Chapter 40: Reflections, eh?

"Your subordinate has already dispatched all available manpower to search urgently. Please, Gang Leader, do not be anxious; we will certainly find clues regarding the Luoqi Pill."

"Very well." Ruan Xing ate another piece of iced watermelon with the help of a Maid, surprised that the variety of fruits in this era was actually quite rich. "Come see me the moment there is news."

"Yes."

After Hong Xi took his leave, Hu San arrived.

"You've been busy all day, you haven't eaten yet, right? Sit down and eat together." Ruan Xing pointed at the dining table to signal him to sit, then waved her hand to have all the Maids withdraw.

She had originally been about to eat dinner after waking up, but Zhang Chenghui had sent over these Maids who fed her snacks and fruit until she was half-full; she hadn't touched the food on the table much, and they had massaged her shoulders and legs and fanned her, making her so comfortable she didn't want to move.

Hu San had been sent by her in the morning to collect donations. Aside from those few who had spoken ill of her to her face and were heard, causing them to bleed heavily, other Guans, upon hearing the news, were so afraid of being noted down by the little demon and getting into trouble that they all donated anywhere from several hundred to over a thousand Silver. Now that everyone was donating, the remaining few who felt it had nothing to do with them had no choice but to donate as well.

Better to follow the crowd than to be a thorn in the side.

A life motto, nothing more than that. If one follows it honestly and earnestly, one can avoid eighty percent of unnecessary trouble.

There were over thirty Guans in total; even though Ruan Xing had laid off a dozen or so, the remaining ones were enough to keep Hu San busy, and since it was his first time doing such a thing, he lacked experience.

"Thank you for your concern, Miss." Hu San bowed and sat down, presenting the ledger he had organized.

Those in gangs did not have that concept of superior and inferior; if the Big Sister lets you sit at the same table to eat, that is a sign of her valuing you. Ruan Xing had always treated Hu San with great trust, even planning to take him along when she ran away, which made Hu San feel quite proud; he was the only confidant the Miss had.

Ruan Xing opened the ledger and scanned it roughly; the records were quite organized and clear. As she looked, Hu San added, "I have never been in contact with documents or accounting, so I don't really know how to record or organize them. It was Qiye who sent his men to help me and gave me some similar catalogs from the past for reference."

"Hmm, well done. But you are the Vice Gang Leader now, no need to call him Qiye anymore. If you're happy, call him Qi Ge; if not, call him Xiao Qi like I do. With me backing you, you can walk sideways in the Red Head Gang." Ruan Xing flipped to the last page and saw the total donation amount: thirteen thousand seven hundred Silver in total. Because of Ruan Xing's instructions, it was all in cash.

Hehe, luckily I didn't run away, otherwise wouldn't I have missed out on these ten-plus thousand?

She pointed to a line of text above and asked, "Zhao Sanniang has already donated five hundred Silver, why is Wang Dongxing's name still on here? He isn't a Guan, he donated three hundred Silver personally?"

"Yes, Wang Dongxing donated it in his personal capacity." Hu San was also a bit confused.

"How is he doing now? I've been too busy these past two days and forgot about him."

"His mother has given him some authority; he now has several shops in his hands, and his finances are much more comfortable. Among the Guans you ordered to be killed, one was his cousin's uncle. Although his cousin doesn't need to observe mourning for the uncle, the marriage is temporarily off the table. He is very happy and says your fortune-telling is very accurate, though he doesn't know when the last few sentences will come to pass." Hu San relayed the message honestly.

Ruan Xing chuckled. Originally, she had intended to groom Young Master Wang to use him when she went to the cave to kill the Hongtou Daoren, but she hadn't expected the Hongtou Daoren to appear in the city, which directly disrupted her plans and made Young Master Wang unnecessary.

He took the few sentences of male child psychology she calculated for him quite seriously, and he felt their relationship was close, so he asked for power.

It just so happened that she didn't have any trusted subordinates in the Red Head Gang, and Hu San, a Vice Gang Leader without a following, was both inexperienced and lacked men, and was just in need of people. "Carve out a piece from your territories and give him a position as a Guan. Let him work under you in the future. His mother taught him quite a bit, and he has experience; with his help, you can be much more relaxed."

Hu San hadn't really wanted to accept Lu Youqi's help, so upon hearing this, he felt relieved and said happily, "Yes, Miss. Also, when I went to collect those donations, some Guans tried to give me gifts, but I didn't accept them."

His expression looked like a big dog waiting for praise.

Ruan Xing rolled her eyes at him, amused. "Are you dense? Why didn't you accept? If they give it to you, just take it. With the money, you can set yourself up with a spacious private residence, buy some good clothes, and dress yourself more decently. You are the Vice Gang Leader now, and you represent my face, understand? Besides, if you accept the gifts, they will be at ease doing their work and won't be terrified every day that I might kill them, get it?"

Though it seemed normal; Hu San just had this personality. Even when he was at his lowest, he wouldn't accept the few coins Ruan Xing tried to bribe him with.

