Swords emerge from the human world

Chapter 55: First Taste of Medicinal Cuisine, Xiao Ci Injured
(It's the last day of the month, where are the tickets?)

After leaving the county school, we first took Wang Fu home.

When they arrived at his doorstep, Wang Fu got out of the car. A gust of wind blew on his face, and he immediately felt refreshed and invigorated.

He didn't have much ambition for official success in the imperial examinations; he would be content as long as he passed the lowest level of the examinations.

After getting what I wanted, I relaxed completely and thought I could have some fun for a year or two before making any further plans.

But when he agreed to go to the prefecture city to take the provincial examination with Chen Jin, his fighting spirit was ignited.

How many times in life can one truly fight for something?
What's wrong with taking the exam?

It's a good opportunity to go to the capital and broaden my horizons.

As a young man, he aspired to be a wandering knight-errant, exploring the mysteries of the world and seeking immortals. But given the current situation, that's probably not going to happen. Yet, he's unwilling to spend his whole life confined to a small county town and still wants to venture out.

Chen Jin looked at him and instructed, "Brother Wang, although the county school's examination is not difficult, and Instructor Zhang is not deliberately making things difficult, you must not neglect your daily studies and try your best to pass the exam."

Wang Fu readily replied, "I understand."

As he stepped into the house and passed through the hall, his father, Wang Yuanshan, stopped him: "Fu'er, where have you been playing again? Don't go to Diancui Yanlou too often, or you'll hurt yourself again."

Wang Fu blushed: "I didn't go to Cuiyan Tower, I went to the county school instead..."

He immediately told his father what had happened that day: "Father, do you support me taking the provincial examination?"

Wang Yuanshan slammed his hand on the table and stood up excitedly: "Support, of course support! This is wonderful, Fu'er, you finally have ambition."

Wang Fu hurriedly said, "Fortunately, Brother Chen reminded me."

Wang Yuanshan nodded repeatedly: "It seems that Chen Jin is truly your mentor and friend. As the saying goes, 'One who is near ink gets stained black, and one who is near vermilion gets stained red.' You should spend more time with him and get closer to him in the future."

"I see."

Wang Fu asked happily, then suddenly asked, "Father, how did your talks with Magistrate Zhao go?"

Wang Yuanshan waved his hand: "You don't need to worry about these things. Just focus on your studies and exam preparation."

He paused, then explained, "Zhao County Magistrate is a newcomer who has just arrived and wants to establish his authority. He would never actually go against the people of the entire city."

Wang Fu said "Oh" and went back to his study to study.

……

Back at the sword shop, Chen Jin talked to Shi Qifeng about the medicinal diet recipe.

Shi Qifeng immediately said, "Sir, if you need it, I'll go and get a few copies right away."

Chen Jin has no objection; it's just something new to try.

Shi Qifeng possessed a recipe that originated from a martial arts school, which he had held for many years. Later, he opened his own martial arts school and used it as a selling point.

However, due to poor management, it failed to gain a reputation.

The recipe wasn't particularly sophisticated, and the necessary medicinal herbs were readily available on the market. Before long, Shi Qifeng returned with bags and bags of herbs and began to decoct them.

Medicinal cuisine is different from regular food; it requires careful attention to the cooking time and temperature. It wasn't cooked until evening and served to Chen Jin.

After eating, Chen Jin immediately tried it and found that it was slightly better than refined meat dishes, but the effect was not very obvious.

Shi Qifeng explained, "This medicinal cuisine is actually a way to consume the medicinal power of food. Through the combination of ingredients, it can be better integrated."

Chen Jin nodded, but when he asked about the price, he was astonished.

Such a medicinal meal costs three taels of silver, which is simply extravagant and cannot be afforded by ordinary families.

Shi Qifeng himself hadn't eaten it in a long time, saying that once a martial artist gets older, he begins to decline, and the significance of eating medicinal cuisine diminishes.

Ultimately, it's just too expensive, making it difficult to sustain.

