2: Chapter 2 Prescriptions

Early the next morning, Ning Yuan went to town.

Pingan County was a small county town. Its busiest street was only a hundred paces long, lined with a few shops selling daily necessities, cloth, grain, and oil.

The pharmacy was at the end of the street. The shopkeeper, surnamed He, was an old man in his sixties. It was said he had studied medicine in the state capital in his youth before returning to Pingan County to open this pharmacy.

"Shopkeeper He, please fill a few doses of medicine for me." Ning Yuan handed over the written prescription.

Shopkeeper He took the prescription, squinted at it, and looked somewhat surprised: "Brother Ning, where did this prescription come from? The compatibility is very particular; it is an excellent prescription for regulating a woman's cold womb."

Ning Yuan's heart skipped a beat.

The System's Pill Formula was indeed extraordinary; even an old doctor like Shopkeeper He praised it.

"It's a prescription I had someone fetch from the state capital to help regulate my wife's health," Ning Yuan said.

Shopkeeper He nodded, personally prepared three doses of medicine for Ning Yuan, and instructed: "Boil three bowls of water down to one. Take it once in the morning and once in the evening for seven consecutive days. If it's effective after seven days, come back for three more doses."

"Thank you, Shopkeeper He."

Ning Yuan paid the silver and walked home carrying the medicine bag.

As he passed the town entrance, he saw a middle-aged man in gray Daoist robes preaching to a group of people. The man had a ruddy complexion and steady breathing; one look was enough to tell he was no ordinary person.

"It's Immortal Master Zhou!" someone nearby whispered.

Ning Yuan paused and took a few extra looks.

Immortal Master Zhou was the Qi Refining Stage Cultivator from Qingyun Temple, considered a god-like figure in Pingan County. It was said his Cultivation had reached the fifth level of the Qi Refining Stage and that he could control a Flying Sword to slay demons.

At this moment, Immortal Master Zhou was lecturing on some "method of sensing Spiritual Qi," and the surrounding crowd was listening with fascination, but Ning Yuan knew that none of them could truly Cultivate.

Those with a real Spiritual Root had long since been taken away by the major Sects; how could they possibly remain in a small place like Pingan County?

Ning Yuan did not linger and turned to head home.

His most important task now was to brew the medicine properly so his wife could conceive as soon as possible.

The System had said the reward for the first child would be the Pill Formula for the marrow cleansing pill and a Cultivation Technique; these were the things he truly needed.

Back home, Ning Yuan personally cooked the medicine for his wife.

He boiled three bowls of water down to one. The resulting medicinal broth was pitch black and smelled bitter.

Mrs. Lin took the medicine bowl, looked at the pitch-black liquid, and without even frowning, drank it down.

"Is it bitter?" Ning Yuan asked.

"Not bitter." Mrs. Lin set down the bowl and wiped the corner of her mouth. "Husband, how much did this medicine cost?"

"Not much. Just drink it with peace of mind."

Mrs. Lin lowered her head and said softly: "Husband, if this medicine is useless... don't waste any more silver. Let's save up some money, and you can take a concubine..."

"There you go again." Ning Yuan waved his hand. "Just focus on resting and getting your health back. Don't think about anything else."

For the next seven days, Ning Yuan brewed the medicine for Mrs. Lin every day and watched her take it on time.

By the seventh day, Mrs. Lin's complexion had improved significantly; her formerly pale face now had a healthy flush, and her hands and feet were no longer as cold as before.

"Husband, this medicine is really useful!" Mrs. Lin said with pleasant surprise. "I feel much warmer!"

Ning Yuan was also very happy.

The System's Pill Formula was indeed effective.

He went back to town to get seven more days of medicine and had Mrs. Lin continue taking it.

Half a month later, Mrs. Lin's body had completely recovered. Her complexion was ruddy, she was full of energy, and she looked several years younger.

"Husband, I feel... I should be able to conceive now," Mrs. Lin said, blushing.

Ning Yuan laughed.

That night, the two had a rare moment of intimacy.

A month later.

"Husband, my... it didn't come this month," Mrs. Lin said in a low voice, her face filled with incredulous surprise.

Ning Yuan was chopping wood in the courtyard. When he heard this, the axe nearly struck his foot.

"What did you say?"

"I said, my period didn't come this month!" Mrs. Lin's voice trembled with tears. "I went to have Shopkeeper He check my pulse today, and he said... he said it was a pulse of pregnancy!"

Ning Yuan stood frozen in place, the axe in his hand clattering to the ground.

Pregnant? Was she really pregnant?!

"Husband? Husband!" Mrs. Lin saw him dazed and hurriedly nudged him.

Ning Yuan came to his senses, pulled Mrs. Lin into a hug, and laughed heartily.

After laughing for a long while, he released Mrs. Lin and looked at her still-flat belly, his eyes filled with excitement.

