Da Liang, the year 642, November 29.
The mysterious vessel surfaced once again.
Chen Mu stood in front of the transparent screen, staring at the vertical mountain wall that greatly resembled Shouyang Mountain, and had a sudden realization in his heart.
“Another region akin to Da Liang.”
It was unknown how many years the mysterious vessel had been taking and sending people.
“It’s a pity I can’t go up there to have a look.”
The vessel’s rules stated that unless it was a staff member, no one was allowed to leave.
It was said to be to prevent conflicts with the inhabitants of unfamiliar regions.
To protect the people inside the vessel, as well as those from the unfamiliar regions.
“They are probably worried about losing this batch of free labor,” Chen Mu hummed lightly.
Leaving the transparent screen, he didn’t hurry back.
For seven or eight days in a row, he had hidden in his cabin and pored over medicinal studies until his head swam. It was a good opportunity to go out and clear his mind.
Walking along, he came across the silver moon pavilion at the tail end of the mysterious vessel. The largest entertainment venue on the vessel, it offered food, drink, and all forms of amusement.
Chen Mu looked at the entrance for a moment and then indifferently turned away.
It was not because of the two hundred silver admission fee.
It was purely because I am a clean-living good young man.
It was for the best not to go to such a foul and murky place!
Then Chen Mu strolled over to the Envying Immortals Tea House and spent two hundred and twelve silver to order ten dishes completely different from those in Da Liang and carefully tasted each one.
In the process, he selected two that suited his palate to figure out in detail.
By the time he finished eating, his menu had grown by two new dishes.
Outside the tea house, Chen Mu looked back uncomfortably.
“If only they allowed open-air food stalls here, I’d definitely run you out of business.” The price gouging was too ruthless.
…
Half a month later, Chen Mu raised his head.
He stared blankly at the oval crystal ball lights on the wall for a long while before snapping back to reality.
For over ten days, aside from going out to eat, he would hide in his cabin practicing pharmaceutical technique every day.
With a thought, he brought up the grey wall.
Pharmaceutical Technique: 7812/10000/Fourth Rank;
The Fifth Rank was not far away. If progress continued at the normal pace, he could advance in another month or so.
“It’s a pity there are no experience monsters,” Chen Mu smiled wryly.
Before leaving Da Liang, he had made a point of gathering medicine books, but it still wasn’t enough.
…
Half a day later, Chen Mu walked out of the Mo Xiang Book Forest with a gloomy face.
He was carrying a small cloth bundle with seven or eight medicinal books he had not read before inside.
For these few books, that greedy fat shopkeeper had charged him one thousand three hundred silver.
Having been on the ship for a month, even with the use of fasting pills to save expenses, he had still spent over four thousand silver.
His assets had shrunk by nearly one-tenth.
“I need to find a way to increase income!” Chen Mu frowned in thought.
…
In the middle section of the mysterious vessel, inside Hundred Herbs Pavilion.
Chen Mu surveyed the medical pavilion, which wasn’t quite like what he had in mind.
A medicine cabinet leaned against the wall directly opposite the door, with rows of small drawers marked with the names of medicinal materials in black characters on wooden signs.
That wasn’t strange; the peculiar part was the wall on the left side.
A curio shelf stood against the wall with small ceramic bottles placed in each compartment. Beside each bottle hung a red wooden plaque.
Red Sand Pills, Wondrous Spirit Elixirs, Soul Condensing Pills, Calming Pills…
Chen Mu also saw Fasting Pills there.
“The pharmaceutical system overseas seems a bit different,” Chen Mu thought.
In Da Liang, soup medicine was the main focus, with elixir pills as a supplement.
In the medical pavilion of the mysterious vessel, however, ready-made elixir pills made up half of the medicines.
“What can I help you with, sir?” A man in his thirties wearing a brown short jacket approached Chen Mu.
Chen Mu looked at the Fasting Pills and was just about to speak when he suddenly stopped.
More than halfway towards the Fourth Rank in pharmaceutical technique, and yet there had been no progress with Fasting Pills.
“The Fasting Pills might have exceeded the knowledge of Fourth Rank pharmaceutical technique.”
After a moment’s thought, Chen Mu discreetly probed, “I am practicing the True Sun Scripture, and I’m having some difficulties with my cultivation. I wonder…”
The shop assistant immediately had a realization, and his gaze towards Chen Mu turned eager.
Chen Mu felt helpless.
Shop assistants and shopkeepers on the mysterious vessel all had this expression when they were ready to rip someone off.
