He Was Quite Handsome!

"What do you mean, what should I do? You can't even tell good medicinal herbs and exotic beast meat from bad. How can I expect you to manage the Nan Family Medicine Shop in the future?"

Nan Yunyang gave his daughter an exasperated glance. He had no sons, only this one daughter, so naturally he hoped she could shoulder the Nan Family Medicine Shop's future responsibilities.

The Nan Family Medicine Shop wasn't large. On ordinary days, it only had one or two First-Rank Martial Artists on guard.

Recently, another person had resigned and gone over to the new city lord's side. Although the remaining one hadn't fled yet, Nan Yunyang figured it wouldn't be long before he handed in his resignation as well. This had already affected the shop's business considerably.

Nan Yunyang said nothing, but he had constantly been calculating how to stabilize the situation.

The best option would be to find another suitable Martial Warrior to serve as a figurehead.

Just then, Nan Zhiyi suddenly pointed at a young man and said, "Dad, do you think he'd be suitable? He's pretty handsome!"

"Don't be ridiculous!"

Nan Yunyang glared at his daughter. "Looks don't represent strength!"

"That's not true! Dad, look—those are all pieces of Blood-Horned Bear meat behind him! Anyone who can kill a Blood-Horned Bear single-handedly definitely isn't weak!"

Nan Zhiyi blinked her dark, beautiful eyes.

She wasn't the sort of person who only knew how to look at faces. She preferred muscular men! The bigger their muscles, the more she liked them!

Didn't they know the difference between a raging bear and a little white rabbit?

"Blood-Horned Bear? It really is! Not only is this little brother exceptionally strong, but his face isn't bad either. He's almost as handsome as your dad was in his youth!"

"Come on, Dad, stop flattering yourself! Let's go, let's go! Hurry, or someone else will snatch him up!"

Nan Zhiyi pulled Nan Yunyang along.

The two of them came before Zhou Chen. Nan Yunyang spoke first. "Little brother, I'm Nan Yunyang, the manager of the Nan Family Medicine Shop. This is my daughter, Nan Zhiyi. We've been buying medicinal herbs and beast meat here for years. Would you be willing to sell us this Blood-Horned Bear meat? I'm willing to pay a high price!"

"The Nan Family Medicine Shop?"

Zhou Chen had never heard of it. It was probably some small medicine shop, but to him, it made no difference who he sold to, so long as the price was reasonable. He nodded. "Of course. However, I don't intend to sell the Black Meat inside."

"All right."

Nan Yunyang inspected it briefly before weighing it. In the end, the Blood-Horned Bear sold for more than thirty taels of silver. Adding the ten-plus taels he had earned from killing and robbing people today, his total came to nearly fifty taels of silver.

Zhou Chen patted his money pouch, and a long-lost sense of security welled up inside him.

Being rich felt great!

No wonder so many Martial Warriors liked going outside the city. With good luck, one haul could equal a year's salary from serving as a figurehead.

If he continued having such good luck and happened to meet more heartless wretches like this one, perhaps he could soon buy a residence for his family.

Today, the Mist Incense in his mind had also accumulated to two inches.

Zhou Chen silently calculated that from now on, whenever he had the time, he would make a few more trips outside the city.

The sun, like an eye, gradually closed.

"Close the gates—!!!"

At that moment, the gatekeeper Martial Warrior waved toward those behind him. The enormous city gates began to slowly close, the sound of the chains grinding clear in the evening air.

Before they closed, someone counted the people once and quietly reported how many had failed to return that day.

The gatekeepers wore calm expressions. They had seen this sort of thing too many times.

No matter how high your martial cultivation was, once you died, no one would care.

Zhou Chen had just prepared to leave for the warehouse to work his final shift when Nan Yunyang hurried after him. Smiling, he called out, "Little brother, wait! There's one more matter I'd like to discuss with you."

Zhou Chen stopped and looked back, slightly puzzled. "What else does the manager need?"

"Aw, Dad, you're so long-winded!" Nan Zhiyi planted both hands on her hips like a little sparrow defending its position. In three quick steps, she bounced in front of Zhou Chen and lifted her small face. "Handsome guy, here's the thing. Our Nan Family Medicine Shop wants to hire someone to hold down the fort. You're handsome and strong, so do you want to take a position at our shop?"

