novellaaa Chapter 30 Unexpected Gain
Chapter 30 Unexpected Gain
The waiting time felt exceptionally long.
Yang Jin forced himself to calm down and practice the "Furnace Breathing Technique" to regulate his breathing and calm his mind, but his mind was always involuntarily drawn to the exploration underground.
About an hour later, Atu finally sent back a message!
His thoughts carried a slight weariness from completing the mission, as well as... a clear surge of excitement!
"Found it...very deep...fork in the road...behind the stone wall...empty...smells...metallic...smells nice grass..."
Yang Jin's spirits lifted: "Is there any danger? Is anyone around?"
"No... It's very quiet... There are only very small insects..." Atu confirmed.
"Take me there! Carefully clear a temporary path for me, avoiding areas that might collapse."
Yang Jin made a decisive decision.
He quietly got up, changed into darker clothes that were easier to move in, took his tools and tinder, whispered a greeting to Chen Shan, and then, guided by Atu, quietly left the blacksmith shop.
Led by Atu, Yang Jin quietly entered the underground through another extremely hidden mountain crevice, proceeding along the intricate but safe abandoned side passages that Atu had already scouted out.
In the darkness, relying on the stone skin's senses and Atu's guidance, he darted through the maze like a fish.
After walking for almost half an hour, passing through several narrow gaps that required turning sideways to pass, and bypassing a dangerous area with seepage, Atu finally stopped in front of a stone wall that looked no different from the other rock walls.
The stone wall was covered with slippery moss, but with A-Tu's perception and Yang Jin's careful touch, they could find that the edge of a rock near the bottom had a slightly larger gap and its color was slightly different from the surrounding area.
"It's here... there's nothing behind it..." Atu relayed the message.
Yang Jin took a deep breath, pressed his hands against the rock, his blood and qi surging beneath the stone's surface. He combined this with the "Furnace Breathing Technique" and shouted, "Open!"
"Click...click..."
He slowly pushed the rock aside, revealing a narrow opening behind it, just big enough for one person to bend down and enter. A stuffy but not polluted air rushed out, carrying a faint metallic rust smell and... a faint medicinal fragrance!
Yang Jin was overjoyed and squeezed inside.
The cave is not large, about the size of an ordinary room, and it was obviously carved out by human hands and then carefully concealed.
By the light of the tinderbox, he could see several boxes piled up in one corner of the cave, but there were fewer than he had expected.
The Sun family has been ravaging Heishan'ao for so many years, their belongings are definitely more than just these few boxes.
Yang Jin guessed that this was just one of the locations where Sun Mancang hid his treasure.
However, after tonight, all of these will be his.
A wooden box of moderate size contained neatly stacked silver ingots, amounting to about three to five hundred taels, and several dozen taels of loose gold.
This should be part of Sun Mancang's working capital for emergencies or bribery, hidden here in case of unforeseen circumstances.
The other, smaller wooden box contained some jade ornaments, gold hairpins, and a few small antiques in decent but not top-quality condition, worth about one or two thousand taels of silver.
Clearly, most of the Sun family's wealth and valuables must be hidden in a more secretive or secure place.
Yang Jin's gaze fell on a tightly sealed iron box wrapped in oilcloth in the corner.
He carefully opened the oilcloth and the iron box, and a much richer and purer medicinal fragrance immediately filled the air, which greatly invigorated him!
The inside of the iron box was lined with moisture-proof oil paper, and two jade boxes were placed securely inside.
Upon opening the first jade box, one finds a crimson herb, resembling a lingzhi mushroom and radiating a warm aura—the "Crimson Blood Ganoderma," approximately thirty to forty years old. This is an excellent remedy for replenishing qi and blood, strengthening muscles and bones, and is particularly effective for martial artists in the Skin Refining Realm.
The second jade box contained a fruit about the size of a pigeon egg, with a pale golden color and faint cloud-like patterns on its surface—the "Golden-Patterned Fruit." It was about thirty or forty years old, and its main function was to strengthen the body's foundation and nourish the internal organs. It was also helpful in stabilizing one's cultivation level and breaking through minor bottlenecks.
This Crimson Blood Ganoderma and this Golden Pattern Fruit are absolutely invaluable resources for Yang Jin right now, like sending charcoal in snowy weather!
Their value may not be as great as the sum of the gold, silver and jade ornaments in the box, but for Yang Jin, who urgently needs to improve his strength, they are more practical and urgent!
He hurriedly summoned the mountain cauldron, wanting it to absorb the essence of the earth veins within the precious medicine.
However, the mountain cauldron showed no reaction to the two precious herbs... No earth vein essence?!
That shouldn't be the case. Logically speaking, precious medicines are natural treasures nurtured by nature, so there's no reason why they wouldn't contain the essence of the earth's veins.
Yang Jin tried twice more and confirmed that the mountain cauldron had no effect on the precious medicine. He could only carefully hide the two jade boxes close to his body and turn his gaze to the other two wooden boxes.
