Helping at the Pharmacy

The next day, Fang Mo went to the Martial Hall even earlier than usual, before dawn had broken. He only did this to minimize his chances of running into people outside.

He would wait until he reached Ming Jin and had the strength to protect himself.

Ming Jin was a martial artist's first major threshold. Though it was nothing remarkable in this era where martial arts flourished, it still made one an absolute expert in the eyes of ordinary gang members.

Yunyang was not a major city either. A typical gang was already considered decent if it had a few Mingjin Martial Artists; most were merely ordinary martial artists. Once he reached Ming Jin, he should be able to protect himself. More importantly, he would become a true disciple of the Martial Hall and gain its protection. By then, even gangs would not dare act recklessly.

After he held his stance for a round and practiced a set of punches, the others finally began arriving.

"He came pretty early!"

"He's just trying to show off. Does he think arriving early will do him any good? It's useless with Master!"

"Some people only pretend to work hard!"

"Hehe!"

When the other trainees saw Fang Mo practicing his punches, they quietly mocked him. Martial arts reigned supreme, and news that Fang Mo lacked the Bone Structure of a martial artist had long since spread. Naturally, none of them thought highly of him.

Fang Mo never cared about other people's attitudes. He focused entirely on his training, only stopping when Ding Zhiyuan arrived to greet him.

"What is it? Are there any problems with your fist technique?" Ding Zhiyuan thought Fang Mo wanted to ask about cultivating the Tiger Subduing Fist.

"It's not about the fist technique." Fang Mo shook his head and looked at Ding Zhiyuan. "Senior Brother Ding, I wanted to ask if you have any channels for medicinal liquid and Exotic Beast Meat. The Martial Hall's supply is too little. It's simply not enough!"

Ding Zhiyuan looked at Fang Mo, hesitating briefly before saying, "Junior Brother Fang, you know that Spiritual Medicine and Exotic Beast Meat are controlled by the military, sects, martial arts academies, and powers such as Martial Arts Families, Martial Halls, and gangs. They're extremely difficult to obtain on the market. My family can get a little through our connections, but even that is quite limited!"

Fang Mo nodded.

"I know that too, Senior Brother Ding. Do you know whether there are any channels in the Black Market?"

Ding Zhiyuan hurriedly shook his head.

"You must never go to the Black Market. Even if you manage to get something there, the price will be high and the quality poor. Sometimes you'll even be scammed. The people in the Black Market are black to the bone. We were conned before—we spent hundreds of thousands and got nothing but useless fakes!"

Fang Mo's expression turned grave at that. Without sufficient medicinal liquid and Exotic Beast Meat, there was no way to ensure his training speed.

Naturally, he could ask Yue Jian for help, but he did not want to owe Yue Jian too much either.

Seeing Fang Mo's dilemma, Ding Zhiyuan hesitated before saying,

"If you don't need much, I can spare some for you!"

Fang Mo hurriedly said, "Thank you, Senior Brother Ding, but your own supply is limited. How can you give it to me? I'll think of another way!"

Ding Zhiyuan steadied himself and gritted his teeth. "I can spare you five bottles of medicinal liquid and five pounds of Exotic Beast Meat every month. Make do with that for now. I'll ask my family to think of something too!"

Fang Mo hurriedly said, "Senior Brother Ding, if you give those to me, won't you lack enough for yourself? It's fine. If necessary, I'll look for other channels!"

"It's settled!"

Ding Zhiyuan grabbed Fang Mo with a resolute expression. "There's definitely no hope for me to break through anyway. I might as well give them to you!"

"Then... thank you, Senior Brother Ding!"

Fang Mo hurriedly thanked him sincerely. He truly was grateful. For an ordinary friend to do this much was already exceedingly rare.

Ding Zhiyuan knew that he had no hope of breaking through, which was why he wanted to invest in Fang Mo.

If Fang Mo could break through, he might be able to lend a hand in the future. It would be good if he could help when Ding Zhiyuan's family encountered trouble. His family's business also had dealings with gangs and other powers. With a Mingjin Martial Artist to help them, they could at least avoid some trouble.

Of course, Fang Mo was not a good target for investment, but Ding Zhiyuan's family was not wealthy enough to invest in anyone else.

If he gave these things to others, they would not even think them worth taking.

Fang Mo was also preoccupied with his own matters. He had to quickly secure a source of medicinal herbs and Exotic Beast Meat.

