During this time, Tan Xin and Song Mu had made their way to the nearest town that seemed big enough to have some kind of apothecary. Every other settlement they had come across were small villages that were unlikely to have anything stocked and even if they did, those were things they were unlikely to be willing to part with since they would be the only resources they had in case of sickness or injury.
Now that they finally found a suitable place, Song Mu heaved a sigh of relief. His level was high enough that he had no problem carrying Tan Xin even further on his sword but … time was running out. After getting what they needed, they still had to go back, process the ingredients, then make their way to the underground palace, and finally leave senior martial brother Zhi and the others enough time to actually implement the plan. To say that they were short on time almost seemed like an understatement with how dire their situation was.
Song Mu put away his sword, not wanting to scare any of the common people in the town. “Alright, I’ll follow your lead here. If you need help with anything, just say the word.”
Tan Xin inclined her head and walked through the streets, keeping an eye out for any store that might have what they needed. Usually, this kind of place could be found somewhere around the market square so she directly headed in that direction. Even if it wasn’t in one of the houses directly at the side, it should be one of the surrounding streets.
Soon enough, the two had made their way over. They stopped at the edge of the square and had a look around but didn’t see what they were looking for.
Tan Xin gave a hum, glanced at the streets going in the other directions, and motioned to one of them. “Let’s go there.” She didn’t have much to base any decisions on but that street seemed slightly calmer which would be a good spot for a doctor and any store affiliated with it. If they were lucky, that might indeed be the right place.
Song Mu simply nodded and followed her silently. He didn’t know much about these things. His own focus had always been on sword and spiritual arts. He hadn’t learned any auxiliary skills in a systematic manner. When it came to arrays, he knew a few, but those were all basic. During their time in the border region, he had sometimes regretted this but then, would his level be as high if he had gone a different path? It didn’t seem likely.
Just look at how Tan Xin had a low level. It wasn’t that she had a low comprehension ability or that she wasn’t diligent enough. It was simply that learning medical skills took a lot of time and practice that didn’t relate directly to your cultivation realm. To learn these things was helpful — not just to yourself but to everyone in the cultivation world — but to do so was a sacrifice not many were willing to make. Only those who were exceptionally suited to it were likely to pick this art up.
When the two walked into the street, Tan Xin quickly scanned the buildings on both sides. Halfway through, her eyes lit up and she pulled Song Mu’s sleeve. “There is a shop ahead! It doesn’t seem like it is linked to a hospital either. That’s good. It means they are more likely to sell ingredients to someone who doesn’t carry a prescription.”
Song Mu once again nodded quietly and followed along. Inwardly, he heaved a sigh of relief when Tan Xin explained though. He hadn’t thought of it before but, yes, would this kind of store even sell to everyone? Those ingredients were meant to treat illnesses, after all. Someone who wasn’t ill or wasn’t buying for somebody who wasn’t … wouldn’t that be an issue? But it seemed like this depended on the type of store it was and despite everything, they were still lucky.
Tan Xin walked into the store ahead of him and took a look around.
One whole wall was filled with draws from top to bottom, a sign about as big as her thumb attached to each of them, spelling out what could be found inside. The rest of the room held display cases where herbs and some already processed ingredients were shown. They were higher on the two other walls while the ones in the middle only reached up to her hip. Most likely, the owner was worried about somebody taking the ingredients without paying.
Tan Xin walked along the walls, looking closely at what was displayed there while going through the recipes she knew in her mind. If they were lucky, they’d be able to find everything for one of them. Otherwise, she’d have to make something up. She had learned enough that she was sure she could do it but … it was still a lot riskier. Even if it worked, she couldn’t tell how well it did without testing it. They didn’t have the time or the people to do so though. Thus, they would only be able to do it blindly, and honestly, she wasn’t sure if that was a good idea in the current situation.
She quietly sighed to herself, feeling the pressure on her shoulders. She had to do her best. No matter what, she needed to ensure that there would at least be a slight effect. Even if she couldn’t completely knock out all those disciples in one go, she still had to cause some bad effect.
Tan Xin continued to look through the whole room, her expression somber.
Song Mu followed quietly behind but his own expression was also grave. He didn’t know what any of these herbs or powders did but he did feel that he could read Tan Xin’s expression quite well and right now, it spelled out that they were in trouble.