Taking these valuables now would easily attract attention, while the precious medicine is small in size, easy to hide, and can be immediately converted into strength.
After thinking it over carefully, he picked up the two wooden boxes and went to the stream where he had fallen in earlier. He sank the boxes to the bottom of the water, and with Atu's help, he erased any trace of his presence and quietly returned the way he came.
When I returned to the blacksmith's shop, the sky was already beginning to lighten.
Chen Shan had clearly not slept all night and was waiting in the shop.
Seeing Yang Jin return safely and take out the two jade boxes, even Chen Shan, with his composure, couldn't help but show a hint of surprise in his eyes.
"The Crimson Blood Ganoderma is about thirty-five years old. The Golden-Veined Fruit is about forty years old. The quality is decent, and the medicinal potency is sufficient. These are exactly what you need at this stage." Chen Shan nodded. "Sun Mancang does have some insight, knowing that these things are more useful than gold and silver in critical moments. He must have even better things hidden elsewhere, but these gains are already an unexpected surprise."
"Uncle Chen, how should these medicines be used?" Yang Jin humbly asked for advice.
Chen Shan pondered for a moment and said, "If it were a complete Crimson Blood Mushroom and Golden Pattern Fruit, their medicinal power would be enough to help you break through to the mid-stage of the Skin Refining Realm and greatly shorten the time needed to advance to the late stage. Currently, medicinal materials are scarce, and purchasing in large quantities would inevitably cause trouble. I can only use what's available to prepare a 'Crimson Blood and Golden Pattern Fruit Soup,' using these two precious herbs as the main ingredients, supplemented with a few common herbs, to make a medicinal bath. Do it twice, three days apart, and combine it with your breathing techniques and stance training for absorption. This should allow you to break through to the mid-stage of the Skin Refining Realm within a few days, and your foundation will also be significantly strengthened."
"Whether you can break through to the mid-stage peak in one fell swoop depends on your absorption and luck. But at the very least, it will allow your strength to rise to another level."
Upon hearing this, Yang Jin was filled with anticipation.
Mid-stage Skin Refining Realm! Combined with his existing Stone Skin, armor, and martial arts skills, his combat power will experience a qualitative leap!
"I will do my best!" Yang Jin said solemnly.
"Okay." Chen Shan said no more. "You do as usual during the day. I'll go prepare the supplementary medicine and bath utensils. Tonight will be the first medicinal bath."
For the rest of the day, Yang Jin focused on his work, hammering and forging iron, silently practicing his breathing techniques to adjust himself to his optimal state.
Chen Shan went out and brought back the necessary common auxiliary medicines. He also carefully processed the Crimson Blood Ganoderma and Golden Vein Fruit, retaining the most essential parts for medicinal use.
Night fell as expected in the backyard of the blacksmith's shop.
A large, somewhat worn bath tub was placed on a makeshift stove, steam rising from the tub and filling it with the aroma of herbs.
Under Chen Shan's guidance, the fiery medicinal power of the Crimson Blood Ganoderma and the warm and nourishing energy of the Golden Vein Fruit, along with several auxiliary herbs, were perfectly integrated into the boiling medicinal soup, presenting a magnificent interplay of crimson and gold.
"Go in, guard your mind, and guide the medicinal power," Chen Shan instructed in a deep voice.
Yang Jin took off his clothes, took a deep breath, and stepped into the boiling medicinal soup.
In an instant, the scorching and pure medicinal power, like countless tiny fire snakes, rushed into the body through the pores!
A sharp pain struck! It felt as if my entire body was being repeatedly hammered in a furnace!
But he was prepared. He gritted his teeth and immediately activated the "Furnace Breathing Technique," while visualizing the demonic ape "rooting" itself, attempting to incorporate this violent medicinal power into his own blood circulation, guiding it to temper his skin and nourish his muscles and bones.
However, just as he was fully guiding the medicinal power, the mysterious mountain cauldron that was dormant deep in his sea of consciousness suddenly trembled slightly!
Immediately afterwards, Yang Jin clearly "saw" that not all of the crimson gold medicinal power that had penetrated his body was absorbed by his body.
About 60% of the essence, when flowing through certain meridians or acupoints, seemed to be drawn by an invisible force, quietly breaking away from the original blood and qi circulation, transforming into strands of purer and more condensed crimson-gold energy, which silently flowed into the sea of consciousness and were absorbed by the ancient mountain cauldron!
[Mixed energy containing the essence of ley line life detected... Transforming...]
[Earth's Essence +0.1... +0.08... +0.12...]
The surface of the mountain cauldron shimmered with a subtle light, like rain after a long drought, conveying a delicate sense of satisfaction.
The remaining 40% of the medicinal power, after being absorbed by the mountain cauldron, continued to be integrated into his blood and qi under Yang Jin's guidance, tempering his skin and membranes.
What's even more amazing is that the remaining medicinal power after being "filtered" by the mountain cauldron seems to have become milder and easier for his body to absorb and control!
The medicinal power, which was originally expected to take two hours to barely absorb and would result in a lot of waste, was now being digested by him with astonishing efficiency!
