Qiu Zu: From an apprentice in a medicine shop to an immortal ancestor.

Chapter 14: Greatly Increased Power (Seeking Monthly Tickets and Continued Reading)

He couldn't refine the "Treasure Herb Atractylodes Macrocephala" into finished pills or potions.

Whether he could or not was one thing, but even if he had the recipe, he probably couldn't afford the other spiritual herbs and precious medicines for the ingredients.

Fortunately, he was quite accomplished in processing medicinal materials.

There are many ways to process Atractylodes Macrocephala, but the most common are stir-frying with soil and stir-frying with honey-soaked wheat bran.

Stir-frying with soil means using "Volcanic Ash" to stir-fry Atractylodes Macrocephala.

The common purpose of processing is to remove oil, reduce irritation, and enhance the effects of strengthening the spleen, harmonizing the stomach, and stopping diarrhea.

Whether it's stir-frying the "Treasure Herb Atractylodes Macrocephala" with soil or with honey-soaked wheat bran, both are acceptable.

Qiu Zhen was a meticulous person, and if conditions allowed, he was a bit picky about the taste.

Honey-soaked wheat bran is made by stir-frying wheat bran with honey.

Honey itself is nutritious, moistens the lungs, relieves coughs, and has a flavoring effect. After medicinal materials are soaked in honey, the above effects can be increased accordingly.

Moreover, honey-soaked ingredients are warm in nature, strengthen the spleen, harmonize the stomach, and replenish the original Qi of the triple energizer, making them relatively more suitable than stir-frying with soil.

That day, he took the white fox and climbed over the back wall, heading straight for a hidden honey nest in the back mountain, and cut off a piece as "settlement fee."

He divided a large piece of honey for the white fox and a small piece for Xing'er and Da Zhuang, informing them that the house was not haunted to reassure Uncle Li's family.

He used all the remaining honey to soak the wheat bran.

That night.

Qiu Zhen processed the Treasure Herb Atractylodes Macrocephala with honey-soaked wheat bran—about ten thin slices.

The surface of the processed Atractylodes Macrocephala slices was焦yellow, exuding a焦fragrant aroma, with a hint of sweetness in the air.

Qiu Zhen took the "Atractylodes Macrocephala" not for medicinal purposes, but to refine the essence of heaven and earth in the treasure herb, treating it as a "grain" ingredient.

High-quality ingredients only need simple cooking.

After being soaked in honey, the taste is excellent. If it is further processed by "decocting in water" or "grinding," it becomes unpalatable.

Therefore, Qiu Zhen directly chewed and swallowed it.

The white fox had been quietly watching Qiu Zhen process the treasure herb, broadening its horizons and feeling an inexplicable sense of awe.

"So, this is how treasures are eaten."

About half an hour later.

Qiu Zhen ate the entire Atractylodes Macrocephala root, swallowing it along with the fibers, without wasting any of it.

At first, he didn't feel anything, but soon he felt a heat rising in his abdomen, his Qi and blood steaming, making him feel full of energy.

"The treasure herb is working."

Qiu Zhen was overjoyed and immediately sat down cross-legged, focusing his gaze inward, refining the treasure herb in his body and turning it into a continuous stream of essence.

If the 【Refining Grain into Essence】from eating "coarse grains" on weekdays was subtle and leisurely, and his rough "Qi Eating Method" turned it into a small step forward, then after taking the treasure herb, he suddenly became a hundred-meter sprint.

It could even be said that it felt like flying.

A stream of pure essence was constantly generated.

In just half an hour, he felt a sense of "being full."

Qiu Zhen's heart stirred, and he immediately ended his meditation and internal refinement, instead turning to practice 【Medicine King Five Animal Play】.

Qi and blood travel in the meridians, circulating throughout the body, reaching the five internal organs internally and the skin, flesh, tendons, and veins externally, constantly exerting nourishing and moisturizing effects on the various organs and tissues of the body, and are the most basic source of life.

The so-called martial arts practice is to internally refine a breath and externally refine the tendons, skin, and bones.

Only with strong "blood energy" can one constantly temper the physical body and strengthen the tendons, bones, skin, and flesh.

In the past, Qiu Zhen's martial arts progress was slow due to insufficient "supply" and a lack of large amounts of supplements. He didn't dare to practice 【Medicine King Five Animal Play】 too much every day, for fear of overdoing it, depleting his Qi and blood, and damaging his body.

