Alchemy and pill refinement were Yang Kai's old specialties, so if he wanted to earn enough essentials in an unfamiliar environment with limited resources, then alchemy was the best choice.
In Frost Snow City, those wounded barbarian warriors had stopped in their tracks. The one leading them turned his head to survey his surroundings, then looked down at Yang Kai with a fierce expression. "You… were talking to us?"
Yang Kai wore a beaming smile, the very picture of harmless innocence. "Indeed!"
The barbarian warrior furrowed his brow. Though he'd only caught bits and pieces of what this fellow had been saying, the last sentence was as simple as it got.
This guy had something to give him!
Free things shouldn't be turned down, but looking at this fellow's demeanor, the barbarian warrior felt a twinge of distrust. He shook his head and turned to leave.
Yang Kai quickly called out, "Please wait, strong warrior."
"What is it?" The barbarian was growing impatient.
Yang Kai said, "You're wounded rather badly, and this Shaman so happens to have some healing medicine. I'd be glad to give it to you for your injuries." As he spoke, he gestured with his finger.
The barbarian's eyes went wide. He glanced at the stone jars in front of him and frowned. "You call these… medicine?"
"Authentic and genuine!"
The barbarian let out a derisive snort, his face full of contempt.
The neighboring stall owner nearby couldn't bear to watch anymore either. He began packing up his own stall to leave, not wanting to poison his eyes any further by staying.
"What's the harm in trying? It's free anyway. If it works, that's great. If it doesn't… you can smash my stall," Yang Kai said with a grin.
"Is this really medicine?" The barbarian warrior saw that Yang Kai spoke with genuine seriousness, not like someone spouting nonsense, and curiosity began to stir.
"First-rate healing medicine!"
"If it doesn't work, I'll really smash your stall!"
Though the other party called himself a Shaman, the barbarian warrior didn't take it to heart. This was Frost Snow City, and they were members of the Frost Snow Tribe. If an outsider Shaman didn't follow the rules and offended them, they wouldn't show mercy.
"Then what are you waiting for? Give it a try!" Yang Kai hocked his wares with enthusiasm.
The barbarian warrior nodded and crouched down in front of Yang Kai. Immediately a foul stench hit him full in the face, forcing him to wrinkle his nose involuntarily. Hesitation crept into his mind — should he really try this suspicious substance?
Yang Kai counseled him earnestly, "Good medicine tastes bitter. Ours may not smell the finest, but as for the effects, there's nothing to complain about."
"Let's hope you're right," the barbarian warrior said, his face set with resolve as though he'd steeled himself for a great trial. He reached into one of the stone jars and scooped out a bit of paste. Then, following Yang Kai's instructions, he carefully and evenly spread it over the wound on his abdomen.
The wound stretched over a foot long, the flesh curled back in a grim display. For a barbarian, such an injury wasn't considered particularly serious, but left untreated it would still be a troublesome affair.
The moment the foul-smelling paste made contact, the barbarian warrior's eyebrows shot up, revealing an expression of profound surprise.
His companions watched him with keen curiosity, wanting to know whether the medicine actually worked.
A cool sensation spread clearly from his abdomen, easing the pain. In the next instant, the barbarian warrior let out another gasp of astonishment, as though he'd felt something. He hurriedly lowered his head to look, and his eyes went perfectly round.
The flesh at the wound site on his abdomen was writhing, and with each wave of movement, fresh granulation tissue sprouted at the wound. The torn, curling flesh began closing and scarring at a pace visible to the naked eye.
His companions clearly noticed it too. They all cried out in unison, staring at the transformation of the wound in utter disbelief.
The neighboring stall owner, who had been packing up to leave moments ago, now stood rooted to the spot, eyes bulging as he stared — looking as though he wished he could gouge out his own eyeballs and press them against the man's stomach to see more clearly.
Their unusual reactions quickly drew the attention of passing barbarians. Once they understood what was happening, they gathered around with curiosity to watch the wound's transformation.
Half an hour later, the barbarian warrior who had tested the medicine reached down and wiped his stomach. The dried residue and scab flaked away, revealing a scar over a foot long across everyone's field of vision. Though it hadn't fully healed, such miraculous effects were enough to leave everyone in awe.
After all, just half an hour ago, that wound had been a ghastly sight.
"It really works!" When the warrior looked up again, his gaze burned with intensity as he stared at Yang Kai, his face a mixture of gratitude and reverence.
Yang Kai smiled but said nothing.
The medicines he refined were naturally effective — though they worked best on these barbarians with their powerful physiques and robust blood energy. If it were a martial artist from later ages, the effects would be nowhere near as dramatic.