NOVEL NEXT Chapter 17: Chapter 16 Trickery and Expensive Drugs
"Is it really Ghost Hand Wu Tian from the Black Mountain Bandits' sixth leader?"
Lin Ziqi's voice was originally very low.
Because of his excitement, this sentence came out much clearer than intended.
Zhou Ping'an's heart trembled slightly; his left foot, which had just reached the doorway, silently retracted.
And at that moment, he stopped external breathing and switched to internal breathing.
Without a speck of dust disturbed, he slowly retreated backwards.
"If it's false, I dare Commander Lin to chop off my head."
Tang Lin'er's voice reached his ears, and despite the brick wall between them, his sincerity and credibility could still be discerned.
"Good, very good. If this matter succeeds, I will definitely not treat you unfairly.
We mustn't delay. Find an excuse to pack up and set out with me immediately. Do not alarm anyone.
Oh yes, about the intricacies of the Gentle Water Eight Stances, I do have some insights.
Combined with the Wave-Cleaving Sword Art, there's another trick to it. We could discuss this amongst ourselves."
That was a promise.
"Thank you, Commanding Officer. I shall take my leave immediately..."
No matter how calm Tang Lin'er's voice was, it brimmed with joy.
Zhou Ping'an retreated quite a distance, and could no longer hear the subsequent conversation clearly.
But he didn't feel the least bit regretful.
He didn't want to get involved either.
He was here to learn, not to get entangled in the struggles between the Red Lotus Army and the government, or the secret infighting of the Lin Residence.
His own power was not yet strong enough.
If he led the charge, he'd die faster than anyone.
So why bother?
Why not lay low and develop first?
Tang Lin'er obviously didn't think so.
Maybe it was the setback he encountered while learning the Gentle Water Eight Stance Method that infuriated him.
Or perhaps his nature was inherently filled with a strong penchant for taking risks...
If there was no opportunity, he would create one to climb up the ranks.
It was unclear what kind of story he had spun to so easily win over Lin Ziqi and get involved in an operation.
...
Only after watching Tang Lin'er leave the courtyard did Zhou Ping'an continue forward, pretending to have just arrived.
The moment he saw Zhou Ping'an, Tang Lin'er's expression turned bitter, as he sighed, "Brother Zhou, this won't do, we've offended Wei Dazui and can't get any pointers, let alone an opportunity to learn Chopping Wave Knife...
In a while, if we fail the assessment, I'm afraid we won't even be able to keep our current positions."
"Does Brother Tang have any ideas?"
Zhou Ping'an quickly joined in the sighing.
Thinking to himself, aren't you already on your way, even the Wave-Cleaving Sword Art is almost in your grasp.
Why do you appear so disheartened?
What's your reason?
"I've heard that Baicao Hall is discreetly reaching out to our batch of newly appointed guardians and house servants, offering a generous reward..."
Tang Lin'er leaned in closer, his voice as faint as a mosquito.
"Brother Zhou might want to consider it carefully."
Damn.
Zhou Ping'an thought he had Tang Ergou figured out, but it turned out he had underestimated him.
"Brother Tang, I can't hear you clearly... I've been under the weather these past few days, a bit of tinnitus, didn't sleep well last night either.
I need to go back and lie down for a bit. We'll talk another day if there's anything."
Zhou Ping'an covered his forehead, his complexion pale, and his figure wobbly as he excused himself and left.
Tang Lin'er looked surprised.
The other's complexion indeed looked terrible.
His face showed signs of physical weakness and exhaustion, seemingly stricken by a lack of Qi and blood.
For a moment, he really couldn't tell if Zhou Ping'an had heard his words or not.
A shadow flickered in his eyes as he turned and left.
...
Upon entering the East Cross Courtyard, Zhou Ping'an did not actually lie down to rest.
His physical weakness was real.
But so was his mental alertness...
What he needed was not more sleep.
But to find a way to replenish his body's nutrition.
