nyslfriends Chapter 74 The Art of Immortality!
Chapter 74 The Art of Immortality!
After a long while, Zhao An finally stopped and looked towards the doorway.
The courtyard gate was ajar, and a person stood by the gate and watched for a while.
It was that old imperial physician who was taking a leisurely stroll.
Since being rescued, he has been staying at Meng Wanyi's Mingyue Medical Clinic to recuperate and rarely goes out.
His sudden solo arrival was quite unexpected.
Meng Zhongren clapped his hands and said, "Young friend, you are so young, I never expected your movement technique to be so superb and flawless! Remarkable!"
"Senior, you are very knowledgeable and experienced. My meager skills are not worth mentioning," Zhao An said humbly.
Logically speaking, this old imperial physician, who had spent many years in the capital and the palace, must have seen and heard of countless martial arts geniuses in his life.
Compared to the exceptionally talented individuals in the capital, his cultivated strength is indeed insignificant.
"There are countless people in the world who are proficient in martial arts, but those who have mastered it to perfection are outstanding no matter where they are. There is no need to belittle yourself," Meng Zhongren said.
Zhao An welcomed the other party in and asked Li Gou'er to serve tea.
"I wonder what brings you here today, senior?" Zhao An asked.
"I haven't formally expressed my gratitude yet, but I'm here today to do so." On the stone table, Meng Zhongren took out a small medicine box from his pocket and handed it to Zhao An.
Upon opening it, a perfectly round pill lay quietly inside.
Zhao An only needed to get a little closer to smell the medicinal fragrance to feel a surge of heat throughout his body and his blood rushing.
More importantly, the internal energy at the Qi Sea point is showing signs of a sudden surge!
A faint sense of longing lingered in his heart.
His intuition told him that this was an extraordinary martial arts medicine!
"This is..." Zhao An looked at the old man.
"This is a Heavenly Origin Pill," Meng Zhongren said with a smile.
"To be more precise, this is a special grade Tianyuan Pill, which I specially formulated and refined, and it is very different from the Tianyuan Pills on the market."
"Tian Yuan Dan..." Zhao An understood.
He was right; this was indeed a powerful medicine for martial arts!
He knew about the Heavenly Origin Pill, which was a better pill than the Earthly Origin Pill, but it was rarely seen on the market, and even if it was, it was mostly of inferior quality.
There aren't many alchemists who can actually refine the Heavenly Origin Pill.
Zhao An had actually wanted to try the Heavenly Origin Pill for a long time.
Meng Wanyi does know how to refine it, but she said that due to a lack of rare medicinal materials, it is not advisable to start refining the Tianyuan Pill in the near future.
Therefore, Zhao An has never taken Tianyuan Pill until now.
He had intended to make a wish, but it seems unnecessary now.
"Thank you, senior." Zhao An did not refuse.
Meng Zhongren liked Zhao An's straightforward nature; he was much more frank than many of the talented young men and women in the capital.
"This pill is extremely potent. Without a strong physique, it may be difficult to withstand. You can cut the pill in half and take it in three doses. That would be the safest option."
"Once this Heavenly Origin Pill is fully digested and absorbed, I believe your internal energy will increase exponentially."
"Doubling?!" Zhao An was somewhat surprised.
This was far more potent than the Tianyuan Pill he had heard of.
Even a top-grade Heavenly Origin Pill, no alchemist would dare to guarantee a doubling of internal energy after refining it.
Normally, if it can increase the amount of internal energy in the Strong Breath Realm by even a few points, that would already be quite remarkable, after all, increasing internal energy is no easy feat.
"Of course, it only means that your current internal energy cultivation can be doubled. As your internal energy becomes more profound in the future, this effect will not be as good."
"And the first pill of this medicine is also the most effective," Meng Zhongren explained.
"May I ask if you still have this medicine, senior? If I were to purchase it with silver, how much would it cost?" Zhao An asked somewhat presumptuously.
If possible, he would like to buy a few more with the money.
