Before Departure

The next morning, the streets of Qingshan Town were already bustling with noise. People on the road seemed to be quietly discussing something.

"Did you hear? The Wolf Head Mercenary Group's headquarters caught fire last night. It seems their leader, Mu She, was burned alive. The mercenary group is in complete chaos now. Looks like they won't last much longer."

"Hmph, serves them right. The Wolf Head Mercenary Group has been bullying men and women alike in Qingshan Town for ages. Their downfall was bound to come sooner or later."

"Shh, watch your words."

But none of this had anything to do with Xia Mo. Even if he heard it, he would only laugh it off. Xia Mo did not go out today either. Instead, he planned to follow Xiao Yi Xian and watch her examine patients and treat injuries.

Xia Mo stroked his chin. It seemed he had not made a house call in a long time; he had nearly forgotten that he was still a physician's apprentice.

When Xia Mo and Xiao Yi Xian arrived at the entrance of the Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion, the shop was already crowded. Most of the customers had come to buy Blood Coagulating Paste in preparation for entering the Monster Mountain Range, leaving the attendants exceptionally busy.

Looking at the queue of people buying medicine, Xia Mo could not help nodding. Part of this is mine too. The more, the better. He did not pay much attention to them and intended to follow Xiao Yi Xian straight into the Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion, but the crowd suddenly stirred.

"Wow, Xiao Yi Xian is here!"

"She's so beautiful. Once she grows up, she'll definitely be a stunning beauty. Tsk, tsk, that waist—"

Xia Mo listened to the conversation between two men not far away. One man's companion immediately covered his mouth. "Idiot! If you want to die, don't drag me down with you! More than half the mercenaries in Qingshan Town have been treated by Xiao Yi Xian. If someone hears you, they'll cut out your tongue."

Seemingly noticing the looks directed their way, the man's companion hurriedly said, "He's talking nonsense. Please don't mind him, don't mind him." The man also pushed his companion's hand away. "I was talking nonsense, I was talking nonsense." He even slapped himself twice, then hurriedly dragged his companion out of the Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion with an embarrassed expression.

Seeing this, Xia Mo smiled. He had not expected Xiao Yi Xian to be close to "conquering" all of Qingshan Town already, and she was not even an adult yet. Still, dressed in a white gown today, with her fresh and ethereal aura and that calm smile on her face, she truly was captivating. Xia Mo sincerely hoped Xiao Yi Xian could remain this carefree forever.

After Xia Mo and Xiao Yi Xian entered the Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion, Xiao Yi Xian went to the consultation desk and began her day's work. Xia Mo, meanwhile, headed toward the counter. When he had entered the shop earlier, his nose had twitched slightly; he had sensed a treasure inside.

Relying on his Treasure Seeking Talent, Xia Mo followed his instinctive sense to the counter. His gaze swept across the glass display before finally stopping at the Yellow Lotus Essence. No way... could it be Blood Lotus Essence? Am I some kind of chosen son of the world too? Xia Mo muttered inwardly. However, he did not believe such nonsense. If not for the Ancient Dragon Clan's Treasure Seeking Talent, he would never have come over.

Inside the display were five pieces of pale yellow Yellow Lotus Essence. The second from the end was the one he wanted. Xia Mo beckoned to an attendant, who immediately came over. "Little Physician, what can I do for you?" "Get me two pieces of Yellow Lotus Essence. I need them." Xia Mo pointed into the display. "That one, and that one."

The attendant said nothing and turned to fetch them for Xia Mo. Xia Mo took out his gold card. "Here, charge it to the card. That way there won't be any discrepancies in the accounts later, and Boss Yao won't give you trouble."

Xia Mo casually accepted the two pieces of Yellow Lotus Essence and stored them in his Storage Ring. Then he moved a chair over and sat beside Xiao Yi Xian, watching her examine patients while helping her prepare their medicine.

The day's work passed amid constant bustle. After Xia Mo and Xiao Yi Xian finished tidying up, they returned to their rooms together.

Back in his room, Xia Mo took out the Yellow Lotus Essence. He quietly scratched the piece his Treasure Seeking Talent had detected with his fingernail. A sliver of its pale yellow skin peeled away, revealing a blood-red interior that seemed to faintly exude the scent of blood.

