Preparing for Everything

The next morning, just as dawn was breaking, Na Lan Yan Ran hurriedly left home with several family guards.

Her purpose in going out this time was to purchase medicinal herbs, which she would then bring home and brew into a medicinal soup to help her recover from her injuries.

In the entire capital city, the place with the richest resources is undoubtedly the Mittel Merchant Guild. The Mittel Family has made a living by doing business for generations, and under the leadership of the Clan Leader Mitter Teng Shan, the family's business has been expanded to every large, medium and small city in the Jia Ma Empire. Therefore, if you want to purchase what you need, the Mittel Merchant Guild's medicinal herb market is the first choice.

This herb market was jointly established by the Mittel Merchant Guild and the Alchemist Guild. Early in the morning, you can see a few alchemy apprentices buying inexpensive herbs to practice their skills.

Upon entering the medicinal herb market, Na Lan Yan Ran saw many herb vendors who had set up their stalls early in the morning. Their stalls were filled with all kinds of medicinal herbs, including cough suppressants, phlegm relievers, cold remedies, and even some essential herbs used by mercenaries to stop bleeding.

However, these medicinal herbs are extremely expensive, often costing hundreds or even thousands of Gold Coin. One Gold Coin is enough for an ordinary family to last a year, not to mention the authoritative herbal medicine shops, which charge exorbitant prices.

Fortunately, she mustered up the courage to borrow some money from Yun Yun last night, otherwise she really wouldn't have been able to afford such an exorbitant price list.

She looked left and right, bought some rare herbs from a roadside stall, and then headed straight for the deepest part of the medicinal herb market, to the largest medicinal herb fair opened by the Mittel Merchant Guild.

"Miss Nalan, what would you like to order?"

An elderly man with a long beard, who was knowledgeable and had the good fortune to have met Na Lan Yan Ran, immediately put down his work and jogged over to her.

"I need a lot of medicinal herbs, all of which are listed on these dozens of sheets of paper. Could you see if you can help me gather them all?"

The old man took the shopping list from Na Lan Yan Ran, put on a pair of reading glasses, glanced at it quickly, and exclaimed in shock, "Miss Yanran, you want all these medicinal herbs?"

These papers are filled with thousands of different herbs, some of which are very expensive, some are extremely rare, and of course, some are commonly seen. All of them together would be an astronomical price!

"Yes, give me three portions of each of these medicinal herbs. Price is not a problem; I need efficiency," Na Lan Yan Ran nodded.

"Alright, alright, Miss Yanran, please wait a moment."

The old man hurriedly ran to the back room, took out a ledger that recorded the purchases over the years, and compared it with Na Lan Yan Ran's herbal medicine orders for half an hour before running out with a big smile.

"Miss Yanran, I must say you are truly very lucky. Our merchant guild happens to have all the medicinal herbs you need. I will have them packed up and sent back to your residence immediately. I wonder if you have enough money on you?"

Na Lan Yan Ran nodded, took out Yun Yun's private savings, handed the gold card to the long-bearded elder, and said, "As expected of the Mittel Merchant Guild, their efficiency is truly high. The money in this gold card should be enough."

A large cartload of medicinal herbs was transported back to the Nalan Family by several guards from the merchant guild. Na Lan Yan Ran breathed a sigh of relief and returned with several family guards.

"Look, that good-for-nothing is Na Lan Yan Ran."

"Ah, so she's Na Lan Yan Ran. She's beautiful, but unfortunately, she's a good-for-nothing."

As they passed through the bustling luxury shopping street, many passersby pointed and whispered about Na Lan Yan Ran, their sarcastic remarks particularly hurtful.

The gossip was extremely offensive; if Na Lan Yan Ran hadn't brought her family guards, these people would probably have been even more unscrupulous.

Na Lan Yan Ran smiled faintly, completely unconcerned.

"You've gone too far! Miss Yanran is such a kind and good person, how could you insult her? Have you lost your conscience?"

At this moment, in front of a jewelry store, a shop owner was pointing at those people and cursing them angrily. When he saw Na Lan Yan Ran passing by his jewelry store, the shop owner excitedly went to greet her.

"Miss Yanran, my shop has just finished making a new batch of jewelry, which I plan to give to you. Why don't you come and take a look?"

The shop owner was a young man in his early twenties, wearing an apron used for jewelry making, and was somewhat overweight.

"Do we know each other?" Na Lan Yan Ran searched her memory, feeling that the owner of this jewelry store looked vaguely familiar.

"Of course I know you, Miss Yanran! I'm Zhou Xiaosheng!" Shop owner Zhou Xiaosheng said happily, "Back then, I came to the capital alone to make a living, but I was cheated out of my money. I was penniless and almost starved to death. If it weren't for your pity and the ten Gold Coin you gave me, I probably wouldn't be alive today."

Zhou Xiaosheng invited Na Lan Yan Ran and the guards to enter his family's jewelry store together.

