Purchasing Blood-Strength Powder

"This will be where you live from now on."

"Thank you."

After seeing the other man off, Chen Xun began looking over his new residence.

This had been reassigned to him by the estate after he became a Martial Artist.

Unlike the communal sleeping quarters he had lived in before, he now had a four-person room.

The room was thirty to forty square meters, enough to hold four beds and four wardrobes.

The four beds stood in the room's four corners, with wardrobes erected at the foot of each bed. In the middle of the room sat a square table and four wooden stools.

When Chen Xun arrived, he found that the bed in the upper-right corner had already been made, clearly occupied by someone who simply had not returned yet.

The other three beds were still empty.

Chen Xun chose the one in the upper-left corner, then returned to the communal sleeping quarters to pack his belongings.

As he stepped out of the room, Chen Xun looked back. Behind him stood a row of eight houses. His was the sixth, with a plaque hanging above its door covered in writing he could not read.

A wall encircled the row of houses, and two servants stood guard at the entrance.

"Take care, sir."

As Chen Xun left through the gate, the two servants hurriedly bowed to him.

It left Chen Xun feeling somewhat dazed.

"That's right. I'm a Martial Artist now."

Even though he had been just like them, a servant, only a moment ago, once he became a Martial Artist, his status had risen by a great deal automatically.

Chen Xun nodded at them, his expression swiftly returning to calm.

Back at the communal sleeping quarters, no one else had returned. Chen Xun packed up his bedding and daily necessities, slung them over his back, and left without the slightest attachment.

There truly was nothing to miss. His relationships with the others in the communal sleeping quarters had been ordinary; only Sun An had been somewhat closer to him.

Besides, the environment here was terrible. At night, foot odor, snoring, teeth grinding, and all sorts of other things erupted at once.

When Chen Xun had first moved in, he had suffered insomnia for several nights before slowly getting used to it.

"Sir, let me help you."

The moment he reached the entrance of the Martial Artist Courtyard, the two men guarding the gate hurried forward and helped Chen Xun unload his belongings.

They even carried everything into the room for him, swiftly made his bed, folded his clothes, and arranged his various daily necessities.

Clearly, the two had done this more than once.

"You've done well."

Chen Xun looked at his bed with satisfaction and could not help praising them.

"These are duties that us lowly ones ought to perform."

One of them answered with a somewhat fawning smile.

The other looked at Chen Xun expectantly.

Seeing this, Chen Xun understood. He put on a show of pulling a gray money pouch from his robes, then gave each of them ten copper coins.

"A reward for you."

"Thank you for your reward, sir."

After thanking him, the two happily accepted the money, then took their leave and returned to their posts to continue guarding the gate.

Once he was alone in the room, he began taking off his servant's clothes and changing into a set of Martial Artist training attire he had just received.

Chen Xun was already handsome and refined. After putting on this outfit, he cut an even more striking figure, brightening the eye at a glance.

After becoming a Martial Artist, Chen Xun had received not only two sets of training attire, but also an identity token.

At the same time, his monthly stipend had been raised from one tael of silver to three.

However, one bottle of [Blood-Strength Powder] cost three taels of silver.

This monthly stipend was only enough to buy a single bottle of [Blood-Strength Powder]. If one also had family to support, it would be nowhere near enough.

Therefore, many Martial Artists would stretch a bottle of [Blood-Strength Powder] over a month and a half, or even two months.

As a result, their cultivation efficiency plummeted, and their progress was slow.

Thus, even Martial Artists with decent aptitude often needed several years, or even longer, to break through a single realm.

It was all the fault of insufficient resources.

After changing into his Martial Artist training attire, Chen Xun hung the token at his waist. This was his Martial Artist token, proof that he was a Martial Artist of the Li Family.

With this token, he could enter many places in the outer courtyard.

He could even enter the inner courtyard and move about within restricted areas.

What was more, he could leave the Li Family once every three days, instead of only once every ten days as before.

The inner and outer courtyards of the Li Estate were separated by a thick wall.

The wall was covered in iron caltrops to prevent anyone from climbing over it.

There were two entrances between the inner and outer courtyards. Gate A was a private passage reserved for the Li Family's direct descendants, while Gate B was for outsiders like Chen Xun who were qualified to enter the inner courtyard.

