Xiao Yan finished practicing his sword early in the morning. He had just put the weapon away when someone knocked on the courtyard gate.
The person who came was the steward of the Marketplace.
"Third Young Master, can we take the twenty bottles of Meridian-Nourishing Medicinal Liquid reserved yesterday a day early? There's a mercenary team waiting to head out of the city, and they've been standing guard outside the shop since before dawn."
Xiao Yan wiped away some sweat.
"Didn't the pharmacy already deliver a batch?"
The steward forced a bitter smile. "The Guard Team took that batch, saying Second Young Master had use for them."
Before his voice even faded, another guard hurried up to the gate.
"Third Young Master, Second Young Master asks why the medicinal liquid hasn't arrived yet? The martial arts arena is waiting for it."
The two men exchanged a glance.
Holding his cloth towel, Xiao Yan slowly let the smile on his face fade.
"Let's go to the pharmacy."
Before they had walked very far, another clansman chased after them from behind, clutching a requisition slip in his hand.
Xiao Yan took a look at it and laughed.
It was those same twenty bottles.
"Does a single batch of medicine grow three legs?"
Inside the pharmacy, Xiao Yi Xian was busy separating several medicinal herbs with tangled roots.
Qing Lin sat beside her, supporting a bamboo basket with one hand while turning the pages of her own thin Medicine Record with the other.
Seeing Xiao Yan walk in with three people, Xiao Yi Xian raised her head to look.
"Did they change it to a joint urging today?"
"I'm being urged, too."
Xiao Yan placed the three slips on the table.
After taking a clear look at them, the old servant who managed the medicine immediately broke out in a sweat on his forehead and hurriedly pulled out the ledger of issued items. Xiao Yi Xian put down the herbs and crowded over to look as well.
The matter was soon sorted out.
The Marketplace had ordered the medicine a few days ago, and Xiao Li's side had come asking again yesterday, saying that with so many people training over the past couple of days, the healing medicines needed to keep pace. Not daring to offend him, the old servant had agreed beforehand.
Yet the person who actually took the medicine away was an elder in the clan.
He had said he wanted to nourish the meridians for several juniors and incidentally drop them off for the Guard Team, so the old servant let him take them. However, not a single guard knew which room the medicine had ended up in.
"This old servant thought that since Young Master refines quickly, we could just make up another cauldron if we fell short..."
The more the old servant spoke, the quieter his voice became.
Xiao Yan did not reprimand him immediately, only looking at the empty medicine bottles lined up against the wall.
There had not been this many of these bottles yesterday when he arrived.
Xiao Yi Xian handed over a stack of paper.
"Two shops in the east of the city, the medicine merchants in the nearby towns, and the ones added by the clan. They all say they're just waiting for your nod."
Xiao Yan flipped through two pages, his brows gradually rising.
He knew that the medicine from home sold well.
Yet the quantities promised on this list could no longer be filled simply by him casually refining a few cauldrons.
Someone had even set the delivery dates for him in advance.
Qing Lin walked over carrying the bamboo basket, and seeing him stare at an empty box, she said softly, "There are only two handfuls left of this herb, too. I've counted; the shattered roots at the bottom of the basket can't all be included."
Xiao Yi Xian nodded.
"No matter how good the fire is, you can't burn an empty box into medicine."
Looking at the paper in his hand, Xiao Yan suddenly let out a laugh.
"If I were to go out on another trip, wouldn't they have to chase me all the way into the mountains?"
Laughing aside, this matter could no longer be dragged out like this.
He told the steward to go greet that mercenary team first, setting aside a portion of the healing medicine needed today from the spare supplies, and then put away the slip signed with the elder's name.
"Give this to Father."
The old servant opened his mouth, but in the end, he did not dare say anything more.
In the morning, the Xiao Clan council hall.
Xiao Zhan placed several slips on the table and looked at an uncle of the clan sitting on the left.
"Where is the medicine?"
That clan uncle was quite old, and being questioned publicly made it difficult for him to save face.
"The juniors have been working hard these past few days, so I thought I'd get a little ahead of time. Besides, I didn't take them to sell; they're ultimately being used on our own people."
Xiao Li leaned back in his chair, his fingers tapping on the armrest.
