NOVEL NEXT Chapter 4 - Pure Yang Pill, Special Critical Rebate!
Chapter 4 – Pure Yang Pill, Special Critical Rebate!
In his room, Li Mo finished packing, stretched, and opened the window.
The river breeze blew gently against his face. Across the water lay Qingyuan Mountain, shrouded in mist and clouds. The buildings scattered upon its slopes were visible through the haze, like a silent giant surveying the city below.
“The scenery up there must be even more beautiful,” Li Mo murmured.
After this sudden transmigration, how could he accept being just an ordinary person? But with his current circumstances, he wouldn’t make it past the entrance ceremony, let alone compete with Wang Hu. [1]
With the tiger and leopard physique, Wang Hu had superior roots. Among his peers, he was the most talented.
New disciples were classified based on their talents into inner and outer sect members, and even true disciples, following an annual competitive elimination system.
Clearly, having a good start would allow one to meet stronger targets individuals, thus earning higher returns on investment. Never mind anything else, If he ended up in the outer sect, he would never have the opportunity to meet with Ying Bing again.
“Oh right, Dad mentioned a familiar physician in town who’s quite skilled.” Li Mo turned around and suggested softly, “Shall we go pay them a visit today?”
At the tea table, Ying Bing sipped her hot tea, shaking her head.
Li Mo sighed. “Even if only briefly, visiting will help alleviate your symptoms.”
Ying Bing remained silent, gazing up from her teacup, her eyes glimmering faintly behind the steam. She studied Li Mo, seemingly searching for some hidden meaning within his expression.
“Since Father has already given me the money, I should at least show him that I’ve put it to good use. San Yang Medical Hall isn’t far either; it’s just two streets away,” Li Mo insisted, furrowing his brow dramatically.
San Yang Medical Hall?
Ying Bing took a light sip of her tea, contemplating these words. After a moment she nodded. “All right.”
…
By evening, Ziyang Prefecture City was brightly lit, with boats and lanterns lining the riverbank. On the wide streets, nobles dressed in luxurious silks and satins came and went, and it was easy to spot outsiders among them.
Qingyuan Sect accepted new disciples every three years, which made this city livelier than ever before.
The liveliest district was Jin Hua Street, where goods such as medicinal herbs, weapons, and horses were sold—everything one might need for martial arts.
“Excuse me, could you please pass on a message?” Li Mo produced his father’s letter from within his sleeve.
When the apprentice saw the recipient written upon the letter, his expression turned solemn.
“Please wait, my master has gone out for a visit and will be back shortly.”
“Thank you.”
Li Mo and Ying Bing took their seats inside the hall to wait.
A moment later, footsteps approached from within the hall. A middle-aged man walked in, worn and weary, his hemp robe full of patches. His features were lean, his long beard draped over his chest, and his eyes possessed a particular vitality.
“Master!” The apprentice retrieved the unopened letter and handed it over.
The middle-aged man skimmed its contents, then smiled. “Da Long, that child, still remembers this old man.”
Ying Bing’s eyebrows twitched imperceptibly.
Li Mo sensed something amiss. This individual appeared to be around his father’s age, so how come he spoke with such a mature air?**
The apprentice proudly replied, “Master is ninety-six this year.”
“96?”
Li Mo opened his mouth.
It was said that medicine was a field where one aged quickly—so how could this man appear younger after studying it for so long? Could he have cultivated some technique or learned longevity practices?
This world truly defied common sense.
“It’s only a little trick ; don’t take it too seriously.”
“Your father says the patient is this young lady. Come forward,” the middle-aged man in the hemp robe beckoned.
Ying Bing sat across from him and he snapped a golden thread around her slender, pale fingers.
Li Mo watched with interest.
Seeing his worry, the apprentice reassured him, “Don’t fret, master rarely encounters illnesses beyond his capabilities.”
The corner of the man’s lips lifted slightly at these words, clearly pleased by them.
But…
In the next second, he let out a soft sound of surprise, his brows furrowing as well.
Zzzt.
A low hum filled the air as the golden thread vibrated lightly.
A thin layer of frost appeared on Ying Bing’s fingertips, swiftly spreading along the length of the metal filaments.
Snap!
As if struck by lightning, the man in the hemp robe broke the thread himself, then exhaled anxiously.
“How domineering!”
“How is it?” Li Mo asked, taking a deep breath.
The man frowned deeply, his brow creased like the character 田, and pondered for a moment before shaking his head. “Incredible, truly incredible. By all rights, you should never have lived to today.” He had practiced medicine for eighty years, encountering countless rare diseases—but he had never heard of someone’s cold energy(Yin qi) being so overwhelmingly potent!
“Miss, you must have been diagnosed with a severed pulse (terminal condition)?”
“Mhm,” Ying Bing nodded.
The middle-aged man in the hemp robe pondered for a moment before continuing slowly, “This elder is merely speculating that perhaps it’s not a severed pulse, but rather a unique constitution. As to what exactly this entails, I must consult ancient texts.”
“If it isn’t a disease, then there is no cure; all we can do is prescribe some medicine to alleviate your suffering.”
Ying Bing was momentarily taken aback, but quickly regained her composure. Recognizing this level of insight, she acknowledged that this doctor ranked among the top healers in Ziyang Prefecture.
It wasn’t until later, when she moved to the Central Region, that she discovered answers within the hidden archives of a long-established hidden sect.
…The Taiyin Moon Phoenix physique.
Within those ancient records, ten legendary physiques were recorded, each one unparalleled throughout history. The author named them collectively as the Ten Absolutes physiques.
Including the Taiyin Moon Phoenix physique, nine of these ten absolutes physiques had vanished without a trace, existing only in legend and speculation.
