At that moment, Gong Qingyun returned to his room looking radiant. After drinking that lotus petal, he felt refreshed and invigorated, as if the medicinal potency that had accumulated in his body for so many years was being released bit by bit.
Even while sitting completely still, his Qi and Blood were steadily increasing.
"Hahaha, this snow lotus is truly a marvelous thing! A few more times like this, and I can become an Anjin Expert without even having to practice hard!"
Just as he was feeling proud of himself, the door was pushed open.
Gong Qingshui walked in with a frosty expression.
Seeing this, Gong Qingyun's laughter instantly cut off.
Gong Qingshui wore a stern expression, having arrived full of anger. But after putting Gong Qingyun through a series of tests on his Stance Skill, fist techniques, lifting stone locks, and medical texts, she discovered that he had indeed made some progress in all of them. Her expression eased considerably.
"Qingyun, as long as you've grown up and know how to apply yourself, that's enough. It makes all the effort Father and I spent fighting for the snow lotus outside worthwhile. It doesn't matter that you didn't awaken a Spiritual Root this time; Elder Sister has already reached Hua Jin. If news comes again next time, we'll just go get it."
Seeing her younger brother's growth brought Gong Qingshui a great deal of comfort.
Chen Yi watched all of this unfold, finding it rather amusing. Young Master Gong Qingyun had only practiced martial arts for an hour or two every morning over the past two months, spending the rest of his time playing. His progress in medical texts was only due to Chen Yi casually breaking down and explaining interesting points while studying himself.
Two months had passed, and yet, after harnessing his Qi and Blood and starting to practice the Nine Palaces Fist, Gong Qingyun could still only manage to lift a 300-jin stone lock with great difficulty. And even that was achieved by feeding him a mountain of fine medicines!
To be honest, compared to Chen Yi's own hard work, Gong Qingyun fell far too short. Over these past few days, Gong Qingyun had never once taken the initiative to temper his Qi and Blood or practice his strength of his own accord.
Yet despite all this, the young master, who had been pampered since childhood, could produce such results now, enough to make his aging father and elder sister feel at ease.
Thoughts flashed rapidly through Chen Yi's mind, and then he smiled indifferently. What did all of this have to do with him? Right now, he simply needed an environment and time to grow. It would be wonderful if there were enough medicinal broths to supply his own practice of the Stance Skill in the future. Better still if those medicinal ingredients could be prepared according to a formula he modified himself, allowing him to temper his foundation based on his own physical condition without harming his body.
"You're little Chen, right? I heard you used my name to buy a few bowls of Bone-Strengthening Broth? Well, considering that you've been accompanying the young master in his martial arts practice and making good progress in medicine lately, I won't pursue this matter. The proposition I mentioned last time—have you considered it?"
After dealing with the young master's affairs, Gong Qingshui called Chen Yi out to question him.
"Thank you for your concern, Eldest Miss. Regarding what you mentioned last time, I still dare not agree. This humble servant is of mediocre aptitude and has no achievements in the martial path. Even if I were to follow Eldest Miss, I wouldn't be able to help you fight battles outside, and I'm even more afraid that due to my lack of ability, I would bungle Eldest Miss's affairs. I'm still better suited to staying at home, accompanying the young master in his reading and martial arts practice. I ask Eldest Miss to please forgive me."
After hearing the story of the Eldest Miss fighting for the snow lotus out in the world, Chen Yi was even less likely to follow her. There was one detail in the story that no one dwelt upon, but Chen Yi remembered it clearly: when the Eldest Miss first set out, she had taken along several Ming Jin experts, but upon returning to the Gong family, not a single one of them was to be seen. Where had those people gone? Needless to say, the vast majority of them had died out there. No one cared about such cannon fodder.
Gong Qingshui stared at Chen Yi for a long time. Thinking of those people who had followed her out and perished, she guessed that Chen Yi must simply be afraid of death.
"Since you are unwilling, so be it. Senior Brother Wu Li told me today that you have a talent for medicine. If you are willing, I will transfer you to his side to help brew medicinal broths. How about that? Of course, the young master's martial arts and medical studies here must not be neglected."
This, at least, was acceptable. Working under the guise of studying medicine and pharmacy had three benefits: first, it would improve his medical skills; second, it would give him access to medicinal ingredients and perhaps the opportunity to concoct a suitable broth for himself; and third—most importantly—he wouldn't have to go out and kill or be killed. For the next few years, his primary goal was to practice the Stance Skill and Longevity Skill to temper his body. Offensive, lethal fist techniques were not that urgent.
