48: Medicinal field reform

There were three tables in the courtyard, and each table was laden with dishes.

Time flows like water, and progress is never achieved by one person alone.

Gong Qing's lips tightened as he looked at the brocade robes worn by the newcomer.

That young chef, Mu Qiancheng, was no longer in the Medicine Field; instead, he was in the Family ancestral hall, specifically responsible for overseeing the meals for the Clan Chief and several managers.

To reach this position, he needed not only his cooking skills but also his interpersonal abilities and the trust of the Zhuang Family.

Compared to before, his status was now vastly different.

Gong Qing looked at Jiang Hanwen; besides his father, no one else was optimistic about him.

Only this “fool” gave him expensive Spiritual Plants to practice with, and to help him improve the taste, he even invited Mu Qiancheng. He didn't know how to repay this trust.

Although Mu Qiancheng held the esteemed position of head chef, he was without airs. As soon as he entered, he joked, "I thought Grand Physician Jiang had forgotten this old man."

Jiang Hanwen smiled without speaking. Calling him an old man wasn't far off; if he remembered correctly, Mu Qiancheng should be fifty years old this year.

He took out a jar of wine from behind his back and opened it.

With a 'pop,' the wax seal fell to the ground, and a rich, mellow aroma drifted into Mu Qiancheng's nostrils with the wind.

A chef has two treasures: a nose for scent and a tongue for tasting.

Good wine!

Mu Qiancheng's eyes lit up.

"Why didn't you say you had good stuff earlier!"

Like a monkey, he nimbly picked up his chopsticks and began to sample the dishes, commenting on the taste, texture, presentation, and cooking temperature as he ate.

Beside him, Gong Qing diligently noted all the flaws, asking how to season as he wrote, full of a thirst for knowledge.

After a while, he had sampled all the dishes.

Mu Qiancheng looked at Gong Qing with a complex expression: "Young Master Gong, if you had pursued this path earlier, your achievements would surely surpass mine."

Gong Qing smiled bitterly, unsure what to say.

His journey had not been easy.

"Alright, after you've finished tasting, come over and drink." Jiang Hanwen pointed to the four or five wine jars on the ground and beckoned to the two of them.

The two sat down, while Gong Qing began to clear the dishes from the table.

With their current disparity in status, how could he dare to sit at the same table as Mu Qiancheng?

"What are you doing!" Jiang Hanwen swept his gaze over him, displeased. "Come and drink!"

"I won't drink." Gong Qing's lips curled into a bitter smile. Jiang Hanwen was his friend, but the current Mu Qiancheng was not.

"What, do I have to leave before Young Master Gong will come over?" Mu Qiancheng, being old and wise, could easily see Gong Qing's predicament. He pointed at Jiang Hanwen and said,

"You and Brother Jiang are friends, which means you are my friend.

Back then, I drank the Clear Wind Drunk you gave him."

Gong Qing reluctantly sat down, drinking with the two in a proper manner.

As the alcohol went down, the strict inhibitions gradually loosened.

Father Jiang opened the door and, seeing the three sleeping on the ground, a smile spread across his face. He brought blankets from inside the house and, smiling, covered the three of them.

In the middle of the night, Jiang Hanwen was the first to wake up.

He heard snoring and followed the sound. Gong Qing and Mu Qiancheng were leaning back-to-back, fighting over a blanket, each pulling it to their side.

"It's just wine, I have plenty of it here," he muttered helplessly.

The one who had been constantly asking for wine wasn't the stressed Gong Qing, but Mu Qiancheng, like a drunkard who hadn't touched a drop in decades, he was so thirsty.

After carrying the two fellows back to bed, Jiang Hanwen continued to Cultivate on the rooftop.

Perseverance is key; why rise at 3 AM and sleep at 5 AM? The most useless thing is to expose it to the sun for one day and then to the cold for ten.

As long as one persists in making progress every day, no matter how small, one day, the other shore will be reached.

Divine Breath started from his heart, continuing to circulate through his body, meticulously refining his meridians.

He used to be in so much pain that he would break out in cold sweats, but now, after a full circulation, there was only a faint soreness, no pain at all. The healing over the past six months had been remarkably effective.

Tomorrow, he could continue to practice his boxing and temper his Qi and blood.

The night passed without incident. Mu Qiancheng slowly woke up the next day at noon.

"The hangover soup is on the table." Jiang Hanwen pointed to the white porcelain bowl, looking at the two with amusement.

