Chapter 19: Healing

Chapter 19: Healing

"Dang! Dang! Dang!"

The sound of the retreat horn echoed from the rear, transforming the Chu Army's rear into the front as they slowly surged toward the city gates like a tide.

Seizing the advantage, the Qin Army pursued for a distance but gained little, suffering from a chaotic barrage of arrows from the city walls that inflicted considerable casualties. Retreating a few hundred steps, the Qin Army established a camp on the hillside.

Inside the central tent of the Qin Army, Chief Commander Ji Ru sat high above. His countenance was clear, with three long strands of beard on his chin, resembling more of a scholar. Two rows of officers stood below, each exuding a formidable aura. A burly man with a full beard and a sturdy physique stepped forward, saying, "General, why don't we take advantage of our momentum and charge into the city? With three thousand elite soldiers, we can break through the city gates."

"Big Bear, the general advised you to read more often. All you seem to know is eating. Did you stuff pork into your brain too? You want to lead three thousand soldiers to their deaths. Do these soldiers have some grudge against you? Did they sleep with your wife or desecrate your ancestors' graves?" A slightly shorter officer with an eight-character mustache mocked.

Enraged, the man called "Big Bear" exploded, shouting, "Short and Stubby, explain to me how I'm leading to my death and how I'm getting three thousand soldiers killed. If you can't make it clear today, we settle our differences outside the tent."

"War requires strategy; blindly rushing in is something a foot soldier does." The mustached officer calmly said, "Tiger's Lair City has about twenty-five thousand Chu Army troops, with nearly fifteen thousand being the elite Tiger Might Army. The rest are new recruits supported by various academies."

"Today, the enemy sent only seven thousand troops, mostly new recruits. The estimated defenders on the city walls are roughly seven to eight thousand. Where do you think the remaining ten thousand elites are?" The mustached officer asked mockingly.

"Big Bear" defended himself nervously, "Maybe they're resting in the city."

"Alright! Do you think, in the midst of the battle, the Chu Army's general would rather be defeated and let the elites sleep soundly in the rear?" The mustached officer retorted.

"Cough!" Chief Commander Ji Ru, sitting at the top, cleared his throat twice. Once everyone quieted down, he said, "In the next two days, reinforcements from various units will arrive. During these two days, we'll do our best to create siege equipment. When the time comes, we'll take down this city in one go." Afterward, he assigned specific tasks to everyone.

Zhang Tie Mao lay in a corner, his face pale, eyes tightly shut. His body was wrapped in bandages, many of which were stained red with fresh blood. Especially the bandages on his legs were soaked in blood, and Li Xiao Ya was tearfully trying to staunch the bleeding. Hua Wen Jue was busy cleaning wounds and applying bandages.

After a thorough inspection, Wang Hong understood that Zhang Tie Mao had likely lost consciousness due to excessive bleeding, and his leg bones were fractured. Quickly retrieving several bottles of White Jade Powder from his pocket, he instructed everyone to sprinkle it on Zhang Tie Mao's various wounds.

Then, from his pocket, he pulled out an exquisite small porcelain bottle, pouring out two pea-sized Medicinal pills. These were "White Jade Life-Extending Pills" refined from fifty-year-old White Jade Mushrooms. Although Wang Hong was using the "White Jade Life-Extending Pill" for the first time, he believed it should work for treating Zhang Tie Mao's injuries.

Opening Zhang Tie Mao's mouth, Wang Hong fed him one pill. The leg bones had already been set. The other pill was dissolved in alcohol and applied to the large wound on his leg. Soon, the previously bleeding wounds stopped oozing blood.

Observing this, Hua Wen Jue asked, "Wang Hong, how is your medicine so effective?" He had used a bottle of White Jade Powder on Zhang Tie Mao earlier, although the quantity was relatively small. This special White Jade Powder was custom-made, with the addition of some ten-year-old White Jade Mushrooms.

Wang Hong smiled mysteriously and said, "This is my exclusive recipe!" He didn't elaborate further, of course, not revealing that these White Jade Powders were mainly composed of White Jade Mushrooms aged two or three decades. He then pulled out a few more bottles of White Jade Powder from his pocket, distributing them to the others for future use. The group gladly accepted, having witnessed the effectiveness of Wang Hong's medicines.

Wang Hong also handed out some homemade Medicinal cuisine jerky to Li Xiao Ya, instructing her to tear it into shreds, boil it until soft, and feed it to Zhang Tie Mao. These jerky pieces contained a hundred-year-old Astragalus, which should help replenish his vitality and restore his strength.

Lu Jin Gou, smelling a rich aroma, approached with his nose twitching. "Wang Hong, you're the only one who knows how to enjoy. Is this another dish you made yourself?" Seeing him almost drooling, Wang Hong tossed a piece to him and gave one each to Hua Wen Jue and Li Xiao Ya.

Lu Jin Gou sniffed the jerky deeply in front of his nose, then took a small bite, savoring it carefully. After a few bites, he felt warmth in his stomach and quickly swallowed the remaining pieces. He thanked Wang Hong sincerely, then sat down cross-legged to cultivate.

The other two, initially surprised by Lu Jin Gou's peculiar behavior, soon caught on and, after finishing their portions, also thanked Wang Hong before settling into Meditation. Items that could increase cultivation were rare to come by. Although a single piece could only enhance their cultivation for about ten days, Wang Hong's willingness to share created a bond of gratitude.

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