Family Cultivation: My Ancestral Home Gets Infinite Upgrades

Chapter 121 Horrifying Dark Cuisine

"Dad, where are you going?"

Yue'er, dressed in red, was riding a wild boar slowly along the mountain ridge.

She saw her father carrying a clay jar down the mountain from afar, and she called out curiously.

Jiang Fu'an replied briefly, "Go down the mountain to treat patients. Be careful while you patrol the mountain."

After saying that, he suddenly remembered something, patted his hand on the storage bag at his waist, and took out two large bags of things that were tightly wrapped in thick oil paper.

With a slight movement of his fingertips, a gentle breeze carried the two packages steadily toward Yue'er.

"Yue'er, these are the snacks I bought for you on my way back from the market yesterday."

Yue'er originally wanted to ask her father when he would start practicing medicine, but her eyes lit up when she saw the familiar oil paper package.

She quickly reached out to catch it, her eyes crinkling with a smile: "Thank you, Dad!"

Jiang Fu'an didn't say anything more, turned around and continued walking down the winding mountain road.

His blue cloth clothes quickly disappeared into the lush shadows of the roadside trees.

Yue'er withdrew her gaze and gently patted the mountain boar's neck.

The big pig grunted, shook its head, and started walking again.

She held the two bags of snacks in her hands, but didn't rush to open them.

Actually, as she's gotten older, she doesn't crave these snacks as much as she did when she was a child.

What makes her happy now is that her father always thinks of her no matter when he goes out.

This unwavering concern satisfied her more than any snack.

Down the mountain, a stream murmurs.

Jiang Fu'an passed through the simple illusion array, and the scenery before his eyes flickered slightly before he saw Zhao Lintang again.

She remained immersed in the stream, her eyes tightly closed.

To his slight regret, she was wearing a plain-colored long dress that completely covered her body.

Only a section of her fair forearm and slender ankles were visible, immersed in the flowing water.

The next moment, his gaze suddenly sharpened, and his face darkened.

The exposed skin was unusually white, with several dark purple-red spots appearing on it.

It looks like livor mortis!

Could it be that it's already ———

His heart tightened, and he quickly stepped forward, squatted down, and stretched out his finger to probe under the other person's nose.

A faint warmth emanated from my fingertips.

Thankfully, I'm still alive.

These marks are estimated to be caused by the onset of "Su Xin Han Shi Poison".

His heart, which had been hanging in suspense, eased slightly, and he called out softly, "Fairy Zhao, wake up, the medicine is ready."

He called out three times before Zhao Lintang's long eyelashes trembled a few times and she slowly opened her eyes.

Her gaze was unfocused, and it took her a while to see the person in front of her clearly.

She forced a smile, a smile more painful than tears, and whispered weakly, "Fellow Daoist Jiang, you've finally—come. I thought—I'd never see you again—."

Last night, shortly after Jiang Fu'an left, the cold poison in her body flared up again.

This time, the attack was far more ferocious than ever before. She exhausted her remaining magical power but was unable to suppress it, and eventually collapsed from exhaustion.

Before she fell into a coma, she was filled with regret.

She had thought that the cold poison could be suppressed for at least a few more days, and that even if this fellow Daoist Jiang was helpless, she would still have time to rush to Qiankun Pavilion for help.

Now, she can only entrust her life to this stranger she has known for less than a day.

"Fairy Zhao, it's time to drink your medicine."

Jiang Fu'an's voice pulled her back from her daze.

He had already brought the prepared herbal medicine closer.

An indescribable odor wafted out.

Zhao Lintang's nostrils twitched slightly, and a look of confusion appeared on his weak face.

The smell of medicine—why does it also have a fishy, ​​fishy aroma mixed in?

She moved her lips with difficulty, her voice barely audible: "This medicine—why does it smell so strange?"

Jiang Fu said with peace of mind, can you not blame me?

Boiling a bunch of medicinal herbs together with fresh fish is definitely a culinary disaster.

However, he did not show it on his face, but calmly explained: "This prescription is indeed unusual. I have been practicing medicine for many years and have never seen it before."

"However, upon closer examination of its pharmacological properties, it does indeed have some unique aspects and should be somewhat effective in treating the cold poison that the fairy suffered from."

Zhao Lintang was skeptical, but tried to raise his arm to catch the medicine pot.

But after raising his arm only half a foot, it fell limply down, splashing a few drops of water.

She had no strength left; her joints were stiff and numb, like a gradually cooling shell.

Seeing how weak she was, Jiang Fu'an knew that he couldn't delay any longer.

He picked up a wooden spoon from the edge of the jar, scooped a spoonful from the thick, dark medicinal liquid, and held it to Zhao Lintang's pale lips.

A hint of embarrassment and resistance flashed across Zhao Lintang's eyes.

It's really hard to accept that a stranger would feed you drugs like this.

