Chapter 30 Pill
Chapter 30 Pill
In the next few days, Chen Yuan practiced martial arts during the day and invited Yu Zhenchuan to drink at night. He wandered around and immersed himself in the prosperity of the county town, reluctant to leave.
On the sixth day, Chen Yuan reported to Wei Wuding that he had taken the marrow refining pill and broke through to the marrow refining realm.
Wei Wuding was very happy to hear the news, and immediately arranged for Chen Yuan to be the commander of the Baibingtang guard team, with thirty skin-refining warriors and two bone-refining warriors under him, one of whom was Yu Zhenchuan.
Chen Yuan naturally expressed his loyalty again, which made Wei Wuding praise him again.
Just three days after Chen Yuan took office as the commander of the guard team, he followed Wei Wuding into the Chimang Mountains.
Like the branch hall in Leping County, the main hall in the county town also did business with bandits, and on a much larger scale, with a single transaction involving several thousand or even tens of thousands of taels of silver.
In addition, the headquarters also had dealings with businesses in Qingzhou, and often had to transport ironware through Yuanpingxing, which also required guards to accompany them.
These transactions involve huge amounts and are usually led by three deacons, and sometimes even a deputy hall master is required to lead the team.
This time, Wei Wuding led the team to trade with a large village in the Chimang Mountains.
It took the convoy ten days to return to the county town.
In the past, Chen Yuan had to escort a convoy into the mountains in Leping County, which only took three or four days to do business with the bandits on the edge of the Chimang Mountains.
But the main hall's patrons are all from large villages, and it takes at least a hundred miles to get deep into the mountains, which can barely be considered deep in the mountains, and it takes longer.
Fortunately, it was just a little tiring on the way, and I didn't fight with anyone along the way.
According to the rules, after Wei Wuding leads his men on this trip, they can rest for twenty days to a month. If there is another transaction, the other two deacons will lead the team.
On the night he returned to the county town, Chen Yuan activated the starlight to infuse his body, swallowed the pill, and felt his strength increased, and the depression in his heart was slightly relieved.
While escorting the convoy, he lived with his fellow warriors and was unable to activate the starlight infusion, so he could only wait until now.
Chen Yuan put away the jade pendant, looked at the empty jade bottle in his hand, and shook his head.
After getting these three bottles of pills from the cave, Chen Yuan not only used them to infuse his body with starlight, but also used them to assist in his daily cultivation. After more than ten days, he had already used up one bottle.
If it is an ordinary internal force warrior, he takes one pill every five days, and this bottle of pills is enough for fifty days.
But each time Chen Yuan infuses his body with starlight, it is like a pill. His body is stronger than that of ordinary internal force warriors. One pill can only keep the blood in his body active for three days. The pill is consumed very quickly, and a bottle of pills can be used up in half a month.
If he didn't buy new pills, the remaining two bottles of pills would only be enough for him to spend for one month.
Fortunately, Chen Yuan had silver in his hands, and as long as he had silver, he would never lack pills.
……
The next day, Chen Yuan quietly walked out of the courtyard and came to Jieyuanfang, not far from Chongxinfang.
Jieyuanfang got its name from the fact that a Jieyuan scholar was born there a hundred years ago. It is two streets away from Chongxinfang and only takes a quarter of an hour to walk there.
The people living in Jieyuanfang are all ordinary people. The gate of the block is wide open and there are many pedestrians. Chen Yuan blends in among them and is inconspicuous.
Many of the houses in Jieyuanfang are rented to outsiders who come to the county town to make a living. It is a mixed crowd, with few locals. Outsiders can easily integrate into the community.
Chen Yuan walked for a quarter of an hour and stopped at the door of a house in the southwest corner of the town.
This is a two-story courtyard with a locked gate and a plaque with the words "Xie Mansion" inscribed on it.
Chen Yuan took out a copper key, opened the door and walked in. The courtyard was clean and tidy, and the main hall was closed.
He walked into a side room. The room was clean and all the furniture was newly purchased.
This courtyard is one of the three houses owned by Xie Quan in the county town.
Before Chen Yuan followed Wei Wuding into the mountains, he seemed to be strolling around the county town, but in fact he got to know the environment of the county town and secretly checked the four mansions in the hands of Manager Li and Xie Quan.
