Lastly, Lü Zhong didn’t forget to make a trip to the grand market.

The Vein Tempering Formula was meant for medicinal baths, and preparing one was quite troublesome. While not as complex as Alchemy—which involved fusing and transforming dozens, even hundreds, of types of Medicinal Spiritual Qi—it still wasn’t a task just anyone could handle.

At the very least, one needed to understand some medical principles and the basic methods for harmonizing Medicinal Spiritual Qi.

Every trade has its experts, and professional matters should be left to professionals.

Lü Zhong was busy with Talismans and the Array Dao, leaving him no time to focus on anything else.

Therefore, he needed to hire a Medicine Boy.

A Medicine Boy was a type of profession, somewhat similar to an Alchemy Boy. They typically learned the basics of the Alchemy Dao through self-study or by apprenticing under a master, giving them the fundamental ability to identify Pill Formulas.

After asking around, he found there were many kinds of Medicine Boys.

Some could serve as concubines, while others were professional Medicine Boys trained for apothecaries. The prices varied drastically depending on whether they had cultivation, showing that the classifications were quite detailed.

Lü Zhong’s requirements were simple: the person just needed to be able to read prescriptions and understand basic Pill Formulas.

After looking around, he selected a mortal Medicine Boy with no cultivation, whose price was quite reasonable. This saved him nearly seventy percent of the Spirit Stones he would have spent on a cultivator. The girl had a pretty appearance, at least she wasn’t unpleasant to look at, and she was young. ’She probably doesn’t have too many ulterior motives,’ he thought. ’She should be easy to manage.’

He asked the Medicine Boy, whose name was Xia Lan, a few questions, and she answered them all clearly and logically.

"The Seven Vein Flower... due to the different medicinal properties of its parts, the flower and leaves must first be prepared with realgar wine that has been cellared for ten years. This removes their yin-cold medicinal properties. At the same time, the root and stem must be sliced. If conditions permit, they can be air-dried in the shade in a place with dense Spiritual Qi for an even better effect..."

He asked her about seven different herbs in succession, and Xia Lan answered every question without a single mistake.

Only then did Lü Zhong nod in satisfaction and call for the Shopkeeper.

"She’s the one. Bring the indenture contract."

Buying the Medicine Boy outright was considerably more expensive than leasing, but he considered the fact that he owned a shop. Even if he had no immediate use for her later, he could always send her to work in the Talisman Shop.

After paying fifty Spirit Stones, Xia Lan was his.

He picked up the indenture contract and confirmed that the aura left on it was indeed the girl’s.

This step was crucial. To maintain order, the Lingyue Sect had stipulated that the illicit sale of people was a serious crime.

If he were caught in such a situation, even though he was a Foundation Establishment True Cultivator, he would inevitably be "invited" for a trip to the Law Enforcement Hall. He would then have to pay a sum of at least four-digits in Spirit Stones to get out of it.

Therefore, being extra careful was necessary.

Lü Zhong took her back to Immortal Intent Square, buying a batch of tools and utensils on the way. These were all necessities for preparing medicine, such as grinders, mortars, and earthenware pots, as well as a dozen or so red clay stoves for decocting herbs.

As for firewood, he didn’t want to fill the courtyard with smoke and fire. He planned to set up a simple fire-starting Prohibition himself to directly catalyze Spirit Stones into flames for decocting the medicine. This would also make it easy to control the heat, saving a lot of manual labor—after all, he had only bought this one Medicine Boy.

After bringing her back, Lü Zhong gave her some instructions and then returned to the rear courtyard.

According to the Jade Vein Technique, the skill had to be activated during the medicinal bath. This meant he needed to familiarize himself with the energy circulation routes in advance. Fortunately, after so many years of cultivating Immortal Dao Techniques, he had long since memorized the eight meridians of the Minor Circulation by heart. He just needed to get accustomed to the new technique’s circulation method.

He spent the time studying the technique until the middle of the month arrived.

"Master, the medicinal liquid is ready!" Li Hejun called out sweetly from outside.

Hearing this, Lü Zhong rose and went to a side room in the Central Courtyard. The room had been tidied and arranged to serve as the place for his medicinal baths. In the center stood a wooden barrel, tall enough to fit a person.

The room was filled with a pungent medicinal aroma.

Bai Ling, who had a cultivation base, was fine. The others, however, were choked by the fumes until their eyes streamed with tears, despite covering their noses and mouths with silk scarves. Every one of them had a flushed face, a testament to the liquid’s potency.

BUBBLE... BUBBLE...

The viscous, ghastly green medicinal liquid was constantly bubbling.

Lü Zhong dipped his hand in to test the liquid and found it to be both scalding and sticky; he could pull it into threads between his fingers.

"Ma-Master, can you really soak in this?" Li Hejun asked, watching from the side. ’If he actually gets in, he’ll probably be stewed alive,’ she thought, unable to keep from worrying.

"It’s fine," Lü Zhong replied. "For a cultivator, it’s just right."

He dismissed the others, leaving only Bai Ling in the room to attend to him. With her help, he removed his clothes and entered the medicinal barrel without hesitation, immediately letting out a groan.

There was no other reason; the sensation was simply too intense.

The Sinking Yin Lotus was supposed to have a neutralizing effect, mitigating the negative properties of the medicinal liquid.

Lü Zhong had originally wondered if he could save money by omitting that one ingredient. After all, a single stalk of Sinking Yin Lotus was expensive. Due to its scarcity, a hundred-year-old specimen could sell for as high as three hundred Spirit Stones, which accounted for ten percent of the formula’s total cost.

’But now it seems,’ he thought, ’this is not an expense I can afford to spare.’

’There’s another important reason: I still have the Spirit Forging Fire in my body!’ Lü Zhong mentally noted this lesson. At the same time, he activated the Jade Vein Technique, channeling the medicinal power that had seeped into his body toward the meridians of the Minor Circulation.

Instantly, a sensation like a torrent of fire washed over him.

At that moment, his entire body turned bright red, just like a cooked shrimp.

One Minor Circulation after another, his meridians were gradually tempered and protected by the power of the Vein Tempering Formula. A change was beginning, but it wasn’t obvious. It would take at least a hundred such baths to see any significant effect.

’I really wish this medicine was fake!’

Lü Zhong gritted his teeth, continuing to endure the agony.

The first medicinal bath always had the best effect. If he could endure it, it might even have a slight effect of cleansing his meridians and marrow. This was specially noted in the Cultivation Technique’s description; in other words, it could subtly improve his innate aptitude.