Given Chen Jin's current situation, he is also struggling financially and feels that the cost-effectiveness is not high. The "Six Qi Orthodox Position Method" he practices far surpasses martial arts internal skills. The first three stages, "Refining Essence into Qi," are mainly for building a foundation. After passing through them, the second stage, "Refining Qi into Spirit," is a different story.

It's like crossing a whole new world.

The difficulty lies in breaking through to the third realm, which requires an extremely high amount of blood and qi. This is precisely why ordinary food is often insufficient to satisfy hunger.

Taking ginseng, yam, and lingzhi tonics is beneficial, but the key is that it costs money like water. Even a rich man like Wang Fu couldn't afford to eat like that every day.

Of course, Wang Fu did not have any cultivation methods, so if he ate it every day, his body would not be able to handle it, and he would be too weak to absorb the nutrients, which would be as bad as too much.

Chen Jin came from humble beginnings. His uncle said that even if they sold everything they owned, it would barely be enough to support his studies, let alone his spiritual practice. It would be a drop in the ocean and wouldn't be of much use.

In fact, all this time, he has been giving back to his family, enabling his uncle's family to live a comfortable life.

In the world of spiritual practice, the daily expenses of a family are truly just a drop in the ocean, not worth mentioning.

To date, Chen Jin has received two windfalls, totaling a considerable sum, but he has almost entirely spent them.

As a business, the blacksmith shop had a stable income thanks to its reputation and skills. However, due to Magistrate Zhao's new policies, the shop was temporarily closed, thus cutting off its source of income.

Besides, a single shop might be able to afford meat, but it certainly wouldn't be able to afford medicinal cuisine.

As Shi Qifeng said, if ordinary independent individuals want to develop better, they have to find a powerful backer to rely on, even if it means marrying into another family.

As the saying goes, "It's good to enjoy the shade under a big tree."

Going it alone is really too difficult.

You can't just rob people, and being a one-legged bandit isn't easy either.

After much thought, Chen Jin realized that the path he had the best chance of achieving was through the imperial examinations.

As long as one passes the provincial examination, one can achieve upward social mobility, and there will be many opportunities to leverage one's connections.

Therefore, his idea of ​​rushing to take the exam this year is correct.

Calculating the time, there are only a little over three months left, and we have to deduct the days for going to the prefecture city in advance, so it is indeed very rushed.

Fight!

……

As night deepened, a fluttering sound rang out, and Little Ci the crow appeared, landing on the windowsill. She stumbled and almost fell over.

Chen Jin's gaze sharpened: "You're injured?"

Xiao Ci replied, "Two days ago, I went to the yamen to inquire and gather information, but I was discovered and shot with an arrow that grazed my wing. Fortunately, I dodged quickly, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to come back to see you, sir."

"You've met a master."

"Hmm, there's a very formidable old man with a white beard; his eyes are like two knives. Sigh, ever since the new official took office, the yamen is heavily guarded; I can't fly in at all. Oh, and they also keep a vicious dog; it's extremely annoying."

Chen Jin said in a deep voice, "Then we won't go. Safety first."

Xiao Ci asked, puzzled, "Sir, am I really that useless?"

"You've already helped me a lot."

"How about I go and earn some money for you?"

Upon hearing the word "money," Chen Jin's eyes lit up: "How do you make money?"

Xiao Ci then said, “I can fly into other people’s houses, find where they hide their money, and then bring the money back… Sir, don’t misunderstand, I only take money from those rich and heartless wealthy families.”

Upon hearing this, Chen Jin couldn't help but chuckle: "I never expected you to be a Robin Hood figure."

Xiao Ci said embarrassedly, "Actually, Qing Song had asked me to do this before, but due to the limited conditions, I could only take out a few each time because the copper coins were too heavy."

Chen Jin said, "Making money isn't important for now; your priority is to recover from your injuries."

"Well."

Xiao Ci strode over skillfully, bathed in the firelight of the Kui Xing kicking the Dipper lamp.

Nowadays, the lights no longer threaten or harm it; instead, they feel warm and comfortable on its skin.

(End of this chapter)