I Have Medicine

Chapter 577 - (Preparations Complete) The Great Battle Begins

Shen Yuanbai was decisive and efficient. Although he clearly intended to build a good relationship with Gongyi Tianheng and Gu Zuo, once the goods were delivered and he saw that the two still had matters to attend to, he didn’t linger. Instead, he took his leave without hesitation.

Gongyi Tianheng walked him to the gate, then returned and said to Gu Zuo, “Ah Zuo, it seems there’s some taotie hide mixed into the magical weapons. Shen Yuanbai was quite generous this time.”

Gu Zuo was stunned.

He picked up an eyemask and examined it carefully. Sure enough, he noticed that the aura it emitted carried a faint trace of taotie hide. Of course, the entire stock of taotie hide hadn’t been used, but for thirty thousand eyemasks, even if just a third of the total material used was taotie hide, that was still a considerable amount.

By that estimate, not only had Shen Yuanbai not made a profit—he might’ve actually taken a loss.

Gu Zuo looked toward Gongyi Tianheng.

Gongyi Tianheng nodded slightly: “I offered the taotie hide to strengthen our ties with Shen Yuanbai. Thirty thousand magical weapons, even if low in sentience, are extremely difficult to produce in just a few days. By offering such a rare material as an incentive, it’s easier for Shen Yuanbai to convince the top refining masters to take the job. And if we’d exchanged for them with profound crystals instead, the cost would have been immense. We still have many industries to sustain—it’s better to keep more crystals on hand for liquidity, lest we face stress when funds run short.”

But still, they hadn’t expected Shen Yuanbai to go this far…

Gu Zuo silently retracted his gaze.

Right—his big brother had offered the taotie hide to build rapport with Shen Yuanbai, and what Shen Yuanbai had done in return… that was clearly meant to curry favor with the Palace Master.

To put it bluntly, Gu Zuo couldn’t help but feel—Shen Yuanbai’s actions gave off a distinct… um, “stepfather trying to win over his stepson” vibe.

The moment that thought crossed his mind, Gu Zuo’s scalp tingled.

Wait a second—this idea must never be known by his big brother or the Palace Master!

Too outrageous. *Cringe.*

Gongyi Tianheng noticed the strange look on Gu Zuo’s face and couldn’t help but ask, “Ah Zuo, what are you thinking?”

Gu Zuo quickly snapped out of it and shook his head vigorously. “Nothing! I was just thinking, Shen Yuanbai’s like a big sucker. If we hadn’t realized what he did, fine, but now that we do know, continuing to do business with him kinda feels like we’re taking advantage of him… If this keeps up, we’ll owe him more and more.”

Even though his big brother had already said that if things didn’t work out, he’d offer Shen Yuanbai something valuable in return to repay the favor—if favors like this happened again and again, the debt would pile up. What if it got to the point that it felt like they owed him something as huge as the Palace Master himself? That’d be a disaster.

Gongyi Tianheng was briefly stunned, then chuckled. “Ah Zuo, you’re overthinking.” But after a pause, he added, “Still, we should be mindful.”

He knew how to weigh things clearly, but that didn’t mean others wouldn’t misunderstand.

Gu Zuo saw his brother say that and asked, “So what do you plan to do?”

Gongyi Tianheng smiled. “When Shen Yuanbai’s birthday comes, we’ll give him a gift that’s truly exceptional.”

Gu Zuo thought it over and agreed—it wasn’t complicated. So he said, “Then I’ll prepare some rare and high-grade medicinal pills, from the Celestial Realm to the Royal Realm, like a complete set. And we can include a piece of the taotie bone we obtained… With those, it should be enough to pay back the favor.”

Gongyi Tianheng nodded. “We’ll go with your plan.”

And just like that, they wrapped up their discussion on how to handle the favor owed to Shen Yuanbai.

Afterward, Gongyi Tianheng summoned his two thousand subordinates to the martial training grounds.

These two thousand had already been tempered through trials and now carried the same aura of bloodlust as the warriors of Eight Desolations City. Their individual strengths were originally superior to the city’s warriors, and now they radiated the might of seasoned veterans. Their presence was fierce and powerful—both their will and abilities had improved dramatically.

Some among them were even the offspring of major forces. After being forged in fire and blood, they had matured significantly. The trace of arrogance once common among noble scions had been subdued; they now carried themselves with quiet strength and none of the old rashness.

