Muddle Through

"Shopkeeper, I just..."

Before Yang Heng could finish, Shopkeeper Chen waved his hand and interrupted, saying calmly, "You were momentarily unable to withstand the Martial Artist's Pressure and felt dizzy. You're fine now."

"Oh, is that so?"

"Shopkeeper, did you call me here for something?"

Yang Heng asked excitedly, his face beaming with joy.

This perfectly displayed the excitement and happiness of a low-level apprentice seeing the boss of the pharmacy.

It was highly likely that something good was about to happen if the pharmacy boss suddenly wanted to see a low-level apprentice.

This was equivalent to a company boss calling an ordinary employee for a meeting – either a promotion or a raise.

Otherwise, they wouldn't waste their precious time on these ordinary employees.

Yang Heng's excited expression was not unexpected by Shopkeeper Chen.

His status was noble; not only was he the person in charge of the pharmacy, but he was also a Martial Artist. It was completely normal for an apprentice to be excited when summoned by him.

"Since you joined the pharmacy, you have been diligent and hardworking, with excellent performance. I've called you here today to reward you."

"The pharmacy has decided to increase your wages to one hundred wen per month," Shopkeeper Chen said with a gentle smile, forcing down his inner displeasure.

"Ah..." Yang Heng's mouth fell open, and he was stunned.

After a while, he snapped out of his 'surprise' and hurriedly pledged his loyalty.

"Thank you, Shopkeeper, thank you, Pharmacy. I will definitely work hard from now on, dedicating myself completely until death. Only then can I live up to your high regard for me."

If any other apprentice had said these words, Shopkeeper Chen might have felt gratified and offered some support.

But coming from Yang Heng, he felt nothing in his heart and just wanted to end this matter quickly.

"Mm," Shopkeeper Chen nodded and said, "There's nothing else. You can go."

Yang Heng bowed and left the room with a joyful expression.

This scene was chanced upon by another apprentice. Soon, the news spread, and everyone in the pharmacy knew that Yang Heng was valued by the shopkeeper and had received a pay raise.

Shopkeeper Chen didn't say much when he learned of this.

The apprentices lamented Yang Heng's good luck, filled with envy and jealousy. The apprentice who shared a room with Yang Heng regarded him with even greater awe.

Meanwhile, Li Kui's gaze grew colder, like a venomous snake watching Yang Heng's every move from the shadows.

After walking a considerable distance from Shopkeeper Chen's room, Yang Heng stopped, gasping for breath and clutching his chest, calling it a close shave.

The sleeping incense he had only seen in TV dramas had become a reality, and he had personally experienced it. He wondered if it was luck or misfortune.

Yang Heng gave a wry smile.

Fortunately, at the critical moment, the Marrow Cleansing Pearl displayed its miraculous power, allowing him to regain consciousness and escape the danger.

As for why the Marrow Cleansing Pearl acted like that, he had no idea.

He secretly speculated, Could there be an old man hidden inside the pearl?

"Senior?"

"Grandpa?"

"Immortal?"

Yang Heng called out silently in his heart. After calling for a long time, the Marrow Cleansing Pearl remained motionless.

After a long pause.

He gave up.

If he couldn't figure it out, so be it. As long as it was beneficial to him.

He firmly believed that one day he would understand.

Perhaps the time was not yet right.

Recalling what had just happened in Shopkeeper Chen's room, Yang Heng still felt a lingering fear.

Martial Artists!

Martial Artist's Pressure!

It was truly as the rumors said: Martial Artists were inhuman existences, completely different from ordinary people.

Facing them was like facing a higher being; all courage vanished, and goosebumps covered his entire body, a warning from his physical self.

When confronting them, one could only exert five-tenths of their strength at best.

In that situation just now, Yang Heng felt utterly powerless, like a puppet being manipulated at will.

He never wanted to experience this feeling of powerlessness again.

Strength!

At this moment, he desperately craved strength, immense strength, and an urgent desire to become powerful.

For this, he was willing to pay any price.

The Marrow Cleansing Pearl was the fastest way for him to increase his strength, but it wasn't enough!

The Marrow Cleansing Pearl could change his talent and strengthen his physique. It was fine for dealing with ordinary people, but it was useless against Martial Artists.

Martial Artists not only possessed incredibly powerful bodies, but they also knew martial arts. Shattering a large rock with a single punch was as easy as pie.

He only had a powerful body but didn't know any martial arts, so he couldn't unleash its full potential.

It was like discovering a gold mine but having no tools to dig it, only to return empty-handed from a mountain of treasure. What a pity.

It was extremely difficult for an ordinary person to defeat a Martial Artist.

Poison?

But he didn't know how to make poison, and poisons were strictly controlled, being contraband and difficult to acquire.

Besides, he didn't know if the poisons on the market could even threaten a Martial Artist.

Carry lime powder?

When the Martial Artist wasn't paying attention, throw it in their face, blinding them, and then slit their throat with a knife.

However, would things really be that simple?

Firstly, a Martial Artist's reaction speed far surpassed that of ordinary people. Before the lime powder could even be thrown, you might have already been knocked down by a single punch.

Secondly, in these times of war and chaos, weapons were scarce and expensive. It was very difficult for ordinary people to afford them.

Even if one possessed a weapon, carrying it openly would surely make others wary.

Furthermore, could a single knife cut through a Martial Artist's neck?

Would it get stuck?

And then you'd be killed in retaliation.

The chance of an ordinary person killing a Martial Artist in peak condition was infinitesimally close to zero.

Only other Martial Artists could deal with Martial Artists.

And to become a Martial Artist, one first needed a Martial Arts Manual.

A Martial Arts Manual was equivalent to a key, the key to opening the door of martial arts.

One door, one lock.

A Martial Arts Manual was the key to opening the door of martial arts.

Without this key, one couldn't open the door.

Yang Heng learned these details from the idle chatter of apprentices at the apothecary.

Those who could become apprentices at an apothecary usually had some connections, and some had ancestors who were once Martial Artists.

However, after several generations, their families had declined.

There were countless such examples.

These people knew some information about Martial Artists, but it was fragmented and incomplete.

For instance, they didn't know about the different levels and realms of Martial Artists.

Martial Arts Manual!

Yang Heng had no clue how to obtain one.

"Sigh..."

With a sigh, Yang Heng thought to himself that he could only take things one step at a time.

Night fell, and he returned to the communal dormitory, washed up, and fell into a deep sleep on his bed.

He didn't notice that in the darkness, a pair of snake-like eyes were staring at him intently.

The next day, Yang Heng went out to deliver medicine and bought some dried pork jerky in town, taking it with the Old Ginseng.

These herbs were all blood-tonifying and vitality-nourishing medicines that could be consumed raw.

Moreover, with the Marrow Cleansing Pearl, Yang Heng wasn't afraid of wasting medicinal power.

The energy provided by these three medicinal ingredients was far greater than that of the pork jerky, especially the Old Ginseng, which had extremely high nutritional value and provided a lot of energy, causing the Marrow Cleansing Pearl to accumulate energy at an astonishing speed.

Yang Heng also benefited greatly, his body growing stronger day by day, and his strength increasing significantly.

Time flew by.

A month passed without him realizing it.

Yang Heng's money and the three medicinal ingredients were all used up, but he didn't feel any regret, only that it was worth it.

This was because the Marrow Cleansing Pearl had already accumulated half of its energy. The words "Marrow Cleansing Pearl (50%)" clearly appeared in Yang Heng's mind, shining brightly.