Just when Gongyi Tianheng's mood became complex due to those medicinal recipes, Gu Zuo finished flipping through the two ancient texts off to the side. In a soft voice, he exclaimed: “This one!”

Tianheng abruptly raised his head.

Gu Zuo was grinning ear to ear and spread out >, presenting it to his patron: “Young master Tianheng, look at this. Don't these symptoms resemble yours?”

Tianheng's heart began to jump with excitement, but he maintained a calm gaze nonetheless.

Sure enough, he finally saw a recipe.

[The Eight Meals of the Five Essences]

1st Taste: Heart Nourishing Meal

2nd Taste: Lung Nourishing Meal

3rd Taste: Liver Nourishing Meal

4th Taste: Spleen Nourishing Meal

5th Taste: Kidney Nourishing Meal

6th Taste: Meal of the Five Viscera [1]

7th Taste: Meal of the Six Bowels [2]

8th Taste: Meal of Organic Harmony

Patient Diagnosis: Weakened meridians, imbalance of the five elements, inadequate organs.

Medicinal Effect: Slowly nourish the internal organs, strengthen the meridians, repair any deficiencies, and diminish pain.

Derivative Effect of the Disease: Initial Stage of the Tiandu Body [3] (Note: extremely rare).

Didn't “weakened meridians and inadequate organs” precisely describe Gongyi Tianheng's current predicament? But this alone wasn't enough. The meridian blockages were his number one priority.

However, this wasn't the only thing he looked at. After he read over the prescription, he searched for the derivative effect “Tiandu Body” in the book's case-studies for an explanation.

Afterwards, he couldn't help but to be filled with excitement. He wanted to quickly show this to his patron.

Tianheng's rigid gaze followed the brief couple of sentences, and his heart grew fervent.

[The Tiandu Body: wondrous cunning, un.o.bstructed senses [4], in harmony with the qi energy of heaven and earth, and consequently suffers the envy of heaven. Those who possess this body are Xiantian at birth [5], but the meridians are weakened and cultivating is impossible. As one ages, the qi energy of heaven and earth will cause blockages. At twenty years in age, the circulation of qi and blood will be obstructed and the person will die. If one can harness the Tiandu Body, it's possible to rise above humanity.]

These symptoms were completely genuine and perfectly fit Gongyi Tianheng!

Although Tianheng acted with a quiet tranquility, at this time, it was hard to contain himself.

This was because there was a densely packed string of prescriptions beneath the introduction. They provided a meticulous care plan for the illness — and the first prescription was “The Eight Meals of the Five Essences”!

The entire treatment method was very complex and troublesome. Many ingredients were needed, and the requirements of the pharmacist were incomparably high… But even so, Tianheng could only tightly grasp this lead now.

As long as there was a way, he would dare to bet everything and struggle for his life.

Usually, Gongyi Tianheng could read ten lines at a glance and commit it all to memory. But today, he stared at this piece of paper for more than half an hour.

He stared at it, and then he slowly calmed down.

If a pharmacist could successfully complete the prescriptions on this page, he could smoothly cultivate to the Tuofan Threshold, and enter the ranks of the top powerhouses.

Gu Zuo also felt relieved.

Although he felt it was unlikely for his system to trick him, he still somewhat doubted whether he could find a method to cure his patron's illness. As a result, he was very remorseful about his patron — wasn't this kind of thing considered coercion?

Now that he found a way, he felt confident in facing his patron. Although there were many complex recipes, he was convinced that those prop books were exceptional. If he could bear those hardships, his patron could still be saved.

This could be considered a fair trade.

Gongyi Tianheng's fingers tightened, and his knuckles [6] turned white.

Gu Zuo sympathized with his patron and patiently waited.

A good while later, Gongyi Tianheng looked at him with a smile relieved of a great burden: “For the next two years, I shall have to inconvenience Ah Zuo to nurse me back to health and cure my illness.”

Gu Zuo stared blankly: “You won't find another, more trustworthy, pharmacist?”

Tianheng gave a meaningful smile: “The one I believe in the most now is Ah Zuo.”

