34: Chapter 34 Second-Rank Pharmacist

When he returned to the Canglang Water Dock, it was already afternoon.

Jiang Hanzhou first returned to his apothecary room, took out the Red-Eyed Blood Tiger hide, claws, and spine from his pack, and hid them securely in a secret compartment under his bed.

After confirming everything was in order, he changed into a clean grey cloth robe and set off for the Medicinal Cuisine Hall.

As soon as he stepped into the familiar, herb-scented courtyard of the Medicinal Cuisine Hall, he saw Pharmacist Qu Fengchun standing under the veranda with his hands behind his back, supervising several apprentices drying medicinal herbs.

Hearing footsteps, Pharmacist Qu Fengchun turned his head, and seeing it was Jiang Hanzhou, a gentle smile appeared on his face.

"Han Zhou? You're back? I haven't seen you around for a while; where have you been?"

Jiang Hanzhou took a few steps forward and bowed respectfully: "Steward Qu."

He looked up, his face showing just the right amount of dust and fatigue typical of a young man returning from training, yet his eyes remained clear.

"Disciple felt that my medical skills had reached a Bottleneck. Just staying in the hall preparing medicine and reading prescriptions, I always felt something was missing. So, I thought I would go out for a walk, see the hardships of the common people, treat patients, and incidentally study some new paths for medicinal cuisine and dietary supplements."

Hearing this, a flash of approval crossed Pharmacist Qu Fengchun's eyes as he stroked his beard and nodded: "Hmm, not bad. In the path of medicine, working behind closed doors is indeed a great taboo. By seeing more cases and experiencing the conditions of the people, one can gain understanding through analogy. To have such Comprehension Ability at your age is rare."

He paused and added: "Judging by your complexion, you've gained quite a lot from this trip? Have you encountered any difficult or complicated illnesses?"

"I did have some experiences." Jiang Hanzhou's tone was calm, as if he were truly a young apothecary humbly seeking advice, "When practicing medicine in several villages, I saw that many commoners had a Physique that was weak and cold, with a deficiency in Qi and blood, making the winter particularly hard to endure. The Qi and Blood Soup we keep in stock at the hall is good, but its medicinal properties are a bit strong, and the cost is high, so ordinary families cannot afford it. As for medicinal cuisine for Martial Artists, I pondered whether I could improve a formula to make the medicinal properties milder and the price more accessible."

Pharmacist Qu Fengchun's eyes lit up: "Oh? You've researched one?"

Jiang Hanzhou smiled slightly, took out a slightly worn piece of paper he had prepared beforehand from his bosom, and handed it over with both hands: "Please take a look, Steward Qu. I call this recipe 'Warm Sun Broth'. It uses several common warming and nourishing herbs, combined with special proportions and brewing techniques. It focuses on gentle nourishment rather than harsh supplementation, making it suitable for daily health maintenance. The cost is less than seventy percent of the Qi and Blood Soup."

Pharmacist Qu Fengchun took the paper and looked at it intently. At first, his expression was normal, but the more he read, the more his eyebrows rose, and the look of surprise in his eyes deepened.

His fingers tapped unconsciously on the paper, and he murmured the names and quantities of several herbs, seemingly rapidly deducing the medicinal compatibility in his mind.

After a long time, he let out a long breath, looked up at Jiang Hanzhou, his eyes filled with undisguised appreciation and surprise.

"Wonderful! Truly wonderful!" Pharmacist Qu Fengchun clapped his hands in admiration, "Using affordable 'Red Ginseng Tendrils' to replace the expensive 'Old Mountain Ginseng', supplemented with 'Goji Berries' and 'Longan Meat' to warm the middle and harmonize the stomach, and using 'Ginger' and 'Brown Sugar' as a guide to harmonize all the herbs and stimulate warming properties without drying... The arrangement of the herbs is exquisite! What is even more rare is the grasp of the brewing heat, 'First martial fire, then civil fire, then martial fire again to set the paste'... Such a technique, even an old apothecary who has been immersed in medicinal cuisine for many years might not be able to think of it so thoroughly!"

