Fortunately, the third prescription, Qianyuan Bone-Marrow Changing Decoction, contains more than 20% of ingredients that even the best doctors outside may have never heard of or only know from myths and legends, but these are present in Old Brooks's prescription, with their ancient names also annotated, along with their modern names after the passage of time!

Of course, nothing is ever perfect. There is still one medicinal ingredient, "Shishangshen," that is not annotated. However, Ryan Clark remembers seeing it in ancient texts before and can basically confirm that it is one of Shibao, Chishen, or Taihenlian. As for which one exactly, he can only go out and buy some of each, find a few experimental animals, and test them to find out.

Actually, even if all the medicinal names match, Ryan Clark still plans to conduct animal experiments first, because after so many years of evolution, it is quite possible that a different medicine has now taken on this name. For example, originally there were A and B, but after evolution, A's name became D, while B's name became A.

Of course, if this happens, it is very likely that the medicinal properties of A and B are different. Ryan Clark is now quite proficient in pharmacology and should be able to tell the difference. But what if, by chance, A and B have the same medicinal properties, with only subtle differences? Then it is possible that B is being passed off as A in Old Brooks's prescription, and its properties happen to work with the other medicines, but in the medicines Ryan Clark plans to use, those subtle differences could make it toxic. The chances of this are very, very low, but you never know. When it comes to matters of life and death, it's always better to be cautious. If something really goes wrong, who would he have to cry to?

Ryan Clark set his future path and the tasks he needed to accomplish in the near term, and immediately felt much more at ease. Only then did he realize how hungry he was. He changed into a fresh Daoist robe, took more than a hundred taels of silver, and planned to go out to fill his stomach first, then take care of the important business of buying medicine and other matters. As for the few relics left by Old Brooks, he would wait until late at night, when everything was quiet, to look at them.

Leaving the courtyard, he was almost dazzled by the sunlight. Judging by the sky, it was already past noon—no wonder he was so hungry. He locked the courtyard gate, greeted the neighbors on both sides, and walked toward the entrance of the alley.

The neighbors on both sides were quite surprised. Aunt Zhang on the left said to Aunt Li on the right, "Hey, this kid is usually so shy, always keeping his head down when he passes us. The sun must be rising in the west today, for him to actually greet us first."

"I think it's because after his grandfather passed away, he's tasted all sorts of things. I think the kid is actually pretty good. Your daughter is so pretty, and she matches him well. His family is well-off too—they could easily come up with several hundred taels of silver," Aunt Li, who was passionate about matchmaking, replied.

Aunt Zhang sighed, "My silly girl, after studying with her second uncle for a few days, has become so proud and ambitious, always wanting to marry a jinshi official. She should take a good look at herself—are jinshi officials like stars descending from the heavens? Does she really think she's worthy?"

As for Ryan Clark, after leaving the alley, he arrived at the bustling main street. He didn't choose one of the lavishly decorated big restaurants, but instead, following his memory, entered a small noodle shop by the street.

"Uncle Harris, three liang of plain noodles, and half a jin of braised pig intestines, please." The braised dishes here were the best in the city. You should know, this city was the prefectural seat of Xia'an Prefecture, the most prosperous place in the Yangzhou region after the Yangzhou prefectural city itself. It was no small town, and, situated by the Yangtze River and controlling the canal, it was a famous transportation hub among the thirteen provinces.

"I say, Young Foster, you usually come much earlier. It's almost past noon today," Owen Harris said as he finished slicing the pig intestines and walked over with his big belly. He cared a lot about this neighbor's kid whom he had watched grow up.

"Ah, don't mention it. I couldn't sleep last night, thinking about what to do in the future. The pressure feels huge," Ryan Clark replied, recalling the tone Brian Foster used with Owen Harris, though he couldn't help but slip into his current manner of speaking.

Fortunately, Owen Harris was more concerned about the topic than the tone. "I see you've trained yourself into great shape. Why not become a yamen runner at the government office? The salary isn't much, but with all the other perks, it's not bad. Your family has some savings, but you can't just sit around and eat away at it. I have some connections in this area."

Ryan Clark thought for a moment and said, "Uncle Harris, I have a relative in Anjing City. I plan to leave in half a year to join him. Under the emperor's feet, there are more opportunities." This was also to lay the groundwork for his future departure. The neighbors only knew that Ryan Clark was training his body; they had no idea he was practicing Daoist arts. In fact, very few people in the world had ever truly seen Daoist magic.

As for the Daoist robe, several emperors in a row had been believers in Daoism, so it had become fashionable throughout the land. Many wealthy merchants and even Confucian officials liked to wear Daoist robes at home. In other words, Daoist robes were like modern designer casual wear. So, even though Ryan Clark wore a Daoist robe without a Daoist badge, it was nothing unusual—at most, people would think he was the son of a rich merchant or a scholar.

"Under the emperor's feet, there may be more opportunities, but there are also more dangers. I know you're young and ambitious, but you must know your limits," Owen Harris said, patting Ryan Clark's shoulder before going to greet new customers. At this moment, the plain noodles were also served.

Ryan Clark was already starving, but with ten years of Daoist cultivation and physical training, he knew not to eat too quickly at times like this. He ate slowly, taking a bite of noodles and a bite of braised dish. The noodles were light and refreshing, the braised food was full of flavor, smooth but not greasy—truly a delicacy of the human world.