The Legend of the Condor Heroes: Starting from the Bodyguard

Chapter 254 One person refines elixirs, another embroiders handkerchiefs
"Ten qian each of Aconitum carmichaelii, Atractylodes lancea, Angelica dahurica, Saussurea involucrata, Polygonatum sibiricum, Cordyceps sinensis, and deer antler. Five qian each of Citrus medica, Angelica sinensis, and Achyranthes bidentata. Grind into coarse powder, mix, ferment, and then add tiger bone, leopard bone, and bear bile. This is called 'Dragon Tiger Pill'."

After the rain, the mountains are quiet, except for the sound of human voices.

Zhou Yan looked at the emerald green pill in Huang Rong's palm and asked, "Did you make this?"

After Zhang Wangyue and the others left, Zhou Yan and Huang Rong lingered at the Ten Thousand Beasts Manor.

In his spare time, he would drink and discuss philosophy and martial arts with the three Shi brothers, and also talk about scriptures and sermons with Zen Master Ku Hui, living a carefree life.

Huang Rong then plunged into the alchemy room of the Ten Thousand Beasts Manor, working day and night.

Huang Yaoshi was a renowned alchemist of his time, and Huang Rong was certainly no novice. In the Valley of Herbs, she also learned remarkable medical skills and health preservation techniques from the Immortal Herb Master.

In an ordinary place, it probably wouldn't have aroused Huang Rong's idea of ​​refining pills.

But the Manor of Ten Thousand Beasts is an exception.

The three Shi brothers went into the mountains to hunt and also collect medicinal herbs. The mountain villa stored a considerable amount of rare medicinal herbs, such as cordyceps, which are extremely rare and can replenish yin and yang, nourish essence, and benefit the lungs and kidneys.

The key issue is that after the battle with "Iron Falcon," the tigers and leopards suffered heavy losses, especially the leopards.

Therefore, the villa has a sufficient number of tiger and leopard bones.

Huang Rong enjoyed dabbling in unusual and unorthodox techniques. She locked herself in her alchemy room and, six days later, successfully refined the "Dragon-Tiger Pill."

When Zhou Yan asked, Huang Rong replied with considerable pride, "The pill formula was found in the manor's library. I learned the art of alchemy from my father, and the method of preparing the medicine was taught by the Herbalist. I failed many times, but fortunately, perseverance pays off. I finally succeeded in refining this pill, and its effect should be no less than that of several purple snake galls."

"Give it a try."

Zhou Yan swallowed the "Dragon and Tiger Pill".

A moment later, the effects of the medicine took hold, and Zhou Yan felt a surge of heat rising in his dantian, his energy spreading, his body boiling with heat, and his blood and energy surging like a tide washing over his limbs and bones.

"How is it?" Huang Rong asked hastily, noticing Zhou Yan's flushed face.

"I need to go into seclusion to cultivate myself."

Huang Rong felt that the breath Zhou Yan exhaled was scorching hot. She was secretly alarmed by the medicinal properties of the pills he had refined, and hurriedly said, "You should start cultivating quickly."

brush!
Zhou Yan's body swung backward, landing on a waterside pavilion by the lake. He sat cross-legged and silently began to cleanse his marrow and strengthen his bones by practicing the "Yi Jin Duan Gu Pian" (a traditional Chinese exercise).

He had completed the fourth stage of his cultivation technique on his way to Poyang Lake. He had been practicing diligently for nearly several months, but he still could not break through. With a "Dragon Tiger Pill", Zhou Yan had a vague premonition that he could break through with the help of the medicinal properties.

He relied on the effects of the "Dragon and Tiger Pill" to cultivate himself as if drinking morning dew and eating evening glow, sitting for four days straight, as if the stars had shifted.

……

As dawn broke, Huang Rong, dressed in a white dress, arrived at the lakeside pavilion, and her exquisite and flawless face instantly became vivid and lively.

Within sight, Zhou Yan's eyes shone with restrained brilliance. As he breathed, two streams of condensed white breath, like dragons and snakes, emerged from his nose and entered his mouth. With each inhale and exhale, his clothes opened and closed, revealing a gray robe that clearly showed hundreds of dragons and snakes moving within it.

"What kind of technique is this? Even Father has never practiced like this." Huang Rong walked around behind Zhou Yan.

At first glance, it was even more shocking. Zhou Yan's back muscles were trembling, and on both sides of his spine, it seemed as if fish were swimming around the large dragon of the spine with agility and vitality.

Huang Rong did not know that Zhou Yan was practicing the Nine Yin Manual, but she guessed that he must have reached a critical point in his practice. She dared not disturb him and quietly withdrew.

The surging internal energy within Zhou Yan's body emitted a subtle rumble, like hidden thunder. Then, a fierce and unparalleled force propelled his blood and qi inwards, reaching his internal organs and limbs. This cycle repeated for nearly an hour. Due to his practice of the *Yi Jin Duan Gu Pian* (a traditional Chinese medicine text), which allowed his internal energy to penetrate deep into his bone marrow, tempering his bones and strengthening his tendons, his body instantly began to crackle and pop, like metal rubbing against metal. Tendons, bone marrow, internal organs, and blood resonated in a thunderous roar.

