into unnecessary pleasantries. All medicinal ingredients purchased from me will be discounted by 10%," the manager said with a smile.
Gu Yuan smiled and cupped his hands, "Thank you, Manager."
"You're welcome, you're welcome. May I ask what medicinal ingredients Mr. Gu needs?"
Gu Yuan asked the staff member nearby for paper and a pen and swiftly jotted down the ingredients he needed.
He then handed the list to the manager, who was surprised upon reading it.
North Star Bellflower, Dendrobium, Royal Jelly, Euryale Ferox, Lotus Root, Dried Tangerine Peel, Lily Bulb, Lingzhi Mushroom, Polygonatum...
Each item had a specific quantity listed after it.
He looked up at Gu Yuan and said with some seriousness, "Mr. Gu, these medicinal ingredients are not simple. Are you sure? As Wang Hu's friend, I'll offer a word of advice: some of these ingredients have potent medicinal properties. If used incorrectly, they might even have adverse effects. Have you considered this carefully, Gu Yuan?"
Gu Yuan smiled, "Manager, since I'm buying them, I'm naturally confident. Just give me the price."
The manager nodded, handed the prescription to a nearby staff member, who then began organizing personnel to gather the herbs for Gu Yuan.
Twenty minutes later, Gu Yuan received his medicinal ingredients. During this time, he engaged in some martial arts discussions with the manager, unexpectedly discovering that the manager was a formidable master of Huajin (Transforming Strength), and much of his advice was very useful for Gu Yuan at his current stage.
The total amount: One hundred and fifty thousand.
Tsk, tsk, tsk. Wealth in civilian life, power in martial arts – a truth as old as time. He hadn't expected the body-tempering prescription for Bajiquan to cost so much.
A small portion of his savings was directly depleted.
After bidding farewell to the manager, Gu Yuan, carrying a bag of medicinal ingredients, took a taxi. Twenty minutes later, he was back at his home.
In the kitchen, Gu Yuan muttered to himself, referring to the prescription in his mind. His hands moved continuously, dropping ingredients and medicines into the pot, simmering over a low heat.
After more than an hour, a large pot full of ingredients and medicines had been simmered down into three large bowls of medicinal cuisine.
Inhaling the indescribable medicinal aroma, Gu Yuan's eyelids twitched.
In his previous world, he had never consumed medicinal cuisine like this, and he found the smell somewhat difficult to tolerate.
Gulp~
Gritting his teeth, Gu Yuan forced himself to endure the pungent odor and downed a large bowl.
Bitter!
Boundless bitterness erupted in his mouth. Especially for Gu Yuan, whose spiritual power was strong and senses acute, he regretted his powerful soul for the first time. The original taste was amplified several times over and transmitted to his soul by his tongue.
Clang!
The large bowl hit the floor. Gu Yuan abruptly dashed into his prepared training room, where the floor was covered with thick padding to absorb sound and shock.
A powerful heat erupted from his stomach, surging through his entire body. Instantly, his skin was flushed red by the medicinal strength. Enduring the continuously rising body temperature, Gu Yuan adopted a boxing stance and began practicing Bajiquan.
Hoo... breathe...
Hoo... breathe...
Heavy breathing filled the training room. After a set of boxing, Gu Yuan was drenched in sweat. He now stood in a peculiar posture, which was the standing meditation of Bajiquan.
It was called "Baji Stance": Practitioners of Bajiquan often begin with "Baji Stance," also known as "Gong Jia Quan" (Power Stance Boxing), "Xiao Bajiquan" (Small Bajiquan), or "Xiao Jia Zi" (Small Stance). It is the fundamental skill of Bajiquan, the foundation of the entire art, and also the fastest way to digest medicinal power.
His chest and abdomen slowly and with large movements, rose and fell.
The medicinal power in his abdomen was continuously being digested. The阉割版的吞天噬地 (castrated version of swallowing heaven and earth) began to activate, continuously absorbing the medicinal power and converting it into nutrients. Along with the circulation of blood, it was transported to all parts of the body and then absorbed by the constantly but faintly undulating muscles or tendons. This was Gu Yuan's process of cultivating his physical body.
Through the special prescription, immense medicinal power was generated, which, combined with the stances of Bajiquan for absorption, was used to enhance the physical body.
Hoo!
Gu Yuan slowly exhaled a breath of turbid air and opened his eyes.