Chapter 99 Take Medicine Take Medicine
"According to Vander's standards, you are now the only one in the real world, a legend among legends, a man among men, and the pinnacle of Shendongjie's strong fighting power~"
"Unfortunately, I know myself well." Chu Hengkong removed her hand from her shoulder. "That battle cannot be repeated. If we fight again, I will definitely die."
The battle against the Immortal Machine required a multitude of unique conditions: Qi Su controlling the alien beast puppets, the remnants of the Sakura Dragon's divine power, and the hypnotic power, enhanced by the formation, which transcended his abilities. Without even one of these prerequisites, he wouldn't have survived the final five minutes. And "the final five minutes" was a moot point. Leaving Yingshi Town, where the mists of history were about to dissipate, what enemy could have given him an hour and a half of precise preparation time?
If the Immortal Machine arrived a few seconds earlier or later, it would be Chu Hengkong who would die in the end. Such a harsh record would not count.
"But back then you were just point 1, point 1. Now you're a man of integrity." Ji Huaisu retaliated by throwing his entire arm over him. "Under normal circumstances, where do you think you'd be?"
Chu Hengkong gestured with his thumb and index finger.
"From the actual combat just now, I think he's still a little bit stronger than you, slightly better than a legend."
He clearly felt someone's arm tightening. Ji Huaisu said with a forced smile, "Inspector Chu is very confident. He doesn't even take his superiors seriously..."
Chu Hengkong pretended to be surprised: "I almost forgot you are my boss. Speaking of which, our team has always been strength-oriented. I have recently been considering running for team leader. We are good partners and have a deep relationship. If I win, I will definitely hire you as my secretary..."
"How dare you! How dare you be so brazen after going out on a limb! The cook will deduct all his housing fund and insurance money for this year!"
"Just kidding, let's not talk about money, okay?"
Chu Hengkong quietly swung out his tentacles, intending to use his joint technique, but was grabbed by the sharp-eyed captain: "Who was the first to talk to your sister Huaisu about stealing her job?"
"I'm just trying to improve myself, not to start a new resurrection unit..."
Jie An, sitting at his work table, scratched his ears, deftly ignoring the noise coming from the two people behind him. Fander surveyed the pots of flowers and plants and asked, "Are those two idiots always like this?"
"Like attracts like, otherwise we wouldn't get along." Jie An took out a small relic fan and fanned the medicine furnace. "Are you interested in herbs?"
"I have a little knowledge of it, let's communicate more." Vander nodded reservedly.
After the pressure test, Qi Su returned to the workshop area to collect the local spirits, while the others went to Li An's new studio. This space, on the same floor as the City Lord's office, was enormous, overflowing with various alchemy furnaces and medicine cauldrons. Just across the wall was the herb garden, which You You had personally brought in. A variety of precious medicines were readily available, and the equipment was far more luxurious than Adali's former private property.
Thanks to the massive influx of new personnel after the city was opened, the cook finally no longer had to juggle multiple duties and could now serve as a full-fledged leader of the team. Now, Jie An was only responsible for the lunch and evening canteen meals and occasionally supervised clerical work. The rest of his time was spent on his own cultivation.
While the pestle's transformation into a staff of pain was unlikely, it contained a vast store of medicinal recipes. Jie An's current mission was to replicate his father's recipes and, along the way, to harness the pestle's power to create some medicine himself. Therefore, while Chu Hengkong and Ji Huaisu were being tortured to death, the cook was being crammed in the studio under the personal supervision of Lord Huilong. This training had brought about a significant change in him: judging by his appearance, he had gained at least thirty pounds.
"You are at least five pounds heavier than before I left." Chu Hengkong said affirmatively.
"What can I do? Making the pills requires blood and energy, and I'm not strong enough to make the medicine?" Xie An was miserable. "You guys just fight, and I stay in the house, eating and watching, eating and watching. If I don't meet the nutritional requirements, I have to eat more... I'm a cook, and I'm almost anorexic..."
"But you've taken so much, and it's paying off!" Ji Huaisu whistled. "Show the Chief Inspector our new pill!"
Xie An continuously tossed various medicinal herbs and some odd-looking objects into the stone mortar, grinding them meticulously with his precious pestle. Chu Hengkong expected to receive the finished product, but Xie An pulled a small medicine gourd from a drawer. The gourd was filled with tiny, yellow pills. He tossed one over, and Chu Hengkong caught it with his book.
【Sanri Heqi Pills】
【Rating: Level 1】
[Origin: Senluo Secret Realm - Huilong City]
[Effect: Provides a large amount of energy after taking it. One pill can support an average person's activities for three days.
No feeling of hunger within seven hours after taking it.
【Thoughts: No hunger, no anxiety; no hunger, no distress.】
"It's just a little gadget I made in my spare time, just for fun." Jie An touched his nose, turned around and saw that Chu Hengkong's eyes were shining.
"Good stuff." He said sincerely, "This is a life-saving gadget."
The experience of eating dirt in the Netherworld Kingdom left such a deep impression on him that he never wanted to experience a similar experience again. No matter how good a fighter you are, you still have to eat. If you ever find yourself in a place where you can't even eat dirt, you'll starve to death.
Vander clearly felt the same way, his eyes glued to the gourd: "Send me a few pots? I'll trade you a prescription."
"This thing is not worth much, just one five-flow pearl. If the cost is reduced, it can be used as relief food, but it's still a bit expensive now." Jie An knocked on the stone mortar in his hand, "This is the valuable treasure."
The relics had ground and dissolved the herbs previously, transforming them into a paste the color of soybeans. Jie An then added the final ingredient: a single golden petal from the everlasting flower they'd found in the swamp. The lotus at the end of the pestle unfurled, enveloping the pounded herbs in the petals, forming a golden elixir the size of a fingertip.
