Chapter 35, Snake Soup with Blood Ginseng—A Restorative Delicacy

Translator: StarReader

 

“Let’s catch a grass snake and make some snake soup. It’ll give us a nice boost!”

 

After finishing his diagnosis for Ah Chou, Su Chen stood up and led the way, strolling around the farmlands near the City God Temple. He had spent three months at the rear of the Medicine King Estate, where every meal was just salted rice with pickled vegetables. His taste buds were practically crying for some variety.

 

In no time at all, Su Chen spotted a fist-sized hole under a ridge. Reaching inside, he grabbed a grass snake about two feet long. With practiced ease, he gripped it three inches behind the head and pulled it out.

 

For Su Chen, this was an everyday task.

 

Having reached the peak of perception in his mastery, he perceived everything within a dozen meters around him, even the movements deep inside hidden caves.

 

Ah Chou followed behind, filled with curiosity, only to be utterly amazed and nearly bite his tongue.

 

This grass snake was no easy find; it hid deep within a hole at the edge of a field or in tall grass, its small entrance making it practically impossible to locate without spending over half an hour. Moreover, no one could be certain there weren’t venomous snakes inside the cave. If someone accidentally encountered a venomous snake and reached in without thinking, getting bitten by its fangs would lead to disaster. Even if they survived, rushing them to a pharmacy for treatment would cost a fortune.

 

Only the experienced snake catchers in town dared venture into the wilderness to capture snakes. Ordinary folks would turn pale at the mere mention of it and avoid such risks altogether. Who would dare to catch snakes with their bare hands?

 

Su Chen, however, had studied extensive herbal knowledge at Medicine King Group, including information on snake-based medicinal materials. He knew the varying toxicities of different snakes and, understanding that this grass snake was venomless, dared to take the risk.

 

He headed to nearby field edges and streams, using his herb-picking knife to skin the grass snake and remove its innards. Returning to City God Temple, he cleaned the earthen pot, chopped up the snake meat, and boiled it in a flavorful soup, completing the entire process smoothly.

 

This grass snake had a sweet nature, nourished vitality and blood, promoted circulation, dispelled wind pathogens, and strengthened the weak. It was perfect for making a soup to boost physical health.

 

Su Chen prepared it carefully before saying that there wasn’t enough firewood and sent Ah Chou to gather some dry branches in the small forest near the City God Temple.

 

Ah Chou nodded and left the temple.

 

Su Chen then took out several decades-old body tempering herbs from his bosom—black yam from Black Mountain, blood vine, and blood ginseng, among others.

 

He only sliced a few pieces of each herb and threw them into the clay pot to boil together with the snake soup. The rest he put away.

 

Ah Chou’s internal injuries had been accumulating for over half a year and had become quite serious. Young herbs weren’t strong enough for him. He needed drastic treatment, which was why he used these decades-old herbs to ensure a cure.

 

The effectiveness of the medicine didn’t depend on quantity but on precision—administering just the right amount to achieve the best results without wasting any resources.

 

Su Chen had been self-prescribing remedies for the past three months, using various herbs for body tempering and cultivation, gaining a wealth of herbal medicine experience.

 

Ah Chou soon returned, bringing back a bundle of dry branches and firewood.

 

Half an hour later, the snake soup stew was ready, filling the air with its rich aroma that permeated the entire City God Temple. Although it lacked oil, salt, vinegar, or soy sauce, its flavor was pure, enhanced by the herbal scent subtly masked by the snake’s essence.

 

“Come on, try my cooking! As a kid, I used to go fishing in the river and roast the fish over an open fire. It’s been a while since I’ve done this, so I’m a bit rusty,” Su Chen said with a smile as he tasted the soup.

 

Ah Chou was already lured by the intense aroma of the snake soup, his appetite growing.

 

The Mess Hall of the Heaven Falcon Group only served steamed buns and porridge day in and day out—nowhere near as enticing as this fragrant snake stew.

 

Having been without meat for months, Ah Chou eagerly scooped a large bowl of the soup and devoured it ravenously, his mouth filled with the delicate fragrance.

