Seeing the blood still flowing endlessly from Xizi's forehead, Shi Lei temporarily lost the heart to keep entangling with the people in the shop. Of course, the main reason was that he just wanted to keep a low profile and avoid trouble for now. He looked at Zhang Xiaosan and asked coldly, "Are you sure you want to make us leave?"
"Y-You... what do you want?" Zhang Xiaosan had originally expected Shi Lei to fly into a rage and attack him, never imagining that Shi Lei would be so calm with no discernible emotion on his face. This made his heart tighten, leaving him momentarily unsure of what Shi Lei was thinking.
"Fine, let's go." Shi Lei cast one deep glance at the four glittering golden characters inlaid on the plaque above the entrance of Tianyuan Pharmacy: "Tianyuan Pharmacy".
Then Shi Lei helped Xizi up and began walking slowly back the way they came, not even sparing Steward Feng a glance.
"Consider yourselves sensible..." Steward Feng still held his head high, casting a sideways glance at the departing backs of Shi Lei and Xizi before turning and walking back into the inner hall...
"Damn it, a couple of idiots. Who do they think they are, putting on airs? Stinking beggars..." Zhang Xiaosan clearly hadn't expected that even though Shi Lei and Xizi had been arguing fiercely with him just moments ago, they would leave so easily in the blink of an eye.
He picked up the two copper coins from the ground.
...
As Shi Lei supported Xizi on their return trip, he slowly channeled a wisp of Wood Spirit Qi into Xizi's meridians.
Because Xizi was a mortal, his body generally could not withstand a cultivator's True Qi.
However, Shi Lei was now in the Qi Refinement Late-stage, and with his Divine Sense, he had achieved absolute control over the True Qi within his own body.
Moreover, what he practiced was the Changchun Formula, which primarily focused on Wood Spiritual Qi. Its attributes were mild, and it inherently possessed certain healing properties. For Xizi, a wisp of Wood Spirit Qi not only caused no harm at all, but also had an immediate effect on his current injuries.
...
"I—this, what is going on? Why does it suddenly not hurt anymore? It feels like it's healed, hey..." Xizi touched his forehead, where a scab had already formed, and was astonished to find that the injuries from his fall seemed to stop hurting instantly, the wound healing rapidly.
Xizi looked at Shi Lei with a mixture of shock and suspicion. Remembering the soft and cool sensation that had just emanated from Shi Lei's palm, he asked, "Brother Shi, do—do you also know medicine?"
"Um, you could say that." Shi Lei didn't know how to explain it to him for a moment. Seeing that Xizi had mistaken his Changchun Formula technique for medical skill, he simply nodded naturally, letting it pass as tacit agreement.
"Wow, Brother Shi, then you're too amazing! C-Can you teach me?" Xizi's eyes lit up with a look of utter adoration and admiration.
"There will be a chance." Shi Lei smiled faintly and nodded again.
...
"Th—then where are we going now? How about we go back and check out that small pharmacy we saw earlier? By the time we walk over there, they should be open." Xizi asked.
"That works too." Shi Lei felt somewhat helpless as well, letting out a silent sigh in his heart.
A single penny truly can defeat a hero.
"What is the name of the owner of that Tianyuan Pharmacy?" Shi Lei suddenly asked.
"Ah, Brother Shi, why are you asking about that? You mustn't go provoking them. We can't afford to offend them." Xizi started slightly upon hearing this and hurriedly tried to dissuade Shi Lei.
"It's fine, just tell me so I can hear it." Shi Lei merely said calmly, though he thought to himself: a gentleman never lets a day pass without plotting revenge.
"Oh... alright..." On second thought, Xizi remembered that Shi Lei not only knew martial arts but also medicine. Although the Feng family was powerful, Shi Lei should be able to protect himself and shouldn't need to fear them.
"...Tianyuan Pharmacy... their boss's surname is Feng. This pharmacy is very famous in Yishui City. It's just that their medicine is also sold very expensively. I've actually never stepped foot inside their place even once before."
"Surnamed Feng as well..."
"Yes, they're family with that manager. But I heard that Manager Feng wasn't originally a member of the Feng family and didn't bear the surname Feng. He used to be a servant of the Feng family, and was later granted the family surname by his masters."
"Hmm..." Shi Lei nodded, his thoughts drifting.
