Making Medicine and Selling It

It seemed he had to devise a secure method to sell his medicinal herbs while minimizing the risk of exposing his identity.

Thinking this, Ye Qin pulled back the foot he had been about to step out of the inner room with, turned, and said calmly to Old Shopkeeper Zhao, "Pardon my rudeness. I wonder what advice you might have, Old Shopkeeper? This Humble One is willing to listen."

Old Shopkeeper Zhao burst into hearty laughter.

"That's more like it. I'm sure this isn't your first time doing something like this, Little Brother Ye. Let's talk properly. As it happens, we are of the same ilk. This old man is the incense master of the Ping Province Eight Harmony Gang here in Zhuqi County, and my primary business is jade. However, the high-grade herbs and medicines from the Herb Gathering Hall have always been essential items for us martial artists, and they are things my Eight Harmony Gang spares no expense to acquire."

"I don't just do business with you, Little Brother Ye; many disciples from the Herb Gathering Hall have sold medicine to me privately. Of course, I cannot reveal their names to you, or it would cause a great deal of trouble."

"If you sell a portion of your high-grade herbs to me, it will definitely be more profitable than turning them over to your Herb Gathering Hall. If you can manage to get your hands on high-grade medicine, then I would be even more eager to buy. I offer a fair price: I will purchase your herbs and medicines at fifty percent of the market price in the county trading bazaar. How does that sound?"

Hearing Old Shopkeeper Zhao's offer, Ye Qin was slightly taken aback.

When herb-gathering apprentices turned in herbs to the Herb Gathering Hall, they only received a reward of five to ten percent of the herb's value. Herb Gathering Artisans fared better, receiving ten to twenty percent, while Herb Gathering Masters received about thirty to fifty percent.

If he sold them privately to this Old Shopkeeper Zhao, he could get fifty percent—ten times the income of an apprentice, and on par with that of a Herb Gathering Master.

However, the risks were equally immense; being discovered meant certain death.

Old Shopkeeper Zhao conducted private business with many disciples in Zhuqi County. If even one of them were caught and the trail led back to this Spring Jade Shop, it would very likely implicate him as well.

Old Shopkeeper Zhao claimed to be a member of the Ping Province Eight Harmony Gang.

Ye Qin sneered inwardly.

What kind of third-rate, insignificant gang was this? He had never even heard of them before. Such a small group would be beneath the notice of the Medicine King Gang, the fifth-largest gang in Ping Province. If the Medicine King Gang found out that members of the Eight Harmony Gang were inciting their disciples to sell herbs privately, they might fly into a rage and wipe the Eight Harmony Gang out entirely. The disciples who had dealt with them would likely be wiped out as well. Therefore, doing private business with the Eight Harmony Gang was extremely unsafe.

Knowing the background of Old Shopkeeper Zhao, Ye Qin made up his mind to distance himself from the Spring Jade Shop as much as possible to avoid inviting disaster. As for the shop's treasure, the White Jade Embryo, it was so expensive that Old Shopkeeper Zhao wouldn't be able to sell it anytime soon. He would find a way to make money first, and later, he would devise a foolproof plan to acquire it safely.

"Old Shopkeeper Zhao, there is no need to bring this up again. I have no money. You can sell that White Jade Embryo to whoever you like; I cannot afford it." Having said this, Ye Qin did not give the old man a chance to persuade him further, stepped out of the inner room, and left the Spring Jade Shop with quick strides.

Old Shopkeeper Zhao stood up with a smile to see him off, puffing on his pipe and blowing smoke rings. He watched Ye Qin's departing back with a playful expression and a cold chuckle: Little brat, still putting on an act. As long as you want to buy my jade, you'll have to sell medicine sooner or later. What's the difference between selling to others and selling to me? If you sell to others, even more people will know about this.

By the time Ye Qin left the Spring Jade Shop, the sky had already darkened. Lanterns were hung along the main streets of the county, illuminating the bustling night market.

He had no heart to browse other jade shops and returned directly to the Herb Gathering Hall. His mind was entirely occupied with how to earn enough money to buy that White Jade Embryo and accelerate his cultivation.

His original plan had been to find martial artists in the county to sell the Dew Grass he possessed in exchange for Gold Leaf, then go to a jade shop to purchase jade containing spiritual energy. But now, he felt that plan was not secure enough.

He valued the Dew Grass highly, believing it to be worth at least one Gold Leaf.

However, most martial artists might not even recognize what Dew Grass was, making it difficult to sell for a high price. Those who could recognize it were likely master pharmacists, who probably had deep ties to the Medicine King Gang.

If he went around the trading bazaar asking people if they needed Dew Grass, the people at the Herb Gathering Hall would quickly realize he was trafficking herbs privately.

After careful consideration, Ye Qin took out the Illustrated Guide to Rare Herbs from his robes and flipped through it, his gaze resting on the entry for "Dew Grass" in the final pages. It recorded a formula for refining Dew Grass into a restorative medicine.

It now seemed that the most prudent course of action was to refine the Dew Grass into "Clear Heart Pills" before selling them. These top-tier restorative medicines were highly sought after by martial artists; many knew of them, making them easier to sell, and they would fetch a higher price than raw Dew Grass.

However, he still had to do his best to avoid exposing his identity.

Over the next two days, Ye Qin spent several dozen Silver Leaf at the county trading bazaar to purchase a mortar, wax, and other auxiliary herbs needed to make the Clear Heart Pills.

He then traveled alone to a remote, desolate forest ten miles outside of Zhuqi County to refine the medicine in secret.

As an apprentice of the Herb Gathering Hall, his skills were primarily in gathering and identifying herbs; he was not particularly skilled at pharmacy. Ye Qin only knew how to make a few common healing and anti-poison remedies, such as Hemostasis Powder, Clear Poison Powder, and Insect Repellent Incense.

Fortunately, he had the complete formula for the "Clear Heart Pill," and the Library Pavilion of the Herb Gathering Hall did not overly restrict disciples from reading books on herb gathering and pharmacy, so learning basic pharmaceutical techniques was not difficult.

He dried the main ingredient, Dew Grass, along with a dozen auxiliary herbs—Licorice, Dried Pearl, Musk, Bezoar, Lianzi, and others—and ground them into powder. Following a specific ratio, he placed them into the mortar and refined them over a low flame for half an hour until the medicinal properties were fully fused and the moisture evaporated. He then rolled them into pills and sealed them with wax. Through the four steps of refining, mixing, rolling, and sealing, he produced a single Clear Heart Pill, which he placed into a medicine vial.

When he first started refining these pills, he failed to control the heat properly and ruined two batches.

As he practiced more, he gradually improved, successfully refining a pale green pill. The scent of the medicine was refreshing and crisp, clearing his mind the moment he smelled it.

Ye Qin was overjoyed. It was identical in color and scent to the Clear Heart Pill described in the medical texts—a top-tier restorative pill for those suffering from qi deviation.

He discovered that one stalk of Dew Grass could produce one Clear Heart Pill, and when combined with the dozen auxiliary herbs, the cost of production was quite low. As for the selling price of the Clear Heart Pill, it was hard to say, as such top-tier restorative medicine had not appeared in the martial world for many years.

Ye Qin refined four or five more, preparing to find a buyer to test the market. If the price was good, he planned to refine more, save up thirty Gold Leaf, and then find a way to buy that White Jade Embryo from the Spring Jade Shop.