Mortal Bones

Chapter 14: Purchasing Medicine and Seeds, First Attempt at the Bone-Cleansing Marrow-Purifying Decoction

“So what if I mention it? Can Zhou Tong truly cover the sky with one hand within the Qingxuan Sect?”

Perfected Lord Ziyang snorted coldly, flicking his sleeves as he turned away. Just before stepping into his cave abode, he glanced back at the bronze mirror. “The next sutra lecture is canceled. This Lord is entering Secluded Cultivation for three years.”

With those parting words, his figure vanished like a phantom at the entrance of the cave abode.

“Is that truly necessary?”

A helpless sigh echoed from within the bronze mirror.

…

Meanwhile, back at the Green Bamboo Residence.

“Huff… it’s still not working…”

Sitting cross-legged on his bed after circulating his energy for an eternity, Xu Taiping let out a long, heavy sigh.

Following Perfected Lord Ziyang’s sutra lecture, the sun had reached its zenith at noon—the absolute best time to practice the Remnant Glow Sutra. Eager to test his newfound insights, Xu Taiping had immediately begun cultivating.

Yet, despite hours of grueling effort, he still failed to guide the heaven and earth Spiritual Qi into his body to refine it into True Qi as described in the Remnant Glow Sutra.

“Looks like I have no choice but to rely on Fairy Lingyue’s prescription.”

Wiping the cold sweat from his brow, Xu Taiping muttered in quiet frustration.

This crushing failure forced him to truly understand the sheer despair of cultivating with a White Bone aptitude.

His mind made up, he retrieved the bronze mirror once more and pressed a Merit Coin against its surface.

“Xu Taiping of the Green Bamboo Residence, what do you seek from me?”

The mirror spirit’s stiff voice emanated from the bronze glass.

“Sir Profound Mirror, I wish to purchase a batch of medicinal herbs and seeds.”

Xu Taiping replied respectfully.

“Given your current status, you may only purchase supplies from the Hundred Herbs Hall at the foot of the mountain. Here is their catalog. Make your selections within the mirror, and a spirit avian will deliver them to your courtyard.”

As the spirit spoke, a dense list of herbs materialized across the bronze surface.

“Thank you, Sir Profound Mirror.”

Offering his thanks, Xu Taiping leaned in and began to carefully scour the list.

After an incense stick of time, he finally managed to find every ingredient listed on Fairy Lingyue’s prescription. To prevent anyone from deducing the actual formula, he cleverly threw in several cheap, unrelated herbs and deliberately requested irregular weights and measurements.

As for seeds for his garden, he exclusively chose the Nine-leaf Purple Perilla, purchasing enough to sow three acres of land three times over.

He had calculated this decision very carefully.

According to the jade slip’s agricultural records, the leaves, stems, and fruits of the Nine-leaf Purple Perilla could all be refined into medicine, and the leaves could even be eaten as a high-quality vegetable. Better yet, its seeds were the cheapest of all spirit herbs, it was incredibly hardy, and it only took three months to go from germination to harvest. Since Yunlu Mountain enjoyed a perpetual spring, he could comfortably fit in three harvests a year.

The only drawback was its abysmal selling price.

Normally, an entire acre of Nine-leaf Purple Perilla would only net thirty Qingxuan Sect Merit Coins a year—a pathetic yield compared to any other spirit herb.

This was a massive problem considering every registered Outer Sect disciple was required to pay an annual tax of one hundred and twenty Merit Coins to the Sect.

Under standard conditions, even if Xu Taiping packed all three acres with Nine-leaf Purple Perilla, he would still fall short of the Sect’s quota.

But the Formation Fairy Lingyue had set up beneath the soil changed the math entirely.

Fairy Lingyue had promised that her miniature Spirit Gathering Formation would triple the field’s yield for the next three years, making the fast-growing Nine-leaf Purple Perilla the most cost-effective option by a landslide.

“If everything goes smoothly, planting three acres of Nine-leaf Purple Perilla over three seasons should yield at least 270 Merit Coins. Subtract the 20 for overhead and the 120 for the annual quota, and I’ll net 130. Next year, I can invest in higher-tier seeds, and I might even have enough leftover to buy proper cultivation manuals and Talismans.”

Having paid his fee to the bronze mirror, Xu Taiping picked up a brush and paper, meticulously recording his new ledger.

“After buying the herbs and seeds, I’m down to my last three Merit Coins. Thank the heavens I already filled the rice vat and stocked up on oil and salt. I’ll set some snares in the back mountains for wild game later. That should keep me from starving until the first harvest is ready.”

He crunched the numbers in his head as he tallied his remaining funds.

A major factor in choosing the Nine-leaf Purple Perilla was its rapid maturity rate. Earning a quick return in three months would allow him to continuously fund his expensive medicinal baths.

As for the True Fire Talisman required to properly fertilize the soil, he had already asked the mirror spirit about it yesterday. The answer had been a swift rejection: a Novice needed at least one year of tenure before being granted clearance to purchase Talismans. Furthermore, even the lowest-grade True Fire Talisman cost upwards of a thousand Merit Coins—a sum he couldn’t even dream of affording right now.

“Hmm, once the money starts rolling in, I’ll need to set up a dedicated fund for that True Fire Talisman.”

Xu Taiping jotted down another note in his ledger.

…

The next evening.

A gray crane—a specialized spirit avian—swooped down and landed outside Xu Taiping’s small courtyard, a massive bundle clamped in its beak.

His seeds and herbs had finally arrived.

Handing over a precious Merit Coin to the crane with an inward wince, Xu Taiping hauled the massive bundle of herbs straight into his bedroom.

Waiting in the center of the room was a large wooden tub, already brimming with steaming hot water.

He had boiled it all in advance specifically for this medicinal bath.

“Fairy Lingyue’s notes mentioned that these ingredients are incredibly ordinary. The only way to unlock their true medicinal properties is to throw them in following the exact timing and sequence listed.”

After meticulously sorting the herbs and double-checking their weights on his rusty scale, Xu Taiping stood over the steaming tub, mentally rehearsing the strict sequence.

“I can do this.”

A moment later, he gave himself a firm nod of encouragement.

Moving with practiced precision, he snatched up the first oil-paper packet and dumped its contents into the boiling water. Instantly, he began silently counting down on his fingers: “Eight, seven, six…”

The second he hit one, he snatched the next packet from the table and hurled it into the tub.

The moment the second batch hit the water, the tub erupted into a rolling boil. A bizarre, intoxicating fragrance—a rich blend of orchid and musk—billowed into the air.

“Looks like I got the timing right.”

Xu Taiping’s face lit up with joy, and he immediately tossed in the next packet.

…

An incense stick of time later.

The final herb was submerged exactly as the prescription dictated. Peering over the rim, Xu Taiping saw that the originally clear water had transformed into a thick, viscous, milky-white slurry.

“The decoction is lustrous and white as jade, thick as a paste… exactly as the notes described.”

Xu Taiping breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

At least cosmetically, his very first batch of the Bone-Cleansing Marrow-Purifying Decoction was a flawless success.

Wasting no time, he stripped off his coarse robes, revealing a body kept lean by hard labor, and plunged naked into the viscous depths.

“Hsss…”

Whether it was the boiling water or the raw potency of the medicinal energy, the heat was agonizing. Xu Taiping hissed through his teeth, his face twisting into a pained grimace as the liquid burned against his skin.

If the instructions hadn’t explicitly warned that leaving the tub midway would ruin the medicinal effects entirely, he would have vaulted out of the scalding slurry seconds ago.