Biodata
| Feature | Information |
|---|---|
| Name | Wang Firm (王记) |
| Alias(es) | Wang's Ginseng Shop; Yam Herb Shop |
| Occupation/Role | Medicinal-herb merchant, pill supplier, and employer of martial artists |
| Location | Scarlet Cloud County; maintains an herb garden on Scarlet Cloud Mountain. 20 25 |
| Status | Active; becomes Scarlet Cloud County's leading medicine shop after Lu Chen's Martial Examination victory. 85 163 |
| First Appearance | Chapter 16 16 |
Operations
Wang Firm operates Wang's Ginseng Shop in Scarlet Cloud County, handling medicinal herbs, mountain goods, medicinal baths, and cultivation medicine such as Blood-Qi Powder. Its rear compound contains a pill room, storerooms, residences, a kitchen hall, and training space for its martial personnel. 20
| Operation | Details |
|---|---|
| Pill production | Its pill room refines Blood-Qi Powder and Foundation-Stabilizing Pills under alchemist Ge Ye; Blood-Qi Powder is a core cultivation medicine for Blood-Moving martial artists. 20 21 22 |
| Scarlet Cloud Mountain Herb Garden | The firm maintains a large, cultivated herb garden producing Red Blood Vine, Black-Bone Lingzhi, Dragon-Whisker Grass, and other ingredients used in Blood-Qi Powder. 25 26 |
| Martial security | The shop employs more than twenty courtyard guards, while the herb garden has its own guards and escort force. 21 25 |
| External trade | Wang Firm attends medicine fairs to acquire medicinal ingredients, including the Gaolin County medicine fair. 32 33 |
| Profit sharing | Its resident masters receive cultivation resources and a share of business profits; Lu Chen later receives priority access to stored pills and 20% of the herb shop's profits. 21 57 |
| Specialized medicinal preparations | The firm supplies medicinal solution for Lu Chen's Great Strength Vajra Palm cultivation, with Ge Ye preparing the body-tempering liquid used to strengthen his hands. 60 66 |
| Expanded production | Before the Martial Examination, Blood-Qi Powder and Bone-Strengthening Pills sell out daily. The firm hires two additional alchemists to assist Ge Ye with the increased workload. 77 |
| Rare-pill procurement | Wang Shouyi obtains ten Metal Essence Pills and thirty Origin-Restoring Pills for Lu Chen at a total cost of 2,300 taels, supporting his subsequent Skin-Tempering cultivation. 100 |
| Commercial cooperation | The firm helps the Chen Family expand its business through their shared connection to Lu Chen. By his New Year return, this relationship has substantially improved the family's prosperity and standing. 163 |
The firm's guards initially come from several martial halls and other backgrounds, including household servants trained by the Wang Family. Their ordinary duties consist mainly of patrols between the front hall, rear courtyard, and storerooms; the firm's established reputation and martial personnel generally deter ordinary street troublemakers. Guards receive fitted blue uniforms and identification tokens. 21
Personnel and Relationships
- Wang Shouyi — Shopkeeper and principal decision-maker. He recruits Lu Chen, repeatedly expands his support, and uses public reputation and strategic deception to protect the firm. 16 39 57 60
- Wang Qinian — Accounting steward who represents the firm during the Gaolin medicine fair and negotiates its return escort. 32 36 37
- Master Meng — Longtime bookkeeper responsible for recording Lu Chen's monthly pay and medicinal-herb discounts when he joins the shop. 20
- Qiao Yuan — Former senior retainer and the firm's primary deterrent; he receives free cultivation ingredients and 10% of monthly profits before his death. 21 57
- Ge Ye — Alchemist responsible for refining pills and preparing medicinal solutions; his survival is vital to the firm's pill business. 21 57 77
- Lu Chen — Recruited as a courtyard guard, later elevated to resident master and consecrated expert after Qiao Yuan's death. 20 21 57 60 His subsequent Martial Examination championship raises Wang Firm's reputation above the Huang Family's and helps establish it as the county's leading medicine shop. 163
- Wang Zhong — Herb-garden chief responsible for mountain escorts and the garden's security. 25 26 He also offers to have garden personnel search for mutant beasts to help Lu Chen obtain cultivation resources before the Martial Examination. 66
- Zhao Yiting — Head of the shop's courtyard guards. 21 A Rock-Solid Martial Hall practitioner at minor Blood-Moving achievement, he has served the shop for five years when Lu Chen arrives. 21
- Qian Ming — Courtyard guard and Lu Chen's early duty partner. Despite belonging to Mighty Far Hall, he warns Lu Chen that Liu Heng may seek revenge on Liu Xiaolou's behalf. 21
- Li Qing — Thousand Crane Martial Hall disciple and one of the shop's strongest guards. His sparring defeat by Lu Chen helps persuade Zhao Yiting to consider sending Lu Chen to the Gaolin medicine fair. 31