The only verifiable one was the True Dragon Body of Emperor Wu of Great Yu, capable of suppressing the nation and carrying the fortunes of the empire.
“This is my refined Pure Yang pill; it ought to be effective. Two hundred taels of silver.”
The middle-aged man in the hemp robe produced a porcelain bottle.
“That’s not too expensive.” Li Mo nodded, ready to produce his payment.
But the man in the hemp robe leisurely raised a finger. “One pill.”
Li Mo stared at him silently for a long moment.
Couldn’t he have said that without the dramatic pause?
The medicine boy wiped his mouth, muttering, “This price has already been marked down significantly, and if not for Master’s loss of face today, he wouldn’t have…”
“Hm?”
The Doctor glared at him, and the medicine boy sheepishly shut his mouth.
“It’s not too much, not too much!”
“I want one hundred pills, thank you.”
As if performing a magic trick, Li Mo slapped a stack of silver notes onto the table with a crisp crack, along with a few ingots of gold.
The medicine boy was stunned.
The man in the hemp robe blinked in confusion.
Ying Bing raised her eyebrows slightly.
The hall suddenly fell into an awkward silence.
There were thousands upon thousands of silver notes, each thick and substantial, and those several ingots of gold were even more precious. Though gold rarely circulated on the market, it had its own value—its worth far exceeded that of silver, and if these were to be exchanged, they would bring in an additional hefty sum! Altogether, this total easily surpassed twenty thousand taels.
Even in Ziyang Prefecture City, where land was as precious as gold, this sum could purchase an extravagant mansion.
“I have some savings,” Li Mo said with a bashful smile. “I believe it is sufficient.”
“One hundred pills—did you come here to buy sweets? Are you planning on eating them for meals?”
“Just one bottle, twelve pills.”
The corner of the middle-aged man’s robe-topped mouth twitched slightly, and he pushed forward the bottle.
“Works for me.”
Li Mo reluctantly nodded.
With a bow, he left with Ying Bing.
Watching their figures disappear into the night, the middle-aged man stroked his chin, deep in thought
“Weren’t these two supposed to have a strained relationship? Why does he seem worried about not spending enough money?”
He picked up the golden silk strands frozen upon the ground, his expression thoughtful.
If this child truly had such a constitution…
Her innate talent would be beyond imagination!**
“Master, there’s word from the sect.” The medicine boy returned with a falcon, removed its bamboo tube, and fed it dried meat.
The letter read:
「To Sixth Elder Xue Jing」
After reading the letter, the elder clicked his tongue, then glanced toward the rear courtyard. “Return to the sect, and bring the pill furnace.”
“Yes, Master.”
The delicate looking medicine boy nodded and rushed to the back courtyard.
He managed to lift a a massive bronze furnace, which spun as he hoisted it onto his small shoulder.
…
On the other side of town, the bustling night market was beginning to wind down; fewer pedestrians remained, and only the flickering street lamps still lit up the deserted streets.
As the smoky haze dissipated, the starry sky overhead finally began to twinkle brightly once more.
“What a pity.”
“I heard Ziyan prefecture’s night market has many snacks. We should come earlier next time.”
Holding two skewers of grilled fish, a local specialty, Li Mo took a bite. The fish was fresh and flavorful, without any fishy taste, and even the bones were crispy.
“Want some?” Li Mo turned, offering the fish.
Ying Bing ignored him, watching the boy with an oily mouth, her heart puzzled.
Having been reborn, she thought everything would unfold as expected.
Yet he seemed to be an exception.
“Why?” For the first time, Ying Bing took the initiative to ask.
Li Mo, in a good mood, grinned. “If the hard approach doesn’t work, I’ll try the soft one.”
“Maybe you’ll be moved and fall into my arms?”
The atmosphere grew awkward after his words.
Ying Bing’s calm gaze showed she dismissed his joke.
As expected, the ice doll had no sense of humor.
“Relax.”
“You’ve suffered a lot from me before. Consider this compensation or an investment.”
“It’s just over two thousand taels. When I join Qingyuan Sect, it’ll be pocket change.”
Li Mo waved his hand, acting nonchalant.
Whether strong or not, he’d never be poor.
Ying Bing frowned. Where did his confidence come from?**
In her past life, Li Mo had barely entered the outer sect, and even that was a struggle.
His roots were quite ordinary.
Yet the boy seemed unaware, fantasizing about shining brightly soon…
“Whoosh—”
The night wind blew, streetlights flickered, illuminating the boy’s spirited face.
Ying Bing was momentarily dazed.
A long-buried memory surfaced, of a distant figure.
It was her, amidst many spectators, bowing to a Qingyuan Sect elder, swearing to open her meridians within six months.
Where did her confidence come from back then?
“I owe you this favor. I accept it.”
A melodious voice resonated.
[Investment successful: Invested twelve Three-pattern Pure Yang Pills]
[Investment successful, your words have caused the other party’s mental state to change.]
[This investment has successfully altered the trajectory of the investment target’s life; feedback reward will be a critical hit.]
[Congratulations, host; you have received a special feedback!]
“Change of mindset?”
Li Mo was confused; he hadn’t said anything particularly special.
The chosen one is indeed the chosen one—she could even glean insights from his words.
Special feedback… a critical hit reward…
All signs pointed to a major windfall!
“Want some grilled fish? It’s delicious.”
“No, thanks.”
“Uh, how about some small fried fish?”
…
T/N: [1] For those who might be confused:
This dude Li Mo was originally from earth aka the ‘blue star’. I suppose he died (since it wasn’t mentioned how he left his previous world) and then was born into this martial world without any memories of his past life though, so he always thought he was a native of this world. It was only recently that he got his memories of his past life and realised that he had transmigrated.
That’s my understanding so far..