Martial Arts: I Have a Wilderness World-Chapter 44: Formulas and a House

South City, Cheng’s Clinic.

"Second Uncle, I’m back."

Cheng Zongyang knocked on the back door, calling out as he did.

On the way back, he hadn’t touched the paper slip or done anything reckless. He wasn’t in a hurry to read it. Instead, in a deserted alley, he stuffed it into a bamboo tube and deposited them both into the Wilderness World.

’Can’t be too careful.’

Soon, Cheng Zongwen opened the door and said happily:

"Brother, perfect timing. We’re about to eat. Mom and Dad made plenty of extra food."

Cheng Zongyang smiled. "Great."

They weren’t strangers, nor were they the type of relatives to be stingy, so he didn’t stand on ceremony.

It wasn’t the first time he had eaten at his second uncle’s home, so they always knew how much food to prepare.

In the main hall, everyone was waiting.

Mrs. Chen of the Cheng Family smiled. "Your second uncle was just thinking of waiting for you to return. You’re back right on time. Go wash up and get ready to eat."

"Alright, thank you, Second Uncle, Second Aunt," Cheng Zongyang replied with a smile.

"You, child, always so formal. We’re not strangers," Mrs. Chen of the Cheng Family said, shooting her nephew a look of mock disapproval.

"Hehe," Cheng Zongyang chuckled.

After the meal...

Mrs. Chen of the Cheng Family and her elder daughter cleared the table. The younger daughter had run off to the front clinic again, up to who-knows-what.

As for Cheng Zongwen, he took a book and went back to his room.

Only the uncle and nephew, Cheng Guangshan and Cheng Zongyang, remained in the main hall.

"Yang’Er, I’ve already gathered the medicinal materials you needed. I’ve prepared recipes for two medicinal meals: Antler Qi-Boosting Soup and Ginseng Body-Nourishing Soup. There’s one medicinal wine, called Snake Gall Wine, which is also for strengthening the body and replenishing qi.

When you get home, just follow the recipe for the medicinal meals and add the correct amounts. Don’t consume more than one bowl a day.

For the medicinal wine, take the materials home, wash the snake gall clean, and put it in to steep with the other herbs. The recipe is for ten jin of wine.

If you want to speed up the process, you can steam the jar over water. Once it’s been heated through, bury the jar in the ground for seven days. After that, it will be ready to drink. You shouldn’t have more than one tael a day."

Cheng Zongyang listened carefully to his second uncle’s instructions and then asked a few questions:

"Second Uncle, are there any restrictions on the size or number of snake galls for this wine?"

Cheng Guangshan said, "The medicinal materials I gave you are proportioned for ten jin of wine. Three galls should be enough. Do not exceed five, or the medicinal effect will be too strong and turn into a poison."

But Cheng Zongyang thought to himself.

’The Black-Horned Python’s snake gall is huge, about the size of my fist. Although I’m in a teenager’s body, my fist isn’t much smaller than an adult’s.’

’Five ordinary snake galls put together would probably only be half the size of the one from the Black-Horned Python.’

This gave Cheng Zongyang pause. ’Isn’t that too little wine for the gall?’

After a moment’s thought, he asked, "Second Uncle, will adding more wine dilute the medicinal effects?"

Cheng Guangshan glanced at his nephew. "You can, but it depends on how much you add. If you add too much, the wine’s effects will be significantly weaker."

"How much wine would you use for ten snake galls?" Cheng Zongyang asked tentatively.

Cheng Guangshan’s eyes widened. "Why would you use so many? If you have ten galls, just make two jars, why not? Do you have to put them all together?"

Cheng Zongyang smiled. "So you’re saying I could increase the wine to twenty jin?"

Cheng Guangshan sighed. "You can, but herbal formulas depend on a precise balance of ingredients. You’d have to adjust the amounts of the other herbs as well, or the final effect will be inferior."

"Alright, thank you, Second Uncle. Then please adjust the medicinal materials for me, for a ten-gall portion. By the way, what time is it now?" Cheng Zongyang asked as he packed things into his back-basket.

Cheng Guangshan glanced outside to gauge the time and said,

"It’s almost mid-afternoon. Are you heading back?"

Cheng Zongyang said, "I have to run an errand. I’ll head back after I’m done. If something urgent comes up, just send someone to the village to let me know."

"Alright." Cheng Guangshan nodded slightly and went to the clinic to get the other ingredients.

While his second uncle wasn’t looking, Cheng Zongyang placed twenty taels of silver on the table, leaving only five taels for his own use.

This was the last of the silver he had on him.

The medicinal materials he was getting included several precious ones, which weren’t cheap. With the price of herbs on the rise this year, he couldn’t possibly let his second uncle pay out of his own pocket for them.

To him, it was fine to give too much money, but unacceptable to give too little.

Cheng Guangshan didn’t notice his nephew’s action. When he returned with the herbs and handed them to Cheng Zongyang, he saw him out the back door.

Cheng Guangshan returned to the main hall with a frown. As he did, he saw two ten-tael silver notes on the table.

"What’s the matter?" Mrs. Chen of the Cheng Family asked as she came in carrying a cup of tea, which she placed on the table beside her husband.

