Highway Robbers Can't Compete with Medicine Sellers, Going Home, Harvest!

"Shopkeeper, are you still doing business?"

"Oh? Is that little brother Shi?"

In the middle of the night, a gaunt, pale figure pushed open the doors of the Treasure Medicine Pavilion.

He was clutching a burlap sack tightly in his hands.

The shopkeeper, a man with greying temples dressed in fine silk, set down his abacus.

He sized up the disheveled, blood-soaked youth, a strange glint flashing in his eyes as he called out, "A-Tai, A-Ming, come over and help little brother Shi!"

Two shop assistants saw this and hurried over to support Shi Wen.

One of them even reached out to help him with the sack.

Shi Wen pushed them away, pulled over a chair, and sat down, hugging the sack to his chest as he said in a weak voice, "None of that empty courtesy. Just show me some good healing pills."

"Pills?"

Su Yaobai looked surprised. "Little brother Shi, are you sure? You really want pills? Pills aren't cheap, you know!"

"Just show me."

"Very well, very well!"

Su Yaobai quickly took an illustrated catalog from the counter, flipped it open, and began his pitch: "This is the Blood-Nourishing Yuan-Restoring Pill. It can rapidly restore qi and blood. It's 10 taels of silver per bottle, with about 20 pills inside. It's refined from the tendons and bones of mountain beasts, decades-old medicinal herbs, and the meat of exotic beasts. It can accelerate the speed of Blood Tempering in martial arts; a single pill allows a Blood Tempering martial artist to recover all their qi and blood within a quarter of an hour."

"This is the Black Jade Bone-Knitting Paste, 30 taels per tube. It is a supreme treasure medicine refined from century-old herbs and the meat of the exotic beast Red Taisui. For broken bones, severe injuries, or internal trauma... just apply the paste, and you'll be back to full strength in ten days or half a month."

"This is the Spring-Returning Pill, 15 taels of silver per bottle, also about 20 pills. One pill can invigorate the body's blood and qi, cause injuries to heal rapidly, and simultaneously calm the mind and nourish the internal organs. It's quite rare on the market..."

The medicinal effects Su Yaobai described were somewhat exaggerated, mostly blown out of proportion to sound impressive.

It would be lucky if the actual efficacy reached even one-tenth of his claims.

Shi Wen's eyes flickered.

One tael of silver could be exchanged for 30 strings of copper coins; these pills cost upwards of 3,000 strings of copper per bottle. This was clearly a daylight robbery.

"I'll take them! And give me some exotic beast meat, the kind that costs 100 strings of copper per catty..."

Shi Wen's arms trembled as he opened the sack and pulled out 10 silver notes, placing them on the table.

The two assistants' eyes went wide as they watched the youth pull the 10 notes from the sack, and they couldn't help but swallow their saliva.

Even Su Yaobai's expression shifted.

Shi Wen acted as if he were oblivious.

After some haggling.

He counted the silver notes, put the excess back into the sack, and tied it shut.

He wore an expression of wariness and timidity.

Su Yaobai examined the anti-counterfeiting marks on the notes and nodded. "Very well, I have received 100 taels. Your change is 3 taels and 2 silver coins."

Afterward.

He stood up to gather the items, placing them into a waterproof Cowhide Skin bag that clearly hadn't been cheap to make.

He smiled and handed it to Shi Wen. "Boss Shi, would you like us to send someone to escort you?"

"No need!"

Shi Wen then warily hugged the two large bags, his figure staggering; he nearly fell over from weakness the moment he stood up.

His face was deathly pale, and he struggled to hold the two bags in his arms.

Yet, he still vanished into the darkness outside the door.

"Safe travels, Boss Shi! Come back again when you have time!"

The smile on Su Yaobai's face was irrepressible.

Although the youth had haggled just now, he clearly didn't know the market price for exotic beast meat and pills.

He had made at least twenty-some taels of silver in profit—pure, clean money falling right into his pockets!

"Shopkeeper, that kid suddenly got so rich, and he didn't even haggle like last time. He must have stumbled upon some windfall. His sack was packed full; there's definitely more money in there!"

A-Ming made a throat-slitting gesture, greed flashing in his eyes. "Should we take him out?"

"Shopkeeper, just say the word. We'll find someone to finish him off. You take seven, we take three!"