- Liu Xiaolou — Former affiliated martial artist dismissed so the firm can redirect resources to Lu Chen. His loss of employment prompts him to challenge Lu Chen at Hidden Dragon Martial Hall. 18 19
- Liu Heng — Firm employee involved in escorting medicinal ingredients and a relative of Liu Xiaolou. He becomes hostile toward Lu Chen over Liu Xiaolou's dismissal. 21 24
- Huang Family — Major rival in Scarlet Cloud County's medicine trade; its attempts to monopolize the market escalate into open violence against Wang Firm. 16 33 56
- Gao Manor — Provides an escort for Wang Firm's medicinal-herb convoy after the Dark Hall assassination attempt. 36 37
- Farview Escort Agency — Business partner used by Wang Shouyi to publicize Lu Chen's status as a consecrated expert. 60 61 Its publicity cooperation accompanies a Blood-Qi Powder purchase negotiated at a 30% discount. 61
- Hidden Dragon Martial Hall — Wang Shouyi initially recruits Lu Chen partly to establish ties with the rising hall. Its later alliance with the Huang Family leads Qin Wuhe to demand that Lu Chen leave Wang Firm; Lu Chen's hesitation results in his expulsion. 16 51 52
- Mighty Far Hall — An early source of affiliated martial artists for the firm. Wang Shouyi resents the hall's treatment of the shop and redirects resources from Liu Xiaolou to Lu Chen. 16 18 20
- Chen Family — Commercial beneficiary of Wang Firm's later growth. Wang Shouyi helps the family because of its connection to Lu Chen, strengthening its business and local standing. 163
History
Recruitment of Lu Chen
After Lu Chen becomes a martial artist, Wang Shouyi competes with Fragrance Gathering Tower, Farview Escort Agency, and the Huang Family to recruit him. Wang Firm offers six taels of silver per month, one dose of Blood-Qi Powder, and a 30% discount on medicinal herbs. 16 17
Wang Shouyi makes the offer partly to prevent the Huang Family from binding both Shi Hao and Lu Chen to its side, which would strengthen its influence over Hidden Dragon Martial Hall and further pressure Wang Firm's business. 16
To fund the unusually generous appointment, Wang Shouyi dismisses Liu Xiaolou, a Mighty Far Hall disciple who had held a three-tael monthly post for over half a year. Liu Xiaolou subsequently challenges Lu Chen to reclaim his standing, but Lu Chen defeats him. Wang Shouyi welcomes the result as a rebuke to Mighty Far Hall, whose treatment of the shop he has long resented. 16 18 19 20
Lu Chen accepts the contract and becomes a martial artist holding a post at Wang's Ginseng Shop. Wang Firm provides him with a residence, uniforms, cultivation medicine, and the position of courtyard guard. 20 21
Herb Garden and Gaolin Expedition
Wang Firm sends Lu Chen with its guards to escort supplies and harvested medicinal herbs between Scarlet Cloud County and the Scarlet Cloud Mountain Herb Garden. The garden's harvest is necessary for upcoming batches of Blood-Qi Powder. 25 28
The firm later dispatches Lu Chen, Ge Ye, Wang Qinian, and guards to the Gaolin County medicine fair. There, the Huang Family plots against Wang Firm and hires the Dark Hall to target Ge Ye; Qiao Yuan prevents the assassination. 32 33 36
Qiao Yuan has secretly accompanied the group to protect Ge Ye, whose ability to refine Foundation-Stabilizing Pills makes him especially important to the business. Although the firm's representatives suspect the Huang Family, the assassin's Dark Hall affiliation supplies no proof of the employer's identity. 36
Following the attack, Wang Qinian secures Gao Manor's escort for the firm's medicinal-herb convoy, allowing the group to return safely to Scarlet Cloud County. 36 37
Investment in Lu Chen
After Lu Chen reaches minor Blood-Moving attainment, Wang Shouyi increases his monthly support to twenty taels of silver and ten Blood-Qi Powder pills. He also orders Lu Chen's advancement kept secret, intending to use him as one of Wang Firm's hidden assets. 39
To preserve that secrecy, Lu Chen continues collecting his old wage through the accounts office, while Wang Shouyi privately provides the additional payment. The shopkeeper sends him to the mountain herb garden for winter, both to support his cultivation and keep him away from scrutiny in town. 39
Lu Chen subsequently protects the Scarlet Cloud Mountain Herb Garden during Black Wind Stronghold's assault, killing Sun Liancheng and forcing Qiu Heixiong to retreat. His actions preserve the garden from being overrun by bandits and snow wolves. 43 44 46
The Huang Family supplied the bandits with intelligence and encouraged the attack, hoping to profit from a struggle that weakened both sides. Its information failed to account for Lu Chen's hidden strength, leading the surviving bandits to demand compensation for their losses. 45
By the time Qin Wuhe attempts to transfer Lu Chen to the Huang Family, Wang Firm's support has risen to twenty taels and twenty doses of Blood-Qi Powder per month. Lu Chen considers the firm's material support and the kindness of its personnel important reasons not to change allegiance. 51
