CHAPTER 42: CHAPTER 42: AWAKENING OF THE HEALER’S TALENT

The cool breeze lightly stirred the white cloth in Cheng Sufeng’s hand.

Qin An shook his head, not following Cheng Sufeng’s instructions: "It’s getting late, I’m leaving first."

Cheng Sufeng widened his eyes, seeing Qin An already at the door, he opened his mouth but hesitated to speak.

Only after Qin An’s figure disappeared did Cheng Sufeng come to his senses.

"Reserved and eccentric, but he has extraordinary talent in the healing arts. This lad is something else."

The medicine cabinet stood open, filled with angelica root.

Cheng Sufeng picked one up and held it to his nose to sniff.

To select angelica from so many medicinal herbs without being disturbed by the scent of others requires practice.

His interest in Qin An grew stronger.

Footsteps sounded outside the door.

A middle-aged man, exuding a fierce aura like a dragon, strode into the courtyard, clasping his hands, saying, "Mr. Li is not pleased."

Cheng Sufeng withdrew his thoughts, glanced at the man indifferently, and said nonchalantly, "The newly appointed Copper State Protector holds no power. If I mention he works under me, why would he be displeased? He merely dislikes my methods and wishes to compare with me."

The middle-aged man looked up and said, "Mr. Li said, by the rules, he should be assigned under him, even if he dies, his body should belong to him."

Cheng Sufeng sneered, "Give him five days to complete all the procedures. If he disagrees, I’ll make him agree."

The middle-aged man asked in surprise, "Relay these exact words?"

Cheng Sufeng nodded, playing with the white cloth in his hand.

The middle-aged man hesitated for a moment, "Is it worth offending Mr. Li over a newly appointed Copper State Protector?"

Cheng Sufeng squinted, handing the white cloth to the man, "Look at this white cloth, how is it different from a three-foot white silk?"

The middle-aged man broke out in a cold sweat, "I admit my mistake."

Cheng Sufeng said indifferently, "Colleagues in Lingzhou say I’m mad. They also say I am basking in my father’s glory. Then I might as well show them how mad I can be. If they give me the person, I’ll owe them a favor. If not..."

Cheng Sufeng did not finish his sentence.

The middle-aged man wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, said no more, and left the courtyard holding the white cloth.

Cheng Sufeng walked to the old tree in the courtyard, brushing the trunk with his hand.

The withered trunk instantly rejuvenated, branches and leaves flourishing as if reborn.

"Interesting, very interesting, neither possessing the corrupt air of officials nor warm as ice in temperament."

"I really want someone like this."

...

Time passed swiftly.

Lingzhou remained bustling and lively, with the populace engaged in their daily necessities.

Qin An, as usual, walked into East Dawn Hall.

Inside East Dawn Hall, there were few people.

Cheng Sufeng was tidying up, fiddling with the medicine chest in his hand.

Upon seeing Qin An enter, Cheng Sufeng customarily pointed to the distance.

"There are only a few commoners left."

Qin An nodded and sat next to the table.

The smoke, like a serpent, floated in mid-air.

[Healer lv.2 (200/200): Your treatment of patients has some effect]

[Promotion condition: Treat ten patients (5/10)]

Since yesterday, the healer profession had reached level two completion.

The promotion condition was to treat ten patients; Qin An immediately experimented in East Dawn Hall.

He treated five yesterday, and now there were only a handful before him, not as bustling as before.

Commoners came by one after another, and Qin An skillfully took pulses and diagnosed with the precision of drinking water.

The more proficient Qin An became in the healer profession, the greater his understanding of medicine became.

The medical skills that ordinary healers would painstakingly polish were effortlessly handled by Qin An.

After treating the five patients, Qin An stood up and called Cheng Sufeng over, then walked to the side.

Cheng Sufeng had just finished tidying up and took over Qin An’s position, tending to the remaining patients.

Meanwhile, Qin An stood to the side, hand on a black knife, observing the snake-like smoke.

