Tang Tianhao was not at home now. He spent more than half of every month away, and Tang Jie guessed that he was probably working. After all, supporting their household consumed quite a bit, and money did not simply fall from the sky.
Tang Jie rested for one night. The next morning, he set out for Lingyue City, the closest city to Qingyuan Town.
Tang Jie took a carriage bound for Lingyue City. He set out in the morning and arrived in Lingyue City at dusk.
"Is this... Lingyue City?"
Looking at Lingyue City's hundred-meter-tall walls, Tang Jie was quite astonished. He had been in this world for nearly ten years, yet had hardly ever left the house and had never ventured beyond Qingyuan Town.
Lingyue City was home to several million people, and its prosperity was something the tiny Qingyuan Town could never compare with.
After entering the city, Tang Jie found an inn and rested for the night. The next morning, he asked one of the inn's attendants where the nearest medicine shop was.
After asking passersby for directions, Tang Jie made his way to a medicine shop in Lingyue City called Bao Yao Fang.
Bao Yao Fang sold all kinds of precious medicinal ingredients, including pills that replenished qi and blood.
"Welcome, honored guest! What can I get for you? Our medicinal ingredients are absolutely high-quality and reasonably priced!"
As soon as Tang Jie entered Bao Yao Fang, a sharp and nimble shop assistant came forward to greet him. He looked very young, seemingly in his twenties.
"I want to buy medicine that replenishes qi and blood—something for martial artists to replenish their qi and blood during cultivation." Tang Jie stated his request.
The shop assistant immediately said, "I recommend our Bao Yao Fang's Qi and Blood Pills. One Qi and Blood Pill is generally enough to replenish the energy a martial artist consumes during three days of arduous cultivation!"
"How much do they cost?" Tang Jie's eyes lit up.
"One bottle contains ten pills and costs ten taels of silver," the shop assistant replied.
"That price... is truly expensive." Tang Jie clicked his tongue inwardly. In this world, one tael of silver was enough to cover a household of four's living expenses for a month. Yet one bottle of Qi and Blood Pills cost ten taels—far beyond what an ordinary household could afford.
Fortunately, Tang Tianhao went out every month, so he always left Tang Jie a large sum for living expenses. It was more than enough for his daily food and clothing. Since Tang Jie had nowhere else to spend money, he had managed to save more than two hundred taels of silver over the past eight years.
Tang Jie immediately said, "Give me twenty bottles of Qi and Blood Pills!"
Tang Jie cultivated for long periods at a time, so he directly bought twenty bottles in one go.
The shop assistant was somewhat astonished by Tang Jie's extravagance. Then, somewhat awkwardly, he said, "Young master, the production of these Qi and Blood Pills is limited. We only have ten bottles left."
"Then give me all of them."
Tang Jie nodded at his words.
"Coming right up!"
The shop assistant immediately went to fetch the Qi and Blood Pills. Before long, ten small bottles were placed on the table. Tang Jie inspected them and prepared to pay.
"These Qi and Blood Pills were reserved by me. How dare you sell them to someone else without my permission?"
At that moment, however, a large hand pressed down on the table, and a languid voice rang out.
Tang Jie turned his head and saw a tall man in an ornate robe entering Bao Yao Fang. Two black-clad men with weapons at their waists followed behind him. It was obvious that the robed man was either rich or noble.
"Young Master Liu Yi... th-these pills—you said you reserved them... but you didn't pay a deposit earlier!" Seeing him, the shop assistant spoke with obvious fear. Although Bao Yao Fang had powerful backing, he was merely an employee.
The ornate-robed man called Liu Yi cast a glance at Tang Jie. "I didn't pay, but he hasn't paid either, has he? I reserved these Qi and Blood Pills, so they belong to me now. You have no objections, do you?"
Although Tang Jie wore a saber at his waist and had a tall build, he looked young. The ornate-robed Liu Yi did not take him seriously at all.
Tang Jie was clearly not the soft persimmon Liu Yi imagined him to be. He said calmly, "Of course I have objections. Everything should follow the principle of first come, first served, shouldn't it?"
"Kid, I was born into a martial arts lineage... and the two guards behind me are experts nearing the second-rate realm. I'm not someone you can afford to provoke!" Liu Yi narrowed his eyes, a cold glint flickering in their depths.
The shop assistant hurriedly whispered to Tang Jie, "Young master, Liu Yi is from the Liu Family. He has a great deal of influence. You can't afford to offend him. Come back tomorrow... There'll be new Qi and Blood Pills then. To make up for this, we'll give you a ten percent discount."
The shop assistant clearly wanted to smooth things over. He wanted Tang Jie to avoid provoking Liu Yi and give these Qi and Blood Pills to him.
Tang Jie remained calm. "There may be people I can't afford to provoke, but he isn't one of them."
As a martial artist, Tang Jie naturally could not bow his head so easily. Liu Yi claimed that he had reserved these Qi and Blood Pills, yet he had not even paid a deposit. It was clearly a fabrication!
Hearing this, Liu Yi let out a cold snort and waved his hand. "Teach this brat a lesson! Let him learn that the sky is high and the earth is vast!"
"Yes!"
The two black-clad men behind Liu Yi each pressed a hand against the hilt of the sword at his waist, preparing to teach Tang Jie a lesson.
But though their movements were fast, Tang Jie's were faster!
"Shhk!"
Tang Jie's palm pressed against the hilt of the Iron Cutting Saber at his waist. The Iron Cutting Saber shot from its sheath, its frigid light flashing.
"Iron Cutting Saber Art: Horizontal Slash!"
Tang Jie wielded the saber one-handed and swept it horizontally. The stroke was simple, yet its speed and power had reached an astonishing pinnacle. The thin blade and long saber body seemed to transform into a silver thread!
"Clack! Clack!"
Two crisp sounds of metal snapping rang out almost simultaneously.
Only then did the two black-clad men draw their long swords from their sheaths. But what happened next left them stunned.
The long swords they had drawn were only half-length, and even the sword sheaths had been severed down the middle!
"Clang!"
The broken blades and sword sheaths crashed to the ground, ringing out with a crisp chime.
At the same time, the two black-clad men felt a faint pain in their abdomens. The clothes around their waists had been cut open, their abdominal muscles torn and shallow wounds split across them, with blood seeping out.
"W-what?"
The two black-clad men swallowed hard. As they stared at the broken swords and sheaths on the ground, cold sweat kept breaking out on their foreheads, and they sucked in sharp breaths.
What kind of saber stroke was that? It had severed their sword sheaths along with their swords in a single slash. They had no doubt that if Tang Jie had not held back just now, that stroke would not have left only shallow wounds around their waists—it could have cut them cleanly in half!
These two black-clad men had not even cultivated inner strength. They could only be considered third-rate martial artists, and Tang Jie did not regard them at all.
"Shing!"
Tang Jie slid the Iron Cutting Saber back into its sheath. He was not the sort of person who would kill someone over the slightest clash. Besides, this was Lingyue City. If he killed someone here, he would certainly be hunted by the authorities!
"Th-this... what kind of saber art is that?"
Liu Yi was also badly startled. He was accustomed to throwing his weight around and throwing his authority about, but Tang Jie's terrifying stroke still left him shaken.
Even the Liu Family's most accomplished saber practitioner might be far inferior to the young man before him!
Liu Yi forced a smile onto his face and cupped his hands. "Little brother, Liu was too rash. I'll let you have these Qi and Blood Pills. I'll come back tomorrow!"
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