He touched the several small, hard jade vials he had been keeping in his chest and decided to take a bit of a risk.
...
Zhou Ping'an left the Lin Residence through the side door.
At the end of the long street, after turning two more roads, he entered a square.
The square featured bluestone pavement, with opulent buildings not far away.
Below the white jade staircase, two azure stone lions stood erect...
Not far from there, there was a bulletin board, where some young men dressed as scholars were shaking their heads and discussing something.
A few black-clad constables, hands on the hilts of their swords, their gazes sharp as eagles, patrolled the area back and forth.
They seemed very diligent.
This place was, of course, the County Yamen.
Zhou Ping'an came here not to interact with the official government.
He had neither significant identity nor status.
He didn't even have a stance.
He was merely a visitor from another world, striving for survival out of the necessity to make a living.
The reason for his visit was that Taihe Street was located here, in the bustling heart of Qingyang City.
The Lin Family's Precious Medicine Pharmacy was also located here.
...
"Distinguished guest, please come in. Do you have a preferred medicine..."
As Zhou Ping'an set foot in the gorgeously decorated and luxurious Precious Pharmacy, a middle-aged woman with a forced smile approached him.
Zhou Ping'an stopped in his tracks, almost thinking he had entered a brothel.
He hastily stepped back and checked the sign again—there was no mistake.
He could still smell a hint of medicinal fragrance in the air...
His expression turned somewhat odd.
They even have a receptionist now?
Although the woman was a bit older, her customer service was genuinely good.
However, when she saw the First-Class House Guardian uniform Zhou Ping'an was wearing,
even the most pleasant smile couldn't help but fade a bit.
Since ancient times,
workers have been unable to afford their company's high-end products.
Silkworm farmers can't buy the clothes woven from their own silk.
Builders often cannot live in the houses they construct themselves.
As a Protector for the Lin family, how could he possibly afford the Precious Medicine produced by the Lin Clan?
Approaching the counter and making casual inquiries, Zhou Ping'an soon fell silent.
"The Blood Fortifying Pill, only fifty taels of silver per pill, can save three months of hard training.
Especially for martial artists at the skin and flesh refining stages, it is of great assistance...
Since you are a guardian within our household, you're one of us, so we won't deceive you. We can offer you a discount of three taels of silver."
The woman introduced the medicine in a slow and detailed manner.
This pill would require five months' salary for a First-Class Guardian.
Seven months for a Second-Class Guardian.
Ten months for a Third-Class Guardian.
As for ordinary house servants, by scrimping and saving, it might take them three years to afford a single Blood Fortifying Pill.
Unaffordable, unaffordable.
Zhou Ping'an gave the middle-aged woman a sideways glance, suspecting that she was mocking him.
No wonder that when he first arrived, the Red Lotus Rebel Army was as crazily relentless as zombies...
This system of social distribution was indeed difficult to describe.
The gap between the poor and the rich was as vast as mountains and seas.
How could they not rebel?
One either risks their life for a better future,
or spend a lifetime trampled in the mud, working to death for just a morsel of food, with no guarantee against starvation.
Zhou Ping'an suddenly understood why the Red Lotus Army had such a formidable momentum.
Just a sub-branch of their forces was enough to make Guangning Prefecture suffocate.
'So many elixirs, aren't they afraid of being robbed?'
Zhou Ping'an didn't pay close attention to the woman's relentless spiel about other elixirs, instead, he carefully observed the people around him.
Besides the customers coming and going, as well as the various 'Sales Guides' accompanying them,
at both the east and west ends sat two middle-aged men dressed rather familiarly.
One man was vigorously smoking a pipe, holding an ancient scroll as if engrossed in reading.
The other was adjusting sugar coating, wrapping up small pills.
From their postures, demeanor, and the faint sense of danger emanating from them, Zhou Ping'an surmised that they were probably the Medicine Hall's Offerings for the Lin family.
They were Strength-Training Martial Masters.
Then there was no problem.