Chapter 9 of 100

Chapter 9: Pulse-Cutting Pill

15 min read3,845 words

The night was heavy with frost and snow, the Big Dipper hanging in the cold sky. Who would say the winter night is long, when the bright star has already risen in the east?

Though still a waste, he was like a person walking in the dark who had already seen the light.

These days, he entered a perfect state of tranquility every night, and his mental strength improved rapidly. So tonight, he was ready to push his mental strength to its peak!

"Drinking wine and singing, how long is life? The mind is calm and clear, not tainted by a speck of dust!"

After entering the perfect state of tranquility, he didn't know how long it had been before Ding Hao slowly woke up from his meditation. He placed the jade talisman on his forehead and immediately his eyes lit up with joy, "Reached the limit of the jade talisman's measurement for the postnatal stage!"

Reaching this state meant his mental strength had already reached the peak of the postnatal realm.

"My senses are so strong now!" Ding Hao was truly calm and clear-minded. He closed his eyes and could hear the earthworms pushing aside a few stones and burrowing out of the soil on the lawn outside; the grass quietly stretching, with a spring insect gently licking the morning dew on the tips; and someone entering and exiting the outhouse behind his room...

"The ones in the outhouse are Ding Laosi and Ding Junjie, father and son!" Ding Hao, upon discovering this, immediately focused his mind to eavesdrop on their conversation.

"Father, you're here too."

"Yes, I couldn't sleep. That little waste seems to have changed into a different person recently!"

"I have the same feeling. I heard he helped someone enter a state of tranquility today and succeeded."

"That's right, he succeeded. Junjie, do you think this little waste might have awakened? If that's the case, wouldn't the plan to take his place become a joke?"

"Don't worry, Father, I have some ideas."

Ding Hao, hearing them talk about him, paid close attention to their conversation to see what their plot was.

Ding Junjie said, "Father, Zheng Peipei's family runs a medicinal shop. I heard her father, Zheng Qiang, can refine the Pulse-Cutting Pill. I might as well talk to Zheng Peipei and get some to give to that little waste! Hmph, even if he can really awaken, after taking this pill, his meridians will be blocked, and he won't be able to break through the immortal acupoint!"

"That's a good idea!" Ding Laosi immediately agreed.

How vicious! Ding Hao, hearing this, was furious, his fists clenching tightly. He gritted his teeth, "How cruel, to actually want to harm me!"

Ding Hao wanted to rush out of the room and drive this family out of the Ding residence, but Ding Laosi had been in his family for decades and had already established a strong presence! Ding Junjie worked in the magistrate's office, while Ding Hao was just a fifteen-year-old boy. Escalating the conflict would be detrimental to him!

"Vile servants! You won't be rampant for long!"

The steward, Ding Laosi, pondered for a moment and said, "I've heard that the Pulse-Cutting Pill is an evil pill. It's specifically used to prevent people from awakening! It's too vicious! That's why it was long ago classified as an evil pill by the Three Emperors and Nine Sovereigns. If anyone finds out..."

"Don't worry, no one will know." Ding Junjie said with a sinister smile, "Zheng Peipei and her family don't want to marry the little waste either. As soon as I mention it, they will definitely help me refine a batch. No one will say anything, so who could know?"

Ding Laosi nodded, "That's a good plan!"

"Zheng Peipei!" A flash of hatred crossed Ding Hao's eyes. The Zheng family was extremely despicable. Initially, they had been interested in the Ding family's wood sculpture, but now that they found Ding Hao to be a waste, they not only wanted to break the engagement but also wanted to harm him!

"I will make you all pay!"

The next day, Boss Shang brought Xiaohai over early, along with another child of one of Boss Shang's friends. Xiaohai, of course, didn't need to pay, while the other child paid a hundred taels. Under Ding Hao's "guidance," both quickly entered a state of intermediate tranquility.

Just as he was about to say a few words to Boss Shang, the two children who had come for tranquility the previous afternoon returned, and they had brought others with them. As the saying goes, one tells ten, and ten tell a hundred. Ding Hao believed his tranquility business would grow larger and larger.

By the end of the day, Ding Hao had earned another eight hundred taels of silver!

"I now have two thousand taels!" Ding Hao was overjoyed. With this economic foundation, he could prepare to buy medicinal pills.

His mental strength had reached its peak, and now was the time to buy medicinal pills to improve his constitution and meridians.

At that moment, Ding Laosi and his son were also discussing.

"Son, how's the preparation of the Pulse-Cutting Pill? That little waste actually helped several people enter a state of tranquility yesterday, each for a hundred taels of silver. He's making a fortune!"

"Father, let's wait until he makes more money, then we'll act. That way, he'll lose both his wealth and his life!"

"Son, you mustn't be foolish! In this world, silver is important, but more important is ability! What good is all that silver? I think we absolutely can't let him grow stronger. Make him take the Pulse-Cutting Pill, and then you can take his place. As the heir of the wood sculpture Ding family, you can produce the next generation and cultivate them vigorously. As long as their immortal roots are slightly better, they will have a chance to enter the Nine Provinces Academy! That's the right path!"

Ding Junjie, hearing this, nodded and said, "Father, you think of everything. I can get the Pulse-Cutting Pill tomorrow!"

...

"Is Master Ding here? My child has come again, this is today's guidance fee."

As more people learned about it, Ding Hao's business flourished. Early in the morning, many people brought their children, and for the wealthy, a hundred taels a day was still affordable.

"Please come this way!"

"Sir, please have some tea!"

Ding Hao's residence became busy, and a few servants began to change their attitudes. These people weren't Ding Laosi's staunch supporters; they had just looked down on Ding Hao before. Now, seeing Ding Hao's success and daily earnings, they changed their attitudes and began to help voluntarily. Ding Hao wasn't stingy with them, giving them a few taels of silver each night, making everyone happy.

