Chapter 1088: Chapter 72: Eighty-Two Years Cultivating the Mountain, The Young Emperor Wu (End of Volume)
"In the Jingxin Calendar Eighteenth Year, Li Fuhai was merely an eighth-grade traveling doctor, and now he is already a fifth-grade Court Medicine Order."
"Wang Zhongjing was rescued in the 36th year of Jingxin; at that time, he was a seventh-grade, and now he is only a sixth-grade Cold Doctor, with much still left to learn."
Zhao Xing flipped through the records.
Progress in the Medical Dao is slow, as matters of life and death make each step of advancement extremely rigorous.
After decades, the promotion pace of these two is just within the normal range.
Of course, this is just the pace of promotion. In terms of personal cultivation, both are exceptionally gifted in the Imperial Hospital.
"Li Fuhai has entered the Upper Academy, Wang Zhongjing remains at the Middle Society Institute."
"The personalities of the two are entirely different."
Zhao Xing looked at the records.
Wang Zhongjing is passionate, gentle in nature, and skilled in medicinal methods.
Li Fuhai is reclusive, not good at interacting with peers, and skilled in acupuncture techniques.
"Let’s make an additional investment."
Zhao Xing needed to adjust the plans, and the investment in these talents had to be adequately increased.
He closed the book and called for an Upper Society Master.
"Subordinate Zhang She, greets Duke Divine Might."
"Zhang She, I heard the learning medical officers in the Imperial Hospital have very low salaries, with the Lower Society receiving only 6 taels monthly, the Middle Society 60 taels, and the Upper Society 600 taels, including just two meals?"
"Yes." Zhang She nodded, "This is set by the court."
Zhao Xing wasn’t trying to change the system, he had no such authority, it was just an excuse.
"I wish to make a private donation to reward some excellent physicians, to repay the Emperor’s favor."
Zhang She listened quietly, Zhao Xing was not the first to donate, many had done so traditionally.
Especially during the Da Zhi Period, the number of donors suddenly increased, for reasons unknown.
"Prepare a list, but make sure these two are on it, do you understand the Marquis’s intention?"
"Understood, thank you, Duke Divine Might."
...
Yuanpin State, Hundred Weapons Daoist School.
Beside the nineteenth Earth Fire Furnace, above the underground magma lake.
"Clang clang clang!"
The sound of dense hammering arose as Yue Lingzhi, bare-chested, wielded the Xuan Tie Hammer, striking a material resembling a door plank.
His arms left afterimages as Fire Essence Qi gathered around him, and sixteen copper apparatuses, like conduits, extracted the surrounding impure Qi to create an independent forging space.
"Clang!"
The final hammer strike fell, and the door plank-sized material became palm-sized.
"Hiss ha~ Sss ha~"
Yue Lingzhi, his face flushed, ran out of the space, into another glowing enclosure, greedily breathing in air, sweat pouring from his body, hunger sweeping over him.
Just as he wanted to wipe sweat and eat something.
A hand suddenly reached into the barrier, holding a box.
"You’re too driven, there’s no one who beats Xuan Fire Essence like you, entering the Fire Spirit Forging Realm every time, aren’t you going to suffocate yourself?"
Yue Lingzhi looked up, somewhat stunned before joy lit up his face: "Marquis? How did you come?"
Zhao Xing smiled, "I came to see you, didn’t expect to find you nearly suffocating yourself as soon as I arrived."
"Hehe, I am just preparing for the [Fire God Forging], to enter there for forging, I must endure long enough." Yue Lingzhi accepted the box without hurrying to eat.
"Eat first, talk while eating." Zhao Xing pulled a stool over to sit, smiling, "You write every year reporting what you’ve learned, so I specially came to see how well you’re doing."
"Great, very great!" Yue Lingzhi patted his chest, "With Marquis’s help, I am now a fourth-rank Fire Soldier Envoy!"
Zhao Xing chuckled; he had kept in constant contact and continued his support to Yue Lingzhi, whom he funded first."
To him, it was just small money, but to Yue Lingzhi, it was a fortune.
On Yue Lingzhi, Zhao Xing invested the most.
No choice, as this vocation was relatively costly.
"What happened to your injuries?" Zhao Xing’s eyes tightened, grabbing Yue Lingzhi’s wrist, finding a healed scar. "Have you been dabbling in the Blood Refining Technique? Planning to serve the weapon with your body, becoming an Artifact Spirit?"
"No no, Marquis, you’ve misunderstood." Yue Lingzhi hurriedly waved his hand, "This isn’t the Blood Refining Technique, but a process in the Fire Soldier Method, using blood to draw and condense the weapon soul."
Zhao Xing paused: "Isn’t that still the Blood Refining Technique?"
Seeing Yue Lingzhi intend to explain, he interrupted: "Don’t think about shortcuts, sacrificing life essence reduces lifespan, it’s either none or infinite times."
The Blood Refining Technique could be addictive; every time just a little life could lead to great success in forging, wasn’t that a tremendous temptation?
He feared Yue Lingzhi might stray and if he died early, his investment would be wasted.
"Yes, Marquis, I remember." Yue Lingzhi assured solemnly, "I’ll never touch that technique!"
...
Pinghai State, Yulong County, Music Bureau.
"Zheng~"
A purple ancient zither emitted a sound like a sword whistling, immersing the listener on a battlefield of armor and steeds.
Qin Qingqiu plucked the strings, and a team of Sword Cultivator phantoms appeared, charging toward the other end of the square.
"Boom!"
There, another musician was playing, only to have his sound wave defense shattered by swords and blades, he panicked, and his rhythm disrupted.
"Pfft~"
The musician, also playing a zither, was thrown off, and the zither broken.
"Qin Qingqiu, victory!" A Grand Musician announced the results of this War Music Officer selection.
"Thank you." Qin Qingqiu held her zither and bowed, then gracefully descended from the high platform square.
Just as she was about to leave, a voice stopped her.
"Qingqiu, wait a moment."
"Teacher." Qin Qingqiu halted immediately.