The next week went by in a blur. I secluded myself in one of the upper floors of the building so that I could carry out my experiments.

  For now that consisted of simply consuming the myriad pills, herbs, and other remedies I’d acquired during my shopping trip. The reason it took me so long simply to eat a bunch of pills was that I was forced to slow down and begin taking comprehensive notes around three days in.

  Similarities between the various healing remedies began to correlate and I wanted to ensure that I didn’t miss anything. My mind was sharper, faster, and processed information far better since my consecutive breakthroughs, but writing things down remained a potent method of spotting connections one may have missed in their head.

  Eventually I figured out some patterns and made connections between different remedies. While there were many differences between the various creations of the dozens of alchemists and herbalists in the city, there were underlying rules that must govern their creation.

  Two things remained almost identical in every single pill, salve or tonic that I tried. They all contained an ingredient called Rejuvenating Spirit Grass and they all contained at least as much energy as a single drop of my qi.

  That wasn’t a reliable measure of their potency, as other cultivator’s qi could be more or less dense than my own. I suppose it would have to suffice for now. Until I had a reason to share my discoveries and research with others there was no need for a standard measure of energy.

  This was of course different when it came to the raw herbs and some of the more esoteric remedies that I’d acquired. Herbs hadn’t been processed, possessing medicinal spiritual energy in its purest form.

  While the healing effects of the raw herbs was worse than the refined pills or concocted herbal remedies, the effect they had on my physique was more pronounced. I’d actually made a minor amount of progress in refining my heart.

  Only around one or two percent, but progress was progress. I exhaled, rubbing my eyes. I was tired. Even at my realm of cultivation, going a week without sleep was intensive. Especially while focusing my mind the entire time.

  Before having a rest however, I wanted to eat. It wasn’t a necessity, but more of a ritual to keep me grounded the further I strayed from humanity. Cultivation gave me superhuman strength, reflexes, and vitality, but also left me feeling less human than before.

  I looked inside the spatial storage bag, realising there were only the three jars of herbal remedies and the ten year vital spikeroot I’d purchased from granny Yu. I would analyse them after I’d eaten and then move onto the next stage of my experiments.

  Exiting the stuffy room I’d been in all week was like taking the first breath of spring air, rejuvenating me. I’d felt rather nauseous due to all the toxins present in the cheap healing pills I’d bought.

  The quality of healing available in Three River City was shocking. These alchemists were charging exorbitant prices for shoddy products. Whether that was simply because they lacked the skill to make anything better and this was the norm or this city in particular had an issue I wouldn’t know unless I explored the world further.

  For now I would have to be satisfied with bringing my own higher quality products into the market. This would benefit the citizens and my own wallet, as well as give me a foundation in alchemy.

  With my Fivefold Medicine Forge Physique, the pill toxins did not seem to affect me. Rather than build up and form impurities in my body, my refined stomach separated the toxins as a strand of purplish-black goop.

  The first time it happened I’d been quite shocked. My body attempted to expel the strand of toxins but the void within my dantian burst to life and devoured it whole. Nothing had come of the constant devouring of the pill toxins yet, but I would keep watch and pray it didn’t suddenly fill me with some kind of super toxin.

  Walking down the stairs I smelled a tantalising meaty aroma from the kitchen. It seemed like my timing was perfect as I walked in on Xiao Cui cooking while humming to herself.

  “That smells incredible, little Cui,” I said, startling her as I entered the kitchen.

  She yelped and almost dropped the knife she was holding, but caught it in a rather elegant display of acrobatics. For a mortal she was rather flexible.

  It was a shame there was no way to turn her into a cultivator. There would come a time where we would have to part ways, but I would do my best to teach her what I could and enjoy these moments until that day came.

  Then again, nothing was impossible. My own path of cultivation proved that, so I would keep an open mind. Such a mindset was important as a doctor. If one stubbornly refused to accept new discoveries they would never advance their own abilities and the field of healing as a whole.

  “Master! You scared me,” she exclaimed, continuing to chop the spring onions on the wooden board. “However, you’re just in time for dinner. The village head and I were worried you would never leave that room.”

  “Oh? I did warn you I would need some time to experiment,” I chuckled, leaning over the pot and inhaling deeply of the rich aroma.

