Decoding a formula?
That was quite the skill.
Though, for now, it didn't seem very useful.
At least within the boundaries of Poyang County, there weren't any so-called secret prescriptions to speak of.
Most apothecaries already prepared their medicine in fixed portions—customers only had to take the bundles home and boil them with water themselves.
Still, since martial manuals were so tightly guarded, it only made sense that advanced medicinal formulas would also be treated as family treasures, passed down in secret.
So even if this ability wasn't useful yet, it would be sooner or later.
A skill was a skill—always worth having.
At that moment, as Chen Sanshi watched the row of earthen jars simmering over the fire, the black liquid inside no longer looked ordinary. To his eyes, each pot was a detailed list of ingredients and proportions.
He could now tell exactly how many qian or taels of each herb were needed, how many years old they should be, and whether they were to be used fresh or dried.
It was perfect timing too—he'd nearly burned through the silver Sun Li had given him.
Martial training was a bottomless pit.
From here on, he'd have to prepare his own herbs and brew his own tonics. That was the only sustainable way forward.
"Whew…"
After ten straight days of running between the garrison, the apothecary, and the wall, even someone with his endurance couldn't deny the exhaustion.
Having achieved his short-term goal, Chen Sanshi let out a long sigh and rode his White Swan horse home.
When he pushed open the door, the house was quiet.
He guessed they were doing needlework in the bedroom—and he was right.
Inside, both Gu Xinlan and Sun Li were there.
Sun Li had heard him enter and quickly tucked everything away. "Little Junior Brother, why didn't you say anything when you came in?"
"My apologies, Senior Sister Sun," Chen Sanshi said politely. "I didn't know you were here."
"Mm."
Then she suddenly remembered—this was someone else's home. "You've been working hard these days, Little Junior Brother. I won't disturb your rest any further."
She picked up the short knife resting on the table, gave a courteous bow, and left.
"Shi ge'er, look at you, covered in dust."
Gu Xinlan smiled faintly as she tidied up the sewing tools. "I'll make you something to eat."
"Alright."
Chen Sanshi's curiosity got the better of him. "What were you two sewing?"
He opened the sewing box and found handkerchiefs, embroidered shoes, and small pouches inside—some neat, others rather… chaotic.
A few pieces had tangled threads and twisted patterns that were nearly unrecognizable.
"Little Sister Li is actually a pitiful one," Gu Xinlan said softly. "She told me she never really liked martial training. But with no brothers in the family and wanting to share her father's burdens, she had no choice but to pick up the blade."
"I see."
Chen Sanshi was different.
Cultivation was tough, but he genuinely loved the feeling of growing stronger.
He spread his arms so Sister Lan'er could help him remove his armor.
Before long, exhaustion overtook him. He didn't even bother taking off his inner clothing—just collapsed onto the bed and fell asleep instantly.
He slept straight through until dawn.
After handling some affairs at the camp in the morning, Chen Sanshi headed to his old house in Swallow-Edge Village.
There, he gathered up all the spoils of war, packed them neatly, and carried them on his back as he climbed back into the mountains.
Brewing medicine at home wasn't ideal. Even if he covered the chimney, the smell would drift far. It could easily draw attention.
He needed a more hidden place.
Luckily, Tiger Head Mountain was vast and desolate, full of remote spots.
Soon, he found what he was looking for—a deep cave halfway up a cliff face on a barren ridge.
The surroundings were all rock and dust—no plants, no prey, no human tracks. And since the cave sat midway up the precipice, it was nearly invisible from below.
After confirming the safety of the spot, he began unpacking.
"These herbs altogether must be worth at least several thousand taels of silver!"
"Besides the ingredients for Blood-Replenishing Soup and Vitality-Replenishing Soup, there are plenty for Bone-Nourishing Soup and medicinal baths too."
"Enough to last me a full month!"
"If I run out, I'll just quietly borrow some from those rich lords again!"
"No way I'm going back to earning coin the hard way."
"Shame the Blood-Replenishing and Vitality-Replenishing Soups have little effect on me now. I'll save them for when they're actually useful."
Chen Sanshi spread out his equipment and began preparing his herbs.
He made ten sets each of Bone-Nourishing Soup and medicinal bath mixtures. Then, inside that cold mountain cave, he started cultivating once more.
