Chapter Seven: A Roundabout Rescue for the Shop

Chen Xuan focused his attention on the art of alchemy.

There were indeed quite a few useful pill recipes here… such as the Longevity Elixir, Rejuvenation Water, and the Mighty Pill—just the names alone suggested great commercial potential. Take the Mighty Pill, for instance: according to alchemical texts, it could instantly increase a person’s strength by five to six times. If a weightlifter took one, their records would be unimaginable.

As for the Longevity Pill, a miraculous elixir capable of genuinely extending life, it would undoubtedly spark a frenzy among the wealthiest magnates.

However, the required ingredients were incredibly diverse.

Things like Celestial Spirit Flower, Moonvine, Dragon’s Blood Herb… none of these existed here.

This was quite reasonable.

The two worlds clearly differed, so it was no wonder their formulas didn’t overlap.

But that didn’t mean alchemy was useless.

It was essentially a specialized discipline—its fundamental logic was to adapt to local conditions and prescribe accordingly. If the materia medica didn’t include certain herbs, one could simply add them.

Chen Xuan rummaged through a tea cabinet for a while and found a pack of goji berries, then popped two into his mouth.

Indeed… the core skill in alchemy was tasting myriad herbs!

By putting them in his mouth, Liu Shuyue could roughly discern their elemental properties and medicinal effects. Now that this ability was fully his own, he should be able to do the same.

The results confirmed his guess.

“Hmm… Three parts Yang Blaze, one part Metal Fracture. No medicinal nature, no spiritual essence… medicinal value ranks as low-grade auxiliary material.”

The moment he crushed the goji berries, Chen Xuan immediately understood their properties.

“No medicinal nature” meant it couldn’t serve as a main ingredient.

“No spiritual essence” meant it was basically unusable for pill refinement.

Though goji berries didn’t qualify, at least he knew the method worked.

With the plan set, Chen Xuan immediately hailed a car and went to the largest pharmacy near his residential complex—Hundred Herbs Hall.

This shop was located beside an integrative Chinese and Western medicine hospital, right on a bustling street. Six stone lions guarded the entrance, and the building itself boasted red bricks and green tiles. Incense smoke wafted near the censer, exuding an imposing atmosphere. Inside, the central hall featured a display area with over a thousand kinds of Chinese herbs arranged neatly in glass boxes, clean and aesthetically pleasing. Surrounding them were rows of chestnut-colored wooden cabinets where clerks fetched medicines.

The pharmacy was quite busy; at a glance, at least thirty or forty customers were present, with long lines at both the cashier and the decoction room.

“Hello, do you have a prescription?” a sales assistant greeted him with a smile.

“No,” Chen Xuan shook his head. “Is a prescription absolutely required to buy medicine?”

The assistant looked puzzled but remained polite. “Otherwise, we can’t let patients mix their own herbs, right? If you’re unsure which medicine to take, you can consult our in-house doctor.”

“Well… can I try tasting some?”

This time the assistant was taken aback. “You mean, try a pack to see its effect?”

“I want to taste the raw herbs themselves… like those in the boxes.”

The smile vanished from the assistant’s face. “You must be joking. Herbs need to be decocted before consumption. Eating them raw can cause poisoning.”

Chen Xuan wasn’t too disappointed; he expected it wouldn’t be so easy.

“Then can I buy just one piece of each?”

“Sorry, we can’t price herbs that way.”

“Alright then, I’ll just look around myself.”

After saying this, Chen Xuan moved aside and pretended to admire the rows of cabinets.

After about five minutes, the assistant stopped paying attention and turned to help other customers. Knowing the moment had come, Chen Xuan raised his right hand and lightly placed it in front of a cabinet labeled “Angelica Root.” Then, curling his middle finger slightly, he pressed his fingertip against the cabinet and silently unleashed his Spirit Sword Technique!

A barely perceptible white light shot from his fingertip, effortlessly piercing through the one-centimeter thick wood and entering the cabinet. This sword energy was about as thick as an injection needle, leaving no visible damage on the surface. It extended forward until it touched and pierced a piece of herb. Since the sword energy was hollow, it naturally scooped out a small portion.