Meng Zhongren shook his head and said, "I won't sell it, I won't sell it. I left in a hurry, and this is the only one I have. I don't know when I'll be able to refine it again."
Zhao An secretly regretted it.
"If you can collect the necessary medicinal herbs in the future, and my health is still good, I can prepare a batch for you." Meng Zhongren did not rule out the possibility of failure.
Upon hearing this, Zhao An thanked him again.
Meng Zhongren's attention suddenly fell on the ancient book that was laid out to the side.
"Wan Yi said you're the top martial arts student in Lianjiang County this year. It's good that you can read books... Emperor Yao..."
Meng Zhongren couldn't help but glance at it a few more times.
This ancient book was compiled by a historian and records the deeds of emperors from ancient times, along with commentary.
"What do you think of Emperor Yao, young friend?" Meng Zhongren suddenly asked Zhao An.
Zhao Angang put away the Heavenly Origin Pill and was taken aback when he heard this. He didn't expect the old senior to change his tone so quickly.
He also remembered Emperor Yao; according to the ancient texts, he was the second emperor of the Great Wu Dynasty!
The historian's evaluation of this emperor is also quite interesting.
He was a wise ruler for half his life, but unfortunately, he suffered a setback in his later years, ending his good deeds with a flawed ending.
"I am ashamed to say that my understanding of this Emperor Yao is entirely based on this ancient book," Zhao An said.
"The book says that Emperor Yao spent half his life on the battlefield and was a victorious general with great achievements in expanding the territory. After the world was at peace, Emperor Yao neglected state affairs in his later years and became obsessed with alchemy and the art of immortality. This caused turmoil in the court and almost ruined the country."
Meng Zhongren stroked his beard and nodded.
"What this ancient book says is pretty much true. In his later years, Emperor Yao saw that he was old and weak and no longer as brave as he used to be. He could not accept his own weakness and thus longed for the art of immortality."
The flourishing of alchemy throughout the land can be said to have originated precisely because of Emperor Yao.
Upon hearing this, Zhao An hesitated for a moment before asking, "May I ask, senior, does this art of immortality truly exist?"
He initially thought this was just the old emperor's wishful thinking, a way to avoid facing death, and that there was no way to achieve immortality.
But then he saw Meng Zhongren's serious expression and began to speak, word by word.
"The art of immortality truly existed in this world!"
These words immediately froze the previously relaxed atmosphere.
The old imperial physician looked quite serious, as if he wasn't joking.
Zhao An's heart skipped a beat. Could people really live forever?
The old imperial physician's words were like a seed, planted in Zhao An's heart, stirring up the thing he longed for most in life.
That is eternal life!
"Could there be cultivators in this world?" Previously, Zhao An only knew how to practice martial arts, but had never heard of the miracles of immortals.
He then assumed that this martial arts world only had martial arts, and no cultivation of immortality.
But today, his thoughts were inevitably in turmoil again.
"Could it be that Emperor Yao really did find it?" Zhao An couldn't help but ask.
"Emperor Yao was not destined for immortality and passed away before he was sixty." Meng Zhongren had spent most of his time in the palace, and he knew more about palace affairs than most people outside the palace.
Therefore, what he said is quite credible.
"Then where is the secret to immortality?" Zhao An immediately asked.
Meng Zhongren stared at Zhao An, his gaze and expression revealing an indescribable complexity.
"Young friend, do you really want to know?"
"Do you know that the whole world is in chaos, with soldiers killing each other, corpses strewn across the fields, and people suffering terribly? The cause of this calamity lies in these four words!"
"If you were to learn this secret today and seek immortality, the most likely outcome would be that you would die on this quest soon afterward."
"If you don't know, you will achieve great success in martial arts, live to be eighty or ninety, and enjoy fame and fortune throughout your life."
"What will you choose?"
"..." Zhao An was silent for a moment, then stood up and bowed to Meng Zhongren, saying without hesitation.
"To seek immortality is to die willingly!"