Chapter 81 Guyuan Dan Twenty Stone Heavy Bow [Please vote and read]
Early the next morning, An Mansion.
An Jishi took the medicine bottle from Qiu Zhen, fanned it, and took a slight sniff.
"It's not poisonous."
After saying this, Pharmacist An, with his great skill and boldness, uncorked the bottle and poured the liquid out.
Two pills the size of longans were poured out.
Then, a strong aroma of medicinal elixir spread out, filling the room with fragrance.
"This is Guyuan Pill."
Pharmacist An only took a quick glance and quickly made a judgment:
"These two pills are made from high-quality medicinal materials such as deer antlers, deer antler glue, angelica, and dried rehmannia. They strengthen the body, nourish the essence, and replenish the qi. They are top-grade pills that can improve your skills."
"Sir, can you tell if there is any hidden trick?"
"At first glance, it is not much different from ordinary Guyuan Pills, and its quality is still top-notch."
Pharmacist An nodded slightly, quite approvingly:
"You should be cautious. There are endless ways to harm people in the martial arts world. If you take it rashly, what if the other party has hidden tricks? Then you will be controlled by him."
Qiu Zhen nodded. He had this concern, so he came to see Pharmacist An.
"Sir, have you ever heard of the [Pantheon Alliance]?"
"Never heard of it."
Pharmacist An shook his head:
"Maybe I am ignorant. Whether in Changle Prefecture or the entire Great Zhou, I have never heard of the name of the Ten Thousand Gods Alliance. I have heard of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, which brings together a large number of cultivators and is very mysterious."
Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance?
Qiu Zhen was surprised when he heard about the "Immortal Cultivator Organization" for the first time. He had asked Fairy Yunrou and Monk Zhenkong about it before, but they didn't know much about it either.
Obviously, although both are "innate" and "yin gods", there is a huge difference between them.
Master An has not yet achieved the status of a master, but his status and connections are comparable to those of a martial arts master, and he knows many secrets.
To be honest, Qiu Zhen was much more interested in the "Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance" than the "Ten Thousand Gods Alliance", and he couldn't help but speak:
"The cultivators also have power? Didn't the imperial court suppress them?"
"It's not that they are a big force, they just hide in the world and stir up trouble everywhere, so it's hard to catch them all in one fell swoop."
Pharmacist An said this casually, but it was obvious that he had no intention of elaborating.
Seeing this, Qiu Zhen didn't ask any more questions to avoid suspicion, so he immediately returned to the topic and bowed to ask:
"Sir, what do you think I should do now?"
An Jishi pondered for a moment and said:
"It's a good thing that they want to recruit you. It's normal for someone with a destiny to be recruited. As for the [Guyuan Pill], it's better to be careful and don't take it. In the future, I will teach you the art of making pills and medicines. You can make pills by yourself and take them with more confidence."
Qiu Zhen was delighted, as this was exactly what he wanted.
"Thank you sir."
An Jishi nodded slightly, then remembered something and said:
"You have broken through three levels now. You can take spiritual herbs and pills to break through the fourth level. For the last level, you don't need to rely on external forces. It's best to hone yourself little by little and accumulate qi and blood."
"You now have top-notch aptitude. Even if you practice slowly, it will only take you half a year to go from level 4 to level 5. You will achieve great perfection at the age of 16."
After listening to An Jishi's instructions, Qiu Zhen immediately became interested.
According to his understanding, it seems that the early cultivation paths of many talented people in aristocratic families and major sects are similar. Most of them achieve perfection in self-cultivation around the age of fifteen or sixteen.
"Sir, is there something wrong?"
"Of course."
An Jishi explained with a smile:
"The theory of acquired self-cultivation actually originated from those who practiced Taoism and sought the truth. They refined grains into essence, perfected their acquired spirit, energy and spirit, fixed their qi, blood and essence in their bodies, and cultivated a flawless body, laying the foundation for the Tao. The same is true for those of us who practice martial arts."