Gu Zuo: “…”

Although he had these kind of expectations before, but in fact he felt it was normal for such a young master to have trusted aides to help pa.r.s.e out this endeavor.

Yet he never expected this patron to foist all of this onto him.

This was really, really stressful [7].

Gongyi Tianheng measuredly stood up and slowly lifted his hand to gently ruffle Gu Zuo's head.

Gu Zuo went stiff and his face turned a little red.

No one had done this to him except his parents at home! This patron was being way too familiar!

And Tianheng slowly said: “If Ah Zuo has any needs, don't hesitate to tell me. I will satisfy them all.”

Hearing this, Gu Zuo's eyes shined and didn't hold it against his patron. He took out a few sheafs of paper and “brushed” [8] a few words.

Right, first write out a list. He must quickly get his hands on medicinal ingredients!

Gongyi Tianheng had a smile on his face, patiently waiting on the side. His finger slowly tapped against the table as his eyes fell on Gu Zuo's body.

As he said, this matter would be completely left for Gu Zuo to handle…because that fated meeting “chose” him and he was actually a promising pharmacist in training while at the Qi Family. Only when Gu Zuo couldn't make any progress, would he select another pharmacist.

The less people who knew about his body's condition the better. Granted that the Tianlong Guard were obligated to know that Gu Zuo would be producing a medical treatment plan to extend his life span.

Too many who knew would be no good.

The reason why this secret stayed a secret was because the people who knew were sufficiently small in number. The reason why people were able to plan ahead and seize opportunities was because they knew things that other people didn't know.

Gongyi Tianheng was a schemer; to leak information was just asking to be trampled over.

The Clan treated him well, and his parents and younger brother were all good to him. But he was unwilling to use this sort of huge secret to test their credibility. Only when he had complete control over the situation would he expose his secret in order to protect himself.

After Tianheng made some preparations, Gu Zuo had already written several lists on the side.

He blew on the dripping ink till it dried. He thought it over and confirmed that he didn't leave out anything else.

At this time, a hand reached out and took the lists. After, there was the sound of rustling paper and turning pages.

Gu Zuo was a little nervous.

These lists…Ahhh, there was in excess of seven and a half. Rest a.s.sured, three of the lists contained the medicinal ingredients needed to treat his patron's illness. However, there were four and a half that had other herbs.

After all, he still had to gather medicinal qi, and treating his patron's illness would be a long-term process. At first, he only had to eat a medicinal meal every day. For the rest of the remaining time, how could he waste it?

But would his patron feel that his lion mouth [9] was too big?

After Tianheng looked at it, his smile was still gentle: “If I'm not mistaken, you want to use these other medicinal herbs to refine the Qi Generation Pill and the Rejuvenation Pill?”

Dang it! [10] This patron even knew this? He was too educated!

Gu Zuo was very depressed and quickly nodded his head: “Yes.”

He asked with hope: “Is, is there a problem?”

These two pills were in high demand for martial artists at the blood refining rank. The Qi Generation Pill helped to supplement the qi energy of heaven and earth, and the Rejuvenation Pill treated internal injuries. They were a common sight and their consumption was very high.

They were also used as a benchmark to prove one's worth as a certified pharmacist…

Gongyi Tianheng raised an eyebrow, and easily understood Gu Zuo's thoughts.

He didn't say much, just laughed a little: “No problem. However much you want, I'll give it to you.”

Gu Zuo was very happy.

Truly, a generous patron!

A little after they finished their talk, Gu Zuo returned to his room to continue practicing his cultivation method to acc.u.mulate the qi energy of heaven and earth. At the same time, he also practiced his three refining hand arts. Practice made perfect. Before, he never refined medicine, and he still didn't know what to do. Anyway, diligence would make up for inexperience. It was always good to make extra preparations.

He gradually entered a meditative state, and incessantly practiced with his hands and fingers for a while…

______

That afternoon.

Someone knocked on his door, which roused Gu Zuo from his meditation.

He wasn't used to people serving him, so it was only natural for him to open the door himself. He raised his head and saw a stern face — wasn't this his patron's loyal hound? Could it be that he was looking for him?

