jdhmnovel Chapter 450 The City of Apocalypse is Full of Unpredictable Changes, and the Medicine Man from Qiand
Chapter 450 The City of Apocalypse is Full of Unpredictable Changes, and the Medicine Man from Qiand
The same moon shines on the backyard of the Wen family's ancestral home in Lingnan.
There are no insects chirping here—there are too many poisonous creatures, and ordinary insects simply cannot survive.
The courtyard was filled with all kinds of earthenware pots, bronze tripods, and medicine furnaces. The air was filled with a complex medicinal smell, sweet and fishy with a pungent odor.
Wen Yanzhao sat cross-legged in the center of the courtyard, shirtless, with a light purple mist rising around him.
That was the poisonous miasma formed when the "Thousand Spider Bone-Eating Powder" was forced out of the body by internal force. If an ordinary person got even a trace of it, their skin and flesh would rot instantly.
Wenhu Jiu squatted in front of the medicine stove, holding a palm-leaf fan in his hand, fanning the fire intermittently.
A pot of dark purple soup was simmering on the stove, bubbling and emitting a pungent, fishy smell.
"Zhao'er, this pot of 'Crimson Blood Poisonous Clam Paste' will be ready in another half an hour." Wen Hujiu yawned. "I'm telling you, don't you get tired of eating this stuff every day?"
Wen Yanzhao opened his eyes, a flash of purple light in them: "Uncle, when you were practicing the 'Bone-Rotting Palm' back then, you caught corpse worms for three months straight. Didn't you get tired of it then?"
"How can that be the same?" Wen Hujiu jumped up. "I only caught them to extract poison! You, on the other hand, swallowed them guzzling down! What are these things? Crimson Blood Poison Toad, Wild-Headed Viper Gallbladder, Ghost-Faced Spider... Ugh! -- Just hearing about them makes me nauseous!"
Wen Buping, who was grinding medicinal powder nearby, looked up and said slowly, "Hu Jiu, say less."
"In the past half month, Zhao'er's cultivation has improved by at least 20%. If he continues to eat like this, I think it's not impossible for him to reach the mid-stage of the Divine Ascension Realm by the end of the year."
Wen Hujiu pouted: "Wen Buping, you shouldn't spoil him anymore. This kid's got a big head on his shoulders at home now!"
As they were talking, the courtyard gate was pushed open, and Wen Xiaoxiao came in carrying a tray with three bowls of dark, murky medicinal soup on it.
"Brother Zhao, Grandpa sent over the catalyst for the 'Seven Emotions Soul-Stealing Powder'." The little boy's voice was clear and crisp. "Grandpa said that the new poison you tested today wasn't potent enough. It needs to be combined with the catalyst to enhance its toxicity, otherwise it's still not quite ready."
Wen Yanzhao took the bowl, tilted his head back, and gulped it down.
The medicine entered the throat and immediately transformed into a warm current that spread throughout the body.
A few breaths later, he exhaled a breath of foul air, and the purplish-black poisonous mist around him gradually dissipated.
"Xiaoxiao, did you practice your skills today?" Wen Yanzhao asked.
"I've practiced it!" Wen Xiaoxiao's eyes lit up. "Uncle Jiu taught me the third move of the 'Soul Binding Silk Manual' last time, and I can already condense three poisonous threads!"
Wen Yanzhao rubbed his head: "Not bad, not bad! But you must be careful to concentrate your energy and mind when practicing, lest you suffer a backlash that injures your body!"
"Okay—" Wen Xiaoxiao drawled, put down the tray, and skipped away.
Looking at the little figure, Wen Hujiu suddenly said, "Zhao'er, you said... Xiao Xiao's talent is also outstanding, but why doesn't he have the ability to cultivate by taking poison like you?"
Wen Yanzhao chuckled inwardly. He was a transmigrator with a system, and for a mere mortal to achieve such accomplishments was already a rare talent, one in a thousand!
As they were talking, the sound of flapping wings suddenly came from the sky.
A gray pigeon flew through the night and plummeted straight into the courtyard—it had inhaled some of the "Dream Soul Powder" powder as it flew over the rack where poisonous weeds were drying, and now it was swaying and about to fall.
Upon seeing that it was a carrier pigeon, Wen Yanzhao leaped up and caught it in mid-air.
It felt heavy in my hand, with a thin copper tube tied to my leg, on which the words "Bai Li" were engraved.
"It's the Baili family's carrier pigeon!" Wen Yanzhao landed, untied the copper tube, and pulled out the note inside.
Unfolding it reveals Baili Luochen's own handwriting:
"To my dear Wen Gong: Several years have passed since we last met, and I have missed you dearly, my in-law. I am very pleased to hear that you are in good health and that your uncle, Hu Jiu, is also well."
An urgent report from the Emperor Tianqi: Xiao Ruojin has appointed the Prince of Langya as the Grand General Protector of the Nation, granting him command of all the armies in the land, and he will soon be leading an expedition to the southwest. Scouts from the Pofeng Army have discovered that the Emperor Tianqi is currently mobilizing troops from various regions and gathering provisions and weapons.