"The fifth level is the critical moment to cultivate a flawless body. Spiritual herbs, precious medicines, and elixirs contain turbid poisons. If contaminated by turbid poisons, the flawless body will easily have flaws. Not only will it be disadvantageous for impacting the innate state, but it will also take many detours and have some impact in the future."
"I see!"
Qiu Zhen was deeply moved.
The advantages of the orderly inheritance of aristocratic families and large sects are indeed evident everywhere. A casual cultivator in the martial arts world would never know about all these twists and turns, and would inevitably take many detours.
Of course, not being able to take the magical herbs and medicines when trying to reach the fifth level would not have much impact on him.
Without taking the precious medicine, he can refine the essence of the demon's spiritual energy.
This thing is the product of the creation of yin and yang. As long as it can subdue and purify the remaining thoughts of the devil, it will be the purest spiritual energy in the world, better than the one obtained through internal cultivation of "refining grain into essence".
Qiu Zhen had a strong desire for knowledge. Seeing that An Jishi was very interested in talking, he immediately asked him for advice on his confusion in spiritual practice.
An Jishi answered them one by one.
Sometimes Qiu Zhen’s insights into spiritual practice opened his eyes and he gained a lot.
In the beginning, it was An Jishi who gave guidance, but later on, there was a vague intention of discussing and learning from each other.
This is because Qiu Zhen has just started practicing and has not accumulated enough experience.
After some discussion, An Jishi became more and more satisfied with Qiu Zhen, with a look of expectation on his face:
"Practice well. With your understanding and character, even if you don't have a great destiny, you will have the hope of becoming a martial arts master!"
While An Jishi was speaking, Ankang and An Huayu just came in from outside the courtyard and heard what he said.
"Dad, who has the potential to become a martial arts master?"
Soon, An Huayu and An Kang, who entered the courtyard, saw Qiu Zhen beside An Jishi and were surprised:
"what!"
In the next few days, Qiu Zhen's life became regular and fulfilling.
Early in the morning, he went to An Mansion to practice martial arts and learn the art of alchemy and medicine. In the afternoon, he went to the Demon Suppression Division to exorcise evil spirits for the martial artists of the Demon Suppression Division.
On the afternoon of the first day, Qiu Zhen performed exorcisms on more than 30 martial arts masters. The effect was excellent. The evil spirits in their bodies were completely removed, and he won unanimous praise from all the martial arts masters who were treated.
On the same day, the treasury of the Demon Suppression Bureau gave Qiu Zhen the "annual pension" of 600 taels in one lump sum, which was very straightforward.
It is not as difficult as ordinary street merchants say, that money from the government is difficult to collect.
Things like delaying from the beginning of the year to the end of the year, from one year to two or three years, and finally turning into a bad debt never happened.
On the contrary, the Demon Suppression Bureau was eager to offer the annuity, as if they were afraid that Qiu Zhen would go back on his word.
Afterwards, the Wu captains from the Demon Suppression Division treated Qiu Zhen with even more courtesy, welcoming and seeing him off with great hospitality.
The only pity is that these demon-suppressing warriors only have "evil spirit" but no little demons like "devil thoughts".
Qiu Zhen was not disappointed. The Demon Suppression Bureau dealt with demons and evil spirits every day, so they would always encounter them.
He just needs to be patient.
For several days in a row, Qiu Zhen practiced martial arts in An Mansion in the morning, and went to the Demon Suppression Division to exorcise evil spirits in the afternoon, until all the hundreds of martial artists in the Demon Suppression Division had exorcised evil spirits.
He made an agreement with the Demon Suppression Bureau to exorcise evil spirits once a month. He completed the exorcism task in just a few days and received fifty taels of silver.
This made Qiu Zhen feel very good.
From then on, together with the monthly salary from Yaowang Valley, he would have a guaranteed monthly income of sixty taels of silver.
Now that he had no job at the Demon Suppression Division, he spent his daytime practicing martial arts, learning the art of alchemy and medicine making, and reading books in the An Mansion. His days were very fulfilling.
