"Big brother! I'm back!" Qin Huaiyu shouted excitedly.
Qin Mu turned around and saw that he had brought two companions, who were walking in excitedly. When Qin Mu looked over, he felt a little scared.
This is normal, after all, they've only met once. If he hadn't been bragging to his friends at the martial arts academy, he wouldn't have brought the two of them along.
"Huaiyu is back." Qin Mu waved and smiled.
"Big brother."
"Aren't you going to introduce your older brother to some friends?" Qin Mu asked curiously. The kids who could play with Qin Huaiyu were probably from families with similar backgrounds. The two in front of him, one fair-skinned and the other somewhat dark-skinned, were both a head taller than his younger brother.
"Big brother, this is my friend Li Dejiang, also known as Yuchi Huan," Qin Huaiyu introduced happily, seeing his older brother's respect. He had gone to the martial arts academy today, brandishing a folding fan and showing it off quite a bit. It wasn't that the folding fan looked cool—after all, it's simple, you can probably figure out how to make it just by looking at it—but rather that it could be used as a weapon, which made his friends envious.
The sudden appearance of an older brother sparked curiosity among the others, especially the children. Having an older brother meant having someone to back them up. He'd always envied the others for having older brothers, and now that he had one, he couldn't resist bragging about it.
"Welcome to our home." Upon hearing their names, Qin Mu knew who they were and greeted them with a smile.
"You're so thin! Qin Huaiyu, didn't you say your older brother was very powerful?" Yu Chi Huan asked in a deep voice.
"You think everyone's like your family, all of them are big and burly?" Li Dejiang rolled his eyes at him and said. Then he bowed to Qin Mu in a proper manner and said, "Li Dejiang greets Brother Qin. Yu Chi Huan meant no harm. That's just how his family talks. Brother Qin, please don't mind."
"Hehe, it's nothing. Are you from the Duke of Wei's mansion?" Qin Mu said with a smile, waving his hand. He wouldn't get angry over such a simple question.
"How did you know, Brother Qin?" Li Dejiang paused for a moment, looked at Qin Huaiyu who was equally surprised, and then asked.
Qin Mu certainly wouldn't say that in another world, you are one of the famous Five Heroes of Shu Mountain.
“It must have been Qin Huaiyu who mentioned it,” Yu Chi Huan said.
"I didn't," Qin Huaiyu shook her head.
"Don't worry about those things. Since you're here as a guest, please come in and sit down," Qin Mu said.
"Do you know who my father is?" Yu Chi Huan asked, looking up. Kids always like to show off, and seeing that Qin Mu didn't mention him, he became a little anxious.
"Who is your father?" Qin Mu knew who his father was, of course, but he pretended to be confused and asked.
“I…” Yu Chi Huan wanted to speak, but he didn’t want to say it. If he said it himself, it would seem like he was abusing his power.
"Idiot, there are several families with the surname Yuchi in Chang'an City. Brother Qin is just teasing you!" Li Dejiang slapped him on the back.
"Hehe, how is the Duke of E's health?" Qin Mu stopped teasing him and asked with a smile.
“My father is in very good health.”
"Okay, come in and have some fun."
"Big brother, what are they doing?" Qin Huaiyu asked curiously as they entered the courtyard.
“Starting tomorrow, you will study with your elder brother in the mornings, and I will have them make a few desks,” Qin Mu explained.
"Really? That's wonderful!" Qin Huaiyu exclaimed happily. Children always have a mixture of liking and awe for their teachers.
"Yes, of course it's true. If you're willing, you don't even need to go to the martial arts academy every day. Your older brother can teach you." Qin Mu nodded.
At their age, they're mainly focused on building a solid foundation. Going to the martial arts academy is primarily about the better learning environment and the chance to make more friends. Another reason is to capitalize on people's competitive spirit; after all, with so many students at the academy, nobody wants to be ranked low.
Students of Qin Huaiyu's status don't actually need to go to the martial arts academy every day; they only need to participate in the assessments. After all, their families might have even better family-specific martial arts techniques. Sending them to the martial arts academy is just to save them some trouble.
"Yes." Qin Huaiyu nodded vigorously. He had no doubt that his older brother couldn't teach him.
"Wow! A rhinoceros!" Yu Chi Huan suddenly exclaimed. It turned out that he had seen the big creature playing with Qin Yuling by the pond.
"Go ahead!" Qin Mu waved his hand, seeing how excited the little ones were.
As soon as he finished speaking, the three little ones ran over impatiently.
“It really is a rhinoceros! I’ve seen one once in the palace,” Yu Chi Huan said, his eyes scanning the rhinoceros closely.
"This is the first time I've ever seen one alive," Li Dejiang said, craning his neck to look around.
"Third Brother," Qin Yuling called out somewhat awkwardly.