Zhou Yan stretched out his arms and broadened his back, and his bones immediately crackled like bamboo joints growing. His bone marrow produced blood, his blood generated vitality, and the newly generated energy and blood flowed like a blazing furnace, releasing a torrent of essence from his internal organs. His fascia relaxed, surging with the sound of ocean waves. His bone marrow trembled, like a great bell being struck.

"call!;"

Zhou Yan exhaled a stream of scorching white breath, and the sharp glint in his eyes vanished in an instant.

The fifth section of the "Tendon Changing and Bone Strengthening Chapter" of the Nine Yin Manual has been successfully completed.

Zhou Yan did not show his joy. He sensed the Qi in his meridians and felt that the internal Qi was almost condensed into a substance. This increased the quantity and quality of the internal Qi circulating in the meridians by about 20%, which also meant that his skill had increased by about 20% again.

Zhou Yan concluded that by guiding the Qi with intention, the vast and mighty internal Qi, like a great river, surged towards the Foot Jueyin Liver Meridian.

Half an hour later, the internal energy between the fourteen major acupoints of the meridian related to the five senses gushed out like a hot spring, and with a snap, it was tempered and opened up.

The Foot Jueyin Liver Meridian connects to the ears and eyes, strengthens tendons and bones, and improves hearing and vision. Zhou Yan lowered his consciousness and focused on feeling, and suddenly felt as if a clear stream flowed through his brain, and his perception gradually broadened.

The complex information pouring in from the outside world was clearly perceived.

The wind whistles through the eaves, swallows fly across the calm lake, each sound reaching the ears and echoing in the mind.

"Brother, Brother Zhou has been as still as a rock for almost five days."

"Why the rush? Fifty days of secluded cultivation is normal." "But you still need to eat something, right?"

“That makes sense, Third Brother. Your internal strength is the most profound. Tell me the reason why.”

The third son of the Shi family said uncertainly, "Brother Zhou's realm is far beyond my understanding, so I dare not make any wild guesses."

"Why don't we go ask Miss Huang?" Old Shi suggested.

A smile appeared on Zhou Yan's face as she slowly opened her eyes, her vision becoming clear.

"Never again will I see Hong Qigong and Huang Yaoshi sneaking up to me without my knowledge," Zhou Yan muttered to himself, rising to his feet and leaping into the forest. Using his spine as a bow and his waist as the string, he stomped his left foot, his stride as powerful as a dragon and a tiger, unleashing his "Shocking Hundred Miles" palms like arrows. With a loud "bang" and a "crack," a thick, sturdy tree flew out of the forest.

Zhou Yan was quite satisfied and suddenly said, "You've come?"

"Ugh, this is so boring." Huang Rong emerged from behind a large tree behind Zhou Yan. "When I play with my father, he always finds me before I even get close."

Zhou Yan smiled slightly, "So you need to practice your martial arts diligently."

"Don't lecture me like my father did."

"Do what you like."

"That's more like it." Huang Rong smiled. "Let's go to the manor. The Shi brothers have been getting impatient these past few days."

"I have been practicing for several days."

"Today is the fifth day."

Zhou Yan was stunned. It felt like only a blink of an eye, yet he had gone five days without eating or drinking. The "Dragon and Tiger Pill" was no ordinary pill.

As he read it aloud, his hunger intensified.

"Let's go back to the village."

The two walked side by side, and he asked, "How are Master Ku Hui and the others?"

"The Black Jade Bone-Mending Ointment is indeed remarkably effective. The old abbot's bones have already healed, and he will be fully recovered in about a hundred days. Zen Masters Tianlong and Tianxiang have recovered about 70-80% of their injuries, and the rest of the monks, both young and old, are in about the same condition."

"Very good, let's set off tomorrow."

"Sure, I'll bring the little leopard with me then."

"Can you tame animals?"

"I know a little bit about it, so teaching the little leopard shouldn't be a problem." Huang Rong chuckled. "When the little leopard grows up, we'll go fight the giant eagles in the outskirts of Xiangyang and see who's stronger."

Zhou Yan chuckled. Huang Rong, now dressed as a woman, was starting to resemble "Rong'er" from The Legend of the Condor Heroes more and more.

……

Looking back, the white clouds merge; looking closer, the blue mist vanishes. The central peak marks the boundary, and the valleys appear distinct in both sunshine and shadow.

Sunlight from Zhongnan Mountain filtered through the trees and fell on Li Mochou, who was sitting on a river rock.

She wore a light blue dress, and her cascading hair was tied up with a red ribbon adorned with plum blossoms, interspersed with a hairpin dangling a few pearls.

"With delicate hands gripping the embroidery frame, the embroidery flowers appear and disappear in clusters," Li Mochou was completely focused, her needle and thread flying up and down, gradually outlining a handsome and extraordinary man with an otherworldly appearance on the silk.

The man drew his bow and nocked an arrow, and the dim light gave him a touch of unrestrained and boldness.

Li Mochou stopped embroidering and stared at the needle for a while. A satisfied smile gradually appeared on her face. "That's it. It's so lifelike."

She was so focused on what she was watching that she didn't hear Lin Chaoying, the maid, approaching from behind her.

A stern, unsmiling face slowly rose from behind Li Mochou, and a deep, harsh voice asked, "What are you embroidering?"

"Ah!" Li Mochou jumped up and hurriedly hid the embroidered handkerchief behind her back.

“Give it to me!”

"Master!"

"Bring it here."

Li Mochou's fingers trembled as she handed over the bandage.

(End of this chapter)