Journey to the West: Cultivation Begins at Jindou Mountain

Chapter 417 Reassurance

"If Brother Zhong trusts me, why don't you let that old man try this medicine?"

Zhong Wen took the porcelain bottle handed to him by the boy opposite him, uncorked it, sniffed it lightly, and looked at the boy with some surprise.

"Young shopkeeper, this heart-protecting pill seems quite different from the previous one."

Niu Yi laughed:

"This medicine is made from a secret recipe passed down in our Niu family, and its effects are stronger than those ordinary heart-protecting pills we used before."

"In our family's prescription, this medicine is also called a calming pill."

"I think you've probably noticed, Brother Zhong, that regular heart-protecting pills aren't very effective for that old man anymore. Why don't you try this calming pill instead?"

Zhong Wen gave the young shopkeeper a deep look, then stroked the smooth porcelain bottle in his hand a couple of times.

"A reassuring name."

In Zhong Wen's eyes, the boy opposite him was dressed simply, but his dark eyes were bright and gentle. His face was young, but he had an indescribable calmness. Every move he made was so harmonious, which made Zhong Wen feel comfortable from the bottom of his heart.

Despite his noble birth and early intelligence, it seems he can still make mistakes.
The young shopkeeper in front of him was clearly no ordinary person. For a moment, he couldn't even fathom the boy's true abilities. Perhaps the Niu family was hiding some secret?
His purpose in coming to Jiangcheng was to find the old man, whom he had searched for at great expense. Judging from the current situation, the old man might die before he could even learn what he was learning.

He did bring over a lot of precious medicines from home, but he shook his head repeatedly at the smell and refused to take them, only using ordinary heart-protecting pills to keep himself alive.

Zhong Wen could understand this. Medicine often emphasizes moderation and appropriate dosage; too much is as bad as too little. Perhaps the old man's body could no longer withstand the strong effects of the medicine.
Zhong Wen's mind raced, and after a moment, he looked at the young man before him and smiled:
"Alright, since Brother Guangyi has said so, I will accept the medicine. However, I cannot guarantee whether the old man will take it."

As Zhong Wen spoke, he took out a white money pouch embroidered with sword patterns from his pocket, and then took out a piece of silver from it and placed it on the counter.

"Consider this tael of silver as a deposit. If the old man takes the medicine, the silver will be yours, young man. If the effect is indeed good, I will give you another ten taels of silver as a token of my gratitude."

"If it doesn't work, I'll send this reassurance back and then get the tael of silver back."

Niu Yi remained unfazed, ignoring Zhong Wen's change in address from "little shopkeeper" to "little brother," and without even glancing at the silver on the table. He smiled and nodded, agreeing to the matter.

Seeing this, Zhong Wen took another deep look at the boy in front of him, put the calming pill into his pocket, bowed to the boy, and then turned and left the pharmacy, heading towards the outskirts of Linjiang City.

After Zhong Wen left, Niu Yi stopped paying attention to the matter.

He casually stuffed the silver from the medicine cabinet into his pocket, while visualizing the Hunyuan Furnace meditation diagram in his mind, and poured all the thoroughly crushed green medicine powder from the stone mill into a wooden bowl beside him.

He then took out several portions of medicinal herbs from the medicine cabinet behind him and took out the appropriate amount.

Niu Yi ground all the medicinal herbs into powder, skillfully adding them to a wooden bowl in the correct order and proportions. He then mixed them with clear river water and slowly pounded them, gradually forming a black ointment that emitted a faint, pleasant fragrance. Looking at the ink-black ointment before him, Niu Yi nodded in satisfaction.

"It's been a long time since we used magic or immortal fire to make medicine."

"We should prepare more before Dad gets back, otherwise it won't be enough if we grind and make it on the spot."

Niu Yi looked down to his feet and saw that the area was filled with various medicine packets and porcelain bottles, which he had made in his spare time.

"If a large quantity needs to be refined, it's not too late to use the Hunyuan Furnace then, since they are just some mortal medicines anyway."

"However, it's fortunate that we obtained the Heavenly Treasure Manual by accident. Otherwise, given the situation in this world, it would probably be no better than the Three Realms. Most of the treasures in the world probably already have owners, and it would be difficult to even find spiritual materials to refine a protective treasure."

"I'm afraid it will be like back then, that we won't be able to find a single magic weapon for more than ten years."

Niu Yi recalled the predicament and caution he had faced when traveling from Nanzhanbuzhou to Xiniuhezhou, and felt a pang of regret.

Niu Sanjin was away for another day, only returning hurriedly at sunset. He excitedly told Niu Yi:
"Yi'er! The effects of this calming pill and black jade ointment far surpass those of the heart-protecting pill and ordinary external wound medicine, and their medicinal properties seem to be milder. I really didn't expect that there would actually be such good things in those books!"

"Come on, let's go home quickly! Those two prescriptions you found are truly amazing! Even Uncle Bai from your Yulin Hall praised them highly! Let's go back and celebrate properly!"

"But that old bastard actually wanted the pill formula! Naturally, I flatly refused him, which made him so angry he was practically fuming, hahaha~"

Seeing Niu Sanjin's flushed and excited face, Niu Yi nodded repeatedly, then carefully put away the last portion of black jade ointment in his hand, closed the shop with Niu Sanjin, and headed home.

As for Uncle Bai, whom Niu Sanjin mentioned, he naturally knew about him as well.

The doctor from Yulin Hall grew up with his father since childhood, and the two of them had studied under the same master. However, Niu Sanjin had no talent for medicine, while Uncle Bai was much better.

So later, Niu Sanjin did not open a clinic, but instead opened a pharmacy, selling medicinal herbs and refining some common medicines.

However, the friendship between the two never ended and has only grown stronger over time.

Niu Yi knew very well that Niu Sanjin had been away from the pharmacy for a while because he had gone to find Uncle Bai to study the pill formula, and only this person could he completely trust.

Although his father was excited, he probably didn't yet understand the true value of these two prescriptions.
But that doesn't matter; this matter still falls on Zhong Wen's shoulders.
At night, the bright moonlight shone on the Niu family's courtyard. Although the surrounding medicinal herbs made the courtyard a bit crowded, it did not prevent the family of four inside from being very happy and lively.

Before marrying Niu Sanjin, Bai Fangfang had studied at home for two years, so she was literate and had some knowledge. Although she didn't know the exact value of the two prescriptions, she knew it was definitely a good thing.

So Bai Fangfang brought out several of her signature dishes today, which greatly satisfied Niu Sanjin and his two sons.

Unbeknownst to the three, Niu Guangyi, the eldest son of the Niu family, who was enjoying himself with them, was constantly meditating on the Hunyuan Furnace diagram in his mind, keeping it in operation.
(End of this chapter)