Chapter 384: Medicine

Chapter 384: Medicine

This "Shennong's Herbal Classic" was not the one from Earth, though it shared the name.

In such a martial world, where beings with inner vision existed, the development of medicine would far surpass that of normal ancient times, with relatively few misconceptions, and no fanciful notions of "like cures like" or bizarre medicinal guides.

The Earth version recorded only three hundred and sixty-five herbs, and due to its antiquity, it contained some errors. Here, however, there were likely no fewer than three thousand.

To memorize and study them thoroughly was no feat achievable in a short time; without the cheat of the Celestial Book, one could hardly hope to learn well.

"Master" had not simply tossed it to him to study alone; she still had to maintain the air of a teacher.

Her guiding voice drifted into Zhao Changhe's ears, now and then: "Pharmacology primarily concerns the four natures, the five flavors, meridian tropism, ascending and descending, floating and sinking... The four natures refer to the waxing and waning of yin and yang, the changes of cold and heat; the five flavors..."

"Medicinals are divided into seven emotions: single action, mutual reinforcement, mutual assistance, mutual fear, mutual aversion, mutual opposition, and mutual killing. Only through the harmony of these seven emotions can they be combined... What's that look on your face? I'm not talking about the harmony of yin and yang!"

"No, no, Master, please continue." Zhao Changhe lowered his head to flip through the book.

His expression was off—not because he was thinking of yin and yang harmony as Tang Wanzhuang had imagined, but because he realized that the seven emotions of medicinals were essentially the chemical reactions of different elemental combinations, different paths to the same end. Unfortunately, the knowledge from his school days had mostly been returned to his teachers, and now only cheating could keep him alive like this...

For a transmigrator to end up like this was truly shameful.

But the Celestial Book, on which he had pinned his hopes, did not disappoint him; it actually responded.

The original VR scene, though picturesque with its clear waters and green mountains, had only ordinary flora with nothing special. Yet as this "Shennong's Herbal Classic" made contact, the plants within began to evolve into various medicinal herbs, vivid and lifelike, far easier to recognize than the abstract illustrations in the book.

Zhao Changhe suspected that if an ordinary apprentice learned the appearance of herbs from a book, they might not even recognize the real thing when they saw it...

But the herbs that evolved and grew were filtered from thousands down to just over a hundred.

Because the Celestial Book was not about creation; it was about martial arts—it cared not whether these herbs could cure colds, heatstroke, or upset stomachs, only about their medicinal value in healing wounds, boosting internal energy, and body forging. So it kept only the relevant types, which were relatively few.

Moreover, each retained herb bore floating textual annotations, more targeted and specialized than the book's descriptions. It did not analyze the herb's properties but only told you what prescriptions it could form and what martial value it served.

For example: "Golden Stork Herb, combined with White Ox Gallbladder, Bruise-Dispersing Herb, etc., ground into a paste, has remarkable effects on treating external injuries. The ratio is as follows... Additionally, if combined with Red Gall Sand and heated in water until dissolved, the sand can be used to forge the external skill of Iron Sand Palm. The ratio is..."

He should have thought of it sooner. Back when he hadn't yet obtained the second page of the Celestial Book, the still-unsealed golden foil had already analyzed the fruit given by Xia Longyuan as suitable for laying the foundation of the Blood Shura Body and had guided him to the subsequent needed Dragon-Elephant Blood Ginseng. It had always been part of the "body forging martial analysis" process.

Now, with the second page of the Celestial Book on the Way of Nature cooperating, the completeness increased, and what it could display became more specific... The flaw was that it only "grew" and analyzed what the book recorded; it did not spontaneously produce what was not mentioned.

Unfortunately, as he went through the hundred-plus herbs one by one, none matched Tang Wanzhuang's condition.

Zhao Changhe quietly touched his ring, shifting the "Mountain and River Atlas" from its corner to rest atop the two pages of the Celestial Book.

What was recorded here were mostly curiosities—not only herbs but also minerals... and even people. But people, of course, would not appear here; instead, there were more items among the mountains and rivers, all sorts of strange things.

"Juntian Blood Jade, a curiosity, contains pure blood essence. Extracted and refined, combined with Sharp Blade Herb in proper ratio, boiled into a body-forging bath, it is the next step in the evolution of the Blood Shura Body."

The "Mountain and River Atlas" recorded: Juntian Blood Jade, produced in the mountains of the Spirit Clan, extremely rare.

Zhao Changhe: "..."

This clan seemed familiar.

Never mind that; the urgent matter now was Tang Wanzhuang's illness.

After observing for a long while, Zhao Changhe finally found something relevant: "Transformation Lotus, combined with Bodhi Fruit, refined into a pill, has remarkable effects in treating meridian damage and recovery, even able to reconnect meridians on the verge of breaking. For those with intact meridians, taking it can expand the meridians and enhance resilience. It can be called the holy medicine for meridian nourishment."

Unexpectedly, it was also effective for his own condition... Ever since he had expanded his meridians in the Black Tortoise Secret Realm, improving his foundation to slightly worse than an ordinary person's, Zhao Changhe had not paid much attention to this—it was sufficient.

But perhaps his current cultivation did not demand much, so it sufficed. At higher levels of cultivation, his current meridians would inevitably become an obstacle.