"Not a single bottle of the medicine you took away for the Guard Team was delivered. Two of the brothers under me were still clutching their arms and stewing there last night."
"The children in the clan cultivating is no trivial matter either."
"Aren't the ones who got hurt members of the clan?"
There was already a touch of anger in Xiao Li's words.
Another middle-aged clansman coughed, trying to smooth things over.
"It's all for the good of the Xiao Clan. Since Yan'er has great skill now, if you ask him to refine a bit more, wouldn't there be enough for everyone?"
Xiao Zhan raised his eyes.
"What if he leaves tomorrow?"
The hall fell silent.
"What if he goes into seclusion? What if he gets injured? Will you also stand outside the door and urge him to fire up another cauldron?"
Xiao Zhan's tone was not heavy, but his palm was already pressing down on those slips.
"Setting aside how much free time Yan'er has, let's just talk about today's matter. The pharmacy promised it to others, you took it away under the guise of the Guard Team, and who is supposed to answer for the rest?"
The clan uncle's face flushed red, his lips moving.
"After all, I am still an elder of yours..."
"That's why we're talking about it here."
Xiao Zhan looked at him, his expression without the slightest concession.
"Send back what's left, and deduct what has already been used from the upcoming medicine shares of your household. If any of the children hurt their meridians, the pharmacy will naturally treat them; if they just want to cultivate faster, they can draw their portions according to the clan's rules."
"When guards are injured in training or merchant caravans encounter danger on the road, public medicine is used. No one is allowed to take this batch of medicine and stuff it into their own family's cabinet first."
That clan uncle was silent for a long time before finally nodding.
Xiao Zhan turned to the old servant who managed the medicine.
"And you. Medicine promised to the shops cannot be turned around and promised to the martial arts arena instead. If you don't dare refuse, come find me, and don't use asking Yan'er to refine medicine again as an excuse."
The old servant hurriedly bowed in assent.
Sitting in the lower seat, Xiao Yan held his teacup and did not intervene to judge the matter for his father from beginning to end.
When the atmosphere eased a bit, he placed that stack of medicine-ordering papers on the table.
"Medicine can be refined in greater quantities, but medicinal materials won't grow into the cabinets by themselves. Let Eldest Brother take a look at the orders collected from various places first."
Xiao Ding took them, turning the pages very slowly.
Seeing a particular entry, he tapped the surface of the paper with his knuckle.
"This price barely covers the cost of the herbs themselves. Who agreed to this?"
The middle-aged clansman who had just tried to smooth things over looked somewhat awkward.
"The other party is my brother-in-law. He said the market in town is good, so we could make it cheaper the first time and buy more in the future..."
Xiao Ding shook his head.
"We can interact, but we cannot agree to prices that don't work. I'll go negotiate this one; if he's not willing to change it, return the deposit."
That man still wanted to persuade him otherwise, but Xiao Zhan had already spoken.
"Do it just like that. From now on, when relatives come to get medicine, they will also pay the shop price. If you want to play the human favor, make up the money yourself."
Nearby, Xiao Li could not help but let out a laugh.
Having felt uncomfortable just listening, the clan uncle immediately looked over.
Yet Xiao Zhan also turned to look at his second son.
"What are you laughing at? Clarify that batch of Qi-Replenishing Powder you promised to your old subordinates yesterday as well. Since they have joined the clan guards, they should follow the rules of the guards."
Xiao Li's smile instantly stiffened.
"Father, those are old injuries..."
"Have the old injuries checked out before collecting them, and what should be given will not be shorted. When you open your mouth and promise a whole group of people, whose word does the pharmacy listen to?"
Xiao Yan lowered his head to drink tea, his shoulders trembling slightly.
Xiao Li glared at him and finally said honestly, "Understood."
The atmosphere in the hall loosened by quite a bit as a result.
Xiao Ding pulled out several slips that were obviously inappropriate and placed them separately.
Upon returning to the clan, he had originally been taking over the caravans and storefronts, but whenever the matter of medicinal materials arose, everyone always habitually asked Xiao Yan another question. Back and forth, everything ended up piled onto the youngest brother.
Today, they simply laid everything out in the open; from now on, all trade routes and incoming goods from various places would be verified by him.
