Martial Arts Crossover: My master tricked Huang Rong into becoming my wife!

The night was as dark as ink, and the occasional sound of the night watchman's clapper could be heard outside the window.

Chen Yanzhou lay on the hard bed, his hands behind his head, staring blankly at the dark beams.

Is the Song Dynasty truly beyond saving?

Historically, this isolated court, though frustrated by the Jin dynasty's iron cavalry, managed to hold out for decades.

Later, the Southern Song Dynasty allied with the Mongols to destroy the Jin Dynasty. Facing the Mongol Empire that swept across Eurasia, the Southern Song Dynasty relied on fortresses such as Diaoyu City to fight to the death for more than 40 years, and even outlasted a Great Khan.

This shows that the backbone of this land is not actually that soft.

If the imperial court cannot be relied upon, then the martial world will fill the gap. The Beggars' Sect has disciples all over the world; if they could integrate this intelligence network and operational capacity of hundreds of thousands of people, coupled with the continuous flow of silver from the "Righteousness Bureau"...

It's not impossible that, amidst the rolling wheels of history, a space for life could be carved out for the Han dynasty.

"Do your best and leave the rest to fate."

Chen Yanzhou turned over and wrapped the quilt tighter around himself.

No matter how much you think about it, nothing beats cutting two more pounds of astragalus tomorrow.

As drowsiness crept in, my breathing soon became long and steady.

……

The rooster crowed three times, and the east began to lighten with the first light of dawn.

The dew in the backyard of the Xiangyang branch hadn't even dried yet when Chen Yanzhou was already rooted to the spot in the middle of the yard like a wooden stake.

With feet firmly planted on the ground, knees slightly bent, and breaths long and deep like those of an old tortoise in late autumn.

With each breath, the warm current within the dantian flowed slowly along the meridians.

Half an hour later, Chen Yanzhou slowly opened his eyes and exhaled a breath of turbid air, which actually shot out as a white streak in the cool morning air.

"ha!"

He moved swiftly, unleashing a series of long punches.

The wind howled as the punches flew. Although they were just the most basic moves, with the support of internal energy, each punch was accompanied by a crisp sound, the sound of bones and muscles resonating together.

After finishing his work, Chen Yanzhou didn't rush to wipe his sweat. Instead, he stood there, recalling Hong Qigong's light and graceful figure from yesterday, like a roc spreading its wings and soaring upwards.

Chen Yanzhou took a deep breath, gathered his strength, stepped forward, and clapped his hands.

"Ouch!"

He had only taken three steps when his left foot tripped over his right, and he thrashed about on the ground like a plucked duck before finally managing to stand up.

"This is no carefree stroll, it's clearly a drunkard's stroll."

Chen Yanzhou rubbed his ankle, which he had almost twisted, looking quite annoyed.

The brain has learned, the eyes have understood, but the hands and feet have their own ideas.

When Hong Qigong came out, he had an air of otherworldly grace, but when he came here, it was as if he were performing a shamanistic ritual.

I refuse to believe it, let's try again.

The courtyard suddenly became lively.

A small, thin figure could be seen darting east and west, accompanied by occasional "bang" and "smack" sounds of things being thrown around.

After practicing for about half an hour, Chen Yanzhou lay on the ground in a "big" shape, his chest heaving violently.

Although his posture was a bit awkward and he fell quite a few times, he could clearly feel that his body felt much lighter.

"This old man really wasn't lying."

Chen Yanzhou sprang up like a carp and looked at the sky.

"Oh no, I'm going to be late!"

Being late would result in a deduction from his wages. Although he wasn't short of a few copper coins now, in Doctor Liao's household, rules were paramount.

Chen Yanzhou grabbed his coat hanging on a tree branch, threw it on haphazardly, and dashed out of the courtyard gate with lightning speed.

As he ran, he realized something was wrong again.

In the past, it would take at least the time it takes for an incense stick to burn to run from the branch headquarters to Baicaotang, and one would be panting heavily afterward.

But today, he felt light on his feet, running as fast as he could, and the more he ran, the smoother it became, and the Hundred Returns to Origin Technique within his body was also operating on its own.

With a light touch of the toes, the body nimbly leaps three feet across.

When we arrived at the entrance of Baicaotang, the plaque that read "Hanging a gourd to save the world" was just being illuminated by the morning light.

Chen Yanzhou stopped walking, his face neither flushed nor out of breath, but his heart was filled with joy.

He quickly gathered his thoughts, straightened his clothes, and stepped through the door.

Doctor Liao was sitting behind the counter fiddling with his abacus when he heard footsteps. Without looking up, he said, "You're early today. You're not allowed to eat until you've finished cutting that pile of white peonies in the backyard."

"Alright."

Chen Yanzhou, familiar with the place, slipped into the backyard, tied on an apron, and sat down on the medicine-cutting stool.

There was a mountain of white peonies in front of me, which needed to be sliced ​​into thin, even slices.

This job looks simple, but it actually requires the most skill in maintaining wrist strength and controlling the force.