His progress had clearly slowed. Without medicinal liquid and Exotic Beast Meat, his body could not recover, and he could no longer train overtime like before. That would only increase the time needed to cultivate the Tiger Subduing Fist to the third realm as quickly as possible.

"Miao Ping, arrange for someone to come help me grind medicine!" At that moment, Pharmacist Xie stood at the pharmacy window and shouted into the courtyard.

"Alright!" Miao Ping answered. His gaze swept across the courtyard, and the trainees immediately looked away, lowered their heads, or suddenly became intensely focused. No one wanted to waste time helping Pharmacist Xie grind medicine.

Every month, the Martial Hall purchased Spiritual Medicine, which Pharmacist Xie refined into various medicinal liquids for training.

These medicinal liquids were vital supplies that ensured the trainees' training progress, but the workload was enormous and took one or two days each time. Thus, the trainees were unwilling to go, since it delayed their training and came with no reward.

"Fang Mo, you go!" Miao Ping's gaze settled on Fang Mo.

How could Fang Mo have time to spare?

Although he possessed a supernatural ability, he still had to train in earnest. How could he afford to waste time? Yet faced with Miao Ping's unquestionable gaze, he knew refusing would likely bring trouble. He could only nod. "Alright, Senior Brother Miao!"

When the others saw Miao Ping choose Fang Mo, they could not help sighing in relief. The looks they gave Fang Mo carried a hint of gloating.

Ding Zhiyuan opened his mouth, but ultimately said nothing. He merely let out a faint sigh.

He felt somewhat indignant on Fang Mo's behalf. Helping at the pharmacy was extremely time-consuming. Fang Mo already had poor Bone Structure, and this delay would only waste even more of his time. But Ding Zhiyuan was not yet a direct disciple, so he had little say with Miao Ping.

Fang Mo entered the pharmacy. Pharmacist Xie was sorting through medicinal herbs, not even lifting his head as he said blandly, "Grind all these herbs into powder!"

Looking at the medicinal herbs filling several baskets, Fang Mo's scalp tingled. Finishing all this would probably take quite a while.

"Don't be reluctant, kid!"

As Pharmacist Xie sorted the medicinal herbs, he said, "This is a good job. Those fellows don't understand. If you can learn a trick or two from me, you'll never have to worry about food or clothes for the rest of your life!"

"How could it not be?"

Seeing Fang Mo remain silent, Pharmacist Xie smiled and said,

"Kid, don't underestimate alchemy. There are only a dozen or so alchemists in all of Yunyang, but how many martial artists are there in Yunyang? How great is the consumption? Once you learn this craft, you won't have to worry about being unable to buy Spiritual Medicine. People will bring medicine right to your door for you to refine. You can soak in medicinal liquid every day and eat Bone Strengthening Soup and Blood Nourishing Pills!"

"You haven't even eaten either of those yet, have you?"

Pharmacist Xie looked at Fang Mo with a smile.

Fang Mo's thoughts began to stir at those words.

Exotic Beast Meat and Spiritual Medicine were controlled goods. Given his status, he could not buy them through ordinary channels. Black Market prices were too high, and quality was not always guaranteed. If he became a pharmacist himself, it would also guarantee his training progress.

He was tempted. He hurriedly said, "Alright, Pharmacist Xie. I'll do my best!"

Fang Mo settled his mind and began grinding the medicine earnestly. Whenever he encountered something he did not understand, he asked Pharmacist Xie.

Each herb required a different grinding method. It was not as simple as chopping and grinding everything indiscriminately. One had to understand the herbs' properties and the methods of grinding them in order to bring out their medicinal properties more effectively.

[Grinding Medicine: Beginner's First Steps (/100)]

After he successfully ground a portion of medicine, golden words appeared on the Bronze Mirror in Fang Mo's mind.

Sure enough, his supernatural ability worked for grinding medicine as well. With this ability, what was there for him to fear about failing to learn? He became even more diligent, grinding batch after batch of medicine.

Half a day later, the Bronze Mirror in his mind trembled, and golden words appeared.

[Grinding Medicine: First Glimpse of the Way (1/1000)]

Immediately afterward, a great deal of information flooded into his mind, and his understanding of grinding medicine rapidly improved.

This was much faster than practicing punches. He became even more dedicated to grinding medicine and learning the properties of herbs.

When Pharmacist Xie saw Fang Mo's grinding technique becoming increasingly skillful, a trace of surprise and approval flashed through his eyes.

He had never expected that Fang Mo, who had originally been considered to possess poor Bone Structure, would display such astonishing talent in alchemy.