Pharmacy, Academy

"Brother Yuan is Second Master Zhang?"

"Gasp—he really is Righteous and Loyal Second Master Zhang?"

Several new Black Robe Guards stared wide-eyed at Zhang Yuan as he walked out of the Martial Guard Bureau.

Great Qin had its imperial court, and it had its martial world.

The imperial court spoke of national law; the martial world spoke of honor and righteousness.

Five years ago, in the battle for Fengtian County City, aside from a thousand Crimson Scale Army soldiers who died in battle, there were also two thousand conscripted constables, Martial Guards, and prisoners.

Because the Crimson Scale Army had defied orders and held their ground to the death in that battle, they ultimately not only received no credit, but no pensions either.

Of the nearly hundred soldiers conscripted from Luyang Prefecture, only a handful returned alive.

Righteous and Loyal Zhang Erhe, Master Tao of Yulin Academy, and Fengtian's Divine Doctor Hu Chunniu brought forth a scroll of blood-written testimony and secured the honors owed to their fallen comrades-in-arms.

Not only had Zhang Erhe run about everywhere, helping the families of his fallen comrades-in-arms through their hardships, he had also raised money to build an academy for Master Tao, who had lost his Martial Cultivation, so that he could teach the children of their fallen comrades-in-arms and win them a future.

Not just that, Zhang Erhe had kept Fengtian County's Divine Doctor Hu Chunniu in Luyang Prefecture City, helped him open a pharmacy, taken in the children of fallen comrades-in-arms as apprentices, and treated the families of fallen comrades-in-arms free of charge.

Whether martial artists of the martial world or ordinary commoners, who would not respect such a man?

Though the imperial court had ruled that the battle of Fengtian was the Crimson Scale Army's disobedience of orders, Great Qin valued martial strength, and not an inch of its territory could be surrendered.

Whether commoners or people of the martial world, none of them believed there had been anything wrong with holding Fengtian County to the death.

The fact that Zhang Erhe and the others had survived that bloody battle was already enough to earn them three parts respect. Their act of securing the honors owed to their comrades-in-arms had spread through the martial world, winning everyone's admiration.

Especially when Battalion Commander Duan Hong, once the bandit chief of Qingshan Village, had entrusted Zhang Erhe with looking after Qingshan Village.

Zhang Erhe had climbed Qingshan Village alone, blade in hand, and dragged every bandit down the mountain to turn from evil and return to the right path.

Zhang Erhe had also spent half a year traversing every village, large and small, in the mountains around Qingshan Village, persuading all those mountain bandits to come down.

Today, the Green Mountain Eighteen Villages all conducted legitimate business. They had built twenty-three iron-rope slides, opened up trade routes, and the tolls they collected each day were enough to make a living.

Zhang Erhe was also jointly honored as the Mountain Lord of the Eighteen Villages, and everyone in the martial world respectfully called him Second Master Zhang.

In Luyang Prefecture, who did not know Righteous and Loyal Second Master Zhang?

And today, they had actually met the living Second Master Zhang?

As they watched Zhang Yuan collect his pay and walk out of the courtyard, the several new Black Robe Guards were so excited that their bodies trembled beyond their control.

Zhang Yuan carried a watchman's staff in one hand and a pouch containing his pay in the other.

When he reached Feng Cheng, he tucked the staff against his chest, then drew out a silver ingot of roughly two taels from the pouch.

"I'll leave Chen Wu's matter to you, Young Master Feng." Zhang Yuan pressed the silver into Feng Cheng's bewildered hand and said softly, "Once that fellow starts a family and makes his way in life, we'll have fulfilled one of our wishes."

"I—I—Brother Yuan..." Feng Cheng's face flushed crimson as he clenched the silver in his hand. "I definitely won't fail Brother Yuan's trust!"

Zhang Yuan patted his shoulder, lifted the rather heavy money pouch, gripped his watchman's staff, and strode away.

Even after Zhang Yuan vanished around the street corner, Feng Cheng still held the silver ingot in both hands, his face full of excitement.

"Young Master Feng, what rank of Black Robe Guard is Brother Yuan? How could he collect so much pay..." A new Black Robe Guard looked at the silver ingot in Feng Cheng's hand and asked in confusion.

The pouch Zhang Yuan had carried looked quite heavy, holding at least a dozen or twenty taels of silver.

A Ninth-rank Black Robe Guard received one tael and five mace of pay each month, while even an Eighth-Rank Black Robe Guard only received two taels.

"Brother Yuan is an Eighth-Rank Black Robe Guard." Feng Cheng clenched the silver ingot, his face brimming with delight.

"You've been at the bureau for so long, yet none of you knew Brother Yuan was Second Master Zhang? Haven't you heard anyone mention it?"

"The bureau issued a gag order long ago. No one is allowed to discuss Brother Yuan's affairs. After all, he serves in the government, yet bears a rough nickname from the martial world."

Feng Cheng chuckled. "If I hadn't had good relations with the brothers in the bureau, I wouldn't have known about it either."

"Brother Yuan is rarely at the bureau and seldom takes part in assignments. He has also declined several times to be promoted to Seventh-Rank Black Robe Guard Leader."

"To raise money, he has taken nearly every execution assignment in Luyang Prefecture and its counties."

"Every month, Brother Yuan earns seven or eight taels just from execution money."

