In the Jiang Mansion, within the alchemical chamber, white mist swirled and permeated the air. Xu Mu, with a solemn expression, meticulously controlled the heat. After a considerable time, he finally halted his actions.
"It's done," Xu Mu announced, rising from his seat. His complexion was somewhat pale. Jiang Sheng, who had been waiting outside, immediately pushed the door open with excitement.
Upon catching the scent of the medicinal aroma wafting from the room, his expression turned to one of pleasant surprise.
"It worked?"
"It worked. This medicine doesn't need decocting; you can just pour it out." Xu Mu stood at the doorway, stretching as he faced the setting sun.
This batch of refinement was arguably the most challenging he had encountered since learning alchemy. The Lei Gong Teng Vine, Seven Leaf Pure Lotus, and spiritual herbs like the Hundred-Year Blood Ginseng and Volcanic Scarlet Fruit had incredibly conflicting properties. Even with his mastery of the Innate Bagua technique, which allowed him to control every corner of the alchemical furnace with utmost precision, he had barely managed to contain the turbulent elements.
Had he failed to control them, there would have been only one consequence: a cauldron explosion.
"You've worked hard," Qian Qian said, standing outside the door. He watched Jiang Sheng, who was excitedly but carefully pouring the medicine, and felt a strange sense of emotion.
His simple-minded, strong-bodied, and rough brother was finally showing a gentler side.
"Brother Mu Xu, let's go quickly. It's all poured!" Jiang Sheng, brimming with enthusiasm, transferred the medicinal gruel into pre-prepared jars, reinforced them layer by layer with his ability to ensure its integrity, and then carried them out.
Xu Mu nodded. The three of them then proceeded to the residence of Jiang Sheng's mother, Zhu Yuerong.
However, just as the trio was about to ascend the steps to enter and administer the medicine, the door to Zhu Yuerong's room was suddenly kicked open.
Bang!
The wooden door was violently flung open with a single kick, the lock breaking in two. Immediately following, numerous bowls, chopsticks, and medicinal gruel were hurled out from within the room, scattering on the ground and shattering into sharp fragments.
Xu Mu stood frozen, gazing at the spilled medicinal gruel on the floor. He recognized it instantly as the life-saving medicine he had refined for Zhu Yuerong, and now, it had been discarded.
"Who threw this!" Jiang Sheng, his body splattered with residual gruel and his calf bleeding from a cut by a broken bowl shard, stood dumbfounded for a moment before roaring in anger.
But his shout was drowned out by an even more furious voice.
"Who dared to prescribe you medicine and replace my prescription! How utterly outrageous!"
"Master Gongsun, please calm down. There are reasons for this. Please allow me to explain!"
"I don't want to hear your explanations, Jiang Li! Listen carefully, you begged me to come in the first place. Since you no longer wish your wife to live, I will no longer concern myself with this matter. I bid you farewell!"
"No, Master Gongsun!"
Amidst the escalating argument between the two voices and the muffled sobs of a woman from Zhu Yuerong's room, a gaunt, enraged old man emerged. Following him was a man with a pleading expression – it was clearly Jiang Sheng's father, Jiang Li.
"Master Gongsun, please listen to me. There are reasons for changing the prescription. This young divine doctor, despite his age, has indeed prescribed effective medicine. You saw Yue Rong's condition earlier; she has indeed improved…" Jiang Li grabbed the old man's sleeve, ceaselessly trying to explain and detain him.
"What utter nonsense! I've never heard of any alchemist using Ice Crystal Grapes as an ingredient, let alone mixing them with Fire Cave Wild Bees! The clash of ice and fire – do you expect your wife to improve by drinking this? That's just a fleeting resurgence before death; it's a miracle she's not dead!" the old man fumed, shaking off Jiang Li and striding down the steps.
He glanced casually at Jiang Sheng and Qian Qian, deliberately ignoring Xu Mu. But just as he was about to depart, the aroma wafting from the medicine jar in Jiang Sheng's hands drew him back.
"The scent of Lei Gong Teng Vine… and even Seven Leaf Pure Lotus?" Master Gongsun sniffed subtly, then stepped back two paces with suspicion. Upon confirming the aroma originated from the jar, he erupted in fury.
"You scoundrel! Did you replace my medicine?!"
