Chapter 20: Encounter

Wang Jiao stood on the side, holding his breath.

He had heard someone say that someone from the Qi family was looking for him, thinking it was young master Qi. However, when he entered the study, he discovered it was Qi Xing! This joke was a bit too much.

Huangsha Star’s first pharmacist, a fifth-level warrior, and the manager of the Qi family pharmacy Each of these three titles was a handful, not to mention the fact that the person in front of him was a three-in-one enhanced version.

With this in mind, Wang Jiao moved to the corner again, afraid of inadvertently offending this sir.

“My son took a box of ointment from you yesterday, right?” Qi Xing slowly spoke.

Looking for him for the ointment? Wang Jiao was momentarily puzzled. “Yes, that’s true.”

“Where did the ointment come from?”

Wang Jiao’s facial expression twitched, but he dared not remain silent. He answered reluctantly, “It was forcefully given by someone.”

Forcefully given? Qi Xing commanded, “Tell me the whole story from beginning to end.”

Wang Jiao immediately recounted the incident of being extorted when he went outside the city.

Three hundred credits? The price was very cheap. Why force it?

Qi Xing pondered for a moment and asked, “Is the person still outside the city now?”

“I don’t know; it’s been a long time since I passed by there,” Wang Jiao replied. Since being extorted, he didn’t want to go through that city gate again, even if it meant taking a detour. After all, there were four city gates in total, making travel convenient.

“You’ll stay with the Qi family for these days. We’ll cover your meals and accommodation, and you’ll be paid a daily wage. I want you to wander around the city and outside with people until you find the one who extorted you.”

Wang Jiao was pleased to hear this. He had long wanted revenge!

But soon, he began to hesitate again. “The ones selling the ointment were a man and a woman. The woman was only second-level, but the man was powerful, instantly overpowering me. He should be at a fifth-level proficiency.”

Qi Xing frowned. The highest rank in Huangsha Star was a seventh-level warrior. He knew everyone from the fifth level to the seventh level, but he hadn’t heard of anyone at the fifth level making medicine on their own.

“Don’t worry about that; I’ll send a fifth-level warrior to accompany you.”

“I can’t repay you for the ointment, but you can receive five bottles of hemostatic powder from the Qi family pharmacy as compensation. Also, if you can help me find that man and woman,” Qi Xing stared at Wang Jiao intently, emphasizing each word, “there will be a substantial reward.”

Wang Jiao, hearing this, became excited as if injected with chicken blood. As long as there was money, everything else could go to hell!

He immediately pledged, “I will definitely find them.”

**

After a few days of reconnaissance, Tang Xin selected a good spot to set up her stall. It was not too far from home, with a decent flow of people, all ranging from levels two to three, making it suitable in every aspect.

Early in the morning, she brought her bodyguards and ten boxes of ointment to seize the location. Fortunately, no one was there when they arrived, so Tang Xin quickly spread out the cloth.

“Are you new here?” a young girl next to her suddenly asked after observing for a while.

“Yes, I’m a newcomer. Please take care of me in the future,” Tang Xin replied with a smile.

The girl sighed. “Newcomers are inexperienced. Quickly pack up your things and stand. The guard team will come to collect taxes soon.”

Tang Xin was stunned. “Isn’t the tax based on the transaction volume? Why do we have to pay so early in the morning before opening?”

“I reminded you because we’re all girls. Otherwise, I wouldn’t bother. It’s called a tax, but it’s actually a stall fee. It’s twenty credits per day, per stall. After you pay the guard team, they will give you a voucher with the date, proving that you’ve paid for today. Otherwise, if you set up a stall in one place in the morning and another in the afternoon, it would be too easy for tax evasion,” the girl explained.

“Then there’s no need to specially pack up; I’ll pay the stall fee anyway,” Tang Xin said, confused.

The girl snorted, “Isn’t it because some people think they have a lot of money and are willing to give the guard team extra benefits? If someone covets your spot and secretly gives money to the guard team, even if you pay twenty credits, they won’t let you set up a stall here.”

Tang Xin was speechless. It seemed there were tricks even in setting up a stall.

Unable to help it, she obediently packed up her things and stood there, chatting with people. “Isn’t Huangsha Star a small place without federal influence? What’s the deal with the guard team?”

The girl looked at her strangely and asked, “Are you from out of town? Huangsha Star is a federal military base, but no one collects a large sum of money in taxes every year. Isn’t that asking for trouble? So, several capable families proactively united and formed a guard team. It sounds similar to the federal guard team, but in reality, it’s completely different. They take the money and don’t interfere. If there’s a fight on the street, they let it happen, and after it’s over, the guard team cleans up the mess.”

It should be noted that the federal official guard team takes real action. Anyone fighting in public is arrested without exception.

“Thanks.” Knowing these things was very helpful to her. Tang Xin thanked her and threw a twenty-credit coin over as a gesture of gratitude.

The girl caught the coin, looked at the denomination, and her expression softened a bit. She didn’t expect the newcomer to be so sensible, not in vain for her reminder.

“Make sure to keep the voucher the guard team gives you. The guard team goes around seven or eight times a day, and they don’t recognize faces, only vouchers. If you lose the voucher, you have to pay again to buy a new one to continue setting up your stall, or else you’ll have to leave,” the girl advised.

Tang Xin was amazed. “If you lose the voucher several times a day, wouldn’t you end up losing a lot of money?”

The girl sneered, “Isn’t it just for the sake of money? Otherwise, where would such a cunning idea come from.”

