Chapter 13: Breakthrough in Skill, Opportunity to Train, and Identifying the Antidote

Unexpectedly, Zhou Bo, who belonged to a military household, hadn’t shown up for several days. This made Xia He suspicious: Could it be that Zhou Bo no longer wanted the snake gall? Or perhaps he should look for another buyer? After all, time was not on his side.

Unable to contain his worry, Xia He went to ask Uncle Wang, only to be told that the garrison outside the town had been conducting drills for several consecutive days, so there was no need to worry. After some thought, Xia He decided to hold his position for the time being and not seek other buyers.

For the next few days, Xia He stayed home instead of going hunting in the mountains as usual. Taking advantage of the free time, he cooked the snake meat he had previously hunted and enjoyed several hearty meals. He realized that to truly gain attribute points from the flesh of these mystical beasts, one couldn’t just consume the meat and expect instant results. The body had to fully digest and absorb all the meat first.

Days passed, and by the third day, after devouring a hefty five pounds of snake meat, Xia He suddenly felt a strange sensation stirring within him. The long-awaited new attribute point had finally arrived!

“It wasn’t easy,” he murmured. It took three whole days and half of the snake meat before gaining a single attribute point. “Could this be related to my own digestive ability?” The giant python’s meat should have been more spiritual than the wolf meat, yet the rate of attribute gain was slower. “It must be because my body can’t absorb it!”

He recalled that after becoming a martial artist, one’s internal energy and blood flow would be abundant, increasing appetite and making it easier to gain attribute points. Eagerly, he opened his skill panel and glanced at [Skill: Herbal Identification], feeling a surge of hope.

[Skill: Herbal Identification]
[Branch 1: Herbal Mastery]
[Effect: Recognize hundreds of spiritual herbs, understand their properties]
[Branch 2: Pharmacology Mastery]
[Effect: Understand various medicinal effects and principles]

“Hm?” The two branches differ by only one character. Simply put, Branch 1, Herbal Mastery, focuses on the origin, preparation, and properties of herbs—what one might call an alchemist. Branch 2, Pharmacology Mastery, studies the effects and mechanisms of medicines, akin to a pharmacologist.

“Alchemists can concoct medicine, but pharmacologists can improve the quality and efficacy of drugs.” It was a pity. If Xia He planned to become a healer someday, choosing pharmacology would be the best path. But for now, since his goal was to create an antidote for blood disease, he had no choice but to select Branch 1: Herbal Mastery.

As his skill improved, a vast amount of knowledge suddenly flooded his mind.

[Skill: Herbal Identification (Herbal Mastery Lv1)]
[Progress: 1/400]
[Effect: Recognize hundreds of spiritual herbs, understand their properties]

In an instant, Xia He felt a deeper understanding of the herbs listed in the herbal compendium. No longer bound by the rigid descriptions in books, he developed his own insights. He became more familiar with the combinations and conflicts of various herbal properties.

Taking a deep breath, seeing no one around, Xia He pulled out the last antidote for blood disease he had purchased a few days ago for several hundred coins and began to study it carefully.

...

“Xiao He, are you home?”
“Uncle Wang, what brings you here in person? Huh? Zhou Bo?” Xia He opened the courtyard gate and saw Uncle Wang standing excitedly with Zhou Bo beside him. Zhou Bo looked somewhat weary but his eyes revealed a hint of relief and a smile.

“Zhou Bo, I’ll get the snake gall for you.” Xia He welcomed them inside and went into his room, returning shortly with the snake gall.

“Zhou Bo, you haven’t come for days—did something happen outside the town?” Zhou Bo took the snake gall, his smile widening, and tossed Xia He a silver ingot. “I’m a few days late because I was tied up with military affairs. I hope you don’t mind.”

Xia He’s eyes lit up when he saw the silver. Copper coins, small silver pieces, and silver ingots were interchangeable—one thousand coins equaled one tael of small silver, and ten taels of small silver equaled one silver ingot—but prices fluctuated. Zhou Bo giving him a silver ingot was compensation for his delay. Xia He knew exactly what that meant.

“Thank you, Zhou Bo. I hold no grudges.”
“Good.” Before Xia He could ask further, Zhou Bo continued grumbling, “A watch post about fifty miles outside the town was raided overnight by barbarians. Twenty soldiers were all killed. I was sent there these past days to investigate.”

Xia He frowned. In recent years, the Qin Empire’s power had waned, and those barbarians frequently disturbed the border. The establishment of frontier garrisons was meant to resist them. Now it was already October, and based on past years, the barbarians would launch attacks before winter, looting supplies from the garrison towns.

“The giant python you hunted in the mountains was actually a spy planted by those barbarians. Such treachery!” Zhou Bo patted Xia He’s shoulder with a smile. “Kid, you’re lucky! You haven’t even enlisted, yet you’ve already made a meritorious deed!”

“In recent months, the barbarian raids have grown more frequent and brazen. The general was furious and, in a fit of rage, relaxed the enlistment restrictions.”

“Now, anyone with outstanding potential who joins the army can immediately receive training in martial arts!”

“Kid, do you want to seize this opportunity?”

Xia He was stunned. The chance to become a martial artist? This was tremendous news!

“Please, Zhou Bo, recommend me!”
Zhou Bo laughed heartily. “Good, good—I knew you had ambition. If you’ve made up your mind, come to the town’s barracks tomorrow to find me.”

Zhou Bo hurried off, while Uncle Wang stayed and chuckled, “Xiao He, if you really join the army and become a general someday, don’t pretend not to know me when you see Uncle Wang on the road.”

Xia He forced a smile. “Uncle Wang, how could I? I’m grateful beyond words.”

After seeing Uncle Wang off, Xia He returned inside with the silver. On his panel:

[Skill: Herbal Identification (Herbal Mastery Lv1)]
[Progress: 87/400]
[Effect: Recognize hundreds of spiritual herbs, understand their properties]

“Just one more herb to go.” After leveling up the skill, Xia He had almost effortlessly deciphered the antidote. He had identified thirteen herbs in total, with only one remaining.

“Aconite?” After a moment, Xia He’s expression suddenly changed. The final herb was a poison? Prolonged use could cause respiratory suppression, death, and addiction!

“How could there be poison in the antidote given by the clinic?”
“So that’s why... this medicine couldn’t cure the disease but only made it worse. The patient could only rely on it to stay alive.”