  “You did, but a week? You look like you haven’t slept at all. Did you even eat?” she scolded, pushing me away from the pot as she tossed the spring onions in.

  “I didn’t sleep or eat. To be honest, I believe I soon won’t have any need to do either,” I replied and she raised an eyebrow.

  “Really? Cultivators are strange.”

  “Indeed they are. I didn’t know you could cook.”

  “My mother taught me a little when I was in the village, but I’ve been practising over the past week. While I was creating my remedy for the women I experimented with a lot of herbs and spices and managed to pick some things up,” she explained, tossing a handful of chopped herbs into the pot and placing the lid on. “It will be a few more minutes.”

  I walked over to the wooden dining table, where the village head was leaning back with a pained expression on his face. A half drunk cup of tea sat on the table in front of him.

  “What’s wrong, village head?” I asked.

  “You both keep calling me that. I don’t deserve the title. Nine Paddy Village is no more. I failed to protect it,” he sighed, reaching for the tea and then pulling his hand back. “That bastard City Lord Teng, how can he slaughter his own people without reprise!? Does the Cloudy Falls Sect not care about us lowly mortals?”

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  I empathised with his feelings but I had a slightly different perspective. Perhaps my cultivation was already shaping my thoughts but when you knew you would outlive everyone around you as well as two generations of their descendants a level of detachment had already appeared.

  “I wouldn’t say they don’t care, but cultivators have different priorities. If they spent all their time tracking down every corrupt city official in their lands and purging them, they would have no time to do anything else. Mortal affairs and the business of cultivators are separate, in their mind. Perhaps it is the wrong way of doing things, but it seems to be the only way they know,” I replied.

  There was certainly a middle ground to be struck. I fell on neither side, still a stranger in this world and coming to grips with the culture and my own path. I still felt human for the most part, but from my first breath in this world I had been more than that, starting a second life already in Middle stage Body Tempering.

  “You are right. Power is what matters in this corrupt empire. The village was wiped out because I was powerless. That spirit bear fought bravely, but the city lord sent a powerful contingent of guards. They used poison and strange creatures. The villagers turned on each other, brothers killing brothers and fathers killing sons. It was a nightmare come to life. If I was stronger…” the village head clutched his temple, a tear falling from his eye as a silent fury burned within.

  “Dwelling on these thoughts will only breed resentment and suffering, Village Head. Think of the future. Xiao Cui still lives and so do you. The spirit of Nine Paddy Village will never be snuffed out as long as you forge ahead. Those who did this to you will pay, that I promise.”

  He wiped away the tear and nodded, downing the rest of his tea in a single gulp. “You are right, Cultivator Zhao. Thank you for snapping this old fool out of his misery. However, do not throw away your own bright future for our sakes. You have your own path,” he said, clamping a hand on my shoulder.

  “Grandpa, if I didn’t stand up for the pair of you, how could I look myself in the eye. I am a man who values the sanctity of life. Such wanton cruelty cannot go unpunished. I made an oath to uproot infection and disease wherever I found it and in this city there is a cancer most foul. I shall remove it before it can spread.”

  “As long as you stay true to yourself, then I shall support you from here, Cultivator Zhao,” he replied, sitting back in his chair.

  “Enough of that nonsense, grandpa. Let’s eat,” said Xiao Cui cheerily as she carried two steaming bowls of noodle soup to the table, placing them in front of the village head and myself.

  I let the meaty aroma wash over me, the golden broth sparkling in the candlelight. Taking my chopsticks, I lifted some noodles to my mouth, blowing once to cool them down before tasting.

  Powerful umami and a kick of ginger and chilli exploded across my mouth, the freshly pulled noodles balancing it all out. The broth was rich and meaty, the herbs and spices combined brilliantly.

  “Delicious. You’ve outdone yourself, little Cui,” I said, smiling along with her when she beamed at my compliment.

  “Indeed, wonderful as always, Cui’er,” the village head added, already reaching for a second mouthful.

  She brought a third bowl for herself and sat down beside me, digging in immediately with gusto. We ate in relative silence, save for the sounds of slurping and the occasional satisfied moan.

  I finished the bowl and raised it to my lips, downing the rest of the soup. I exhaled, leaning back in my chair and patting my stomach. “That was exactly what I needed.”

  I didn’t really need to eat, but there was something spiritual about the ritual of a meal. The human connection and shared joy. That was healing for the soul.