"Execution money?" Several Black Robe Guards looked at the silver in Feng Cheng's hand and shrank their heads back. "I heard that money brings bad luck—"

"Pah!" Feng Cheng tucked the silver into his chest and patted it, his face glowing with joy. "For others, that's execution money. For Brother Yuan, it's merit money. Once this money passes through Second Master Zhang's hands, it becomes merit."

"This is far more real than the merit those monks in Liangyuan Region talk about."

"No, I need to go back and report to the clan head. My Feng family must see Brother Yuan's request through."

"You go to the Osmanthus Boat first. I'm going home for a while."

After collecting his pay, Zhang Yuan went to West City. Yet instead of returning to Ding Family Alley, he turned onto the neighboring Sanyuan Street.

Sanyuan Street was a rather bustling main road in West City, its bluestone road more than two zhang wide and stretching across more than a li.

Less than fifty zhang ahead stood a storefront with a sign bearing the character "Medicine."

Above its front entrance hung a plaque reading "Hu's Pharmacy."

The shop was small, but many people stood in line outside.

"Brother Yuan."

"Brother Yuan."

Several of the pharmacy's young assistants called out repeatedly when they saw Zhang Yuan, their faces full of excitement.

"Master, Brother Yuan is here." One quick-footed youth had already dashed into the pharmacy hall.

But he had barely entered when several reprimands and a burst of crackling sounds rang out. Then he scurried back out with his head in his arms, covering half his face as he grinned. "Brother Yuan, Master asks you to come in..."

Zhang Yuan nodded and entered the pharmacy hall.

The hall was crowded as well. Hu Chunniu extended his left hand, taking pulses while quietly reciting prescriptions.

Two disciples beside him held books and recorded his words with ink brushes.

Hu Chunniu's beard and hair had turned much whiter than they had been five years ago, but he remained spirited.

Only after seeing four or five patients did he raise his head and look toward Zhang Yuan.

"You came back one step too late, kid. Old Master Zheng passed away yesterday."

"Before he went, he kept mentioning you. He said that without you these past years, he wouldn't have lived until now."

With a soft sigh, Zhang Yuan said quietly, "I'll tend to his old age and see him off in death. Tomorrow, Young Master Tao and I will go to Zheng Family Village for the funeral and help Brother Zheng Qiang finish the final task."

Hu Chunniu reached out to have the patient before him extend his hand, then turned to glance at Zhang Yuan. "Burn a bundle of paper money for me on my behalf. I can't get away. The old master stayed here with me for more than half a year. We were friends despite our difference in age."

Zhang Yuan nodded, took two silver ingots from his pouch, placed them on the table, and turned to leave.

Hu Chunniu's pharmacy not only treated the families of those comrades-in-arms without charge, but also raised many of their children as apprentices. Several parents of comrades-in-arms also lived in the rear courtyard, all advanced in years and not necessarily able to survive the winter.

Zhang Yuan covered all these expenses.

Not just here—he also paid for Young Master Tao's academy.

"Divine Doctor Hu, who was that? Why did he leave silver and go without even getting medicine?" The old man who had extended his hand for Hu Chunniu to take his pulse watched Zhang Yuan leave, his gaze falling upon the two large silver ingots. "I heard that people suffering from incurable diseases donate silver to buy their lives from you?"

Rumors circulated among the people that Divine Doctor Hu possessed the means to bring the dead back to life.

Yet Divine Doctor Hu did not ordinarily use such methods. Only those truly on the brink of death would he pull back from the gates of hell.

It was said that Divine Doctor Hu even knew a blood-replacement technique.

"Him?" Hu Chunniu gently pressed two fingers against the old man's wrist and nodded. "His name is Zhang Erhe. That silver really is money for buying lives..."

The old man trembled all over, his eyes widening.

"Z-Z-Zhang... Second Master Zhang?"

He abruptly pulled his hand back and slapped himself several times in succession. "I deserve to die, I deserve to die! I opened my mouth and cursed Second Master Zhang."

Only when blood ran from the corner of his mouth did he recall something. He dropped to the ground and repeatedly kowtowed toward the silver on the table, then stood up and reached out to touch the two large silver ingots.

"Second Master Zhang's merit money—one touch drives away a hundred illnesses, two touches bring a hundred blessings..."

At this moment, Zhang Yuan was already carrying his watchman's staff as he stepped into the academy at the street corner of Sanyuan Street.

Yulin Academy.

"Brother Yuan!"

"Brother Yuan!"

Two children of seven or eight called out joyfully at the entrance.

"Young Master Tao, Brother Yuan is here."

In the courtyard, a young man in his early twenties wearing a blue scholar's robe stood up and cupped his hands toward Zhang Yuan. "Greetings, Brother Yuan. My elder brother is studying in the rear courtyard. I'll take you to him."

Zhang Yuan followed the young man toward the rear courtyard, while several children eagerly ran ahead, shouting, "Master, Master, Brother Yuan is here."

Several coughs came from within the courtyard.

Zhang Yuan entered and saw the pale-faced Young Master Tao seated at a stone table.

Though autumn had not yet arrived, Young Master Tao was already dressed in a thick padded coat.

When he saw Zhang Yuan enter, Young Master Tao waved his hand, having the children and the young man who had led Zhang Yuan there leave first.

"How did this trip go? Yu Ceng, the Mountain Lord of Baichou Mountain, has been a renowned Xiantian Realm expert for many years. Killing him didn't cause any trouble, did it?"

Young Master Tao examined Zhang Yuan from head to toe and spoke quietly.