From a country cook to a master chef

As dawn broke, Lin Jue got out of bed early, changed into clean clothes, and jogged towards the old street of Yaoshifang.

Today is the 28th day of the fifth month of the 29th year of the Tianwu calendar.

On the occasion of the 258th anniversary of the Pharmacist's Day, Yaoshifang is holding a grand medicinal herb trade fair.

Lin Jue hadn't forgotten his promise to the girl at the medicine shop; he needed to hurry and deliver the meridian-opening herb to her.

The old street of Fangshi was bustling with people, seven or eight out of ten of whom were pharmacists from all over Yucheng. They took advantage of the medicinal herb trade fair to bring out the medicinal herbs they didn't need and exchange them for some herbs that would be useful to them.

The old street was lined with temporary medicine stalls, run by people of all ages. The strong and robust young stall owners, with their sturdy builds, occupied the best spots, and some even took over the medicines meant for the elderly and children.

On the occasion of the Pharmacist's Day, government officials patrolled the streets, specifically responsible for maintaining public order and ensuring the smooth running of the medicinal herb trade fair.

But most of these people are fence-sitters; they wouldn't be here if it weren't for orders from above.

As Lin Jue passed by a medicine stall, his eyes were drawn to a strangely shaped medicinal herb that resembled a venomous snake.

Purple snake mushroom!

According to the "Illustrated Compendium of Great Martial Medicines and Spiritual Beasts", it is a mutated plant belonging to the Suoyang Essence. Although it is not very rare, it is sometimes difficult to find.

Lin Jue remembered that this was an auxiliary ingredient in refining the Reversed Five Elements Pill, and he never expected to encounter it on the Medicine Master Festival.

By nourishing the Reversed Five Elements Pill with Qi and Blood for a hundred years, one can cultivate an external core and become a powerful Core Formation cultivator. Lin Jue's heart stirred. Now that he had encountered it, he naturally could not miss it.

For him, refining the Reversed Five Elements Pill as soon as possible would be entirely beneficial.

"I'll take this herb."

Lin Jue picked up the cleaned purple snake mushroom, smiled at the young stall owner, and said nonchalantly:

"Do you have any extra medicine?"

"I have five more plants here. Do you think they'll suit your needs?"

Business came in, and the young man smiled as he revealed five purple snake mushrooms from the gap under his stall.

"The medicine is fine, but I'd like to buy it with silver."

Lin Jue reached out and picked up a plant, brought it close to his nose and smelled it intensely, pretending to be an expert.

This is a lesson I learned from going to the farmers' market. Only in this way will those old geezers not try to rip you off.

After a moment's hesitation, the young man touched his lower lip and nodded, saying, "That's fine. Originally, each plant cost one tael and two mace of silver, but now I'll charge an extra mace of silver, so six plants will cost a total of seven taels and eight mace."

Lin Jue didn't waste any words. He threw out eight taels of silver, took the box and loose silver from the young man, and walked to the next stall.

Suddenly, the young man called out to him, stepped forward, and said mysteriously, "You seem quite straightforward, sir. I have a rare and precious medicinal herb here. I wonder if you would be interested?"

"A precious medicine?"

Lin Jue was slightly startled, a hint of joy flashing in his eyes.

Rare medicinal herbs are hard to come by and have a price but no market. During our trip to Wolf Smoke Valley, we found no other rare medicinal herbs besides the Golden Lotus that Emerges from the Ground.

"I am certainly interested, but I need to see the precious medicine you mentioned first before I consider whether I want to make this deal with you."

Lin Jue shrugged and said noncommittally that since it concerned a precious medicine, he naturally didn't want to miss out, but he also didn't want to trade casually. He needed to at least check the quality of the medicine in the other party's possession before making a decision.

"Of course, of course, please follow me." The young man excitedly led Lin Jue to a corner, looked around to make sure no one was paying attention to him, and then carefully took out a palm-sized wooden box.

"Jade Lotus Root!"

Upon seeing the precious medicine in the young man's box, Lin Jue was startled, but then a look of joy appeared on his face.