【Fulixinhedan】
【Rating: Level 2 (bold)】
[Origin: Senluo Secret Realm - Huilong City]
[Effects: Subdues murderous intent, suppresses anger, harmonizes the mind, and promotes harmony of Qi and blood.]
【Thoughts: fill the gap to calm the heart, no resentment will bring harmony】
This appraisal was quite literary, and at first it seemed baffling. Jie An glanced at it and said with a sly smile, "This book is quite insightful! It's essentially a tonic for the body. Taking more of it will help improve your mental and emotional control... and also help control your temper."
Chu Hengkong was stunned for a moment, then reacted. He stretched his back and took the pill: "Thank you."
"Take one pill a day on time, that will help you deal with it first. The fundamental solution has to rely on the city lord, I can't do anything about it." Jie An waved his hand, "I will continue to refine the pill, everyone, take care~"
The detective duo left first, but Finder was still lingering on the table. He examined the pestle carefully and asked, "So you're the one... who used the high-quality relic as a cornerstone."
"Yes, it's me." Jie An reached into his pocket for a cigarette.
"I've heard about your situation from my friends. Have you considered adding a recipe to it? Like the one you just made yourself," said Vander. "The power of the relic comes from longing. If you add your own recipe bit by bit, the pestle will also include your share."
Xie An was about to light a cigarette when he suddenly stopped. He was in a daze for a long time until the flame of the lighter burned his fingers.
He took a deep breath and turned his head to look for the eyeball, but it had already run away with Chu Hengkong.
Chu Hengkong lifted the Eye Demon with one hand and asked, "What did you say to the cook?"
"A little advice from a professional." Finder slipped into his pocket seat. "What are we doing now? If you don't have anything else to do, could you take me on a deeper tour of your bizarre hometown?"
"We can do both things at the same time." Chu Hengkong walked towards the parking lot.
"Where are you going?"
“Market, shopping.”
·
Located in the northern part of the courtyard, the Living Water Snake Shopping Market has become the busiest place in Huilong City since its opening three months ago. The area boasts a wide view, smooth roads, and a terrain significantly lower than the entire courtyard, resembling a vast ditch running down the city. This remarkable topography was created by Kanin himself during the Battle of Kaesong: his firepower leveled numerous buildings and dug out this vast ditch.
Considering the city's initial lack of resources to fill the gaps, the City Lord's Mansion creatively proposed leveraging the terrain to create commercial opportunities. They built a single-story building above and below the ditch, and rented out the land at a generous, low rent. Within just three months, Datugou had been transformed into a commercial hub by its eager citizens. Tourists of all races strolled through the area, neon signs and balloons filled the sky, and the numerous shops above and below ground resembled a colorful city wall.
"A must-have for travel! Banana earplugs!" "Premium earplugs, 5-ounce beads a pair." "Breaking news! Major robbery on Dust Island in the borderlands, specializing in treating nighttime crying children!" "Earplugs. Delicious. Earplugs..."
Chu Hengkong dodged a minotaur, whose horn slammed into the "30% off all relics" sign, making it squeak in anger. Ji Huaisu never treated himself badly; he'd already bought two ice creams by the time he got down the stairs. Fander lay in his pocket, his eyes wide open since he came in.
"So... lively!" it exclaimed.
"Some little thing made a sound that goes against the character of someone from a powerful family." Ji Huaisu grinned.
"This has nothing to do with how powerful you are. Where else can you find so many races?" Finder looked around. "I saw 38 different kinds of forest people alone! And there are also small soldiers and fufu... Who gave you the courage to let them gather together? With so many people coming to Dust Island, aren't you afraid of outsiders?!"
"The outsider came here three months ago and was beaten back by my dad." Ji Huaisu held a popsicle in his mouth.
"... Could you please tell me what they are so I can prepare myself mentally?"
"Rainbow, skull..." Chu Hengkong observed the surrounding stalls, "Big Devil..."
Vander fell back into his pocket and almost died on the spot.
"I didn't hear it, I didn't hear it... Forget it, forget it..."
Chu Hengkong has become completely accustomed to this behavior of the eye. He knows that if he leaves it alone for a while, it will naturally get better. The important task at the moment is still shopping.
After the battle with the Immortal Machine, he gained a strong bone, but also lost a lot: the light armor provided by Youyou was shattered to pieces, the iron spider gauntlets made by Qisu were completely shattered, the leaf throwing knife he had found earlier was smashed to pieces, and even the rock knife was broken...
Even the rock blade is broken! My most useful weapon is gone!!
Chu Hengkong felt heartbroken at the thought. Although he didn't need a special relic for counterattacks now, he had already mastered the "No Return" attack and even successfully created the second "Returning Gang" attack. Du Muyan probably wouldn't have any regrets if he were still alive... But it was so hard to use that sword so well that finding a second one would be really difficult...
When traveling, your skills are paramount, but without good equipment, you're doomed. I need to quickly find some handy weapons and find a wealthy shopkeeper... But for some reason, the Orochi Market, always known for its diverse offerings, seems a bit monotonous today. Most of the stalls are selling earplugs...
"Let's buy some banana earplugs first." Ji Huaisu picked up something that looked delicious. "It's more practical."
"What's the practical use of this thing?"
"It can save you money," she said earnestly. "A lot of money."
At that moment, Chu Hengkong heard the sound of a zither being plucked. The sound, sometimes high and sometimes low, was disturbing, sometimes like a zither girl humming softly at the bow of a ferry, sometimes like a poet singing beside a winter fire.
It was the most beautiful instrumental sound he had ever heard in his life.
(End of this chapter)
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