  I felt a warmth in my stomach from the soup, my body already breaking the food down into energy and wasting nothing. Actually, I hadn’t needed to urinate or defecate since… I couldn’t even remember how long. Most likely since I’d reached the Qi Gathering Realm.

  Not everything about cultivation was vicious or brutal. We conversed for a few hours after that, well into the late evening. The village head no longer had an air of gloomy suffering about him and Xiao Cui had a sparkle in her eyes that hadn’t been present since she’d heard about the death of her parents and the destruction of Nine Paddy Village.

  As I returned to my room, I thought back to what the village head had told me about the attack on Nine Paddy Village. He said the soldiers fought using strange creatures and poison.

  At the time I’d brushed over it, preferring to comfort the man rather than dwell on the events of the past. However, the more I thought about it the less it made sense.

  The city lord’s guards didn’t use poison. Whatever I felt about Captain Kang, he wasn’t the kind of man to fight with such underhanded methods. This whole time I’d blamed the city lord for the destruction of the village, but things were perhaps more complicated than they seemed.

  However, I had little information to work with. Ruminating on these matters would only bring distress to the village head and little Cui. For now, my priority was to finish my experiment and work on a healing product.

  Once I’d accomplished that I could turn my focus to uncovering the city lord’s plots and punishing the bastard who’d harmed Xiao Cui. Only then could I feel unfettered by the events of the past.

  There was also the matter of Councillor Gao. He held a potent grudge against me, blaming me for the death of his relative.

  While it had been the spirit bear who killed him, I was somewhat to blame. I had incited the bear to defend the village and hadn’t made a move to stop it when it slaughtered the guards.

  I would find out the truth when I confronted City Lord Teng and Councillor Gao in the palace. All in time.

  Entering my room, I sat down on the wooden floor and entered a meditative pose, taking a few deep breaths to calm my thoughts and centre myself. It was time to use Granny Yu’s healing tonics and then the ten year vital spikeroot.

  After all her bluster and attitude, it would be quite hilarious if her remedies turned out to be just as shoddy as the rest of the products I’d tested. I was being harsh of course, as a few of the healing pills and salves were decent considering the ingredients used and the skill of the alchemists and herbalists who’d created them. However, they still overcharged for those average products which I couldn’t abide.

  I had three jars of the tonic, but I would likely only need to drink one in order to figure out the composition and effects. Uncorking the jar, I downed it in one gulp and let the cooling tonic wash down my gullet.

  It was difficult to test the healing effects when I wasn’t injured, but almost immediately the names of herbs and flowers appeared in my mind. Surprisingly, only a couple droplets of toxins were present in the tonic. Granny Yu hadn’t been boasting about the quality of her remedies.

  I noticed two major differences between her tonic and similar products I’d tested from other herbalists. Hers contained an ingredient I’d never encountered before—Powdered Stone-Ape Scales.

  Thinking back to those vicious and mischievous monkeys in the Jagged Sword Mountains, I compared that with the wrinkly, unassuming figure of Granny Yu. Was the old herbalist a secret master?

  I shook my head. Surely not. Some wandering cultivators may have acquired the scales and sold them to her no doubt.

  The other difference was that she didn’t include an ingredient that had been present in almost all the other tonics—Rejuvenating Spirit Grass. I wondered why, but didn’t have the knowledge to understand.

  Rather than waste the other two tonics, I believed I needed to return to Granny Yu’s Blossom Parlour for answers. Maybe she could even be the one to teach me the foundational knowledge to begin preparing my own remedies.

  With that settled, there was only one item remaining in my storage bag that I had yet to test. The ten year vital spikeroot.

  I took out the spiky herb, inspecting its spiny body and giving it an experimental sniff. It had little odour, only a faint earthy scent that tingled my nostrils. Without delay, I snapped off a piece and tossed it into my mouth.

  The spines scratched at my throat as I swallowed, but my sturdy body resisted. I imagined anyone below High stage Body Tempering would be sliced open trying to ingest this herb.

  It settled into my stomach and I waited for it to be broken down and analysed. For a moment, nothing happened.

  I frowned, wondering if I’d run out of an unknown source of energy or stamina that drove the process. A breath later, my stomach lurched and I felt a familiar sensation; a sensation I’d only experienced once before.