The apothecary was steeped in the rich scent of medicinal herbs.
Dried mugwort, aged angelica, freshly gathered Scutellaria baicalensis—the various medicinal fragrances intertwined in the air, brewing into a distinctive bitter smell.
Chu Fan pinched a small tuft of licorice between his fingertips as he lowered his head to check the herbs listed on the prescription with the shopkeeper.
Suddenly, an urgent uproar arose outside, as though countless people were jeering in the street.
Even the apothecary's door panels trembled faintly from the commotion.
"What's happening outside?"
The shopkeeper set down the small scale in his hand, his brows knotting together as he craned his head toward the entrance.
A boat-carrying doctor watched from the doorway for a moment before hurrying back. "Shopkeeper, it's Zhou Ye of the Seven Star Gang. He's fighting Huang Yu of the Blood Saber Sect!"
Zhou Ye and Huang Yu had come to blows?
Chu Fan's fingers tightened sharply around the licorice.
Before entering the apothecary, he had still been racking his brains over how to lure Huang Yu out of the Blood Saber Sect.
After this guy had been injured by the Moon Worshipping Sect, he had hidden in the Blood Saber Sect to recover. Even after the Huang Family's steward and Courtyard Guards had been killed by him, he had never shown his face.
Who would have thought this guy would come out on his own?
He did not bother checking the prescription any further and hurriedly told the shopkeeper, "I'll come back for the herbs later."
With that, he rushed out of the apothecary and squeezed into the crowd of onlookers.
The people on the street surged toward one spot like a tide, every face carrying a gleeful, malicious look.
Xingning Street was a prosperous district in the Outer City. The Seven