Only when the sky grew dark did he descend the mountain and head home—bringing along a wild goat and a pair of pigeons he'd hunted for dinner.
"What's that noise?"
Even from far away, Chen Sanshi could hear the shouting and commotion coming from the garrison.
The sounds of a brawl. And… they were familiar.
"Wang Zhi? Sun Buqi?!"
He immediately dropped the game he'd brought home and sprinted toward the source of the noise.
When he arrived, he saw Sun Buqi standing in front of a courtyard gate, spear in hand, blocking the entrance.
Opposite him stood a heavyset, armor-clad officer—none other than Wang Zhi.
But the lazy, easygoing Sun Buqi of usual days was gone. His eyes burned with fury, his face twisted in rage, and even his voice trembled as he roared, "Tang Ruoshan! I thought you died! So you've been hiding here all along, crawling around like a rat!"
"This young master…"
Wang Zhi, usually sly and smooth-tongued, now looked visibly uneasy. "You must be mistaken. My name is Wang Zhi, not Tang Ruoshan."
"Bullshit!"
Sun Buqi ground his teeth so hard it sounded like stone scraping metal. "Even if you'd been burned to ashes, I'd still recognize you! Give me back my third brother's life!"
Before his words even finished echoing, his spear thrust forward with terrifying speed.
The strike came fast and sharp—like a bolt of lightning.
But Wang Zhi didn't even flinch. He drew the long mo dao from his back and raised it calmly to block. The blade intercepted the spear with a crisp clang.
"Young master," Wang Zhi said through clenched teeth, "you're… really mistaken!"
"Die!"
Sun Buqi's movements turned into a storm of spear shadows, rapid and relentless, pouring down on Wang Zhi like wind and thunder.
Yet every attack was deflected easily.
The difference in skill was obvious.
Though both were in the tempering bone stage, their levels were miles apart.
Wang Zhi didn't even strike back—just parried with smooth precision. But Sun Buqi's strength and stamina soon began to wane. His breathing grew ragged, his blood and qi faltered, and his movements slowed.
Only then did regret flicker in his eyes.
He regretted not cultivating properly.
He regretted that he couldn't kill the man he hated most.
"Tang Ruoshan! You… coward!"
"Fifteen years have passed, and you don't even dare admit your name?"
"Hiding away in a place like this—what's the point of living anymore?!"
At those words, Wang Zhi froze.
Then, with a metallic clang, he dropped the mo dao.
He didn't deny it anymore.
"Junior Brother," he said quietly, his voice rough, "go ahead. Kill me."
He closed his eyes and stood motionless, offering no defense.
"Fine! I'll kill you!"
Sun Buqi roared, raising his spear for a fatal thrust straight at the throat.
Chen Sanshi was about to intervene when a sharp, commanding voice sliced through the air.
"Stop!"
A red figure rushed onto the scene—it was Sun Li.
"Elder Sister?"
Sun Buqi froze mid-strike, the spear tip quivering inches from Wang Zhi's neck. "Elder Sister, do you see who this man is?!"
"I know."
Sun Li's voice was cold as frost. Her expression calm, but her eyes… were filled with memories.
"Tang Ruoshan," she said evenly. "Long time no see."
"Junior Sister…"
Wang Zhi—no, Tang Ruoshan—fell to his knees with a heavy thud. "Junior Sister, Junior Brother… go ahead. Take this dog's life."
But Sun Li's face remained unreadable.
"Keep your life," she said flatly. "You'll die where you belong—on the battlefield when spring comes."
"Buqi. Let's go."
"Elder Sister?"
"I said, go!"
"...Hmph!"
Sun Buqi lowered his spear with a snort and followed his sister out of the courtyard.
Tang Ruoshan remained kneeling on the ground, motionless for a long time.
Chen Sanshi didn't even need to ask.
He already had a rough idea of what had happened.
Sun Buqi had mentioned fifteen years ago—and the death of his third brother.
Fifteen years ago was the fifty-seventh year of the Yongchang Era.
That year, the Eight Great Garrisons had fought a bloody battle against the Nanxu Kingdom near the prefecture of Kangning.
The Xuanwu Garrison was completely annihilated in that campaign.
At that time, the commanding general of the Xuanwu Garrison was Tang Ruoshan.
His deputy commander—Sun Buhui.