Commander Han clearly hadn't eaten his fill.
But looking at that big dark face, his appetite probably wasn't very good.
So Commander Han casually took the list from Lin Yan, stuffed it into his chest, then rose and left.
"I'll lend you one set of his medicinal-bath ingredients first."
Just then, Duke Lu pointed at the dark-faced man and slowly said, "Leave these medicinal ingredients here. Come back for them this afternoon. By then, just return one set of medicine to him."
The dark-faced man nodded, turned, went inside, brought out a paper bundle, and set it aside.
Duke Lu pointed at the medicinal ingredients Commander Han had brought and explained, "These medicinal ingredients benefit the five viscera and six bowels. They're quite effective for Inner Strengthening martial artists."
"But for the Essence Refining Realm, while they do have some effect, their medicinal power is comparatively too weak."
"Once you reach the Essence Refining Realm, every trace of improvement is equivalent to an all-around enhancement of your skin, flesh, sinews, bones, blood, marrow, and five viscera and six bowels."
"So a medicinal bath that only benefits the five viscera and six bowels is no longer sufficient."
"Also, this Essence Boosting Pill can nourish qi and blood, but its effect is still insufficient for you. It needs to be replaced with a Great Essence Boosting Pill."
As Duke Lu spoke, Lin Yan nodded and rose to thank him.
Duke Lu, however, raised a hand.
"Don't rush to thank me. Replacing the medicinal ingredients and adding new medicine will cost at least three taels of silver more."
"Replacing the Essence Boosting Pill with a Great Essence Boosting Pill will cost about seven taels of silver—the difference between the two pills."
"That makes ten taels of silver in total."
Duke Lu said in an even tone, "This old man isn't making money off you, but you can't expect this old man to pay for you, can you?"
Lin Yan immediately opened his bundle. Inside were twelve taels of silver, his salary for the month.
After a whole month of work, he would be left with only two taels of silver.
That was enough for daily life, but saving money to buy land and build a house remained a distant dream.
He sighed inwardly. People say scholars grow poor while martial artists grow rich, simply because practicing martial arts consumes far too much.
Training consumed physical strength, so one had to eat more.
If one wanted to build up one's foundation and become stronger, one had to eat well.
Add internal medicines, external applications, and all kinds of medicinal ingredients, and it truly wasn't something an ordinary household could withstand.
That was why, all these years, Lin Yan had worked as a butcher by day and played Impermanence by night, never resting, yet still hadn't saved much silver.
And that was despite his Devour Fiend Qi Divine Ability, which allowed him to devour fiend qi and increase his cultivation.
Because of that, he didn't have too great a need for external "nourishment," which was why he had managed to save any silver at all.
Before he could speak, he heard Duke Lu chuckle again.
"Actually, under normal circumstances, these three bundles of medicinal ingredients should be meant for the level of 'Blood Refining and Marrow Washing.'"
"That's because this is the standard for the medicinal baths provided to each ward's Banner Bearer."
"For example, Liang Hu of Qing Shan Ward has actually reached the Inner Strengthening realm. But every month, he has silver deducted voluntarily for the 'Inner Strengthening medicinal-bath ingredients' he receives."
"The reason your twelve taels weren't deducted was that Han Zheng paid out of his own pocket to help you replace the medicinal ingredients."
"He truly treats you well."
Duke Lu smiled and said, "You need to accumulate some Merit Points as soon as possible and succeed him as Banner Commander."
If Lin Yan had enough Merit Points, he could succeed Han Zheng as Banner Commander.
Then, with Han Zheng's Merit Points, he could be promoted to one of the Garrison Commanders of the Inner City.
Over all these years, he had sat in the position of Banner Commander of the Outer Southern Department without being able to advance for many reasons.
The greatest reason came from his enemies in Phoenix Perch Prefecture City, who had suppressed him both openly and covertly.
But another reason was that the southern-central region of the Outer City had no suitable candidate capable of succeeding to the position of Banner Commander!
With Lin Yan's current Essence Refining Realm cultivation, if he revealed it, he would indeed be qualified to take the position of "Banner Commander."
But his accomplishments were far from sufficient, and his qualifications were simply too shallow.
"If you eliminate a few high-ranking members of 'Calamity Ember,' that should about do it."
Duke Lu laughed as he spoke. "Once you succeed to the position of Banner Commander, you'll have enough medicinal ingredients and pills for your monthly cultivation."
"Thank you for your guidance, Duke Lu."
Lin Yan rose, bowed, and then took his leave, preparing to depart.
Duke Lu suddenly said, "I heard you wrote a letter to the Outer Southern City Guard Office, asking them to pay attention to the circumstances of the families and relatives of those who died defending the city?"
"That is indeed the case."
"You've only just arrived in Lin Jiang Ward, yet you put pressure on the Outer Southern Prefecture Office. That wasn't wise."
"..."
Lin Yan fell silent for a moment before saying, "The night before last, a Night Patrol Envoy named Zhou Ji died defending the city!"
"At noon yesterday, in broad daylight, someone barged into his home, bullied his grandmother and grandson, and planned to bleed the family dry of everything they had. They even intended to seize the Night Patrol Envoy position and swallow the compensation money."
"My Second Brother, Lin Lei, hasn't read many books and can barely recognize characters, but yesterday he still couldn't help standing up and speaking for justice."
"He isn't a martial artist. He nearly got beaten, yet he still refused to retreat."
"Actually, he's honest and steady in daily life, tolerant and yielding, and even seems somewhat timid. That's why he rarely provokes trouble."
"But yesterday, he wasn't afraid of trouble."
Lin Yan smiled and said, "With such an example before me, as a Banner Bearer of the Lin Jiang Department, acting within the scope of my authority—and as someone who defended the city alongside him that very night—if I stayed silent out of fear of trouble and concern for my own safety, wouldn't that be laughable?"
He exhaled and said softly, "Those who carry firewood for the people must not be left to freeze to death in the wind and snow..."
Then he bowed to the two men before Duke Lu and walked toward the courtyard gate.
"Keep your wits about you in your recent dealings."
Duke Lu watched his back with a smile and said, "Be careful and cautious."
Only after Lin Yan had left the courtyard did the dark-faced middle-aged man finally speak.
"Duke Lu, what did he mean just now by 'Those who carry firewood for the people must not be left to freeze to death in the wind and snow'?" The honest-looking man scratched his head. "It didn't snow yesterday, did it? And no one froze to death, right?"
"You certainly have a good memory. You recited the sentence without missing a single word."
Duke Lu chuckled and murmured, "If you savor those words, they have quite a pleasing cadence... It's simple enough to recite them, but how many people can truly stand up when the time comes?"
As he spoke, the old man picked up the bundle containing the medicinal ingredients and slowly rose.
"When he comes to collect the medicine this afternoon, ask him on my behalf whether he would mind. This old man would like to meet Lin Lei."
"People throughout the Inner City beg to see Duke Lu and can't get an audience. His elder brother has such an honor—what could he possibly object to?" The dark-faced man looked quite bewildered.
"No!"
Duke Lu shook his head. "The person this old man wants to meet isn't his elder brother, but the second son of the Lin family—Lin Lei!"
The honest middle-aged man was even more bewildered.
Wasn't Lin Lei Lin Yan's Second Brother?
Duke Lu offered no explanation. He merely said indifferently, "Although this old man bears no ill will, it wouldn't be right to hide it from Lin Yan and make his family's acquaintance without warning."
"If you want a long-lasting friendship, you need basic respect."
"Of course, accepting the ten taels of silver in costs from him is also a form of respect."
Before you continue