Tang Dynasty: Saving Lives and Helping Others, Li Lizhi Falls for Him

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Inside the courtyard, after checking the system panel, Shen Chang'an decided to refine the Rejuvenation Pill to cure Qin Qiong first; obtaining the reward was the real priority.

So Shen Chang'an stood up, walked into the quiet room, and with a thought, his consciousness entered the spiritual plant space.

Inside the space, the sunlight was warm and the stream babbled.

He walked to the herb garden, squatted down, and carefully examined the growth of the Rejuvenating Herb and the Blood-Coagulating Flower.

Five plants of Rejuvenating Grass were planted. The leaves were emerald green with reddish veins, and the longest leaf was already three inches long.

He gently parted the leaves and looked at the roots—the root system was well-developed and the fibrous roots were thick, indicating that the medicinal properties were sufficient.

I planted seven or eight blood-clotting flowers. The flowers were deep red with thick petals, and each flower was the size of a copper coin.

He picked a flower, brought it close to his nose, and smelled it. There was a faint smell of blood—this was a characteristic of the blood-clotting flower; the stronger the medicinal properties, the stronger the smell.

"They're ready to be picked."

Shen Chang'an carefully picked two Rejuvenating Grasses and three Blood Clotting Flowers, washed them with clean water, and placed them in a bamboo basket to drain.

Then they walked to the stream, took a small porcelain bottle, and filled it with some spring water.

After exiting the space, he went into the pharmacy, placed the Rejuvenating Herb and Blood-Coagulating Flower on the table, and began to process them.

The roots of the Rejuvenating Grass need to be removed, leaving only the stems and leaves.

He used scissors to cut off the roots, cut the leaves into small pieces, and set them aside for later use.

The blood-clotting flowers needed to be crushed. He put three blood-clotting flowers into a mortar and pestle and gently crushed them. The petals gradually turned into a deep red paste and emitted a rich medicinal fragrance.

With everything ready, Shen Chang'an placed the bronze furnace on the small stove and lit a fire to heat it up.

After heating the bronze furnace, Shen Chang'an first poured in the spiritual spring water, about a small bowl's worth.

Once the water boiled, he put the chopped Rejuvenating Herb into the water and gently stirred it with a wooden spatula.

The leaves of the Rejuvenating Grass tumbled in the hot water, their color gradually changing from emerald green to dark green, and the aroma of the medicine filled the air.

This step is called "decocting," and its purpose is to fully release the medicinal properties of the herb into the water.

Shen Chang'an controlled the heat, preventing the water from boiling dry or becoming too bubbly.

In about the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, the liquid in the pot had turned light green.

He turned the heat down and poured in the crushed blood clot paste.

As soon as the blood-clotting flower was put into the pot, the light green liquid immediately turned dark red, as if it had been dyed.

The aroma of the herbs also changed from light to strong, with a hint of spiciness.

"The medicinal properties of the Blood Clotting Flower need to be gradually absorbed."

Shen Chang'an stirred the mixture continuously with a wooden spatula to ensure that the blood-clotting flower paste and the rejuvenating herb liquid were fully mixed.

After stirring for about half a cup of tea's time, the liquid in the pot began to thicken and turned dark brown.

This is a crucial step – finishing the paste.

Shen Chang'an turned the fire down to the lowest setting and kept stirring with a wooden shovel to prevent the bottom from burning.

The liquid in the pot became increasingly thick, turning from a liquid into a paste, and then from a paste into a semi-solid.

Fine beads of sweat appeared on his forehead, but he didn't bother to wipe them away.

"That's about it."

Shen Chang'an extinguished the fire, used a wooden spatula to scrape the ointment out of the pot, and placed it on a pre-prepared porcelain plate.

The ointment slowly cooled in the porcelain dish, gradually solidifying into a dark brown solid.

He rolled the ointment into balls with his hands—one, two, three…

In the end, only one complete pill was formed. There was too little of the remaining ointment to form a proper shape.

Shen Chang'an looked at the round pill in his hand, shook his head with a wry smile.

"Only one pill was produced in the first batch."

He held the Rejuvenation Pill to his nose and smelled it. It had a rich medicinal fragrance, a uniform color, and a smooth surface.

Although there is only one, its condition is quite good.