Chen Xuan withdrew his finger, and a fragment of Angelica Root smaller than a sesame seed slipped through the hole into his palm.

Since pricing by piece was impossible, such a tiny amount could only be considered negligible loss.

Glancing around the hall, Chen Xuan saw that no one had noticed his sleight of hand.

Though small, the sample was enough for tasting.

Chen Xuan lingered at the cabinets for twenty minutes, sampling more than thirty kinds of Chinese herbs.

To his disappointment, not a single one met the standards for alchemy. None possessed any spiritual essence, and their medicinal nature was nearly nonexistent—at best, they could serve as minor elements for balancing the five elements.

How could this be?

Chen Xuan understood the lack of spiritual essence—it was recorded in alchemical texts that spiritual herbs absorbed the essence of sun and moon and were longevity treasures, some so old they had even attained consciousness. But the herbs in the shop were dried and processed, their spiritual energy naturally dissipated.

But the absence of medicinal nature was unexpected.

It wasn’t that Hundred Herbs Hall sold fakes—these herbs were certainly suitable for decoction and medicinal use—but they failed alchemical evaluation.

“Still deciding?” the assistant returned, somewhat impatient. “Maybe try the neighboring shop—they allow tasting.”

This was basically shooing him away.

Chen Xuan ignored her tone and left the pharmacy. On the street, he glanced at the next store—and couldn’t help but laugh.

Next door was a fruit shop.

The assistant really thought he was a fool.

After chuckling, Chen Xuan suddenly paused. After some thought, he entered the fruit shop and pointed to a cut watermelon. “May I try this?”

“Sure, toothpicks are on the table,” the clerk replied absentmindedly.

He took a piece of watermelon and savored it. To his surprise, his tongue registered corresponding feedback—two parts Water element, one part Wood element; no medicinal nature, but a hint of spiritual essence.

Of course! He had been wrong from the start!

Suddenly enlightened, Chen Xuan realized that the herbs sold in pharmacies were selected according to this world’s medical experience, whereas the alchemical tasting method used an entirely different set of criteria. By focusing only on prepared herbs, he had unintentionally limited his ability.

Any edible plant or fruit might hold potential for alchemy!

If combined with the conditions of freshness and longevity… the right place to search was not a pharmacy, but the diverse natural wilderness!

Nearby, there was just such a place: Mount Lu.

This mountain was somewhat famous, with protected vegetation and trees, including some ancient trees thousands of years old. It was also a scenic area, making climbing convenient—no need to risk life and limb like ancient herbalists venturing into remote wilderness for rare herbs.

Without hesitation, Chen Xuan took a car to Mount Lu’s foot, then wandered along the winding asphalt road, picking flowers, grass, vines, bark, and leaves—anything plant-related went into his mouth. Of course, to respect conservation rules, he only took tiny amounts, no larger than a fingernail.

“Mom… that person’s eating grass!” a little girl exclaimed, tugging her mother’s hand.

“Shh!” the woman quickly pulled the child away. “Be careful, that person’s crazy.”

Chen Xuan could only laugh and cry.

But his curiosity was fully ignited; no glances could deter him.

He tasted plants the entire day.

Only when night fully fell at 8:30 did he find a quiet roadside spot and stand still.

The next moment, he was back inside that mysterious little shop.

What a forced check-in…

At least it saved him the fare for the return trip.

Chen Xuan emptied his day’s harvest onto the table—two water bottles stuffed with leaves, and a few crawling insects visible at the bottom. The leaves came from camphor trees, ginkgo trees, and some roadside wild grasses he couldn’t name. None were rare, but they met the medicinal nature requirements for alchemy. He also made an additional discovery: even among apricot tree leaves, the quality varied; leaves from one tree might be useful, but not those from another.

He rubbed his hands together excitedly. Now, with the materia ready, he could finally begin refining pills!