At the Fuji Money Shop in Linhe County Town, Zhang Yuan exchanged a silver note once again.
Having had the previous experience, he directly exchanged for the fifty-tael note this time.
The process went smoothly without any issues.
But Zhang Yuan didn't think that his prior caution was a mistake; being careful is a universal truth across all realms.
Then he went on a major shopping spree in the county town.
Since regaining his past life's memories, Zhang Yuan had never waged such a wealthy battle.
He first went to a medical clinic and an herbal shop to purchase a batch of medicinal herbs.
Besides buying tonics for his mother, the primary purpose was the herbal bath recipes recorded on the last page of the "Rock Foundation Skill" manual.
According to the secret manual's records, persisting with the accompanying herbal bath while learning the "Rock Foundation Skill" not only achieves more with less effort but also prevents Qi and Blood depletion.
The "Rock Foundation Skill" belongs to the Entering Force Technique, mainly for refining the skin, muscles, bones, and marrow, involving high physical strain.
So, soaking in the herbal bath is essential.
However, the cost of the herbs in this recipe was heartbreakingly high for Zhang Yuan.
He deeply understood the true meaning of "literature is poor, martial arts are rich"!
After buying the herbs, Zhang Yuan also purchased some grain and various necessities.
He filled up the bamboo basket he had brought with him.
After finishing his shopping, Zhang Yuan did not rush back to the Chen Family Village.
He visited a broker in the city.
He inquired about the requirements for settling in Linhe County Town from the broker.
Originally, life in the Chen Family Village was challenging for Zhang Yuan, but it was rather peaceful without much disturbance.
But the appearance of Landlord Chen changed everything.
As early as when Steward Zhang extorted him under the name of corvée, he had the thought of leaving the mountain village.
But at that time, due to a lack of strength, he had to endure it.
Now, Zhang Yuan had some capital and confidence.
The idea of moving to the county town resurfaced and grew stronger.
Compared to the remote Chen Family Village, although Linhe County Town was not a paragon of harmony and had a more complex environment,
living among tens of thousands was better than dealing with village-targeting troubles daily.
The reason the Chen Family moved from the town to the countryside must have been unavoidable.
If Zhang Yuan went to the city, would the Chen Family still come looking for trouble?
The possibility was low.
In fact, Zhang Yuan was not afraid of the Chen Family; he even killed one of their nursing home guards.
But he feared implicating his mother.
In this world, Mother Zhang was Zhang Yuan's only relative, and he couldn't tolerate even a little harm befalling her!
Therefore, Zhang Yuan decided to move.
But things were not that simple.
The broker informed Zhang Yuan.
Outsiders, including villagers, wanting to settle in Linhe County Town needed to meet certain conditions.
First, they had to own a house in the city, and it couldn't be rented; it had to be their own property.
This made city houses highly sought after, the cheapest being dozens of silver taels for a set.
Those clay-brick and gray-tiled small flat houses.
As for the expensive and good ones, ranging from hundreds to thousands of taels, large estates were beyond mention.
Zhang Yuan certainly couldn't afford them.
Even the cheapest house he couldn't afford at the moment.
Secondly, the settler had to be a law-abiding citizen backed by someone as a guarantee!
This was actually easy to solve, as the broker offered guarantee services; as long as money was paid, it was all in order.
Finally, to settle and register, one needed to pay ten taels per person to the government office.
Additionally, Linhe residents must pay a yearly poll tax of three taels per person, failing which the property is confiscated, sold, and the individual is expelled from the city!
After hearing this, Zhang Yuan was speechless.
No wonder he often heard that "living in the city is no easy task," with such high expenses unaffordable for a poor family.
In fact, many people lived in villages and towns around the county town, as living was somewhat easier there.
But living in the town had considerable benefits.
The county town had a City God Temple, capable of warding off most strange invasions, ensuring residents' safety.
In mountain villages like the Chen Family Village, although protected by ancestral halls, complete annihilation by strange beings often happened over the centuries with no survivors.
The county town was much safer.
Additionally, city residents were exempt from corvée, effectively offset by the poll tax.
Zhang Yuan quickly calculated.
For him and his mother to move to Linhe County Town, at least one hundred and twenty taels were needed.
The more, the better.
Currently, even counting the last silver note, he had less than thirty taels remaining.
The medicinal herbs for the soup recipe were simply too expensive.
And future cultivation would be another significant expenditure!
Where would these silver taels come from?
Feeling heavy-hearted, Zhang Yuan left the county town and returned to Chen Family Village.
That night, Zhang Yuan boiled a large pot of medicinal liquid with the herbs purchased during the day.
Then poured the medicinal liquid into a prepared wooden tub, adding plenty of hot water to dilute it.
These preparations were actually quite troublesome.
But to successfully cultivate the "Rock Foundation Skill," he was determined!
After preparing the herbal bath, Zhang Yuan removed all his clothes and submerged himself in the wooden tub.
He couldn't help but take a deep breath of the fragrant medicine-laden steam.
The next moment, Zhang Yuan felt every inch of his skin as if pricked by countless hair-like needles.
The strong medicinal power penetrated his skin pores, rapidly spreading into his muscles and bones and deep into his internal organs.
Instantly, soreness, pain, numbness, and itchiness, various strange stimulating sensations engulfed Zhang Yuan.
Making one want to immediately leap out of the bath barrel.
But how could Zhang Yuan, having paid a hefty price, waste the costly herbs?
He concentrated and calmed his mind, letting the medicinal power ravage his body, enduring it forcefully.
Without making a sound.
Until the hot water in the barrel gradually cooled, Zhang Yuan absorbed most of the herbal power.
The sensation was unexpectedly comfortable, like undergoing a Bone Marrow Cleansing, leaving him feeling light and buoyant.
Zhang Yuan subconsciously opened the Divine Nest panel.
[Host: Zhang Yuan]
[Divine Nest: Level 1 (30%)]
[Host: Level 2 Black Giant Ant (16%) / 4x Strength]
[Host: Level 1 Jade Mantis (2%) / Basic Sword Mastery]
[Qi and Blood: 85/85]
[Source Material: 0]
At first glance, Zhang Yuan thought he was seeing things,
then he looked again to confirm he wasn't mistaken!
His Qi and Blood Value had skyrocketed from 75 to 85, increasing by 10 points.
And he was now in a full Qi and Blood state.
This herbal recipe's effects were too exaggerated!
Zhang Yuan couldn't imagine how much his maximum Qi and Blood Value could increase if he soaked continuously for years!
But he quickly regained his composure.
Surely it was only the first soak that had such a good effect; one should know the body has a tolerance to medicine, and the Qi and Blood Value gained from the herbal bath would decrease over time.
Until it completely stops.
Despite this, Zhang Yuan was very satisfied.
It made him even more eager to see the effects of cultivating the "Rock Foundation Skill"!