Encounter

The moon was dim and the stars sparse as Jiang Liu hurried home cautiously. Suddenly, several figures came walking toward him.

By the faint moonlight, Jiang Liu could not make out who they were. He immediately sidestepped carefully, intending to let them pass first.

There were six of them. One was clearly their leader, accompanied by five subordinates. They discussed something as they walked.

Just as they were about to pass Jiang Liu, one of them spotted him, paused, then leaned close to whisper something in the leader's ear.

Seeing that things seemed amiss, Jiang Liu turned and ran.

The moment the leader saw Jiang Liu flee, he waved his hand, and the others gave chase.

Using his familiarity with the terrain of Flowing Cloud Alley, Jiang Liu dodged left and right, running deeper into the alley.

The six men shouted and clamored as they pursued Jiang Liu. After chasing for a while, they still could not catch him.

Seeing how dark it was, black as ink, so dark one could not see one's hand before one's face, the leader knew they would not catch Jiang Liu anytime soon.

The leader immediately shouted, "Enough, stop chasing! The real business is more important."

The men quickly stopped. After sprinting all that way, a slight sheen of sweat had appeared on their foreheads.

Seeing them like this, the leader was somewhat disappointed. Then, thinking of what they were about to do, his spirits rose again. As long as they handled this well, the strength of these subordinates would certainly improve.

The leader said to one of his men, "Wang Liu, how are the preparations?"

"Helmsman, everything is ready. We definitely won't fail!"

"Good! If this goes well, everyone will be rewarded. Those above place great importance on this matter. When the time comes, the rewarded pills can help you attain a Martial Path Ranking. The days of eating fragrant food and drinking fiery liquor are not far off," the leader said.

"Yes, Helmsman!" the men answered.

"Good. Rest for now. Once the time comes, we set off at once!" the Helmsman said.

"Yes!" the subordinates replied.

They then sat down wherever they were to rest.

At last, when the moon was nearly overhead, the six men filed out of Flowing Cloud Alley and headed toward South City.

Jiang Liu watched them leave from afar, then trailed after them. He thought, Let's see whether there's any advantage to be picked up.

The six men ahead did not light any lamps, instead feeling their way forward under the dim moonlight. After walking for more than half a shichen, they finally stopped before a grand residence.

The residence stood near the far end of Central Avenue. Two stone lions stood at its entrance, and the plaque above the gates bore the words: Hu Estate.

The moment the Helmsman stopped, he immediately followed the courtyard wall toward the rear. After waiting for a while, the back door opened, and a servant dressed as a page emerged and whispered, "Helmsman, everything has been arranged."

"Good! I'll remember this merit of yours!" The Helmsman patted the page's shoulder, then waved his hand. The five Gang members behind him silently followed the page and the Helmsman into the residence.

Jiang Liu looked at Hu Estate. Isn't this Tycoon Hu's home? How did they provoke this lot?

Besides, wealthy households like this usually hired guards to protect the estate. It should be fine, right? Never mind Body Refinement Realm martial artists—there should at least be one or two Entry Grade martial artists.

Jiang Liu had some impression of Tycoon Hu because his reputation was fairly good. He often aided poor people who had fallen ill and could not afford treatment. Among ordinary folk, he was considered the great benefactor of this area.

Should he follow them inside? Jiang Liu fell into a dilemma. Ah, in the end, his strength was simply too low. He should go back and improve himself instead!

This was not something he could meddle in now. It had not been easy to gain the chance to cultivate. He could wait until he was stronger!

Full of unwillingness, Jiang Liu returned to his small courtyard and practiced a set of fist techniques as though venting his frustration.

The next day,

On his way to the pharmacy, Jiang Liu heard people discussing how Tycoon Hu's home had been struck by disaster the night before and stripped clean. Only Tycoon Hu's daughter, who had gone visiting relatives and friends, had not been home and thus escaped calamity.

The constables were still guarding the place. It was said that two Entry Grade martial artists had died as well, while another had escaped.