 

“Alright, let’s dig in!” Su Chen said cheerfully, already having tasted the first spoonful.

 

Ah Chou had never tasted tempering herbs before, and he couldn’t tell what the herbal aroma in the soup was.

 

He ate it too quickly to savor the sweet flavor of the snake stew.

 

But Ah Chou soon felt a surge of heat rising from his abdomen, as if something was forcibly driving his vitality and blood circulation.

 

Ah Chou found it strange. Long ago, he had once tasted leftover snake soup at Heaven Falcon Inn, but he had never experienced such a sensation of internal warmth.

 

This feeling… It felt like taking some kind of powerful tonic.

 

Ah Chou sensed something was off.

 

He was no fool and figured out what might be going on. He carved a makeshift stick from a branch and stirred the snake stew in the clay pot a few times, pulling out a piece of blood ginseng and several strands of blood vine.

 

“T-this doesn’t look like the ordinary blood ginseng you’d find at a herbal shop,” he muttered to himself with a puzzled expression.

 

Ah Chou was startled, his eyes widening in disbelief as his hands began to tremble. He had once entertained the idea of purchasing herbs to assist with body tempering. However, when he visited Gusu County City’s herbal shops, the prices of even the cheapest tempering herbs left him utterly disheartened—starting at a silver tael per small portion, with some slightly better quality ones fetching five or six silver taels. The idea was immediately abandoned.

 

Blood ginseng, especially those aged over ten years, was a powerful body-tempering herb known for its ability to strengthen one’s foundation and vital energy. It was highly beneficial for practitioners during the early stages of their body tempering. Major herbal shops in Gusu County City sold blood ginseng and blood vine, but even a single small portion of blood ginseng cost a silver tael—a price far beyond the reach of ordinary citizens.

 

The ingredients in this snake soup were simply too expensive! It was only the wealthy and influential inner disciples of the Heaven Falcon Group who could afford such luxuries. Ah Chou was so shocked that he could barely speak, his hands trembling uncontrollably. In his previous job at an inn, he had only earned a single silver tael for an entire year’s work, and even then, saving up copper coins was practically impossible for him.

 

Now joining the Heaven Falcon Group to do hard labor, not even a single copper coin was earned. It was just working for free for the group.

 

He had to cart manure out of town every few days, selling it to wealthy rural households as fertilizer. For one cart, he could barely earn three or four copper coins. Even that wasn’t enough to cover his daily expenses, let alone have money left over for buying medicine for cultivating.

 

The herbs in this pot of snake soup must have taken him years to afford.

 

“Brother Chen, these herbs are sold in county city pharmacies for several silver taels. How could you give me something so expensive?”

 

Ah Chou fished out a piece of blood ginseng from the clay pot, moved to tears.

 

It was the first time he had ever eaten such an expensive cultivating ingredient.

 

Having been an orphan since childhood, and because of his ugly appearance, he had always been picked on. The only exception was his one and only sister, who had always been kind to him.

 

Su Chen was the only person in Gusu County City who treated him so well.

 

Su Chen, seeing that he could no longer conceal it, forced a smile and said, “The Medicine King Group doesn’t have much of anything else, just a lot of herbs. They’re not worth much at all. As a disciple of the Medicine King Group, getting some herbs is easy for me.”

 

In reality, even an outer disciple of the Medicine King Group couldn’t afford such expensive ten-year-old blood ginseng. Su Chen feared that Ah Chou would feel burdened and thus didn’t mention it.

 

“This… is still too expensive! You should drink it yourself; that way, you can become a martial arts master sooner. It would be a waste for me to consume it.”

 

Ah Chou shook his head and dared not drink any more of the snake soup with blood ginseng. Just a small sip would be enough to keep him working as a laborer for an entire month.

 

“This medicine was prepared specifically for you. If you don’t drink it, it means you no longer see me as your brother!” Su Chen’s expression hardened.

 

“I’ll drink it!” Ah Chou hesitated, recalling the words spoken in the firewood shack of Heaven Falcon Inn half a year ago. Suppressing his tears, he downed another bowl of snake soup.