"That Feng family is a major clan. Tianyuan Pharmacy not only has a presence in Yishui City, but they also have branch houses in other nearby towns and cities."
"Hmm..." Shi Lei responded faintly once more...
...
Shi Lei and Xizi walked back along the path they had taken earlier, soon returning to the small pharmacy they had spotted previously.Sure enough, the small shop was already open for business.
Shi Lei and Xizi slowly walked into the nameless little pharmacy.
There were two people inside the shop.
A young girl, estimated to be younger than both him and Xizi, wore a plain cyan dress with her dark hair tied back in a simple knot, revealing clear and bright eyes.
At that moment, she was organizing the medicine cabinet, her movements light and practiced as she tidied and dusted the shelves up and down...
Meanwhile, at a desk not far away, an elderly man sat. The old man looked extremely thin, with a head of white hair and a white beard, quietly sitting to the side, waiting for patients and customers to arrive.
Seeing customers enter the shop, a surge of joy welled up inside him. However, when the old man saw the ragged attire of Shi Lei and Xizi, a trace of disappointment and gloom flickered in his eyes.
Even so, the old man did not drive Shi Lei and Xizi away. He simply asked calmly, "Are the two of you here to see a doctor?"
"No, I am here to sell medicine," Shi Lei replied.
"Buy medicine? Do you have a prescription?" the old man asked again.
"No, I am here to sell medicine," Shi Lei repeated, making the word "sell" even clearer and louder.
"Oh, what kind of medicine? Let me see it," the old man finally heard him clearly, looking somewhat surprised at the two tattered figures before him.
"Alright, Elder Huang. Please take a look..."
Shi Lei took two small wooden boxes from his bosom, placed them gently on the desk, and slowly pushed one of them toward the old man.
The wooden boxes had been carved out of ordinary wood by Shi Lei using his own True Qi, prepared well in advance.
Last night, while Xizi was fast asleep, Shi Lei had taken out two of the most ordinary, lowest-grade mature ginseng plants from the soil of the Vine House Space and sealed them inside the wooden boxes. Everything had been prepared long ago.
The old man took the wooden box and opened it. His eyes lit up instantly, and he hurriedly leaned closer, examining it back and forth, over and over again with meticulous care...
After a long while...
Seeing how intently the old man was looking, the young girl nearby grew curious and also leaned in to take a look.
For a moment, the shop was dead silent, not a single person speaking a word.
Although Xizi was not very familiar with this old man, he did know him. Because the medicines sold in this pharmacy were reasonably priced, most of the poor families in the surrounding area came to him to seek medical help.
After a long time with no response from the old man, Xizi knew Shi Lei was here to sell medicinal herbs, but he could not understand why the old man kept studying this ginseng over and over again. Finally, unable to hold back any longer, he asked impatiently, "Elder Huang, say something. How is my friend's medicinal herb?"
"Ah... Oh, oh, I'm sorry, I'm sorry. This—this is simply incredible." Elder Huang was holding the wooden box tightly, reluctant to let it go for the longest time, his eyes still fixed intently on the ginseng inside the box, stuttering as he spoke.
"Grandpa, what's wrong?" the young girl asked with concern.
Only upon hearing his granddaughter's question did Elder Huang snap back to his senses. He slowly closed the medicine box, placed it gently back onto the desk, and then stared fixedly at Shi Lei, asking, "Little brother, where did you get this medicine...?"
"What's wrong, Elder? Is there a problem with this medicine?" Elder Huang's question left Shi Lei somewhat puzzled.
Although these two ginseng plants were ordinary, Shi Lei had checked them beforehand; they had grown quite normally within the Vine House Space. Furthermore, they had not been bitten or damaged by any pests, and the plants were entirely intact. Logically speaking, there shouldn't be any problems.
"No, no, there's nothing wrong with the medicine. I mean the medicine is simply too good. I'm just very curious about how you grew this ginseng. You didn't cultivate it yourself, did you?"
"What?! What did you say?!" Shi Lei's heart was shaken with alarm. He had no idea why Elder Huang was able to tell that these ginseng herbs had been cultivated by him. Could this Elder Huang have discovered the secret of his Vine House Space?
For a moment, panic gripped Shi Lei's heart. Pressing his hands down on the armrests of his chair, he sprang to his feet with a sudden *whoosh*.