The Wandering Immortal

Chapter 16 Refining Elixir in an Earthenware Pot
The Guan family traveled on the official roads during the day and stayed near the post stations at night, never taking side roads or traveling at night. They did this without any major incidents for a month.

However, the journey was extremely slow, and the expenses along the way were high, with everything costing money.

Jiang Yuan and Qing He rode in the same carriage, which was quite spacious inside. Since the daytime journey was too bumpy for cultivation, Jiang Yuan told Qing He stories.

He had talked about everything from the Romance of the Three Kingdoms and Water Margin to Dream of the Red Chamber, but he dared not talk about Journey to the West, for fear that mentioning Venus would cause the old man to have a spiritual connection.

The story goes that Granny Liu visited the Grand View Garden and was teased by a group of people from the Jia family. They recited a line of poetry: "Old Liu, Old Liu, eats as much as a cow, eats a whole sow, and doesn't even look up."

Qinghe laughed so hard she almost fell over, then suddenly realized that her young husband was subtly mocking her. Along the way, it was no longer possible to hide it; the whole family knew that the eldest daughter-in-law had a particularly large appetite.

Qinghe's expression changed. "Hmph, none of those old women in the Grand View Garden are any good. They're always making fun of a poor old man!"

Qinghe's coquettishness made her even more beautiful, and Jiang Yuan was somewhat distracted, thinking that if Lin Daiyu knew how to wield the Wind and Willow Sword, she would probably look like this.

Of course, sometimes we also have to talk about serious things, such as how to rebuild the family business and what kind of business to do once we get to Lingnan.

Jiang Yuan also frankly admitted that his body was in terrible shape and that his cultivation level would not be as high as his wife's in the short term. He would have to rely on his wife to support the family for the next few years.

Qinghe was terrified, feeling that she knew nothing but writing. What should she do?
Jiang Yuan told Qinghe another story. It was about a thousand-year-old snake demon who married a mortal to repay a debt of gratitude. She used her magic to help her neighbors get rid of illnesses and disasters, and within a few years she became famous far and wide.

Qinghe was indeed very clever. "Husband, do you mean we can open a clinic and pharmacy?"

"Of course, you possess a wood-type spiritual vein and have already entered the Qi Refining stage. You are a true cultivator and can refine immortal pills, which is more than enough to cure mortals."

Qinghe naturally pestered Jiang Yuan, telling him more about medical knowledge and how to refine elixirs, etc.

Two months later, when they arrived in the mountains, several people fell ill. After all, these people had never traveled long distances before and were not used to the miasma and dampness of the mountains.

In particular, Madam Guan was very ill, weak and frail, and even showed signs of passing away.

Grandpa Guan was at a loss; even finding a doctor in the mountainous area was difficult.

Jiang Yuan could only rely on his memory to gather some herbs and brew medicine, so Qing He naturally had to follow Jiang Yuan to learn about some herbs.

After visiting several villages, Jiang Yuan discovered that his family's illness was not accidental, but rather due to a malaria epidemic in the area.

The weather in the south is hot and humid, and there are many mosquitoes in the mountains and forests. Malaria is mostly transmitted by mosquitoes.

Knowing the cause of a disease is essential for effective treatment. Malaria has plagued humanity for thousands of years, but it was not completely eradicated until the 20th century. Westerners used willow bark as medicine, while the Tang people used artemisia annua for treatment.

Both of these medicinal herbs are readily available; one of them being effective is sufficient.

Artemisia annua is easy to extract by soaking it in water and squeezing out the juice, but willow bark needs to be boiled into a medicinal liquid.

Both methods were tried and compared separately. Three days later, the stronger individuals recovered significantly, but Madam Guan remained weak.

Jiang Yuan knew that this was no longer malaria, but a serious illness that had damaged his vital energy, and could not be cured by ordinary medicine.

So he went back into the mountains to collect herbs and spread the method of using artemisia and willow bark as medicine, saving many lives and accumulating some merit.

Jiang Yuan spent two days traveling through the mountains and finally gathered eight kinds of medicinal herbs to refine the Rejuvenation Pill. However, upon returning, he faced another problem: he did not have a pill furnace.

Ordinary iron pots cannot be used for alchemy; in the end, earthenware pots must be used instead.