Zhou Chen couldn't help laughing. The girl certainly spoke frankly, with a mischievousness that made no attempt to hide itself, yet inspired no irritation at all. He replied with a smile, "I already hold a position with the Lian Household. I'm afraid I can't take on another."

"Oh, it doesn't conflict! Not at all!" Nan Yunyang finally squeezed to the front and took over, his face covered in a kindly smile. His speech was several times faster than before. "Little brother, you may not know this, but for a small family like ours, hiring someone as a figurehead doesn't require you to sit there all the time. It's just a title, something to bolster our presence. You can attend to your own business as usual. Only when we encounter something we truly can't handle would we trouble you to lend us a hand. Of course, if we meet a problem even you can't resolve, we won't drag you into it."

"Just a nominal position?"

Zhou Chen was somewhat tempted. He asked, "How much would a monthly nominal position with you pay?"

Nan Yunyang spoke with an awkward smile. "It isn't much per month. You know that a small medicine shop like ours has little capital and meager profits. We can only offer five taels of silver and ten jin of white meat per month..."

In truth, this was the greatest offer he could make.

Before the unrest in the city, he had offered two taels of silver and five jin of white meat per month.

Now that both people had left, he might as well combine the two salaries and recruit a single Martial Warrior.

"Five taels of silver? That works! But I don't need the white meat. Just convert it into silver. I'm Zhou Chen, and I'm with the Zheng Family Boxing Hall."

After thinking it over briefly, Zhou Chen nodded and agreed, introducing himself at the same time.

It was only a nominal position. Five extra taels of silver a month made it a worthwhile deal. He also knew that Nan Yunyang's offer was quite generous, almost matching the pay for his official position with the Lian Household.

That small medicine shop must have been driven to the wall by the recent turmoil in the city before it was willing to pay such a price.

"Good, then it's settled!"

Nan Yunyang immediately took out another five-plus taels of silver from his robes. "Here's this month's allowance. Since you've taken a position at my shop, I'll presumptuously call you Nephew Zhou. Please accept it!"

"You're too polite, Manager Nan." Zhou Chen took the silver, casually weighed it in his hand, then tucked it into his robes with a smile. "If you run into any trouble in the future, feel free to look for me at the Zheng Family Martial Arts Hall. If I'm not there, just go to Warehouse No. 2 of the Lian Household and leave a message."

"All right, I'll remember." Nan Yunyang nodded repeatedly, his expression much more relaxed than before.

As soon as he finished speaking, Nan Zhiyi suddenly blinked her round, gleaming eyes. She pinched Zhou Chen's arm between two fingers, then let out a small gasp. "Wow—Big Brother Zhou, your muscles are so hard! They're like iron blocks!"

Zhou Chen froze. He lowered his head and watched that little hand squeeze his forearm again. The sensation made his heartbeat quicken slightly. At the same time, he caught the faint, delicate fragrance of a maiden drifting from Nan Zhiyi.

"What are you doing?" Nan Yunyang's old face flushed red. He hurriedly reached out to pull his daughter away. "You're a young lady! How can you be so unruly?"

"I-I was only touching them!" Nan Zhiyi was pulled half a step backward. Realizing that she had been rather forward, she flushed faintly and embarrassedly stuck out her tongue.

"It's fine."

Zhou Chen hadn't expected it either. The girl looked quiet and refined, yet while chatting, she had simply reached out and touched him.

Nan Zhiyi lowered her head. The tip of her foot unconsciously traced two marks on the ground, while the tips of her ears remained red. She had no idea how she had become so brazen.

It was all Zhou Chen's fault for being so handsome.

Nan Yunyang gave a dry cough. "Nephew Zhou, please forgive her. I spoiled this daughter of mine from childhood. My apologies, my apologies."

Zhou Chen waved his hand. After exchanging a few more pleasantries, he bade them farewell.

After walking a few steps, he looked back. Nan Zhiyi was being half-pushed, half-shoved into the carriage by her father. Before getting in, she secretly glanced in Zhou Chen's direction. When Zhou Chen caught her, she hurriedly turned her head away, leaving only two adorable buns bobbing and trembling.

This girl is pretty cute. She's my type too.

Zhou Chen smiled, but when he thought of Yin Mengbo, the faint ripple of desire in his heart was suppressed.