Hearing that even Entry Grade martial artists had died, Jiang Liu's heart tightened. Good thing I didn't go in last night. Otherwise, I wouldn't have gotten out either.

But the Hu Family had three Entry Grade martial artists, while those Gang members had only one. How had they killed them? And there had not even been any major commotion. Could that Helmsman have been a high-grade martial artist?

Jiang Liu knew too little about martial artists. He simply could not distinguish the gap in strength between high-grade and low-grade martial artists.

Jiang Liu knew that himself, but there was nothing he could do. Never mind martial arts manuals—even for ordinary sparring practice, he had no one.

The only place he could enter now was a Martial Hall, but without silver, everything was empty talk.

"Senior Brother, do you know any way to make money?" Jiang Liu asked Zhang Liu quietly.

"What? Junior Brother, don't have enough silver to spend?" Zhang Liu said.

"When is there ever enough silver? You know I want to practice martial arts. I can't even afford the medicinal decoctions!" Jiang Liu said helplessly.

"I do know a way to make money, though I don't know whether you'd do it. With your sturdy build, you should be suitable," Zhang Liu said mysteriously.

"What kind of work? Is it safe?" Jiang Liu looked at Zhang Liu hopefully.

"Safe? Where is there a safe way to make money these days? I'd go myself if there were." Zhang Liu looked at Jiang Liu with amusement.

"Then what kind of work is it? Can you tell me about it in detail? Let me think it over!"

"It's not some unspeakable line of work."

"You know our pharmacy often prepares medicinal decoctions for martial artists, right?"

"So many martial artists bring in new prescriptions they found from who knows where and have us prepare those as well."

"But once a new medicine has been prepared, martial artists need to test its effects. It is best if they know a little about medicinal properties too."

"They need to see whether there are any aftereffects, how much it can strengthen one's vitality and blood, and how much it can reduce costs—things like that."

"So they recruit martial artists to test medicine over the long term. Doctor An Yuan can generally tell at a glance whether it is poison, but how much effect it can exert is another matter. So, are you interested in giving it a try?"

"Then how much do they pay for one test?"

"That depends on whether the person who provides the prescription is generous. Previously, a single test usually paid anywhere from ten to several dozen taels, depending on how potent the medicine was. You have to negotiate with them yourself. There just happens to be a new prescription to test today. Do you want to try it?"

"Sure! I'll talk to him." Jiang Liu said, his face full of delight.

Just then, a sturdy middle-aged man entered the pharmacy. His hair was casually tied with a gray cord, while his face was covered in a wild, unkempt beard.

His muscles bulged all over, his palms were broad, his legs were wrapped in bindings, and his hands were covered in calluses. His vitality and blood surged powerfully; one glance showed that he had practiced martial arts for many years.

Zhang Liu hurried forward. "Master Lin, you're here?"

"Mm." Master Lin answered faintly, then said, "Little Liu, have you found someone to test the medicine? Once the decoction is ready, it needs to be tested!"

"Master Lin, this is my junior brother. He practices martial arts too and should meet your requirements. Why not let him try it?" Zhang Liu said, glancing at Jiang Liu.

Master Lin slightly raised his eyes and swept Jiang Liu with a glance. "Fine."

Jiang Liu cupped his fists. "Master Lin, how much do you pay for testing one dose of this medicine?"

Master Lin frowned slightly. "For Doctor An Yuan's disciple's sake, I'll give you twenty taels per test. Give me a straight answer—are you in or not?"

After thinking it over, Jiang Liu nodded. "I'm in."

Master Lin continued, "But let's make this clear beforehand. If anything goes wrong during the test, it has nothing to do with me. Your master has confirmed that the prescription is not poisonous, and the medicine is prepared in your pharmacy."

"Fine! If anything happens, I won't hold you responsible," Jiang Liu said.

P.S.

Elixir grades: Those below Entry Grade are collectively called ordinary pills. Entry Grade levels correspond to martial artist ranks. Anything above the ninth grade is called a Sacred Elixir.