Qi and blood are like yin and yang, following each other, depending on each other, and using each other.

Qi has the functions of nourishing, promoting, transforming, and governing blood.

Now, his body was full of essence and vitality. As long as he exercised his Qi and blood, he could nourish and strengthen his five internal organs, skin, flesh, tendons, and veins, allowing his martial arts realm to advance by leaps and bounds.

"Pa pa pa ~"

Qiu Zhen practiced 【Medicine King Five Animal Play】 with fierce fist wind and amazing momentum, sometimes like a猛tiger, fierce and unmatched, sometimes like a mountain ape, agile and ghostly.

During the practice, his physical body quietly underwent transformation.

Two hours later, in the backyard of the facing-the-sun courtyard, the moon was bright and the stars were sparse.

Qiu Zhen sat cross-legged, focusing his gaze inward, inspecting himself. The Qiu Zhen Dharma body in his spiritual platform emitted a faint golden light, deducing something.

"The first layer of Medicine King Five Animal Play is expected to be completed in 235 days."

"It saves more than a hundred days at once."

Qiu Zhen moved his muscles and bones, clearly feeling that his strength had become stronger, his body's reaction speed had become faster, his five internal organs were harmonized, and his whole person was extremely comfortable.

Having spiritual herbs and precious medicines is different. It is too helpful for practicing martial arts.

This is like later generations, where saving up savings is a different world with a monthly income of three thousand and a monthly income of ten thousand.

Most of the monthly income of three thousand is used for necessary basic expenses, and not much money can be saved, while the money that can be saved with a monthly income of ten thousand is often not three times, but four or five times, or even ten times.

In the past, Qiu Zhen was not frugal in terms of food in order to practice martial arts, which allowed him to practice 【Medicine King Five Animal Play】 to a certain extent.

However, overall, it was still a bit slow.

"Law, Companion, Land, Wealth, none can be missing."

At this moment, Qiu Zhen finally understood the importance of the word "Wealth" in "Law, Companion, Land, Wealth."

One spiritual herb and precious medicine made his power greatly increase. If he had two more, wouldn't he be able to break through to "Martial Master" soon and stand out?

Qiu Zhen's mind moved slightly, and he immediately looked at the white fox in the courtyard who had been silently watching him practice and protecting him.

Qiu Zhen showed a smile:

"Do you have a name?"

The white fox shook its head.

"You and I are connected by Atractylodes Macrocephala. From now on, you will be called Bai Zhu (Atractylodes Macrocephala)!"

The white fox was extremely intelligent. Hearing that it was given a name, it seemed extremely happy. In excitement, it even made a dog-like bark.

"Aooo ~"

Qiu Zhen smiled:

"Bai Zhu, do you have any more of this kind of spiritual herb and precious medicine?"

Bai Zhu shook its head in shame, constantly gesticulating with its furry fox paws, telling something.

Qiu Zhen understood its meaning very quickly.

It would have eaten these kinds of spiritual herbs and precious medicines long ago when it encountered them on weekdays.

It was able to become powerful thanks to these treasures.

This "Bai Zhu" was recently found by it. It originally planned to eat it these few days, but it happened to encounter the "divine man" Qiu Zhen, so it immediately changed its mind and offered the treasure.

"So that's how it is."

Qiu Zhen was not surprised or disappointed.

On the contrary, at this moment, there was some excitement on his face.

Previously, before his pair of eyes saw the white fox, the 【Heavenly Eye】between his eyebrows had "seen" it in advance. Before the tattered package was opened, the 【Heavenly Eye】had also "seen" the treasure herb Atractylodes Macrocephala in advance.

Obviously, his intuition that day was not wrong.

His 【Heavenly Eye Vision】not only has the ability to "remotely view" with the naked eye, but also has the ability to see "spiritual objects" with the third eye between his eyebrows.

This is a very useful divine power, a treasure-hunting skill.

As an apprentice in a medicine shop, collecting herbs in the mountains is also his specialty.

The "Martial Master" he had dreamed of seemed to be within reach.

Qiu Zhen suppressed the joy in his heart and turned to look at the white fox:

"Bai Zhu, where did you pick this treasure herb?"