These medicinal herbs are not all for making medicinal wine; most of them are actually for personal use.
The drinking was in full swing outside the courtyard, so Qin Mu simply had the wine brought inside to be mixed. He didn't want the drunkards to see it outside, otherwise who knows how much more would be wasted.
He stopped after mixing more than thirty jars and using half of the distilled liquid from yesterday.
"Bring me wine! Bring me wine!" Qin Qiong's voice echoed into the room.
Qin Mu walked to the door, glanced inside, and called to Dongmei, "Go! Fill a jar with well water for them to drink."
"Well water?" Dongmei was startled and exclaimed, her eyes wide.
“That’s right!” Qin Mu nodded in confirmation.
"Isn't this a bit inappropriate?" Dongmei asked hesitantly.
"It's alright, they can't tell whether it's wine or water in their current state." Qin Mu waved his hand, signaling Dongmei to take care of it.
Dongmei had no choice but to do it, carefully filling Qin Qiong and the others' cups.
Qin Qiong and his companions, as expected, did not taste anything and continued to drink happily, occasionally shouting loudly and boasting about their drinking capacity.
"Qin Yong, escort the guests to their rooms to rest." Seeing that Cheng Zhijie had already urinated against the tree, Qin Mu knew they were all drunk, so he shook his head and gave the order.
Qin Yong hurriedly found some servants to help him, and they dragged and carried the people away.
"Brother Qin, I'm leaving." Li Dejiang, carrying two jars of wine, also got up and left.
"Okay. Take care, I won't see you off." Qin Mu nodded.
"Okay, I know the way."
After Li Dejiang left, Qin Mu had several jars of strong liquor brought over, but this time he wasn't going to use them for mixing. He opened a large box, which contained no herbs, only bones.
This tiger bone was specially requested by Qin Mu. In another world, tiger bone is known for its ability to relax muscles and improve blood circulation, as well as its ability to dispel rheumatism. Moreover, tiger bone has the highest bone density among all wild beasts. Using it to make medicinal wine will surely have wonderful effects.
Of course, this was just Qin Mu's experiment; the main ingredients were three herbs: black nightshade, snow fungus, and cloud-patterned flower.
The materials for refining elixirs and body tempering are not all available, but the medicinal herbs for making this medicinal wine are. This recipe is a Taoist formula recorded in a sacred text.
The Taoist methods of body tempering are primarily for health preservation, unlike martial arts practitioners who focus solely on physical cultivation. The intensity of this training is not high, so the effects are naturally less pronounced. Furthermore, since one cannot cultivate qi and blood, the power of the blood must be trained separately from the physical body.
This prescription primarily targets Qi and blood, nourishing and replenishing them. For non-martial artists, Qi and blood are not unimportant; they are equally important. Confucianism focuses on cultivating righteous Qi and spiritual power; Taoism focuses on cultivating spiritual energy and Qi and blood.
Their use of qi and blood differs from that of martial artists. Martial artists use qi and blood, along with their malevolent energy, not only to break through various spiritual defenses of their enemies, but also to increase their own strength and speed.
In Taoism, Qi and blood refer to essence, energy, and spirit. One cultivates spiritual energy first, then the spirit and soul. This doesn't mean Taoism disregards the physical body; it simply means that if Qi and blood are perfectly integrated with the physical body, then the spirit and soul cannot leave the body. The ultimate goal of Taoism is the ascension of the spirit and soul to immortality. Guiguzi explains that Taoism follows the natural way and learns from Heaven and Earth. Therefore, it considers humans as part of Heaven and Earth, with the spirit and soul as Heaven and the physical body as Earth.
After soaking two whole vats, they finally took the liquor into the cellar, which also used up all the liquor distilled in the past two days.
"Qin Yong, thank you for your hard work these past two days," Qin Mu said to Qin Yong and his companion as they returned after dropping off the person.
"Young Master, what are you saying? It's our honor to be able to help you," Qin Yong quickly said, cupping his hands in greeting.
"Take this money and take a few servants to buy wine and continue distilling. You don't need to keep the fire burning all the time; just take turns watching and directing," Qin Mu said, taking out another handful of gold beans.
"Yes, young master," Qin Yong said, taking the gold bean.
"Oh right, do you remember the prescription from last time? Buy two more copies," Qin Mu added.
"It's still there."
"Okay, go ahead."
After Qin Yong left, Qin Mu was about to go upstairs to see his younger siblings when Dongmei arrived with Yan Lide.
"Haha, junior brother, I'm here." Before Qin Mu could speak, Yan Lide said with a smile.
"Greetings, Senior Brother."
“From now on, you can call me Senior Brother. I’ve already chosen a date, the fifth day of next month, which is an auspicious day. You will then have your apprenticeship ceremony,” Yan Lide said.
"Yes, sir."
