Chapter 55: Xingren Tang and the Evil-Warding Pill

Unlike other shops that guard their doors strictly, the Xingren Tang entrance remained open as usual, allowing free entry and exit.

A young man in green clothes held a copper pot, splashing medicinal water onto the ground to drive away mosquitoes flying in from afar.

Zhou You walked to the entrance, drawing his alert gaze, "Does the guest wish to come in?"

Zhou You patted the parcel on his back, "I heard Xingren Tang is a century-old establishment, so I came specifically to buy some medicine."

"Wait a moment."

The young man in green turned and left, his footsteps swift as the wind, which took Zhou You by surprise.

This person possessed a foundation in fist martial arts and was at the same Jinli Level as him.

If a handyman at a pharmacy had this level of skill, it was no wonder they had the confidence to keep their doors wide open, and the surrounding wounded did not dare to approach.

"Eldest Miss, we have a guest."

"I see his footsteps are heavy; he is carrying at least several dozen taels of silver. He is a Dafei."

Zhou You's face darkened slightly; you really have no taboos, saying this right in front of me.

A wave of medicinal fragrance rushed toward him, and the 'Eldest Miss' walked to the front in a rush, "Where is the guest?"

When Zhou You first saw her, he was slightly stunned for a moment, not expecting to see such stunningly beautiful features in a pharmacy.

The surrounding environment seemed to brighten!

"This young woman is Hua Youxing. My father has gone on a long journey, so I am temporarily acting as the manager. Does the guest wish to see a doctor or buy medicine?"

Hua Youxing had a bright and imposing appearance, and every smile and frown made one feel favorably inclined toward her.

She saw the wooden plaque at Zhou You's waist and smiled, "So you are an Apprentice from the Jian Xiong Martial Arts Hall."

"I have two recommendations. For injuries, there is Purple Gold Ointment; for strengthening the body, you can choose Tiger Bone Wine."

The young man in green brought over two samples, which were the Tiger Bone Wine and the Purple Gold Ointment respectively.

The Tiger Bone Wine was contained in a wine jar the size of a fist; although it was sealed with mud, it still emitted a faint fragrance of wine.

As for the Purple Gold Ointment, it was sealed in a porcelain bottle the length of a finger, which looked somewhat familiar.

Zhou You remembered that the medicine Li Hao applied for him when he was injured had the same packaging.

So the name of the injury medicine was Purple Gold Ointment.

This medicine was quite effective, stopping bleeding and feeling cool, leaving no medicinal residue; he should carry 2 or 3 bottles for emergencies.

For those who practice martial arts, bumps and bruises are common occurrences, so injury medicine is a necessity. Buy it.

As for the Tiger Bone Wine...

"Du He, get the guest a drop to taste."

A drop of Tiger Bone Wine was a bit too little; one could only taste the general flavor.

After tasting the drop of Tiger Bone Wine, Zhou You closed his eyes to savor it for a moment, and he had an assessment in his heart.

The medicinal potency of the Tiger Bone Wine was much higher than the Tiger Bone Ointment, yet far inferior to the Mountain Monarch Life-Changing Pill.

Now that Zhou You had become a full member, he used one patch of Tiger Bone Ointment every 3 days; due to drug tolerance, the improvement to his body had become minimal.

The Mountain Monarch Life-Changing Pill was useful, but it was exclusively for Inner Court Disciples, and it was not his turn to touch it.

Therefore, Zhou You urgently needed a substitute Secret Medicine to fill the gap between the two.

The appearance of the Tiger Bone Wine could be considered a solution to his pressing need.

"What is the price?"

"Purple Gold Ointment is 30 taels per bottle, and Tiger Bone Wine is 50 taels per jar."

This price... is not just expensive!

Both medicines were consumables, and the price was many times more expensive than an equal weight of silver.

The Purple Gold Ointment was for emergencies, so buying 1 or 2 bottles was enough.

The Tiger Bone Wine was different; Zhou You estimated that a fist-sized jar would last at most 3 or 4 days.

In other words, using Tiger Bone Wine to assist in martial arts practice would consume over 10 taels every day; his wallet could not support that!

"Is there a discount if I buy more?"

Hua Youxing said politely, "Sorry, Xingren Tang is a century-old establishment; our products are made with sufficient labor and materials, and there is no precedent for discounts."