"List out what ingredients the medicinal formulas need for me. Which ones can be bought regularly and which ones need to be found in advance-I'll handle that."
"For ordinary medicinal materials, I'll have the two caravans stagger their days going back and forth. We can't have one place run out of stock and leave us all sitting around waiting."
Xiao Yan nodded.
"Have Xiao Yi Xian look over anything whose quality you're unsure of. Eldest Brother is more familiar with prices and matters on the road than I am."
Xiao Li continued, "I'll manage the Guard Team. Those dealing with the caravans, guarding the storefronts, and those in the clan who only know how to posture in the arena will all be dragged out to train."
"Don't go outside with Dou Qi stronger than the other side, only to take three steps back the moment your sword leaves its sheath."
Hearing this, Xiao Zhan nodded in approval.
Which people to select, how each household should contribute personnel, and how to settle them after training injuries would all be coordinated by him. As for anyone relying on seniority to shirk responsibility, they could come straight to his face and say it.
The few clansmen who had still wanted to speak looked at each other and swallowed their words back down.
Right now, Xiao Zhan was a One-Star Dou Ling, both sons were engaged in solid cultivation, and Xiao Yan was sitting right here.
Their willingness to preserve face for the elders did not mean others could still casually suppress matters purely based on age.
When the council dispersed, Xiao Zhan called Xiao Yan to a stop.
"Just keep a clear head about today's matters. Leave these household trifles for them to find me with from now on."
Xiao Yan looked at the strands of white hair at his father's temples and smiled.
"Then I really won't pay attention to any of it."
"Cut the nonsense. If you really run into something you can't figure out, you'll still be called."
Father and son exchanged a glance and both smiled.
In the afternoon, continuous dull thuds rang out by the side of the martial arts arena.
Standing in the center of the arena, Xiao Li did not rush to display his newly learned spear technique, using only a wooden stick to pick out the flaws of several guards one by one.
Someone had just raised their saber when their wrist was poked; someone else blocked the front only to have their foot tripped, sending them sitting heavily onto the ground.
"What are you staring at my hands for? If I want to kick you, do I have to shout a warning first?"
Several young people rubbed their arms, their faces burning hot.
The old mercenary who had returned from Mo Tie did not escape either, being singled out by Xiao Li to spar with him, and for a time dust flew all over the arena.
Xiao Yan watched from the side of the arena for a while without going in.
Second Brother's Dou Qi was somewhat more refined than when he had first come home, but what truly made these people submit was that ruthlessness and precision honed from between life and death in every move and stance.
Those things could not be learned just by sitting in a room taking medicine.
Passing through the martial arts arena, in the small courtyard nearby, three fire-attribute disciples were taking turns tending to a medicine cauldron.
The medicinal liquid inside the cauldron rolled sluggishly, far from as effortless as when Xiao Yan refined medicine.
The three of them could still only steadily perform some basic refinement, brewing the Azure Origin Body-Tempering Liquid step by step. They were still some distance away from independently refining a genuine tier-one medicinal pill.
Yet several sealed small bottles were already set out on the table.
The quantity was not large, but they were things they had made themselves.
Catching sight of Xiao Yan, one of them hastily stood up, almost knocking over the wooden stool beside him.
"Don't look at me, look at the fire."
Xiao Yan raised a hand, and only after the person stabilized the flame once more did he inspect the medicinal liquid in the bottle.
The color still had some impurities, but the medicinal properties could be considered mild-at least they had not carelessly shortened the refinement process just to make a few more bottles.
"Keep it up like this. It doesn't matter if you're slow; just don't give people things you haven't figured out."
The three of them nodded in unison.
Xiao Yan put the medicine bottle back down, and the slight irritation driven out by the medicine lists in his heart dissipated quite a bit.
It was not that there was no one in the family who could do things.
It was just that if you wanted them to take hold of matters, you always had to give them some time.
Returning to the quiet room, he took out the few scrolls of cultivation techniques he had previously passed down to the clan and spread them out on the table.
These techniques had been passed down in the clan for some time now, and the paper edges of the pages frequently looked at were all curled up. With everyone having different attributes and foundations, when practicing certain joints, running into new doubts was inevitable.
Several problems were casually noted down by Xiao Yan along the edges of the paper.
