Body Nourishing Pill

Deep in the remote mountains, fierce beasts roamed in great numbers.

Yet only the tiger was called the "Lord of the Mountain," its movements unpredictable and inherently difficult to track.

To kill a tiger for its pelt without damaging the fur was an even greater challenge.

Obtaining a high-quality, intact tiger hide was a rare sight even in the county town.

A precious fur trade like tiger hide was truly not something a mere shop assistant like him could decide.

"I heard that our guest has a tiger hide to offer. This old man has come to appraise it."

"Do forgive any neglect, and please extend your understanding and forbearance."

After only a short wait, a burst of laughter came from the back courtyard.

A man dressed as a shopkeeper took his seat, his face full of smiles as he spoke.

"This is our pawnshop's Manager Lin."

The assistant's tone was respectful, yet as he looked at Liang Qisheng, there was still an inherent sense of superiority.

Liang Qisheng couldn't be bothered with him, acting as if he hadn't heard the assistant's words. He simply cupped his fists toward the seat above and stated directly.

"This tiger hide is for exchange only, not for sale. I need two bottles of top-grade Body Nourishing Pills from Nine Harmonies Hall!"

From the behavior of this Nine Harmonies Hall pawnshop assistant, it was clear that this was no place of goodwill.

Liang Qisheng had no energy to waste on them, so he simply spoke his piece.

"The value of the tiger hide—let this old man take a look before making a decision."

Shopkeeper Lin's expression turned serious.

He carefully examined the man selling the tiger hide before him, a flicker of surprise in his eyes.

Then his face returned to its normal composure, his smile still warm and amiable as he spoke.

Liang Qisheng saw that the other party's request was not unreasonable, so he directly handed the tiger hide up.

Taking the tiger hide in hand, Shopkeeper Lin's face grew solemn. He gently stroked the fur, carefully inspecting the wounds, and said with a double meaning.

"Our guest has excellent archery skills. From a great distance, this mountain beast was struck dead with a single arrow, right in the vital spot."

"Such precision and timing in seizing the moment—I haven't seen it in years!"

At these words, Liang Qisheng's expression did not change.

But when he looked at Shopkeeper Lin again, his gaze had grown serious.

His instincts were correct—Nine Harmonies Hall was no ordinary pawnshop.

This Shopkeeper Lin, surnamed Lin, was himself a martial arts expert who had reached a certain grade.

"This tiger hide comes from a fully grown mountain striped tiger. Body length, excluding the tail, is over one zhang, height six chi. It did not undergo a fierce struggle, and the fur is well preserved."

"Moreover, the skinning technique is seasoned. Aside from slight marks where the blade passed, there is no damage whatsoever. This is truly a rare and fine piece."

As Shopkeeper Lin spoke, every word was praise for the tiger hide.

This surprised everyone else present.

The assistant behind him had a complex expression. He had always seen Shopkeeper Lin looking for flaws to drive down the price; this was the first time he had heard him praise a hide outright.

Liang Qisheng, standing below, was also somewhat surprised, but then his face returned to calm as he spoke again: "Two bottles of Body Nourishing Pills!"

Body Nourishing Pills were among the basic elixirs used by martial artists in their training.

Their main effect was on the muscles, strengthening blood and qi, improving endurance, and promoting blood circulation to remove stasis.

The medicinal power greatly accelerated recovery after tempering the skin, flesh, sinews, and bones.

The potency sank deep, penetrating into the blood and flesh, offering tremendous benefits for recovery and nourishment at the skin and flesh level.

Liang Qisheng possessed the Hundred Herb Scripture, and his knowledge of pharmacology was already on par with a formal pharmacist, but he did not have the formula for Body Nourishing Pills.

This pill required a great many herbs and a special refining technique. He had not delved into that area, so naturally he could not concoct it.

Although Nine Harmonies Hall was a pawnshop, it also had a pharmacy branch under its banner.

Behind it stood the Li Family, one of the three great clans of Shiwu County, renowned for their medical arts.

Formulas and refining methods for pills like these were heavily guarded secrets by each family, and ordinary people had no access to them.

Liang Qisheng had gained quite a bit recently.

His progress in the Black Tiger Fist had begun to slow, and to accelerate his training speed, he planned to use medicinal decoctions alongside the Body Nourishing Pills for a better effect.

"Agreed!"

After a moment of deliberation, Shopkeeper Lin suddenly spoke and directly accepted.

Then he whispered something to the assistant beside him. The assistant nodded and left temporarily.

After a short while, he returned from the back hall and tossed two bottles of pills out from behind the window.

Liang Qisheng opened the medicine bottle, tipped out a pill, and gave it a light sniff.

He casually picked up a small knife, scraped off some powder, brought it to his nose, and had already formed a judgment in his mind.

Liang Qisheng put the pills away, looked up at Shopkeeper Lin, gave a slight nod, then turned and left the pawnshop.

"Shopkeeper, are we really just letting him go like that?"

"A tiger hide, while rare, isn't exactly a priceless treasure. Trading it for two bottles of Body Nourishing Pills—that's eighty taels of silver..."

The shop assistant watched the figure walk away, speaking with some resentment.

In his view, a country hunter from some backwater place had never seen the world.

A little reward of twenty or thirty taels of silver, and the man would have gladly handed over the tiger hide.

But this country hunter didn't follow the rules. He'd completely bypassed the assistant, costing him a nice commission.

And on top of that, he didn't even want silver—he wanted pills.

These Body Nourishing Pills were far more valuable than silver, with no market price to speak of.

Seeing Shopkeeper Lin lost in thought and silent, the assistant's courage swelled, and he continued: "He's just a hunter, after all. Why not just..."

Just as the assistant opened his mouth, Shopkeeper Lin's face suddenly turned cold, and he let out a snort.

That immediately cut the assistant's words short, and he dared not speak further.

"You blockhead, what do you know? Are you blind?!"

"...That tiger hide was skinned so cleanly and completely. Even among mountain hunters, no more than a dozen or so have managed that in all these years."

"Besides, this man's blood and qi are vigorous, and when his eyes flash, there's a sharp gleam. His fist-fighting foundation is clearly very solid."

"A man like this is no ordinary person. Better to do him a favor and keep the door open for future dealings."

"Don't you dare get any crooked ideas. It doesn't matter if you die, but if you tarnish the reputation of Nine Harmonies Hall, the hall will deal with you!"

With that, Shopkeeper Lin left, leaving only the assistant with his head bowed, silent.

Of course, all of this was unknown to Liang Qisheng, who had already left the pawnshop.

He didn't rush to leave Lotus Town. Instead, he strolled around, taking in the local customs and scenery.

When his stomach started to growl, he found a small eatery and treated himself to a proper meal.

Like a whirlwind sweeping through clouds, he downed a jug of spirits and five catties of beef.

Liang Qisheng was only half full, but he noticed the waiter's gaze turning strange, so he stopped.

He ordered another four or five steamed buns, wrapped up two roast chickens, packed them to go, and headed to the blacksmith's to pick up a chopping knife he'd ordered earlier.

This chopping knife was forged from refined iron and had cost him a full ten taels of silver. The blade was sturdy, the edge gleamed coldly, and the curve was long and graceful.

The spine of the knife was thick and heavy, tapering to a narrow edge—a hybrid of a Tang saber and a horse-slaying blade. When swung, it cut through the air with a sharp, piercing sound.

With everything taken care of, Liang Qisheng didn't linger in Lotus Town.

All his business was done, so he turned and left.

Along the way, nothing much happened.