After twenty years of Transmigration, he was finally going to have a child of his own!

And more importantly, the moment this child was born would be the moment his destiny truly changed!

The Pill Formula for the marrow cleansing pill, the Cultivation Technique, and those medicinal ingredients—with these, he could transform from a useless person who could not Cultivate into a real Cultivator!

"Husband, what's wrong?" Mrs. Lin was startled by his reaction.

"It's nothing, I'm just happy!" Ning Yuan composed himself and helped Mrs. Lin sit down. "From today on, you don't need to do anything. Just focus on the pregnancy. I'll handle the chores; just tell me whatever you want to eat."

Mrs. Lin was a bit overwhelmed by his sudden attentiveness. "Husband, there's no need for that... When my mother was pregnant with my younger brother, she was still working in the fields the day before she gave birth."

"That's other families; our Ning Family is different," Ning Yuan said seriously. "To our Ning Family, the child in your belly is more important than anything."

Although Mrs. Lin didn't quite understand, seeing her husband so happy made her happy as well.

In the following days, Ning Yuan took meticulous care of Mrs. Lin.

He did the field work, cooked, and washed clothes, not letting Mrs. Lin do any heavy labor. Although the Family wasn't wealthy, he found ways to make delicious meals for her, and there was chicken, duck, fish, or meat on the table every few days.

The neighbors all said Ning Yuan was a good husband, and Mrs. Lin felt she had married the right man.

But only Ning Yuan knew that he did this not just because he was looking forward to the child, but because the System had given him hope.

This child was the first step in changing his destiny.

If the first step went wrong, he would truly have no hope in this life.

Nine months later, on a late autumn night.

"Ah—!"

Mrs. Lin's pained cries came from the delivery room. Ning Yuan stood outside the door, pacing anxiously.

The midwife was Midwife Sun, the most experienced in the village, who had been delivering babies for decades. But this was Mrs. Lin's first child, and she was on the older side, so the labor was not smooth.

"Push! Push! The head is already visible!" Midwife Sun's voice came from inside the room.

Mrs. Lin's screams grew more and more agonizing, and Ning Yuan's palms were slick with sweat.

Having lived two lives, this was his first time becoming a father.

The feeling was strange—a mix of anticipation and fear.

"Waaaah—!"

A loud cry from an infant pierced the silence of the night.

Ning Yuan's heart gave a sudden jolt.

"Congratulations, Master Ning! It's a big, healthy boy!" Midwife Sun walked out of the delivery room holding a wrinkled infant, beaming. "Both mother and child are safe!"

Ning Yuan tremblingly took the child.

It was small, soft, and wrinkled, with its eyes still closed, but its cry was surprisingly loud.

This was his child.

His first child.

At that very moment, that familiar mechanical voice rang in his mind—

"Ding! Congratulations to the host for the birth of your first heir!"

"Reward issued: one Pill Formula for the marrow cleansing pill, ten portions of century-old medicinal ingredients for the marrow cleansing pill, and one basic Cultivation Technique, the Pure Yang Technique."

"Detected host Spiritual Root Aptitude: Low-grade Mixed Spiritual Root."

"After using the marrow cleansing pill, it can be upgraded to Medium Mixed Spirit Root."

"Please continue to work hard, expand your lineage as soon as possible, and strengthen the Family!"

A massive stream of information poured into Ning Yuan's mind.

The Pill Formula for the marrow cleansing pill, the dosage of every medicinal ingredient, and the heat required for every step were clearly engraved in his memory. Simultaneously, a Cultivation Technique called the Pure Yang Technique also entered his mind, containing everything from the method of guiding Qi into the body to the cultivation method for the ninth level of the Qi Refining Stage.

Ning Yuan closed his eyes, absorbing the information in his mind, his body trembling slightly.

Twenty years.

After twenty years of Transmigration, he had finally obtained his own Cultivation Technique!

"Husband? Husband?" Mrs. Lin's weak voice came from the delivery room.

Ning Yuan came to his senses and walked into the delivery room with the child.

Mrs. Lin lay on the bed, pale, her hair soaked with sweat, but a happy smile on her face.

"Let me see the child."

Ning Yuan placed the child beside her. Mrs. Lin looked down at the wrinkled little face, and tears welled up in her eyes.

"He looks like you," she said softly.

"Nonsense, he's so wrinkled, how can you tell who he looks like?" Ning Yuan smiled and took her hand. "You've worked hard."

"It wasn't hard," Mrs. Lin shook her head. "Husband, we have a child."

"Yes, we do."

Ning Yuan looked down at the baby in his arms, his gaze gradually becoming firm.

This was just the beginning.

His destiny, and the destiny of the Ning Family, would all start from this child and change completely.

"What is the child's name?" Mrs. Lin asked.

Ning Yuan was silent for a moment, then said slowly, "Ning Changqing. The 'Chang' of long-lasting, the 'Qing' of the chancellor."