As his mind sank into the storage ring, Bodhi glanced at the things he had brought with him, wearing a half-smile.
"Why aren't you urging me to teach you swordsmanship today?"
"Disciple suddenly discovered that no matter how fast I practice the sword, it can't keep up with the number of people calling me from outside the door."
"Then practice even faster."
Xiao Yan was slightly startled.
Bodhi continued leisurely, "Finish practicing earlier so you can go run errands for them."
The lamplight flickered nearby, and Yao Chen gave a quiet cough, seemingly holding back laughter.
Xiao Yan spread out the paper helplessly.
"Teacher, please stop teasing me."
Only then did Bodhi take the manuals and examine them one by one.
One water-attribute cultivation method offered a steady start, but after reaching Dou Zhe, the circulation of energy tended to stagnate between two meridians; another earth-attribute method lacked the complementary exercises needed to continue strengthening the muscles and bones.
The Grandmaster did not overturn everything. He merely added a few strokes to the existing energy circulation diagrams, then appended two sets of progressive exercises.
"First, build a solid foundation in what you already practice. A few extra lines in a manual won't make your cultivation grow out of thin air."
Xiao Yan studied them carefully, then nodded solemnly.
These two additions would spare his clansmen some detours without forcing them to discard their earlier progress.
He put the manuals away. By the time he emerged, the sun had already slanted westward.
Under the corridor outside the medicine room, Xun'er was setting several old books on the table.
One contained miscellaneous notes on the nearby mountains, rivers, and roads. The others described medicinal herbs and Magical Beast habits, their pages already yellowed.
"I found them in the library. Some of the illustrations are clear. They're more useful than just memorizing herb names."
Xiao Yi Xian opened one of the books and soon stopped at a page.
It depicted several similar-looking vine roots, with annotations even describing where they grew.
"Perfect. Brother Xiao needs to buy herbs. I can use this to put together another guide, so they won't buy things based on the name alone."
"Herb prices have already had his head spinning today."
Xiao Yan walked over, set the amended manuals aside, and picked up the book on mountains and rivers to leaf through it.
Qing Lin sat at the corner of the table, carefully copying leaves from the illustrations.
She had just helped Xiao Yi Xian count the remaining medicinal ingredients again, sorting those still usable from those that had grown damp. Now that she had a moment free, her first task was to add the few kinds she had not yet memorized to her little notebook.
A breeze swept through the courtyard, lifting several pages.
Xun'er reached out to hold them down and looked up at Xiao Yan.
"Brother Xiao Yan finally has some free time today."
"It wasn't easy. Another half day, and they might have stuffed the shop's debts into my medicine cauldron too."
Xiao Yi Xian laughed. "Then what would you refine?"
"A batch of IOUs."
Qing Lin could not help letting out a soft laugh, her brush still in hand. Then she rubbed the corner of her eye.
Xiao Yan noticed the movement, his gaze pausing.
"Are your eyes bothering you?"
"They're a little sore." She lowered her hand. "They get like this when I look at things too long. They'll be fine after a short rest."
Hearing this, Xiao Yi Xian immediately told her to stop copying for now, then picked up the warm water on the table and handed it to her.
Xiao Yan's gaze shifted away from her eyes and settled on the cloth-covered snake cage beside the wall.
Ever since that day, the little creature inside had become strangely quiet whenever it heard her approaching.
Those three fleeting points of emerald light still lingered in his memory too.
He did not press her with questions in front of everyone. He simply closed Qing Lin's little notebook.
"That's enough for today. Tomorrow morning, after breakfast, I'll take you to have Teacher look at your eyes."
Qing Lin froze for a moment, her fingertips instinctively tightening.
Seeing her expression, Xiao Yan added with a smile.
"You won't have to recite herb names, and no one's testing how many characters you've learned."
Only then did she slowly relax her hand and nod gently.
In the distance, the rumble of caravan wheels drifted over the courtyard wall, while Xiao Li's powerful shouts rang out again from the training grounds.
Xiao Yan leaned against a corridor pillar, glanced at the books on the table, then looked beyond the courtyard.
The path ahead for his family could not keep circling around just a handful of Marketplaces.
He gathered the books together, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.
With his father and elder brothers taking these matters in hand, he could free himself up to advance his own sword training another step.
Before you continue