Chapter Sixty-Nine: This Medicine Might Be a Little Too Hot

Luck Borrowing Talisman! Borrow the fortune of others to achieve one's own ends.

Chen Yushu had no idea by what principle this talisman operated; after affixing it, he simply observed and waited in silence.

At that moment, Wang Kui, who was preparing the Nourishing Vitality Decoction, had nearly finished brewing it. He hurriedly used thick cloth to carefully lift the medicine stove and poured the contents into a bowl. But just as he picked up the stove, his hand inexplicably trembled, almost as if it had cramped, and the entire stove crashed to the ground.

With a clang, it shattered!

Medicinal dregs and liquid splashed onto Wang Kui, making him grimace in pain.

“What happened?”

Hearing the commotion, Steward Zhou entered and frowned at the sight.

“When I picked up the medicine stove, I don’t know what happened—my hand suddenly shook and I dropped it,” Wang Kui explained, glancing around. The nearest apprentice was at least seven feet away, so he could hardly blame anyone else and could only speak aggrievedly.

“You’ve been in the pharmacy for years, yet you can’t handle even this?” Steward Zhou scolded, his annoyance growing at Wang Kui’s mournful expression. Still, he continued, “Was this the Nourishing Vitality Decoction for Young Master Li of Changfeng Martial Hall? Never mind the stove, but you’ll have to pay for the ingredients yourself—two taels and five qian of silver. Make sure you cover it by the end of the month.”

“Yes,” Wang Kui answered in a trembling voice. He could only obediently fetch a new set of herbs and start brewing again.

Standing to the side, Chen Yushu was astonished. Was the talisman’s effect truly so swift? The moment it was applied, the results were immediate.

The key was that Wang Kui had no awareness of the cause, blaming only his own unsteady hand for the mishap.

“However, if this is all, the Luck Borrowing Talisman’s effect doesn’t seem particularly strong…” Chen Yushu frowned, tempted to apply another, but he’d only made one talisman yesterday. He could only restrain himself and continue observing.

Afterward, due to his extreme caution, Wang Kui finished brewing the decoction without incident. Once it was ready, he left to deliver it.

Seeing this, Chen Yushu sighed inwardly. Perhaps the talisman’s effect was simply like this—effective, but not especially powerful.

But after a stick of incense’s time, when Wang Kui returned with a swollen face, Chen Yushu’s spirits lifted. He eagerly approached to inquire.

Wang Kui hesitated, but when Steward Zhou came over to ask, he finally spoke up, sounding more wronged than ever: “I truly had the worst luck today. I just arrived at the martial hall to deliver the medicine when I tripped and fell forward. The decoction spilled directly onto Young Master Li’s face. Since I was in a hurry, the medicine was still hot… It must have burned him a little. He screamed, and then, in his anger, he… he beat me up.”

As he spoke, Wang Kui stammered, knowing he was somewhat to blame, yet feeling thoroughly wronged by his misfortune.

Everyone’s gaze followed his words to his face; although he tried to cover it with his hands, the bruises around his eyes and the clear handprint on his cheek were plain to see.

His misfortune was so comical that, despite Wang Kui’s prior reputation, most apprentices struggled to suppress their laughter. Eventually, Steward Zhou could hold it no longer, and a chorus of laughter broke out.

Even so, Wang Kui had to fetch yet another set of herbs and begin brewing the Nourishing Vitality Decoction with extreme caution. This time, however, another apprentice was sent to deliver it, and no mishap occurred.

Still, it would take three to five days for his face to recover, even with Physician Liu’s treatments from the pharmacy.

“That’s exactly as expected. The Luck Borrowing Talisman—when luck is borrowed, misfortune befalls the other. Yet, since I cast the talisman, shouldn’t the good fortune come to me? Why don’t I feel any different?”

While pleased by the outcome, Chen Yushu was also puzzled.

The talisman borrows luck; the other party becomes unlucky, but he himself didn’t seem to benefit.

Pondering this, Chen Yushu returned to his study chamber to read.

He had begun reading orthodox medical texts—the chapters on acupoints, detailed explanations of the meridians, their properties, and corresponding pharmacological theories. Some passages were so intricate that even he had to study them several times to fully grasp their meaning.

Through comparison, he gradually discovered the principles underlying some movements and breathing techniques in the Medicine King Stake Exercise.

Though still somewhat unclear—since he didn’t fully understand his own body’s internal workings—his spiritual sense, while capable of observing his skin and flesh externally, was blocked from seeing inward by the density of blood and qi.

Thus, he could not directly “see” the corresponding meridians and acupoints.

Even so, he vaguely sensed a connection between the exercise’s movements and breathing rhythm and the flow of the meridians.

Each set of movements, combined with the breath, amounted precisely to “guiding the needle and stimulating the acupoint,” “nourishing the essence and boosting qi” along the meridians.

Thirty-six forms corresponded exactly to thirty-six acupoints and methods for stimulating the meridians.

The Medicine King Stake Exercise was infused with genuine “medical theory” and “pharmacology.”

Reading +5

Medical Skill +3

Medicine King Stake Exercise +8

After finishing another medical book, Chen Yushu felt a surge of insight, like enlightenment flooding his mind.

“This is truly a pleasant surprise,” he murmured, unable to suppress a smile—especially at the improvement in his Medicine King Stake Exercise.

It was the first time he had improved his experience in the exercise without actually practicing.

Though his actual strength hadn’t increased, the rise in experience meant a substantial saving in training time.

Moreover, he sensed that this “knowledge-based” improvement would yield even greater returns when he resumed actual practice.

“Could it be that the true method for cultivating the Medicine King Stake Exercise is hidden within these medical texts? The higher my medical skill, the faster my progress in the exercise?”

Lost in thought, he gazed at the stack of medical books in his study.

As the old saying goes, medicine and martial arts are inseparable.

Perhaps many martial principles could indeed be explained through medical theory.

Reflecting thus, Chen Yushu found himself ever more interested in those medical books.

But as time passed, noon soon arrived.

Chen Yushu set aside his reading and joined the other apprentices as they hurried to the dining hall.