Chapter 422: Inside Affairs of the Medicine King: The Pot Guardian Elders

Xingren Tang! Qi Fengzi flipped through a book with one hand and held a silver spoon in the other, carefully adding ground medicinal powder to the medicine scale.

She held her breath, fearing that any discrepancy in the weight would cause the finished medicine to fall short of success.

Suddenly, she heard Hua Youxing calling out, "Put down what you're doing and come help."

Qi Fengzi took a deep breath, set down the book and silver spoon, clapped her hands, took a handful of crystal beads from the cloth pouch at her waist to rub them, and washed away all the grime.

She walked out of the back hall and followed the sound to a hidden room on the side; this was the place where they privately examined and performed surgery on patients.

There were two people in the hidden room: one was Hua Youxing, who had called her, and the other was... Zhou You.

"Young Master!"

Qi Fengzi was shocked to see Zhou You, because Zhou You looked in a very sorry state.

His upper body was bare, and his arms, waist, and neck were swollen with bruises, with traces of contusions and sprains everywhere.

Having studied at Xingren Tang for so long, Qi Fengzi had at least some discernment, so she immediately asked, "Who beat you up like this?"

"The person capable of beating me like this hasn't been born yet!"

Zhou You said, putting on a brave front; in reality, this was self-inflicted, not caused by others.

The Boneless Heart Method had been raised to Level 18 in one go, bringing about an immediate change: his skeletal structure had been elevated to the level of an Intermediate Martial Master, which was the point of being both rigid and flexible.

Zhou You hadn't noticed anything wrong at first and was quite fascinated by the changes in his bones and joints, even attempting high-difficulty movements like rotating his limbs in reverse.

The Boneless Heart Method lived up to its name; once practiced to a high level, the whole body became as soft as if it had no bones, capable of infinite transformations.

However, he had overlooked one thing: he was not a White Bone Spirit; he still had flesh on his body.

A living human is an aggregate of bones, flesh, blood, and other tissues; when one part moves, everything moves, and everything turns.

Although his bones had been upgraded to the level of an Intermediate Martial Master, his skin, flesh, and tendons had not kept pace.

The direct and serious consequence of this was...

The next day, when Zhou You woke up, he found himself feeling as if he had been beaten up; his skin and flesh were sprained, his tendons were red and swollen—he had actually injured himself!

Once he moved, his whole body felt like it was being pricked by needles, and when he tried to drive his Qi and blood, it was even worse; his entire body felt like it was falling apart.

Things having reached this point, how could he not understand that something had gone wrong with his cultivation? He hurried to Xingren Tang to seek medical help! "."

Hua Youxing had already examined Zhou You's physical condition and stated her assessment, "You're lucky; your bones are uninjured, and your internal organs are fine. The injuries are limited to the skin and flesh."

"In other words, although it looks serious, it is still just a superficial injury."

A superficial injury—wasn't it just a superficial injury?

Zhou You smiled bitterly, "This matter is very embarrassing, so please, you must keep it a secret for me."

"Fine, I won't ask. Lie down properly. Feng Zi, come over and help me massage him to disperse the bruising."

Qi Fengzi was startled and pointed to her own nose, "Me!"

A moment later...

Hua Youxing and Qi Fengzi's four slender arms rested on Zhou You's chest and back. Their smooth, soft palms were coated with ointment, using unique techniques to twist or press, melting and absorbing the ointment as their skin rubbed against his.

Zhou You didn't make a sound; setting aside the treatment, the scene was somewhat awkward.

He was currently half-naked, being handled from top to bottom by two beautiful women; if this were to get out, tsk tsk!

Whether it was the effectiveness of the technique or the magic of the ointment, after a moment, the results were immediately apparent.

The swelling in Zhou You's sprained joints gradually subsided, the bruising faded, and heat wrapped in medicinal power dispersed through his body.

After the pain came a sense of comfort like soaking in a hot spring in winter, making him unable to help but let out a groan or two. "Ah, sorry."

