Jiang Liu pushed open the gate to the abandoned residence's courtyard. Just as he was about to enter, a figure suddenly shot out from within, throwing a punch straight at Jiang Liu's head! Jiang Liu instinctively raised both arms to block, then lifted his right foot and kicked forward!
Bang! Crack! Two sounds rang out! The shadowy figure had not expected Jiang Liu's reactions to be so swift. After taking a kick to the thigh, he hurriedly dashed out through the gate and vanished in a puff of smoke. By the time Jiang Liu came to his senses, the man was nowhere to be found.
"Hiss!" Jiang Liu shook his aching hands. That man was quite strong—he was probably a martial artist too! Since when had Flowing Cloud Alley had a martial artist? I've never heard of anyone training at a Martial Hall!
The people living in Flowing Cloud Alley were all laborers and servants! Where would they get the silver to practice martial arts? At most, there were a few thugs whose fighting was a little better than ordinary people's. There simply were no martial artists here!
What secret did this abandoned residence hold? Jiang Liu entered the courtyard and, under the moonlight, saw a messy heap of clothes piled within. Did that man live here?
No, that wasn't right. If he lived here, he should have put his clothes away. Why would they be tossed about so carelessly?
Suppressing the doubts in his heart, Jiang Liu withdrew from the abandoned residence. He walked silently toward home, cautiously scanning his surroundings as he went. Even when he passed his own door, he did not stop and continued onward.
Not far from Jiang Liu, a shadowy figure watched him. It was unmistakably the same figure who had attacked Jiang Liu earlier. "Find out who he is. Send someone to test him tomorrow! How did he find this place? This hideout took great effort to find—we can't let it be exposed just like that!" the shadowy figure muttered.
The shadowy figure tailed Jiang Liu all the way as Jiang Liu headed toward the Southern District! Judging by his clothes, this man did not look like someone who lived in South City.
Besides, why would someone living in South City come all the way to West City? And just happen to enter our hideout? No, something was wrong. This brat was trying to deceive him! He must live in West City!
Cloud Sun City was divided into four districts: east, south, west, and north. South City housed many merchants and wealthy gentry, North City was home to officials and nobles, West City was mostly filled with laborers, servants, and poor families, while government offices stood everywhere in East District.
Jiang Liu kept heading toward South City only because he had always been cautious. He had no idea someone was following him. He merely felt vaguely uncomfortable. Perhaps it was the martial artist's instincts brought on by reaching Entry Grade in the Fierce Tiger Fist?
The moment he entered South City, a bustling, worldly atmosphere rushed over him. It was unlike the Western District, where the air everywhere carried the strange mixed stench of piss and shit. Here, the fragrance of food and wine mingled with the scent of rouge, drifting along with the wind.
Many wealthy merchants lived in South City. Restaurants, inns, and brothels lined the streets. Food, drink, entertainment, and pleasure—everything could be found here. So long as one had silver, there was no need to fear being unable to find something one enjoyed.
Jiang Liu rarely came out to wander so late at night before. First, he had no money. Second, he had no time.
Jiang Liu wandered east and west all the way until the curfew drums sounded. Only then did he think of going home, while the shadowy figure following behind him suffered miserably. "Bastard! Just wait and see how you die later!" the shadowy figure grumbled, spitting fiercely.
Jiang Liu entered the Western District. That uncomfortable feeling still had not faded. Taking advantage of the pitch-black night, he slipped into an alley in a flash.
Seeing Jiang Liu disappear, the shadowy figure behind him grew anxious. He no longer cared about concealing himself and hurried after him.
From the darkness, Jiang Liu saw that someone really was following him! Good thing he had been cautious enough. But who was this person? Why was he so relentless about finding out who Jiang Liu was?
Unable to find him, the shadowy figure could only mutter to himself and leave.
Jiang Liu watched the shadowy figure gradually disappear into the distance. He considered whether to follow him, but in the end, he still felt his strength was insufficient and that he could not act rashly.
He returned home cautiously all the way. He had wasted so much time tonight that he only had enough time to practice the Fierce Tiger Fist once. Tomorrow, he would speak with Doctor An Yuan. He should be allowed to help learn how to decoct medicine.