"Fourth Sister, are you feeding Big Brother's mount?" Qin Huaiyu asked, pretending to be an old man, after seeing Qin Yuling put her hand into the mouth of the rhinoceros.
"Yes! Da Niu loves eating beans." Qin Yuling said with a smile, and then grabbed a handful of beans and fed them to him.
The three little ones looked at her with envy, wanting to imitate her, but also a little scared. Although the rhinoceros looked kind and gentle, it was still quite frightening, after all, it was so big.
"Big Brother even took us riding a big ox before!" Qin Yuling said boastfully.
Several children were watching the rhinoceros with great interest when, before long, they were drawn by a fragrant aroma and all looked over. Not only them, but the craftsmen in the courtyard couldn't help but turn their heads to look as well.
Two large vats were steaming, and water had been added several times already. Normally, soup is made by simmering over low heat, but these are not ordinary bones. Even if they are chopped, medicinal herbs are needed to extract the essence from them, so a high flame must be kept burning continuously.
"No need to look, it's still early," Qin Mu said after glancing at it. He then had someone fill the pot with water, put the lid on, and sealed the opening with a prepared cloth. He then ordered the pot to continue simmering.
After sealing it, the smell became much milder, which prevented it from affecting other people's work.
To be honest, Qin Mu was starting to feel a bit excited. The rich aroma of the meat broth, mixed with the scent of herbs, reminded him quite a bit of the stewed old hen he used to eat. However, he used far more herbs this time. He had originally thought it would be like traditional Chinese medicine, full of herbal flavors.
"Brother, do you still have folding fans?" Qin Huaiyu asked cautiously.
Looking at the two children beside him, Qin Mu understood what he meant, and shook his head slightly, saying, "We don't have your kind anymore, but we still have regular folding fans. Do you want one?"
"Yes! Thank you, Brother Qin." Li Dejiang accepted the two wooden folding fans that Qin Mu had taken out without any hesitation.
For them, although Qin Huaiyu's folding fan was more valuable, it wasn't very useful as a weapon; its main purpose was to look stylish. Although it was simple, they didn't know how to make it. Even if they knew how, they'd still have to ask someone for help at home. They might even get a beating for indulging in such a frivolous pursuit, especially Li Dejiang, whose family was very strict. This was why he was somewhat rebellious, disliked literature, and preferred martial arts.
"You guys go have fun, I can't leave here, so I won't keep you company. Come back later for some good food," Qin Mu waved his hand and said.
If it weren't troublesome, he wouldn't have brought it out to the yard to cook, so he had to keep a close eye on it during this final period.
Qin Huaiyu and the other two left in hushed tones. Qin Mu stayed behind patiently, waiting without a trace of impatience, for studying required concentration and calmness. The Fuxiong Dividing Power Method also demanded focused concentration.
The fire simmered for another two hours. After the carpenter had lunch, he continued working for a long time, and Qin Mu did not leave.
After covering the lid with several layers of damp cloth, the steam began to decrease. Only then did Qin Mu stand up from the side, walk to the large vat, and carefully check it over. Only then did he lift the lid.
As a huge plume of steam rose, he quickly poured in the prepared powders, took out a stick, and stirred it rapidly. He did the same to the two large vats.
"Anneal!" Qin Mu commanded.
Qin Yong and Qin Zhong quickly pulled out all the firewood.
"Cool down!" Qin Mu ordered again.
"Plop! Plop! Plop!" Several basins of cold water were splashed onto the large vat.
"Sizzle!" Steam billowed from the large vat, and the fire on the ground was completely extinguished.
The matter wasn't over yet. Qin Mu picked up a rope, which was already knotted, and looped it around the mouth of the large vat. He and Qin Yong lifted the vat and placed it into the pond. The water in the pond covered most of the vat.
After finishing all this, Qin Mu finally breathed a sigh of relief. The manual recorded that the key to this method, which aimed to maximize the fusion of bone essence and medicinal herbs, was controlling the final heat. If it was too slow, the effect would be greatly reduced. Although he didn't understand why, Qin Mu didn't intend to delve into it; of course, he would do whatever was most effective.
The aroma was wonderful just now, but after all this, the large vat has lost its smell. Only when you get close can you smell a faint aroma of bone broth.
After waiting for another half hour, estimating that the temperature had completely dropped, Qin Mu reached out and touched the large vat. It was indeed at room temperature. Only then did he lift the vat up and crane his neck to take a look. The vat that was originally full of bones had completely disappeared, leaving only a small portion inside, which was white and looked like it was moving.
He didn't understand how the bone broth had turned out like this in this weather, without any ice. But Qin Mu knew it was a success because it matched the records. As for why it turned out this way, he guessed it was related to the medicinal ingredients, just like jelly or tofu.
