Chapter Ten: Nourishing Essence Decoction

Almost instinctively, Chen Yushu’s gaze fell upon his attribute panel.

Name: Chen Yushu
Age: Twelve
Martial Arts: King of Medicine Stance: Not Initiated
Skills:
Reading: Clarity (72/200), Calligraphy: Self-Expression (79/100), Throwing: Beginner (18/100),
...

“There really is a change on the attribute panel. There’s even a separate section now, directly indicating the ‘Martial Arts’ category. Although the only entry is the ‘King of Medicine Stance,’ it is, without a doubt, a genuine martial art. However, there’s no corresponding experience bar—could it be because I haven’t even reached the introductory stage yet?”

Chen Yushu’s eyes flickered. Though still somewhat puzzled, his heart brimmed with joy.

“Next comes the second form. The breathing technique for the second form is slightly different, especially when transitioning between movements—your breath shifts from slow to rapid...”

Qian Qian explained as he spoke, occasionally striking Lu Liang and Xue Ming on their bodies. Each strike produced a muffled sound, and with every touch, their movements and breathing became more precise and regulated.

This was the art of transmitting force through the air—using energy to guide and correct their movements and breathing rhythms. This was the true reason why his instruction was so valuable.

To be guided by force is clearly far superior to blindly practicing and groping in the dark on one’s own.

Chen Yushu enjoyed no such privilege, yet he realized he could fully comprehend Master Qian’s explanations; as long as his movements were precise, adjusting his breathing accordingly, he could keep up.

Before long, he once again felt that tingling sensation.

“Is this because of reaching the second realm of reading—‘Clarity’?” he wondered hazily, as a faint understanding dawned on him.

The clarity attained through study could accelerate his comprehension and mastery of martial arts.

Then came the third form, the fourth...

Chen Yushu’s stamina and energy were quickly depleted. Soon, he was drenched in sweat; still, he gritted his teeth and persevered. Only after all thirty-six forms had been taught did Qian Qian finally speak:

“All right, the King of Medicine Stance consists of thirty-six forms. I have now taught you all of them.

New apprentices have three days allocated for martial arts training. Tomorrow and the day after, I will teach you again. After three sessions, if you still haven’t learned it, you can’t blame me.

Oh, remember to go to the pharmacy later and collect your medicinal decoction from Supervisor Zhou. Of course, you can also keep it for future use or sell it back to me. Each portion is priced at three taels of silver by the pharmacy; I’ll give you two, and teach you for three extra days free of charge. It’s a good deal. If you sell it to someone else, you might get half a tael more at most. It’s better to let me teach you for three more days—then you’ll have a fifty percent chance of mastering the stance within three months.”

“Thank you for the advice, Master Qian; I’ll think it over.” Chen Yushu cupped his hands and finally sat aside to rest.

After practicing all thirty-six forms of the stance, he was truly exhausted, his strength spent. By the end, his movements had begun to falter, their effectiveness greatly diminished. He could even clearly hear his stomach growling.

As for the suggestion, he had no intention of considering it.

Practicing martial arts was clearly physically draining. Especially with the King of Medicine Stance, the more correctly he practiced, the more pronounced the exhaustion. Three regular meals a day were simply insufficient.

He had to supplement his diet with meat and nourishment.

And the decoction, worth three taels of silver per portion, was obviously a potent tonic, extremely beneficial for his training. There was no way he would sell it.

...

“I’ve memorized and mastered nearly all the movements and corresponding breathing techniques for the thirty-six forms of the King of Medicine Stance. But performing the entire stance in one go is extremely difficult. With my current stamina, I simply can’t sustain it!”

Chen Yushu stood in a corner of the rear courtyard, panting, sweat streaming from his body like water.

When the other apprentices began their chores, he instinctively found a corner to practice.

Only when he truly began did he realize the difficulty.

Practicing each movement and form individually, he could do it; once movement and breathing were synchronized, he could clearly sense a harmony—a special warmth being drawn from his body, creating an illusion as if countless ants were crawling over his skin.

However, when he tried to perform the sequence from the first form through the second, third, and so on, he discovered the difficulty multiplied many times over.

Though he had just eaten breakfast, he could only manage to string together the first six forms before he could go no further. His strength was depleted, his vision darkened, and hunger gnawed at him.

He glanced at his attribute panel.

Under martial arts, the King of Medicine Stance still displayed “Not Initiated.”

Clearly, his current level of mastery was not enough to be considered initiated.

Perhaps, only by performing the entire stance in sequence could he truly become initiated—only then would the experience bar appear.

With this speculation in mind, Chen Yushu slowly rose to his feet and walked step by step toward the pharmacy in the front courtyard.

He needed nourishment, or else he wouldn’t just fail at martial arts training—he might even faint from hunger.

Soon, he found Supervisor Zhou in the shop, bowed, and said, “Supervisor Zhou, I’d like to collect a portion of the decoction.”

“All right. But let me remind you: while the Nourishing Essence Decoction is very helpful for your martial arts practice, you’d best master the stance thoroughly before using it. Otherwise, if you drink the medicine but can’t absorb it, it’ll just go to waste.”

Supervisor Zhou did not refuse but offered a word of advice.

“Thank you for the reminder, Supervisor Zhou, but I’d still like to collect my portion.”

Seeing his determination, Supervisor Zhou nodded and instructed an apprentice by his side, “Go fetch a portion of Nourishing Essence Decoction and prepare it for him.”

“Yes, Supervisor Zhou.” The apprentice nodded and headed toward the medicine cabinets.

It’s worth noting that this apprentice was none other than Zhang Ruyun—the one Li Hu had mentioned that morning, who had already attained proficiency in the stance and begun learning boxing techniques.

Before long, a packet of medicinal herbs appeared in his hands.

This packet had clearly been pre-mixed for the Nourishing Essence Decoction; with the right heat and a period of boiling, the tonic would be ready.

“Thank you, Brother Zhang.” Chen Yushu offered a quiet word of thanks. Zhang Ruyun glanced at him indifferently and began decocting the herbs in silence.

After about half an hour, a bowl of thick, grey-black tonic, pungent with aroma, was placed in Chen Yushu’s hands.

“So this is the Nourishing Essence Decoction?” Chen Yushu mused. Without hesitation, he lifted the bowl and took a sip.

The taste wasn’t as bitter as he’d imagined, though it certainly couldn’t be called pleasant.

He polished off the entire bowl in a few swift gulps, leaving not a drop.

Just as he began to observe any effects, he quickly noticed his hunger vanish without a trace. Instead, waves of heat surged through his body, as if currents of steaming energy were rising within him.