With a great battle imminent, I hope that my in-laws will send Zhao'er back to Qiandong as soon as possible to train the medicine men and prepare them for the front line of defense against the enemy.
This is a matter of life and death, take it very seriously. —Written by Luo Chen.
The courtyard fell silent for a moment.
Wen Hu Jiu leaned over to take a look, then smacked his lips and said, "So, a war is about to break out."
Wen Buping put down the pestle, his expression grave: "Although the three thousand medicine men are formed, they have never been in actual combat, and we don't know their true fighting strength. Moreover, the method of controlling them is not yet proficient; if they lose control in battle..."
"I need to get to Qiandong City right away!" Wen Yanzhao put away the letter, looked around the backyard, and asked, "Where's Grandpa?"
"The old man went fishing; I don't know why, but he's recently become obsessed with this stuff..." Wenhujiu said. "Should we ask him to read the letter?"
"I'll go tell them!" Wen Yanzhao put away the letter, channeled a few strands of true energy into the carrier pigeon that had been poisoned by the Dream Soul Powder, and after a moment the pigeon slowly woke up. Wen Yanzhao then released the pigeon out of the mansion.
In the front hall, Wen Lin had just returned from fishing on the Luan River outside the city.
Seeing her grandson come in, she put down her fishing rod and the empty fish basket: "Zhao'er, what are you rushing off to?"
Wen Yanzhao handed over the letter: "Grandpa, I have to return to Qiandong City. Your old in-laws have sent a letter saying that Tianqi City will be sending troops soon..."
After reading it, Wen Lin remained silent for a long time before slowly saying, "What's meant to come will come."
"Grandpa, I'll be leaving for Qiandong tomorrow," Wen Yanzhao said. "I've mastered the art of medicine. The rest will only show its power in actual combat!"
Wen Lin looked at him, her eyes filled with reluctance, but finally nodded:
"Go, go, you are destined for great things! But you must remember three things:"
First, although the medicine-wielding humans are powerful, they are ultimately evil beings and should not be killed indiscriminately; second, the battlefield is dangerous, and self-preservation is paramount; third…
The old man paused, then lowered his voice: "If things truly reach a point where there is no way out, retreat to Lingnan. The Wen family will always be your fallback plan."
Wen Yanzhao's nose tingled, and he knelt down, lifting his robe: "Grandson has remembered."
"Get up." Wen Lin helped him up, touched Wen Yanzhao's hair and said, "Your parents passed away early, and among the descendants of the Wen family, you are the most promising. I believe that my grandson, Wen Lin, will surely conquer the world and make our Wen family famous for eternity!"
With tears in his eyes, Wen Yanzhao said, "Grandson will certainly live up to Grandpa's expectations!"
That evening, the Wen family hosted a farewell banquet.
During the meal, Wenhu drank heavily and became quite drunk, holding his nephew's hand and rambling on and on:
"Zhao'er, when you go to Qiandong and see your aunt, please give her my regards... Also, when you see that boy Dongjun, tell him that his uncle misses the wine he brewed..."
Wen Buping silently slipped three brocade pouches to Wen Yanzhao: "The red one is 'Crimson Rainbow,' the blue one is 'Azure Blood Toad Venom,' and the black one is 'Seven Emotions Soul-Stealing Powder.' I've prepared enough. Remember to eat them on time on your way back. Although they can't help you break through your bottleneck, this is Uncle Ping's heartfelt wish!"
Wen Xiaoxiao also came to see him off, handing him a bag of poisonous herbs she had dried herself: "Brother Zhao, these are 'bone-corroding herbs' that I planted myself. Their toxicity is... alright, right? You can grind your teeth when you're bored..."
Wen Yanzhao accepted them one by one, a warm feeling welling up in his heart.
This is home. No matter how far you go, there will always be someone waiting for you when you turn back.
At dawn the next day, Wen Yanzhao bid farewell to his family and led his horse out the door.
As dawn breaks, the mountains of Lingnan appear and disappear in the thin mist.
Wen Lin and his family saw them off at the door. The old man patted his grandson on the shoulder and said only one sentence:
We're waiting for you to come back!
The sound of hooves rose, and the figure in the green robe and white horse gradually moved away, disappearing into the distance at the end of the ancient Lingnan road.
Wen Lin stood in front of the door, motionless for a long time.
Wen Hu helped his father up and said softly, "Father, let's go back."
"Go back!" Wen Lin turned around, his old eyes blurry.
After taking a few steps, he suddenly turned back, looked north, and muttered to himself:
"The world is about to descend into chaos again. My old in-law didn't get to enjoy his later years much before another war broke out..."
Warming a pot of wine and gazing northwest, it was as if he were responding to his father's words, or perhaps talking to himself:
"In the end, the fate of this world rests on the shoulders of young people like Zhao'er and Dongjun!"
……