Ordinary Bone

"What if I mention it again? Can Bai Yulou truly dominate Qingxuan Sect?"

Ziyang Zhenjun sneered coldly in response, then waved his sleeve and turned to leave. Just as he was about to return to his cave residence, he suddenly paused and glanced back at the bronze mirror behind him.

"Next time, the lecture will be canceled. This time, I'll enter seclusion for three years."

With that, his figure vanished at the entrance of the cave.

"What's the point of all this?"

A helpless sigh echoed from the bronze mirror.

Returning to Qingzhu Residence.

"Hah... still no good..."

Sitting on the bed, Xu Taiping sighed deeply after having circulated his internal energy for a long while.

After listening to Ziyang Zhenjun's lecture, the time was just right — it was noon, the best moment to practice the Cánxiá Jing (Fragmentary Twilight Sutra). Xu Taiping had decided to begin cultivating according to the insights he gained from the lecture.

However, after a full hour of effort, he still failed to guide the spiritual energy of heaven and earth into his body and refine it into true qi, as described in the Cánxiá Jing.

"Looks like I'll have to rely on Fairy Lingyue's prescription after all."

Wiping the sweat from his forehead, Xu Taiping muttered, somewhat unwilling.

This attempt had truly made him feel the difficulty of cultivating with a "white bone" constitution.

With that thought, having made up his mind, he took out the bronze mirror again and placed a merit coin on it.

"Xu Taiping of Qingzhu Residence, what is it that you seek from me?"

The voice of the mirror spirit sounded from within the bronze mirror.

"Lord Xuanjing, I wish to purchase a batch of medicinal herbs and seeds."

Xu Taiping replied.

"With your current rank, you can only buy medicinal herbs and seeds at Baicaotang at the foot of the mountain. These are the herbs they offer. After you select them in the mirror, a spirit bird will deliver them to your courtyard."

As the mirror spirit spoke, a list of herbs appeared on the surface of the bronze mirror.

"Thank you, Lord Xuanjing."

Xu Taiping expressed his gratitude and began to carefully search the list.

After about the time it takes to burn an incense stick, Xu Taiping finally gathered all the ingredients from Fairy Lingyue's prescription. To avoid revealing the prescription, he added several inexpensive herbs to the list and altered the quantities of the herbs slightly.

As for the seeds for his medicinal garden, he chose only Nine-Leaf Perilla, purchasing enough for three acres, enough to be planted three times.

There was a reason for this choice.

According to the records in the jade slip that had passed down cultivation methods for medicinal gardens, Nine-Leaf Perilla could be used in its leaves, stems, and seeds for medicinal purposes. The leaves could be eaten as a high-quality vegetable, and the seeds were among the cheapest of all spiritual herbs. It grew easily and had a short growth cycle, taking only three months from germination to harvest. Given that Yunkong Mountain had a perpetual spring climate, he could plant it three times a year.

The only downside was that it was too inexpensive.

Under normal circumstances, planting Nine-Leaf Perilla on one acre would yield only 30 merit coins per year, far less than other spiritual herbs.

Keep in mind, in Qingxuan Sect, each outer disciple was required to contribute 120 merit coins annually.

Even if Taiping planted three acres of Nine-Leaf Perilla, he wouldn't be able to gather enough merit coins to meet the sect's annual requirement.

However, with the formation that Fairy Lingyue had set up in the medicinal garden, everything would be different.

According to her, any medicinal field with the Small Gathering Spirit Formation would see its yield triple over three years. So, planting Nine-Leaf Perilla was the most cost-effective option.

"If everything goes as expected, three acres of Nine-Leaf Perilla, three harvests a year, should yield at least 270 merit coins. After subtracting 20 merit coins for costs and the 120 merit coins I need to submit to the sect annually, I should have 130 merit coins left over. With that, I can buy better seeds next year, and perhaps still have some to buy cultivation techniques and talismans."

After paying for the herbs and seeds, Xu Taiping took up a pen and began to carefully record the expenses.

"With the medicinal herbs and seeds purchased, now only three merit coins remain. Luckily, I've already bought a barrel of rice and stocked up on oil and salt. I can set up traps in the mountains to catch some wild game and survive until the first harvest of Nine-Leaf Perilla."

As he made his calculations, Xu Taiping was secretly planning ahead.

The main reason he had chosen Nine-Leaf Perilla was because it grew quickly and would allow him to gather merit coins within three months, so he could buy more medicinal materials for cultivation.

As for the True Fire Talismans needed for the burning of seeds, he had already asked the mirror spirit about them yesterday. The answer was that talismans could only be bought after completing one year in the sect, and even the most basic True Fire Talismans cost at least 1,000 merit coins. There was no way for him to afford them in the short term.

"Hmm, once I have a harvest, I'll need to start saving to buy the True Fire Talismans."

Xu Taiping made another note in his ledger.

The following evening.

A spirit bird, a grey crane, arrived at Xu Taiping's courtyard with a large package in its beak.

The seeds and herbs Xu Taiping had ordered had finally arrived.

After reluctantly paying one merit coin to the crane, Xu Taiping carried the package of medicinal herbs into his room.

In the room, there was a tub filled with hot water, which he had prepared in advance to soak the herbs.

"Fairy Lingyue's prescription says these materials are ordinary, and to activate their effects, they must be added in the proper order and timing."

After categorizing the herbs and reweighing them with an old scale from the room, Xu Taiping stood before the tub, silently recalling the order and timing for adding the herbs.

"It should be fine."

A moment later, Xu Taiping nodded to himself, as if to encourage himself.

He then took the first batch of herbs, wrapped in oiled paper, and poured them into the steaming hot water. Counting off on his fingers, he muttered, "8, 7, 6..."

When he reached "1," Xu Taiping quickly poured the second batch of herbs into the tub.

As the second batch entered the water, the liquid suddenly began to bubble and release a fragrant aroma, akin to orchid or musk.

"Looks like I didn't make a mistake."

Xu Taiping smiled in delight, then added another batch of herbs.

An incense stick later.

Once all the herbs had been added according to the prescription, Xu Taiping observed the once-clear hot water in the tub. It had now transformed into a thick, white liquid, resembling a dense paste.

"The decoction is as white and smooth as jade, thick like paste—just like the prescription said."

Xu Taiping sighed in relief.

At least from the outside, it appeared that he had successfully made the Bone-Cleansing Decoction.

He quickly stripped off his clothes, revealing his lean body, and entered the tub, immersing himself in the decoction.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk..."

Perhaps due to the potency of the medicine, the water was still scalding hot even after an incense stick's time had passed. Xu Taiping couldn't help but wince from the heat.

If it weren't for the prescription's warning that leaving halfway would drastically reduce the effectiveness, he might have already jumped out of the tub by now.

[--------------------------------------------]

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