These four houses are uninhabited and are cleaned and tidied up regularly by people from the dental clinic.
Chen Yuan showed the property deeds at the brokerage firm and took the keys from the broker. From then on, these four houses became his property.
In the following days, Chen Yuan spent money and asked his broker to buy some daily necessities, and carefully decorated the four houses in case of emergency.
There would definitely be something fishy if this matter was handed over to the broker, but Chen Yuan had just arrived in the county town and had no connections. It would be very conspicuous if he went to buy it himself, so the broker could only make the money.
The other three properties are far away from Chongxinfang, and this two-courtyard house is the closest, and Chen Yuan has purchased the most things here.
He took off his clothes, removed a ring on his right hand, put on a loose grey shirt and black boots, put on a bamboo hat, and held a ring-handled sword in his hand. He suddenly became an idle warrior that could be seen everywhere in the world.
This ring was made by Chen Yuan in a blacksmith shop before he entered the mountains. It was gray and inconspicuous, and contained a strange silver thread that he got from Manager Li.
The previous ring was worn by Manager Li all year round, and Chen Yuan did not dare to show it in front of others.
Apart from Baibingtang, there was no blacksmith shop in Leping County that could make sophisticated mechanisms. He could only wait until he arrived at the county town and renovate it.
Fortunately, Manager Li has never used the strange silver thread in front of others, so if he used it, it would not arouse suspicion.
After finishing his dressing, Chen Yuan looked at himself in the mirror again to make sure there were no flaws. He then left the house and walked out of Jieyuanfang holding a black face towel.
He walked low-key among the crowd and arrived at East Street after a quarter of an hour.
East Street is more prosperous during the day than at night. The streets are crowded with people and noisy, and every shop on the street is crowded with people.
Chen Yuan turned into an alley, covered his mouth and nose with a black scarf, and walked into a medicine shop with a plaque that read "Jishitang".
This pharmacy is huge, with a counter about three meters long and seven or eight servants serving customers.
Most of them came to see a doctor and get medicine. The masked Chen Yuan walked in, very conspicuous, attracting many people's attention.
The servant was also stunned for a moment and asked:
"Is this guest here to consult a doctor?"
Chen Yuan said in a hoarse voice:
"I want to buy some pills."
"Sir, please follow me."
Chen Yuan followed the servant into a corridor and came to a quiet room.
Sitting in the room was a middle-aged man in his forties with a goatee and wearing a brocade robe. When he saw Chen Yuan, he stood up to greet him.
"Manager Wang, this guest wants to buy some medicinal pills." The servant said respectfully, then left the room and closed the door.
The middle-aged man saluted Chen Yuan and said:
"I am Wang Ruyi, the manager of Jishitang. I wonder what kind of elixir you would like to buy?"
Chen Yuan sat down opposite him and said in a hoarse voice:
"A pill that can be used by internal strength warriors to strengthen their foundation and replenish their essence."
The middle-aged man smiled and became more respectful. He said:
"The Gu Yuan Dan that our hall provides for internal strength warriors is also well-known in Yuzhou. The medicinal power is mild and pure. I guarantee that you will be satisfied. I wonder how much you need?"
"Take out the pills first."
"Please wait a moment, sir."
The middle-aged man turned and walked out of the room. After a while, he came back with a jade bottle and handed it to Chen Yuan.
Chen Yuan opened the jade bottle and poured a black pill from the bottle into his palm. A familiar scent of the pill rushed into his nose, exactly the same as the pill he got from the cave.
Chen Yuan put the pill back into the jade bottle, gently placed it on the table, and said in a rough voice:
"How much is a bottle?"
The middle-aged man replied:
"Ten pills in a bottle, market price two hundred taels of silver."
"If I buy a few more bottles, can I get it cheaper?"
The middle-aged man smiled and said:
"It depends on how much you want. The medicinal materials used in Guyuan Pills are quite precious, and it takes a lot of energy for the alchemist to prepare them. If you only want to buy two or three bottles, it will be difficult to lower the price."
Chen Yuan said calmly:
"I want five bottles."
