Chapter 4: The Legacy of Cultivation and Healing Arts
“Ugh—”
Before Changxi Hua could even feel pleased about the opportunity she had just gained, the stench clinging to her body—like kitchen waste left out for days in the height of summer—made her gag repeatedly.
At that moment, Madam Yao pushed the door open and entered.
Seeing her mother, Changxi quickly pleaded, “Mother, please ask Sixth Brother to bring me some water. I need to bathe.”
Madam Yao instinctively refused, “Bathe? You have wounds on your body; you can’t—”
She couldn’t finish her sentence because as she drew near, the overwhelming stench made her hold her breath. At the same time, she noticed the grime stuck to Changxi’s body.
“Ninth Miss, what happened to you?”
Worried, Madam Yao hurried out of the room and quickly fetched Hua Minghe, who was resting at home, with Sixth Brother following closely behind.
As soon as Sixth Brother entered, he immediately exclaimed, “Ninth Miss, why do you smell so awful?” while backing toward the door.
Hua Minghe stepped forward to examine Changxi, his expression one of surprise. Then he turned to Sixth Brother and said, “Go fetch some water for your sister.”
Madam Yao hesitated, “But Ninth Miss’s wounds—”
“Mother, it’s fine. My wounds have already scabbed over.” Changxi had already removed the gauze from her wounds.
Madam Yao looked at her daughter’s healing injuries with astonishment. “How did your wounds recover so quickly?”
Hua Minghe pondered for a moment. “It must be the medicinal decoction from the Medical Department.”
The nauseating smell churned in Changxi’s stomach. “Father, Mother, I want to bathe first. We can discuss everything else afterward, alright?”
Madam Yao no longer insisted and quickly sent Sixth Brother to fetch hot water from the front yard.
About ten minutes later, Changxi soaked in the wooden tub, changing the water five times before the foul odor finally disappeared.
“I’m finally alive again.”
...
After changing her clothes, Changxi opened the door.
Immediately, Hua Minghe, Madam Yao, and Sixth Brother came inside.
Sixth Brother circled around Changxi twice. “Father, Ninth Miss looks like she’s undergone a warrior’s body tempering.”
Hua Minghe didn’t oppose the notion but looked puzzled. “Does the Medical Department’s blood tonic also have tempering effects?”
Upon hearing this, Changxi’s eyes flickered.
She felt her condition had little to do with the Medical Department’s decoction but was the result of the fortuitous opportunity she had just acquired.
Yet, she said nothing.
Her intuition warned her that since the demon sorcerer had sacrificed eighty-one people to obtain this chance, it was best to keep it secret.
Sixth Brother circled again. “Ninth Miss, how do you feel now?”
Changxi replied, “I feel clear-headed, and my body feels lighter than usual.”
“That’s tempering for sure.”
Sixth Brother looked at her enviously. “Ninth Miss, you’re so lucky. Do you know it usually costs hundreds of silver taels for a warrior to undergo body tempering?”
“Lucky?!” Madam Yao shot her son a glare. “Your sister has suffered greatly this time.”
Madam Yao looked at her husband. “Minghe, is Ninth Miss really tempered?”
Hua Minghe nodded. “It seems so.”
Madam Yao was astonished. “The Medical Department is so generous—not only did they save her but also tempered her body?”
Hua Minghe explained, “Pharmacist Xu said the True Blood Wood is a new medicinal herb discovered by the Medical Department. Even they might not fully understand its effects.”
---
Taking the opportunity, Changxi interjected, “Father, please don’t tell anyone about this. I don’t want to attract attention. If the Jingzhao Prefecture or the Six Doors find out I’ve been tempered, they might summon me for questioning again.”
Hua Minghe didn’t intend to spread the news and warned Sixth Brother, “Do not tell anyone about your sister’s tempering.”
Madam Yao added, “Even the family shouldn’t mention it. Just a few days ago, Second Sister-in-law was talking about tempering Eighth Brother, but Grandmother refused. If they knew the young lady herself has been tempered, there’d surely be some trouble from their side.”
Fortunately, it was noon, and everyone was taking their siesta, so Ninth Miss’s bathing went unnoticed by the rest of the household.
Hua Minghe was well aware of the family’s financial situation. Even though he, Second Brother, and Fourth Brother worked at the government offices, and the family owned a pharmacy, they simply couldn’t afford to have all the sons undergo tempering and martial training.
Feeling relieved that her family was keeping her tempering a secret, Changxi’s mind drifted to the young lady who had fought fiercely with the red-robed demon sorcerer.
What troubled her most was that the young lady recognized her.
Now that she was alive, if word spread about her tempering, that young lady might suspect she had obtained the red stone’s blessing.
Since the young lady had fought to the death with the demon sorcerer over this chance, if she learned that Changxi possessed it, she might come to kill and seize it.
At that thought, a flicker of doubt crossed Changxi’s eyes.
If the red stone was the source of the blessing, but she had thrown the stone into the lava, how had she gained the chance?
