Chapter 251: Chapter 180: A Bountiful Harvest
Chen Ku had no idea that he had unwittingly stolen the limelight from three outstanding figures of the Jianghu several times over.
「Inside the Medicine King Hall.」
Many ofkc the workers and apprentices had their heads wrapped in bandages and casts on their limbs. Those who were uninjured were setting up a mourning hall. Not far away, peasants and carpenters, commissioned after dawn, were busy repairing walls and houses.
Chen Ku, along with all the other survivors, paid his respects before the large mourning hall set up in the main courtyard.
Inside were the coffins of those who had sacrificed their lives for the Medicine King Hall the night before. In the foremost coffin lay Elder Nong Baosen of the Hundred Herbs Courtyard.
Huo Xiaoxia was in the mourning hall, crying inconsolably before the elder’s coffin.
Chen Ku still vividly remembered the day the old man had brought him into the Medicine King Hall. That day had been a pivotal moment in his destiny, the day he first donned a scholar’s robe.
And the old man had once wanted to take him as his apprentice.
What a pity. He had never had the chance to learn the elder’s alchemy and Fist Technique before the old man passed away in his sleep, killed by a volley from the Divine Force Crossbows of the Firewood Iron Shop.
After the elder, the second most honored among the deceased was Lan Fuxi, the Senior Brother who had once advised Chen Ku.
People who had been alive and well just yesterday were now corpses in coffins.
The Jianghu was perilous, life and death often decided in an instant. The difference between the living and the dead could sometimes be a single moment of carelessness during sleep, with no way to react.
As Chen Ku mourned, he couldn’t help but feel anew the dangers of the Jianghu and the harsh reality of struggling for survival in this world.
I must, I absolutely must survive, live well, and live long.
Looking at the dead, Chen Ku clenched his fists.
「Later, at noon」
It was Cao Shouxiong’s turn to console everyone. Kou Ming also displayed his diplomatic charm, commending the Medicine King Hall workers and apprentices who had survived the previous night’s battle. Those who had performed meritoriously were made official apprentices on the spot and taught breathing techniques and Combat Skills.
Furthermore, everyone received fifty taels of silver as a reward, while the families of the deceased received two hundred taels of silver as compensation.
Such generous rewards and compensation did much to dispel the sorrowful atmosphere.
Chen Ku couldn’t help but admire the Shopkeeper and his Senior Brother’s skill in managing people. Just then, Cao Shouxiong approached him, stood before him, and said with a smile, "Chen Ku, my nephew, everyone saw clearly that you were the greatest hero last night. You killed Xie Qi, joined forces with Instructor Chai to eliminate our biggest threat—the twenty Divine Force Crossbows—and finally, even helped Elder Yang kill Xie Qingfeng. For such merit... the two Shopkeepers and I discussed it overnight and have prepared a reward most fitting for you."
"My reward?" Chen Ku felt a slight stirring in his heart.
Though curious, he remained silent and didn’t press further. He saw Cao Shouxiong take a deep breath and look behind him. At that moment, Qin Sifan and Zhang Yuanying approached together.
Qin Sifan was holding a brocaded box, while Zhang Yuanying held a piece of silk.
"Chen Ku," Qin Sifan began, "after last night’s battle, and following a unanimous discussion among us three Shopkeepers, we believe that for your contributions last night, nothing is more suitable as a reward than these items."
Having said that, Qin Sifan handed the brocaded box to Chen Ku and said, "Why don’t you try to guess what’s inside this box?"
Looking at the box, his heart stirred; he seemed to have guessed something. Especially when he noticed its design, he took a deep breath and said, "Is this a Pill Box?"
The Medicine King Hall used exquisite packaging when selling Pills, and the patterns on the boxes indicated the grade of the Pill.
For example, a Third Realm Elixir had three patterns, a Fifth Realm Elixir five patterns...
And this box had six patterns!
This meant the box should contain a Sixth Realm Elixir. The Medicine King Hall only had one Sixth Realm Elixir and its Pill Prescription, which was...
"The Five Elements Great Rejuvenation Pill?" Chen Ku couldn’t help but exclaim softly.
When he first started learning alchemy, Master Shang Yunfang had told him that the most precious Pill in the Medicine King Hall was called the "Five Elements Great Rejuvenation Pill."
Chen Ku remembered clearly Master Shang Yunfang’s description: a single Pill possessed the divine ability to heal all internal and external injuries.
Most importantly, consuming one Pill could increase a person’s Qi Power by thirty years out of thin air.
This Pill was from the only Sixth Grade Pill Prescription the Medicine King Hall possessed.
Moreover, since Ancestor Sun Xingyun, who founded the Medicine King Hall, passed away over 150 years ago, no one had been able to refine a second batch. Originally, nine Pills had been formed. Now, after more than a hundred years, it was estimated that only two, or perhaps even just one, remained in the entire Medicine King Hall.
"Correct, it is the ’Five Elements Great Rejuvenation Pill’," Qin Sifan said with a gentle smile.
"This Pill was created by Ancestor ’Sun Xingyun’ 150 years ago. In the 150 years since, eight of them have been consumed, either used by successive Shopkeepers or treasured and gifted away. Now, only this one remains in the world, and it’s yours."
He handed the brocaded box to Chen Ku.
Chen Ku was moved and immediately asked, "But I heard that only the Store Manager can consume this Pill, right?"
Could it be? After last night’s battle, was he going to be exceptionally promoted to Store Manager? Although he had already been designated as one of the three Young Shopkeepers, wasn’t the role of Store Manager, who oversees all of Medicine King Hall, still a bit premature for him?
"Chen Ku, you’re jesting," Qin Sifan said. "I, Qin Sifan, may hold the position of Store Manager of Medicine King Hall, but my efforts have focused more on managing the shop than on Martial Arts. Truthfully, my aptitude for martial cultivation is merely above average. Coupled with the fact that the shop’s operations demand so much of my energy, my cultivation has only reached the Third Realm Peak."