As such, he was feeling very pleased with himself.

Three patients showed up at the clinic in the morning. All of them had a common cold. They showed no signs that were out of the ordinary.

When he had the time to spare, Wang Yao went worked on polishing the prescription he had created the previous night, making appropriate adjustments and amendments. The day was over before he knew it.

He began to make the medicine that night on the southern mountain.

Polygonum Vine, Irony Plum Blossom, Changyang…

Most of the herbs used within were precious magic herbs.

The light in the mountain was only extinguished at midnight.

He did not receive any patients the next morning. Instead, he had Zhong Liuchuan, Jia Zizai, and Hu Mei come to his clinic.

“Is anything the matter, Master?”

“I’ve made a new medicine,” Wang Yao said. “Are any of you up for testing it?”

“What are the effects?”

“It strengthens the body, opens the heart, stabilizes internal organs, and enhances intellect,” Wang Yao said.

“That sounds really awesome,” Jia Zizai said. “I’m up first.”

“Pfft, do you think you can hog such good stuff all to yourself? How about all three try this out?” Hu Mei suggested with a grin.

“Sure. Tell me how you feel after drinking it,” Wang Yao said.

The three of them divided the solution evenly among themselves and drank it.

They felt their stomachs warming up, which was nice. The heat quickly traveled throughout their bodies, making them feel very energetic.

“So, how does it feel?” Wang Yao asked.

After thinking about it for a bit, Jia Zizai replied, “It feels like I’ve gotten a huge dose of stimulants. My body is filled with energy, yet I don’t feel restless at all.”

“Come here,” Wang Yao said. “Let me check you guys out.”

He took their pulses.

The medicine was working. It was mostly affecting the muscles and organs.

“Alright, I’m done here.” Wang Yao grinned and waved. “Come back here in two days. Oh right, continue training when you guys get home. It will help with the absorption of the medicine’s effects.”

“Sure thing.”

The three students left together.

“Hey Brother, do you think Master is trying to make us into supermen immune to poisons and packing muscles and bones of steel?” Jia Zizai asked. He was feeling amused.

“What? Are you against it?” Zhong Liuchuan asked.

“Oh I like it very, very much. I wish he could have just added something else to the mix like immortality.”

“Immortality? Gosh, you’re delusional.” Hu Mei rolled her eyes at him.

“Hell, I’ll have you know, woman, that according to what I’ve gathered, Miao Xihe in the Valley of Thousands of Medicine is 84 years old this year, yet he hardly looks any different from a 40-year-old,” Jia Zizai said. “Think about it, haven’t we run into some guy who was over 130 years and was still fit as a fiddle?”

“That was not a human but a demon in human form,” Hu Mei replied. “By the way, didn’t that guy die a horrible death in the end? Gaining strange, eerie powers and using demonic means came with a price.”

“Is Master trying out shortcuts?”

“That is hardly it,” Zhong Liuchuan said. “He is strengthening and maintaining the body using medicine. It’s written all over the old records. Famous doctors of the past, such as Li Shizhen and Sun Simiao, did it before. It’s very logical and scientific.”

“You sure know a lot, Big Brother,” Jia Zizai said.

“When I have time to pass, I like to read books, preferably the likes of Taoist sutras and books related to medical knowledge,” Zhong Liuchuan said with a grin.

He had little else to do back home. The money he earned in his early years was enough to keep him and his sister well-fed. Most of his days were spent either in cultivation or reading books. He read all manners of books regardless of genre, so he came to know more than others.

“Any immortals mentioned?”

“Quit getting yourself hung up with that,” Zhong Liuchuan said. “Just look at Master. He is that formidable, yet when did you ever hear him talk about immortality with us? It’s not a good thing to get all wrapped up in such things. Aren’t we fine as we are?”

“Sure, sure, sure.” Jia Zizai repeated his answer three times before parting. All of them returned to their respective homes.

After getting back to her place, Hu Mei said, “It seems like Big Brother has gotten better with his training.”

“Hmm? How could you tell? It’s not like you fought him.”

“It’s a gut feeling. Didn’t you hear what he said earlier?”

“Can’t you quit the riddles and be more forward with your own husband?” Jia Zizai asked.

