A Martial Saint in Chaotic Times: Starting with Grinding Proficiency

Its efficacy is twice that of the Body Tempering Pill, but its price is only one-third of the latter.

Zhou Yuan was quite surprised when he heard the price quoted by the waiter.

This Blood Spirit Pill not only has a far superior effect than the Body Tempering Pill issued by the government, but it is also much cheaper.

If this is true, then I can save a lot of money.

Zhou Yuan's heart stirred slightly. He stretched out his finger, picked up a pill from the brocade box, and brought it to his nose.

The pill was entirely crimson, but it lacked the unique medicinal fragrance of a Body Tempering Pill; instead, it was permeated with a faint smell of blood.

The taste made him very uncomfortable.

After examining it for a moment, Zhou Yuan frowned slightly and put the pill back into the brocade box.

The origin of this elixir is unknown, and the strange, bloody smell alone is odd. Whether its effects are truly as the shopkeeper claims is even more uncertain.

Having lived two lives, he deeply understands the principle that medicine should not be taken indiscriminately.

When Zhou Yuan put down the pills, the shopkeeper's smile froze for a moment, but he immediately regained his enthusiasm.

"Master Zhou, this is a rare find, won't you reconsider?"

"I'll definitely do it next time."

Zhou Yuan smiled and shook his head, then tidied up the several large medicine packets on the table and turned to leave.

Just as he turned around, he caught a glimpse of several more people at another counter in the pharmacy.

The leader was a woman dressed in luxurious clothes, of average appearance, but adorned with gold and jade from head to toe, and followed by two obsequious maids.

Upon closer inspection, Zhou Yuan realized that the person was Wang Tengfei's older sister, Wang Li.

The Wang Li of this moment is completely different from the weary and haggard fisherwoman he once met in Qingyu Lane.

The signs of hardship were gone from her face; instead, she had the air of someone who had lived a life of ease and comfort.

Her every move exuded the air of a noblewoman.

Presumably, after Wang Tengfei joined the Jiang family, their family's situation improved accordingly.

Zhou Yuan made no move to greet him.

He and this woman had only met once, and now they were on completely different paths and could no longer work together.

He withdrew his gaze, quietly left the Jishi Pharmacy, and hurried home.

……

After walking for about fifteen minutes, Zhou Yuan was walking on the road in the inner city.

Suddenly, he noticed a large crowd gathered at the street corner ahead, pointing and discussing something around a wall.

Zhou Yuan stopped and looked up.

Ahead lay the renowned Flying Cloud Embroidery Tower of the inner city.

The towering pavilion is magnificent, and the four gilded characters "Feiyun Xiulou" on the plaque shine brightly in the setting sun.

Zhou Yuan's heart stirred slightly, and he walked over with the medicine bag.

Squeezing through the crowd, he saw a huge notice posted on the wall.

Feiyun Embroidery Building is expanding its recruitment of embroiderers.

The notice stated that the recruitment of embroiderers was open to all, regardless of background or past, as long as their skills were up to standard, they would be hired with excellent benefits.

After reading the notice, Zhou Yuan's eyes lit up instantly.

Now that the Embroidery Pavilion is expanding its recruitment and the conditions are so lenient, can you return to the Embroidery Pavilion, sister?

Although the Zhou family is no longer short of money, according to Zhou Yuan's observation, picking up needlework again and returning to the embroidery workshop has always been his sister's biggest dream and regret.

With that thought in mind, Zhou Yuan no longer hesitated, turned around, squeezed out of the crowd, and quickened his pace to get home.

He was preparing to go home and tell his sister the good news.

At this moment, in a private room on the third floor of Feiyun Embroidery Building.

A woman in a blue dress with delicate features stood by the window, watching the crowd gradually disperse below.

She is Liu Rong, the new head manager of Feiyun Embroidery Building and the daughter of the county magistrate.

Just then, a slender middle-aged man with high cheekbones walked out from behind the screen.

He gently placed several contracts on the table.

"Miss Rong, this embroidered pavilion is yours from now on."

"I've run this brothel for decades; it's time for me to take a break."