Although the jewelry inside is made of ordinary materials, each piece is uniquely novel and distinctive in style.

"These jewelry pieces are so beautifully designed. Who came up with them?" Na Lan Yan Ran picked up a crystal necklace and examined it closely.

Zhou Xiaosheng chuckled and said, "Miss Yanran, have you forgotten? I designed all of these myself. Moreover, I mark my name and the serial number of the finished product on each piece of jewelry I design."

I remember the piece of jewelry I gave you back then, it was number one, but that bracelet was a bit too cheap, just made of gold. But things are different now, I have a new bracelet here that I plan to give you."

Zhou Xiaosheng opened an exquisite box, inside which was a bracelet made of blood-red gemstones. The bracelet was carved into the shape of a thorn flower, and it shone with a dazzling light.

"Miss Yanran, this is a rough gemstone I bought by chance, which I cut and polished into shape. Although I am just an ordinary person who doesn't understand Dou Qi, my eye for gemstones is definitely better than others. I can tell at a glance that this gemstone is of extraordinary quality, so only such noble jewelry can match your temperament."

Na Lan Yan Ran picked up the bracelet and examined it repeatedly. She also fell in love with its unique design and was about to pay for it when Zhou Xiaosheng refused on the spot.

"Miss Yanran, without your rescue back then, I, Zhou Xiaosheng, wouldn't be where I am today. If I were to accept your money, wouldn't that be a slap in my face?"

Seeing that the other party insisted on not accepting the money, Na Lan Yan Ran had no choice but to give up. After exchanging pleasantries, she returned to her residence.

She first opened the package, took out a palm-sized medicine furnace, and placed it on the ground.

Next comes grinding the herbs. According to the pharmacology recorded in the Supreme Pill Dao alchemy), the required herbs are ground into powder, and finally poured into the medicine furnace, water is added, and the furnace is lit to heat it.

The herbal decoction was simmered for three hours, reducing five bowls of water to one bowl before being poured into the bowl.

Looking at the thick, dark brown medicinal soup in the bowl, Na Lan Yan Ran gritted her teeth, cheered herself up, and then opened her small mouth and drank the soup in one gulp.

"Ah!"

The immense medicinal power, upon entering her stomach, formed a violent energy that rampaged through her body. Na Lan Yan Ran felt as if she were being burned by raging fire, frozen by ice, bitten by countless insects, and experiencing dizziness and tinnitus.

She rolled around on the ground in agony, howling and pounding her fists against the earth. Beads of sweat the size of pearls dripped from her forehead. She was driven mad by the pain, tears streaming down her face.

Gradually, the violent energy raged through her meridians, gathering in her lower abdomen and causing her pain that was even worse than childbirth.

The excruciating pain made her contemplate suicide.

Having lost the system, she could only endure it in silence.

"I can't die, I want to live, I want to live a more exciting life than anyone else!" Na Lan Yan Ran lay on the ground, one hand clenched into a fist, her eyes almost bulging out.

Her face was deathly pale, and her mind was filled with hallucinations. She saw the people who used to be around her dying one by one before her eyes.

She also recalled the time when Mo Youyou, in a moment of impulse, imprisoned all of her power.

It was a despair I had never experienced before, an unbearable pain, a helplessness where I could cry out to heaven and earth in vain.

Finally, she saw Xiao Yan. The man stood in front of her, shielding her from the fatal blow. His lower body was blasted into dust, leaving only his upper body, which crashed to the ground.

"I want to live!"

Na Lan Yan Ran roared loudly and slowly got up from the ground by her own will.

"Buzz"

Suddenly, a series of buzzing sounds emanated from between her brows, and a massive soul shock spread out in circles from her body throughout the room, actually releasing all the Emperor Realm Soul hidden within her body. The system hadn't taken it all back then; it had left her with some things.

Unfortunately, her cool demeanor lasted only three seconds. She had barely regained her footing when she felt dizzy again and collapsed to the ground with a thud.

She slept for a full day and night, and it wasn't until the next morning that Na Lan Yan Ran fully woke up.

Am I... all better now?

She looked haggard and reached out her soft, delicate hand to touch her lower abdomen.

To test whether his dantian had fully recovered, he hurriedly sat cross-legged on the ground and began practicing the Eternal Sacred Body Art Technique.

Miracles are reserved for those who are prepared, and even more so for those who dare to endure. After the incantation was activated, the long-lost Dou Qi entered her body without any leakage, which made her ecstatic.

After cultivating for a whole day, with the aid of medicinal herbs, she successfully felt the long-lost sensation of Qi.

Now that she can cultivate her Dou Qi, the next step is to refine pills. Once she advances back to her original realm, she will take back everything she has lost.

Na Lan Yan Ran was lost in her daydreams when she suddenly heard footsteps approaching the door. A slight smirk played on her lips; she already knew who was outside and couldn't help but let out a furious shout.

"Yun Shan, do you know your crime?"