"Do you want to learn medical skills?"
Chen Sansi said, "Medicinal materials are too expensive to buy, and I often go hunting in the mountains, so if I learn a bit, I can gather herbs and brew medicine myself, saving silver coins."
"Your thinking is quite idealistic."
The Medical Officer teased, "Ninety-nine percent of the medicinal materials are in the hands of the Martial Arts Hall. Where are you going to find so many wild herbs for yourself? But since you want to learn, I have no objections, just consider it taking on another apprentice to do some work."
"Liu Zi, you first teach Mr. Chen how to identify medicinal materials and explain their uses properly."
Liu Zi was the Medical Officer's son, a successor to his father's profession and also a physician himself.
Many of the positions in the garrison were hereditary.
"Mr. Chen, this herb is called Horse Blood Grass, and it has a blood-nourishing effect, but…"
Liu Zi explained patiently.
The herbs before him quickly matched up with the medical books Chen Sansi had seen.
[Skill: Medical Skill. Mortal (Not Entry-Level)]
[Utility: None for now]
Could there also be "Immortal"?
Chen Sansi was somewhat puzzled.
All the signs now indicated.
This world was definitely not a pure Martial Arts world; it was highly probable that immortals existed as well.
it made sense that Great Ancestor Cao Xie alone faced more than two thousand troops.
But new questions arose.
Why had no such impressive person appeared since then?
when the Old Emperor claimed to have dreamed of an immortal who gave him the seeds of Spiritual Grain, didn't he give him the method to use them? There was still a need to send someone to investigate in Po Yang County City.
Was there a connection between the Immortal Treasure in the hands of the barbarian tribes and the immortal the Old Emperor had dreamed of?
It seems that the barbarians have become bolder in recent years because they have treasures in their possession!
Having an Immortal Treasure could indeed create a large number of high-level martial artists.
After all, Spiritual Grain was everywhere.
only a little was needed to ignite.
Then, add a lot of kindling to maintain the flame, without the need to continue using lamp oil.
The box in his possession would last a long time.
"In the future, I can select some subordinates with good talent, who are worth nurturing, to secretly feed them Spiritual Grain."
"Together with commanding soldiers' skill, in a few years, I will be able to build my own elite force!"
"Unfortunately! The materials are incomplete."
"If I had the Immortal Formula and a container that could withstand the temperature, combined with my medical practice skills."
"Could I perhaps seek the longevity that the Emperor desires?"
The road is long and obstructed!
Chen Sansi sighed deeply.
All these were very distant matters; right now, it was still more urgent to improve his cultivation and prepare for war.
the primary goal was to survive this war.
Otherwise, whatever Immortal Treasure, whatever Selected Point, all would become meaningless!
Helping in the pharmacy until evening, his proficiency increased significantly.
[Skill: Medical Skill. Mortal (Not Entry-Level)]
It was about time, so Chen Sansi packed up his things to go home.
He was utterly penniless.
The toxin in the meridians from the Spiritual Grain and the residue from the supplemental medicines were two different things that could be handled simultaneously.
Unfortunately, he really had no money.
He met the Sun Li siblings just at the entrance to the barracks; they seemed to have just met with Xiang Tingchun and neither looked in good spirits.
Chen Sansi greeted, "Just in time to have dinner at my place."
Sun Li barely had the appetite to lift her chopsticks, "Little junior brother, what do you think about the Household's deployment of troops?"
"I have no particular opinion."
Even if Chen Sansi had an opinion, it wouldn't matter, "The order was issued by the Ministry of War, and I can only obey."
"Junior apprentice-brother has the right attitude, but..."
Sun Li said displeased, "This battle is pointless. The main battlefield is clearly on the Northwest border, in the three states. The rest of the places just need to hold their cities. Why create unnecessary problems?"
"With just a word from the Crown Prince, wouldn't everyone at the bottom scramble to seize the opportunity?"
As Sun Buqi picked at his rice, his voice was muffled, "If we're going to fight, then let's fight. It's not like we haven't fought battles before."
Sun Li ignored him and looked towards the kitchen, "Sister Xin Lan, stop being busy and come eat with us."
She and Gu Xinlan had gotten along very well.
Don't be fooled by Sun Li's fierce saber skills, her efficient and heroic demeanor, or the appearance of a strong woman on the surface.
In fact, she was actually quite interested in embroidery and the like.
In her spare time, she often did needlework with Sister Lan and chatted about household affairs.
It's just that her skills were somewhat lacking.
Chen Sansi had once seen her work, where she held up an embroidered duck but insisted it was a pair of mandarin ducks...
Only Gu Xinlan was both clever and skilled with her hands, prompting Sun Li to seek her guidance even more.
Plus, since Gu was a few years older, she had taken the initiative to address her as sister, without any air of being the daughter of the Governor Mansion.
And Sun Buqi never made others feel as if he was above them.
From this, it was clear the Sun family had excellent teaching and family values.
Sun Li spoke with concern, "What crime did your family commit in the Capital City to be exiled to the border, and to have fallen into the hands of traffickers?"
Chen Sansi had always known that Gu Xinlan was not a country girl.
But her specific background was unclear.
His father had taken a liking to her at first sight because of her attractive appearance and fair skin.
Country children had to work in the fields from a young age; how could they maintain fair skin?
He had not expected she was from the Capital City.
Out of respect, since she never mentioned it, he never asked.
He guessed that Sun Li must have looked into his background and did a check on Sister Lan along the way.
"Little Sister Li, I was too young at that time to remember," replied Gu Xinlan, pursing her lips, "Please let bygones be bygones. As a mere convicted's descendant, I was fortunate to be saved by your father and brought to his home to retain some dignity in living..."
"It was presumptuous of me."
Sun Li apologized, "If Sister Xin Lan doesn't wish to talk about it, I definitely won't ask again."
"Sister, I should head back to the inn first."
Now full from eating and drinking, Sun Buqi put down his chopsticks.
He and his sister had a clear division of labor: one was responsible for watching the city's Martial Arts Hall, and the other was responsible for keeping an eye on the military officers' movements.
Chen Sansi dared not slack off at all. After drinking a bowl of Replenishing Essence Soup, he prepared to practice with his spear.
"Junior apprentice-brother is still drinking Replenishing Essence Soup?"
Seeing that he was short on funds, Sun Li took out a silver note, "I didn't bring much money with me when I left home, but here's three hundred taels. You can use it for now, it should last you a while."
"Isn't this inappropriate?"
Chen Sansi said as he accepted the silver note.
Cultivation levels relate directly to survival.
He couldn't afford to be pretentious.
With these three hundred taels, he could continue to improve his cultivation seamlessly and rapidly.
"Go ahead and practice."
Sun Li stood up, ready to join Sister Lan in the bedroom to study women's needlework.
"Tonight, I still want to trouble you," he said.
"Clang Clang Clang Clang Clang—"
Loud metallic clashing sounds resonated in the courtyard.
Just as he had speculated.
Sparring indeed helped absorb the Spiritual Grain in the meridians, but it was still not enough.
Real combat was necessary.
To put it plainly, it meant killing people, preferably in large numbers.
Unfortunately, where could one find so many people to kill?
Soon, it was the day to carry out the official duties.
Chen Sansi arrived early at the barracks to report, and then, led by Zhao Kang, he took over a hundred men and departed.
From today forth, he would be responsible for guarding the Great Wall in Po Yang County.