In the storeroom, medicinal materials were piled up like small mountains, and the fragrance of newly gathered herbs was pungent.
Li Jun ran over as usual to organize the medicinal materials. Grandfather Pan Zhuanghe was flipping through several Ancient Books, his brow furrowed tightly.
"Grandfather! I bought pastries and put them on the table, please have some." Li Jun placed the fragrant snacks on the table, only to see the old man hadn't taken any.
Pan Zhuanghe stroked the pages of the book, his face etched with fatigue and anxiety, muttering, "It should be around here... How can I not find it..."
"Grandfather?" Just as Li Jun was about to approach, he heard several violent coughs. Pan Zhuanghe's right hand trembled, and blood gushed from the corner of his mouth. He quickly pulled out a dark red handkerchief, pressed it to the corner of his mouth, and secretly wiped it away.
Li Jun tensed up upon hearing the sound and rushed over, "Grandfather, are you alright..."
"I'm fine." Pan Zhuanghe looked up and interrupted him, his gaze calm and authoritative, "Go separate those few bags of Profound Li Grass; I need to boil medicine with them later."
However, Li Jun's eyes caught the spots of dark red on the edge of the handkerchief. It was clearly not the first time. Grandfather was sick, and Grandfather was so anxious to find medicine—was it for his own illness? Grandfather's medical skills were profound; if even he couldn't handle it, then no one else could.
The fragrance of the pastries permeated the air, mixing with the smell of herbs, yet it couldn't mask that faint fishy smell of blood.
Li Jun said softly, "Grandfather, I'm worried about your health. Eat something before you look; you'll have the strength to read the books after eating."
Pan Zhuanghe slightly raised his head, a hint of warmth appearing in his eyes, and nodded tiredly, but he did not stop what he was doing.
He said in a low voice, "Xiao Jun. Just put it there for now; I still have some things I haven't figured out."
Li Jun said nothing more. He had originally wanted to tell Pan Zhuanghe that Huang Zidong had been beaten, but seeing Pan Zhuanghe coughing up blood and looking deeply worried, he quietly walked to the side and watched Pan Zhuanghe continue to be busy.
He knew clearly that Grandfather had been troubled lately by the search for medicinal materials.
Li Jun was no longer that naive child. He could now read people and situations, knowing Grandfather was anxious and sick, yet he was powerless to help.
"Grandfather, for those Spirit Herbs you are looking for, perhaps you could ask the fortune teller?"
Pan Zhuanghe frowned upon hearing this, "Oh? Why do you say that?"
"Yesterday, Brother Huang went to the Marketplace in the city to have his fortune told, and that fortune teller said some very strange things to him, which turned out to be really accurate!"
"Oh? What did the fortune teller say?" Pan Zhuanghe asked with interest, as if the anecdote about fortune telling was a rare way for him to relieve stress.
"The fortune teller said that Brother Huang would have a Benefactor's help in his destiny. He also said that today would be extremely unlucky for him, and then he was beaten by people from the Thousand Herbs Hall," Li Jun said, shaking his head.
Pan Zhuanghe was also surprised, "Ha, Huang Zidong, that scoundrel, actually got beaten? I really didn't expect that."
"The Thousand Herbs Hall wanted to snatch our Profound Ice Vine, so they started fighting. I think the fortune teller was quite accurate," Li Jun said sincerely.
"Since the fortune teller is so accurate, I'll go get my fortune told another day," Pan Zhuanghe said casually, stroking Li Jun's head.
"Yes, yes, yes! That fortune teller is amazing! He also said something like, 'Treading across the Xia Kingdom searching for a broken dream, one doesn't realize the Mortal World has already filled their embrace,'" Li Jun couldn't help but add.
"Treading across the Xia Kingdom searching for a broken dream, one doesn't realize the Mortal World has already filled their embrace..." This sentence seemed to put Pan Zhuanghe into a trance; he fell into deep thought.
Then, as if he realized something, he frantically started searching through a pile of Ancient Books.
Li Jun, standing to the side, dared not disturb him and quietly withdrew from the storeroom.
The next morning, as soon as dawn broke, Pan Zhuanghe appeared alone at the Marketplace and followed the direction Li Jun had described to find the fortune teller whose stall read "Knowing Heaven and Earth."
He stood before the stall, frowning, and examined the slips of bamboo one by one. After a short while, he spoke, "The wording in these pronouncements is strange; it doesn't look like you wrote them yourself, does it?"