He shook the recipe in his hand, looked at Jiang Hanzhou, and sighed with emotion: "Han Zhou, you have truly given this old man a big surprise! Although this 'Warm Sun Broth' is not of a high Rank, being only a Yellow Rank Low Grade medicinal cuisine, its conception is ingenious and highly universal. If promoted, who knows how many Martial Artists it could benefit! The value of this recipe far exceeds its Rank!"

Jiang Hanzhou appropriately showed a modest expression: "Steward Qu is too kind. Disciple is merely standing on the shoulders of predecessors and happened to gain some insights."

"No need to be too modest!" Pharmacist Qu Fengchun waved his hand, his expression serious, "The path of medicinal cuisine is so difficult to innovate. That you can have such creative insights shows your talent and dedication."

He pondered for a moment, then suddenly said: "With your current abilities, remaining in the position of a Third-Rank Apothecary is a waste of talent. I will report to the main hall and promote you to a Second-Rank Apothecary! Your monthly salary will double, you can independently cook and prepare higher-grade medicinal cuisine, and you can also apply to use most of the medicinal herb inventory in the hall."

Jiang Hanzhou was slightly stunned upon hearing this.

Second-Rank Apothecary?

He had taken out this improved "Warm Sun Broth" recipe with the intention of finding a reasonable excuse to explain his recent whereabouts, and incidentally to show his value slightly, to solidify his position in the Medicinal Cuisine Hall, and to make it easier to obtain resources.

He didn't expect that Pharmacist Qu Fengchun would directly promote him!

At the Canglang Water Dock, the hierarchy of apothecaries is strict.

A Second-Rank Apothecary is already a mid-level backbone of the hall, with a status far exceeding that of an ordinary apothecary, and the resources and authority they can access are greatly increased.

This was truly an unexpected joy.

"This... Disciple's qualifications are still shallow, I fear I may struggle to convince others..." Jiang Hanzhou's tone carried a perfectly measured hesitation.

Pharmacist Qu Fengchun was unquestionable: "Qualifications are earned through time, but talent cannot be hidden. Your 'Warm Sun Broth' recipe is the best qualification! Rest assured, I still have some influence in the main hall; leave this matter to me. At the latest, within half a month, the appointment will come down."

He patted Jiang Hanzhou on the shoulder with a kind smile: "Work hard, Han Zhou. The future of the Medicinal Cuisine Hall may well rest on you young people."

"Thank you for your cultivation, Steward Qu!" Jiang Hanzhou bowed respectfully, his tone sincere.

Pharmacist Qu Fengchun nodded with satisfaction, gave a few more instructions regarding the precautions after the promotion, and then walked hurriedly toward the back hall with the "Warm Sun Broth" recipe, apparently in a hurry to write the report document.

Jiang Hanzhou watched him leave, then turned and walked toward his usual medicine preparation room.

The room was still neat and tidy, as he had organized it well before he left.

The air was filled with the faint lingering fragrance of medicinal herbs.

He stood quietly for a moment, feeling the mysterious sensation of the round blood pellet slowly rotating within his body and the dao bone faintly appearing, a subtle contrast to the ordinary medicine room.

Night fell quickly.

Jiang Hanzhou finished his daily routine work and returned to his room.

He closed the door, shutting out the sounds of the outside world.

He sat cross-legged on the bed, not immediately starting to Cultivate, but first settled his mind and carefully perceived his own condition.

Viscera Burning Realm initial stage, blood pellet stable, Qi and blood flowing like mercury, vigorous and surging, far exceeding those of the same Rank.

The dao bone had initially formed; although it was only the beginning of the Foundation, the seven-colored glow was still faint, yet it had already caused the texture of his entire body's bones to undergo an essential transformation, becoming indestructible, and even faintly producing a subtle resonance with the Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi.