Pills refined during the Qi Refining stage do not require the assistance of true fire. As long as the medicinal materials are suitable, the technique is skilled, and ordinary firewood is used, pills can be formed.

He put the Rejuvenation Pill into a small porcelain bottle and put it away.

"Again."

Shen Chang'an was not discouraged.

He knew that in alchemy, it was already quite an achievement to succeed on the first try.

Many people fail to even produce a pill on their first attempt at refining it.

He returned to the spiritual plant space, picked two more Rejuvenating Grasses and three Blood Clotting Flowers, took some spiritual spring water, and returned to the pharmacy.

This time, he paid even more attention to controlling the heat.

After putting the Rejuvenating Herb into the pot, he no longer boiled it over high heat, but instead simmered it over medium heat to allow the medicinal properties to be released slowly.

After adding the blood-clotting flower to the pot, he stirred it faster and more evenly, allowing the two herbs to fully blend.

When finishing the paste, he controlled the fire more precisely, and the frequency of turning the wooden spatula was more rhythmic.

"Ceasefire."

He scraped out the ointment and placed it on a porcelain plate to cool.

This time, the amount of ointment was much greater than the first time.

Shen Chang'an rolled the pills into pills—one, two, three.

Moreover, each one is larger and rounder than the one from the first batch.

He picked one up and examined it closely.

It has a darker color, a smoother surface, and a stronger medicinal aroma.

"The second batch yielded three pills."

Shen Chang'an nodded in satisfaction, "Not only is the quantity increased, but the medicinal effect should also be better."

He also put these three Rejuvenation Pills into a porcelain bottle and stored them separately from the first batch.

"There's still time, let's refine another batch."

Shen Chang'an's interest was piqued.

He entered the spiritual plant space again, picked the Rejuvenating Grass and Blood Clotting Flower, fetched spiritual spring water, and returned to the pharmacy.

This time, his movements were even smoother, requiring almost no thought, with each step flowing naturally together.

Put the Rejuvenating Herb into a pot and simmer over medium heat.

Add the blood-clotting flower to the pot and stir quickly.

Reduce the paste, control the heat, and turn it over with a wooden spatula.

Stop the fire, scrape off the paste, cool, and roll into balls.

All in one go.

On the porcelain plate, three round Rejuvenation Pills were neatly arranged, uniform in size and color, each emitting a rich medicinal fragrance.

Shen Chang'an picked one up and examined it in his palm.

"The third batch, three pills, but the effect is even better than the second batch."

He put the three Rejuvenation Pills into another porcelain bottle and placed them separately from the previous one.

Three furnaces of Rejuvenation Pills were used to refine a total of seven pills.

The first batch of one pill had a moderate effect and was barely usable.

The second batch of three pills had excellent medicinal properties and were of good quality.

The third batch of three pills has excellent medicinal effects and is of superior quality.

Shen Chang'an placed the three bottles of Rejuvenation Pills on the table, pondering in his mind.

"Qin Qiong's illness requires treatment for his old injuries. The Rejuvenation Pill has a remarkable effect on old injuries and accumulated fatigue. Let him take one pill first to try. If it works, we can continue."

He placed the first batch of Rejuvenation Pills in a separate porcelain bottle, intending to give it to Qin Qiong first.

It wasn't because he was reluctant to give up the good stuff, but because the first batch of medicine had the weakest effect, so if there were any problems, the reaction wouldn't be too severe.

"Once Qin Qiong sees the effects, then we'll give him the better treatment."

Shen Chang'an put away the porcelain bottle, walked out of the pharmacy, filled a basin with clean water in the courtyard, and washed the medicine stains off his hands.

Moonlight spilled into the courtyard, the water lilies had closed their petals, and koi carp swam quietly in the water.

The green bamboo rustled in the night breeze, and everything was quiet.

The three furnaces of Rejuvenating Pills were refined over an entire night.

Although somewhat tired, Shen Chang'an felt content.

The successful refining of the Rejuvenation Pill meant that he had taken another step towards the goal of "self-sufficiency".

"From now on, in order to treat illnesses and save lives, we will not only be able to use herbal decoctions and acupuncture, but also elixirs."

Shen Chang'an returned to his bedroom and fell asleep immediately.

There will be another free clinic tomorrow.