"Spirit-Binding Herb, combined with Cloud Sun Leaf, can nourish damage to the soul and fortify the spiritual platform... However, soul wounds cannot be cured by medicine alone; it can only serve as an aid. The root remedy lies in the Return Spring Technique."

That was it.

For both Tang Wanzhuang's meridian and soul damage, there were now supplementary treatments.

The problem was that these items were mostly scattered across various secret realms, with no way to find them... But at least there was a direction.

Of course, for soul conditions, medicine could only assist—this was expected. Medicine, after all, is digested by the body; it can at most fortify the bodily vessel that houses the soul, but it can do little for the ethereal soul itself.

In fact, even nourishing meridians was the same. The combination of medicine and technique was the true path... He was learning all this primarily to understand the Return Spring Technique, not specifically to find herbs. Once the Return Spring Technique was studied to a certain level, no medicine could compare to it, for it was a law of nature.

Just as he was pondering, his ear suddenly hurt.

Zhao Changhe winced and turned his head. Tang Wanzhuang stood beside him, expressionless, tugging at his ear: "Were you even listening? Repeat what I just said."

Zhao Changhe recited: "Single action: a solitary herb needs no assistant; mutual reinforcement: similar herbs cannot be separated; mutual assistance: they serve as my adjutants; mutual fear: they are restrained by others; mutual killing: they neutralize each other's toxicity; mutual aversion: they rob me of my efficacy; mutual opposition: they are incompatible. Among these seven emotions, when considered together, one should use those that reinforce or assist, and avoid those that are aversive or opposed. If toxicity needs to be controlled, one may use those that fear or kill each other; otherwise, they should not be combined."

Tang Wanzhuang's eyes widened in surprise. She had clearly seen him daydreaming, and her hand waving before his eyes had elicited no reaction, yet he could actually repeat what she had just said...

Zhao Changhe also realized that his ability to multitask had improved—this was the result of his soul flourishing after the secret treasury... Those blind fellows had multi-core CPUs of unknown capacity, observing and processing countless things at once.

He didn't mention this, keeping his face equally expressionless: "I think you're just looking for an excuse to pull my ear."

"Well..." Tang Wanzhuang stiffened her neck and said, "Can't a master pull her disciple's ear?"

Even as she said it, she finally let go, somewhat embarrassed.

Zhao Changhe smiled wryly: "Continue the lesson. I'm starting to get a feel for it..."

"What kind of feel?"

"Learning these things is indeed useful for mastering the Return Spring Technique. Before, I knew nothing of medicine or herbs—how could I 'return spring'? Even if I could heal a bit, I didn't understand the why. Hearing you explain these principles of medicine, I feel I've truly grasped something, and I sense that the Return Spring Technique will make a leap forward."

Tang Wanzhuang's face reddened slightly.

He had improved the Return Spring Technique—and then how would he use it?

She didn't dwell on that, gently pushing another book toward him: "Look at the examples in this book. For instance, mutual reinforcement is when two herbs work synergistically, like Angelica and White Peony... Mutual fear is when one herb suppresses the harshness of the main herb, making the effect milder and more usable, like..."

In the pavilion, the man and woman sat very close, leaning over the table to read. The woman's slender finger pointed at the text, softly guiding, while the man followed her direction, memorizing. Unbeknownst to them, their heads had nearly touched.

Baoqin no longer held her qin; she stood with arms crossed, watching coldly.

You call this a master and disciple... When the young lady taught me music scores, it was never this intimate.

The sky gradually darkened, and the characters on the page grew hard to read.

Tang Wanzhuang seemed to snap out of it and suddenly called out: "Baoqin, Baoqin~"

Baoqin replied: "I'm here."

"Go light the lamp in the room. I'll be reading with Young Master Zhao tonight... Hmm, we need to make the most of our time, that's all."

"Fine, fine, I know, that's all." Baoqin entered the room with a look of utter resignation, and after a moment, the lamp inside flickered to life.

But once the lamp was lit, Tang Wanzhuang changed her mind.

Seeing the ambiguous glow of the lamplight, she suddenly realized how improper it was for the two of them to be shut in a room together.

She turned her head away, feigning aloofness: "Forget it, I'm tired. Come again tomorrow."

Zhao Changhe watched her tsundere demeanor, and his throat moved involuntarily.

They had just treated her at noon; theoretically, there was no need for a repeat session today, yet he deliberately said: "Well, how about a treatment before bed to aid your rest... and I can test whether the Return Spring Technique has truly improved."

Tang Wanzhuang turned her head away without speaking, but she did not refuse.

After all, it wasn't the first or second time. If you want to test the Return Spring Technique, then hurry up and test it...

Zhao Changhe mustered his courage, wrapped his arm around her shoulder, and lowered his head to kiss her.

He felt her shoulder stiffen, and his own heart pounded with trepidation. He dared not be frivolous, truly testing the fledgling insights he had gained about the Return Spring Technique.

But as he kissed her, Tang Wanzhuang kept her eyes wide open, staring straight at him, leaving Zhao Changhe utterly bewildered.

What's wrong? The Return Spring Technique has indeed improved a bit... You don't think that just learning a little medical knowledge would make it skyrocket, do you? I'm using an auxiliary cheat, not a one-hit-ninety-nine.

Honestly, this time was just an excuse all along—what 'testing the rejuvenation technique'? I just wanted to kiss you.

He steeled his heart, and come what may, he directly extended his tongue.

Tang Wanzhuang closed her eyes in satisfaction.