Gu Zuo saw this and was very pleased.

These were the kind of people truly capable of serving his big brother.

All the resources spent to train them had not been in vain.

The two thousand subordinates were all unfailingly loyal to Gongyi Tianheng and held Gu Zuo in the highest regard. As soon as they saw the two approach, they immediately dropped to one knee and saluted, saying, “Greetings, Young Master! Greetings, Pharmacist Gu!”

Gongyi Tianheng waved his hand, signaling them to rise, then turned to Gu Zuo with a slight smile.

Gu Zuo stepped forward and swiped his hand over the storage bangle wrapped around his forearm—yes, since Gongyi Tianheng already had one, this new bangle had been given to Gu Zuo as both a practical storage item and a visible symbol of his status. Instantly, before him floated two thousand strange, magical weapons, glowing faintly with mystical light.

Next, with a flick of intent, Gu Zuo’s psychic power split into two thousand threads, sending each of the two thousand magical weapons to the hand of a corresponding subordinate. One per person—no exceptions.

This display of precise control left the subordinates deeply shocked. They couldn’t help but wonder—just what level had Pharmacist Gu’s psychic cultivation reached to manage this feat?

Of course, their attention quickly shifted to the weapons in their hands.

Strange shapes… Are these… eye masks?

These people were no fools. Thinking for a moment about the purpose of such an item—and recalling the three foreign tribes they were facing—they immediately caught on.

Gu Zuo spoke: “If you face the Blue-Eyed Tribe in future battles, you may use this item to cover your eyes. It can block three attacks from a double-eye tribesmen, and more from a single-eye tribesmen. However, be mindful—if too many cracks appear on the mask, retreat at once. Once it shatters, it can no longer offer protection.”

The troops all responded with firm, spirited acknowledgment.

The soul-capturing power of the Blue-Eyed Tribe’s gaze had long been a headache for them. With this mask that could block at least three attacks, if they still couldn’t kill their opponent, then the fault lay with their own incompetence.

In this instant, their fighting spirit surged, and morale was greatly boosted.

After that, Gongyi Tianheng instructed them to resume training, while he and Gu Zuo went to see Wu Zhenhuang—to check in, and to ask whether there had been any recent movements from the Blue-Eyed Tribe.

—-

When Wu Zhenhuang saw the eye mask floating before him, he put it on and carefully experienced its effects. Instantly, his expression turned to one of excitement. Then, he gave the two a deep, formal bow and said, “On behalf of the warriors and citizens of the city, I thank Lord Guardian and Pharmacist Gu for your immense kindness! Once the crisis of the foreign tribes has passed, should the two of you ever need us, Eight Desolations City shall not hesitate to answer your call—even unto death!”

Gongyi Tianheng gave a small smile. “City Lord Wu flatters us.”

Gu Zuo, on the other hand, was quite pleased.

He could tell that this Wu Zhenhuang was truly sincere. If his big brother ever needed it, he might just be able to mobilize some of Eight Desolations City’s forces for battle. Of course, such favors would only be called in when absolutely necessary—this wasn’t something to be taken lightly—but regardless, this counted as a solid connection to have.

Afterward, they began formally discussing how to deal with the foreign tribes.

Now, no matter which group they faced, they had certain countermeasures prepared. Especially when it came to the Demon Wolf Tribe and the Giant Rock Tribe: as long as their warriors were equipped with the right medicines, they would hold the advantage in battle and could kill their enemies with much greater ease—at least ten times easier than before. As for the Blue-Eyed Tribe, their most dangerous ability had now been neutralized, which made them significantly less difficult to deal with. From here on, everything would depend on how far the warriors’ fighting spirit could be pushed. And the number of casualties would surely be much lower than before.

Wu Zhenhuang then shared some intelligence about the Blue-Eyed Tribe’s recent movements.