Jiang Yuan naturally didn't have the magical power to refine pills; he could only guide Qing He in the process.

The cultivator at the first level of Qi Refining was also trembling with fear when he tried to refine pills for the first time. He struggled for two hours, but not only did he fail, he also shattered the earthenware pot.

The explosion pierced through several miles. Fortunately, Jiang Yuan and Qing He were hiding in a secluded place refining pills with their family, so no one else was hurt. However, Jiang Yuan and Qing He were blasted and their faces were charred black, leaving them in a sorry state.

Jiang Yuan also had to comfort Qinghe, saying that it was almost done, but he hadn't quite grasped the final step of condensing the pill. He was sure he could succeed if he tried again. Actually, all that was missing was a pill furnace. If he had a proper pill furnace, he might have succeeded on the first batch of pills.

The earthenware pot was just sizzled, and the aroma has permeated the surrounding area for miles, making one feel refreshed and invigorated.

Just as Qinghe was about to refine pills again, a figure suddenly appeared behind her, who turned out to be a middle-aged Taoist nun.

Jiang Yuan thought to himself, "This Taoist nun is quite powerful. She appeared without any warning. She was probably hiding and watching from the side. It's possible that the explosion of the earthenware pot attracted her here."

Qinghe had never experienced anything like this before and was at a loss for how to deal with it.

Jiang Yuan stood up and bowed, "Greetings, Daoist Master!"

The Taoist nun flicked her whisk and returned the greeting, but ignored Jiang Yuan, moving lightly toward Qinghe. "Are you refining pills here?"

Qinghe looked towards the source of the river. "My in-laws fell seriously ill on the way here, and I... am brewing medicine."

"I see you've already entered the Qi Refining stage, but which immortal sect are you a disciple of?"

Qinghe was speechless, and still looked towards the source of the river.

Jiang Yuan slowly replied, "My wife and I are not members of the immortal sect. We just happened to receive guidance from a Taoist priest and have some knowledge of medicine."

The Taoist nun then carefully examined Jiang Yuan. His face was covered in soot, making it impossible to tell his age. He had no magical power whatsoever, so he was definitely an ordinary person.

The Taoist nun thought to herself, "This woman clearly possesses spiritual roots, so why did she marry a mortal? Could it be that his cultivation is too high for me to see?"

"Yes, that's most likely it. The man wasn't flustered at all after he noticed me, and he even stepped in front of the woman."

With this concern in mind, and knowing that wandering cultivators in the martial world dislike being questioned about their background, the nun stopped asking.

"I heard from the villagers that there were two young immortals who taught them to treat fever and chills with artemisia and willow bark. Are you two?"

Jiang Yuan cupped his hands in greeting and replied, "We two have indeed taught a few villagers."

"I see. I thought you two forgot to bring your alchemy furnace when you went out, so I'm giving you one as a token of my gratitude for saving the villagers."

The Taoist nun raised her hand and presented a purple-gold alchemy furnace, which slowly floated to Jiang Yuan's front.

Based on this teleportation technique, Jiang Yuan guessed that this Daoist nun might have a cultivation level of more than the fourth or fifth level of Qi Refining. Fortunately, she was not hostile.

"Thank you, Taoist Priest!"

"I will not disturb you two any longer, so I will take my leave now!"

The Taoist nun flicked her whisk and drifted away.

Holding the alchemy furnace, Jiang Yuan thought to himself, "This is what they call good deeds being rewarded. Someone actually came all the way here to deliver the alchemy furnace!"
Two hours later, Qinghe's first batch of pills was produced, yielding only two pills, which were of average quality, but they had a wonderfully fragrant aroma, suggesting they might have some medicinal effect.

Jiang Yuan hurriedly ran back to the post station and told Grandpa Guan that he had met a Taoist nun on the road who gave him an elixir that would surely save his mother's life.

An entire Rejuvenation Pill is certainly too much for an ordinary person to handle, so Jiang Yuan dissolved it in a bucket of water and fed his elderly mother a large bowl of the medicinal soup. The old lady just kept saying how delicious it was.

The rest of the medicinal soup was shared among the family. Jiang Yuan and Qing He also took a sip, and indeed, their mouths were full of saliva and their lips and teeth were fragrant.

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(End of this chapter)