Thousand Medicine Pavilion

Looking at the girl before him, her face full of self-reproach, Mo Tang found himself at a loss for words.

"Alright, alright, what does this have to do with you?"

"Look, hasn't the Clan Head promoted me to commander? He even put me in charge of all Mo Clan affairs in an entire city. This is clearly a promotion and a sign of his regard. It's nothing like what you think."

Mo Linglin rolled her eyes at this guy spouting nonsense.

Did he really think she was some little girl who knew nothing?

"Alright, enough nonsense. Father will scold me again soon. This is for you..."

Mo Tang looked at the box the girl held out to him in surprise.

Mo Linglin seemed somewhat bashful. A faint blush rose on her smooth, pretty face as she snapped, "What are you looking at?! I took some pills from the clan pharmacy for you. Take them and cultivate properly, so you won't get bullied in some far-off place and bring shame to our Mo Clan!"

Mo Tang froze for a moment as he accepted the large box, roughly a foot square, his mind going blank.

"You little brat, you didn't empty out the clan pill room's entire stock, did you..."

Though the box was not especially large, how much space could a Medicine Bottle take? If it was filled to the brim, there had to be dozens of bottles inside, right?

Even if they were only low-grade healing pills or Qi Replenishing Pills, they would still be worth tens of thousands of Gold Coins!

Seeing Mo Tang stare at her so intently, Mo Linglin awkwardly scratched her cheek before saying, "Of course not... It's only a little."

"Originally, I wanted to find you a Storage Ring, but that old man guarding the vault wouldn't let me in at all! This Storage Ring was a birthday gift from Father and has special meaning to me, so I can't give it to you..."

Seeing the girl actually look a little embarrassed, Mo Tang did not know what to say...

After taking a deep breath, Mo Tang finally broke into a smile. "Don't worry. With my skills, I'm the one who bullies others. Who could possibly bully me?"

"Cultivate well at home and don't cause trouble. When I come back, I'll bring you a gift!"

"Mm, I'll wait for you..."

The little girl's eyes reddened slightly.

Mo Tang nodded, then took his luggage and headed toward the Street end.

Even now, he could not figure it out. They had only met a few times, so why did this girl seem to have taken a liking to him...

What young girl doesn't yearn for love?

Doesn't that make me a scumbag who deceives a young girl's pure heart?

"Pah! You're the scumbag! Your whole family is full of scumbags!"

Mo Tang immediately cursed someone in his heart.

But Mo Linglin was even a year younger than Nalan Yanran, meaning she was only fourteen now...

A little girl who was only fourteen... This was the kind of thing that could land him in prison for life!

Carrying the girl's well wishes with him, Mo Tang arrived safely in Black Rock City.

After dismounting from the flying beast of the empire's aerial transport squad, Mo Tang silently cursed those people. What a bunch of heartless robbers!

The trip from Salt City to Black Rock City had cost him a hundred Gold Coins. They were extortionate beyond belief!

Looking at the enormous outline of the city before him, Mo Tang nodded slightly.

"Black Rock City is actually no smaller than Salt City..."

At that moment, a middle-aged man arrived hurriedly at the aerial transport squad's outpost outside the city with a Guard Squad.

The moment he saw Mo Tang dressed in Mo Clan attire, his eyes lit up and he quickly approached.

"May I ask if you are Commander Mo Tang?"

Mo Tang looked at him and smiled faintly. "That's right. Are you Manager Lin?"

"Haha, I am Lin Yuan. Forgive me for arriving late to welcome you, Commander Mo."

"You're too courteous, Manager Lin. Let's go into the city and take a look."

"Yes, yes, of course. Look at me—Commander Mo, this way, please. Your residence has already been prepared..."

After traveling along the road and turning down two streets, Mo Tang found himself standing before an enormous pavilion-style medicine shop.

The shop was called Thousand Medicine Pavilion. It was massive, likely the largest commercial establishment Mo Tang had seen so far.

Moreover, this shop seemed to be quite renowned within Black Rock City. The stream of people passing through its entrance was so dense that they nearly packed together, while a ceaseless din of shouting and cursing drifted out.

"Commander Mo, let's go through the back entrance," Lin Yuan said with a pleased look.

The reason he had brought Mo Tang here was to show him just how prosperous Thousand Medicine Pavilion had become under his management.

And the deeper meaning behind it was...

This is my territory. You, an outsider, should obediently remain a commander. Don't even think about taking over my nest!

Mo Tang nodded with a smile, showing no reaction to the sight before him.

Yet as he followed Lin Yuan toward the back entrance, recalling the man's self-satisfied expression from earlier, he could not help but want to laugh.

Lin Yuan immediately frowned. "What is Commander Mo laughing about?"

"Oh, nothing. I just thought of something happy..."

After offering that explanation, Mo Tang said nothing more and strode forward.

Lin Yuan snorted coldly to himself, then hurried after him.

Over the next three days, Mo Tang showed no sign of interfering with Thousand Medicine Pavilion's affairs. He merely inspected the varieties of medicinal ingredients in the shop each day, leaving Manager Lin both relieved and deeply puzzled.

He had no idea what schemes this fellow was plotting.

In Lin Yuan's eyes, this commander who had been parachuted in from the clan would surely be unwilling to let himself be sidelined. He would definitely try every possible means to reclaim the authority that belonged to him...

For that reason, Lin Yuan had made preparations long ago, ready to deliver a crushing blow whenever the other party made his move...

He would make Mo Tang understand that even if he truly was a mighty dragon, he could not suppress a local snake like him!

Unfortunately...

If Mo Tang had known about Manager Lin's complicated thoughts, he would certainly have thought the man had read too many political intrigue novels!

He had only come here to use this place and opportunity to improve himself, while hiding from whatever danger might arise.

As for scheming and infighting, he had no interest in them whatsoever.

In this world, the strongest fist had the final say!

After finding several medicinal ingredients most suitable for himself, Mo Tang took his Fourth-Tier Magic Core directly to the Miter Auction House in Black Rock City.

He urgently needed to exchange this Magic Core for money, then buy medicinal ingredients to increase his strength.

However, this action caused Lin Yuan to misunderstand once more. He thought Mo Tang, this young man, had grown intimidated after seeing the power Lin Yuan controlled, had backed down, and no longer dared to confront him directly.

Once that thought took root, another idea suddenly arose in his heart.

Originally, all Mo Clan forces in Black Rock City had answered to him alone. Even the Guard Squad had been completely bought off by him...

Since that was the case, why should he let some young man with no foundation sit above him?