The Dragon-Nourishing Pill
Upon returning to Bamboo Forest Manor, Ouyang Qiangang asked Heo Il-bi's leave and shut himself straight away in the annex.
Clutched in his hands was the Heavenly Mystery Blood Medicine Secret Book, the volume he had discovered in Nanchang's Heavenly Mystery Book Pavilion.
For a full day and half of another, he buried himself in its pages, forgetting even to sleep. Considering Akasha's analytical power and his own genius, it was far too much time to spend absorbing a single book — which was precisely how abstruse and extraordinary the contents of the secret book proved to be.
When at last he turned the final page, awe and a deep, simmering excitement shone in Ouyang Qiangang's eyes.
"Akasha... this book is incredible. Pulse diagnosis conducted with qi, methods of purging and neutralizing toxins with true qi, even surgical techniques that wield hardened qi like a scalpel... The author even grasped the concept of blood clots forming inside the vessels."
[Yes, Doctor. The author's medical and biochemical insight runs centuries ahead of his era. Even measured against my database of twenty-first-century modern and traditional medicine, a substantial portion of his theories is strikingly original yet rigorously logical. His attempt to fuse martial arts with the healing arts is truly remarkable.]
Admiration tinged Akasha's voice as well.
Ouyang Qiangang found himself recalling the book's preface. A deep kinship, and a profound respect, welled up within him for the author — a man who, born with a body incapable of mastering martial arts, had devoted his entire life to exploring this realm.
"He was bound by the same limits as mine, yet instead of surrendering to despair, he carved open a new frontier of medicine in his own way. I can scarcely imagine the depth of the loneliness and obsession that must have driven him. Akasha — can we put this book's knowledge to use in our situation?"
[Of course, Doctor. I believe it will play a decisive role in treating your Nine Yin Severed Meridians and refining the Transcendent Formless Divine Art.]
"In what way?"
[This book doesn't merely suppress symptoms — it teaches how to understand and transform the fundamental nature of qi at the molecular level. Take this entry, for instance: the Yin-Breaking Acupoint-Piercing Needle Technique.]
The entry scrolled into view across his mind's eye.
[A needle is placed on an acupoint where Ultimate Yin qi has condensed to extreme density, and a trace of yang qi is fed in like a detonator, shattering the unstable molecular structure of the Ultimate Yin qi. The destructive energy is then catalytically converted into pure, usable power.]
Ouyang Qiangang's eyes gleamed.
"A revolutionary idea."
[That is not all. It will aid greatly in improving the Transcendent Formless Divine Art as well. The divine art we created is innovative, without question — but at times it has been too radical, and it has lacked stability.]
"And this can shore up that weakness?"
[Yes. The clinical data and refined meridian theory contained in this book can serve both as a safety mechanism for the Transcendent Formless Divine Art and as an amplifier of its efficiency.]
"Explain specifically."
[For example, according to the book's Theory of Qi-Blood Harmony, enlisting the energies of certain medicinal herbs in a supporting role can raise energy conversion efficiency by upward of thirty percent. It would cut unnecessary energy loss and dramatically increase the purity of the converted true qi.]
Ouyang Qiangang clenched his fist.
"Then... we may be able to drastically shorten the time it takes to amass the thirty years of internal energy needed to treat the nine great meridian points."
[Precisely. Combine the profound medical theory of the secret book, the martial principles of the Nine Dragons Fill the Mountain Diagram you decoded, Doctor, and my analytical and precision-control capabilities, and we can create an entirely new discipline — a 'medical engineering' this world has never seen. It will not only treat your Nine Yin Severed Meridians; it will raise the Transcendent Formless Divine Art into the true ranks of divine arts.]
At her words, a smile touched Ouyang Qiangang's lips.
"Good."
Just then, Heo Cho-ryeong's voice drifted in from outside the door.
"Gang-je! Are you all right? You've shut yourself in your room all day — Father is worried about you."
Ouyang Qiangang hurriedly rose and opened the door.
"Forgive me, Lady Cho-ryeong. I became too absorbed in my reading..."
Worry brimmed in Heo Cho-ryeong's eyes.
"You look pale. You aren't feeling unwell, are you?"
"No, my lady. I simply stumbled upon a fascinating book and lost myself in it."
Heo Cho-ryeong tilted her head, glancing at the worn old book spread open on the desk.
"That... is that the medical book you bought at the pavilion?"
"Yes."
"Gang-je... are you truly thinking of learning medicine?"
Ouyang Qiangang hesitated a moment, then nodded.
"Yes. I want to find a way to cure my illness."
"Then..."
She started to say something more, then stopped herself. A curious flicker of hope crossed her face.
"Were you about to say something?"
"No, it's nothing. I was just thinking... I want to see you healthy again, Gang-je."
Her heartfelt words warmed something deep in Ouyang Qiangang's chest.
After Heo Cho-ryeong took her leave, Ouyang Qiangang plunged into an intensive discussion with Akasha.
[Doctor, I believe I've found us a way to make money.]
"What do you mean?"
[The secret book records the formulas for several spirit pills of remarkable efficacy against internal and external injuries. Among them is the formula for a spirit pill capable of greatly enhancing a man's yang energy and vitality.]
