Chapter 23: An Apothecary’s Familiarity

While Little Merlin diligently focused on her examination, Lu Yuan had already ascended the stairs by himself.

He harbored no concerns about Little Merlin’s assessment. According to Lei Yin’s memories, Little Merlin possessed extraordinary talent in pharmacy, a skill that rivaled even Lei Yin’s own.

Though Lei Yin had been thirteen when he passed the apprentice examination, Little Merlin was currently a year younger than he had been at that time. Nevertheless, given Little Merlin’s present proficiency, passing the apprentice assessment would pose no real challenge.

As one of the guild’s most integral pharmacists, Lei Yin naturally possessed a private apothecary. However, it had been a considerable time since he last set foot inside.

Tracing the path etched into his memory, Lu Yuan soon reached his destination. A nameplate bearing ‘Lei Yin’ still hung from the rustic wooden door.

Lu Yuan pushed the door open and stepped inside, immediately assailed by a potent, earthy scent of herbs. What met his gaze was utter disarray.

The apothecary counter was laden with a scattered assortment of various medicines, while an array of vessels lay haphazardly overturned, as if the room hadn’t been tidied in ages.

Lu Yuan paid it no mind. In fact, he considered it fortunate that this apothecary had remained unoccupied.

He casually surveyed the medicinal ingredients, and then, a flicker of astonishment crossed his eyes.

Perilla seeds, white cardamom, dried tangerine peel, prepared pinellia, coltsfoot flowers, silver thread grass, clam pearls, purple-backed nightglow…

He could identify every single ingredient within the room.

‘Could this be a mere coincidence? Why do these medicinal herbs perfectly match those from the cultivation world of my previous life?’

Yet, Lei Yin’s memories offered no information that could explain this uncanny resemblance. Lu Yuan could only shake his head in silent bewilderment.

Since he had already resolved to assume Lei Yin’s identity, it was imperative to master some fundamental skills—specifically, those of a pharmacist.

In his past life, Lu Yuan, a rogue cultivator, had dabbled in myriad arts, including the craft of alchemy. However, he remained unaware of the distinctions between this world’s pharmaceutical methods and the alchemy practiced in the cultivation realm.

Lei Yin’s fragmented memories offered little insight into the art of pharmacy. Consequently, Lu Yuan’s primary objective for this visit was to consult the numerous pharmaceutical texts stored within Lei Yin’s apothecary.

Within the apothecary, beyond the dazzling array of medicinal ingredients, these pharmacopoeias stood as the most invaluable treasures.

Yet, they were currently relegated to a nearby desk, casually piled and covered in a fine layer of dust.

Lu Yuan pulled over a table and chair, settled down, and began to casually peruse the tomes.

‘These… these things…’

After merely a brief examination, Lu Yuan’s usually composed expression swiftly transformed into one of profound astonishment.

The pharmaceutical arts of this foreign world, in their fundamental principles, were nearly identical to the alchemy Lu Yuan had mastered during his cultivation.

Cultivators forged elixirs by harnessing the primordial energy within their bodies. Using an artifact cauldron, they would ignite a ‘pill fire’ capable of melting all substances within. This potent flame served to refine medicinal ingredients, extracting their purest essence while incinerating all impurities.

With the cosmos as their guide, they would then combine various medicinal properties, giving rise to divine attributes. Such was the revered method of a cultivator’s alchemy.

In this foreign world, while the concept of ‘pill fire’ for refining medicine was absent, the methods for combining the properties of myriad ingredients aligned perfectly with the techniques Lu Yuan had once learned.

Moreover, many of the medicinal ingredients indigenous to this world bore striking resemblances to those in Lu Yuan’s memories, differing only in name.

Had it not been for the significant divergence in the specific preparation methods from what Lu Yuan remembered, he would have started to doubt if he was merely trapped in a dream of another world.

He subconsciously lifted a hand to rub his forehead. Now that he understood the underlying principles of this world’s pharmacology, these foundational texts offered him extremely limited assistance.

What he truly required now was to thoroughly familiarize himself with this world’s specific herbs and their properties. He needed to meticulously cross-reference the ingredients found here with those from the cultivation realm stored within his own memories.

‘Perhaps this is fate…’