Unable to pass the examination for Imperial Alchemist ans there won’t be money to build a school for the village. Those poor children are probably going to be disappointed again.
As Feng Chuo walked, he lanted and wallowed in self-pity, and before he knew it, he found himself in Fengqiao Alley.
"How did I end up here?" Feng Chuo had previously taken herbs gathered from the mountains to sell in the city, mostly to pharmacies such as Yongchun Hall. He truly didn’t know that this inconspicuous residential alley also hid a small pharmacy.
Looking at the barely visited small pharmacy, a woman in her twenties was sitting by the door with a ledger in hand, busy making notes.
"Boss, how much for a dose of Clear Heart Powder?" A city resident ca by, inquiring the price of Clear Heart Powder.
"One Gold Coin," the young woman answered indifferently, not bothering to get up to greet the custor.
One Gold Coin? Feng Chuo swallowed hard. Goodness, the ingredients for ten packs of Clear Heart Powder only cost a copper coin. This little pharmacy was really overcharging; even the prices at Yongchun Hall were much more reasonable.
"Buy it or not, don’t block the entrance if you’re not buying," the young woman scolded impatiently, her gaze shifting towards where Feng Chuo had co from as if waiting for soone.
"How about a little cheaper, like eight copper coins?" The other party was still hoping for a better deal.
"Well, you’ll get the amount for eight copper coins," the young woman responded briskly, swiftly portioning out two parts from the Clear Heart Powder and tossed the rest to the custor.
The custor’s face darkened at once, but it seed he had so reservations and didn’t feel like making a scene. He reluctantly left the eight copper coins and walked away.
"It’s about ti," the woman stood up and leisurely walked into the pharmacy. Shortly after, she returned holding several dicine bottles in her hand.
Just as the young woman stepped out, Feng Chuo heard a thunderous sound of footsteps from behind. His shoulder was forcefully bumped, causing him to stagger backward several steps.
"Scholar, don’t stand in the way of the lords," a few dark-faced, stout n burst out from behind, each one rushing forward as if afraid of being late. They reached the woman, waving their Dan Xuan Cards in hand.
"I arrived first; the Spirit Pill should be mine,"
"Miss Hongyao clearly touched my Dan Xuan Card first, the deal is sealed when the money is paid,"
"Nonsense, our Tianxiong rcenary Group made a reservation for this batch of Spirit Pills with Miss Hongyao a month ago,"
All these people were dressed in similar attire, ard with swords and wearing battle armor, and as they shouted at the top of their voices, it beca apparent they were all rcenaries.
"One at a ti, no rush. Those who paid the deposit will certainly get their dicine. For those who didn’t, be earlier next ti," the young woman seed accustod to such scenes, not anxious at all. She collected each card systematically, her eyes fleetingly glancing at the spot where Feng Chuo stood.
They were all rcenaries; this pharmacy actually did business with rcenaries exclusively.
Having witnessed such a scene, Feng Chuo felt inclined to leave. He was just an ordinary citizen, and in his eyes, these so-called rcenaries were nothing but a bunch of looters and bandits who committed endless atrocities.
This small pharmacy charges exorbitantly and deals with rcenaries; it must be no easy mark.
Feng Chuo walked out of the alley in low spirits and had only taken a few steps when he saw a peasant woman carrying a blue cloth basket with eggs and a boy at her side coming towards him.
"Lady Ah Yi, Ah Yi, what brings you here? What’s happened to Ah Yi’s leg?" Feng Chuo recognized the two people ahead of him as his villagers.
"Uncle Feng," Feng Chuo was well-liked in the village for he often taught the children to read and write, and it was he who personally taught Ah Yi how to write his na.
Feng Chuo found it strange to see Ah Yi limping because when he entered the city to participate in the Imperial Alchemist competition yesterday, he hadn’t noticed any injury on Ah Yi’s leg.
"The child’s too playful. This morning, while he was playing on the ridge at the edge of the village, he accidentally got bitten by a Wood-striped Snake," Lady Ah Yi’s eyes were still slightly swollen. Because Feng Chuo had entered the city a day early for the Imperial Alchemist exam, when Ah Yi was injured in broad daylight, the villagers had no one to turn to for dical attention, so they harnessed a bullock cart and sent the mother and son into the city.
After learning that "Alchemist Chen" was at Danlu, Lady Ah Yi hurried there, only to be turned away at the door of Qianbin Building.
"A Wood-striped Snake? That’s a formidable Dark Beast. Ah Yi, stop walking, sit down imdiately, let uncle take a look," upon hearing it was a Wood-striped Snake, Feng Chuo was also incredibly anxious. The petrifying poison of the Wood-striped Snake was formidable, and even if he had been in the village at that ti, he might not have been able to save Ah Yi.
"Uncle Feng, it’s alright now. I t a female fairy, she gave so water and rice porridge to drink, and I was all cured. Look, I can even jump around without any problems now," Ah Yi, still a child, had already forgotten the earlier ordeal and began hopping around Feng Chuo cheerfully.
"Ah Yi, don’t be rude. Your Uncle Feng is tired too, let him go back to the village to rest," seeing Feng Chuo’s dispirited look, Lady Ah Yi knew he must have failed the Alchemist exam and didn’t inquire further about the results.
Feng Chuo, still worried, insisted on sitting Ah Yi down to examine his wound carefully. Seeing the faint blood scab that had ford over the wound on his foot, he affird that there was indeed no serious harm. He then felt for Ah Yi’s pulse and ridians, finding to his surprise that Ah Yi’s heartbeat and ridians were even more robust than before.
"Lady Ah Yi, who saved Ah Yi? And what about the rice porridge and water he ntioned?" Feng Chuo knew the severity of the Wood-striped Snake’s venom and that without an elixir, Ah Yi’s legs would have never been saved.
"We t a kind-hearted person. She gave Ah Yi so stalactite to drink," Lady Ah Yi couldn’t recall the na ’Dragon Saliva Stalactite’ and only knew the Elixir Liquid given by Yue Jinghua as stalactite.
"Dragon Saliva Stalactite! Who was that person?" Feng Chuo was further astonished, wondering who this kind person was to use sothing as precious as Dragon Saliva Stalactite to save Ah Yi from a humble background.
"Yue Jinghua, I heard she’s Alchemist Yue. Just now I asked around, and they said Alchemist Yue’s pharmacy is right here. We don’t have much money at ho, so I brought so of our own eggs as a thank you to Alchemist Yue," Lady Ah Yi said, sowhat embarrassed. She knew Yue Jinghua was from Lie Family Mansion and had initially planned to take the eggs there, but the guards, fierce and nacing, drove her away and almost broke her basket.
Fortunately, a beautiful woman ca out from the mansion and gave her directions, telling her to take the eggs to the small pharmacy in Fengqiao Lane.
"Yue Jinghua? Lady Ah Yi, when you t her, was it around Noon, and was Alchemist Yue the young girl dressed in White Armor?" Feng Chuo’s heart trembled, realizing that Yue Jinghua was late because she was saving the villagers.
"Brother Feng!" Seeing Feng Chuo as if possessed, turning around and running back down the alley, Lady Ah Yi couldn’t help but call out several tis.
Feng Chuo ran forward briskly, his heart suddenly bright with realization. He knew that just ahead, not far away, lay a whole new future waiting for him.
Feng Chuo did not know that his decision today would subject him to being milked for the next several centuries by the two most important won in his life.
Years later, when everyone was curious why this simple man, known as the "Edison" of the Alchemy Master World, would walk alongside the two least moral and most cunning won of the Plane, an old Feng Chuo would smile and say: "eting them was the greatest fortune of my life."
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