Lu Qing walked Zhao Yuan and Xian Hong to their car. As they were about to leave, she asked, "Zhao Yuan, will my dad's legs still need acupuncture in the future?"
Zhao Yuan replied, "Acupuncture won't be necessary anymore. Just remember to do the exercises and the medicinal baths."
Lu Qing nodded to show she understood, thanked him profusely again, and then waved goodbye.
After watching the Jetta drive out of the residential complex, Lu Qing went to a nearby supermarket and bought two bath tubs, one large and one small.
The large one was for her to take baths in. The small one was for her father to soak his feet.
By the time she had carried the two tubs back home, Mrs. Lu had already boiled the water. She took out the Blood Circulation Soup Powder that Zhao Yuan had given them and mixed it with the boiling water. Instantly, a light mist and a strong smell of Chinese medicinal herbs filled the room.
"This scent..." Lu Qing's expression changed. She immediately took two more deep breaths, a look of utter astonishment on her face. She realized that after inhaling the medicinal aroma, it actually caused her qi and blood to surge!
Lu Qing had practiced martial arts with her father since she was a child. When she was young and building her foundation, Father Lu had used medicinal herbs to help with her Body Refining, so she was very familiar with this feeling of surging qi and blood. It was just that later, as her Cultivation increased, her family's medicinal formulas were no longer effective.
Lu Qing never would have imagined that today, she would once again experience the feeling of her qi and blood surging!
It wasn't just Lu Qing. When Father Lu smelled the medicinal aroma, his eyebrows shot up, his face a mask of shock. "This medicine has such a potent effect! Just smelling it is enough to make one's qi and blood surge. It's simply incredible! Qingqing, what exactly is this medicine that Xiaozhao gave you?"
Lu Qing shook her head. "I don't know either. At first, he just said it would help get rid of the scar from my gunshot wound. Then, after looking at your legs, he said it could help them recover. I really never expected that this medicine would also be helpful for Body Refining!"
After the initial shock wore off, Lu Qing felt a surge of motivation. She couldn't wait to finish preparing the medicinal soup and divided it between the two tubs.
The small tub was placed in the living room for Father Lu's convenience in soaking his feet. The large one was placed in the bathroom. After helping her father get his feet soaking, Lu Qing returned to the bathroom, took off her clothes, and submerged her lithe, flawless, and utterly perfect figure into the Blood Circulation Soup.
The moment she entered the Blood Circulation Soup, Lu Qing immediately felt her qi and blood become agitated, rushing wildly through her meridians and blood vessels! An intense, stinging pain swept through her entire body, making her cry out involuntarily.
"Qingqing, what's wrong?" Mrs. Lu was startled. The bathroom door was locked, so all she could do was worry anxiously outside.
Father Lu, on the other hand, was also soaking in the Blood Circulation Soup and knew what Lu Qing was experiencing. He quickly shouted, "Don't disturb our daughter! It's because of the medicine!"
He didn't cry out in pain, but his hands gripped the wheelchair so tightly that his veins bulged and his knuckles turned white. It was clear that he, too, was enduring intense, stinging pain. However, he had it much better than Lu Qing. Since he was only soaking his feet and legs, the painful sensation was confined to that area, unlike Lu Qing, who was in pain all over her body.
Mrs. Lu paced back and forth in worry, asking anxiously, "Old Lu, what's wrong with Qingqing? She sounds like she's in so much pain! You said it's because of the medicine? Is there something wrong with it?"
Father Lu said, breathing heavily, "All you do is worry about our daughter, why don't I see you worrying about me? Don't worry. Not only is Qingqing fine, but with the help of this medicine, her Cultivation might even rise to the next level! I never imagined that Xiaozhao would be willing to give this kind of Body Refining Elixir to me and Qingqing. This favor is truly immense!"
In the bathroom, Lu Qing soaked for over two hours before finally getting out of the tub.
Lu Qing had never learned the Four Saints Technique, so she couldn't absorb the full effects of the Blood Circulation Soup. Even so, her gains were still substantial.
After taking a quick shower, Lu Qing walked out of the bathroom in her pajamas.
Seeing her emerge completely unscathed, Mrs. Lu finally let out a sigh of relief.
Father Lu smiled and asked, "How do you feel?"
"The medicinal effect is too strong!" Lu Qing exclaimed. "If I soak in this a few more times, my strength will definitely increase!"
Father Lu nodded.
'This is just as I expected,' he thought.
"I really didn't expect Xiaozhao to have something this good. Is he a martial artist too?" Father Lu asked curiously.
Lu Qing shook her head. "I've seen him in action, and I've even fought him. Based on my observations, he doesn't seem to be a martial artist, but his physical conditioning is truly incredible. It's most likely because he frequently uses this medicine to bathe and practice Body Refining."
Father Lu said, "Qingqing, if you can get Xiaozhao to give you more of this Body Refining Elixir, your strength will definitely improve by leaps and bounds with long-term use."
Lu Qing shook her head with a wry smile. "Zhao Yuan already did us a huge favor by agreeing to give us the medicine until your legs are fully healed. How could I have the nerve to ask for more?"
Mrs. Lu made a suggestion. "Why don't we ask Xiaozhao how much a bag of this medicine costs? We can pay for it."
"No!" Father Lu rejected the idea without hesitation. "When Xiaozhao gave Qingqing this Body Refining Elixir, he wasn't doing it for money. If we ask about the price and try to buy it, we'll inevitably hurt his feelings."
Lu Qing agreed. "Dad's right. When Zhao Yuan first gave me this medicine, I asked him how much it was so I could pay him, but he refused. And let me tell you a secret. The Soul-Stabilizing Incense that Dad got from Uncle Feng was actually made by Zhao Yuan. That incense costs ten thousand yuan a box! This Body Refining Elixir couldn't possibly be cheaper than the Soul-Stabilizing Incense, right? Our family can afford to buy two or three bags, but if we need it for long-term use, how could we possibly afford it?"
Mrs. Lu exclaimed, "What? Xiaozhao made the Soul-Stabilizing Incense? My heavens, he's truly remarkable! I heard that not only is the Soul-Stabilizing Incense expensive, but it's also incredibly hard to get even one box!" In her heart, she now had another reason to want Zhao Yuan as her son-in-law.
"How about this," Father Lu said, suddenly having an idea. "Qingqing, you should ask Xiaozhao if he can provide you with this Body Refining Elixir long-term. If he's willing, then teach him the 'Jade Ring Step, Mandarin Duck Leg'!"
The Jade Ring Step and Mandarin Duck Leg are a very famous set of leg techniques. In *Water Margin*, it's said to be Wu Song's ultimate life-long skill! However, while Wu Song was ultimately a fictional character created by a novelist, the Jade Ring Step and Mandarin Duck Leg are real leg techniques.
Once these leg techniques are unleashed, the forms are swift and the hands are nimble, the steps are light and the body is agile. The user moves with the grace of a butterfly flitting through flowers, and the techniques come one after another like a sudden squall—relentless, each move stronger and fiercer than the last, leaving the opponent completely overwhelmed!
Lu Qing cried out in surprise, "Is that a good idea? The Jade Ring Step and Mandarin Duck Leg are our family's ancestral secret techniques!"
Father Lu said with a bitter smile, "So what if they're ancestral secret techniques? This Cultivation Technique originally had thirty-two forms and was meant to be executed in a continuous, flowing sequence. But now, only twenty forms remain. Its power has been greatly diminished, and its continuity is nowhere near what it used to be. What I'm worried about now is that these ancestral techniques won't be enough to impress Xiaozhao at all."