Chen Qing left Zhou Academy and headed south along the bluestone road, arriving at Renhe Hall.
"Shopkeeper, three Blood Vitality Pills."
He lifted the door curtain, and the fragrance of medicinal herbs mingled with dried tangerine peel washed over him.
Behind the counter, the shopkeeper was working an abacus. Seeing him, he gathered the beads with a flick. "Master Chen, were those three pills from last month enough?"
"Not enough."
Chen Qing took out his purse. "Set aside more for me this month."
He had now reached the threshold of Transformation Force. He planned to buy more medicinal supplements in hopes of breaking through soon.
Just as Chen Qing was about to pay, the shopkeeper suddenly lowered his voice and tapped the counter with his knuckles. "Master Chen, have you heard of the Blood Gathering Pill?"
As he spoke, he pulled out a palm-sized porcelain bottle from his robes. Cloud patterns were carved into its surface. "It is thirty percent stronger than the Blood Vitality Pill, yet costs only seventy percent as much. Recently, disciples from several martial halls in the Inner City have been scrambling to buy it. I am nearly out of stock."
Chen Qing raised an eyebrow slightly. "Blood Gathering Pill?"
He had never heard of this medicine.
The shopkeeper smiled ingratiatingly. "Quite a few old customers have tried it, and every one of them said it was excellent! They keep coming back for more. If you take a larger quantity, I can give you an even better price."
Chen Qing pushed the porcelain bottle back. "Perhaps next time."
He recalled how a Zhou Academy disciple had once blindly sought treatment in desperation and taken some unknown pill said to aid breakthroughs. In the end, it had clogged his Meridians for half a month.
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