Chapter 15

After a long while, Qin Sang gradually recovered, taking deep breaths and opening his eyes, which were filled with shock.

The intense pain in his meridians gradually subsided, but the terrifying scene from earlier still left him with lingering fear.

At this moment, Qin Sang suddenly heard the chirping of birds outside. He turned his head and saw that the sky was slightly bright, indicating it was already dawn.

Qin Sang couldn't help but be secretly surprised. His mind was entirely focused on cultivation, and he had only completed a few cycles, feeling it took no more than an hour. Yet, an entire night had passed.

There were people moving and whispering outside. Qin Sang didn't dare to continue and lay down in his clothes, falling into a deep sleep.

After several days of attempts, Qin Sang gradually figured out the rules of the *Yao Ming Jing*. He could now only make the energy circulate nine times in his body. Any more would be interrupted by intense pain.

Forcing it further, his meridians felt as if they were being torn apart, the pain penetrating to the bone.

As a result, Qin Sang could only hope to break through to the second level of the technique. However, after a month, the energy had only grown slightly, and he didn't know how long it would take to break through.

What made Qin Sang even more disheartened was that the energy seemed to have no significant improvement in his martial arts. When he threw a full-force punch, the strength was about the same as before, and he couldn't even break a wooden post.

However, over the past month, Qin Sang noticed changes in his body, subtle changes he hadn't initially realized.

A few days ago, a trap he set caught a wild bird. He had intended to roast it, but while untying the rope, he accidentally let it escape.

The bird took flight, and Qin Sang instinctively picked up a stone and threw it. To his surprise, he hit it dead center.

Qin Sang was so shocked by his accuracy that he stood there in disbelief.

He could see the bird's flight path clearly, as if the bird's speed had slowed down. He could instantly judge which direction it would fly next, something that was impossible before.

Because of this incident, Qin Sang couldn't help but reflect on the various details about himself.

His digestion had improved, and his appetite had increased.

Not only his eyes, but his ears had also become much more sensitive, able to hear even the slightest sounds from a distance.

Martial arts training also required physical conditioning. He and Ming Yue used stone hammers and wooden posts for training. Even with the utmost care, they would inevitably get injured, especially in vulnerable areas like joints and the spine, which were difficult to heal and would often remind him of their presence.

During this period, Qin Sang's old injuries seemed to have disappeared, and they hadn't bothered him for a long time.

Moreover, some of the more complex moves in the *Fuhu Changquan* that he had found difficult before were now easy for him to perform. His body's flexibility had improved, and his boxing skills had greatly advanced.

Considering all these changes, Qin Sang realized that the *Yao Ming Jing* had brought him many benefits.

If this improvement continued, his physical condition would far surpass that of ordinary people.

"Given these miraculous effects, even if the cultivation speed of the *Yao Ming Jing* is slow, I will continue to persist," Qin Sang thought to himself as he led the donkey, humming a tune.

The donkey carried a bag of coarse grain. Since the Taoist temple had taken in several disaster victims, the old Taoist priest would often provide them with relief, and the temple's food supplies were being consumed quickly. The price of grain outside was also skyrocketing, and Qin Sang felt that the few dozen silver taels he had would eventually have to be contributed.

As he led the donkey into the temple, Qin Sang let out a light exclamation, "Ming Yue, why are you moving a broken jar out?"

"Brother, come and help me!"

Ming Yue seemed to have found a savior and shouted breathlessly, "Master asked me to move the jar from the woodshed to the Qingyang Hall, saying it would be used tonight."

Since it was Jixin Daozhang's order, Qin Sang quickly tied up the donkey and went to help Ming Yue.

The earthen jar was large enough for a person to sit inside. Although Ming Yue had been practicing martial arts and eating meat with Qin Sang, making his body stronger, moving it was still quite difficult.

He had heard that during the prosperous times of the Qingyang Temple, this jar was used to hold incense oil. Now that the temple was in decline, it had been left in the woodshed, filled with pine needles for kindling.

Ming Yue had already cleared out the pine needles and cleaned the jar, but he didn't know what the old Taoist priest intended to use it for.

Qin Sang asked Ming Yue, but Ming Yue was also puzzled, only saying that the master had gone up the mountain to gather herbs and had given these instructions before leaving.

The two of them worked hard to move the large jar into the Qingyang Hall and, following Jixin Daozhang's instructions, used two stones to create a base and placed the jar on it.

Qin Sang wondered if the old Taoist priest intended to use the jar to boil herbs.

Filling such a large jar with water would be a daunting task, so he used bamboo pipes to channel water, otherwise, Ming Yue would have been exhausted from carrying water.

By evening, Jixin Daozhang returned with the herbs, which filled only half of the basket. He asked Ming Yue to close the front and back doors of the Qingyang Hall and began to work.

Qin Sang squatted beside him, sorting the herbs and noticing that most of them were new to him and were valuable and rare.

Jixin Daozhang usually treated minor ailments like bruises, sprains, colds, and fevers, using a fixed set of a dozen or so herbs. Qin Sang had accompanied the old Taoist priest up the mountain several times, always gathering those herbs, but this time, the old Taoist priest had gathered new ones.

After sorting the herbs, Jixin Daozhang sat behind a long table and wrote a prescription, asking Ming Yue to gather the herbs. Qin Sang leaned in to look and saw that it was a new prescription with a very complex combination of herbs, which he couldn't understand with his limited medical knowledge.

"Daozhang, what is this prescription for?"

Seeing Qin Sang's puzzled expression, Jixin Daozhang explained, "Although I am not skilled in martial arts, I understand the principle that the poor study literature while the rich practice martial arts. You and Ming Yue practice martial arts every day, which consumes a lot of energy. No matter how much wild game you eat, it is difficult to replenish the lost vital energy, and this can lead to problems. This prescription is an ancient formula that my master obtained when he was a royal physician. It has the effect of strengthening the body and replenishing vital energy, making it suitable for martial artists. However, this formula is for a medicinal bath and should not be taken internally. You should follow the prescription, fill the jar with water, boil it until it is reduced to seven-tenths, and then wait for the water to cool before entering the bath. Soak for half an hour in the morning and evening, and add water as needed. This can be used for seven days before changing the herbs."

Hearing about this, Qin Sang naturally didn't refuse. He memorized the prescription and couldn't help but exclaim, "Daozhang, how many good things do you have hidden?"

Jixin Daozhang closed his eyes to rest.

Qin Sang and Ming Yue quickly prepared the herbs and filled the jar with water, following the old Taoist priest's instructions to boil the herbs. Once the water had cooled slightly, they eagerly jumped in.

"Ah!"

This was the first time in his life that Qin Sang had taken a hot bath, burying his body below the neck in the warm medicinal water. He felt completely refreshed, and all his fatigue vanished, causing him to let out a sigh of relief.

Ming Yue, who was less tolerant of the heat, cautiously approached but, seeing Qin Sang's relaxed expression, also endured the heat and jumped in.

Ming Yue was young and not very tall, so the two of them didn't feel crowded together.

The early spring weather was still cold, and soaking in the warm medicinal water was a real treat. Qin Sang leaned his head against the edge of the jar, almost falling asleep.