Chapter 30: Purchasing Elixirs, Guardian Competition (Please continue reading)
Have you been here before?
Xiaoqing led the way, and after going around a long corridor, she suddenly asked a question.
"This is my first time here," Li Xian told the truth.
"It seems there are many rules you don't know yet." Xiaoqing smiled. "I have some time today, so I'll tell you about them while I'm at it."
Li Xian said solemnly, "Thank you!"
It's a good thing if someone is willing to point out and remind you of these rules.
Xiaoqing waved her hand dismissively, simply because she thought Li Xian was handsome and quite polite.
Feeling bored, I thought I'd find a topic to talk about, so I started talking about the rules of the Idle Pill Pavilion, such as not being able to touch the pills, not being able to bargain, and so on.
If you don't pay attention to some of these details, you might end up being forced to buy unwanted pills.
Moreover, not all the pills in this Leisure Pill Pavilion are fully effective; some are failures or defective products with weak efficacy but strong toxicity.
If you do not wish to purchase this elixir, you must discern its value yourself. Afterwards, do not cause trouble at the Idle Elixir Pavilion; otherwise, you will violate the rules and suffer dire consequences.
...
"Generally speaking, a Class D guard can only purchase pills once every three months."
"Class C guards are trained once a month, Class B guards three times a month, and Class A guards five times a month."
"You only have one chance to buy the pill, so you must think it through carefully."
She stopped in her tracks. In front of her was a wooden shelf with many wooden boxes on it.
Elixirs are among them, but the types vary greatly.
"I see..." Li Xian hadn't expected there to be so many restrictions.
"Of course, if you have the ability, you can always find a way to buy more pills," Xiaoqing reminded her.
"oh?"
Li Xian was quick-witted and immediately understood the meaning: finding a "way" meant entrusting "Class C" and "Class B" guards to help purchase elixirs.
"It seems you've thought of that too. So, it's best to cultivate good relationships with other guards, especially those of higher rank," Xiaoqing kindly advised.
The interval between the three-month intervals for Class D guards is far too long. This means that when Class D guards urgently need medicine, they sometimes have to entrust it to Class C guards.
Class C nurses are required to collect their own profits.
In this way, a chain of interests was created, and the Class C guards could earn a stable extra few hundred coins each month.
Li Xian focused his attention on the wooden shelf, which contained over a hundred pills of various kinds and styles. Sometimes, even the same type of pill could be vastly different in pairs.
For example, Li Xian saw a kind of "Deer Breath Pill". It was pitch black in appearance, emitted a faint fishy smell, and was even shapeless.
The other one was light green, round in shape, and had a faint fragrance.
However, his intuition told him that the dark-colored Deer Breath Pill was closer to being a fully formed pill.
"Deer Breath Pill", "Leopard Bone Pill", "Deer Blood Pill", "Ox and Rhinoceros Pill", "Strengthening Pill", "Qi-Recovering Pill", "Tendon-Resilience Pill"...
Only the lowest-ranking guards could afford these kinds of pills.
These pills are all the most basic kinds. Therefore, their names and effects are simple and clear.
Elixirs with the character "beast" in their name are generally made from wild animals. Their effects are mainly related to strengthening the body, fortifying bones, boosting energy, and replenishing essence.
"The Strength-Boosting Pill, when taken, can stimulate the flesh and blood, and strengthen the body."
Li Xian carefully selected.
The "Tiger Blood Pill" I swallowed last time was a Grade B medicine, and it was always in short supply.
To think you could buy it again is nothing short of a pipe dream.
“I have 1,500 coins, so I’ll try to buy the most expensive ones. Among them, Leopard Bone Pill is the most expensive. Its effects are to strengthen the periosteum, restore qi and blood, and increase the strength of the feet.”
Li Xian quickly pinpointed the area.
On the wooden shelf, there are seven Leopard Bone Pills, each with a different color and texture.
Furthermore, there are regulations that they can only be viewed from a distance and cannot be picked up for inspection; if one touches the elixir, one must buy it.
"Has a decision been made?" Xiaoqing urged.