Wang Dongxing should understand these things; he was very good at giving gifts. When the time comes, she would have him chat with Hu San more and give him some pointers.

Hu San suddenly realized, showing an expression of having been taught. "Yes, this subordinate understands."

"There is one more thing..." Ruan Xing hesitated, not knowing if she should continue. Previously, she had temporarily dealt with the deadbeat father by letting him lie at home to recover from his injuries. Later, she was busy every day, and it was also very dangerous; one slight mistake and she would lose her life. If not for the Simulator, she would have died hundreds of times already. This morning, she was still harboring thoughts of running away.

Her identity was not a secret; anyone with a bit of intent could find it out. It was just that people like Young Master Liu and the City Lord now believed she had a mysterious master, and the identity of the Ruan family daughter was merely a surface-level cover. Therefore, even if she ran away, the City Lord would not trouble the Ruan family because they did not believe she was truly Ruan Xing.

If she got involved with the Ruan family now, and she encountered unavoidable danger later and wanted to run, wouldn't she be harming her sister and mother?

Deep down, she was still a somewhat selfish egoist; she would not put herself in danger for the sake of Ruan Tao.

But her sister was so good to her. When she first transmigrated, she wasn't adjusted, and it was Ruan Tao who held her to sleep at night, took care of her every day, and protected her from the persecution of the deadbeat father.

She couldn't bring her sister to her side; it was too dangerous, and it would add another variable to her own Simulation. Ruan Tao was an ordinary girl whose dream was merely to find a good husband and take her sister away from their original family.

"Forget it." Ruan Xing said dejectedly. "Hu San, you go personally and give my sister... ten Silver. Just say it's a reward from a noble person I met while with Qiye. Be discreet and don't let anyone discover or notice. Go during the day and hand it directly to my sister; don't let my Ruan Mu know, or she'll just spend the money on that man again. By the way, observe secretly if that father of mine has been bullying my sister."

Ruan Mu still held onto the fantasy of the deadbeat father turning over a new leaf, so she must not let Ruan Mu get the money to heal the deadbeat father's leg.

Thinking about it carefully, Ruan Tao was in a difficult position caught between those two; she had to help Ruan Tao escape the sea of misery.

Having made up her mind, she continued, "If he still hasn't repented, then dissolve this Medicinal Powder and add it to his medicine."

Ruan Xing rummaged through the drawer and found a bottle of Medicinal Powder, handing it to Hu San. This was one of the finished products researched by the Hongtou Daoren; after taking it, one would die suddenly in their sleep, commonly known as a heart attack.

Doctor Liu was quite good; he was often called to see patients and prescribe medicine in the middle of the night, and he wouldn't blame them if they didn't have enough for the consultation fee, as long as they paid it back later. She couldn't just use some potent poison to ruin Doctor Liu's medical ethics; just letting the deadbeat father die suddenly in his sleep would suffice.

Hu San answered "Yes," took the medicine bottle, and put it away.

Ruan Xing was not the kind of entrepreneur who made people work without paying them. After finishing the work matters, she asked, "How is your martial arts training going? Have you reached Internal Strength Great Success? Is the Medicine Liquid still enough?"

A look of embarrassment appeared on Hu San's face. "Not yet... there are still two bottles of Medicine Liquid left. This subordinate is ashamed."

Ruan Xing was just about to say some earnest chicken soup for the soul about how not working hard at training meant one could only be a lackey, when she suddenly realized that it had only been two days since Hu San reached Internal Strength Small Success, and the tasks she had assigned him were packed full; he had no time to train at all... Ruan Xing had caught up on sleep, but Hu San had driven a carriage all night and collected rent all day.

She immediately felt ashamed; to think she considered herself a good leader who was relaxed, moderate, and beloved.

In the modern era, making subordinates work for a day and a night straight would have already gotten her cyberbullied online.

Reflecting on herself, Ruan Xing said with a lack of confidence, "It's fine, it's fine... that, after you finish eating, go back and sleep immediately. Other things are not urgent; I will find a way to solve the Medicine Liquid issue."

Hu San said with emotion, "Thank you for your concern, Miss. This subordinate will definitely train hard."

Damn it, Ruan Xing lowered her head, feeling a bit embarrassed to look at the dark circles under Hu San's eyes.

After the two finished eating, Ruan Xing quickly let Hu San go to rest. She herself had just slept enough and wasn't tired, so she summoned the Housekeeper to take the key to the inner treasury, deciding to solve the Medicine Liquid issue first.

She had given all the Medicine Liquid she obtained from the Simulation to Hu San. She had harvested a few more bottles from the cave last night, but it wasn't enough. Ruan Xing remembered that she had used nearly a hundred bottles to cultivate to Internal Strength Consummation.

Of course, it was also possible that her aptitude was just too poor.

