The Apothecary

"Good! Straight to the point!"

Chen Gui was pleased to hear Wu Ming's words. He slapped Wu Ming heartily on the shoulder and said, "Let's go, let's go! I've invited a few people, and we'll have a good drink today!"

Without waiting for Wu Ming to respond, he pulled Wu Ming out of the Martial Academy. He also called out to a few young martial artists he had met at the academy, and together they went to the Flying Feather Restaurant, which was only two streets away from the Seven Martial Alliance. They ordered a table full of delicious dishes.

After they had eaten and drunk their fill, Chen Gui led Wu Ming through eight or nine streets and alleys, arriving at a slightly more secluded street. At the end of this street was a shop with a plaque that read 'Chen's Apothecary'.

The shop didn't seem as grand as Wu Ming had imagined. However, Wu Ming soon learned that the Chen family's apothecary business was very large, and Jingye City itself was extremely vast. Therefore, they had many shops in Jingye City, and this one was just one of them. It was also one that the Chen family had entrusted to Chen Gui after he came of age.

Chen Gui led Wu Ming, not through the shop's main entrance, but around the shop to a courtyard behind it. The courtyard was quite spacious, with several connected, well-maintained houses on the east, west, and north sides.

In the courtyard, Two men in training vests were drinking tea, while an obviously much older man was holding a heavy saber and practicing his saber techniques in the courtyard.

As soon as they saw Chen Gui enter, the younger men cupped their fists and bowed, shouting, "Young Master!" The older man put down his saber and said with a chuckle, "Why are you back so early today?"

"Uncle Yong."

Chen Gui also stepped forward with a smile to greet him and then introduced Wu Ming.

Soon, Wu Ming learned that the two younger men in the courtyard were Sun Wang and Ma Liu, both at the First Blood Forging stage. The one wielding the saber was named Hu Yong, who was at the Second Blood Forging stage.

These three martial artists were responsible for guarding the apothecary shop, preventing thieves and robbers.

Martial arts were flourishing in this world, and transgressions committed with martial force were naturally common. Even though the imperial court had the Cautious Punishment Division to manage the overall order, they could not eradicate them completely. Therefore, it was necessary for any business to hire guards at a considerable expense.

For businesses like the Chen family's apothecary, guards were needed day and night. It was slightly better during the day, but at night, when various bandits emerged, without guards patrolling, the entire shop would be stripped bare within an hour.

After learning about Wu Ming from Chen Gui, Hu Yong looked at Wu Ming with more respect. Sun Wang and Ma Liu even showed a hint of envy. Although Wu Ming's talent was rated as "average," which was looked down upon by people like Hong Jiu and Steward Zhang, in reality, most martial artists could not even reach this level, and achieving Second Blood Forging was very difficult.

Soon.

Chen Gui had some business to attend to and left first. Hu Yong then briefed Wu Ming on the matters at hand.

"...This city, on the surface, seems peaceful, but that's only during the day. Once night falls, it's practically a haven for all sorts of unsavory characters, with flying thieves darting everywhere. The Cautious Punishment Division's wanted lists are constantly being updated, but the number never decreases."

Hu Yong knew that Wu Ming came from a village outside the city and had only trained at the Seven Martial Alliance before, so he didn't have much understanding of the city's situation. He took the initiative to explain the situation to Wu Ming. Petty thefts happened almost every night. Even though this apothecary shop had several Blood Forging martial artists guarding it in shifts day and night, it had still attracted flying thieves more than once.

In fact, attracting flying thieves was considered good. Generally, flying thieves only sought wealth and not lives. Once discovered, they would usually flee immediately. However, some notorious bandits not only stole but also robbed and killed violently!

"With the Cautious Punishment Division in the city, do these vicious bandits dare to act so recklessly?"

Wu Ming frowned and asked after hearing this.

Hu Yong chuckled and said, "Jingye City is so large, how can the Cautious Punishment Division's small force manage the entire city? At most, they'll conduct a perfunctory investigation after an incident occurs. As long as they aren't caught red-handed, they're usually untraceable afterward."

"Those who are offered bounties are only a minority whose appearances have been seen or whose identities have been confirmed. Many others whose identities are unknown are simply impossible to investigate, as there are tens of thousands of martial artists in this city."

After listening to Hu Yong's lengthy explanation, Wu Ming gained a deeper understanding of the city's situation.

These flying thieves and vicious bandits, on one hand, relied on their martial prowess, could scale walls and leap over rooftops, acted with impunity, and feared nothing. On the other hand, they mostly risked their lives for resources, taking crooked paths.

Many martial artists, due to insufficient talent, required a large amount of resources to break through their cultivation realms. The money earned through normal work was simply not enough to purchase so many resources, so naturally, some would resort to theft and robbery.

This was also the fundamental reason why, despite Jingye City's strict order, theft and robbery incidents persisted.

"What weapon do you use?"

Hu Yong suddenly asked Wu Ming.

"Spear."

Wu Ming replied.

Hearing Wu Ming's words, Hu Yong's eyebrows shot up, and he shook his head, "A spear is a bit difficult to wield effectively in a place like this. It's more powerful for patrolling the manor outside the city and dealing with monsters."

Although Hu Yong used a saber, he was knowledgeable about weapons. The more open the area, the more advantage spear techniques could exhibit. Places like the apothecary shop were relatively narrow, especially if indoor combat occurred, where a spear simply couldn't be utilized.

Chen Gui arranging for Wu Ming to come to this apothecary shop wasn't a particularly good placement in his opinion. However, he also knew from Chen Gui that Wu Ming had been appreciated by Hong Jiu and personally instructed by him, and his talent was good. Second Blood Forging was just a matter of time. Arranging for Wu Ming to guard the apothecary shop was likely just to foster some goodwill.

"It is indeed difficult to wield in confined spaces."

Wu Ming nodded slightly. He himself practiced the spear and naturally understood the advantages and disadvantages of spear techniques even better. However, these issues were only limited to the first or second Blood Forging stages. By the Third Blood Forging stage, martial artists could possess formidable power to alter their environment. A sweep of a long spear could instantly shatter solid bluestone courtyard walls, and the environmental impact would gradually decrease.

"Mm, but it's actually fine. We're only guarding against flying thieves; vicious bandits usually won't bother us. Inside the house, we generally won't fight. Outdoors, this courtyard and the alley outside are still somewhat spacious, so we can manage."

Hu Yong shook his head and chuckled, then stopped discussing the matter and began to introduce the courtyard.

The courtyard was located behind the apothecary shop. Basically, the more valuable medicinal ingredients and the daily collected silver would be stored in the main house on the north side, and Hu Yong personally resided in the main house on the north side.

The houses on the east and west sides were vacant, totaling six rooms. Sun Wang and Ma Liu each lived in two of them. Now that Wu Ming had arrived, he could choose any of the remaining four rooms to use as a place for rest and relaxation.