Young Master

Carrying such valuable treasures, the father and son could barely hide their elation.

"Chuanzi," Lu Danian said with a smile on his face, "this is great! Now you have the money for martial arts training!"

Lu Chuan's heart burned with excitement too:

"Yeah! But we still need to hurry back and see how much silver these two things can fetch."

The return trip was slower under the added weight.

The snake head and polygonatum together weighed over thirty jin, and the dozens of li of mountain paths were tough going.

As dusk fell, they had no choice but to spend another night in the cave where they'd rested the day before.

At the first light of dawn, the father and son set out immediately.

To avoid any trouble from delays, they didn't head straight back to Kaoshan Village but made for Qinghe County town instead.

Whether it was the Hundred-Year Polygonatum or the ferocious Great Serpent that seemed like an Exotic Beast, both clearly needed to go to a big city pharmacy!

They pushed on without rest and only reached Qinghe County town in the afternoon.

They found the largest pharmacy in town, Renhetang Pharmacy.

Renhetang's storefront was imposing, with a steady stream of customers coming and going to buy medicine or see doctors.

The father and son stepped inside and found a clerk:

"Young man, we have some mountain goods and herbs we'd like to sell. Could you ask the manager to take a look?"

The clerk nodded: "Wait a moment, you two."

He turned and went to the back hall.

Before long, a middle-aged manager hurried out and said politely, "Honored guests, what do you have to sell?"

"It's all here, Manager, please take a look."

Lu Danian carefully set the two hemp sacks down on the open floor.

The manager's expression was casual at first, but when Lu Chuan pulled the Hundred-Year Polygonatum from the first sack, his eyes went wide.

"This... this... a polygonatum over a hundred years old! And in such perfect condition! Rare, truly rare!"

Before he could recover from the shock of the polygonatum, Lu Chuan had already opened the second sack, revealing the fierce, pitch-black snake head.

"Hiss!"

This time, the manager was genuinely startled.

He was experienced and recognized the Great Serpent's identity at a glance.

'A Black-Scaled Iron-Thread Snake... at this size, it's nearly full-grown!'

He cupped his hands solemnly to Lu Chuan and his father:

"Forgive my poor judgment, you two. Please take a seat for a moment, and let me fetch the Young Master to make the decision!"

Soon, a young man around twenty, with a gentle demeanor, followed the manager quickly to the front hall.

He cupped his hands and smiled politely at Lu Chuan and his father:

"Sorry to keep you waiting. I am Zhao Xuanhe. May I ask your names?"

Lu Chuan returned the gesture: "You're too kind, shopkeeper. I am Lu Chuan, and this is my father, Lu Danian."

Zhao Xuanhe nodded slightly, then stepped forward to inspect both items himself.

After a moment, he looked at Lu Chuan and said thoughtfully:

"Brother Lu, this Hundred-Year Polygonatum has deep Medicinal Power and excellent quality. As for this Black-Scaled Iron-Thread Snake... it's no ordinary breed. Though not yet fully grown, it's still quite valuable."

Hearing this, Lu Chuan thought to himself:

'So this Great Serpent really is a kind of Exotic Beast. Good thing I brought it back too...'

Then Zhao Xuanhe said, "I'll take both items together. How about fifteen taels of silver?"

Fifteen taels!

Lu Chuan's heart leaped, but he kept his face calm.

With these fifteen taels, not only would the ten taels for half a year's tuition at the Martial Arts Hall be secure, but there would be five taels left over!

Lu Danian, standing nearby, was completely stunned at the number fifteen taels.

Zhao Xuanhe thought they were dissatisfied: "If you're not happy, you're welcome to check other pharmacies..."

Lu Chuan suppressed his surging emotions and said:

"We trust your reputation, Brother Zhao. Let's go with your offer—fifteen taels."

He dared to be so straightforward because he knew something about Renhetang. True to its name, it was one of the more conscientious medical shops in Qinghe County.

"Straight to the point!" Zhao Xuanhe's smile grew more sincere, and he immediately instructed the manager: "Bring fifteen taels of silver."

Soon, the fifteen taels of silver were handed to Lu Chuan.

The deal was done, money and goods exchanged.

However, Zhao Xuanhe looked at the Black-Thread Snake's corpse with a hint of curiosity in his eyes.

"Brother Lu, I have a question. The Iron-Thread Snake is not only highly venomous but can also spew poison mist. Even ordinary Martial Artists would easily suffer against it."

"You two look like mountain hunters—what method did you use to kill it?"

Lu Chuan didn't hide the truth and answered plainly:

"This Great Serpent was indeed dangerous. I only managed to succeed by shooting an arrow into its mouth while it was spewing poison mist, killing it that way."

He made it sound simple, but the precision of timing behind it carried heavy weight in Zhao Xuanhe's ears.

Zhao Xuanhe's expression turned to surprise:

"What boldness! Brother Lu, so young yet with such skill—truly admirable!"

Lu Chuan hadn't expected the Young Master to think so highly of him: "Brother Zhao flatters me."

Zhao Xuanhe smiled: "If Brother Lu ever comes across any rare medicinal herbs in the future, feel free to bring them to my Renhetang Pharmacy. I won't boast about much else, but when it comes to price, I promise you won't be shortchanged!"

Making the acquaintance of a pharmacy's Young Master was naturally a good thing for Lu Chuan.

A flicker of joy rose in his heart: "Then I'll thank Brother Zhao in advance."

After a few more polite exchanges, Lu Chuan and his father walked out of Renhetang Pharmacy's gate.

Once outside, Lu Danian finally spoke, his voice trembling:

"Fifteen taels of silver... Chuanzi... your father has never held so much money in his life..."

"Dad, we'll earn even more in the future." Lu Chuan's tone was firm.

With the money in hand and now that he was in the county town, he decided on the spot to immediately enroll in a martial arts school and learn!

Having made up his mind, he took out five taels of silver and pressed them into Lu Danian's hand:

"Dad, take this money. Buy plenty of rice and grain to bring back. Mom must be worried sick at home. You go back first and let her rest easy."

Lu Danian accepted the silver and let out a sigh tinged with relief:

"...Alright. As for learning martial arts, you decide for yourself."

He patted his son on the shoulder, then turned to go buy rice.

After seeing his father off, Lu Chuan asked around along the way and found the direction of the Kaishandao Martial Arts School.

He wasn't necessarily set on choosing this particular school, but checking it out in person couldn't hurt.

Following the directions, before long, an imposing courtyard came into view.

The black-painted gate stood wide open, with the words "Kaishandao" written above it in large characters.

From inside the courtyard came shouts like rolling thunder—just hearing them made one's blood run a little hotter.

Lu Chuan stood outside the gate, peering in.

On the spacious Training Ground, forty or fifty men were drenched in sweat, swinging their cleavers in slashes and thrusts to the rhythm of commands. Their movements were fierce, carrying a ruthless edge.

"So these are Martial Artists..."

As he watched, transfixed, a burly, heavyset man walked over, looked him up and down, and cut straight to the point:

"Little brother, you've been staring at the gate for a while. Are you here to learn the blade from Master Zheng?"