The golden-red color of the medicinal soup in the bucket faded at a speed visible to the naked eye!
As the medicinal properties continued to wash over him, the stone skin on his body became even denser, with a faint metallic sheen in its dark yellow hue, and his blood and qi surged and grew stronger like boiling water!
In just one hour, the medicinal liquid in the bucket had become crystal clear, and all the medicinal power had been absorbed!
Yang Jin suddenly opened his eyes, his eyes gleaming with a sharp light, and exhaled a long, hot breath carrying the fragrance of medicine.
He stood up, water droplets sliding down his increasingly defined and powerful body.
He could clearly feel that the toughness of the skin membrane, as well as the amount and quality of qi and blood, had significantly and dramatically improved!
He is not far from the mid-stage of the Skin Refining Realm, and it can even be said that he is just one step away!
"This...how is this possible?!"
Chen Shan, who had been standing by and closely monitoring the changes in the medicine's effects, was now filled with disbelief and shock!
He stared intently at the clear bathtub, then looked at Yang Jin, who was now full of energy and whose aura had clearly grown stronger. His withered fingers trembled slightly.
"Ordinary martial artists, even with the aid of medicinal baths, would be lucky to absorb 30% of such aged medicinal herbs! 50% would be considered exceptionally gifted! Even in my prime, my absorption rate barely reached 60%!" Chen Shan's voice was dry and filled with extreme confusion. "You... the speed at which you absorbed the medicinal power, and the clarity of this medicinal soup... you... you almost completely absorbed the medicinal power?! This... this is illogical!"
He looked at Yang Jin as if he were a monster: "Even with certain legendary special physiques, or by cultivating top-tier body-refining techniques, the absorption rate could never reach such an astonishing level! Kid, just what are you...?"
Yang Jin understood immediately; this was clearly the effect of the mountain cauldron.
The mountain cauldron can not only absorb pure "earth vein essence" ores, but also extract the most original and essential parts of these precious medicines containing the essence of earth vein creatures and make them its own.
The mountain cauldron does not plunder, but rather "purifies" and "stores" the food first, absorbing only about 60% of the most refined part. The remaining 40% undergoes some kind of "purification" or "harmonization," making it easier for the host to absorb, with an efficiency of almost 100%!
This is equivalent to him obtaining 100% of the medicinal power of the precious medicine (40% is directly absorbed, and 60% is converted into the essence of the earth veins for storage and future use), and the absorption process is faster, gentler, and with very little waste!
This is simply an incredible cultivation aid!
Faced with Chen Shan's surprised and uncertain gaze, Yang Jin couldn't explain the existence of the mountain cauldron, and could only attribute the cause to the "fortuitous encounter" again: "Uncle Chen, I'm not quite sure either. Ever since I accidentally ate that Vermilion Fruit and then ate those strange beasts in the mine, my body's absorption of the essence of these medicinal herbs has become particularly...smooth."
Chen Shan was skeptical. He circled Yang Jin twice, then grabbed his wrist to examine his blood and qi. He found that Yang Jin's blood and qi were vigorous and pure, with a solid foundation. There was no weakness or abnormality. It was indeed a sign that he had perfectly absorbed the medicinal power.
"How strange... how bizarre..." Chen Shan muttered to himself, ultimately attributing it to the physical mutation brought about by the unknown "Vermilion Fruit," which was beyond his comprehension.
"Perhaps, it really is some kind of rare treasure that can greatly improve one's absorption talent... You kid, you really got lucky."
He took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in his heart, and looked at Yang Jin with a complicated expression: "If that's really the case... then the effects of your two medicinal baths have probably far exceeded my expectations. I originally thought it would at most help you reach the peak of the mid-stage of the Skin Refining Realm, but now it seems..."
A glint flashed in Chen Shan's eyes, and he said decisively, "After two medicinal baths, you will definitely be able to steadily step into the peak of the mid-stage of the Skin Refining Realm! Even... there's a very high chance you'll break through to the late-stage of the Skin Refining Realm! At that time, with just your physical defense and strength, you'll be able to directly contend with ordinary early-stage Flesh Refining Realm martial artists!"
Upon hearing this, Yang Jin felt a surge of excitement.
Late stage of the Skin Refining Realm! That will be a qualitative leap! Combined with the Mountain Splitting Technique, his combat ability will be incomparable to what it was before!
"Thank you for your help, Uncle Chen!" Yang Jin bowed deeply.
Chen Shan waved his hand, a genuine smile and anticipation appearing on his tired face: "It's your good fortune. Make the most of it. The second medicinal bath is in three days. During this time, consolidate what you've gained and don't slack off."
"yes!"
Yang Jin clenched his fist, feeling the surging power within his body and the slightly warm mountain cauldron in his sea of consciousness, which seemed to be "eating" quite content.
The precious medicine hidden by the Sun family became a stepping stone for his advancement, and unexpectedly revealed another wonderful use of the mountain cauldron.
This cycle of cause and effect is truly mysterious.