"You want to learn medicine?"
"Yes."
Chen Sanshi nodded. "Medicinal herbs are too expensive, and I often hunt in the mountains. If I can learn a bit of medicine, I can gather and brew herbs myself. That'll save me some silver."
"You sure have it all planned out."
Medical Officer Jiang chuckled. "Ninety-nine percent of the herbs are controlled by the martial halls. You think wild ones just grow everywhere for you to pick? Still, since you're eager to learn, I don't mind. Consider yourself an extra apprentice."
"Liuzi, teach Lord Chen how to identify herbs and explain their uses properly."
"No problem."
Liuzi, Jiang's son, followed in his father's footsteps as a doctor.
Many positions in the garrison were hereditary like that.
"Lord Chen, this herb is called horse-blood grass. It replenishes blood, but…"
immortaLiuzi patiently explained as he pointed to the herbs on the table.
Before long, Chen Sanshi was able to match what he saw with the descriptions in the medical books he'd read.
A new line appeared before his eyes.
[Skill: Medicine (Mortal) (Uninitiated)]
[Progress: 0/100]
[Effect: None]
Mortal?
So… there's an "Immortal" level above that?
Chen Sanshi was puzzled.
Everything he'd seen so far proved that this world wasn't just about martial arts—there was an overwhelming chance immortals truly existed.
If that was the case, then the Great Sheng Dynasty's founding emperor, Cao Xie, defeating more than 2,000 enemy formations single-handedly suddenly made sense.
But another question followed.
Why hadn't such people appeared again since then?
And the old emperor claimed to have dreamed of an immortal who gave him the seeds of spiritual grain—did that immortal not also teach him how to use them? Why then send people all the way to Poyang County to investigate?
Were the immortal treasures in the hands of the barbarian tribes connected to that same immortal the emperor dreamed about?
Perhaps the reason those tribes had suddenly grown bold in recent years was because they'd obtained one of those treasures!
After all, with an immortal treasure, one could easily forge a whole army of powerful martial cultivators.
Spiritual grain was everywhere.
As for lamp oil, even the smallest amount could ignite. Once the flame started, it only needed regular firewood to keep burning—it didn't require more lamp oil.
The small box he had would last a very long time.
"In the future," he thought, "I can secretly feed spiritual grain to a few talented and trustworthy subordinates."
"With that, and my Commanding Troops technique, I could build my own elite army in just a few years!"
"But what a pity! The tools aren't complete."
"If only I had the immortal formula and a vessel that could withstand high temperatures… paired with my growing medical skill…"
"The emperor's dream of immortality—couldn't I also pursue that myself?"
He let out a long breath.
'That path is far, far away…'
For now, his focus had to remain on improving his cultivation and preparing for war.
To put it bluntly—
The first goal was to survive this war.
Otherwise, all talk of immortal treasures and elite selections would mean nothing but empty dreams.
He helped in the infirmary until dusk, and his proficiency improved noticeably.
[Skill: Medicine (Mortal) (Uninitiated)]
[Progress: 35/100]
As the day ended, Chen Sanshi packed up his things to head home.
"No money left…"
He sighed helplessly.
The meridian toxin from the spiritual grain was different from the residual toxins from tonics—they could be treated at the same time.
Unfortunately, he really was broke.
Just as he was about to leave the camp, he ran into Sun Li and her younger brother.
The two looked upset, clearly having just come from a meeting with Xiang Tingchun.
"Senior Sister!"
"Perfect timing," Chen Sanshi greeted them with a smile. "Come to my place and eat together."
At the dinner table, Sun Li barely touched her chopsticks. "Little Junior Brother, what do you think about the Thousand-Household Division being sent to war?"
"No particular opinion."
Chen Sanshi's tone was calm. "Orders come from the Ministry of War. I can only obey."
"Little Junior Brother's attitude is proper," Sun Li said, though her voice carried clear displeasure. "But this war is completely pointless. The main battlefield is at the northwestern frontier—three border prefectures are enough. The rest of the territories just need to defend their cities. Why make unnecessary trouble?"
"The Crown Prince only had to say one word," Sun Buqi mumbled through a mouthful of rice, "and everyone below started fighting to snatch credit. Let them fight. It's not like we've never been in a war before."
Sun Li ignored him and turned toward the kitchen. "Sister Lan, stop working and come eat with us."
In recent days, she and Gu Xinlan had grown close.
Though Sun Li's blade techniques were fierce and her demeanor confident and capable, she wasn't all cold steel and command. In fact, she was surprisingly fond of needlework and embroidery.
During their free time, she often sat with Sister Lan, sewing and chatting about ordinary household things—though her handiwork was… questionable.
Chen Sanshi had once seen her proudly holding up an embroidered "duck," insisting it was a pair of mandarin ducks.
Only Gu Xinlan had true skill with the needle, so Sun Li studied carefully under her guidance.
And since Sister Lan was a few years older, Sun Li respectfully called her "sister," never showing the slightest trace of arrogance despite being the Grand Commander's daughter.
Even her younger brother, Sun Buqi, was modest and unassuming.
Clearly, the Sun family's upbringing was impeccable.
"Sister Lan," Sun Li asked with gentle curiosity, "your family—what happened in the capital? What crime was committed that got you exiled to the border and sold to traffickers?"
The capital?
Chen Sanshi had always known Gu Xinlan wasn't some village woman.
But he never knew her full background.
His father had chosen her at first sight—drawn by her delicate features and fair skin.
Farm girls grew up under the sun; none could stay that fair.
He never imagined she came from the capital.
Out of respect, since she never spoke of her past, he'd never asked.
Most likely, Sun Li had looked into his background and learned about Sister Lan along the way.
"Little Sister Li," Gu Xinlan said softly, pressing her lips together, "I was too young then to remember clearly. It's better not to speak of it. My family was punished as criminals. I was lucky my adoptive father saved me and raised me at home. That's the only reason I can still live with a shred of dignity today."
"I was being rude."
Sun Li quickly apologized. "If Sister Lan doesn't wish to talk about it, I won't ask again."
"Sis, I'll head back to the inn," Sun Buqi said after finishing his meal.
He and his sister had clear responsibilities—she kept watch on the martial halls within the city, while he focused on monitoring the officers and movements inside the garrison.
After dinner, Chen Sanshi didn't relax for even a moment. He drank a bowl of Vitality-Replenishing Soup and prepared to train with his spear.
"Little Junior Brother, you're still drinking tonic soup?"
Sun Li noticed right away that he was short on funds. She took out a silver note and placed it on the table. "I didn't bring much with me, only 300 taels. Take it—you'll need it for now."
"This… isn't proper," Chen Sanshi said, though his hand moved quickly to take the note.
Cultivation was a matter of life and death. There was no room for false modesty.
With 300 taels in hand, he could push his progress rapidly without interruption.
"Go on, practice," Sun Li said as she stood up, ready to join Sister Lan in the bedroom for more embroidery.
"Senior Sister, wait."
She turned, brows raised slightly.
"Tonight, I'll have to trouble you again."
"Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!"
The sound of metal striking metal rang through the courtyard.
Just as he suspected, sparring practice indeed helped him absorb the spiritual grain energy within his meridians—but it still wasn't enough.
He needed real combat.
In short—he needed to kill. And not just one or two. Many.
But where could he find that many to kill?
Soon, the day of deployment arrived.
Chen Sanshi reported early for roll call at the garrison, and under Zhao Kang's guidance, led over one hundred men out of camp.
From that day forward, he was officially in charge of guarding Poyang County's section of the Great Wall.