Eavesdropping

Qingyang Town, Fortune Grand Restaurant.

In a private room at the far western end of the restaurant's second floor, Yang Heng sat on a luxurious wooden chair, wolfing down the delicacies spread across the table.

For this meal, he had ordered a full ten hearty dishes: honey-steamed bear paw, tiger whip longevity soup, mushroom-braised flying dragon, blazing beef, stir-fried seasonal vegetables, and more.

Bear paw and honey were simply a match made in heaven. The bear paw was springy, tender, and glutinous; coupled with the fragrant sweetness of honey, Yang Heng ate until his mouth watered, so delicious that he nearly swallowed his tongue.

Before long, Yang Heng was drenched in sweat, his mouth slick with grease.

Just as Yang Heng reached for the roast chicken on the plate before him, the conversation from the next room caught his attention.

After listening for a while, Yang Heng guessed the identities of the speakers from their voices.

Wang Ming and Master Zhang!

The private rooms in the restaurant were extremely well insulated. Even if guests did unsavory things inside, not the slightest sound could be heard from outside or next door.

But Yang Heng had undergone Marrow Cleansing and Bone Scouring twice, and today he had broken through to the Blood Strengthening Realm. His hearing had improved tremendously, and he could hear every word from the neighboring room as clearly as if they were speaking right in front of him.

Yang Heng stopped eating and drinking and listened intently.

In the neighboring private room.

Wang Ming and Master Zhang sat across the table from each other. There were seven or eight dishes on the table, half meat and half vegetables, but their quality was clearly nowhere near as lavish as the feast on Yang Heng's table.

The two had disguised themselves before coming here to eat and talk. Ordinary people would never spot any flaws, and even if someone from the pharmacy were present, they would not recognize them at a glance.

"Young Master, I've found out the date when Hundred Herbs Pharmacy will transport medicinal herbs to Qinghe City. It will be three days from now!"

Master Zhang looked at Wang Ming and spoke respectfully.

"Mm, you've worked hard, Master Zhang." Wang Ming nodded, delight appearing on his face. He continued, "What about the transport route?"

"Rest assured, Young Master. I got hold of the route as well." Master Zhang beamed.

"Good, good, good! Master Zhang, you truly are an old hand at the pharmacy. When you make a move, it is indeed extraordinary." Wang Ming burst into laughter and praised him repeatedly.

Then Wang Ming furrowed his brows slightly and asked uneasily, "How did you obtain such confidential information? There couldn't be a trick behind it, could there?"

Master Zhang's expression turned solemn as he explained, "Rest assured, Young Master. There is absolutely no problem with the accuracy of this information, and its source is extremely reliable."

"A close associate of Lei Xiong personally told me about it.

Yesterday, he came to my room to see me for treatment. I took the opportunity to slip some Bewildering Powder into his tea. After he drank it, he immediately became muddleheaded. Whatever I asked, he answered.

That was how I easily questioned the intelligence out of him. Afterward, he asked why he had suddenly felt so drowsy. I brushed him off with a few excuses, and he left without any suspicion."

Master Zhang looked exceedingly pleased with himself.

He had not expected to intercept the intelligence so easily.

Before this, he had been worried. The date for transporting the medicinal herbs was only days away, yet he had not obtained a single useful piece of information.

At the very last moment, heaven had opened its eyes and lent him a helping hand, allowing him to obtain this vital intelligence with ease.

As an old hand at the pharmacy, he could tell at a glance whether intelligence was real or fake.

This information regarding the herb shipment was absolutely true. Of that, he was certain beyond doubt.

"Good. Master Zhang, you handled this beautifully. Black Wind Stronghold will never forget your contribution." In his happiness, Wang Ming even used honorific language toward Master Zhang, whose status was far below his own. It showed just how delighted he was.

According to the intelligence they had obtained, the medicinal herbs Hundred Herbs Pharmacy would be transporting to Qinghe City this time were extremely valuable, worth Two thousand taels of silver.

