Eternal Life Begins with Learning

Nanshan Town was never large to begin with. The recent bandit suppression campaign resulted in over a hundred casualties among the Inspectors, and for the past few days, funerals throughout the entire town had been almost ceaseless.

Walking down the street, one could see that nearly every other home was adorned with white funeral banners and had set up a memorial altar. Joss paper littered the ground, and mourners in sackcloth were everywhere one looked.

Even though his hands were already stained with blood and he didn’t much believe in ghosts or gods, at this dusky hour, the pervasive, grim sight made even Chu Mu feel a chill run down his spine.

Subconsciously, Chu Mu quickened his pace.

After a short while, Chu Mu reached his destination.

The town’s only Medicine Hall, and the home of its only doctor... Mingxin Hall!

His reason for coming here was much the same as why he studied at the private school by night.

The steep price of a hundred silver had bought him Doctor Li’s instruction on the subject of Meridians and acupoints.

A hundred silver coins. Even with Chu Mu’s Monthly Stipend, which was quite generous for his rank, it would take him nearly a year to save up that much—and that was without counting his illicit gains.

Factoring in his living expenses, it would likely take two or three years to save up such a sum, if he could manage it at all!

Without a doubt, the price of knowledge... was once again staggeringly high!

According to Doctor Li, the practice of Martial Arts was a path to the Extraordinary, something that could hardly be measured in mere silver coins.

With a single, casual sentence, the price was set at a hundred silver coins, and no one could utter a word of protest.

"Take these books and study them for now. If you have any questions, you can ask me."

Upon entering the Medicine Hall, Elder Li picked up several thick volumes from a table and handed them to Chu Mu.

After Chu Mu took them, Elder Li pointed to a room off to the side. "That room is quiet and no one will disturb you. Go and read in there."

Chu Mu glanced at the thick stack of volumes in his hands. Their titles clearly indicated their contents.

One was the *Meridian Acupoint Atlas*, another the *Five Viscera Diagram*, a third was the *Bone Setting Atlas*, and the last was the *Three Treasures Inner Scripture*—four books in total.

Chu Mu’s gaze swept past the first three volumes, finally settling on the fourth: the *Three Treasures Inner Scripture*.

He could guess the contents of the first three from their titles, but the *Three Treasures Inner Scripture* was a complete mystery to him.

’What were the Three Treasures?’

Chu Mu was puzzled, but the very first page made it all clear.

The so-called Three Treasures clearly referred to the three treasures of the human body: Essence, Qi, and Spirit!

Chu Mu slowly leafed through the pages, gradually becoming immersed in the world within the book.

Many of the nouns, adjectives, and even the meanings of a good number of the words were things Chu Mu only partially understood, and some were outright obscure.

However, not understanding a few words didn’t stop him from grasping the overall meaning.

Of course, this was only a cursory reading. To truly understand it, Chu Mu knew he would have to study it in much greater detail.

The *Three Treasures Inner Scripture* wasn’t thick, only a dozen or so pages. Chu Mu skimmed through it in just a few moments.

Perhaps because Essence, Qi, and Spirit were such profound concepts, the book’s descriptions were extremely brief and esoteric, giving them an almost impenetrably mysterious feel.

After a quick read-through, Chu Mu found it difficult to form a coherent understanding.

He closed the cover without dwelling on it. ’The description of Essence, Qi, and Spirit is clearly beyond my current understanding. It’s best to wait for Elder Li’s explanation.’

Shifting his gaze, Chu Mu turned to the other three books. Compared to the slim *Three Treasures Inner Scripture*, the other three volumes were considerably thicker.

Each volume was at least an inch thick.

He casually picked up the *Five Viscera Diagram* and began to flip through it. The very first page made his expression change.

After a quick skim, Chu Mu picked up the other two books and rapidly flipped through them as well.

Finally, he closed the books, a look of shocked disbelief apparent on his face.

’Based on my impression of medicine in this era, I had expected the books to lean more toward esoteric theories, like Yin Yang Five Elements and their correspondence with the human body.’

But these four books—aside from the *Three Treasures Inner Scripture* which he couldn’t yet comprehend—were different. The *Meridian Acupoint Atlas*, the *Bone Setting Atlas*, and the *Five Viscera Diagram*... while their overarching theory was based on the Yin Yang Five Elements, their content was decidedly more practical.

So practical, in fact, that Chu Mu felt as though he were reading an anatomy textbook from his previous life!

Meridians, acupoints, bones, organs...

The structure of the human body was described in all three books with meticulous, illustrated detail.

’There’s no way anyone could describe this in such detail without extensive experience in human dissection,’ Chu Mu thought. ’I refuse to believe it.’

’But... large-scale human dissection in an era like this?’

’The notion was utterly preposterous.’

Gazing at the four volumes on the table, Chu Mu found it difficult to remain calm.

The shock from these books caused many of his old doubts to resurface.

’The papermaking process that seemed too advanced for the era, the illogical mineral requisitions, and now this medical knowledge that defied the period’s ethical norms...’

Everything seemed normal on the surface, yet threaded with a subtle strangeness.

Chu Mu picked up the four volumes from the table and headed for the Outer Hall.

"If you want to ask about the source of the contents in these books..."

Before Chu Mu could even ask, Elder Li spoke without looking up.

"These books were passed down from my master. I’m not entirely sure of their specific origins myself."

"I traveled widely in my youth, and these books are quite common among doctors everywhere. They aren’t some secret, familial knowledge..."

"I imagine they were written by our predecessors. It’s just been so long that the name of the great physician who authored them has been lost to time."

Elder Li’s tone was full of reverence, and his old, dim eyes held a hint of wistful admiration.

"A physician should be like this. Too many rules and too many reservations only serve as shackles."

Chu Mu didn’t respond. He waited until Elder Li had finished his musings before saying, "I’d like to trouble Elder Li to explain the *Three Treasures Inner Scripture* to me."

"The theory of man’s three treasures—Essence, Qi, and Spirit—is an ancient one. Its mysteries are beyond even my ability to fully comprehend."

Elder Li stood and took the *Three Treasures Inner Scripture* from Chu Mu’s hands. "In my view," he continued, "this volume has its share of errors."

"But... the Three Treasures are profound. Since no one can see the whole picture, it’s natural for people to have differing views. For now, just listen to my interpretation, but don’t take it as gospel."

Chu Mu nodded, his expression turning serious. "I understand. Please begin, Elder Li."

"’As it is said, when a person first comes into being, Essence is the first to form.’"

"This Essence refers to the kidneys. According to the principles of the Yin Yang Five Elements, the kidneys govern water, which is also the foundation of blood. They receive the quintessence of the five viscera and six bowels and store it."

"As I understand it, Essence is the very source that sustains human life. Our three daily meals, the meat and vegetables we eat—this is all a process of absorbing the essence of external things to replenish the body’s own Essence..."

"When Essence is abundant, a person is strong and free from illness. When Essence is depleted, a person is plagued by all manner of ailments and will not live long."

"A person’s Essence has two aspects: prenatal and postnatal."

"Prenatal Essence is what you are born with. For example, some people are born with incredible strength and a robust constitution, while others are born naturally frail and weak. That is prenatal Essence."

"As for postnatal Essence, that refers to..."

At this, Elder Li looked at Chu Mu. "Take you, for example, Brother Mu. You used to be weak and frequently ill. Recently, you have trained diligently in martial arts and tempered your physique. As your body grew stronger, your body’s Essence naturally grew stronger as well..."

"Once you formally begin your study of Martial Arts and effectively temper your body, your physical Essence will naturally grow even more powerful."

...