She tried to gather her strength again, but her arms felt like they were made of lead and fell limp once more.

Seeing this, Jiang Fu'an gently advised, "Treating the illness is the most important thing. We are both cultivators, so there is no need to be bound by worldly trivialities."

Upon hearing this, Zhao Lintang knew he had no other choice, and finally opened his mouth slightly.

Seeing this, Jiang Fu'an flicked his wrist, and the wooden spoon went into her mouth.

However, less than a breath after the medicine entered his mouth, Zhao Lintang's eyes widened suddenly, his throat bobbed violently, and with a "whoosh," he vomited up all the medicine.

Then came a bout of dry heaving, and he even vomited up a lot of acid from his stomach.

"What's wrong? Has the cold poison flared up again?"

Jiang Fu'an asked hurriedly.

Zhao Lintang's breath was weak, but filled with anger: "Fellow Daoist Jiang—I have no grudge against you, why do you want to harm me? What exactly is this thing?"

The taste was not only excruciatingly bitter, but also mixed with the fishy, ​​greasy smell.

The two flavors clashed and intertwined in her mouth, making it the most terrifying thing she had ever tasted in her life.

Jiang Fu'an suddenly felt a little guilty.

He expected the medicine to taste bad, but he never expected it would make people vomit.

But he maintained a calm demeanor and continued to persuade her, "Good medicine tastes bitter, please bear with it, fairy."

"No—I'd rather die—than drink a second drop!"

Although Zhao Lintang's voice was weak, his tone was resolute, and he even turned his face to one side.

Is it really that bad to drink?

Jiang Fu'an frowned, scooped up half a spoonful, and took a sip himself.

The next second, his expression changed, and he turned his head and vomited completely.

The taste was truly indescribable, a mixture of fishy and bitter flavors that shot straight to the top of one's head.

He had carefully considered the treatment plan before, but he never expected that the biggest challenge would be the taste.

But seeing that Zhao Lintang's breath was getting weaker and weaker, if he didn't take the medicine soon, he might really die here.

It's not a big deal if she dies, but if it attracts the attention of the Qiankun Pavilion, that would be a huge problem.

Just as he was getting anxious, a thought suddenly flashed through his mind, and he remembered something.

He quickly rummaged through his storage bag and pulled out a small oil paper package.

Inside were dozens of candied fruits coated in icing sugar, originally intended for Xuan'er and Er Ya.

He remembered how Yue'er used to act like this every time he fed her medicine when she was little.

At that time, he would coax the medicine with candied fruit, rewarding the patient with a sweet fruit for every sip of medicine.

Perhaps this method will also work for Zhao Lintang.

Based on our interactions over this period, although she is highly skilled, she still retains some childishness in her character, and may even be younger than He Miao.

He picked up a candied fruit and held it to Zhao Lintang's lips: "This is sweet, try it and it will help you get rid of the bitterness in your mouth."

Zhao Lintang instinctively wanted to refuse, but the terrible, strange taste in her mouth kept churning, making her feel like vomiting.

Moreover, having already been given medication, her shyness seemed to have lessened somewhat.

After hesitating for a moment, she finally opened her mouth slightly and put the candied fruit in her mouth.

The rich sweetness instantly melted on the tip of the tongue, dispelling the lingering fishy bitterness.

She had never liked sweets, but at this moment she felt that this tasted like heavenly nectar.

Seeing that her brows relaxed slightly, Jiang Fu'an fed her two more pills.

Seeing that her expression had softened a bit, he picked up the medicine pot again.

Upon seeing the black medicinal liquid, Zhao Lintang's expression changed drastically. He abruptly turned his head away, his lips pressed tightly into a line.

Jiang Fu'an tried to persuade the other party with kind words for a long time, but the other party was like a startled clam, refusing to speak again.

Remembering that Yue'er wasn't this hard to coax when she was little, his patience gradually wore thin.

He said no more, and suddenly stretched out his left hand, gently pinching Zhao Lintang's cheeks with his thumb and forefinger. With a little force, he forced her lips to open a crack.

His right hand moved with lightning speed, pouring a spoonful of medicine into the patient's mouth.

"You—uh!"

Zhao Lintang's eyes flashed with shock and anger, and he vaguely wanted to rebuke her, but the medicine had already entered his mouth.

"It'll taste even worse if you hold it in your mouth, so swallow it quickly!"

Jiang Fu'an "kindly" reminded him, but did not loosen his grip.

Zhao Lintang struggled but couldn't spit it out, so he had no choice but to swallow it down.

Immediately, she glared at Jiang Fu'an: "You bastard! If you dare to do it again, I will definitely—"

Before he could even utter the words "I'll spare you," another spoonful of medicine was poured in without warning.

This was repeated, spoonful after spoonful.

Zhao Lintang initially tried to glare and make a vague protest.