A-Tai added greedily.

The Treasure Medicine Pavilion fell silent.

Candlelight illuminated Su Yaobai's aged, weathered face.

Greed flickered in his eyes as well, but in the end, he stopped them. "Forget it. A person's wealth is their own business; what does it have to do with you?"

"All of you, get back to sleep. Don't let me find out anyone is doing this behind my back, or don't blame me for crippling you!!"

Ten highwaymen are no match for one medicine seller.

The profits from his pharmacy were already substantial, and he was getting on in years; why bother inviting trouble?

If something were to truly go wrong, the masters behind him would not spare his entire family.

A-Ming and A-Tai were startled, hurriedly nodding and bowing in agreement.

In this day and age, anyone capable of running a medicinal herb business was either ruthless or well-connected, and as clerks of the Treasure Medicine Pavilion, they naturally knew just how ruthless their manager could be!

Even if they felt unwilling, how could they dare to defy him openly while pretending to comply?

Meanwhile, out on the street.

Shi Wen walked with a staggering gait, occasionally glancing back over his shoulder.

Until the Treasure Medicine Pavilion finally closed its doors, no one had come out.

Shi Wen couldn't help but let out a sigh.

He had seen the fierce look in those clerks' eyes earlier.

He had actually been hoping to bait them into a confrontation.

That way, not only could he save a large sum of silver, but he could also demand compensation for damages.

If they gave it, he'd take it; if they didn't, he'd take it himself!

He hadn't expected them to refrain from coming after him.

"Is it even possible to run into a good person in this world?"

"Pah, selling things at such high prices—what kind of good person does that? I'm not going back there next time."

Shi Wen muttered to himself.

He took out a bottle of Spring-Returning Pill, pulled the stopper, and poured them into his mouth, chewing the slightly bitter pills like candy.

The pills crackled and popped in his mouth.

He swallowed them down.

Within moments, Shi Wen felt his body grow warm as a furnace, feeling incredibly comfortable.

The pain from his injuries dissipated significantly.

Within just a few minutes of taking the Spring-Returning Pill, he could no longer feel any pain in his body.

"The pills they sell are decent; they do have some effect."

Shi Wen poured half a bottle of Blood-Nourishing Yuan-Restoring Pill into his mouth and chewed.

He then went to buy a set of clothes to change into, before taking advantage of the night to hurry back toward Peace Lane.

The journey home was uneventful.

Upon reaching the alley outside his home, Shi Wen saw Old Shi pacing anxiously at the intersection, his dry pipe billowing clouds of smoke.

Shi Wen felt a stir in his heart and called out to him, "Dad, I'm back."

"A-Wen is back?" Old Shi let out a visible sigh of relief. He didn't scold him, instead hurrying over to welcome his son, "You must be hungry. Hurry home and eat; the food has been kept warm on the stove."

"Alright."

Shi Wen nodded.

Back home, his parents hadn't eaten yet.

The dishes had been kept warm on the stove the whole time.

He ate with his parents, listening to Old Shi talk about the stability of running his small stall in Peace Lane, and a smile appeared on his face.

"I've saved enough money. In a few days, when I have time, I'll go to the Inner City to look for a suitable house, and we'll move the whole family there."

Looking at the grey hairs creeping into his parents' locks.

Shi Wen made a secret decision.

After dinner, Shi Wen returned to his room and locked the doors and windows.

He placed the items bought from the Treasure Medicine Pavilion in a corner, then picked up a strip of exotic beast meat as thick as a finger and began to chew.

This exotic beast meat was known as Fu Bird Meat, costing 200 guan per jin.

Su Yaobai had said that this item had the effect of "eating it without needing to sleep, possessing endless energy."

Beyond having dozens of times the nourishing effect of Grey Meat.

Eating it long-term could maintain wakefulness and focus for extended periods, reducing the need for sleep while keeping one's energy levels high.

Many martial artists used it for long-term seclusion to comprehend martial arts.

Therefore, Shi Wen had bought 5 jin to try.

In addition to this, he had also bought some pills to maintain energy and restore blood and qi.

These were for nourishing his body and for emergency use during special circumstances.

"Let's see what kind of good things these border soldiers have."

Shi Wen dumped a plain-looking sack onto the floor.

The items clattered onto the ground, piling up to nearly the height of his knees...