Lu Jun was the twenty-first generation heir of the Wu County Lu Clan, a generation senior to Bai Pu, and his age was comparable to Bai Pu’s father’s, hence he referred to him by his courtesy na to show closeness.
Bai Pu knew well that it was his admiration-level reputation with the Wu County Lu Clan that played a role. After modestly declining, Iron Crocodile and Cuttlefish presented their gifts.
The gifts were quite elegant, consisting of two brushes and two ink stones.
However, after receiving them, Lu Jun couldn’t put them down, examining them closely and smiling, "Zhang Zhi’s Brush and Zhongjiang Ink! Bo Yue, you are quite thoughtful."
The Spirit Realm Will conveyed a ssage, Lu Jun’s favorability increased by 500, reaching the "acquaintance" level.
The Han Dynasty’s skills in brush and ink making were already quite exquisite.
During the Southern and Northern Dynasties, the calligrapher Wang Sengqian in his "Discussion on Calligraphy," regarded "Zhang Zhi’s Brush," "Ziyi Paper," and "Zhongjiang Ink" as the "three treasures."
Lu Jun, a scholar well-read in literature, had a strong interest in calligraphy, and obtaining these famous brushes and ink was akin to a swordsman acquiring a divine weapon, making him delightfully content.
This gift was sothing Bai Pu asked Lu Chuan of the Four Rivers Gang to purchase at a high price.
He had slain the Jiang Tuo Group and handed their bodies over to the Four Rivers Gang for disposal, making a handso profit that he had no way to bring back to the real world, so he planned to spend it all in the Three Kingdoms: Chibi Plane scenario.
After the two sat down as host and guest, and after so pleasantries, Lu Jun asked, "What brings you here, Bo Yue?"
Bai Pu took out a wooden box and gently pushed it over, saying, "I wish to present sothing to the Grand Commander, but I have no way in."
Lu Jun received the wooden box and opened it to find a jelly-like ointnt inside.
"Is this... a dicinal ointnt?" Lu Jun asked.
Bai Pu nodded, "This item is called Ergency First Aid Ointnt. It’s a dicinal salve I developed by combining Daoist Alchemy and Western Regions Alchemy. It uses the materials of Hemostatic Powder, but its blood-stopping effect is several tis stronger!"
Hemostatic Powder is a basic dicine in the Three Kingdoms Plane that can gradually stop bleeding and heal wounds. However, the Ergency First Aid Ointnt can imdiately halt bleeding effects below priority (2), making it superior.
Iron Crocodile stepped forward, deftly sliced his fingertip with a small knife, and applied a bit of the Ergency First Aid Ointnt. In the blink of an eye, the wound healed, leaving only a shallow scar.
Lu Jun’s eyes flickered with seriousness, "Can this kind of dicinal ointnt be produced by the army’s physicians?"
He was well-traveled and had seen more miraculous elixirs before, so he wasn’t startled by the Ergency First Aid Ointnt’s efficacy.
However, as the Military Marquis, Lu Jun understood the value of the Ergency First Aid Ointnt even more!
——It’s cheap.
With only the materials of Hemostatic Powder, it achieves such effects!
Cheap ans it can be widely distributed. As long as the army’s physicians can mass-produce it, it provides a trendous advantage in war!
Those miracle elixirs, their raw materials are extrely rare and cannot be widely used.
No wonder "Lu Pu" wanted to present it to the Grand Commander; he intended to use it as a stepping stone!
Bai Pu said, "For now, the formula is sothing only I can produce. However, if I’m allowed to research it for a while, I should be able to find a more straightforward manufacturing thod that even the army’s physicians can use."
Lu Jun, with a slight change of mind, already put away his surprised expression, laughed out loud, "Bo Yue, the Grand Commander is quite busy, recently I’ve heard he’s bedridden due to overwork. Although this ointnt is excellent, it has not yet reached the stage of large-scale production, and it’s inappropriate to bother him."
Bai Pu said, "If the Grand Commander is ill and unable to attend to matters, I can present it to Lord Zijing."
Zijing, in fact, is Lu Su, the second Grand Commander of Eastern Wu after Zhou Yu, also of high rank and authority.
Lu Jun laughed and shook his head, "Lord Zijing is also a very busy man. How about this: the main general of my West Camp is General Gan Xingba. I’ll take you to visit him.
"In the coming days, concentrate on preparing the dicine and researching a simpler production thod for the dicinal ointnt. The ointnts you produce will initially be distributed on a small scale to General Gan’s direct troops! Once the production thod is refined, we’ll discuss it further."
