Chapter 16: Collecting pills

Translator: xiiannie

Editor: adeadaxe

After fumbling about for a while longer, Lu Mingshu confirmed the function of the Heavenly Wheel.

One, to exchange or trade with others through the tree. Two, time flowed faster in the Heavenly Wheel than it did outside. The time she had at her disposal to achieve enlightenment exceeded what others had by several times. Three, one's body inside the Heavenly Wheel was merely a projection. Hence, if her real body were to be injured, getting healed by the six-colored streamers inside the Heavenly Wheel would be faster than naturally healing outside.

As for breaking through the seal to the entrance of another layer, that would be a matter for the future.

She busied herself until the middle of the night, before taking a well-deserved rest.

The sky had just brightened when Liu Jizhen smelled the aroma of freshly-made porridge coming from the kitchen.

When he walked over, he saw Lu Mingshu frying an egg while standing on a stool—she wasn't tall enough, so even when she stood straight, she was not much taller than the kitchen stove.

His eyes flashed, and he walked over to seize the spatula from her hands.

"Master?"

"Go scoop the porridge."

"Un..."

Although the porridge had a mud-like texture, it was at least cooked.

Master and disciple quietly finished their breakfast before Liu Jizhen went back to his wood work, while Lu Mingshu flipped through the disciple handbook and foundation technique Shao Zhengyang had brought her.

The sect rules and things to take note of in the disciple handbook were not of much use to her. Lu Mingshu flipped through it for a moment before throwing it to one side.

While she flipped through that foundation technique, she compared it according to the discussion in the Heavenly Wheel, to test its feasibility.

Speaking of it, it was a little troublesome even if she wanted to start practicing martial arts.

Being a Martial Practitioner was not simply tempering one's body. The first step to becoming a Martial Practitioner was to first awaken one's Meridians.

The so-called act of awakening one's Meridians involved using rare medicinal herbs to stimulate them into awakening. Initially, one's Meridians are in a closed state, and only with enough stimulation will they awaken. Once one's Meridians are awakened, one will be able to utilize the mystic force through training.

If it was just nimble agility, then what difference would it have from the skills used by soldiers in the army? Even the sight of hundreds and thousands of such soldiers would not evoke fear in a true practitioner of the martial way. Every one of those famous generals from Ancient China had the power of a thousand soldiers.

This was how they portrayed true experts, which was also the reason why Martial Practitioners were deeply respected.

And awakening one's Meridians was no easy task. The best time to awaken Meridians was from eight to ten years old. At this age, the body would have grown into the initial stage with its potential yet undisplayed. By awakening the Meridians at this point in time, it would stimulate one's potential to reach the optimum level.

There was also a risk of failure when awakening the Meridians. If any single step was done incorrectly, it would affect the development of one's potential.

Take Fu Shangqing as an example, he was already twelve when he opened his Meridians. His household did not have any resources, and it was a kind-hearted martial school's teacher who discovered his innate talent and helped him awaken his Meridians. It was precisely because he was late in awakening his Meridians that his potential had been affected, which was the reason why the servant girl Ruixiang had spoken of a delay that day when Zhou Yinru delivered the divorce papers to the Lu family.

Of course, the Lu family had nothing to do with Fu Shangqing's delayed awakening of his Meridians. His own family had lacking conditions, so if not for the Lu family's financial aid, how would he have ever acquired the capital needed to go to Dongyue's capital or even meet the Zhou Sect Leader and his daughter?

Lu Mingshu calculated in her heart. The material benefit in Nine Jade Palace wasn't bad, and every disciple had access to the Basic Spirit Pill that would allow them to awaken their Meridians. There was also a portion of increased medicinal efficiency, of which the sum of money given by Zhou Yinru was sufficient to cover the cost...

Once she was done thinking, Lu Mingshu rubbed her head and looked up to see Liu Jizhen shaving the wood in his hands as he sat there.

The block of wood began to slowly take on the semblance of a wooden sword.

Lu Mingshu stared at him blankly.

What is Master doing? Why does he keep making a wooden sword? The very day she had met her Master, she had seen those two huts unequivocally filled to the brim with wooden swords that he had made.

If Master had already given up on hope, why would he keep making wooden swords? If he has not given up, why didn't he do something else besides making wooden swords? What exactly is Master thinking?

If Liu Jizhen's line of thought was so easy to guess, he would not have banished himself to Green Jade Valley for so many years.

On the second day, Lu Mingshu informed Liu Jizhen about a trip down the valley by herself.

She was heading to the Truth Courtyard to collect pills in preparation for the awakening of her Meridians.

While it was uncertain if it was due to being baptized by the six-colored streamers, Lu Mingshu did not feel tired at all despite walking from Green Jade Valley to the Main Palace in one go.

Finding Truth Courtyard by following the map, Lu Mingshu handed her Disciple Seal Tablet in through the window of the reception once she was there.

The clerk inside looked over her Seal Tablet, "You're here to collect your Meridian Opening Pills?"

"Yes."

The clerk smiled, "Right, just wait over there."

Lu Mingshu took a seat on the long bench by the side and waited.

After a long wait, Lu Mingshu felt a little anxious after discovering that it was already lunchtime. "Clerk, are my pills ready?"

The clerk replied calmly, "You came at a bad time. The Jade Pear Residence just sent someone over to collect a large batch of Meridians Opening Pills. There aren't anymore left here. We had to temporarily transfer some here. If you can't wait, it's best you come another time."

The trek from Green Jade Valley was a long-distance, so Lu Mingshu could only sit back down and quietly endure.

A while later, a boy came in, "Collecting Meridians Opening Pills!"

The clerk glanced over, smiling, "Please wait by the side, it will be here shortly."

The boy answered with a hummed and casually headed over to sit down by the side.

He looked over at Lu Mingshu curiously and asked her, "Are you also here to collect the Meridians Opening Pills?"

This boy did not seem much older than her. Donned in traditional clothing, he possessed the imposing bearing of an aristocrat.

Lu Mingshu nodded.

"Which line are you from? I don't seem to have seen you before."

Which line... Lu Mingshu did not know how to answer this, "I am from Green Jade Valley."

"Green Jade Valley?" The boy thought for a moment, "Never heard of it." But this did not prevent him from starting a conversation since he was idle and bored, "I am from the line of Willow Woods. My name's Gao Xiang, and my Master is Elder An. What's your name?"

"My name's Lu Mingshu."

The two exchanged questions and answers, chatting to pass the time.

Not long after, the clerk stuck his head out from the front desk, "Young Master Gao, the pills are ready."

Gao Xiang went up to collect his pills, and Lu Mingshu followed after, "What about my pills?"

"Yours is here." The clerk handed over a separate package.

Only

Lu Mingshu received it. "Thank you." As it wasn't awfully late yet, she would manage to rush back in time.

Right as she was about to leave, Gao Xiang stopped her short. "Eh, aren't you going to check it?"

Lu Mingshu looked at him in confusion.

"In case the amount of pills isn't right, they will not admit it once you step out of this door." Gao Xiang opened his package as he spoke. Checking it one by one before wrapping it back, he revealed a satisfied expression. "Not bad."

On second thought, Lu Mingshu opened her package. She counted it to be a fair amount, before opening the smaller package inside...

Lu Mingshu was stunned upon seeing those dried up medicinal herbs.

If she had not previously seen Gao Xiang's package, perhaps she would have thought hers was normal. But once she compared it to Gao Xiang's package, this was obviously...

"Inferior grade!" Gao Xing blurted out. "Clerk, what is with this? You can tell this root bark is of an inferior grade at one glance! You actually dared to use inferior herbs?"