"This boy... honestly..." Cheng Guangshan said, holding the two silver notes with a wry smile. He then added quizzically, "I don’t know why, but it feels like Yang’Er is hiding something. He’s acting so mysterious."

Mrs. Chen of the Cheng Family, who had thought it was something serious, broke into a smile. "What’s the big deal? Who doesn’t have a secret or two? Besides, you know Yang’Er’s personality. Just take it. We can use it to pay off the debt for the medicinal materials.

And while we’re at it, you should pay more attention to your younger daughter. The girl has suddenly taken an interest in medicinal materials these past few days and has been poring over the herbal codex."

"Oh?" Cheng Guangshan was quite surprised. "Didn’t she say she wasn’t interested in learning before? Why the sudden change?"

Mrs. Chen of the Cheng Family gave a wry smile. "Do you know what part she’s reading? Only the section on poisonous herbs. What do you suppose is going through that girl’s mind?"

Cheng Guangshan didn’t think much of it and smiled. "As long as she’s interested, let her read. It’s just a shame that Ying’Er is unwilling to learn."

Mrs. Chen of the Cheng Family shot her husband a look. "You want all three of our children to become doctors?"

Cheng Guangshan retorted, "I inherited my skills from my father-in-law. Naturally, I must see to it that the Chen Family’s medical arts are passed down. Otherwise, wouldn’t the medical knowledge passed down for the four generations before me be wasted?"

Mrs. Chen of the Cheng Family didn’t say any more on the matter. Her family’s medical expertise, counting her husband, had been passed down for five generations. The art was profound and had a long history, but her husband was still young and had a great deal more to learn.

The work of a doctor was a lifelong study.

"Well, you can figure it out. However, Zongwen mentioned yesterday that he wants to start martial arts training."

Cheng Guangshan was taken aback. "Isn’t he supposed to be studying? Why does he suddenly want to train in martial arts? It couldn’t be that he saw his cousin doing it and got the idea..."

It was a rare day of rest for the couple, and they spent it chatting idly about family matters in the main hall. The turmoil of the outside world seemed to melt away.

Meanwhile, Cheng Zongyang headed straight for the Celestial Fragrance Tower.

Inside the Celestial Fragrance Tower, Cheng Zongyang didn’t see Sun. Only Zheng Yan was there, sitting alone and drinking tea.

"Steward Zheng, my apologies for the wait," Cheng Zongyang said, clasping his hands in a small bow.

"No matter. Since you’re here, go ahead and take this."

Zheng Yan took a sip of tea, gesturing toward a small plaque on the table beside him.

Cheng Zongyang paused for a moment, then stepped forward and picked it up. He saw several characters engraved vertically in seal script on the wooden plaque.

—No. 28, South Pond Sixth Lane

On the back were the three words: "Jade Peak County."

"Steward Zheng, what is this?"

Zheng Yan smiled faintly. "It’s just as you requested. This house meets your criteria, and I managed to negotiate the price down to four hundred taels. As for the guarantee tax, that won’t be necessary for me."

Hearing this, Cheng Zongyang scratched his head, a bit embarrassed. ’I’d been pretty biased against this old man,’ he thought. ’I never imagined he would go this far to help me.’

’It seems I was the one being narrow-minded.’ Cheng Zongyang sighed internally, but his face lit up with joy as he clasped his hands in thanks.

"I am deeply grateful, Steward. I will remember this kindness."

Zheng Yan nodded slightly. "For the past six months, I’ve observed you. You handle yourself well and you’re quick-witted. That’s why I decided to give you a hand.

I’m leaving in two days. Would you be willing to come with me? I can’t promise wealth and glory, but you would at least have food and shelter without worry. You wouldn’t have to struggle so hard with hunting, leaving everything to fate."

Cheng Zongyang’s heart skipped a beat. ’So, Sun heard him right after all!’

A flash of joy appeared on his face, quickly replaced by a look of conflicted reluctance. He ended with a sigh and a bow of his hands.

"I am grateful for your generous offer, Steward. But as the saying goes, one should not travel far while one’s parents are alive. My family also needs me at home. I’m afraid I must turn down your kind offer. I hope you won’t be angry."

Zheng Yan seemed to have anticipated Cheng Zongyang’s polite refusal, and he wasn’t angry.

He truly did admire Cheng Zongyang. With anyone else, he wouldn’t have even bothered to speak with them, let alone act as a guarantor for buying a house.

Zheng Yan stood up, smiled, and patted Cheng Zongyang on the shoulder admiringly.

"In that case, do as you see fit. However, my offer still stands. If you change your mind one day, you can come find me in Qianye Prefecture; I can still arrange a post for you. If you have any problems, you can take this jade pendant and find Chief Zheng."

Zheng Yan untied a jade pendant from his waist and placed it on the table.

"As for this wooden plaque, take it to the property division at the Government Office. They will handle the transfer of ownership for you. All you need to do is pay the four hundred taels of silver; you don’t need to worry about anything else."

"Thank you, Steward! I’ll remember," Cheng Zongyang said, bowing with clasped hands once more in sincere gratitude. He then took the jade pendant from the table.

"Then be on your way."

Hearing this, Cheng Zongyang knew not to ask anything else. After bowing with clasped hands one last time, he took the wooden plaque and jade pendant and left the restaurant.