Qin Mu's actions had already alerted Qin Yuling and the others, who then gathered around. Qin Huaiyu and his friends, who had returned sometime earlier, also curiously came over.
"Go! Bring those bowls and chopsticks over," Qin Mu ordered.
Soon, Qin Yong ran over carrying a bundle of bowls.
First, I made myself a bowl, and swallowed it down in a few mouthfuls.
The bone jelly melted quickly in his stomach, and Qin Mu felt a medicinal power spreading throughout his body, with a small portion even entering his Qihai acupoint. The stimulation from the medicine felt like his cells were being inflated, leaving his body feeling pleasantly numb.
This made Qin Mu extremely happy. His body had been cleansed by the vast energy of heaven and earth, and he had also consumed the Five Elements Pill and taken medicinal baths. It could be said that he was far stronger than ordinary people; most medicinal herbs had little effect on him. Especially his Qi Sea acupoint—before using any skills, his Qi Sea was always full of spiritual energy, and even actively absorbing it would feel overwhelming. Now, with the medicinal power directly entering his Qi Sea acupoint, he could sense that the spiritual energy had become considerably purer.
Besides opening up the meridians, another aspect of cultivating spiritual energy is purifying it. During continuous cultivation, the Qi Sea expands, able to hold more spiritual energy, but this is always limited. Therefore, it's necessary to refine the spiritual energy, like compression, to make it purer. In this way, when using spiritual techniques, the energy consumption is lower, while the power is greater.
Qin Mu estimated that this one bowl was equivalent to ten days of his arduous training, and the key was the strengthening of his body; the effects were very obvious to him.
Upon opening their eyes, Qin Mu personally prepared a bowl for each of them, though the maids and craftsmen only received a small half-bowl. This wasn't out of stinginess, but rather out of concern that they wouldn't be able to withstand the effects of the medicine. These two vats of bone broth, just the medicinal herbs alone, had cost a fortune, not to mention the final powder, which was a privately treasured ingredient.
His two younger sisters also only had a small half bowl each, so Qin Huaiyu and the others didn't need to worry. Although they hadn't cultivated their own blood and qi yet, they were people who had been taking tonics for a long time, so of course they could handle it.
The reason why scholars are considered poor while martial artists are considered rich is because martial arts training requires frequent nourishment, especially for martial artists who cultivate qi and blood. Without nourishment, it's easy to become deficient in qi and blood. This requires substantial financial support. This is no small sum; otherwise, the Qin sisters wouldn't have missed out on learning the Qin family's traditional martial arts.
The crystal-jelly-like substance made Qin Yuxin and the others eat with beaming smiles, but there was only a little bit, and it was gone in just a few bites.
"No, you can only eat this much in a day." Qin Mu shook his head as he looked at the bowl his younger sister held out to him.
Qin Yuling thought her older brother didn't like her anymore, that's why he only gave her so little. Her big eyes immediately filled with tears, and she looked at him with a pitiful expression.
"It really won't work, this is made from medicinal herbs." Qin Mu hurriedly squatted down and gently hugged her to explain, but before he could finish speaking, Qin Yuling's face turned flushed as if she were drunk.
Seeing that her face was flushed and she was swaying, Qin Mu quickly picked her up.
"Big brother, I feel so bad," Qin Yuling said, grabbing Qin Mu's arm.
"It's alright, this is a medicinal soup that my brother made. It's good for your health, and you'll be fine in a little while," Qin Mu comforted him softly.
"Really?" Qin Yuling asked hurriedly.
"Of course it's true. Would your brother lie to you?" Qin Mu said with a smile.
"Yes, my brother wouldn't lie to me."
Seeing that the other maids and craftsmen were somewhat uncomfortable, Qin Mu waved his hand and said, "Go back and rest, you'll feel better after a nap."
"Second sister, you and little sister go to your eldest brother's room to rest for a while. You'll be fine after a nap," Qin Mu said.
"Mmm." Feeling a little lightheaded, Qin Yuxin nodded in agreement.
After escorting his two younger sisters to their rooms, Qin Mu went downstairs. While the others didn't understand the immense benefits this brought, Qin Yong and the others did.
"Thank you for your generous gift, young master!" Qin Mu and Qin Yong greeted him with clasped hands as soon as he came downstairs.
"Get up quickly, we're all family, no need for formalities." Qin Mu reached out to help them up.
"Big brother! Hehe!" Qin Huaiyu walked over with a smug grin.
"Come on." Knowing they could handle it, Qin Mu added another bowl for each of them, and scooped out a new bowl for himself, slowly savoring it and feeling the changes in his body.
What comes out all at once is poison, while tonics often take time to work. The medicinal effects are constantly taking effect in the body, and most of the medicine is stored up, waiting for the body to absorb it.
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