6: Chapter 6 Medicinal Cuisine Hall

Snoring filled the communal bunkhouse, but Jiang Hanzhou had no desire to sleep at the moment.

He was thinking about a few things.

With a slight stir in his heart, he looked at his status panel.

In the martial arts section, both "Still Wave Stance" and "Fish Dragon Transformation" had reached the Major Achievement Realm.

This had saved him at least three or four days of effort.

It seemed that Breakthroughs brought by actual combat far exceeded bitter cultivation behind closed doors.

No wonder competitions had always been emphasized; they weren't just to showcase the results of hard training, but were the best proof of practical combat value itself.

"However, I won't have many opportunities for actual combat next."

Jiang Hanzhou felt a bit depressed when he thought about his current status as a Fisherman.

He wanted to join the River Patrol Squad not just to eat meat and practice martial arts, but also to be able to move around freely.

As a Fisherman, he had food and drink in the Water Dock, but to put it bluntly, it was more like being in a prison with only a fixed area of activity.

Jiang Hanzhou didn't even have the right to leave Canglang Water Dock to go for a stroll on the streets.

After all, he had signed a "slave contract" with the Water Dock.

Unless his status changed, he would stay in the Water Dock for the rest of his life.

Therefore, the money he had hidden away currently had no place to be used.

"No, I have to find a way to get rid of this status."

Jiang Hanzhou opened his eyes, and the assessment for the Medicinal Cuisine Hall came to mind.

"According to Zhou Dazui, it will be at least another month before the higher-ups give us another chance to participate in various assessments within the Water Dock."

"So during this month, besides memorizing the 'compendium of one hundred herbs' and the 'record of exotic beasts and spirit fish', I also need to trade with other Fishermen for ordinary Martial Skills to increase the progress of my fate's advancement."

After sorting through his plans in his head, Jiang Hanzhou finally fell asleep amidst the rising and falling snores.

...

The following days were just as ordinary; besides daily fishing, Jiang Hanzhou added practicing martial arts and reading to his routine.

His situation also surprised the others in the communal bunkhouse.

"Wait, Han Zhou, do you really intend to take the exam for that damn Medicinal Cuisine Hall?"

The one asking was a man sleeping in the bunk next to Jiang Hanzhou named Li Tietou. Like his name suggested, he had a straightforward personality and a loud voice.

He was wiping his wet hair with a coarse cloth, having just come up from the river, smelling of moisture and fish.

Jiang Hanzhou closed the "compendium of one hundred herbs" in his hand, which had curled edges and had been soaked and then dried. He nodded and said, "I'll give it a try. It's better than fishing for a lifetime."

There was no need for him to hide while reading; anyway, the others had no interest in such things, and the text just made their heads spin.

"Better how?" another Fisherman who had just lain down chimed in, his voice lazy and tinged with a resigned numbness. "The people in the Medicinal Cuisine Hall are elites, no worse than those in the River Patrol Squad. It's said they're even qualified for the imperial examinations. We're like bedbugs. You think you can get in just by knowing a few words and recognizing a few herbs? Han Zhou, it's not that I'm picking on you, but don't waste your energy. Just fish honestly, save some money, and when you're too old to work, beg the Water Dock for mercy. Maybe you can find a corner outside to wait for death."

These words drew a wave of low murmurs of agreement and sighs in the communal bunkhouse.

Most people here had long ago had their sharp edges worn away by day after day of toil, leaving only obedience to the "rules" and awe of "fate."

Change?

That was something they didn't even dare to think too much about in their dreams.

Jiang Hanzhou didn't argue; he just smiled and lowered his head to continue reading.

The light was dim, and the black smoke from the oil lamp rose in curls, casting flickering shadows on his focused profile.

Li Tietou scratched his head, looked at Jiang Hanzhou, then at the others, and said in a muffled voice, "I think Han Zhou has ambition! What's wrong with trying? If it doesn't work, it's not like you'll lose a piece of flesh! It's better than some people who only know how to lie around like corpses and brag all day!"

His words were pointed, and several people who had just agreed turned their faces away sheepishly.

Days flowed by in this dullness and slight ripples.

On the fifth day, Jiang Hanzhou's "Still Wave Stance" and "Fish Dragon Transformation" reached Perfection. As expected, a sentence flashed in his fate: [You have practiced Still Wave Stance for five years and have finally reached Perfection.]