Conflict with the Huang Family
The Huang Family's alliance with Hidden Dragon Martial Hall places Lu Chen under pressure to resign from Wang Firm and enter Huang service. When he does not immediately agree, Qin Wuhe expels him, and the Huang Family spreads accusations that he is an ungrateful disciple. Wang Shouyi travels to the herb garden that night and apologizes for the firm's part in drawing him into the dispute. 51 52
The Huang Family attacks Wang's Ginseng Shop, killing two alchemists and severely wounding Qiao Yuan. Qiao Yuan later dies from his injuries despite Ge Ye's efforts. 56 57
Before returning to defend the shop, Lu Chen eliminates Black Wind Stronghold and gives its captured martial manuals to Wang Zhong, retaining Heart-Shattering Force for himself. The stronghold's destruction removes a major threat to the firm's mountain operations. 56
To conceal the loss of its strongest retainer, Wang Shouyi stores Qiao Yuan's body in an ice cellar and disguises Lu Chen as Qiao Yuan. The deception convinces the Huang Family that Qiao Yuan may still be alive after Lu Chen kills infiltrator Liu Hui. 57 58
Wang Shouyi then promotes Lu Chen from martial guard to resident master, granting him priority access to cultivation resources and 20% of the shop's profits. 57
Liu Hui's death forces the Huang Family to pause its offensive after losing two major Blood-Moving retainers and suffering another retainer's injury. Wang's Ginseng Shop reopens its front courtyard and resumes normal customer business during this respite. Lu Chen receives a residence of his own and regular deliveries of cultivation pills. 59
Restoration of Influence
To stabilize the firm after Qiao Yuan's death, Wang Shouyi publicly presents Lu Chen as Wang Firm's new consecrated expert while maintaining the fiction that Qiao Yuan is recovering in seclusion. This creates the appearance that the firm possesses two major experts: one visible and one hidden. 60
Farview Escort Agency helps spread news of Lu Chen's strength after his exchange with Luo Kuan, improving Wang Firm's deterrence and reputation. 60 61
Wang Shouyi initially offers the agency a 20% discount on Blood-Qi Powder, but negotiations conclude at a 30% discount. The following day, accounts of Lu Chen's exchange with Luo Kuan circulate throughout Scarlet Cloud County. 60 61
Lu Chen's later victory over Shen Shijun strengthens the firm's name among Scarlet Cloud County's martial artists. Demand for Wang Firm's cultivation pills rises sharply before the Martial Examination, leading to a monthly profit share of 320 taels for Lu Chen. 62 63 77
Wang Shouyi explains that young martial artists associate Lu Chen's strength with the effectiveness of the firm's pills. With Blood-Qi Powder and Bone-Strengthening Pills selling out daily, the firm recruits two additional alchemists. Lu Chen's actual profit share is 318 taels, which Wang Shouyi rounds up to 320. 77
Growth After the Martial Examination
Following his Martial Examination victory, Lu Chen spends two days recovering from his arena injuries in the rear courtyard of Wang Firm's shop. 94
Wang Shouyi subsequently supplies the rare pills Lu Chen orders for his Gold-Thread Jade Vestment Technique cultivation: ten Metal Essence Pills and thirty Origin-Restoring Pills, costing 2,300 taels. This purchase demonstrates the firm's continuing role in obtaining resources for him beyond ordinary Blood-Moving cultivation medicine. 100
Lu Chen's championship causes Wang Firm's reputation to eclipse the Huang Family's, establishing it as Scarlet Cloud County's leading medicine shop and bringing continued business growth. When Lu Chen returns near the New Year as a celebrated Dragon-Tiger Guard, Chen Chong reports that Wang Shouyi has also helped the Chen Family prosper through commercial cooperation with the firm. 163
Notable Assets
- Blood-Qi Powder — The firm's principal cultivation medicine and a major source of revenue. 16 20 77
- Foundation-Stabilizing Pills — Higher-level pills refined by Ge Ye for stabilizing cultivation breakthroughs. 21 22 77
- Bone-Strengthening Pills — Another cultivation medicine sold by the firm; demand is sufficiently strong before the Martial Examination for stocks to sell out daily. 77
- Body-tempering medicinal solution — Prepared for Lu Chen's Great Strength Vajra Palm training, helping him strengthen his palms, fingers, and wrists. 60 66
- Scarlet Cloud Mountain Herb Garden — A year-round source of medicinal ingredients and a strategically valuable target for mountain bandits. 25 43
- Martial retainers and guards — A security force ranging from courtyard guards to consecrated experts such as Qiao Yuan and Lu Chen. 21 57 60
- Commercial reputation — Lu Chen's martial achievements become a major business asset, attracting pill customers and eventually elevating the firm above its principal county rival. 77 163