Seclusion in the Woodshed: A big improvement in how plants are grown
It was late at night, and only the sound of burning firewood in the woodshed was heard. Xiao Wuchen, making sure no one was coming, looked closely at the computer screen. New Feature: The Cultivation Technique Optimization (Level 2 Permission) has been activated. ][Prompt: To optimise "Purple Qi Comes from the East" (Beginner), you need 100 Merit Points. Current Merit Points: 109. He confirmed without hesitation. "Optimize!" 100 Merit Points have been taken away. Current Merit Points: 9.]Second deep optimization of "Purple Qi Comes from the East"...Optimization direction: Make the energy inside you more pure, make it quicker to absorb purple qi, and make the "penetrating force" in your low-level energy stronger.
["Purple Qi Comes from the East" (Beginner) "Purple Qi Spirit Gathering Technique" (Beginner)
As the system notification faded, Xiao Wuchen felt a huge wave of information hit his mind. This was more than just a change; it was a transformation! The first "Purple Qi Comes from the East" was like an old horse-drawn carriage; now, it had changed into a modern steam engine. He immediately started using his true qi according to the new "Purple Qi Nourishing Spirit Technique". This time, the true qi he felt inside was no longer thin and pale purple, but deep purple and like a solid gemstone, extremely pure. The speed at which his body's energy was moving around was almost 30% faster than during the first time he had done this. What was most important to him was that every bit of true qi had a hidden explosive force. He pointed a finger at a thick piece of firewood beside him, without using much force. "Crack!" The surface of the firewood looked fine, but there was a loud cracking noise coming from inside it. Xiao Wuchen picked up the firewood and broke it in two with ease. The break was clean, with the wood fibres shattered by internal force. "Penetrating force!" Xiao Wuchen was very happy. This was the system's optimisation effect! He looked normal, but his energy could get past defences and attack the target directly. This was the best way for a low-ranking eunuch like him to challenge opponents of higher ranks and hide his true strength.
A problem of skill and a new aim
After a night of training, he had reached 3% mastery of the Purple Qi Spirit Gathering Technique. But his merit points were reduced to only 9, which made him feel really worried.
Meridian Guidance uses up one point each time, so he can only use it nine more times. This is not enough to help him survive in the dangerous palace.
"I need to find a way to gain merit points quickly."
Xiao Wuchen thought about it. The first merit points he gets are based on his "character and potential." The first merit reward is "Completing the first autonomous operation of the optimized mental technique."
He bravely guessed that merit points might be connected to "salvation", "having a positive effect", "being fair", or "completing a 'mission' that the system has decided on".
He looked at the servants' quarters of the palace, a place where there was a lot of unfairness and suffering.
An Unexpected Discovery: Abandoned Books
The next day, Xiao Wuchen offered to clean a corner of the library. Not many people went to this place. The eunuchs who had important jobs thought it was unlucky, and the servants who had low-level jobs were too lazy to go.
He knew that although the library was basically a place where books were stored, the really valuable books were kept locked up somewhere else. His job was to clean the discarded bamboo slips and tattered books that had been piled up on the lower level.
While cleaning a dusty corner, he found a worn-out book wrapped in oilcloth among a pile of old things that were thought to be useless.
The book wasn't made of ordinary paper, but of some kind of soft animal hide, smooth and warm to the touch. He carefully opened it and saw several ancient characters written in seal script:
The Record of Gathering Myriad Herbs
"The Record of Gathering Myriad Herbs?" Xiao Wuchen looked quickly through it.
This wasn't a book on martial arts. It was a book with pictures and information about how to find and collect common herbs, poisons and rare medicinal materials. These were found inside and outside the palace, and throughout the whole Great Zhou Dynasty. Many of the herbs in the book were extinct, and the methods used to collect them were useless to the eunuchs, so it was thought to be worthless.
But he saw an opportunity in it.
[System Prompt: We found a piece of the book "The Record of Gathering Myriad Herbs". Is it a fragment? Did it come from a collection?
[Collection Prompt: This book doesn't directly help the host improve their martial arts skills, but it can greatly improve their knowledge of pharmacology. Merit points needed for collection: 0.]
"Collect!"
The "Record of Gathering Myriad Herbs" (a short extract) has been collected, and the knowledge has been put together. Current merit points: 9.]
Xiao Wuchen felt like he understood the plants and trees around him much better after he learned something new.
First help: Xiao Guizi ran over, bending down. He held a porcelain bottle in his hand and looked worried. "Brother Xiao, please help me. My dad caught a cold a few days ago, and now he has a high fever. This medicine... I don't know if it's the right one." Xiao Guizi secretly gave Xiao Wuchen a bottle of low-grade typhoid medicine that he had "stolen" from the palace pharmacy. The only person he could ask for help was Xiao Wuchen, who was helping him. Xiao Wuchen took the bottle and, using the information he had just learned from the *Record of Ten Thousand Herbs*, he was able to check the amounts of the herbs right away. [Meridian Guidance/Knowledge Assistance Function Activated. We have found out that:
1. Xiao Guizi's father has a bad cold. The medicine he has been given is not strong enough. 2. Jiǔ Yè Cǎo (Nine-Leaf Grass) growing near the woodshed, combined with Cén Guǒ (Cen Fruit), is an effective way to reduce fevers. It is thought that using the knowledge-assisted function will not cost any merit points. Xiao Wuchen was very happy; this new knowledge seemed to be free. He gave the medicine bottle back to Xiao Guizi and said in a deep voice, "This medicine isn't enough. Go to the old locust tree by the palace wall, dig up three plants with nine leaves each, and boil them in hot water. Give them to your father with the pills." Although Xiao Guizi didn't understand, he trusted Xiao Wuchen and nodded, feeling grateful. He then ran off quickly to carry out Xiao Wuchen's instructions. Two days later, Xiao Guizi saw Xiao Wuchen again, and he looked really happy. "Brother Xiao! You're a miracle worker! My father's temperature has dropped and he's opened his eyes! Thank you so much!" [Detected that the host used knowledge to help others escape danger, which had a really positive effect on the person being helped. Merit point reward: +20. Current merit points: 29.] "Success!" Xiao Wuchen felt better. He found a way to quickly and easily