"These are some books on construction, mainly recording the methods and drawings of various buildings. Take a look, and write down anything you don't understand so you can ask me later."
"Once you've mastered the basics, you can learn how to integrate formations into architecture." Yan Lide had his guards bring in a large box, opened it, and said this.
The box was full of scrolls. Yan Lide gently patted the box and sighed, "These are all collected by our Yan family over the generations. Some of them were drawn by ourselves based on buildings."
"Thank you, senior brother. I will take a good look," Qin Mu said solemnly.
“Junior brother, when you have some free time, you can make a copy. You can send these scrolls back to me later,” Yan Lide said with a slight apology.
"No problem, I guarantee it won't be damaged." Qin Mu nodded understandingly. Many of these scrolls were probably unique copies, and the Yan family didn't have many more. Yan Lide naturally wanted to take them back, after all, they were family heirlooms. They represented knowledge, unlike physical objects, which could be repurposed after being given away. If these scrolls were lost, he wouldn't be able to remember them completely.
"The main problem is that we didn't prepare any supplementary copies at home, otherwise it wouldn't have been a problem to give them to my junior brother," Yan Lide explained, worried that Qin Mu might overthink things.
"I understand," Qin Mu said with a smile, indicating that he understood.
Actually, if it weren't for the fact that it's a family tradition, the Yan brothers wouldn't really want it; their interests don't lie in this area. That's why their decision to take on a disciple on behalf of their father seemed somewhat casual.
Most people who know them only know that the brothers are good at calligraphy and painting, completely ignoring the fact that construction is the Yan family's greatest skill. This has resulted in the entire family, young and old, disliking this skill. Of course! Yan Lide couldn't say these things to Qin Mu.
"The foundation of building a path actually lies in calculation and accumulation. Observe more and calculate more. Even if you can't become a master craftsman, it's still fine to be an ordinary master craftsman," Yan Lide encouraged.
"I will try my best not to disappoint you, Senior Brother," Qin Mu said with a smile.
“I believe that too. Alright, junior brother, take your time looking around. I have some things to do at the Craftsmanship Bureau, so I’ll be going now,” Yan Lide said with a smile.
"I've brewed a new wine, and it tastes quite good. Senior Brother, take two jars back and try them," Qin Mu said. As he spoke, he told Dongmei to fetch the wine.
"No wonder there's a smell of wine in the courtyard. Then I'll accept it without hesitation." Yan Lide nodded and said without refusing.
When Dongmei brought over the wine jar, Qin Mu said, "This is new wine. If you're not in a hurry to drink it, you can let it sit for a few days; it will taste even better then."
"Alright, I've got it." Yan Lide gestured for the guard to accept it and replied with a smile.
"Farewell!"
"I'll give this to you, little brother."
Yan Lide was, after all, the eldest brother and much older, so Qin Mu didn't treat him as casually as he did the others, and personally saw Yan Lide out of the house.
After seeing Yan Lide off, Qin Mu shook his head and chuckled to himself. Back in Chang'an, he had expected a leisurely period of study, but unexpectedly, he was busier than ever with so many things to do. Fortunately, nothing too troublesome happened, and it was quite interesting overall.
"Go back and give them more practice problems!" Thinking of the homework Qin Huaiyu handed in today, which only included three problems, Qin Mu couldn't help but raise an eyebrow and mutter to himself.
"Mathematics, you can't learn without practice." That was Qin Mu's thought. As for his younger brother refusing to do it, Qin Mu figured he could give him a beating, but Aunt Zheng probably wouldn't be angry.
Thinking to himself, Qin Mu was in a great mood, humming "Today is a good day" as he returned to his courtyard.
After leaving the Qin family, Yan Lide went to the Crafts Bureau to finish his official business before returning home.
"Master Yan, please wait!" Yan Lide, who was about to enter his house, stopped and turned around when he heard someone calling him.
"So it's Chu Shilang, Yan Lide greets you." The visitor was indeed Chu Suiliang.
"I apologize for disturbing you, Master Yan."
"Hehe, Mr. Chu, you flatter me. It is my honor to have you come to the Yan family. Please come inside!" After exchanging a few pleasantries, Yan Lide invited him in. Despite his higher official rank, Yan Lide was very humble and unpretentious in front of Chu Suiliang.
There was no other way. The head craftsman of the Imperial Workshop held a high position, but he rarely appeared in court. Therefore, he was somewhat wary of these ministers who attended court every day, and tried his best not to offend them.
Although the Yan family was not afraid of others, they still had to consider their descendants, since there were still many benefits to being an official.
"Master Yan, please!"
"I wonder what brings you to my humble abode, Mr. Chu?" After entering the Yan family residence and taking their seats, Yan Lide asked curiously.
"To be honest, I have come here to ask Master Yan for guidance on calligraphy," Chu Suiliang said.