"Enhances a man's yang energy and vitality, you say?"
A certain little blue pill flashed through Ouyang Qiangang's mind — the blockbuster of twenty-first-century Earth, bearer of hope to countless middle-aged men. He burst out laughing.
"Heh. There's no shortage of men in this world whose heads hang low, either. It would sell, no doubt about that..."
[Its effects would not stop there. This combination invigorates the body's overall life force and activates the cells — enough to restore a youthful appearance. It would be something approaching a so-called 'rejuvenation elixir.']
"But the ingredients listed in the book — thousand-year spirit herbs and the like — are all things beyond our reach in our current circumstances, aren't they?"
[Which is why I applied the secret book's principles and, drawing on the database we compiled from the Nanchang markets, designed a new formulation built from inexpensive substitute herbs.]
Ouyang Qiangang's interest sharpened.
"That's possible?"
[It is. I analyzed the energy-blending principles of the various spirit pill formulas in the secret book alongside the molecular structures and energy patterns of thirty-four herbs gathered from the Nanchang markets, then ran simulations across a total of 2,847 combinations. The result: I identified the optimal formulation.]
"What's the probability of a successful production?"
[Hmm... to be frank, the theoretical success rate is 89.7 percent. But the actual production process involves many variables, so we should expect the first attempt to succeed at only around 60 percent.]
Ouyang Qiangang furrowed his brow.
"Sixty percent isn't exactly high. What's the problem?"
[There are three primary variables. First, variance in herb quality — the herbs purchased at market may not precisely match the standard samples I analyzed. Second, the accuracy of your control over your Ultimate Yin qi output, Doctor. In theory it is flawless, but in practice it will take training.]
"And the third?"
[Unexpected chemical reactions. Some of this world's herbs contain compounds that do not exist on Earth — aspects that are difficult to predict fully even with my database.]
Ouyang Qiangang nodded and went on in a careful tone.
"If we want to raise the success rate, we'll have to make it and verify the effects for ourselves. There could be side effects that diverge from the design."
[Naturally. What I would propose is starting with a small batch of prototypes. We produce a few, confirm their safety and efficacy, and only then consider full-scale production.]
"We'll need to analyze each herb's actual composition with precision and adjust the blending ratios step by step... How long until we can produce a perfect spirit pill?"
[Roughly a week, I estimate. However, the first prototype — sufficient to verify its medicinal effect — can be ready within three days.]
Ouyang Qiangang let out a breath of relief.
"Thankfully, that's not long at all. How much will the materials cost?"
[At current Nanchang market prices, the materials for a single spirit pill would come to about one tael of silver. The selling price, however... we could reasonably ask a minimum of five taels.]
"That's a staggering profit margin. Is there any risk if a batch fails?"
[Even in failure, there is no danger of explosion or toxic byproducts. In the worst case, it simply becomes an ordinary pill with no effect. That said...]
"That said?"
[The material cost may sting. Every failed batch burns a full tael of silver.]
Ouyang Qiangang gave a wry smile.
"In our current circumstances, even one tael of silver is money we can't afford to waste... but there's no helping it."
Akasha then turned to the matter of a name for the spirit pill.
[A pill that nurtures yang energy... how does the 'Dragon-Nourishing Pill' sound?]
"The Dragon-Nourishing Pill... I like it. But if we're using cheap ingredients, couldn't others easily copy it? That's the biggest problem of all."
[There is no need for concern. Even if someone identified every raw ingredient, without the ultra-fine molecular blending ratios and the special low-temperature aging process we will implement through the nanobots, they could never replicate the same efficacy. In this era, that technology is known to you and me alone, Doctor.]
Even her confident answer could not entirely dispel his doubt.
"Can we really implement a special low-temperature aging process in a world where science sits at a medieval level?"
[Because you are here, Doctor, it is possible — under conditions more perfect than any cutting-edge laboratory of the modern era.]
"Because I'm here?"
[Yes.]
Akasha elaborated.
[Of the three conditions required for special low-temperature aging, the first is the pure yin qi generated by your Transcendent Formless Divine Art. It is an exceptionally pure and stable 'yin energy' — one that clashes with none of the herbs' properties and can be devoted entirely to temperature control.]
Ouyang Qiangang nodded. It was ironic: the very constitution that had cursed him was transforming into a weapon no one else could hope to imitate.
[The second is my knowledge — the 'ultra-precision aging protocol.' Drawing on modern chemistry and physics, I can calculate the exact temperature and timing at which each component bonds into its optimal molecular structure, down to the nanosecond, and design a custom recipe that exists nowhere else in the world.]
"Precision control... that much is certainly yours alone."
[And the third and final condition is perfect 'environmental control' through the nanobots. The moment you release your pure yin qi, they will measure the temperature inside the pill furnace in real time, accurate to within a hundredth of a degree, and guide the medicine's components to mix and bond in their most ideal configuration.]
Akasha's explanation was lucid. The Transcendent Formless Divine Art, her superintelligence, and the cutting-edge technology of the nanobots — woven together, the three formed a flawless production process that no one in this world could ever hope to copy.
[In conclusion, even if someone were to uncover every last ingredient of the Dragon-Nourishing Pill, they could never duplicate its efficacy. So rest assured, Doctor.]