Five days later, in the evening.
Qiu Zhen and An Huayu agreed to go out together and head to the outskirts of the city.
According to An Huayu, there was a black market in the mountains outside the city, and the two had agreed to go there together a few days ago.
Speaking of which, as a "local", Qiu Zhen didn't know that there had been a black market in Qingmu Town for a long time. Instead, Ankang and An Huayu knew about it.
The "information cocoon" is particularly obvious in this world. "Junior Brother Qiu, I have discovered that you are not my savior, but a disaster."
An Huayu and Qiu Zhen walked side by side, both with worried looks on their faces:
"You've done me a disservice. My father was originally doubting his teaching skills and was completely disappointed in me. After you came, he was like a chicken with steroids. He felt that he taught well and became strict with me again. I've been scolded a lot these past few days."
After hearing this, Qiu Zhen didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
You were thanking me a few days ago, but you changed your attitude so quickly.
"I now suspect that you are my father's illegitimate child. He is so patient with you that he even taught you the basic knife, sword, and gun skills himself. We don't have this blessing."
"Hahahaha~"
Qiu Zhen smiled and let An Huayu complain.
These words, spoken in front of him, proved that An Huayu was an open-minded person and easy to get along with.
In fact, when Master An taught him the basic sword techniques, it was more like explaining his martial arts philosophy than teaching him the basic sword techniques, which was quite profound and mysterious.
If he didn't open his primordial spirit and Dharma body, it would be difficult for him to learn.
It is also because of this that he has been very active in going to the library these days and has been accumulating knowledge continuously.
The "innate wisdom" of the primordial spirit and Dharma body needs to be accumulated. Once it has accumulated enough, he will be able to easily gain sudden enlightenment and have infinite creation in the future.
"Hua Yu, if the master hears this, he will definitely teach you a lesson."
"Am I afraid of him? He himself taught poorly and refused to admit it. Only you, Junior Brother Qiu, have a high level of understanding and made him proud."
As the sun set, the two men walked out of the city gate, bathed in the sunset, and headed straight for the hills on the outskirts of the city.
The Aoki black market was located in a remote area. They did not ride horses, but relied on their own legs to cross mountains and wade through rivers, and finally came to a hidden valley, where a small market appeared in front of them.
An Huayu was obviously very experienced. After putting on tiger face masks and showing a wooden token, he and Qiu Zhen easily entered the Qingmu black market.
The scale of the black market is similar to that of an ordinary market, with stalls arranged in rows and the whole market is bustling and noisy.
The only difference is that the things sold on the black market are more special.
From small items like private salt for daily use by the common people to weapons such as heavy armor and heavy crossbows that were strictly prohibited by the court, all kinds of things that cannot be bought on the market can be found here.
An Huayu seemed to be very familiar with this kind of black market. He took Qiu Zhen directly to the big stall and asked a middle-aged man wearing a bronze mask in a hoarse voice:
"Boss, do you have a twenty-stone heavy bow?"
"Of course!"
The middle-aged man gave an order.
Soon, a waiter came with a large bow in his hands with great effort and placed it on the counter.
The bronze masked shopkeeper looked at the two of them with a somewhat surprised look:
"This bow is called the Dragon Shooting Heavy Bow. It can only be pulled by someone with extraordinary strength. It weighs twenty stones and requires two thousand jin of force. Brothers, do you really want it?"
"It's natural!"
An Huayu said proudly:
"I came from the capital, so please quote me a good price and do business sincerely. Don't be greedy."
"It turns out that he is a noble person from the capital city."
The bronze mask shopkeeper may have noticed that An Huayu's clothes were extraordinary, and he spoke in an enthusiastic tone:
"I'm not going to waste my money on you. How about two thousand taels?"
"The price is about the same, but Qingmu is a small place, and the risk you take is not that great, so the price is a bit expensive. One thousand five hundred taels, okay, I'll take it."