Not mentioning that, Ruan Xing intended to cultivate Hu San to the Acquired Realm, and she wouldn't be as stingy as the old man toward other capable Guans who handled her tasks well. Therefore, Alchemy was imperative. She had the Medicine Prescription for the Medicine Liquid, and the old man often had Hong Xi collect the medicinal herbs, so they were all ready-made; she just needed to take them from the inner treasury.

The only problem was that she didn't know how to perform Alchemy.

But this wasn't a big problem; she would just use the Simulator.

The Housekeeper had the servants move the Alchemy furnace, Medicine Cauldron, ladles, long-handled tools, and medicinal herbs to the small courtyard in front of Ruan Xing's room, then withdrew.

Everything was ready; the next step was to pile up the success rate with attempts.

Ruan Xing took a deep breath, filled with the fresh scent of medicinal herbs, and began the Simulation.

【Simulating...】

At six years old, you began to refine Medicine Liquid according to the Medicine Prescription, but after trying several times without success, all you refined were sour and astringent Medicine Liquids that had lost their medicinal efficacy.

A few days later, the City Lord returned to the Capital to report on his duties; you did not go to see him off and continued to stay in your room to refine medicine.

Your father also passed away; your mother wanted you to go back to attend the funeral and observe mourning, but you ignored her and continued to focus on refining medicine.

Half a month later, a young new City Lord came to Jiangning City; he carried out drastic reforms. You consolidated the sphere of influence of the Red Head Gang, restrained the behavior of the gang members, and continued to refine medicine.

The new City Lord was very satisfied with your tactfulness; he had no intention of moving against the Red Head Gang, but instead overhauled all government-run industries and agricultural lands under the Household Tax Division. Many people in the Weaving Workshop were convicted and imprisoned, and your mother was also implicated and lost her job. She went to Qiye's hall to seek your help, but after you sent people to deliver silver to her, you continued to focus on refining medicine and finally succeeded in refining a batch of qualified Medicine Liquid.

At seven years old, you focused on refining medicine, and your experience improved. Your mother remarried and took your sister with her; you did not go to drink at the wedding.

At eight years old, you focused on refining medicine, and the quality of the Medicine Liquid improved.

At nine years old, you focused on refining medicine; the people in the gang were dissatisfied with your constant concessions and had many complaints, but you ignored them, and they became even more arrogant.

At ten years old, you focused on refining medicine; the middle and high-level members within the gang had already begun to feign compliance while acting in opposition to you. You paid no attention to it; Hu San tried to integrate and manage them, but he was powerless and unable to command respect.

At eleven years old, your Alchemy technique improved. Your gang had already split into several small factions; only Hu San, Zhao Sanniang, Wang Dongxing, and Lu Youqi continued to support you. The other factions were restless regarding the new City Lord's constant suppression and harbored thoughts of rebellion.

At twelve years old, you were not very satisfied with the success rate and efficiency of the Medicine Liquid; you continued to refine medicine, wanting to simplify the techniques and raw materials while maintaining the medicinal properties. On the path of resisting the new City Lord, they failed, and you were also implicated, but through the mediation of the Patrol Security Division Inspector and the Left Commander, the new City Lord did not vent his anger on you. You lost a large area of territory; Lu Youqi and Zhao Sanniang set up their own factions, and Jiangning City had new gang conflicts. The new City Lord's term expired, and he left Jiangning City.

At thirteen years old, you continued to research Medicine Liquid. The emerging gang forces coveted your remaining territory; not only did they cause several gang frictions, but they also attempted to assassinate you, only the experts they sent could not defeat you.

At fourteen years old, you continued to research Medicine Liquid. Other forces had already infiltrated the Red Head Gang; they poisoned your food, and you died.

Please choose the reward for this Simulation: 1, the memories at fourteen years old.

2, a random item on your person at fourteen years old.

3, a random skill mastered at fourteen years old.

4, the cultivation realm reached at fourteen years old.

Ruan Xing chose three.

【Congratulations on obtaining the Alchemy experience at fourteen years old.】

The words "Medicine Refining Entry" appeared on the panel, and a large amount of technique, timing, and experience—both successful and failed—suddenly appeared in Ruan Xing's mind. In the simulation, she had only studied the one type of Medicine Liquid needed to cultivate Internal Strength for the past few years.

Therefore, although the success rate was not low, her skill level was not high.

Actually, the difficulty of refining this Medicine Liquid was not complex; it was just that for the past few years, she had been researching how to simplify the Medicine Liquid, specifically to find a way to remove the Heart Blood of a young boy from the Medicine Prescription. Heaven rewards the diligent; she finally found something that could replace the Heart Blood of a young boy. Although the medicinal efficacy decreased by thirty percent, it was not a big problem; as long as she raised her Alchemy level and mass-produced the Medicine Liquid, quantity could make up for quality.

However, why did it always feel like she had been played by the old City Lord...

Never mind, she would have to refine Luoqi Pill in the future anyway; she would first brush up her experience with the other few Medicine Prescriptions and raise her Alchemy level before saying anything else.

Thanks to alby Xi for the monthly ticket~(End of this chapter)