"I'll take that one." Li Xian pointed to the Leopard Bone Pill in the upper right corner.
Xiaoqing nodded slightly. Judging from her expression, this pill shouldn't be too bad.
This elixir costs 1,289 coins, which is one tael and two hundred coins.
With his purse empty, Li Xian realized even more the importance of being promoted to a third-class guard.
Class C nursing staff can get a 10% discount.
After calculating, it turns out that it can save more than a hundred coins.
"Four days left! From now on, let's make the most of every moment to practice our boxing!"
"Otherwise, we'll have to wait another year for the next martial arts manual, which is too slow and takes too long."
...
...
The next day.
During Li Xianchen's morning training, he swallowed "Leopard Bone Pill." As the pill's effects gradually took hold, he felt a slight warmth in his leg bones.
[Skill: Ingestion]
[Proficiency: 12/500 Beginner]
This skill improves very slowly, but Li Xian was surprised to find that ordinary food could also increase his proficiency in [eating].
But it's far less effective than swallowing elixirs.
The medicinal effects circulate throughout the body, making the blood and energy even more vigorous.
Li Xian practiced his boxing silently, accumulating internal strength and building up his power. Despite the heavy snowfall, his will remained steadfast.
My proficiency in Sifangquan (a style of Chinese martial arts) has increased by about 70 points per day. Although I haven't reached the level of mastery yet, the daily progress is remarkable.
Get closer to the goal little by little.
This feeling is very reassuring.
The only drawback is that "patrol duty" is too time-consuming. I am often woken up in the middle of the night to walk back and forth in the yard in the cold wind.
These past few days, Li Xian has had a lot of shifts and has been so busy that she's rarely seen.
...
Three days before the guard competition, a notice board was suddenly erected in the courtyard where everyone practiced their boxing.
There was a list on the leaderboard. All of them were candidates who participated in the nursing competition.
"All guards of grades A, B, and C must participate. Forty-nine guards of grade D have signed up to participate."
"The list of participants is as follows. You can check it yourself. The nursing competition will officially begin in three days."
Pang Long said a few words and then left.
The nurses gathered around, looking at the list of participants and discussing it.
"Purple-faced Chun, why isn't your name on the list? Didn't you boast about wanting to be a third-class guard a month ago?"
"Hahaha, with your appearance, you should just stay in the guard post as a low-ranking guard. You're a disgrace."
A burst of laughter came from the crowd.
The second son, Wang Chun, used to love joining in the fun, but recent events had made him much more reserved. When he saw the list being posted, he instinctively wanted to take a look, but after touching his cheek, he pretended not to see it and took a detour.
But to his surprise, the prominent palm lines on his face gave him an opportunity to be ridiculed.
"Yo!"
"Believe it or not, guess who I saw? Li Xian was on the list too."
"Purple-faced Chun, Green-faced Zhuo, Black-faced Zhao, don't worry. When I face that Li Xian during the guard competition, I will definitely slap him a few times for you and vent your anger."
Laughter erupted.
This drew another round of laughter.
Wang Chun was so angry that he ran away. Li Xian watched his retreating figure and shook her head inwardly, "Why bother with so much idle gossip?"
Immersed in his own world, he throws punches over and over again.
After everyone had left, he went to the list to check his opponents' names.
"The real opponents are often just a few people."
"Unfortunately, we can't glean much more information from the name alone. Oh well, we'll see how things go later."
Before they knew it, the day of the competition arrived.
The weather grew increasingly cold, with fierce winds and snow. Several mountains outside the village were already blocked by heavy snow.
Yihezhuang is some distance from Qingning County. Apart from the village itself, the surrounding area for more than ten miles is practically deserted.
Li Xian's proficiency in the "Four Directions Fist" is already at a level of "1157/1500 Minor Mastery".
Focus your mind and feel the warm current flowing through your lower abdomen. The internal energy in your dantian is already the size of four fists.
Luck flows through flesh and blood. A warm current emanates from within the skin, melting the snowflakes that fall upon it.
"I have found a way to keep warm, and my clay sculpture is no longer the same as before."
(End of this chapter)
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