RYEY -Chapter 398 The Chosen One

Ye Jun picked up the porcelain bottle that carried a faint sweetness and sniffed it hard a few more times. Only after suppressing the bitter note did he ask:

“What kind of fortuitous encounter was this?”

“Master, have you ever heard of the Four-Flavor Tree? The sea eagle led me to gather Four-Flavor Fruits. I’ve already refined two kinds of medicinal pills from them; the other two haven’t been developed yet.”

“The Four-Flavor Tree… I always thought that was just a legend. Could it really exist?”

Ye Jun was genuinely excited. His Ye family’s ancestors had also recorded descriptions of the Four-Flavor Tree. It was said that different people, after eating its fruit, would experience different tastes—sweet, sour, bitter, or spicy.

If your heart was sweet, the fruit would taste sweet.

If your heart was bitter, then like the taste he had just smelled, bitterness would seep from your very being.

If your heart was sour, you would inevitably suffer all kinds of blows, sour enough to set your teeth on edge.

And when your heart was spicy, you would understand the pain that comes after tears are forced from your eyes.

He never expected that Cheng Qiao could actually turn the Four-Flavor Fruit into Four-Flavor Pills. Even though two kinds hadn’t been perfected yet, she had already succeeded with two.

“Mm. Master, you can take a Bamboo Knife Pill. It boosts vitality and sharpens the mind—very effective. When you’re exhausted from work, it’s absolutely top-tier as a refresher.”

Ye Jun quickly poured out a tiny pill and put it into his mouth. A clear, sweet flavor enveloped his entire palate, followed by a refreshing surge that shot straight to the crown of his head. His whole body felt cleansed, indescribably comfortable.

“Excellent stuff! You really are a lucky girl. Those lost heavenly treasures not only let themselves be found by you, you can even refine them into pills. Remarkable! By the way, who else knows about this?”

“Only Commander Qin and Li Huan’s elder brother. I gave the pills to them to distribute among the soldiers, to improve the overall vigilance of our troops.

“As for the Iron Knife Pills, I gave a bottle to Zhu Qingde. From my observations, Shopkeeper Zhu is an outstanding practitioner of traditional medicine with admirable character.”

Cheng Qiao explained how she had given the Bamboo Knife Pills to Commander Qin and the Iron Knife Pills to Zhu Qingde. When Ye Jun heard Zhu Qingde’s name, he nodded slightly—he knew the man and approved of his conduct.

“So the Bamboo Knife Pills are the sweet ones, and the Iron Knife Pills are the bitter ones, right? I already know what the Bamboo Knife Pills do—what about the Iron Knife Pills? What do they treat?”

“Master, wait a moment. Xiaonuan, take this Bamboo Knife Pill, then go call your uncle in, okay?”

Li Xiaonuan had been quietly listening to her mother and grandpa. When she learned she could also taste the sweet new pill her mother had developed, she nodded happily.

“Mom, it tastes like candy balls—but much better than candy balls. It feels cool and comfy right here.”

Xiaonuan pointed to her temple, smiling as she reported that, as a test subject, she was very satisfied with the pill. Cheng Qiao deliberately picked up an Iron Knife Pill and asked if she wanted to try that one too.

Xiaonuan immediately covered her mouth. Having grown up drinking spatial water, she had long since caught that bitter smell. Seeing Grandpa Ye still holding it near his nose to sniff, she felt a little sorry for him.

“I’ll go call Uncle.”

Qin Guoqing was helping Li Huan carry things. Even though he could only use one arm, he stubbornly refused to let Mother Li do any lifting. With a young man like him around, how could he let an elder carry luggage?

“Uncle, my mom and Grandpa Ye are looking for you. Hurry and go in.”

Xiaonuan saw Li Ming trying to restrain Li Chen, but Li Chen was clearly the type who responded to gentleness, not force. Though younger than Li Ming, his rebellious spirit was formidable.

