novelraw Chapter 17 Searching for Medicine
Chapter 17 Searching for Medicine
The morning air was still slightly chilly. Xu Mo carefully fastened the sharp cleaver to his homemade, simple belt, feeling the reassurance that came with its heavy weight. He didn't touch the glass door with the "Welcome to Try" sign; it was his stable source of food, like a fixed resource point in a game, something he wouldn't easily change.
Xu Mo's goal is to find a new, suitable glass door and give it a new "definition".
His physical condition made him dare not delay. Although he only felt faint stinging pain in his joints and bones after finishing his training, which was far from affecting his mobility, it was like a silent alarm bell, reminding Xu Mo that he must find medicine to help him recover as soon as possible.
Practicing martial arts is like rowing against the current; if you don't advance, you fall behind, and the accumulation of hidden injuries could render all your efforts futile. This medicine is not only an urgent necessity to solve his current problem, but also a crucial guarantee to support his long-term cultivation.
The sunlight cast a long shadow of Xu Mo as he gripped the hilt of his cleaver tightly, his sharp gaze sweeping across both sides of the street. His footsteps were light, his ears perked up, catching any unusual sound. Although the town had been deserted for days, the caution honed in the apocalypse was ingrained in his very bones.
Xu Mo's gaze lingered on the shops with glass facades facing the street. Unfortunately, many of the shops' doors were incomplete. Xu Mo knew from a moment's thought that opening these broken doors would reveal another world—some dilapidated and abandoned place—which was completely meaningless.
After walking about half a street, Xu Mo's gaze settled on a shop, or rather, a shop with a completely glass door.
"Found it."
Xu Mo's heart skipped a beat, and he quickly stepped forward.
Looking through the dusty glass, the interior was dimly lit, and one could vaguely see a simple reception desk and the messy scene behind it.
"This is it!" Xu Mo thought with certainty.
Next comes the crucial "rule injection" step. The pharmacy's signage...
The most classic and universal symbol immediately came to Xu Mo's mind—the red "cross". In some regions, it may be a white "cross" against a red background, or simply the words "pharmacy" or "dispensary".
Xu Mo was prepared. He squatted down, using his knees as a table, and carefully drew a standard, thick "+" sign on a red cardstock, just the right size to be eye-catching. Then, below the "+", he wrote the words "Pharmacy" in neat handwriting.
After finishing the sign, Xu Mo carefully cleaned away the remaining glue residue from the original blurry notice on the glass door. Then, using the transparent tape he found, he carefully pasted the cross sign he made in the most conspicuous position on the glass door from the outside.
Xu Mo stepped back a few steps to examine his masterpiece. The red background, the striking white cross, and the clear black lettering stood out conspicuously on the slightly dilapidated dark-framed glass door, yet clearly conveyed the message that "this is a pharmacy."
"Success or failure depends on the next time," Xu Mo muttered to himself, his heart filled with anticipation and a touch of trepidation. He didn't know if this added identifier would be "recognized" and "accepted" by the rules of that static world.
However, based on previous experience, there shouldn't be any problems at all.
Xu Mo did not return immediately. Instead, he carefully surveyed the surrounding area, using the newly marked door as the center, to confirm that there was no potential danger. He also noted down the surrounding terrain and evacuation routes before quietly retreating to his temporary shelter.
The next forty-eight hours felt exceptionally long because of the clear and urgent goal. The dull pain in his body arrived as expected after each day's training, as if constantly urging him on. Xu Mo continued to persist with the high-intensity training, but the desire for the "medicine" in his heart had become another driving force supporting him in enduring the pain.
He looked forward to the next time he opened the door, to seeing rows of medicine shelves and smelling the unique aroma of herbs.
Anticipation, like a pebble thrown into a still lake, rippled across Xu Mo's heart, making the forty-eight hours that should have been spent focused on cultivation somewhat unbearable.
Every time he practices standing meditation, when his breath sinks and his distracting thoughts are cleared, the glass door with the white cross symbol will involuntarily appear in his mind; every time he trains to withstand blows, when the pain penetrates deep into his bones, his desire for medicinal wine and plasters becomes stronger; even when he is chewing on braised beef and replenishing his energy, Xu Mo will think about how much the repair efficiency would be improved if he could have the help of drugs.
Time seemed to stretch out. Xu Mo repeatedly sensed the countdown in his mind, watching the numbers slowly tick by. For the first time, he felt that this fixed 48-hour cool-down period was incredibly long. The dull pain in his body didn't worsen, but it became clearer because of this urgent anticipation, like a timed alarm clock constantly emphasizing the importance of the medication.
Xu Mo repeatedly considered the possible scenarios he might encounter upon entering the pharmacy, prioritizing his scavenging: first, he would definitely seek out topical medications for treating sprains and bruises, such as medicinal wines, plasters, and sprays; second, he would gather oral Chinese herbal medicines for promoting blood circulation and removing blood stasis; and if there was still time, he would also replenish his supplies of basic vitamins, antibiotics, and first aid items. His backpack was now empty, ready to hold these "resources" crucial to his future cultivation path.
This waiting with a clear goal, mixed with trepidation about whether the rules would work again, and a desire to alleviate physical needs, created a peculiar sense of anxiety. Xu Mo filled this time almost continuously with practicing martial arts, letting physical exhaustion dilute the mental torment.
As the countdown finally reached its final hour at dawn, Xu Mo grew restless. He checked his equipment beforehand; his cleaver was razor-sharp, and his backpack was empty and tidy. He arrived early at the glass door on which he had placed so much hope, leaning against the cold wall, awaiting the final moment.
The streets remained deathly silent, the shifting angle of the sunlight marking the passage of time.
【00:00:03…02…01…00】
time up!
A glint flashed in Xu Mo's eyes, and all his anxiety and anticipation transformed into action in that instant. He abruptly straightened up and firmly pressed his palm against the glass door marked with a cross.
"Open the door!"
The glimmer of light shifted in an instant, and the scene before my eyes changed accordingly—
Familiar with the change of scenery, Xu Mo stared intently.
"It's done!"
A complex aroma, a blend of the bitter fragrance of Chinese medicine and the distinctive chemical smell of Western medicine, filled Xu Mo's nostrils. What came into view was exactly what he had been dreaming of—a pharmacy!
Moreover, it appeared to be a pharmacy combining traditional Chinese and Western medicine. Along one wall were rows of neat white shelves displaying various Western medicines, each labeled with its specific name. On the other side were antique-style dark brown cabinets for traditional Chinese medicine, each small drawer labeled with a yellow label indicating the name of the herb. Various health supplements were displayed in the glass cases, and the computer screen at the cashier was still dimly lit…
The immense joy and sense of accomplishment instantly overwhelmed all the previous anxiety and the agony of waiting. He successfully applied the rules once again, not only verifying the effectiveness of the markers but also accurately locating the resource points he urgently needed.
Suppressing the urge to rush in and loot immediately, Xu Mo took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.
The sixty-second countdown has begun.
His gaze, like the most precise scanner, quickly swept across the entire pharmacy, locking onto his first target—the shelf area labeled "for external use" and "for sprains and bruises".