Two gatekeepers stood before Gate B.

When Chen Xun arrived, he gave them a brief look and was secretly startled.

Both were Martial Artists, and much stronger than he was.

That was perfectly normal. Chen Xun had only just become a Martial Artist. Any Martial Artist who had cultivated for two or three years would far surpass him in strength.

Their physical qualities were simply not on the same level.

"What are you here for?"

"That's an unfamiliar face!"

The two stopped Chen Xun, curiosity appearing in their eyes.

Chen Xun hurriedly removed the token from his waist and handed it over.

"I just became a Martial Artist, and I'm planning to buy a bottle of Blood-Strength Powder from the pharmacy."

His [Blood-Strength Powder] had run out yesterday. Without [Blood-Strength Powder], Chen Xun's cultivation speed had immediately fallen off a cliff.

So the moment his Martial Artist identity was certified, Chen Xun had been impatient to head to the pharmacy.

The other man accepted Chen Xun's token, inspected it carefully, then nodded. "Go in."

"Remember, don't wander around. There are signs at every intersection. If you trespass somewhere else without permission and are discovered, you'll be seized and interrogated."

"Understand?"

"Understood."

Chen Xun naturally nodded again and again.

The two then opened the gate and watched Chen Xun enter the inner courtyard.

There was not much difference between the inner and outer courtyards. Walking along the black stone-paved road, Chen Xun kept his eyes straight ahead and did not look around curiously.

He could vaguely sense someone watching him in secret.

It was not as though he alone were being watched. It was more like cameras monitoring every person who passed by.

Before long, a fork appeared ahead. The sign on the left read Pharmacy, while the one on the right read Armory.

The armory was where weapons were stored. The weapons inside were all fine pieces. People like Chen Xun could only be rewarded with one or two fine weapons after rendering great merit.

Without the slightest hesitation, Chen Xun took the road to the left and soon arrived at the pharmacy.

The pharmacy was much like the herbal medicine shops outside, with medicine cabinets on three sides and several attendants.

As soon as he approached, Chen Xun caught the complex scent of countless medicinal herbs mingled together.

Chen Xun entered the pharmacy and found two people inside.

The younger man was clearly the leader. Although the other looked more mature, he followed him like an attendant, never leaving his side.

Chen Xun's arrival drew the young man's gaze.

When he realized Chen Xun showed no reaction upon seeing him, his brows furrowed.

"This is the Third Young Master of the estate. Hurry and pay your respects."

Seeing this, the Third Young Master's attendant immediately barked at Chen Xun.

With no choice, Chen Xun stepped forward, cupped his hands, and said, "This lowly one greets the Third Young Master."

Only then did the Third Young Master's expression ease slightly.

"Are you new here?"

"The Third Young Master has sharp eyes. This lowly one only became a Martial Artist today."

Chen Xun hurriedly replied.

"So that's how it is."

The Third Young Master nodded, his face returning to its cold indifference.

Seeing that the other party no longer paid him any attention, Chen Xun took his leave and approached a pharmacy attendant. "I want Blood-Strength Powder."

"How many portions do you want?"

"Of course, only one. Where would I get the money to buy more?"

"All right. One portion costs three taels of silver."

Chen Xun paid with one hand and took the goods with the other. Soon, a familiar porcelain bottle appeared in his hand.

It was about the same size as the porcelain bottle Chen Xun had snatched before. When he opened it, there was roughly a third more inside.

"Not bad."

Chen Xun nodded in satisfaction.

Having obtained what he wanted, Chen Xun left the pharmacy.

Before leaving, Chen Xun saw the Third Young Master's attendant carrying away a large bundle of medicinal herbs.

Vaguely, Chen Xun heard the attendants discussing something about alchemy and biting off more than one could chew.

Their voices were extremely low, as though afraid someone might overhear them.

If Chen Xun had not had sharp ears and been standing nearby, he might not have heard them clearly.

"Is this Third Young Master planning to refine pills?"

The thought flashed through Chen Xun's mind, then was tossed aside.

It had nothing to do with him, so there was no need to concern himself with it.

After leaving the inner courtyard and returning to the Martial Artist Courtyard, Chen Xun impatiently began cultivating with [Blood-Strength Powder].

He cultivated until evening, when the room's door was pushed open and a familiar figure appeared before Chen Xun.