Was it simply because she had touched the red stone?
Changxi was puzzled but grew anxious at the possibility of the young lady coming after her.
Seeing her daughter’s troubled expression, Madam Yao assumed it was due to the injuries and waved Hua Minghe and Sixth Brother away. “Alright, Ninth Miss needs to rest. You two should leave.”
Hua Minghe saw that Changxi was indeed fine and left with Sixth Brother.
Once they were gone, Madam Yao urged Changxi not to sleep yet and hurried to the kitchen, bringing a pot of chicken soup.
“You must be hungry. This is a special chicken soup I made just for you. Eat it while it’s warm.”
Since her daughter was injured, Madam Yao had gone to the market early that morning to buy black-bone chicken and simmered a pot of angelica black-bone chicken soup to nourish her.
Changxi was indeed hungry and began sipping the soup. After a few mouthfuls, she murmured in surprise, “Hmm?”
[Herbal Scripture Notes (Beginner): Tasting Herbs 1/10]
Words appeared before her eyes again.
Changxi had a goji berry in her mouth and forgot to swallow it.
Madam Yao looked puzzled. “What’s wrong? Doesn’t the soup suit your palate?”
Changxi swallowed the goji berry and shook her head quickly. “No, the soup is delicious.” She then picked up a piece of astragalus from the soup and put it in her mouth.
[Herbal Scripture Notes (Beginner): Tasting Herbs 2/10]
She followed with a piece of angelica root.
[Herbal Scripture Notes (Beginner): Tasting Herbs 3/10]
Seeing her daughter eat so heartily, a smile brightened Madam Yao’s face. “Take your time eating. I’ll go tidy the kitchen.”
Changxi nodded absentmindedly.
After sampling all the medicinal ingredients in the soup, the count before her eyes rose to:
[Herbal Scripture Notes (Beginner): Tasting Herbs 8/10]
She was somewhat confused. What kind of blessing had she truly obtained?
[Realm: Qi Refinement Stage 1/1000]
This was clearly a cultivation level.
[Herbal Scripture Notes (Beginner): Tasting Herbs 8/10]
From the wording, it seemed related to medical knowledge.
A cultivation blessing combined with a medical heritage—this opportunity was indeed extraordinary!
---
[Begin Tasting Herbs 8/10]
Only two more ingredients to go.
Curious about what would happen upon tasting all ten, Changxi left her room.
The Hua residence was a two-yard compound.
Facing south, each courtyard was similarly arranged: five main rooms facing north in the main house, with two side rooms; and three rooms on each east and west wing.
The difference was that the first courtyard had three rear rooms facing south, and there was a well in the yard.
The patriarch and matriarch had three sons and one daughter.
The eldest son, Hua Minghe, married Madam Yao and had three sons and two daughters; the second son, Hua Mingang, married Madam Fan and had two sons and two daughters; the daughter, Hua Zhiyan, married into the Shen family and had two sons and two daughters; and the fourth son, Hua Mingcheng, married Madam Liu and had two sons and three daughters.
The first courtyard housed the elders and the eldest branch, with three rear rooms converted into the kitchen, firewood storage, and utility room.
The second courtyard was for the second and fourth branches.
July in the capital was stiflingly hot; at noon, everyone was lethargic and resting indoors, leaving the courtyard silent.
Changxi left her room and headed straight to the northwest corner of the yard.
There, several herb racks stood, drying herbs her eldest brother, Hua Sanlang, had collected from the mountains.
At the racks, Changxi quickly stuffed leaves of perilla and white orchid root into her mouth.
Almost immediately, the words before her eyes changed.
[Herbal Scripture Notes (Beginner): Tasting Herbs 10/10]
The moment the words shifted, a clear, ethereal voice echoed in her mind.
“The Herbal Scripture Notes: Ordinary Plants chapter unlocked.”
Suddenly, her head felt swollen, and in an instant, a wealth of traditional medicinal knowledge flooded her mind.
This knowledge encompassed not only plants but also animals and minerals, complete with illustrations, detailing properties, toxicities, and effects.
Now, she felt as if she had instantly memorized dozens of books on herbal medicine, imprinting all the knowledge into her brain.
Changxi was tongue-tied; this method of inheriting medical knowledge was truly miraculous.
After digesting the medicinal knowledge, she realized it covered not only what she had learned in her past life but also the herbs used by warriors in this life, many of which she had never known.
Among them was the description of True Blood Wood.
True Blood Wood, ordinary plants—blood tonic and restorative—an essential herb for common people’s blood replenishment and a must-have for body tempering warriors.
“Ordinary Plants chapter...”
What other chapters would follow?
...
[Realm: Qi Refinement Stage 1/1000]
[Herbal Scripture Notes (Beginner): Tasting Herbs 10/10]
Cultivation and medical inheritance...
Previously, Changxi was already amazed to know there were martial arts masters in this world; now, cultivation and inheritances had also appeared.
So exactly what kind of world had she transmigrated into?