Chapter 16

Half an hour later, the water had cooled, and the two reluctantly climbed out of the medicinal tub.

As usual, they did their evening exercises and practiced boxing. Qin Sang had already formed a habit, returning to his room at the tenth hour of the night to start cultivating the *Yuming Jing*.

After completing one cycle of cultivation, Qin Sang suddenly stopped, opening his eyes in shock.

During this period, he had become accustomed to the small progress each time, but today was different. In just one cycle, he had made as much progress as he usually did in half a day!

Qin Sang felt the significantly stronger *Qi* in his body and hurriedly entered a meditative state to continue the next cycle.

The second cycle also showed a noticeable improvement, though slightly less than the first. Qin Sang continued to control the cultivation technique, and with each cycle, the improvement gradually decreased. By the ninth cycle, it had returned to the usual level.

After the nine cycles, Qin Sang lay down. He should have slept for an hour to replenish his energy, but he was too excited to fall asleep.

Today's sudden progress could only be attributed to last night's medicinal bath. He hadn't expected that the old Taoist's prescription, which was supposed to strengthen the foundation, would also be effective for the *Yuming Jing*.

Truly a royal physician.

Qin Sang secretly rejoiced. The *Fuhu Changquan* had indeed been worth it. If he hadn't dragged Mingyue into it, the old Taoist would never have given him the prescription for just one person!

Thinking about this, Qin Sang hurriedly recalled the prescription, noticing that his memory had improved. He memorized it perfectly, so he could gather and prepare the herbs himself in the future without the old Taoist.

With the help of the medicinal bath, Qin Sang finally saw the light at the end of the tunnel. He was so excited that he couldn't sleep. Soon, the sky brightened, and Qin Sang got up, rushing to the Qingyang Hall to start the fire and boil the herbs.

After the master and disciple finished washing up, they came to the main hall. For the first time, they saw Qin Sang so enthusiastic, and they exchanged puzzled looks.

Jixin Daozhang stroked his beard and smiled, "How is the prescription, my disciple?"

"You are truly a divine physician! A divine medicine!"

Qin Sang gave a thumbs up, his face full of flattery, "Daozhang, do you have any more ancient prescriptions? Can you show them to me so I can broaden my horizons?"

Jixin Daozhang snorted and left, waving his sleeve.

Mingyue approached Qin Sang, moving her back uncomfortably, and asked in a low voice, "Senior Brother, how did you feel last night? I felt a constant heat and itching inside my body, and it took me a long time to fall asleep. I didn't feel any improvement."

Mingyue was clearly affected by the herbs, but since she didn't practice the *Yuming Jing*, her absorption efficiency was far lower than Qin Sang's, and most of the energy was wasted as heat.

Qin Sang bluffed, "Oh, don't worry, you're just entering puberty."

Mingyue kept asking about puberty during the medicinal bath.

While soaking in the medicinal water, Qin Sang remembered that the herbal power had gradually weakened during his cultivation last night. He suddenly had an idea: what if he practiced the *Yuming Jing* while in the medicinal bath?

Cultivation only required sitting in meditation, and the murky water made it impossible to see his posture from outside. Qin Sang decided to try it immediately, sitting cross-legged and starting the cultivation technique.

Unexpectedly, he didn't even complete one cycle before feeling a slight pain in his meridians. He was very familiar with this sensation and quickly stopped.

Mingyue was still meditating and didn't notice Qin Sang's actions.

Qin Sang looked down at the medicinal water, his gaze narrowing. The water around him was much lighter than around Mingyue. If not for the dim light in the Qingyang Hall, it would have been easy to see.

Qin Sang quickly stirred the water, feeling the significant improvement in his *Qi*. However, the pain in his meridians was too clear, and he might not be able to bear it for much longer.

It seemed that absorbing too much herbal power wasn't a good thing, so Qin Sang decided to put aside the idea of setting up his own sect for now.

In the end, Qin Sang had to be patient and only absorb a little at a time.

By the seventh and final medicinal bath, the herbal power in the water was very weak. Qin Sang dared to absorb it fully, making sure not to waste any.

After the bath, Qin Sang and Mingyue scraped out the remaining herbs and threw them away. The originally dark medicinal water had become somewhat clear.

"Senior Brother, why hasn't Master returned yet?"

Mingyue held a wooden ladle, standing at the entrance of the temple, looking out with concern.

Today was a good day, and a family in the ferry area was building a new house, choosing today to place the ridge beam. They had invited the old Taoist to perform a ritual for good luck. It was almost completely dark, and it was almost time for the evening exercises, but the old Taoist still hadn't returned.

Qin Sang frowned, "Stay here and guard the temple. I'll go down the mountain to meet Daozhang."

The donkey had been taken by the old Taoist, so Qin Sang picked up a wooden stick and walked down the mountain.

The forest was dense, and the end of the mountain path was a dark hole. The night wind blew, and the surroundings rustled, as if countless ghosts were reaching out.

Qin Sang, however, wasn't particularly scared. Although he only knew a basic boxing technique, his senses and agility had improved after cultivating the *Yuming Jing*. He was confident he could fight even if he encountered a wolf.

Mingyue, who practiced martial arts with Qin Sang, wasn't a match for him and was very frustrated.

However, before Qin Sang reached the bottom of the mountain, he saw three dark figures. With his keen eyesight, he recognized the one in front as Jixin Daozhang.

"Daozhang, why are you so late today?"

Qin Sang ran over to help with the donkey and sized up the stranger following the old Taoist.

The man was very thin and carried a large bundle.

From a distance, Qin Sang thought the old Taoist had brought back a girl, but up close, he saw it was an old man.

He was only slightly taller than a dwarf, hunched over, with a yellow, wrinkled face. He looked to be in his fifties or sixties but walked quickly and steadily on the steep mountain path, following closely behind the old Taoist. He clearly walked a lot.

"He is Mr. Wu," the old Taoist gestured to Qin Sang, "Mr. Wu is mute. He works as a纤夫 (river puller) at the first ferry. He is from the north and recently fled here, unable to find a place to stay. I've invited him to stay at the temple for a while. Your room is empty, so he will stay next to you."

He then told the mute, "This boy is Qin Sang. He is very clever. If you have any problems, you can ask him for help."

Qin Sang, who had many secrets, didn't want anyone living next to him, but since the temple wasn't his, he could only suppress his dislike and greeted him, "Old Wu, you can call me Qin Sang... sorry!"

Qin Sang lightly slapped his mouth, smiling apologetically, "I speak without thinking. Please don't mind."

Old Wu looked uncomfortable, gesturing with his hands and making "ah ah" sounds, clearly mute.

There wasn't much to say to a mute, so the three of them walked back to the temple in silence. Old Wu ate dinner with them, and Qin Sang led him to his room.

Back at the Qingyang Hall, Qin Sang asked the old Taoist about Old Wu, and the old Taoist sighed.