"As expected, Blood Lotus Essence."

Blood Lotus Essence was an extremely rare high-grade medicinal herb. It generally grew alongside Yellow Lotus Essence and was almost indistinguishable from it. Without familiarity or careful observation, it was impossible to tell the two apart.

If not for his Treasure Seeking Talent and his memories, Xia Mo himself would likely have been unable to distinguish it.

Speaking of Blood Lotus Essence, one had to mention the Blood Lotus Pill. The Blood Lotus Pill was a miraculous pill that could help one subdue Heavenly Flames. The fact that it could resist the scorching heat of Heavenly Flames showed just how precious the pill was—and how precious Blood Lotus Essence was.

Xia Mo took out a jade box, carefully placed the Blood Lotus Essence inside, and stored it in the intermediate Storage Ring around his neck.

After putting everything away, Xia Mo headed toward Xiao Yi Xian's room, intending to discuss where they should go and when they should depart.

Before long, Xia Mo arrived outside Xiao Yi Xian's room and knocked on the door. Xiao Yi Xian opened it and let him inside.

"Xiao Yi Xian, I plan to leave in a couple of days. I wanted to tell you in advance. Pack your things, and when the time comes, we'll set off directly."

"Alright. But Xiao Mo, have you decided where we're going?"

Xia Mo took out a simple map he had prepared in advance and pointed at it as he spoke to Xiao Yi Xian. "Qingshan Town is here, near the Monster Mountain Range, in the eastern region of the Jia Ma Empire. Look here—Wutan City. It's north of Qingshan Town, in the northeastern part of the Jia Ma Empire, and it's also close to the Monster Mountain Range."

"I plan to settle down in Wutan City first, then enroll in Jia Nan Academy. Of course, you won't be able to enroll until your Dou Qi reaches the eighth stage."

"Mm, I'll listen to you. You can make the decisions."

"One more thing—before we leave, should we sell the Blood Coagulating Paste formula, or continue working with the Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion?" Xia Mo leaned toward continuing the partnership, but he still wanted to hear Xiao Yi Xian's opinion.

"Let's keep working together. Blood Coagulating Paste only sells well in small towns near the Monster Mountain Range where there are no Alchemists. Once we go to a city, people might not think much of our product. But if we leave and want to continue working together, we'll have to give Boss Yao the formula. What if he takes our money?" Xiao Yi Xian said worriedly.

"Alright, then let's go find Boss Yao and tell him. We've worked together quite pleasantly these past few months. I'm sure Boss Yao knows which choice to make." Xia Mo left some words unspoken. He liked to convince people with "virtue" and "reason."

Xia Mo and Xiao Yi Xian went to find Boss Yao. The moment Boss Yao saw Xia Mo, he recalled the news he had received today: Mu She was dead, and not even a body remained. He could not help thinking that Mu She had come to the Ten Thousand Medicine Pavilion to cause trouble only yesterday morning, and after Xia Mo returned that evening, Mu She was gone. If there was no connection between those events, he would not believe it even if beaten to death. He felt that his earlier guess that Xia Mo was the descendant of a great clan might actually be true. There had to be an expert following him. When he looked at Xia Mo again, respect had appeared in his eyes.

Xia Mo found Boss Yao's manner somewhat strange, but he did not dwell on it. He stated his purpose directly. "Boss Yao, Xiao Yi Xian and I plan to leave Qingshan Town, but we want to continue working with you. We'll give you the formula, and you can find people to produce it yourself in the future. Produce as much as you like. The profit-sharing arrangement will remain unchanged."

"Of course. You can leave it to me without worry. But where are you planning to go? How should I send you your share of the profits afterward?" Boss Yao asked.

"We plan to go to Wutan City first. We haven't decided where we'll go after that. We can settle the accounts once every six months," Xia Mo said.

"Boss Yao, one final piece of advice: without sufficient strength, don't expand recklessly. Otherwise, no matter how great your wealth is, you won't be able to keep it," Xia Mo added in the end. After all, some of the money earned belonged to him and Xiao Yi Xian.

"Alright, alright. Rest assured," Boss Yao said.

"Then we'll head back to our rooms first. After we finish packing, we'll leave in a couple of days."

Xia Mo and Xiao Yi Xian turned and left.