"Once my son takes his place as the head of the Ding family, I'll make you all leave!" The steward, Ding Laosi, muttered to himself, then smiled at the approaching Ding Hao, "Young Master, please stop!"

"Oh, Steward, you're very polite today." Ding Hao stopped and said sarcastically.

"Look what you're saying, Young Master." Ding Laosi smiled, "Seeing the Young Master's success, as a member of the Ding family, I am also very happy. I've watched you grow up, and of course, I want you to do well!"

Ding Hao thought, "A weasel paying a New Year's visit to the chickens!" He asked, "What does the Steward want? I'm busy."

Ding Laosi took out a small porcelain bottle and smiled, "Young Master, have you forgotten? You can receive three pills from the city lord's residence every month. I've been keeping them for you. Now that I see the Young Master's success, I've brought them out. Here is a batch of 36 pills, all high-quality Essence-Strengthening Pills. Young Master, take more and strive to awaken your immortal root. The old servant will have done his duty to the old master."

Ding Laosi even pretended to wipe away a few tears.

You've brought me a batch of Pulse-Cutting Pills, you're really efficient!

Ding Hao gritted his teeth but didn't expose them. Instead, he took a pill, examined it, and then swallowed it, asking, "Is this how I should take it?"

"Yes, yes, yes!" Seeing him swallow it, Ding Laosi was overjoyed, thinking, "Little waste, eat it, eat more, eat until you die! When your meridians are severed, you won't awaken anything!"

"Then, Young Master, I have something to do." Ding Laosi hurriedly went to tell his son, grinning as he ran off.

Ding Junjie and Zheng Peipei, who had brought the pills, were waiting for news in the room. Seeing Ding Laosi return, Ding Junjie asked anxiously, "Father, how did it go?"

Ding Laosi looked at the early spring flowers outside the window, his old face smiling like a flower, "The little waste didn't suspect a thing and even ate one in front of me!"

Ding Junjie clapped his hands, "Great! If we succeed in taking his place, we will be the heads of the Ding family! We can enjoy privileges and resources, and then my brother will have a chance to enter the Nine Provinces Academy! If my brother can't, we can have children in the future, and one of them will surely have good immortal roots!"

In the Nine Provinces world, the greatest dream was to enter the Nine Provinces Academy, become an immortal teacher, and explore the immortal cultivation world!

At that moment, Ding Hao took the Pulse-Cutting Pills back and called Boss Shang to the meditation room, taking out the bottle.

"This isn't an Essence-Strengthening Pill," Boss Shang sniffed it and shook his head.

Ding Hao said, "This is a Pulse-Cutting Pill, the steward had someone refine it for me to take."

"What?" Boss Shang was furious, "Why didn't you report it to the authorities? This pill is an evil pill, and they are deliberately harming someone. The city lord won't let them off easily!"

Ding Hao shook his head, "I'm still a nobody, a waste. Who would listen to me? Such matters are managed by the city magistrate's office, and Ding Junjie is a clerk there... Also, the steward's second son, Ding Juncai, is said to have good potential. Even if I see the city lord, he might not help me much! It's better to wait until I awaken my immortal root and then bring this up. Then it will have more weight!"

"Understood!" Boss Shang nodded, "If you awaken a powerful immortal root and then bring this up, they will be charged with harming a genius and will face severe punishment! Master Ding, you are indeed strategic!"

"In the Nine Provinces world, the key is the immortal root!" Ding Hao put away the Pulse-Cutting Pills and said, "Boss Shang, I didn't bring you here just for this. I want to buy a batch of medicinal pills."

"What kind of pills?" Boss Shang asked.

Ding Hao said, "Like this Pulse-Cutting Pill, large pills."

Previously, in the small shops on the street, he had seen small pills, each about the size of a peppercorn. These small pills were actually quasi-pills, containing very little spiritual energy! The Pulse-Cutting Pills that Ding Laosi brought were the size of a finger, rich in spiritual energy, and were true ordinary pills.

"These large pills are called ordinary pills, or simply ordinary pills, and they are quite expensive," Boss Shang stroked his beard and pondered, "As an immortal seed, you can only receive three pills from the city lord's residence each month! This shows how precious ordinary pills are! These three ordinary pills are worth a hundred taels of silver!"

"So expensive!" Ding Hao was shocked.

After all, those small pills sold 50 for two taels of silver, while these ordinary pills, three were worth a hundred taels, the difference was huge!

Boss Shang said, "Although ordinary pills are expensive, their effects last longer and are more potent. Each pill can maintain its effects for three to five days. Master Ding, you would need six to nine pills a month, which would cost a few hundred taels."

Ding Hao smiled bitterly, "Eat one every three to five days? I'm not eating them!"

"Ah, not eating, what for?" Boss Shang was very curious.

Ding Hao said, "I have a great use for them, please help me, Boss Shang."

Boss Shang said, "Alright, I'll handle the purchase. I know many medicinal shops, and they are all experts in refining ordinary pills. With a large quantity, we might get a discount."

Although he said a discount, ordinary pills were really expensive. A hundred taels for three pills, a thousand taels for thirty pills. Ding Hao had about five thousand taels, which would get him about 150 pills.

He thought for a moment and said, "Boss Shang, I wonder if these medicinal shops have any defective pills that haven't been stored for too long. They can also be brought over."

"Defective pills too?" Boss Shang nodded, "I'll go around today."

Ding Hao, trusting Boss Shang, handed him the five thousand taels in silver bills, "If you find suitable ones, buy a batch first."

Boss Shang didn't hesitate, took the silver bills, and said, "Alright!"

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