"No, no, that's my son, Jiang Sheng," Jiang Li, rising from the ground, hurriedly shielded Jiang Sheng and explained with a panicked expression.
"Your son?" The old man squinted, then pointed at the jar and demanded, "Where did this medicine come from?"
"Ordinary herbs are one thing, but this quack has actually mixed Seven Leaf Pure Lotus with Lei Gong Teng Vine. One is Yin deficient and purely gentle, full of vitality; the other is Yang potent and fiercely hot, consuming it would tear one's intestines to shreds. If Zhu Yuerong consumed this, she would instantly explode and die due to the conflict of medicinal properties!"
"What!" Jiang Sheng's face contorted in shock, his hand holding the medicine trembling. He stood stunned for two seconds before abruptly turning to Xu Mu, "Brother Mu Xu, is what Master Gongsun says true?"
"Under normal circumstances, yes," Xu Mu replied calmly, pointing to the medicine in Jiang Sheng's hand. "But I added Sun Mushroom and Solanum nigrum. Sun Mushroom is purely Yang yet extremely gentle, while Solanum nigrum can absorb medicinal toxins. Mixing them together neutralizes the properties of Lei Gong Teng Vine and Seven Leaf Pure Lotus, so there will be no harm in consuming it."
Jiang Sheng nodded blankly upon hearing this, then turned his head back towards Master Gongsun.
"Boy, you concocted this medicine?" Master Gongsun of Medicine King Valley frowned for a moment upon hearing Xu Mu's words, then his eyebrows rose in surprise, and he asked Xu Mu with suspicion.
"Mm," Xu Mu nodded.
"Then you are also the quack who replaced my prescription with your own, aren't you?" Master Gongsun narrowed his eyes and asked coldly.
"It was me, but I am not a quack," Xu Mu replied calmly, nodding.
Master Gongsun stared at Xu Mu, his gaze as sharp as a hawk's. The pressure radiating from him, that of a Domain Lord, seemed to make the air congeal, leaving everyone struggling to breathe.
Xu Mu's brow furrowed. Facing a Domain Lord, his situation was naturally no better, but even so, he did not retreat a single step, standing still.
After a long pause, Jiang Li broke the silence. With a face full of apology, he stepped between Xu Mu and Master Gongsun.
"Ah, Master Gongsun, let's talk things through calmly. Please don't be angry. This is all my fault for being desperate to save my wife. Please don't be angry with him." After Jiang Li finished speaking, Master Gongsun snorted and was about to say something when he saw Jiang Li turn his head and speak again, "Divine Doctor Mu Xu, please don't be angry either. This is indeed all my fault. You have a close relationship with the Nangong family, and Master Gongsun is from Medicine King Valley."
"And Medicine King Valley and the Nangong family are very close. In the end, you are all one family. Can't we discuss things calmly and sit down to talk?"
"As Mr. Jiang says," Xu Mu replied, cupping his fists in a salute.
Upon hearing that Xu Mu was related to the Nangong family, Master Gongsun's words abruptly stopped in his throat.
"Move aside," Master Gongsun pushed Jiang Li aside and walked up to Xu Mu, asking coldly, "Boy, what is your relationship with the Nangong family?"
"I suppose it's a very close relationship," Xu Mu replied after a moment's thought.
"Oh, is that so?" Master Gongsun sneered, then pointed at the medicinal gruel residue on the ground. "Very close, perhaps an adopted disciple of some elder? Did he teach you to concoct this medicine?"
"No, I developed it myself," Xu Mu replied calmly.
"Developed it yourself, hahahaha…" Master Gongsun was so angered by Xu Mu's words that he laughed, leaving Jiang Li and the others bewildered and exchanging glances.
"Is he angry or happy?" Jiang Sheng whispered to Qian Qian, and before the latter could answer, they heard a sharp roar:
"The path of alchemy is as difficult as ascending to heaven. Even at my level, I wouldn't dare to create new prescriptions; I only dare to borrow from others and make minor improvements. How dare you!"
"Of course, I dare, because Madam Zhu was in urgent need of saving," Xu Mu replied calmly, his expression unchanged.
"Don't you understand what I mean!" Master Gongsun extended a finger, pointing at Xu Mu and shouting, "I don't care who your master is. Please convey my message to him when you return: Gongsun Jingming of Medicine King Valley advises him to immediately retire to the mountains and live in seclusion!"