Jade Marrow Lotus Root is another essential auxiliary ingredient for refining the Reversed Five Elements Pill, and it is a precious medicine, so its effects should be even better.

"This medicine is for exchange only, not for silver."

The young man gently reminded him, and his next words made Lin Jue's face suddenly turn cold: "We only accept exchanges with the Golden Lotus of Earth."

How do you know I have the Golden Lotus that springs from the ground?

Lin Jue suppressed his smile and stared at the young man.

"Please do not be angry, sir. We have never met before. The reason I know you have the Golden Lotus is because of my nose, which can accurately smell the fragrance of nearby herbs."

The young man squinted and smiled, "I'm not greedy; I only need one petal of the Earth-Emerging Golden Lotus."

Lin Jue stared intently at the young man, thinking that this guy was his lucky star, but it turned out to be a jinx.

Thinking of the importance of the Reversal of Five Elements Pill to him, Lin Jue hesitated for a moment, then stroked his chin and said, "I can trade with you, but I only have one large and one small pill. This medicine is still very useful to me, so I can only trade you the small one. Is that alright?"

As the saying goes, one should not flaunt one's wealth. Lin Jue deliberately pretended to be reluctant to part with his possession, so as not to give the impression that he still had many precious medicines on him.

"I see! Well, that's fine too."

The young man nodded somewhat disappointedly and successfully exchanged the precious medicine with Lin Jue.

Having obtained the Jade Lotus Root, Lin Jue didn't want to stay a moment longer and strode away.

Before long, he saw a petite woman in a green fitted dress, with short hair and bright eyes. She was the lovely girl who had told him about Wolf Smoke Valley last time.

The girl's stall was being squeezed by a barefoot, horse-faced man next to her. The area that originally belonged to her was unreasonably occupied by the horse-faced man.

Seeing that she couldn't reason with the horse-faced man, the girl was furious, but she held back and bent down to carefully rearrange her herbs.

Just as she was busy sorting out the medicinal herbs, someone suddenly handed her a medicinal herb in front of her.

"The Meridian-Clearing Herb!"

The girl was somewhat surprised, her beautiful eyes wide open, unable to believe that the meridian-clearing herb she had been longing for was now sitting right in front of her, looking so fresh and vibrant.

She looked up and, upon seeing Lin Jue, her face lit up with joy. "Brother Lin, it's you! You've returned from Wolf Smoke Valley?"

"Hmm! I haven't failed you. Here's the Meridian Opening Grass you requested."

Lin Jue smiled slightly and handed the medicinal herbs to the girl.

The girl held the medicinal herbs with great joy, reluctant to put them down, fearing that Lin Jue would take them back.

"Oh, by the way, these are your jewelry, Brother Lin. They're now being returned to their rightful owner."

Realizing her lapse in composure, the girl blushed and returned a jewelry bag to Lin Jue.

"Transaction complete. I'll take my leave now. Until we meet again."

Lin Jue clasped his hands in a salute. He had already handed the Meridian Opening Grass to the girl. Next, he wanted to wander around and see if he could find some more medicinal materials needed to refine the Reversed Five Elements Pill.

"Brother Lin, wait a moment."

The girl hurriedly called out to Lin Jue, who was turning around. After calming down, she took out an inconspicuous pink bag and handed it to him, explaining softly, "This is a wound medicine passed down in my family. Wolf Smoke Valley is extremely dangerous. If Brother Lin is injured anywhere, just apply a small bag, and you will be healed in less than two days."

"In that case, I shall accept the offer without hesitation!"

Lin Jue smiled and took the pink cloth bag from the girl's hands. Inside, he felt what appeared to be some loose medicinal powder. The bag was tied with a red ribbon bow, clearly an item belonging to a young lady.

Watching Lin Jue's departing figure, the girl remained silent for a moment before mustering her courage and calling out, "Brother Lin, my name is Fu Yuechi!"

As soon as she finished speaking, the girl's originally fair cheeks flushed red again, and she quickly lowered her head to tidy up the herbal medicine stall.

Lin Jue didn't turn around when he heard her voice; he simply silently memorized the name.

Fu Yuechi!