...
Bai Pu returned to the Wounded Soldier Camp.
Cuttlefish said, "It seems that Lu Jun intends to avoid helping you with an introduction."
Iron Crocodile said, "Fortunately, we gave a gift. In the end, out of face, he agreed to introduce you to Gan Ning, otherwise, this trip would have been in vain."
Bai Pu remained calm, starting the alchemy furnace to refine dicine.
He did not respond to the remarks of Cuttlefish and Iron Crocodile.
In truth, he understood clearly.
Right from the beginning, Bai Pu knew that Lu Jun would never introduce the Ergency First Aid Ointnt to Zhou Yu or Lu Su.
At this ti, Sun Quan’s army was not a monolithic entity.
Zhou Yu and Lu Su were both from the Huai Si region, old subordinates who had followed Sun Ce to conquer the East of the River, external forces.
Whereas Lu Jun was a mber of the Wu County Lu Clan, a genuine local force of East of the River! When Sun Ce conquered the East of the River, there was a blood feud.
In Lu Jun’s eyes, if a distant relative from his family invented such a miraculous ointnt, they would certainly seize it as a rare commodity, monopolizing the lower-tier dicinal market to amass significant profits for the Lu Clan!
Why would they offer it to the Sun family?
Therefore, Zhou Yu and Lu Su were both vetoed.
As for Gan Ning, he did not belong to the Huai Si military group but was a surrendered general who had defected from Huang Zu of Jiangxia to Sun Quan!
Although Gan Ning was temperantal and fond of killing, he greatly respected scholars and had a good relationship with Lu Jun. By offering him a small benefit, the monopoly on this ointnt could be secured.
Iron Crocodile and Cuttlefish felt uncomfortable upon seeing Bai Pu as immovable as a mountain. Unlike Bai Pu, they did not have a high score of 272, barely reaching under 100 and were eager to open the situation and earn points.
Now that the battlefront was calm, they slightly regretted not staying in Chaisang City to continue assisting the Four Rivers Gang with tasks, perhaps that would have been a better choice.
Bai Pu, focused on his alchemy, quickly manufactured a batch of Ergency First Aid Ointnt.
Seeing Bai Pu ready to brew a second batch, Iron Crocodile could not hold back and said, "Gangxin, with Cuttlefish and staying here, there’s nothing much for us to do, you see..."
He looked up to see the expressions of the two and said lightly, "Staying here is beneficial... but if you want to return to Chaisang City, I can explain it to Doctor Liu on your behalf."
"Then I trouble you." "We’d better stay."
Iron Crocodile and Cuttlefish spoke simultaneously, but their anings were completely opposite!
Iron Crocodile glanced at Cuttlefish, clearly puzzled but hesitant to argue with Bai Pu present.
Bai Pu waved and said, "You two can go outside and discuss it. Once you reach a decision, co find . I will respect your choice... No matter what, you two have helped once."
Bai Pu referred to the incident outside Chaisang City where they blocked the Red Crow trio.
Iron Crocodile, pulling Cuttlefish, quickly left. Soon, the low hum of their argunt could be heard outside the tent.
If Bai Pu extended his spiritual power, he could listen in on their argunt. But he chose not to, focusing his mind on his work—alchemy.
As the creator of the Ergency First Aid Ointnt, Bai Pu could indeed pass it on to the army’s physicians without issue.
As for improving the formula and simplifying the production process, that was Bai Pu’s excuse to prevent Lu Jun from forcibly seizing the formula.
Currently, practicing alchemy can improve his sub-profession proficiency as a Daoist Alchemist, a worthwhile activity with nothing else to do.
Before long, Iron Crocodile and Cuttlefish returned.
Their debate yielded no consensus, as Cuttlefish persisted in staying, while Iron Crocodile expressed a desire to return to Chaisang City.
Bai Pu imdiately went to see Doctor Liu, helped Iron Crocodile request leave, and had him embark on the next grain transport ship heading to Chaisang.
"Iron Crocodile and I know each other in the real world, we’ve been growing up together since childhood."
Cuttlefish slowly said, "Normally, he listens to . But co a critical mont... he just believes in himself, no matter how I persuade."
"Without his own ideas, he wouldn’t have passed the trial and the second career change, nor obtained the Enhanced Elite Template."
Bai Pu turned around, "Let’s go, Gan Ning should be arriving."
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