"Ah! Chu Shilang, you must be mistaken. To be honest, I think I'm alright with this painting, but how could I dare to offer you any pointers on calligraphy?" Yan Lide said in surprise. They were all acquaintances, and he naturally knew that Chu Suiliang was no worse than him in calligraphy.
“Recently, I’ve felt that what I’ve been writing is always lacking something. Master Yan is also an expert in this field, so I came here specifically to seek his advice,” Chu Suiliang explained.
"Congratulations, Master Chu! I dare not call myself a master; let's learn from each other." Yan Lide was slightly taken aback, then cupped his hands and smiled, understanding Chu Suiliang's meaning. Chu Suiliang had reached a crucial point in his calligraphy; crossing that threshold would open up another realm. The best approach at this point, of course, was to seek guidance from a master, or to exchange ideas with someone of similar skill.
"Master Yan, you're congratulating me too soon. I was just having a fleeting thought," Chu Suiliang said, shaking his head.
"Let's not talk about that. Someone just gave us two jars of wine today, let's have a drink first," Yan Lide said with a smile.
"Excellent!" Chu Suiliang replied with a smile. While martial artists may love wine, scholars actually love it even more, and they drink it in even more creative ways.
"Go prepare wine and dishes for me! And bring a stove," Yan Lide ordered.
"Isn't it a bit inappropriate to drink hot wine in this weather?" Chu Suiliang reminded him.
"It's alright, this wine is newly brewed, it'll be even better if you warm it up a bit," Yan Lide explained.
“Oh! That’s right,” Chu Suiliang agreed.
Soon a stove was placed between the two people's table. A maid added charcoal, then placed a copper pot on it, carefully picked up a wine jar, opened it, and poured wine into the pot.
"It smells so good!"
"What a fragrant wine!" The two exclaimed simultaneously as the maid poured the wine and its aroma filled the air.
"The aroma of this wine is absolutely wonderful; just smelling it makes one eager to drink it," Chu Suiliang exclaimed.
"Yes, yes!" Yan Lide nodded in agreement.
"Master Yan, you said this was a gift from someone? I wonder which brewery it came from?" Chu Suiliang asked curiously.
"This is homemade by my junior brother's family," Yan Lide replied somewhat absentmindedly. He didn't know it was brewed by Qin Mu and assumed it was made by the Qin family, which is why he said it was homemade by Qin Mu's family.
"Junior brother? Master Yan, who is your junior brother? I've never heard of him." Chu Suiliang thought for a moment and asked blankly.
"Oh! He's my newly accepted junior brother. He hasn't officially become my disciple yet, so not many people know about him." Yan Lide was startled and withdrew his gaze from the copper kettle, explaining with a smile.
Chu Suiliang was even more confused by what he said. He had heard of taking on apprentices, but never of taking on junior brothers. You know, the Yan family had never been known to have another teacher; they all passed down their skills in the family.
"A newly accepted junior brother? You mean a junior apprentice?" Chu Suiliang asked Yan Lide with a puzzled look, thinking that Yan Lide had made a mistake.
"Hehe, that's right, it's Junior Brother. I'm taking on this disciple on behalf of my father," Yan Lide explained with a smile.
"I wonder which outstanding young man has earned Master Yan's favor?" Chu Suiliang asked curiously.
"Qin Mu Qin Huaidao, the eldest son of the Duke of Yi, will become a disciple on the fifth day of next month. We would like to ask Chu Shilang to come and witness this." Yan Lide did not hide anything and said with a smile.
"Certainly, certainly!" Chu Suiliang was startled, but his expression remained unchanged as he smiled and agreed. With this connection established between Qin Qiong and the Yan family, both families' influence would increase. Although they weren't enemies, as a court official in Chang'an, he had to pay attention to these details; they might come in handy someday.
"Wait!" Having kept the matter in mind, Chu Suiliang suddenly reached out and called out.
Chu Suiliang suddenly called out loudly, startling Yan Lide and the maid. Watching him carefully accept the wine jar from the maid's hands, as if it were a priceless treasure, they were stunned.
"What is this?" Yan Lide asked curiously.
Chu Suiliang did not answer Yan Lide. Holding the wine jar, his lips moved as he muttered to himself, "This character...this character..."
Hearing him speak, Yan Lide couldn't help but get up and walk over to him out of curiosity, following his gaze. Immediately, Yan Lide's eyes lit up.
It turned out that Qin Mu had rewritten the names on the wine jars in order to store the wine in the cellar. Qin Mu usually used regular script when writing such short texts, but since the wine jars were cylindrical, he chose the slender gold script, which looked more harmonious.
When Qin Mu writes, he habitually uses the characters from the calligraphy model. Although he has tried his best to change this habit, he still subconsciously uses them.
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