It seemed the land of inheritance was too important to them. Spies reported that the double-eye tribesmen of the Blue-Eyed Tribe—who normally stayed in deep cultivation—had recently been making frequent appearances, launching heavy attacks on the human clans along the borderlands. Because of this, no humans had dared enter the borderlands for some time now. The Demon Wolf Tribe appeared to be gathering wild wolves, while the Blue-Eyed Tribe seemed to be gathering large numbers of wild beasts. As for the Giant Rock Tribe, they had just gone through a round of mating—reportedly, half the females were already pregnant, and the other half were still at it, day and night. Moreover, because the first batch of males wasn’t strong enough, a more powerful group had replaced them. Some of the males who successfully impregnated females—and those who had been eliminated—were now in contact with the Demon Wolf Tribe, as if involved in some kind of plan.

Wu Zhenhuang said, “In my opinion, it appears the three foreign tribes have already joined forces and are preparing to launch a massive beast tide, the likes of which we’ve not seen in ten thousand years. To do so would require nearly every awakened Blue-Eyed individual. This is a grand maneuver, something that might only happen once in a hundred thousand years…”

Among these three foreign tribes, two had suffered great losses and were now consumed by hatred. Although the Demon Wolf Tribe hadn’t suffered as heavily as the other two, they too had grown wary and were now united with the others against a common enemy.

These tribes were steadily preparing. If the beast tide were allowed to gather in full, Eight Desolations City would be forced onto the defensive. Despite its size, if the enemy blended into the wave of wild beasts, the city’s forces would be left fighting an endless horde of disposable monsters, while the foreign tribes would suffer minimal losses.

This was clearly not in humanity’s interest—and the people of Eight Desolations City would never accept such a thing.

Thus, Wu Zhenhuang declared, “We must accelerate our preparations and strike first, before the beast tide is formed. We have to pressure the foreign tribes and disrupt their plans before they can fully mobilize!”

Gongyi Tianheng nodded slightly. “City Lord Wu has the most experience. Naturally, we will follow your lead. Begin drilling the troops, and have intelligence reports on the foreign tribes delivered constantly so we can adapt our plans in real time.”

Wu Zhenhuang, of course, agreed readily.

At this moment, Gu Zuo spoke up: “May I trouble City Lord Wu to bring over the medicinal herbs and those pharmacists who are sharp-minded and quick-witted. I will teach them how to refine the necessary medicines, so we can get everything ready as soon as possible.”

He also intended to continue researching ways to counter the Blue-Eyed Tribe using their biological samples, but this was less urgent than dealing with the other two tribes. After all, they already had one method to handle the Blue-Eyed Tribe—it was just a matter of making double preparations.

Wu Zhenhuang had long been waiting for this and immediately replied, “Please rest assured, Pharmacist Gu. The people are already assembled and ready to follow you for instruction at any time.”

Gu Zuo nodded. “Then there’s no time to waste. You all continue your planning—I’ll take them with me now.”

With that, they split up to handle their tasks.

Gongyi Tianheng, Wu Zhenhuang, and the others continued to analyze the movements of the foreign tribes and devise counterstrategies, while Gu Zuo took more than twenty pharmacists—nearly all the pharmacists in Eight Desolations City—and began instructing them in the refining techniques they needed to learn right away.

Once they had mastered the methods, Gu Zuo distributed the medicinal ingredients, urging them to refine as quickly and skillfully as possible to improve their success rates. As for himself, he shut himself inside a secluded chamber and threw himself entirely into researching poisons to counter the Blue-Eyed Tribe’s Awakened ones.

Unknowingly, seven or eight days passed.

During this time, Gu Zuo did manage to develop a special medicine targeting the dual-eyed members of the Blue-Eyed Tribe. However, this medicine required the use of rare ingredients, and the amount needed for mass production would be substantial—in short, the cost-effectiveness was extremely low.

Thus, Gu Zuo only refined a few portions, reserving them to be used by the strongest human warriors when confronting the Blue-Eyed Tribe’s top experts. As for using them on ordinary enemies… that simply wasn’t worth it.

Afterward, Gu Zuo began refining other types of medicine.

His efficiency far surpassed that of the other pharmacists—what he produced in two to three days was more than all the others combined.

Seeing this, the rest of the pharmacists were even more motivated, and the group’s overall productivity more than doubled.

Once enough medicine had been produced and all the ingredients used up, Gu Zuo finally emerged from seclusion with the other pharmacists.

If, when they had first started working under him, these pharmacists harbored any doubts about Gu Zuo’s youth, all of that had now been replaced by deep admiration after this refining period.