“Soul Condensing Pills! A supreme secret medicine that accelerates the unification of the spirit and soul. Practicing for one day equals ten days, it…”
“How much?” Chen Mu interrupted his endless ramble.
“Not expensive, just ten White Jade Coins.”
“For one bottle?”
“For a single pill.”
Chen Mu: “…”
I knew it!
“Anything else?” Chen Mu asked with an indifferent expression, “I don’t have that much money, nor do I have any treasures for bartering.”
The shop assistant’s face immediately showed regret, “Then perhaps you should consider the Calming Pill. It’s also effective and, more importantly, cheaper. Ten pills per bottle, only for five White Jade Spirit Coins.”
“Alright, then give me two.” Chen Mu handed the shop assistant a White Jade Spirit Coin.
Facing the shop assistant’s odd look, Chen Mu remained calm, “Can’t I buy them individually?”
The shop assistant made a disgusted face, “Sure…”
Another broke customer, no deal to be made.
Chen Mu rolled his eyes and strode away.
“Just you wait. Once I replicate these Calming Pills, you’ll be the ones crying!” Chen Mu vowed internally.
…
Inside cabin number Left Six Yi Mao.
Chen Mu coughed slightly, and the small room of about twenty square meters immediately lit up with a warm glow.
The room wasn’t large, with just a table, a bed, a cabinet, and an isolated bathroom.
If not for the occasional glimpse of the pale bony structure on the walls, Chen Mu would have thought he had returned to a small hotel from his previous life.
He took out a Bigu Pill 3.0 and swallowed it.
Chen Mu took out a fist-sized porcelain bottle from his Five Ghosts Bag and poured a peanut-sized brown pill from it, giving it a light sniff at the tip of his nose.
“Seven kinds!”
In just an instant, he was certain of seven ingredients in the pill.
“The Fasting Pill is indeed different.”
He had been looking in the wrong direction before!
“Time to read the medicine book and ponder over the Calming Pill formulation, time for hard work!”
…
The year 642 in Da Liang, December 27th.
Inside the Enviable Immortal Tea House.
Chen Mu held a Calming Pill in his hand.
A series of dosages, processing techniques, and blending methods for the medicine surfaced in his mind.
He subconsciously picked up a piece of mung bean cake and put it in his mouth.
In the flash of inspiration, a formula containing ingredient amounts and production methods rapidly formed in his mind.
With a thought, a gray wall appeared.
Writing: 4270/10000/Second Rank;
Painting: 5967/10000/Second Rank;
Culinary Arts: 8145/10000/Third Rank;
Pharmaceutical Technique: 37/10000/Fifth Rank;
Five Ghosts Moving Mountain Curse: 4371/10000/Seventh Rank;
Shapeshifting Technique: 987/10000/Fourth Rank;
Cloud Mirage Spirit Armor Technique: 5069/10000/Sixth Rank;
In the past two months, he spent every day waking up to flip through books, and when tired, he would ponder over the elixir formulas. He had finally advanced his Alchemical Technique to the Fifth Rank.
His sense of smell became increasingly acute.
The Calming Pill, which had some insurmountable issues before, didn’t take long for him to strip down to the formula.
“It’s a pity…” Chen Mu shook his head helplessly.
“The main ingredient is nowhere to be found!”
“Hundred Herbs Pavilion must have done this on purpose!” Chen Mu thought with resentment.
“Has someone audaciously produced counterfeits before?”
Otherwise, why would the main ingredient, the Nightshade Herb, specifically be missing?
“That’s right, those on the Bai Yang Shuttle are the cream of the crop from various countries.”
“Being ruthless and cunning is only the basics, having a special skill is the norm.”
“If there are one or two who are experts in pharmacology, they might indeed have replicated the Calming Pill.”
“The True Sun Scripture is getting further and further away from me,” lamented Chen Mu.
“I can only wait until I get to Yunzhou to figure out a solution,” Chen Mu sighed.
Half-heartedly listening to the storyteller narrate legendary tales of Yunzhou, he absent-mindedly browsed the gray wall.
“This Proficiency for the Spirit Armor Technique, isn’t right!” Chen Mu suddenly startled.
Ever since he had mastered the Spirit Armor Technique, his breathing had changed completely, and the proficiency automatically increased.
Unless he was in a special treasure land, such as Qingshan County, otherwise, he would unfailingly gain twenty-four points every day.
Since yesterday, hadn’t it increased by more than thirty points?!