"This"
The bronze mask shopkeeper smiled bitterly:
"Young Master is indeed knowledgeable, so be it."
Having said that, the subsequent transaction went very smoothly.
An Huayu paid the money and soon got the "Dragon Shooting Heavy Bow", which also came with a quiver and twenty sharp arrows.
"Why do you want to buy a bow and arrow?"
Qiu Zhen was a little surprised.
However, what surprised him even more was that An Huayu handed the "Dragon Shooting Heavy Bow" to Qiu Zhen.
"Of course I bought it for you. I'm not good at archery."
Seeing Qiu Zhen becoming more and more surprised, An Huayu explained with a smile:
"My father knew that I had an appointment with you to come to the black market, so he asked Uncle Kang to give me more money. Why do you say that? It was to let me help you pick out a good bow. The twenty-stone heavy bow is controlled by the court and cannot be bought outside. It can only be bought on the black market."
"It's a bit more expensive, but it's very powerful. With this twenty-stone heavy bow, you can walk around in the acquired realm with ease, and even threaten martial artists and monsters who have just entered the innate realm."
Qiu Zhen was a little surprised.
In fact, during the past few days of learning martial arts in the An Mansion, Pharmacist An gave me a top-grade Bailian sword, which is very valuable.
At the moment, there is another twenty-stone heavy bow.
The gift was worth more than the two [Guyuan Pills] from the Alliance of All Gods.
"Junior brother, please accept it. My father asked me to give it to you. I guess he wanted me to have a good relationship with you and keep some favors for you."
An Huayu smiled carefreely:
"If you don't have a future, you can still find another place to make a living."
Qiu Zhen laughed in surprise, ignoring An Huayu's self-mockery, and looked down at the bow.
This "Dragon Shooting Heavy Bow" is extremely heavy to hold. The bow body is made of some kind of metal, and the bowstring is made of the tendons of top-grade ferocious beasts. The more you pull it, the heavier it becomes, and the more powerful it is.
"This bow is very good. Thank you, Senior Brother."
He was not at all disgusted by An Huayu's straightforward words, but instead felt close to her.
This time, An Huayu's purpose of coming to the market was obviously to buy a twenty-stone heavy bow for Qiu Zhen, and he was not very interested in other things in the market.
"Junior brother, the black market is not interesting right now. It will only become interesting when Qingmu is officially upgraded to a county and becomes lively. Right now, most of the items here are ordinary, mostly fakes and forgeries. They are not very interesting."
It was Qiu Zhen’s first time to come to the black market. He felt very fresh and didn’t find it boring.
I visited each stall with great interest.
The main reason why Qiu Zhen was so interested was that he had the [Miro Palace] in his possession, and he wanted to try his luck and see if he could encounter the immortal fate.
An Huayu knew that this was Qiu Zhen's first time here and he was very excited about the new experience. Although he himself was not interested, he did not say much afterwards and just wandered around with Qiu Zhen.
Just as the two were strolling, An Huayu, who was following Qiu Zhen step by step, was startled. Seeing Qiu Zhen stop, he was a little surprised and looked in the direction Qiu Zhen's gaze.
There is nothing surprising about the bustling flow of people.
"Junior brother, what's wrong?"
"nothing."
Qiu Zhen shook his head, retracted his gaze, and said with a smile:
"Brother, this place is really boring, why don't we go back early."
An Huayu had wanted to go back for a long time, and was very happy to hear this.
"Let's go."
Qiu Zhen nodded slightly, looking normal as he left the black market with An Huayu, but his heart was filled with turmoil.
Just now, he caught a glimpse of a familiar figure in the crowd.
It was not someone else, but the woman who went to the pharmacy with the old man "Yuanhua" to seek medical treatment that day.
Although this woman was in disguise and concealed her aura, she had a spiritual body and a dharma body, and she had a vague intuition.
It's her!
PS: It will be on the shelves soon, so get used to the rhythm of the big chapters in advance, and the next two chapters will be combined into one
(End of this chapter)