Li Ming was a bit annoyed. He was clearly very strong, yet dared not use force. His second brother had warned him earlier—Li Chen was their uncle’s only son; he mustn’t lay hands on him.

“You’re Brother Li Chen, right? I’m Sister Li Xiaonuan. Call me ‘sister,’ and I’ll give you something tasty.”

Li Chen’s eyes lit up. When he saw Xiaonuan’s face—so similar to Li Huan’s—he felt an inexplicable closeness.

“Sister, sister…”

“Come on, let’s go to my room. I’ll give you our Old Cheng family’s sesame oil cakes. My grand-uncle brought them back from Huizhou—they’re delicious.”

Little Li Chen immediately grabbed Xiaonuan’s hand and followed her toward the back courtyard. At the doorway, he even turned back to make a funny face at Li Ming. Li Ming took two deep breaths—this was his cousin, his only cousin.

Qin Guoqing entered the main hall just as Ye Jun was asking what it felt like to take the bitter pill. Qin Guoqing answered at once:

“Doctor Ye, that Iron Knife Pill is extremely bitter. But my second sister-in-law said I had stagnant blood in my brain. If it wasn’t cleared, it could turn into something serious. So I took three pills in total. Now there’s no more stagnant blood in my head.”

“Really? The Iron Knife Pill can invigorate the blood and disperse stasis. Sit down—let me take your pulse.”

Ye Jun’s cool fingers rested on Qin Guoqing’s wrist. Feeling the pulse, he found it indeed robust and vigorous, with no sense of blockage at all. Only the vital essence was still a bit weak—understandable, since he had just recovered from an injury.

“Here—take this pill.”

Qin Guoqing recognized it at a glance—it was a Bamboo Knife Pill. These pills were famous in their military district. Everyone could only get one. The impatient had already eaten theirs, while many brothers secretly kept theirs, saving it for a dangerous moment.

“Thank you, Doctor Ye.”

Though Qin Guoqing was Commander Qin’s own son, his father had only given him a single Bamboo Knife Pill, without the slightest favoritism—upright to the extreme.

Qin Guoqing was reluctant to eat it, wanting to save it for Lele. He completely forgot that Lele was Cheng Qiao’s sister-in-law—if she wanted one, did she really need him to save it?

“Mm, so sweet.”

“You’ve never eaten one.”

“I…”

“Enough talk. Hold out your hand. Let me take your pulse.”

Ye Jun didn’t care why Qin Guoqing hadn’t eaten the Bamboo Knife Pill earlier. He was eager to feel the pulse—he wanted to know exactly how a person’s pulse would change after taking this pill.

When his fingers touched Qin Guoqing’s pulse once more, a sharp gleam flashed in his eyes. He looked at Cheng Qiao with clear satisfaction—and pride he couldn’t hide.

Cheng Qiao felt a bit embarrassed under his gaze and quickly took out all the porcelain bottles from her backpack.

“Master, keep these for now. If you run into patients like this, it’ll save you from having to use moxibustion or acupuncture. Especially acupuncture—it consumes your true qi and is exhausting.”

Ye Jun would never again complain about the bitterness of the Iron Knife Pills. With a special medicine that could dissolve blood stasis, who would still waste their own true qi on acupuncture? He wasn’t bored out of his mind.

Moreover, most people with injuries had problems with stagnant blood blocking their vessels. Those with weak hearts were even more at risk—one misstep could cause a heart attack or stroke, with terrifying long-term effects.

“Qiao, is the output of this medicine high?”

After Qin Guoqing left, Ye Jun thought of a crucial issue. Whether Iron Knife Pills or Bamboo Knife Pills, they all required Four-Flavor Fruit. And Four-Flavor Fruit wasn’t just any fruit—it was said to be food for immortals, for heaven’s sake.

Cheng Qiao shook her head. Ever since she had harvested all the Four-Flavor Fruit last time, the two Four-Flavor Trees hadn’t borne fruit again yet. But judging from the growth speed of their branches, it probably wouldn’t be long.