Thus, Gu Zuo walked in the lead with confident strides, followed closely by the many pharmacists in solemn formation—their eyes, though serious, held a barely concealed joy.

Soon, the group located Wu Zhenhuang. However, rather than staying long in the City Lord’s mansion over the past few days, Wu Zhenhuang and his deputy commanders, strategists, and Gongyi Tianheng had all been stationed at the military barracks, overseeing the training of the warriors. The group found them there and all headed together to the council chamber.

Gu Zuo met Gongyi Tianheng’s gaze and offered a smile, which Gongyi Tianheng returned with warm eyes. Then, composing himself, Gu Zuo turned to face Wu Zhenhuang and the others. Wu Zhenhuang looked at him hopefully and asked, “Pharmacist Gu, now that you’ve arrived with the pharmacists, does that mean—”

Gu Zuo calmly replied, “The task is complete.”

As he spoke, he waved his hand, and within the spacious council hall, countless identical containers suddenly appeared in neat stacks, only differing in color—gourd-shaped flasks packed tightly together.

Each gourd was three inches long, crystal-clear and gleaming with flowing light. These were vine gourds, specially requested by Gu Zuo from City Lord Wu—highly durable containers capable of holding potent poisons.

The sight of all these gourds left Wu Zhenhuang and the others visibly shaken.

A rough glance at the number of gourds revealed tens of thousands—could it be that every single one of them was filled with some kind of medicinal concoction?

The very next moment, Gu Zuo confirmed their suspicions:

“City Lord Wu, everyone—our group has done our utmost to refine all the medicinal ingredients. Now, among these many gourds: the yellow-skinned gourds contain poison effective against the Giant Rock Tribe; the red-skinned gourds are lethal to the Demon Wolf Tribe; the blue-skinned gourds can poison members of the Blue-Eyed Tribe who have not awakened their eye powers and are below the Transcendence Realm. They can also, to a limited extent, impair the movements of Immortal Realm and Atomic Realm Blue-Eyed individuals, though only briefly—use them with caution.”

As he spoke, he took out five jade-blue gourds and, with a wave of his hand, sent them to Wu Zhenhuang:

“These contain poison refined with rare and precious ingredients I had stored away. Even the most powerful Blue-Eyed elites—those awakened with dual eyes—will be affected. However, my stock of these rare materials is limited, so I could only make these five gourds. Mass production is not possible.”

These few short sentences left everyone from Eight Desolations City breathless with excitement.

Wu Zhenhuang, being the city lord, calmed himself quickly. After a few deep breaths, he said solemnly:

“Many thanks to Pharmacist Gu for your immense generosity in refining so many medicines to empower our Eight Desolations City. Furthermore, to use such rare materials to assist us—we are deeply grateful. We would never dare be greedy. What the Guardian and Pharmacist Gu have done for our city is a great and boundless favor. We are ashamed that we’ve given so little in return.”

Indeed, although Eight Desolations City had gathered quite a bit on their own, the majority of the resources came from the new guardian and his personal pharmacist. The city had contributed almost nothing, and yet now they had such overwhelming support. It was highly likely that, with this assistance, they could suppress the foreign threat to the lowest level ever seen. Their gratitude toward the two could not be overstated.

Not to mention, for Wu Zhenhuang personally, these two had saved his daughter’s life—and resolved the deadly feud that nearly broke out between his city and Thousand-Fathom City…

After Wu Zhenhuang spoke, the rest of the city’s officials also realized the full weight of the situation. They all stepped forward to bow deeply to the pair. At the same time, the way they looked at those gourds was filled with fervent admiration.

Gu Zuo simply said, “There’s no need to be so formal,” and stepped back to give the floor to his big brother.

Gongyi Tianheng smiled gently:

“If we can wipe out the foreign tribes completely, that will not only be a victory for all of you—it will also be a great achievement to report upon my return. We’ve worked together this far; there’s no need to speak further of thanks.”

He paused, then continued:

“For now, distribute these gourds accordingly. Whichever tribe your troops are assigned to fight, take that type of medicine. Be sure not to mix them up.”

Hearing this, Wu Zhenhuang and the others burst into hearty laughter, clearing away the oppressive gloom they’d lived under for years. For the first time, they felt excited. They quickly divided up the gourds, and the deputy commanders led their share to the barracks to distribute to the warriors who had already been sorted into their respective squads.