Fine, they were a monopoly seller's market, and they were very firm.

Tiger Bone Wine was a fist martial arts Secret Medicine, and Xingren Tang was the only place in the city that sold it openly.

Other martial arts halls had their own inherited Secret Medicines, but they were limited to internal Apprentices and Disciples, and even if some occasionally leaked out, they could not provide a stable supply.

"Give me 2 bottles of Purple Gold Ointment and 10 jars of Tiger Bone Wine."

Zhou You stated his requirements, and Hua Youxing's eyes lit up.

A business deal of 560 taels could be considered the largest transaction amount in recent days.

She couldn't help but size up Zhou You; judging by his attire, he didn't look like a young master from a wealthy family, spending money so lavishly.

"Du He, go get the goods quickly, and bring a silver scale while you're at it."

A moment later, the young man in green, Du He, weighed out 560 taels of silver, and the backpack was more than half empty.

He could carry the 2 bottles of Purple Gold Ointment in his bosom and leave, but the Tiger Bone Wine was too much.

10 jars of Tiger Bone Wine were not too many, but not too few either; he certainly couldn't carry them back with two hands.

"Guest, our shop also has a home delivery service."

"You can leave an address, and I will have Du He deliver the goods to your door, guaranteed to arrive before dark."

Zhou You nodded and reported his home address; so much Tiger Bone Wine was eye-catching, and it was inconvenient to send it to the martial arts hall.

After completing a big deal, Hua Youxing was in a pleasant mood and poured Zhou You a cup of good tea.

The tea was emerald green and sweet, with a mellow fragrance that lingered between his teeth.

"Guest, in the future, if your family or relatives have any headaches or fevers, you can all come to Xingren Tang to have a look."

"My family's medical arts have been passed down for nine generations; any difficult or complicated case can be cured with a single dose."

Hua Youxing introduced the situation of the medical hall to drum up business for her family.

Zhou You suddenly felt a stir in his heart, recalling his experience with the Void Phantom evil Qi entering his body; could such a situation be countered with medicine?

In any other environment, he certainly would not have asked so easily.

But Xingren Tang was different; the young mistress Hua Youxing and the servant Du He clearly both possessed profound attainments in fist martial arts.

The background of this medicine hall was unusual and surely had intricate connections to the fist martial arts circle; perhaps they had encountered such matters before.

"Ahem, Young Mistress, I would like to ask, do you have any medicine to guard against Void Phantoms?"

As soon as the two words "Void Phantom" left his mouth, the temperature of the air plummeted, and the steam from the tea vanished instantly.

The smile on Hua Youxing's face vanished, and her gaze, sharper than ever before, landed on Zhou You's face.

The previous mercenary and enthusiastic demeanor seemed to have been a disguise; only at this moment did her true nature reveal itself.

"I have yet to ask for your esteemed name!"

"Just a small Apprentice at a martial arts hall, call me Zhou You!"

Hua Youxing nodded, "Zhou You, with your status, you shouldn't have come into contact with the existence of Void Phantoms."

The other party knew of the existence of Void Phantoms!

"But I happened to know of them, and even came into contact with one; I nearly lost my life."

Zhou You spread his hands and said helplessly, "The detailed circumstances are not convenient to disclose; the martial arts hall has issued a gag order."

The tense atmosphere loosened slightly.

Hua Youxing let out a breath, "So that's how it is; you are also a lucky one who returned from the gates of hell."

"Void Phantoms are terrifying and inexplicable; martial artists who encounter them have a nine-in-ten chance of death, and few can escape unscathed."

"Hmm, I have what you want, but it isn't cheap."

Zhou You shivered; he wasn't afraid of it being expensive, only that it wouldn't be available!

Evil-Warding Pill, produced by Xingren Tang, a single pill the size of a sesame ball, exactly 100 taels, no bargaining.

The scent emitted by this item could make a Void Phantom ignore the wearer's existence and seek out the next prey.

Zhou You clutched his chest; that was the price of two jars of Tiger Bone Wine!

"Give me two."

Hua Youxing was slightly surprised, "One is enough for you to wear on your person; more is useless."

"It's not for my own use; my father and mother each need one, so two is exactly right."