Normally, this loyal hound wouldn't spare a glance at anyone besides the young master. He felt that this guy was a very private person.

Sure enough, the loyal hound stated: “Pharmacist Gu, the young master requests your presence.”

Gu Zuo's face turned red.

He hadn't begun refining medicine and already he was being called a pharmacist…

He felt a little embarra.s.sed, but still hurried to follow behind the loyal hound.

Not long after, they reached the study.

He didn't know what was going on, but Gu Zuo thought that this place changed a bit.

Gongyi Tianheng was lounging on his soft couch. After he saw Gu Zuo, he sedately opened his mouth: “Ah Zuo, from today onwards, we'll be living together.”

Gu Zuo startled, and immediately his scalp felt numb [11].

Wha? [12] Living with his patron? What the h.e.l.l!

Tianheng warmly smiled: “My body is deeply troubled. If Ah Zuo was far away, some matters would be inconvenient.”

He looked at the embarra.s.sed expression on Gu Zuo's face, and a bit of humor flashed through his eyes. “Although we'll live together, my room is quite large. Naturally, when the time comes, I'll give you a bed big enough to leisurely stretch out on. I hope you don't mind.”

Gu Zuo's heartbeat slowly stabilized, and was finally able to think about the situation.

What his patron said made sense. The Tiandu Body would require lots of care. He really had to stick close to monitor things, but he usually had to refine medicine…

Gongyi Tianheng appeared to understand his misgivings. His finger pointed to the side and continued talking: “The pharmacy is already stocked. Ah Zuo can go take a look to see if it's to your satisfaction.”

Gu Zuo turned his head and saw the loyal hound walk next to a wall. He used a hand to push aside a bookshelf, revealing a room filled with a medicinal fragrance — no wonder he felt that there was a change a while ago. Before, there wasn't a bookshelf there!

Anyway, the pharmacy!

Gu Zuo impatiently sprung up, and scampered over with steps filled with joys and expectations.

From now on, he was a person who had a place to work!

As for the fact that this workroom was directly under his patron's observation, this concern flew through one ear and out the other…

Standing at the pharmacy, Gu Zuo saw the spectacle inside and his heart was shaken.

His patron was generous!

His patron was efficient!

His patron — no, his golden thigh was really too f.u.c.king wealthy!

______

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[1] 五脏 - Wu zang, includes the heart, lungs, liver, spleen, and kidneys.

[2] 六腑 - liu fu, includes gall bladder, stomach, large intestine, small intestine, the abdominal cavities, and the urinary bladder.

[3] 天妒(之体) - Tian du zhi ti, I'm interpreting this to mean “a body envied by heaven.”

[4] 百窍 - Bai qiao - literally one hundred holes (orifices), refers to the sensing organs such as the eyes, ears, nostrils, etc.

[5] 血肉生而先天 - Honestly, I'm not completely confident in my translation here. Thoughts?

[6] 指腹 - Zhi fu, actually refers to the fleshy pads of the fingers, but I believe that it's easier to read as the knuckles instead for visual purposes.

[7] 压力山大 - Ya li shan da, the pressure of a great mountain. Jocularly, to be put under great pressure and stress.

[8] The author keeps using 刷 (to brush), so I'm guessing they're emphasizing that in ancient times there were only calligraphy brushes and no fountain pens. Though, it feels a little redundant to keep doing this.

[9] 狮子大开口 - Shi zi da kai kou, to demand an exorbitant price.

[10] 我去 - Wo qu, slang for Dang! or Shoot!

[11] 头皮发麻 - Tou pi fa ma, to have one's scalp go numb due to a sense of dread or fear.

[12] 啥 - Sha, a dialectic equivalent of 什么 Shen ma, or what? Thus, “Wha” is not a typo.

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T/N: So, I've been seeing the phrase “qi energy of heaven and earth” a lot in recent chapters. Do other translators use other terms or just shorten it to qi energy, etc.? It's really a mouthful. Should I use “natural qi energy” or something similar?

Also, haha, I finally found an opportunity to slip in “golden thigh.” Ahhh.

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