Self Torture 4

Then Du Yan remembered why he had come to visit Qin Feng in the first place. And quickly stepped back into the outer chamber to put down the claypot of medicine onto the round table there. He was, however, speaking as he did so:

"I don't think you will need to worry about too many people eyeing you while you are in here," the taller, brawnier man said with a chuckle, "The servants have all been warned not to disturb you. Your injuries have been taken care of by the Physicians here in the Ducal Palace too. So you should be up and about in another two days at the most.

"However, exercising your qi as you did earlier isn't going to help with your recovery. To think that I had personally concocted a healing potion, to ease the pressure on your meridians earlier. I had spent all morning on this little alchemical medicine, I would have you know!"

Du Yan came back into the inner chamber as he finished, and almost chuckled as he saw how green the younger man was looking, as Qin Feng stepped away from his bed. And his sodden bedcovers.

"But that is just as well, I believe. You will have a need for such a tonic now, more than ever, I should think."

"A tonic?"

The broad-shouldered man smirked as he caught the younger, thinner man by the upper arm, and started pulling him towards the outer part of the guest house. That was where he had left the medicine, after all.

"Now, it should help to ease the injuries along your meridians, and that should help you to recover your fighting abilities a little quicker. I have spoken to the physicians who had examined you earlier, and they have assured me that it would not do you any harm. That is why I had bothered to boil this particular potion for you in the first place."

To be honest, that was not altogether true. While the potion would definitely be of help to Qin Feng, he had actually done so because he needed the practice. And there were too many competent physicians and alchemists there in the Ducal Palace that he would never have the chance to put his skills to use, if it had not been for that attack on Li Changhai the day before.

In fact, he didn't even get a chance to offer up his skills, to prepare a meridian-locking potion for Fatty Zhou, who had been dragged off to the dungeons by the Ducal Guards already. He had been rather disappointed when he learned that he had missed that! Fortunately, Qin Feng was still close at hand, and he had the perfect excuse to experiment ... No! To lend a hand, when it came to the young fellow.

So naturally, he was not going tell Qin Feng that he had barely started to practice his alchemy. For no more than a year and a half!

That wasn't too disrespectful, was it? After all, everyone had to start from somewhere. And he was already a very accomplished weapons crafter, which was something more or less similar. Du Yan kept telling himself that, as he pushed the bowl in his hands at Qin Feng.

"Here. Don't waste time and just drink it up. While it's still warm," the brawny fellow encouraged the younger one.

The younger man didn't hesitate, and quickly picked up the rather hot bowl. And he didn't even make a face, after taking a tentative sip of the dark, murky liquid held in the same. Instead, Qin Feng gave Du Yan a rather curious look.

"This tastes of some herbs that I know, but ... You added honey to the whole thing?"

Du Yan laughed. "Oh yes! I am surprised that you had managed to figure that out. Most would use rock sugar, as you might be aware. But in your case, I thought that honey would be a better choice. It is listed in several of the texts that I have read on the subject," he declared with a confident assurance.

"Ah. I see."

Qin Feng went back to drinking his potion again, leaving Du Yan a little upset that he wasn't asked any further questions about his little modification to the original recipe. Of course, that didn't mean that he couldn't simply offer them up on his own, he realized.

"Yes, while rock sugar is more neutral with regards to the warm or cool effects of all medicines, honey does have a particular astringent effect. So it might actually help to deal with the small tears and such in your lungs and airways. Those are rather common, although minor injuries that usually take place when one is involved in a fight."

Qin Feng nodded back at him in agreement. "That is true. I suppose you have figured that out, when you got wounded in the past?" the younger man asked politely, as he set his bowl down.

"Well, yes! But not because of fights, mind you! I was stuck in a weapons forge for most of my youth, and so suffered the effects of heat and exposing my arms to open flames. Needless to say, it took me a good bit of time to figure out that honey helps with those too.

"But I had only discovered that it would also work when used in medicinal potions and broths recently, about two years ago. That was when I started working on my alchemy seriously, you see? I ..."

Du Yan's voice trailed off as he felt a wave of cold sweat burst out on his back. Did he just give himself away? Just like that? All because of a simple word of praise from the youth in front of him? How was he going to hide the fact that he was a complete amateur in the field of alchemy?

Nor did Qin Feng fail to notice that. Immediately.

"Wait. Wait a moment."

Du Yan held his tongue. He had already understood that he had spoken too much already. Little wonder then, that all those alchemists and physicians were all so quiet. So much so that it felt like one was prying the words out of their mouths. Was this what they meant, by the saying, trouble comes out of one's mouth?

But he finally managed to compose himself, and looked up to see the puzzled frown on Qin Feng's face. There was even a somewhat impolite pout on his lips as the latter seemed to be working out exactly what he wished to ask:

"You mean to tell me that you had only started to work on alchemy recently? In only two years or so? And that your specialty had been the crafting of weapons before that?"

"Yes. That is so," Du Yan replied honestly, with a soft, almost imperceptible sigh. He had already given himself away, so what was the point of hiding that? Then he frowned too. Du Yan thought that Qin Feng's gaze had seemed a little different, when he had mentioned it earlier.

Could it be that the younger man had never heard of his family, and of his disagreement with the same? But how could that be possible? His breaking his ties with the rest of the Du Family three years ago was such a big issue, there in the Kingdom!

Or worse! Was he going to make some discouraging comment about the medicine that he had just tasted? It wasn't really as bad as all that, was it?

But Qin Feng simply took another sip of the warm medicinal broth, and asked about something that was totally unrelated to the tonic that he had just been given:

"Then you would know why they have such an idiotic way of handling their weaponry hereabouts? Like why they don't seem to have any proper light weapons in their shops here in Yanyun City? Those that are not meant for warfare, I mean."

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