The middle-aged man's eyes lit up and he said:
"If you want five bottles, you can get a discount of ten taels of silver for each bottle."
Chen Yuan frowned:
"Can't there be more?"
The middle-aged man apologized:
"This is the rule set by the hall. We can only reduce this much. Please forgive me."
Chen Yuan said:
"The Shennong Hall of the Fuhu Gang should also have Guyuan Pills for sale, right?"
The middle-aged man's eyes changed slightly and said:
"Shennongtang naturally also has Guyuan Pills for sale, but the market price of Guyuan Pills is so high, and Shennongtang will only reduce the price by so much per bottle. Why would you make another trip?"
Chen Yuan nodded, took out a banknote from his pocket and put it on the table:
"This is one thousand taels of silver. I want five bottles of Gu Yuan Dan."
The middle-aged man smiled and said:
"Sir, wait a moment. Let me check it out."
"Please."
The middle-aged man picked up the banknote from the table, checked it carefully, nodded, put the banknote back on the table, and said:
"Sir, please wait a moment. I will go get the Gu Yuan Dan."
After saying that, he left the room, and a quarter of an hour later, he returned with a wooden box.
He placed the wooden box on the table and opened it. Inside were five jade bottles neatly arranged, lined with soft silk.
"Please check the pills, sir. We will not be responsible after you leave."
Chen Yuan took out the jade bottle, opened it one by one, and examined it carefully.
The middle-aged man was not in a hurry and just waited quietly by the side.
It took Chen Yuan a full quarter of an hour to check the fifty pills one by one. After making sure there were no problems, he handed the silver note to the middle-aged man.
He took Chen Yuan's banknote, took out a fifty-liang banknote from his pocket, handed it to Chen Yuan with both hands, and said with a smile:
"Please keep it, sir."
Chen Yuan took it and examined it carefully before putting it in his arms. He picked up the wooden box and said in a rough voice:
"Jishitang is indeed one of the largest medicine shops in Xin'an County. They never cheat strangers. If I need medicine again in the future, I will come again."
The middle-aged man smiled even more, took out a jade token, handed it to Chen Yuan with both hands, and said:
"This hall has been operating in Xin'an County for more than 30 years. We are honest and fair, and we guarantee that we will not let you suffer any loss. With this sign, you can enjoy VIP treatment in all branches of this hall. Please accept it."
Chen Yuan took the jade and looked at the card carefully. He saw the word "Ji" written on it. The jade was fine and delicate, with beautiful patterns. It was obviously made of fine white jade.
He put away the jade token, and with the respectful farewell of the middle-aged man, he left Jishidiang and disappeared into the bustling crowd.
Two quarters of an hour later, Chen Yuan quietly returned to Xie's house, changed out of his casual warrior's attire, and transformed himself into a deacon of the Baibing Hall's guard team.
He took out the wooden box and looked at the five bottles of Guyuan Dan he had just obtained, with a smile on his face.
Jishidiang is a drugstore opened by the Sanjiang Gang, dealing in medicinal materials and elixirs. It stands on equal footing with the Shennongtang of the Fuhu Gang in Xin'an County and is well-known.
Chen Yuan wandered around the county town for a few days and after learning about Jishidiang, he decided to buy some elixirs from here.
He broke through to the Marrow Refining Realm and was appointed by Wei Wuding as the leader of the Baibing Hall's guard team. He also had the feat of slashing Jiang Feng with a knife and was quite famous in the Fuhu Gang. If he went to Shennong Hall to buy elixirs, there would be a risk of being recognized.
Jishidiang and Shennongtang are sworn enemies. No one would ever think that a marrow-refining warrior from the Fuhu Gang would go to Jishidiang to buy elixirs.
Moreover, Jishidiang has been operating in Yuzhou for many years, with branches in all counties and prefectures, and has an excellent reputation. It is impossible for them to do something unfavorable to him and ruin his reputation just because of this business of one thousand taels, so you can trade with him with confidence.
From then on, Chen Yuan no longer had to worry about elixirs.
He took five bottles of Guyuan Dan and returned to the courtyard of Chongxinfang, where he calmed his mind and concentrated on practicing martial arts.
(End of this chapter)