His fate, however, did not change at all.

But Jiang Hanzhou was not discouraged. Relying on his well-practiced Martial Skills, he exchanged insights with other ambitious people and obtained three more ordinary Martial Skills.

"Wood-Chopping Saber," "Swimming," and "Muddy-Leg Steps."

These were the most basic Martial Skills for physical training, lacking even the ability to mobilize blood and Qi.

Therefore, within this month, he also practiced all of them to Perfection, adding another twenty years to his fate progress.

Time flew, and it was the end of the month.

"Finally finished reading."

Jiang Hanzhou sighed as he closed the "record of exotic beasts and spirit fish," his heart filled with emotion.

He had never worked this hard even in his previous life.

But his gains were also great. From the two books, he not only learned the various effects of medicinal herbs but also the Rank classification of exotic beasts and Spirit Fish. He even gained an understanding of the world's martial arts situation from between the lines.

According to the books, the martial path was divided into the Qi Nurturing Realm, Iron Bone Realm, and Viscera Burning Realm, with a brief mention of a Dragon Elephant Realm later on.

Among them, the Qi Nurturing Realm involved controlling blood and Qi, strengthening and grasping the blood and Qi within the body; at this stage, blood and Qi were considered Qi. By the Iron Bone Realm, the process of blood and Qi tempering the iron bones would cause it to condense into liquid, allowing one to achieve what Boss Hong called condensing force into a single point.

Boss Hong was in the Iron Bone Realm, his bones as hard as iron; an ordinary person would be half-dead just from touching him.

The Viscera Burning Realm involved refining the five viscera and six bowels, like forging gold with intense fire, to stimulate deep-seated potential.

There wasn't much description in the book, but it said that such powerful individuals killed those in the Qi Nurturing Realm as easily as slaughtering chickens.

These descriptions made Jiang Hanzhou even more expectant.

"Next, I'll just wait for news of the assessment." Jiang Hanzhou came back to his senses, exhaled a breath of turbid air, picked up the books, and walked out to return them to Zhou Dazui.

At the same time, he learned from Zhou Dazui that the news of the assessment would be announced tomorrow.

Sure enough, the next day, right after they had handed in their catch and finished eating, Iron Hand Zhang announced the news in the square.

"The higher-ups have pity on you Fishermen. Although you weren't selected for the martial path last time, they've given you two opportunities this time: one is the selection for the Slaughterhouse, and the other is for the Medicinal Cuisine Hall."

Iron Hand Zhang stood on the stage, his gaze scraping over the dense crowd below like a knife.

"The Slaughterhouse wants those with steady strength, great courage, and steady hands. The Medicinal Cuisine Hall wants those with quick minds, sharp eyes, and keen noses. Think clearly about your own worth before coming up to sign."

The square was silent at first, then erupted into a buzzing commotion.

Almost everyone's gaze immediately turned heatedly toward the Slaughterhouse registration area.

"The Slaughterhouse! It's definitely the Slaughterhouse!"

"Nonsense, who doesn't know how to slaughter pigs and fish? The Medicinal Cuisine Hall? Is that for humans? I heard you have to memorize hundreds of herbs, bones, and scales!"

"Exactly. Dealing with those things, if you make one mistake, you won't even know how you died..."

The low-voiced discussions spread like a tide.

Most of the Fishermen's faces were written with the words "as it should be."

To them, slaughtering was a visible and tangible job; as long as one had enough strength and a hard enough heart, it was fine.

But the Medicinal Cuisine Hall was a dangerous, distant world.

The crowd began to surge, almost entirely squeezing toward the table for Slaughterhouse registration.

In contrast, the registration area for the Medicinal Cuisine Hall appeared exceptionally deserted.

Behind that table sat only an elderly man in a gray cloth robe with a lean face. He was unhurriedly fiddling with a brass abacus in his hand, seemingly unconcerned by the lack of visitors.

But just as he struck the abacus, a shadow appeared before him, along with a sentence.

"I want to sign up for the Medicinal Cuisine Hall."

The voice was soft, but it instantly silenced the noisy Slaughterhouse registration area. The rest of the Fishermen all turned their heads together, looking at Jiang Hanzhou in surprise.

Even Iron Hand Zhang showed a look of surprise.