And to be safe, they had specially sent word to the Medicine King Gang, asking the gang to dispatch two Blood Strengthening martial artists to escort the shipment. During the journey, the Medicine King Gang would also send martial artists to meet them.

All of this was to ensure the safety of the batch of medicinal herbs.

Two thousand taels of silver was nothing much to a gang as large as the Medicine King Gang.

But medicinal herbs were different.

These herbs were meant for the Medicine King Gang to refine into pills that increased cultivation, to supply the gang's disciples for training. There could be no mistakes.

It was not easy to gather such a massive quantity of precious medicinal herbs at once. If they were robbed, the pill supply for the gang's disciples would be affected for quite some time.

At that point, hearts would boil like a cauldron, unrest would arise, and it would be difficult to handle.

Martial artists joined the Medicine King Gang for generous cultivation resources. As for martial artists of the Blood Strengthening Realm and above, it went without saying that they joined for the pills.

These people worked tirelessly for the Medicine King Gang, only to find that the benefits they had been promised were greatly reduced in the end. No one would accept that.

Once might not matter, but if it happened too often, people's hearts would scatter, planting the seeds of disaster. By then, the Medicine King Gang might suffer grievous damage, and its territory and resources would all be seized by other forces.

The upper ranks of the Medicine King Gang had risen from the bottom themselves. They understood the thoughts of the gang's lower and middle-ranking disciples well, so they kept a strict grip on the matter of pills. So long as a disciple met the requirements, the pills they were due every month would never be withheld.

If anyone dared to hoard or shortchange the pills belonging to the gang's disciples, a report would hit its mark every time. The upper ranks would never shield them and would punish them strictly according to gang rules: first, their cultivation would be crippled, then they would endure the brutal torture of three blades and six holes.

If they died, their corpses would be fed to wild dogs.

If they survived, they would be driven out of the Medicine King Gang and left to fend for themselves.

Because rewards and punishments were clearly distinguished and the gang rules strictly enforced, the Medicine King Gang had attracted many young martial artists in recent years. Its strength had flourished day by day, and it had risen in one stroke to become one of Qinghe City's top three major powers.

"With this batch of medicinal herbs, the strength of Black Wind Stronghold can rise another level. Master Zhang, you have rendered a great service!" Wang Ming was exceptionally excited, his expression feverish as he paced back and forth through the room without stopping.

"I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare." Master Zhang waved his hands repeatedly, stroking the two wisps of rat whiskers at the corners of his mouth. His face glowed with health, and he was all smiles.

"Master Zhang, Black Wind Stronghold will never forget what you have done for it. A letter came from the stronghold some days ago. Your honored son has already broken through to the Blood Strengthening Realm and obtained the position of Great Leader."

"Let me congratulate you first, Master Zhang. Your honored son is only a little over twenty and is already a Blood Strengthening Realm martial artist. His future is boundless!"

"Ah?" Master Zhang was stunned by the sudden good news, his face filled with disbelief.

After a while, he finally came back to his senses. His face instantly flushed bright red as he looked at Wang Ming and asked in a trembling voice, "Re... really...?"

"Of course it's true." Wang Ming answered with a smile.

Master Zhang could no longer sit still. He sprang to his feet, picked up the wine jug from the table, and gulped wildly. Wine spilled from the corners of his mouth and soaked his lapels, yet he was completely unaware, utterly immersed in the overwhelming joy that flooded the heavens and covered the earth.

Seeing Master Zhang lose his composure, Wang Ming did not stop him.

Having learned the intelligence about the pharmacy's herb shipment, he was especially happy today and was extremely tolerant of him.

So long as someone could bring benefits to the stronghold, he treated them very kindly.

Even if they behaved improperly right in front of him, he did not care.

After some more time passed, Master Zhang finally sobered up when every wine jug on the table had been emptied.

Seeing how badly he had lost his composure, Master Zhang looked apologetically at Wang Ming and said, "Young Master, just now, I..."

Wang Ming waved a hand to interrupt him and smiled. "It is only human nature. I understand."

After a pause, Wang Ming said, "The stronghold has already arranged your retreat as well. Now listen as I explain it to you in detail..."