The Dragon Subduing and Tiger Taming Skill as a Earth Rank Low Grade Cultivation Technique, the Dragon Subduing and Tiger Taming Skill had huge potential. Now that he had only just entered the threshold, it had already brought about such changes.

If he could Cultivate it to Major Achievement, or even Perfection...

Jiang Hanzhou opened his eyes, his gaze falling on the panel that seemed to exist in the void.

【fate: Late Bloomer (Rank 4)】

【Next Rank requires accumulating 3,000 years of "Martial Arts Comprehension". Current progress: 0 / 3000 years】

Three thousand years.

A daunting number.

But he felt no fear; instead, a strong sense of anticipation arose.

The Comprehension Ability and Aptitude brought by the Rank 4 fate had already reborn him.

If he were to advance to Rank 5, what would that look like?

"It seems I must go to the black market again."

Jiang Hanzhou calculated in his heart.

Although he had mastered most of the thirty-seven Yellow Rank Martial Skills in the Jade Slip given by Shen Hongxiu, there were still many he had not yet touched.

The black market was a mix of fish and dragons, and the sources of the Martial Skills were diverse. Although they were not high in Rank, and many were incomplete or crude, they had the advantage of being numerous and varied in type.

For him, who needed a massive accumulation of "Martial Arts Comprehension" to progress his fate, it was the perfect place to strike gold.

"Besides, the weapon should also be changed."

He picked up the black water-dividing thorn that had been with him for a long time by the bed.

The body of the thorn already had many tiny cracks, and the tip was worn down quite a bit.

Although it was still sharp, after experiencing battles with Over-River Dragon, the Red-Eyed Blood Tiger, and even Old Ghost Yin Bone, especially when he fully activated his Qi and blood to perform the Dragon Subduing and Tiger Taming Skill, this water-dividing thorn made of ordinary iron was already somewhat unable to bear the load.

After all, it was only forged from ordinary steel. It was fine for dealing with ordinary Martial Artists or wild beasts, but when facing true experts or exotic beasts, it proved insufficient.

Although he had not studied the weapons of this world in depth, he roughly knew their Ranks.

The most common ones were ordinary iron weapons, which could be seen everywhere in sword shops.

Above that were "hundred-refined" weapons, made by repeatedly folding and forging special steel more than a hundred times. They were tough and sharp, could better carry a Martial Artist's Qi and blood, and were expensive, usually costing hundreds of taels of silver.

Above "hundred-refined" were "thousand-forged" weapons, with more complex craftsmanship and rarer Materials. They contained a trace of spirituality, had a significant boost to Qi and blood, were worth a thousand gold, and were often priceless and hard to find.

As for "spirit weapon", that was already a legendary object, containing spiritual charm, capable of connecting with a Martial Artist's mind, and unleashing incredible power. It could not be obtained without great Opportunity and great power.

"Let's first get a hundred-refined short weapon." Jiang Hanzhou weighed the water-dividing thorn in his hand, "A thorn, a short sword, or a dagger will all do. Thousand-forged weapons are hard to come by, and spirit weapons are certainly not within reach at this stage. Hundred-refined is enough."

He now had nearly two thousand taels of silver notes, accumulated from Over-River Dragon, He Yunqi, Old Ghost Yin Bone, and the black market exchange.

Purchasing a few Yellow Rank Martial Skills and adding a hundred-refined short weapon should be more than enough.

Having made up his mind, Jiang Hanzhou did not delay.

He changed into a black night-walking suit, packed the necessary items, covered his face with a mask, and pushed open the back window.

The moonlight was like water, pouring into the courtyard.

His figure flickered, and like a night owl, he silently merged into the darkness, speeding toward the direction of the dock.

Familiar with the path, he untied the rope and poled the boat.

The small boat broke through the calm river surface, speeding toward the small island of the black market hidden in the night and fog.