Chen Yanzhou picked up the medicine knife, but did not move it immediately. Instead, he closed his eyes and felt the meridians in his wrist.

Previously, he relied on brute force to cut herbs, and his wrists would ache after cutting for a long time. After thinking about it, he learned to use internal force to cut herbs.

Without much thought, Chen Yanzhou channeled his internal energy into his palm and then transmitted it to the blade.

"Duh."

Knife up and down.

A white peony petal floated down, as thin as a cicada's wing, so translucent that the wood grain behind it was clearly visible.

"Boom boom boom..."

A series of rapid, continuous sounds of chopping herbs rang out from the backyard, so fast they formed a continuous line.

The heavy medicine knife seemed to come alive in Chen Yanzhou's hands, flying up and down, with only white light visible and the blade itself invisible.

Doctor Liao strolled to the backyard with a teapot in his hand and immediately saw the sliced ​​white peony, neatly arranged in a bamboo sieve, each slice of uniform thickness.

Liao Langzhong was already used to this.

"Master, are you done cutting the white peony? Is there any more?" After a short while, Chen Yanzhou put down the knife and turned around with a grin.

With a stern face, Physician Liao pointed to the shelf next to him: "After you're done cutting, go and memorize the 'Great Physician's Sincerity' chapter from 'Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Pieces of Gold.' Don't even think about having lunch until you've memorized it."

"Okay."

Chen Yanzhou didn't say much. He wiped his hands, took out a yellowed medical book from his pocket, and squatted down in a sunny corner.

He wasn't looking at the "Prescriptions Worth a Thousand Pieces of Gold," but rather at his own notes compiled over the past few days.

The notebook was filled with dense notes on the medicinal properties, meridian tropism, and contraindications of various medicinal herbs.

In the most prominent position, there was a prescription written on it—the one that Hong Qigong had given him for the medicinal bath last time.

Eucommia ulmoides, Achyranthes bidentata, Dipsacus asper...

By allowing the medicinal properties to penetrate the skin, unblocking the meridians, and enhancing the body's resistance and strength, it can lay the foundation for practicing external martial arts.

However, it is too expensive and has little effect. If it were slightly improved and replaced with cheaper medicinal materials, wouldn't all the Beggars' Sect disciples be able to use it?

"What are you thinking about? You look so calculating."

Liao Langzhong appeared behind them without them noticing.

Chen Yanzhou remained calm, patted his bottom and stood up, asking with a smile.

"Sir, you mentioned the 'principal, assistant, adjuvant, and guide' ingredients in this prescription. If the principal ingredient is too expensive, could we replace it with a 'regent' instead?"

Liao Langzhong was so angry at this absurd analogy that he laughed.

"Pharmacology is not child's play. The principal herb is the main target; changing the principal herb changes the entire prescription. Can you treat a cold or a sprain the same way?"

"What if you only want to strengthen your muscles and bones and improve blood circulation?"

Chen Yanzhou leaned closer, his face ingratiating, "For example, tiger bone and deer antler are too expensive. Could we use some strong medicine to forcefully open up the meridians, and then slowly nourish them with ordinary tonics?"

Liao Langzhong frowned slightly and looked Chen Yanzhou up and down.

"You want to practice external martial arts techniques?"

"I guess so," Chen Yanzhou replied vaguely. "I just want my skin to be firmer so I can suffer less."

After pondering for a moment, Liao Langzhong turned around and walked to the medicine cabinet. He opened a few drawers, grabbed a handful of herbs, and threw them on the table.

"If you want to save money, you have to suffer."

Liao Langzhong pointed to the items on the table, "Safflower, Clematis armandii, Clematis chinensis, plus two ounces of Aconitum carmichaelii and Aconitum kusnezoffii."

Chen Yanzhou's eyelids twitched.

Aconitum carmichaelii and Aconitum kusnezoffii are potent and toxic medicines. Although they can dispel wind and dampness, using them in a bath can really burn off a layer of skin.

"Sir, isn't this a bit too...exciting?"

"Stimulate?" Doctor Liao sneered. "Since you don't want to use ginseng and deer antler to nourish and soften, then we can only use strong medicine to forcefully attack. We'll use the toxicity of aconite and aconitum to stimulate the skin membrane, forcibly opening the pores, and then add safflower to promote blood circulation, forcing the medicine in."

At this point, Physician Liao paused, a hint of mockery in his eyes.

"As for the effects, it might not be worse than tiger bone wine, but the taste... hehe, you decide for yourself."

Chen Yanzhou looked at the herbs and gritted his teeth.

"Alright! Thank you for your guidance, sir!"

Chen Yanzhou quickly wrapped up the medicinal herbs and then pulled out a handful of dried wild chili peppers from under the counter.

"What are you going to do with that thing?" Doctor Liao was taken aback.

"If we're going to make it exciting, let's go all the way." Chen Yanzhou grinned, revealing a set of white teeth. "Add some chili peppers, and you'll sweat even faster."

Liao Langzhong's lips twitched twice, and finally he waved his hand with an expression that said, "Go ahead and do whatever you want."