"Doctor, I want to learn to help decoct medicine. Is that alright? It will make it easier for me to remember what I learn!" Jiang Liu said to Doctor An Yuan with a sincere expression.
"You already want to learn decocting medicine so soon? Have you memorized the Complete Compendium of Medicinal Herbs?" Doctor An Yuan asked, raising his head.
"I've already memorized nearly half of it. If I learn while helping decoct medicine and see more of it, it'll be easier to remember," Jiang Liu said.
"Oh! You've memorized half of it already? Then let's do this. From now on, you'll study in the mornings and learn decocting medicine in the afternoons! Little Liu, when you decoct medicine, take Jiang Liu with you." Doctor An Yuan turned and called to the senior apprentice, Zhang Liu.
"Alright, Doctor! I'll keep an eye on Jiang Liu," Zhang Liu replied without turning his head.
When afternoon came, Jiang Liu followed Zhang Liu to the medicine-decocting room. As they walked, Zhang Liu introduced the place. "We generally do not help others decoct medicine. It's only because some people find it inconvenient, or do not feel safe decocting it at home, that they choose to have it done here!"
"What we decoct ourselves and sell are medicinal pills! Those are made by specialists. What I'm teaching you now is how to decoct medicine for customers. You must pay close attention to the proportions of the ingredients, and you must control the heat properly. Otherwise, what you produce will be poison."
"Understood, Senior Brother!" Jiang Liu said respectfully.
"Mhm! Study diligently. Doctor An Yuan is letting you learn decocting medicine so quickly, so he must think highly of you. Don't let down the Doctor's painstaking intentions." Zhang Liu looked at Jiang Liu with envy.
Back then, I spent a whole year memorizing books and suffered no small amount of hardship before I was allowed to learn medicine decoction! Jiang Liu has only been here a few days, yet he is already learning it. Why is the gap between people so great?
"Actually, there are no special tricks to this kind of work. Practice makes perfect, that's all. You only need to remember the formula proportions and the properties of the herbs. Never forget anything. Otherwise, something big could easily happen!" Zhang Liu said with a solemn expression.
"I'll keep that firmly in mind!" Jiang Liu quickly answered.
From then on, Jiang Liu lived a regular life: memorizing the Complete Compendium of Medicinal Herbs in the mornings, learning to decoct medicine in the afternoons, and practicing his fists at night. However, without silver to buy medicinal soup for cultivation, he could only practice his fist technique once per day. Otherwise, he could easily deplete his qi and blood.
Jiang Liu had also considered making a windfall, but when he thought of his meager strength, he did not dare go out and take risks.
Auxiliary System:
Name: Jiang Liu Realm: Body Refinement (Skin Tempering) Fierce Tiger Fist (Entry Grade 13/100) Alchemy (Entry Grade 26/100)
Whew! Jiang Liu looked at the Data Panel. Ever since he had stopped taking medicinal soup, he could only practice his fist technique once a day. Ten days had already passed, yet he had accumulated so little experience.
His Alchemy progress, on the other hand, was quite good. He could decoct medicine nearly twice every day. After reaching Entry Grade, his proficiency in decocting medicine and controlling the heat had clearly improved greatly, leaving Zhang Liu endlessly envious and Doctor An Yuan repeatedly delighted.
Life was comfortable now, but he was poor. Although the pharmacy provided meals, they barely filled his stomach each day, and he was a martial artist.
If his nutrition could not keep up, his qi and blood would weaken. He needed to eat a great deal of meat every day to keep practicing martial arts. He was not even sixteen yet, but he was already nearly six feet tall.
His muscles bulged all over his body, and his arms were nearly as thick as an ordinary person's thighs. One glance was enough to tell that he was not someone to be trifled with.
How should he earn silver? Right—hadn't he come here to learn Alchemy and make money? Why had he put the cart before the horse? Had he grown too comfortable here? But how could he make money by refining medicine for others? Pharmacies were everywhere here, so he should first find out the prices.
PS: Weapon grades: weapons that have not reached a grade are collectively called ordinary weapons. Entry Grade levels correspond to martial artist ranks. Anything above the Ninth Grade is called Special Grade. Special Grades are further divided into upper, middle, and lower.
Before you continue