The middle-aged man was none other than Luo Baichuan, the former head manager of Feiyun Embroidery Building.

Liu Rong turned around and bowed slightly to Luo Baichuan.

"Don't worry, Manager, I will definitely run Feiyun Embroidery Building well and live up to your hard work."

"Heh, this world will eventually belong to you young people."

Luo Baichuan stood with his hands behind his back, smiled somewhat forlornly, and turned to leave slowly.

Watching Luo Baichuan's departing figure, and then glancing at the deeds and land deeds on the table that represented the ownership of the embroidery building, Liu Rong was in a very good mood.

Without this person's constraints, she could finally unleash her full potential and get things done.

Time passed slowly, and the sky gradually darkened.

Liu Rong gave a few more instructions to the embroiderers downstairs, then went downstairs with her personal maid and boarded her own carriage.

The carriage slowly started moving and entered the long street.

"Miss, that Luo fellow is finally gone! Our Feiyun Embroidery Pavilion will definitely be able to open a branch in the city!"

Inside the carriage, the maid said excitedly.

Upon hearing this, Liu Rong smiled.

"What's a state capital?"

It was only after her trip to the capital that she realized how vast the world was, far beyond the small city of Luochuan.

Her ambition was to make Feiyun Embroidery Tower the premier brand of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

"If only the master could support you like he used to."

Looking at her mistress's spirited demeanor, the maid suddenly remembered something and muttered something under her breath.

Upon hearing this, Liu Rong's smile faded, replaced by a hint of disappointment.

Yes, if only my father could support me like he used to.

She sighed inwardly.

Her father had always been very supportive of her business ventures and was very proud of them.

But ever since she returned from her official duties in the prefecture, her father's attitude has changed drastically. He not only repeatedly advised her to give up the embroidery business, but also became increasingly indifferent to her.

What exactly happened?

Liu Rong couldn't understand it, and a sense of helplessness welled up inside her.

The carriage traveled through the night, eventually disappearing completely at the end of the long street.

As Liu Rong's carriage departed, several pairs of eyes slowly withdrew from a secluded private room on the second floor of a restaurant in the distance.

"This is Liu Rong, the daughter of County Magistrate Liu Wenju?"

A scholar dressed in blue robes with a delicate face put down his teacup and spoke softly.

If Zhou Yuan were here, he would definitely recognize that this person was none other than Xu Qingyi, the deputy leader of Black Wind Mountain who had chased him outside the deserted temple.

"Yes, it is indeed this woman."

Opposite him, an elderly man in a gray robe, with a calm demeanor, answered peacefully.

"By tying this woman up on the mountain, Liu Wenju will surely hesitate to act rashly. Most importantly..."

"The main thing is, by kidnapping this woman, we can avenge your Wei family's eldest son, right?"

Xu Qingyi interrupted the old man directly, a mocking smile playing on her lips.

"Women value their reputation most, especially scholars like Liu Wenju who consider themselves from scholarly families; they value their reputation more than their lives."

"Once this woman is tied up at Black Wind Mountain, even if we don't lay a finger on her, in the eyes of outsiders, she has already lost her innocence."

This caused Liu Wenju even more pain than killing her outright. Could this be considered indirectly avenging Wei Rong, right?

"As expected of Xu Qingyi, the Unpredictable Flying Dagger."

The gray-robed old man was none other than Wei Hong, the Wei family's steward. He gently stroked his beard, his face revealing neither joy nor anger.

"So, Steward Wei, business is business. Don't bring up things like 'for my Black Wind Mountain'." Xu Qingyi's tone turned icy.

"The deputy chieftain was straightforward."

Wei Hong's calm expression finally vanished. He leaned forward slightly and said in a deep voice.

"Then I will be frank. My Wei family will help you rescue Zhao Shanshui and help you escape safely from the guards of the Patrol Bureau."

"And you, you need to tie Liu Rong up and take her to Black Wind Mountain."

"I can only say I'll do my best." Xu Qingyi picked up her teacup and gently blew on the steam. "If this woman has a skilled protector, I can't guarantee I can take her away."

A cold glint flashed in Wei Hong's eyes.

"make a deal."

......