During this time, Tan Xin and Song Mu had made their way to the nearest town that seemed big enough to have some kind of apothecary. Every other settlement they had come across were small villages that were unlikely to have anything stocked and even if they did, those were things they were unlikely to be willing to part with since they would be the only resources they had in case of sickness or injury.
Now that they finally found a suitable place, Song Mu heaved a sigh of relief. His level was high enough that he had no problem carrying Tan Xin even further on his sword but … time was running out. After getting what they needed, they still had to go back, process the ingredients, then make their way to the underground palace, and finally leave senior martial brother Zhi and the others enough time to actually implement the plan. To say that they were short on time almost seemed like an understatement with how dire their situation was.
Song Mu put away his sword, not wanting to scare any of the common people in the town. “Alright, I’ll follow your lead here. If you need help with anything, just say the word.”
Tan Xin inclined her head and walked through the streets, keeping an eye out for any store that might have what they needed. Usually, this kind of place could be found somewhere around the market square so she directly headed in that direction. Even if it wasn’t in one of the houses directly at the side, it should be one of the surrounding streets.
Soon enough, the two had made their way over. They stopped at the edge of the square and had a look around but didn’t see what they were looking for.
Tan Xin gave a hum, glanced at the streets going in the other directions, and motioned to one of them. “Let’s go there.” She didn’t have much to base any decisions on but that street seemed slightly calmer which would be a good spot for a doctor and any store affiliated with it. If they were lucky, that might indeed be the right place.
Song Mu simply nodded and followed her silently. He didn’t know much about these things. His own focus had always been on sword and spiritual arts. He hadn’t learned any auxiliary skills in a systematic manner. When it came to arrays, he knew a few, but those were all basic. During their time in the border region, he had sometimes regretted this but then, would his level be as high if he had gone a different path? It didn’t seem likely.
Just look at how Tan Xin had a low level. It wasn’t that she had a low comprehension ability or that she wasn’t diligent enough. It was simply that learning medical skills took a lot of time and practice that didn’t relate directly to your cultivation realm. To learn these things was helpful — not just to yourself but to everyone in the cultivation world — but to do so was a sacrifice not many were willing to make. Only those who were exceptionally suited to it were likely to pick this art up.
When the two walked into the street, Tan Xin quickly scanned the buildings on both sides. Halfway through, her eyes lit up and she pulled Song Mu’s sleeve. “There is a shop ahead! It doesn’t seem like it is linked to a hospital either. That’s good. It means they are more likely to sell ingredients to someone who doesn’t carry a prescription.”
Song Mu once again nodded quietly and followed along. Inwardly, he heaved a sigh of relief when Tan Xin explained though. He hadn’t thought of it before but, yes, would this kind of store even sell to everyone? Those ingredients were meant to treat illnesses, after all. Someone who wasn’t ill or wasn’t buying for somebody who wasn’t … wouldn’t that be an issue? But it seemed like this depended on the type of store it was and despite everything, they were still lucky.
Tan Xin walked into the store ahead of him and took a look around.
One whole wall was filled with draws from top to bottom, a sign about as big as her thumb attached to each of them, spelling out what could be found inside. The rest of the room held display cases where herbs and some already processed ingredients were shown. They were higher on the two other walls while the ones in the middle only reached up to her hip. Most likely, the owner was worried about somebody taking the ingredients without paying.
Tan Xin walked along the walls, looking closely at what was displayed there while going through the recipes she knew in her mind. If they were lucky, they’d be able to find everything for one of them. Otherwise, she’d have to make something up. She had learned enough that she was sure she could do it but … it was still a lot riskier. Even if it worked, she couldn’t tell how well it did without testing it. They didn’t have the time or the people to do so though. Thus, they would only be able to do it blindly, and honestly, she wasn’t sure if that was a good idea in the current situation.
She quietly sighed to herself, feeling the pressure on her shoulders. She had to do her best. No matter what, she needed to ensure that there would at least be a slight effect. Even if she couldn’t completely knock out all those disciples in one go, she still had to cause some bad effect.
Tan Xin continued to look through the whole room, her expression somber.
Song Mu followed quietly behind but his own expression was also grave. He didn’t know what any of these herbs or powders did but he did feel that he could read Tan Xin’s expression quite well and right now, it spelled out that they were in trouble.