After all, the one with the strongest fist had the final say.

At this moment, Tang Xin was particularly grateful that she had found a level-five warrior as a guard. “I’m counting on you.”

“Don’t worry,” Yan Hao said indifferently.

Though his words were few, a sense of security arose as he stood behind her.

Fortunately, Tang Xin had good luck. After handing over twenty credits, the guard team gave her a paper with a stamped seal, and without much explanation, they left.

Tang Xin guessed that probably no one was interested in her spot.

After the guard team left, she calmly spread out the cloth again and began setting up her stall.

Before long, Yan Hao couldn’t help but ask her, “Aren’t you afraid of attracting attention?”

After all, reality was different from the Star Network. It was difficult to know the true identity of the shop owner on the Star network, but in reality, people could be caught. Ever since he learned that his master was a divine doctor, he had been somewhat worried.

“Of course, I’m afraid,” Tang Xin answered without hesitation. “That’s why I only sell one type of medicine. I didn’t dare to bring out other medicines. What if someone gets jealous and wants to grab me to torture and ask for the formula?”

Yan Hao lost his temper. His master probably thought that selling only one type of medicine wouldn’t attract too much attention.

“Perhaps someone noticed the hemostatic ointment and wanted to find you,” he suggested.

“Selling only one type of medicine, and they still want trouble? Are they so bored and idle? How shallow-minded can they be?” Tang Xin widened her eyes, getting angrier as she thought about it. “Are they going to let people live? I’m already living low-key, only selling the most basic healing medicine. If I don’t sell medicine, should we both starve? Fine, queuing up to buy medicine is acceptable, but if someone dares to come and cause trouble, I’m not easy to deal with either.”

“Sell your medicine; I’m here,” Yan Hao said calmly.

He began to feel that settling in Huangsha was probably a blessing in disguise. Huang Sha Xing was remote and economically disadvantaged, and there were likely fewer experts.

Tang Xin muttered in her heart. It sounded good now; she hoped that when faced with danger, the words spoken would be put into action.

Considering the miserable experience of setting up a stall outside the city, Tang Xin was mentally prepared for a prolonged struggle. She didn’t expect anyone to come knocking on her door within a day or two.

So when someone stood in front of her, inquiring about the ointment, she was surprised and speechless.

When the person saw her not responding, they asked again, “What is this? Can I open a box to see?”

Tang Xin nodded. “Go ahead.”

The person casually chose a box and opened it carefully. As soon as they saw it, they were immediately stunned.

The color and smell of this ointment—how could it be so similar to the Tang Clan hemostatic ointment on the Star Network?

This person was none other than Lan Yuan.

Having sat in front of the screen for several days, about to refresh in a short while, even he, upon seeing the screen, felt nauseous.

Hearing that his brother had reached an agreement with another buyer and put the ointment on the shelves, Lan Yuan cheered. He no longer wanted to sit in front of the screen!

His brother saw him working hard for several days and indeed helped a lot, showing unusual kindness by giving him 5,000 credits as a reward.

With the credits in hand, Lan Yuan didn’t want to continue browsing the screen. Afraid he might vomit, he decided to go out for a walk.

Coincidentally passing by Tang Xin’s stall, as he walked past, he happened to glance at it. He couldn’t help but stop in his tracks; the bamboo box looked too similar, as if it were produced from the same mold. That’s when he decided to inquire.

“How much for a box?” Lan Yuan asked.

“Three hundred credits.”

Strangely, why is it cheaper than on the Star network? Should I buy it? Lan Yuan’s chubby face was full of hesitation.

“The price is reasonable; don’t miss out as you pass by,” Tang Xin added some effort to promote.

If the items were genuine, they wouldn’t be expensive. But if he bought all the ointments at once, would he scare away the stall owner?

In the past few days, Lan Yuan has been dragged around by his brother. Every now and then, he heard his brother talk about how the Tang Clan shop owner was like a fox, hiding very well without leaving any traces.

Got it! Lan Yuan came up with a good idea. He pretended to be hesitant and said, “I really want this, but I didn’t bring so much money. How about this? I’ll buy one box first and go back to get the money. You wait here for a while, and I’ll be back soon.”

Lan Yuan thought to himself, Buy one box first to inspect it. If the item is the same, he will come back later with his brother. If it’s not the same, he’ll see how effective it is. If it works well, he’ll buy two more boxes; if not, he’ll just buy one more box. In any case, it’s just a small waste of money.

Since he accidentally found the Tang Clan hemostatic ointment, his brother no longer scolded him for spending money. Instead, he praised him, saying that if he could find good things, spending a little money was worth it.

Now, isn’t spending a little money an opportunity to encounter luck?

Really smart! He even admired himself. How could he come up with such a great idea? And it wouldn’t attract attention.

Tang Xin looked at him strangely but agreed, “Okay. But I won’t wait here for too long, so hurry.”

“Alright.” Lan Yuan agreed with a swift response, quickly took out the money, grabbed the ointment, and started running back home.

“Something’s not right from the very beginning; who are you trying to deceive?” Watching Lan Yuan’s departing figure, Tang Xin muttered to herself, “No bargaining; it seems like you know the ointment. You don’t mention any of that, and when I say hurry, you don’t even argue; you just run away. How much do you really want this ointment?”

“It’s probably someone sent from the online store,” Yan Hao reminded.

Tang Xin was bewildered. Could it be that what Yan Hao said was true? Is she selling hemostatic ointment alone, and others want to talk to her about it?