Zhou You opened his eyes and saw that Hua Youxing and Qi Fengzi were both drenched in sweat from head to toe, and he felt very apologetic. He immediately called a halt, "I'm already mostly better."

He turned and picked up two cups of tea from the side, "Many thanks to the two lady doctors, drink some tea, drink some tea!"

Hua Youxing took a sip of tea and set it aside, as if she wasn't very thirsty, while Qi Fengzi held her teacup and sipped it slowly.

"Great kindness, no need for thanks."

Zhou You put on his outer garment, cupped his hands in thanks, and asked about Qi Fengzi's progress in her studies.

"Feng Zi's aptitude is good. I have already applied for her to take the certification examination for Herbalist in two years' time."

Hua Youxing said with a smile, "I have several types of famous medicines here that strengthen the tendons and bones, and build up the skin and flesh; the price is not expensive..."

"Many thanks, that won't be necessary."

Zhou You's injury wasn't caused by being beaten, but by the backlash of rashly using power that exceeded his own realm.

The medicines Hua Youxing recommended were aimed at strengthening the physical body, but they would be of no use to the current Zhou You.

The most urgent task was to break through the realm of Intermediate Martial Master.

"Well, I have other matters to attend to. Feng Zi, you two chat for a while."

Hua Youxing smiled and stopped pushing the medicine, then took her leave.

Only Zhou You and Qi Fengzi remained in the hidden room.

Qi Fengzi blinked her eyes and spoke directly, "There are no surveillance mechanisms here; it is very safe, so you can speak freely."

The little girl hadn't spent her time at Xingren Tang in vain; she was familiar with the terrain to this extent? Next, Qi Fengzi told Zhou You the intelligence she had gathered.

"The internal structure of the Medicine King Sect that I have scouted is as follows..."

The Medicine King Sect is headed by seven Pot Guardians who serve as the highest elders. Their duty is to guard a medicine pot passed down from the sect's founder; the flame burning inside the pot has continued for a thousand years without ever going out.

The strength of the Pot Guardian Elders varies, and their reasons for holding this position are all different.

Among them, three have reached the level of Mighty Martial, belonging to the Medicine King Sect's core combat force, serving as a deterrent to all directions.

The remaining four, although slightly weaker in strength, are all Spirit Medicine pharmacists who possess the means to refine Mighty Martial-level Spirit Medicine. They have extensive social connections, and even have contacts in Dijing.

These seven Pot Guardian Elders constitute the pinnacle of power in the Medicine King Sect.

Among them, the three Mighty Martial elders have the greatest strength and the longest lifespans, serving as the pillars of the Medicine King Sect.

Although the pharmacist elders are skilled in refining medicine to extend their lives, they are ultimately not as strong in physical constitution or as long-lasting in Essence Energy as the Mighty Martial ones.

One of them, the most senior, named Li Zhonghuang, is already nearly 190 years old, yet he is still only an Advanced Martial Master.

In his situation, having entered the latter half of his life, his Qi and blood have already receded from their peak, there is no hope of breaking through, and his lifespan will not be extended either.

Estimating based on the average that a martial artist's lifespan is twice that of a normal person, he only has 20 or 30 years of life remaining.

Add one item: a Spirit Medicine Pharmacist has at least some trump cards; refining Spirit Medicine to prolong life could add another 20 years.

In other words, 50 years from now, the Medicine King Sect will inevitably lose one Spirit Medicine Pharmacist and one Pot Guardian Elder, and the top-level power structure will undergo earth-shattering changes.

"Fifty years from now, I won't even be 70 years old yet."

Qi Fengzi analyzed, "With my aptitude, I will surely become a Herb and Wood Pharmacist in two years, and it is not impossible to strive for Spirit Medicine Pharmacist within 50 years."

"Once I fill the position of Pot Guardian Elder in the Medicine King Sect, what will my value be to you?"

Good grief, you're here telling me about your career plan! (End of chapter)