Mu Qiancheng's cheeks were slightly red. He took a sip, and the lingering smell of the hangover was covered by the aroma of the hangover soup.

"Your wine is even more fragrant than Third Miss's wine."

Jiang Hanwen knew exactly what the other person meant.

"If you like it, take two jars back with you and drink them quietly. Don't let them taste it."

"That might not be good." Mu Qiancheng said he felt embarrassed, but his eyes unconsciously scanned the room, showing no signs of being a stranger.

"It's at the entrance; I've already packed it for you." Jiang Hanwen narrowed his eyes. Although they had little contact, their relationship was like water, a gentleman's friendship.

This 'water' doesn't mean they ignore each other; it means that between them, there's no difference in status, only the identity of friends.

"Then I shall accept it without ceremony." Mu Qiancheng walked to the door with a satisfied expression.

He suddenly turned his head and looked at Jiang Hanwen, saying seriously,

"You are more than ten years younger than me, and your Qi and blood have not yet begun to decline. Cultivate well!

The Family Head asked me about you; he wants to give you an important position, don't waste it."

Jiang Hanwen was startled at first, then smiled helplessly: "If I were to climb higher, we probably wouldn't be friends now."

Mu Qiancheng's serious face changed to one of helplessness.

"That's true, in the entire Medicine Field, you are the most idle.

I'm leaving; remember to call me next time."

After Mu Qiancheng left, Jiang Hanwen narrowed his eyes. Zhuang Kongming wanted to give him an important position, why?

A moment later, he kicked Gong Qing, who was on the bed.

"Get up, I can already see your face turning red."

As soon as the words fell, Gong Qing subconsciously reached out to touch his face.

His face temperature was normal; it wasn't red at all.

Gong Qing opened his eyes, looked at Jiang Hanwen's half-smiling expression, and his old face flushed.

Being caught pretending to sleep was a bit embarrassing.

"Hurry up and get to work. I'm still waiting for you to open a shop and support me in my old age."

"Alright!"

...Days flew by, and four years passed.

Su Xin rose to power, from soil improvement to introducing living water, from rewarding Medicine Farmers for their reporting methods to enticing them with Cultivation Techniques and focusing on guidance.

The Medicine Field, undergoing a major transformation, burst with vitality. With the same expenditure, in just four years, the Medicine Field's output doubled.

This astonishing achievement thoroughly solidified Su Xin's unshakable position.

Even an elder like Wu Qinghe had to publicly express his admiration for Su Xin.

In the old Zhuang Family residence, Zhuang Kongming looked at the month's expenditures and profits from all sides. Especially after seeing the profit figures for the Medicine Field, he frowned.

Beside him sat his eldest son, Zhuang Xiao.

"Father, I'll go help manage the Medicine Field," Zhuang Xiao said, his eyes gleaming with desire.

Zhuang Kongming gave his son a glare: "You still have the nerve to say that? I ask you, after spending so much money these past two years, when will you Breakthrough to Qi Induction!"

Zhuang Xiao lowered his head. He had reached the ninth stage of Mortal Transformation two years ago.

These past two years, to Breakthrough to Qi Induction, his father had allocated almost eighty percent of the resources to him.

He had consumed no less than thirty second-grade Spirit Pills, but he simply couldn't Breakthrough.

Every time he tried to draw Spiritual Qi into his body, images of his younger brother would surface in his mind, forcing him to hold back.

"Starting today, you will stay in the secret chamber.

You will not come out until you Breakthrough.

Your brother is dead; now only you remain.

If you cannot Breakthrough to the Qi Induction Realm, I would rather you also die underground.

My lineage has no waste, do you understand!"

Zhuang Xiao clenched his fists, his head lowered, his eyes flickering with a strange, distorted expression.

"Yes, I'll go now."

After his son left, Zhuang Kongming called out towards outside the house.

"Call Zhuang Jun over, and his steward, call them both over."

"Yes!"

Zhuang Kongming held a segment of a bamboo stick emitting green light in his hand, murmuring softly: "Blackstone City, you are mine!"

...The moon shone fairly upon the earth, and in the old Zhuang Family residence, a secret discussion unfolded.

In the Medicine Field, enveloped in a radiant silver veil, Jiang Hanwen sat cross-legged in a three-meter-deep pool of water. The pool was filled with a deep crimson liquid, like blood, and various Spiritual Plants floated densely on the surface.

In the very center, two snow-white, jade-like eclipse moon flowers were placed. Rosy medicinal liquid splattered onto their pristine petals, and under the moonlight, they appeared exceptionally eerie.