—

While Gu Zuo was in seclusion refining the medicine, Eight Desolations City hadn’t been idle.

Because their tactics had long been settled, the city had selected two hundred thousand warriors for this campaign: thirty thousand would face the Blue-Eyed Tribe, forty thousand the Giant Rock Tribe, and one hundred thousand the Demon Wolf Tribe. The remaining thirty thousand would be held in reserve, ready to assist whichever front was faltering.

Thus, the distribution of the gourds was simple: apart from the thirty thousand in reserve—each of whom carried one of every kind—the other warriors were each given only one type, based on the enemy they were meant to face. Once on the battlefield, they’d only be fighting one specific enemy anyway. Additionally, those assigned to the Blue-Eyed Tribe were all given a special eye mask, and the selected warriors were the strongest among all—this included Gongyi Tianheng’s two thousand personal troops, who would all be used in the battle against the Blue-Eyed Tribe.

Moreover, each division had also formed numerous battle formations, fully integrating the abilities of the gourds and eye masks. Once the actual battle began, they would surge forward like ferocious dragons, cutting their way through the ranks of the foreign tribes!

In addition, another one hundred thousand warriors—although not selected for the primary forces—were still quite formidable. They too were issued gourds, but theirs were white, distinctly different from the others.

These white gourds contained poisons specifically crafted to deal with wild beasts. Though the foreign tribes hadn’t yet fully gathered their massive beast tide armies, several large packs of wild beasts had already formed. Thus, this extra force of one hundred thousand warriors was kept on constant standby, ready to suppress any beast threats that might interfere with the human-foreign battle and give the enemy an opening.

Furthermore, Gongyi Tianheng had personally armed his two thousand elite subordinates with various powerful tools, and all three hundred thousand warriors of Eight Desolations City had now donned proper defensive gear.

This time, the leaders of Eight Desolations City saw a real opportunity—a powerful chance they intended to seize to engage in a decisive life-and-death showdown against the foreign tribes!

With such overwhelming advantages and two extraordinary allies, if they still couldn’t muster the resolve to fight, wouldn’t that be the height of cowardice? If that were the case, then Eight Desolations City wouldn’t have been able to endure for countless years, and the Wu Clan wouldn’t have been capable of leading the city’s people to survive and thrive until now!

…

This day, atop the city wall—

City Lord Wu Zhenhuang stood tall and solemn. Below the wall, a tightly packed army of 300,000 warriors stretched out in formation. Every soldier had a differently colored gourd strapped at their waist, fully armed, radiating fierce killing intent and battle spirit!

All the deputy commanders and any battle-ready advisors were mounted on tamed wild beasts, stationed fearlessly at the front of the formation. They were now awaiting the city lord’s order—the final rally before the war began!

Wu Zhenhuang steadied his breath and, with a voice like thunder from his dantian, roared across the army:

“Today, we of Eight Desolations City will face the foreign tribes in a battle to the death! We will not return until the enemy is crushed! Sons of the city—do you dare to fight?!”

The warriors roared in unison: “Fight!”

Wu Zhenhuang shouted again:

“The foreign tribes have oppressed us, treated our people as ants and cattle! Now we have this golden chance—if we don’t slaughter them to the last, we shall not return! Sons of the city—do you dare to kill?!”

The warriors roared louder: “Kill!”

Wu Zhenhuang’s voice climbed once more: “Fight!”

The warriors’ morale soared higher: “Fight! Fight!”

Wu Zhenhuang’s face turned fierce: “Kill!”

The warriors erupted: “Kill! Kill! Kill!”

At this moment, the collective will to fight and kill surged like a tangible force, merging the intent of all the warriors into one. Their deafening shouts shook the heavens.

In this instant, there were no distinctions between individuals. There was only their hatred for the foreign tribes—and the war spirit that had been buried deep within the hearts of countless humans for generations!

Standing nearby, Gongyi Tianheng and Gu Zuo were also stunned by the overwhelming momentum.

To think the united will of Eight Desolations City’s warriors could be so terrifying—it was as if it could shake the heavens and earth!

Then, Wu Zhenhuang leapt into the air, followed closely by Gongyi Tianheng and Gu Zuo.

A vast sea of black-armored troops surged forward—charging straight into the depths of the wild frontier!