After a moment of thought, Chen Yi cupped his fists toward Gong Qingshui and said, "I will obey Eldest Miss's instructions."
*Hmph, slippery fellow,* Gong Qingshui thought. *Ask you to go out into the world with me, and you make excuses; ask you to study medicine and pharmacy, and you obey my instructions.*
Was this because he figured he wouldn't lack Bone-Strengthening Broth over there? However, drinking too much of that Bone-Strengthening Broth was no good thing. I'll give you a little sweetness first. Once you've practiced stances long enough that your Qi and Blood grow increasingly fierce, but you lack the ability to control them, you'll naturally come begging to me. When your Qi and Blood are surging beyond your control, it's not going to be very comfortable for a sixteen-year-old boy who hasn't yet taken a wife.
"Well, work hard, strive to elevate your Qi and Blood further, and get a proper grasp of the Stance Skill as soon as possible."
Gong Qingshui smiled encouragingly, though the trace of ill intent in her eyes was hard to detect.
...
The next morning, in the side courtyard where the Gong family disciples lived, Wu Li, whose figure was short and round, pushed open the door with a broom in hand, preparing to do his least favorite chore of the winter: sweeping the snow.
Instead, he saw that his small courtyard had already been swept spotless, with the snow in the corner piled neatly into a circle three meters wide.
*Huh?*
His gaze swept across the yard.
A youthful figure stood by the well, pulling the rope over and over with both hands. In no time at all, he hauled up a bucket of water and splashed it into a large vat.
Seemingly hearing the movement behind him, the youth turned back and flashed a wide grin.
"Senior Brother Wu, you're awake! Hurry, I need to pour these buckets into the water vat inside the room first, or they'll freeze over in a moment."
With that, the youth picked up a large bucket in each hand and strode briskly straight into Wu Li's room.
A short while later, Wu Li finally understood. Chen Yi was merely expressing his gratitude for Wu Li speaking up on his behalf before the Eldest Miss—allowing him to come over as an apprentice for brewing medicinal broths—and was helping out with chores to show his thanks.
He turned out to be a kid who didn't like owing favors.
Wu Li had spoken up for Chen Yi in the first place because he appreciated talent, and because Chen Yi had indeed helped him out of a tight spot that day. But for Chen Yi to start clearing snow, drawing water, and tackling the chores lazy people hated most in the dead of winter the very moment he was transferred over showed that he understood gratitude in his heart. At least when teaching this child knowledge in the future, he wouldn't have to worry about the boy turning around and biting the hand that fed him.
Watching Chen Yi's busy figure, Wu Li's gaze grew noticeably gentle once again.
...
From then on, every few days Chen Yi would go to Wu Li's courtyard to do some sweeping and water-drawing, occasionally helping to tend the fire and warm the brick bed.
Meanwhile, Wu Li began taking Chen Yi along to make medicine. At first, Wu Li handled all the crucial steps himself, terrified that Chen Yi might ruin things. But as he observed longer, he discovered that Chen Yi possessed exceptionally nimble hands, and his understanding of medicinal ingredients was completely different from those blockheaded lads. Not only could Chen Yi understand his instructions instantly, but he could also draw inferences and apply them to other cases!
Just a few days later, Wu Li was practically standing with his hands behind his back, doing nothing at all except giving verbal commands for Chen Yi to execute.
In the short span of a dozen days or so, Chen Yi's practical experience improved by leaps and bounds—from picking medicinal ingredients, identifying their age, processing and grinding them into powder, and handling animal bones, to controlling the heat during brewing and understanding the chemical interactions between various ingredients. Cross-referencing all this with the medical texts he had previously read, the speed at which Chen Yi's medical knowledge advanced was simply staggering.
In less than half a month, Chen Yi was already capable of independently brewing a complete pot of Bone-Strengthening Broth from start to finish. Furthermore, he could control its medicinal efficacy and side effects, and had already formulated several ideas in his mind for improving the recipe.
In terms of studying medicine and pharmacy, Chen Yi didn't deliberately hold back his talents, though he did conceal his ideas for improving the Bone-Strengthening Broth—after all, he had no opportunity to test those yet.
Seeing Chen Yi progress at such lightning speed, Wu Li couldn't help sighing with emotion:
"This kid is truly fine timber for medicine! It's just a pity that his talent is misplaced. If he had this kind of talent on the martial path as well, he'd really soar straight to the clouds. Still, being a physician isn't bad either—at least he'll be free from worries about food and clothing in the future."