Complete one practice method every day

As Chen Yue went to the front hall to hand over the pills, he overheard a few words of discussion. He paused slightly, his brows furrowing.

They're giving out porridge? And eggs too?

Disaster victims, chaotic times, mysterious benefactors, generous donations... all these elements combined instantly reminded Chen Yue of a cult.

Or is it a force with ulterior motives trying to win people's hearts and gather displaced people? Either way, it means danger.

But Chen Yue simply walked past in silence, without uttering a word of warning.

Currently, his cultivation is incomplete, and the threat of the black spot on his chest is ever-present. Chen Yuqing's attitude inside the apothecary is ambiguous. With his meager strength, he can barely protect himself; how could he possibly have the qualifications or ability to meddle in such trivial matters?

Chen Yue quickened his pace, eager to return to the alchemy room and complete his cultivation for the day.

However, that very afternoon, while Chen Yue was processing the medicinal herbs, Chen Yuqing came to the alchemy room courtyard again.

"Master Chen Dan".

Chen Yuqing got straight to the point, "Recently, sales of Blood-Activating Pills have surged in the pharmacy, and our inventory is running low. Starting tomorrow, you need to ensure a daily supply of twenty Blood-Activating Pills."

Twenty?

Chen Yue frowned slightly. Normally, the pharmacy only required five pills from him, but this was a threefold increase.

"Manager Chen,"

Chen Yue carefully considered his words before speaking, "Although the Blood-Activating Pill is a basic elixir, the refining process requires complete concentration and takes a considerable amount of time. My skills are still developing, and I refine it every day..."

"The other alchemists have also increased their corresponding refining tasks; it's not just targeting you." The maid Xiao Cui interrupted him crisply before he could finish speaking.

Chen Yue looked at Chen Yuqing, who simply looked at him calmly, her phoenix eyes devoid of any emotion.

Chen Yue paused for a moment, then said, "Could it be ten? I will do my best to ensure a supply of ten Blood-Activating Pills every day."

"This is not negotiable!"

Chen Yuqing's voice turned colder. "It's a task that must be completed. The medicinal herbs will be supplied in sufficient quantities. You just need to hand over the pills on time."

Chen Yue stared at her for a moment, but Chen Yuqing remained indifferent, leaving no room for negotiation.

Chen Yue said no more, and nodded, "Yes, I understand."

After saying that, he stopped looking at Chen Yuqing and the maid, turned around and walked back to his small alchemy room, closing the door behind him.

"Miss, I thought he would yell and shout like some people do."

"What's the use of shouting? Not only our pharmacy, but the alchemists in other clinics and pharmacies in the city are probably receiving similar tasks right now. Given the circumstances, personal feelings are irrelevant."

The footsteps gradually faded into the distance.

Inside the alchemy room, Chen Yue stood in front of the alchemy furnace, the firelight reflecting off his face, the anger he had just displayed had vanished.

The perfected Blood Activation Pill technique yields four pills per batch, with a 100% success rate.

Refining five batches a day, although it took Chen Yue a little more time, was not actually difficult to complete.

Chen Yue's attitude just now was more of an act, because if he hadn't acted that way, Chen Yuqing's demands would only have been higher.

Just as Chen Yue was focusing all his attention on alchemy and cultivation, a piece of news suddenly swept through the entire Youlin County and also reached the backyard of Huichun Hall.

"Have you heard? The Zhao family in the west of the city! Last night... they were all wiped out!"

"What? The Zhao family? Which Zhao family?"

"Who else could it be? The Zhao family who run the cloth shop! The entire family, including the guards and servants, more than thirty people, not a single one escaped! They're all dead!"

"My God! Really? Doesn't the Zhao family have several skilled guards?"

"It's absolutely true! The county yamen runners have surrounded the Zhao family's house. The coroners went in and carried out bodies covered with white sheets, one after another... I heard they even searched for infants in swaddling clothes! It's horrific... all the gold and silver valuables in the house have been looted, and there are even bloody words on the walls..."

"Words in blood? What does it say?"

"In chaotic times, justice prevails... those are some of the words, they're quite sinister!"

Although the Zhao family wasn't considered a top-tier family in Youlin County, they were still quite wealthy, running a cloth shop and employing several martial arts guards year-round. Their residence was also heavily guarded. Yet, overnight, they were all slaughtered, leaving not a single one alive!

Such ruthless methods are not something that ordinary thieves or vagrants could do.

Inside the pharmacy, a shadow fell over everyone's face.

In chaotic times, any family fortune, or even just a relatively stable life, can be extremely fragile. The nerves, already stretched taut due to the rebels and refugees outside the city, were now stretched to the limit.

Chen Yue paused slightly as he heard the apprentices' hushed conversation in the alchemy room, his hands pausing slightly as he sorted through the medicinal herbs.

He glanced at the panel subconsciously.

Chen Yue was just a few dozen experience points away from breaking through. But even if he did, becoming a Body Refining Realm martial artist wouldn't be enough. The Zhao family also had Body Refining Realm guards, and what happened to them?

On the panel, the Mountain Collapse Technique had been perfected, bringing a considerable increase in strength. However, the path of martial arts is not just about strength. He had never dabbled in weapon techniques, and agility was a weakness.

In dangerous situations, clumsy movements could become a fatal flaw.

A strong sense of crisis gripped Chen Yue. Relying solely on alchemy and burying himself in martial arts practice was not enough to truly make up for his shortcomings and cope with this increasingly treacherous world.

That night, the moon was dark and the wind was high.

After leaving the pharmacy, Chen Yue found a place to change into the most ordinary dark gray coarse cloth clothes, covered most of his face with a wide-brimmed old straw hat, and covered his mouth and nose with a piece of coarse linen, leaving only his eyes exposed.

He had learned of the existence of the black market in Youlin County from occasional casual conversations with Lin Quan. It was located deep in an old neighborhood in the east of the city, a place where all sorts of people mingled. On ordinary days, it consisted of dilapidated houses, but transactions would quietly take place in the shadows on certain nights.

This place is where all sorts of shady or dubious things circulate, and it's also an excellent place to find out secret information.

After winding his way through the streets and avoiding the night watchmen, Chen Yue arrived near a building with a tattered wooden sign for a mortuary. The place was dimly lit, with only a few shadowy figures, yet it was eerily quiet.

Chen Yue lowered his straw hat and slowed his pace, blending into the sparse crowd like a genuine buyer. He wasn't in a hurry to buy anything, but instead pricked up his ears, catching the scattered whispers drifting through the darkness.

"...The Zhao family's affair is strange; it's not as simple as just seeking wealth..."

"Shh! Keep your voice down! I overheard Liu the Quick-Knife from the South of the City mention it when he was drunk. He said he seemed to see some dark figures that night, and their movements were inhumanly fast..."

"Doesn't look human? Could it be...?"

"Who knows? But it seems the Zhao family had a conflict with that newly emerged group of refugees outside the city a while ago, because they felt they were blocking the road for transporting cloth..."

"More than that, right? I have a cousin who works at the county government office. He said the scene was excessively clean, like a pro's doing, but then bloody writing was left behind, like a deliberate show of force..."

"...There's a new batch of these goods on the market lately. They're in excellent condition, like they came from a wealthy family, and the price is low. Would you like to take a look?"

"Don't ask too many questions. Some things, once you're hooked, you can't shake them off..."