Later, her eyes gradually became vacant, and she gave up all resistance, like a soulless puppet, letting herself be manipulated.

The only proof that she was still alive was the swallowing motion in her throat.

Before long, the entire jar of thick, dark medicine was empty.

Jiang Fu'an released his grip and looked at the other person staring blankly at the sky above the stream, a sense of apology flashing through his heart.

He quickly picked up two more candied fruits and stuffed them into Zhao Lintang's slightly open mouth.

After eating a few candied fruits, a little bit of life slowly returned to Zhao Lintang's lifeless eyes.

But this is not entirely due to the sweetness of the candied fruit.

To her astonishment, the awful-tasting medicine actually worked!

The cold, lingering energy within his body, which had been like a bone-deep abscess, constantly eroding his meridians and bone marrow, was actually beginning to show signs of loosening.

Although faint, it is indeed fading!

To be honest, after tasting the terrifying flavor of the medicine, she had already given up all hope of its effectiveness.

The resistance I just felt largely stemmed from this.

She turned her head abruptly to look at Jiang Fu'an, who was tidying up the medicine jars. Her shock and anger had long been replaced by gratitude: "Fellow Daoist Jiang—this medicine really works!"

Jiang Fu'an smiled faintly and deliberately asked, "Does what the fairy said earlier, that she wouldn't forgive me, still stand?"

A blush instantly rose on Zhao Lintang's pale cheeks, and she said in a low voice, "I just spoke in a moment of panic, please don't take offense, fellow Daoist."

Jiang Fu'an had no intention of making a fuss, and waved his hand, preparing to leave.

But then she spoke again, her tone tinged with embarrassment: "Fellow Daoist Jiang, I have another request. Could you please set up a 'Azure Wood Array' around me?"

Jiang Fu'an immediately understood that she was worried that he would be caught off guard during his recovery and disturbed by mountain monsters or cultivators who might accidentally wander in.

The illusion array could only conceal one's presence and had no protective function; otherwise, I wouldn't have been able to enter so easily yesterday.

He's willing to help with this.

After all, he didn't want anything to happen to the other party here, causing unnecessary trouble.

"Offering assistance is certainly possible."

Jiang Fu'an pondered for a moment and said, "However—my knowledge of formations is very limited, and I do not know how to set up this 'Azure Wood Formation'."

"It's alright!"

Zhao Lintang struggled to take out a set of small array flags and array plates from his storage bag, along with a thin booklet. Although his breath was weak, his tone was lighter: "The array equipment is here, and the basic techniques are also recorded in this booklet."

"I will give you verbal instructions; you can simply follow them. It's not complicated at all."

Feeling hopeful that the cold poison in her body could be eliminated, she felt much more invigorated.

Upon hearing this, Jiang Fu'an's heart stirred.

If one can learn how to set up this Green Wood Array, then the protection of one's own medicinal garden will not have to wait for the seedlings to return.

This was an unexpected bonus.

So, one of them leaned against a rock by the stream and, forcing himself to stay alert, explained in detail.

One of them squatted on the ground, referring to the booklet, and inserted the battle flags into the damp soil one by one according to the instructions, adjusting the angle from time to time.

As the sun gradually sets in the west, dappled light and shadow shift and change in the woods.

After spending nearly half a day, under Zhao Lintang's guidance, Jiang Fu'an finally put the last main battle flag in place.

He carefully embedded several low-grade spirit stones into the grooves of the array plate.

Buzz—

A low, soft hum.

In an instant, the ground around them trembled slightly, and dozens of emerald green shoots broke through the soil in the mud by the stream at a speed visible to the naked eye, and then grew wildly!

In the blink of an eye, it grew into a tree as thick as a bowl and several meters tall.

These trees do not grow haphazardly, but rather their branches intertwine, naturally forming a circular tree wall.

The branches and leaves above are densely layered, completely blocking out the sky and forming a treehouse space.

This is the "Azure Wood Formation," a mid-grade first-tier defensive formation.

Within the area covered by the formation, the wood spirit energy is abundant, possessing a certain ability to trap enemies and provide protection, enough to withstand the intrusion of a mid-stage Qi Refining cultivator.

Even a late-stage Qi Refining cultivator would have to put in considerable effort to launch a strong attack.

In the already secluded Qinglu Mountain, protecting a seriously injured person is more than enough.

Jiang Fu'an turned around, about to say something, but saw that Zhao Lintang had closed his eyes again at some point, his brows were furrowed, his face was even more ashen than before, and his body was even trembling slightly.

He immediately realized that the medicine's effects had worn off and the cold poison was retaliating.

Jiang Fu'an's expression hardened, and he didn't delay any longer.

He needed to prepare the next dose of medicine as soon as possible.

Eradicating cold toxins is not something that can be done overnight; it will likely require a long course of treatment, lasting several months or even years.