Time slipped by, and before long, another day had passed.
That afternoon, after the Wang Family's people arrived, their leader, Third Master Wang, who was also the Third Branch Master, personally led a group to Black Wind Stronghold on Beicang Mountain to negotiate.
No one knew how the negotiations went. But when Third Master Wang returned, his expression was calm. He said the matter had been settled, and Black Wind Stronghold had promised never again to attack Wang's Pharmacy in Beicang County. He told the highest-ranking Instructor Master among the surviving members of Wang's Pharmacy to gather the remaining forces quickly. The Wang Family would soon send people to rebuild its Beicang branch.
Naturally, the remaining members of Wang's Pharmacy were overjoyed. They thanked the Main Family profusely for its great kindness, but Third Master Wang paid it no mind. After offering a few words of encouragement, he set off early the next morning for the Commandery City with Lin Yi, who had rested well, and the members of the Medicine Escort Team.
Before they left, the little maid Xiao Zhi had teary eyes as she asked to return to the Commandery City with Lin Yi and serve him as a maid, repaying him for saving her life the night before.
But Lin Yi hadn't even established himself in the Commandery City yet. How could he spare any thought for taking on a maid?
So he gave her a token and told her to come find him in the Commandery City if she ever ran into trouble. Then he immediately followed Third Master Wang and the others back to the city.
"Whew! We're back! Finally!"
"This trip was no easy ride!"
"You can say that again! After all that, I don't want to escort any medicine this month. I'll rest up in the Commandery City and get back to work next month."
By evening, as soon as they returned to Guangling Commandery City, the members of the Medicine Escort Team began voicing their feelings.
Lin Yi took the opportunity to say goodbye to them.
"Brother Wang Chuan, and all you other brothers, thank you for looking after me all this time."
"After everything that's happened, I've realized I don't want to escort medicine for now. And I probably won't have time for it in the future, either. So I'm officially leaving the Medicine Escort Team today. I'll go to the Wang Family shortly and complete the formal withdrawal procedures."
"Though I'm leaving the team, I, Lin Yi, am still friends with you all. If we get the chance, let's share a drink again."
"Haha! Young Master Lin Yi, you're a real stand-up guy!"
"Young Master Lin Yi, you've got guts!"
As soon as Lin Yi finished speaking, the members of the Medicine Escort Team burst into laughter.
They'd all been drunk that night and had no idea what Lin Yi had done. But even if they had known, they would've understood. After all, many members of the Medicine Escort Team weren't from the Wang Family. They'd been hired from outside to earn a little money. They weren't all that loyal to the Wang Family.
They'd simply drunk too much that night, and when Black Wind Stronghold provoked them, they'd started fighting on the spot.
Once they sobered up, they were all frightened and regretful. One by one, they cursed that old bastard Liu Fusheng for making them drink so much that night and getting them into such a mess.
But Liu Fusheng was already dead. Cursing him now was no use, so they had no choice but to let it go.
"Haha! Until next time, brothers!"
Lin Yi smiled. He went to the Wang Family first to complete the paperwork, then returned home to tell his mother he'd be staying at the Martial Arts Academy that night to practice his saber. After that, he found a shop and bought a set of night clothes. He practiced at the academy until the Hai hour before finally heading out.
The Mangshan Black Market was the largest underground market in all of Guangling Commandery City.
It had dozens of entrances scattered throughout the city. When Lin Yi had been capturing criminals in the past, he'd learned of one of them from an Eighth-Rank Criminal.
It was a quiet old street. Blue stone slabs wound through the secluded lane, while moss crept over the old walls on either side, casting deep shadows. Few people passed by.
At the end of the old street stood a pawnshop with dim candles burning inside. Its vermilion doors were smooth and unblemished, and the wooden sign above them, Hengyu Pawnshop, gleamed with an old patina.
Two lines of faded couplets were neatly pasted beside the door. They read: "Pawn your goods to ease your troubles; pledge your wares to meet the needs of the hour."
"Creak—"
Lin Yi, dressed in black night clothes with only his eyes showing, pushed open the heavy vermilion doors and stepped into the pawnshop.
Inside, the hall was dim. Only a solitary lamp behind the tall counter cast its light on an Old Steward whose face was creased with deep furrows, making him look ancient. The glow caught half his face, leaving the other half in shadow.
When the Old Steward saw Lin Yi enter, he didn't even raise his head, as if he didn't care who had come in. He simply polished an inkstone with a soft cloth, unhurriedly. His sunken lips moved, and a line that sounded like routine business drifted out.
"Are you here to pawn something, honored guest, or to redeem it?"
Lin Yi didn't approach the counter. He stood in the darkest patch of the hall and spoke five words in a hoarse but clear voice.
"Deep in the Clouds."
At that, the Old Steward's hand paused almost imperceptibly as he polished the inkstone.
He finally raised his eyelids. His cloudy eyes rested on Lin Yi for a moment, then he set down the inkstone and tapped the countertop three times with his thin fingers, two soft taps and one hard one, as if confirming something.
"Now that you've entered the clouds..."
The Old Steward lowered his voice, speaking with a peculiar rhythm.
"May I ask whether you wish to 'Seek Seclusion and Explore Wonders' or have the 'Tired Bird Return to the Forest'?"
Lin Yi knew the crucial choice had arrived.
It was a unique code used in the Mangshan Black Market. "Seek Seclusion and Explore Wonders" meant entering the market to explore and trade on one's own. "Tired Bird Returns to the Forest" was a metaphor for selling one's treasures directly to the black market, ensuring a safe and discreet sale.
As the biggest black market in Guangling Commandery City, Mangshan was a gathering place for all sorts of people. It drew many experts from Guangling Commandery, and even powerful figures from other commanderies.
Lin Yi didn't know whether there were Fourth-Rank experts inside, but there was certainly no shortage of Fifth-Rank powerhouses. With his limited strength, selling directly to the black market was naturally the safest option.
"Tired Bird Returns to the Forest. I seek only peace and quiet."
Lin Yi answered smoothly, without the slightest hesitation.
The Old Steward gave a slight nod, and the wrinkles on his face seemed to ease a little. He said no more, leaning back slightly. No one could tell what mechanism he had activated.
Then the floor-to-ceiling display shelf behind him, along with all the bottles and jars on it, gave a faint rumble. It slid slowly aside by half a doorway, revealing a narrow stone staircase descending into the depths, lit by the eerie glow of fluorite.
"Please."
The Old Steward gestured toward the Secret Path leading underground.
"Someone will be waiting for you in the 'forest' to show you the way."
"Thank you!"
Lin Yi gave the Old Steward a slight cupped-fist salute, then darted into the shadowy entrance.
The display shelf slowly closed behind him, fitting seamlessly into place, as if it had never opened.
Only the Old Steward remained in the pawnshop hall. He picked up the inkstone again and continued polishing it, as if he could go on forever. Everything sank back into silence.
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