The fortune teller opened one eye and pointed toward the money box. Only after Pan Zhuanghe placed a Spirit Stone inside did the old man tremble and say excitedly, "These are all slips from a Daoist Temple a hundred miles away. They are very spiritual; I just copy them to use."
"What Daoist Temple?" Pan Zhuanghe pressed.
The fortune teller described the topography and the Daoist Temple in detail.
After returning, Pan Zhuanghe pulled out a yellowed old map late that night. He confirmed the approximate location of that Daoist Temple from the scroll, his brow deeply furrowed.
Early the next morning, Pan Zhuanghe categorized and put away the medicinal materials in the storeroom, assigned some tasks to Zhu Qin, and called Li Jun over separately.
He handed Li Jun several sheets of paper densely covered with various medicinal material ratios and Refine processes. "I won't be here for the next two months. Stay with Zhu Qin and keep a close eye on these formulas."
Pan Zhuanghe left decisively, and two months passed in a flash without his return.
It wasn't until the cold wind of late autumn arrived that he returned to the Medicinal Cuisine Workshop, covered in dust from his travels.
This time, his expression held a bit more ease; he had found some clues he was looking for. Although he hadn't found the exact medicinal materials he sought, he needed to return to prepare a few things for his next trip.
Among the medicinal materials brought back from his two months away, a few specimens were clearly different from the ordinary ones—they were Deep Blue, and their stems carried a faint, almost imperceptible Spiritual Light.
Zhu Qin frowned deeply and whispered to Li Jun, "Which mountain did you find these on? They don't look like mortal things."
Pan Zhuanghe, standing nearby, offered no explanation, but after picking out the medicinal materials one by one, he specifically called Li Jun over.
"These cannot be touched casually." His tone was exceptionally serious as he handed three herbs, vibrant green with a strange fragrance, to Li Jun. "These medicinal materials are quite precious and require especially careful handling. Watch me do it once, and then it will be up to you."
Li Jun's eyes shone brightly, and he nodded in agreement.
He held his breath, staring intently at Pan Zhuanghe's technique, afraid to miss any detail.
Pan Zhuanghe carefully sliced and processed the medicinal materials, washed them with Medicinal Liquid, and then slowly simmered them over low heat. His technique was skilled and precise; every movement conveyed years of accumulated experience and skill. Li Jun watched, completely absorbed.
"Alright, now it's your turn." Pan Zhuanghe handed the remaining medicinal materials to Li Jun, signaling him to begin the operation.
Li Jun was so nervous his palms sweated. When it was his turn to handle them, he slowed his breathing almost to a stop. He bit his lip, picked up the herbs, and brought the knife down—it was slightly crooked.
Pan Zhuanghe frowned but said nothing, just staring at him. Li Jun dared not slack off, readjusted the angle, and the second cut was finally smooth.
The entire processing took a full two hours before Li Jun barely managed the final step. He put down the scissors, turned to look at Pan Zhuanghe, but dared not speak.
The old man stared at the few herbs for a moment, then nodded, his tone unusually gentle, "Not bad. I didn't teach you in vain."
Li Jun grinned, but still felt somewhat uneasy, "Grandfather, I know I'm still far off. My hand isn't steady enough, and the heat was a bit too high..."
"If you fear making mistakes, you won't improve," Pan Zhuanghe interrupted him, his tone firm, "You are not here to be an assistant; you are here to learn the skills."
Li Jun started, then nodded heavily.
Pan Zhuanghe smiled, "Diligence can make up for clumsiness; you have done very well. Going from unfamiliar to proficient requires perseverance. Remember, discerning medicinal materials relies not only on your nose and touch, but most importantly, your eyes. Here is a formula for Eye Cleansing Liquid. Wash your eyes with it every day; over time, your eyes will not only see more clearly but will also better distinguish the Medicinal Property and quality of the herbs. Furthermore, it will be of great use when you are Herb Gathering in the Forest in the future."
Li Jun took the formula, his eyes full of curiosity and excitement, understanding that this was an extremely precious opportunity. He quickly asked, "Grandfather, if I use this formula to wash my eyes every day, will I have a chance to learn some martial arts from you later? I heard from Brother Huang that you are the most skilled at the Medicinal Cuisine Workshop. Can you teach me?"
Pan Zhuanghe stroked Li Jun's head, his eyes full of affection, and said slowly, "When you can persist in washing your eyes with this formula for a full year, I will teach you some fist and foot techniques."
A flash of determination crossed Li Jun's eyes, and he nodded heavily, "I will definitely do it! Then, Grandfather, can you take me up the mountain to gather herbs?"
Pan Zhuanghe smiled and nodded.