[Healer lv.3 (0/400): Your treatment of patients has some effect]

[Talent: Qi Storage Realm medical cultivation technique mastery]

Qi Storage Realm, medical cultivation technique?

Qin An furrowed his brow.

Developing such a talent was not unexpected.

As the healer profession became more adept, Qin An gained insights every time he read about reversing Gang Qi.

This defensive cultivation technique more closely resembled a variant of a medical cultivation technique, only veiled and unrecognized by ordinary people.

Because of this, no one was willing to learn this cultivation technique.

Given the time spent practicing medical arts, one might as well choose a straightforward and powerful cultivation technique to cultivate, like the previous Mountain-Picking Fist, as no one would willingly spend time in a dangerous situation.

Fortunately, Qin An had a talent in the profession.

The last few patients had already left.

Cheng Sufeng finished packing the medicine chest and calmly looked at Qin An.

The decreasing number of people in East Dawn Hall was because Cheng Sufeng was about to close the hall.

The Heart Method needed to break through worldly experiences to progress.

But recently he reached a bottleneck, feeling he might need to find another path.

"I won’t open the hall tomorrow. If you want to find me, you can go to the Evil Extermination Bureau," Cheng Sufeng said.

He expected that saying this would surprise Qin An.

But Qin An remained as usual, his expression as calm as a lake.

Cheng Sufeng hung the medicine chest over his shoulder, "Aren’t you surprised?"

Qin An shook his head, "Not surprised."

Cheng Sufeng asked curiously, "Why not surprised?"

Qin An walked toward the door, pausing slightly, "You didn’t seem surprised to see me, so I wasn’t surprised to see you."

Cheng Sufeng watched Qin An leave, showing a look of realization.

Ordinary folks, upon seeing the Copper State Protector of the Evil Extermination Bureau, would feel alarmed.

But he had interacted with Qin An for so long without displaying the slightest emotion.

He figured he had long been suspicious.

"Truly a strange person."

Cheng Sufeng shook his head and thought to himself, "See you tomorrow."

He blew out the oil lamp on the table and stepped out of East Dawn Hall.

...

Evil Extermination Bureau.

Night descended like ink.

Qin An sat cross-legged, practicing the reversal of Gang Qi method.

Reversing Gang Qi, it was said, involved Qi Condensing Needle, piercing the acupoints around the body.

Cultivating it was exceedingly painful, like ants gnawing at the flesh.

As soon as he started cultivating, Qin An felt the intense pain spread through his body, causing beads of cold sweat to form on his forehead.

Fortunately, the smoke appeared in time, floating in mid-air.

[You cultivate reversing Gang Qi, triggering Qi Storage Realm medical cultivation technique mastery]

[You discover reversing Gang Qi is essentially a medical cultivation technique, gaining insight]

[You only have Qi Storage Realm talent, unable to break through, hardening your heart, slowly enduring, consuming a large amount of vital energy to deduce]

[Reversing Gang Qi (proficient)]

A wealth of information flowed into his mind, and in a matter of moments, Qin An fully grasped reversing Gang Qi.

At this moment, Qin An’s face was pale, depleted of vital energy.

Fortunately, he had already adapted, immediately sitting cross-legged to recover.

After recovering slightly, Qin An slowly stood up, the true Qi within him surging like a dragon.

A layer of colorless Gang Qi enveloped his entire body, distorting the air around him.

"Clang!"

The black knife struck the Gang Qi, immediately causing an intense vibrational feedback, bouncing the knife aside.

"Not bad," Qin An thought to himself.

With his defense method enhanced, Qin An naturally felt relieved.

After a moment of reflection, Qin An formed a plan.

Both Cangyun Valley and the Tree Lord were enemies of his.

His next step was to gather Blood Crystals and cultivation techniques, while also increasing his professional proficiency to quickly enhance his strength.

With this in mind, it was already late, and Qin An went to bed fully dressed.

...

The next day.

There was a knock on the door.

The state official of the Internal Affairs Department stood outside respectfully.

"Mr. Qin, the assignment is complete. Please follow me."