"Look at the kind of disciple he has taken! His ambition is sky-high, but his understanding of medicine is thinner than paper. He dares to mix ingredients with conflicting properties, naively thinking that adding a few things and casually neutralizing them will make it safe to consume. It's the height of absurdity!"
"Who said it was casually neutralized? I put in a lot of effort," Xu Mu said, lifting his clothes and pointing to his side, speaking with utmost seriousness. "Don't you see I'm sweating?"
"Even if you sweat enough to form a vast river, you cannot neutralize the properties of ice and fire, nor the Lei Gong Teng Vine and Seven Leaf Pure Lotus!" Master Gongsun continued to yell.
"But I can," Xu Mu said, pointing to the medicinal gruel on the ground, his gaze calm. "This medicine used a total of twenty-seven ingredients. Although they are all ordinary herbs, the medicinal power within is perfectly suited to Madam Zhu's condition."
At this point, Master Gongsun impatiently wanted to interrupt, but Xu Mu didn't give him the chance, calmly continuing:
"First, I used my unique silver needle therapy to expel all the medicinal toxins from Madam Zhu's body. Afterward, her body was in a state of extreme nutrient deficiency, weak, and depleted of blood. Therefore, the ginseng and Datura seeds in my prescription were to nourish her body, and so were the other ingredients."
"As for the conflict between the Ice Crystal Grapes and Fire Cave Wild Bees you mentioned, I used a special decocting method. First, I removed seventy-four percent of the icy properties of the Ice Crystal Grapes. Then, I used pure water and gentle heat along with my abilities to neutralize it, roasting the grape skin and flesh to a semi-cooked stage before crushing them. This neutralizes the medicinal properties of the Fire Cave Wild Bees and guarantees no toxicity."
As Xu Mu spoke, he casually picked up a wooden stick, scooped up a piece of medicinal gruel the size of a fingernail, and smiling, offered it to Master Gongsun.
"If you don't believe me, please taste it."
Upon hearing this, Gongsun Jingming still scoffed at Xu Mu's methods. However, when the medicinal gruel was presented before him, and the young man smiled, for some reason, he felt an inexplicable unease in his heart.
"Could he actually be right?"
This thought suddenly arose in Gongsun Jingming's mind, but he immediately dismissed it.
"After thinking carefully, your method does have some merit. If it were a five-stage alchemical master, they might indeed be able to resolve the conflict between Ice Crystal Grapes and Fire Cave Wild Bees. But you cannot." Master Gongsun was no longer angry. He calmly took the branch Xu Mu offered and casually tossed it aside. When he looked back at Xu Mu, his calm gaze now held a hint of admiration.
How many years had it been? He couldn't remember how long it had been since he had encountered such a creative junior alchemist. Even those of his own generation only enjoyed the residual benefits of predecessors' prescriptions.
"The art of alchemy has been explored since humankind awakened their intelligence. Back then, they only knew how to treat wounds with the simplest wild grasses and leaves. After millennia of development, whether achievable or not, all prescriptions have been pushed to their extreme."
Gongsun Jingming sighed with a smile, his hands clasped behind his back, and continued, "Therefore, even after humans awakened their abilities, they could still borrow from ancient prescriptions to realize previously impossible ones. Because of this, the path of medicine has long been in a severe bottleneck. Few in the current world of abilities can innovate on the basis of existing prescriptions, and those few are all renowned alchemical masters."
"As for those who can borrow existing herbs and spiritual medicines to create new prescriptions and heal people, they are masters among masters. Even the Valley Master of our Medicine King Valley, despite dedicating his life to alchemy and saving people, has only developed three prescriptions, and one of them still needs refinement."
"And you, boy, although somewhat arrogant, the prescriptions you have created are indeed noteworthy. With further refinement, you might truly create new formulas. Then you will surely shock the entire alchemical world, and your future will be immeasurable."
As Master Gongsun spoke, the admiration on his face was undeniable. He patted Xu Mu on the shoulder and said with a chuckle, "Therefore, I wish to take you as my disciple. This way, you can enjoy the resources of our Medicine King Valley, research diligently, and create prescriptions. What do you say?"