“Not getting attached and letting things work out on their own,” Hu Mei said. “Our big brother is superior to us in terms of time spent in training and the elevation of his state of mind.”

“Hmm, I didn’t quite notice,” Jia Zizai replied.

He was not the type to pay much attention to people who were not his enemy.

“What did Master have us drink that medicine?” Jia Zizai asked. “I now feel like I’m filled with power, yet said power is not restless, rampaging one. It feels warm. It seems to just maintain a constant output as it seeps into my bones and internal organs.”

“Didn’t he say it himself? Strengthen the body, stabilize internal organs, enhance intellect?”

“Well, it’s best not waste time. How about we start training?”

Wang Yao tidied up for a bit in the clinic before heading out. He went to the southern mountain.

Several patients showed up for treatment in the afternoon. They quickly saw the tag hanging on the wooden door.

“Huh? No one’s in?”

“Damn, we should have checked his Weibo before we came.”

Some of them waited for a bit, feeling frustrated.

Jia Zizai, who had just finished training, was out for a walk. He felt invigorated. He looked at the people waiting outside the clinic. He confirmed that they were not people trying to stir up trouble. He also found that they did not look especially ill. He headed up to the eastern mountain with Hu Mei.

“This medicine is working a little too well. Did Master add something like millennium ginseng or treasures of those sort in the meds?” Jia Zizai was still able to feel the effects of the medicine that he had drunk in the morning.

“It’s probably some uncommon herbs. Common ingredients wouldn’t work so well.”

The two of them went up the mountain and found Zhong Liuchuan sitting under a rock. He had stayed at home for a bit before deciding that the mountains were better. He had gone up to the eastern mountain without even bothering with lunch. He looked up after hearing footsteps before continuing his training.

“Hell, Big Brother, you should’ve asked us to come along with you up here.”

Zhong Liuchuan simply smiled.

“Enough chit-chat. Let’s begin.”

Hu Mei and Jia Zizai went to the spots where they often meditated and began to adjust their breathing.

Although it was early spring and the trees on the mountain were getting green, the winds on the mountain still felt somewhat cold. Spring was still quite a cold season.

The three of them sat quietly on the mountain as the cold wind blew.

The sun in the sky seemed lazy to them.

Several playful birds were flying past them time and again.

Time passed. All three of them quietly sat where they were until the sun began to set.

A dog about the size of a lion emerged out of the woods behind them. The dog was going up the mountain, but it stopped not far away from where they were. The dog crooked its head and quietly watched them.

“San Xian, come here.” Jia Zizai waved at the huge dog.

The dog wagged its tail at the man while staring at him, but it did not budge.

“So, the dog isn’t bothering with you,” Hu Mei said with a smile. “Come here, San Xian.”

The dog slowly moved toward her.

“No way!”

The dog sniffed Jia Zizai for a bit before doing the same with Hu Mei. The dog finally went to Zhong Liuchuan and sniffed as well.

“Good day, San Xian.” Zhong Liuchuan smiled and rubbed the dog’s neck.

The dog circled them once before going back to the woods in the southern mountain.

“What’s with the dog?”

“Hmm, the dog might be smarter than you are,” Hu Mei said with a grin.

“Alright, I’m almost done.” Jia Zizai got up and moved a little. He still felt his body was hot, but he was mostly done absorbing the heat. It was a sign that the effects of the medicines had been absorbed. The medicine continued to strengthen their bodies.

Hu Mei stood up and said, “I’m almost done. Well, how about we head down the mountain?”

“Big Brother?”

“You two head home. I’ll stay here for a little while longer.”

“OK, let’s go.”

The two of them went down the mountain together while Zhong Liuchuan remained seated under that rock. He closed his eyes and maintained his breaths, guiding the neixi in his body to continue circulating throughout.

The sky gradually grew dark.

He remained quietly seated where he was. The crescent moon in the sky shone with cold light. It shone all over the mountain and onto him.

The night wind was cold.

Huuuuuu…

His body slightly pulsated. He seemed to have entered some sort of special state.

He entered a trance and melded with his surroundings.

He kept at it until midnight. The top of the southern mountain seemed to shine with a yellowish glow.