Surviving in the chaos of battle, I'm grinding for proficiency.

Luo Zheng put his arm around Li Chuan's shoulder and whispered words of comfort:

"Junior Brother Li, don't worry. Your uncle knows you have no experience in escorting medicinal herbs. This time, the herbs you're escorting aren't anything precious. With a master of internal energy leading the team, even if the sky falls, it won't be your turn to hold it up. Besides, the world isn't too chaotic these days, and the Luo family's reputation can still intimidate quite a few people."

Li Chuan nodded gratefully.

"Achuan, let's go." Luo Houping called out from a distance.

Li Chuan clasped his hands in a fist salute to Luo Zheng and then followed him forward.

There were already about twenty people waiting outside the door.

Eight horse-drawn carriages followed behind, truly a grand mobilization.

At a glance, Li Chuan observed that among the twenty-odd people delivering medicine, seven or eight were of the Ming Jin level, and the rest, even if not of the Ming Jin level, were all burly and strong.

Luo Houping introduced with a smile:

"Master Jia from Huangshi County also runs a pharmacy. He ordered a batch of 'Dragon Snake Grass,' which isn't very valuable, only a few dozen taels of silver. So this time, he's hired some newcomers. You don't need to feel pressured; their work might not be as good as yours."

A few dozen taels of silver...not worth much?

Li Chuan smacked his lips, once again shocked by the arrogance of the Luo family's shop.

Luo Houping seemed to see through his thoughts:

"A few dozen taels of silver is indeed not much. We are about a hundred miles away from Huangshi County, and the round trip alone will cost at least a dozen taels of silver in manpower and resources."

Li Chuan nodded in agreement.

This world is clearly different from the previous one. There are no cars or paved roads, and with eight horse-drawn carriages, it would take three or four days to travel a hundred miles.

After speaking, Luo Houping introduced himself to everyone:

"This is Li Chuan from Songfeng Martial Arts School. He has only recently entered the Ming Jin realm."

Upon hearing the words "Songfeng Martial Arts School" and "Mingjin," many of the disciples' eyes became respectful.

The level of Ming Jin (a type of internal energy) master alone is beyond the reach of ordinary people.

Moreover, it comes from Songfeng Martial Arts School, which is much better than some unorthodox methods.

Immediately, many people came up to greet them warmly.

"Strange..." Li Chuan was a little surprised. No one was putting on a show of looking down on him, and he felt a little uncomfortable.

But thinking about it, it makes sense. Those who come to work at the Luo family's pharmacy are all seasoned veterans looking to make a living, unlike the disciples in the martial arts school, where people are judged only by their "potential".

On the way to deliver medicine, no one cares about your potential; doing good deeds is what matters.

A round-faced man stepped forward and chuckled:

"Brother Li, I am Wang Youfang from the Chengfeng Martial Arts School next door. We both come from the same martial arts school, so we can accompany each other and look out for each other."

Li Chuan looked at his thick beard and said warily:

Have you ever married?

Wang Youfang was puzzled and replied:

"I just got married not long ago."

Li Chuan felt a little relieved, laughed it off, and changed the subject.

"Most of you are delivering medicine for the first time, and two or three of you have done it once or twice before. I'll reiterate the rules once again," Luo Houping said loudly.

"First, do not talk or do anything you shouldn't do while delivering the medicine. Stay alert and observe your surroundings."

"Second, in case of emergencies, you must obey my command and dispatch, and must not act on your own."

Third, maintain formation, pair up, and look out for each other.

After Luo Houping emphasized the three rules and gave some instructions on other minor matters, the entire convoy set off in a grand procession.

Li Chuan had never heard of these rules for delivering medicine before, but after thinking about it, he agreed.

Delivering medicine is essentially the same as "escorting goods," except that it involves transporting medicine.

The road is fraught with danger; wolves and tigers may appear from nowhere, and bandits may gather to cause trouble.

Not talking is to maintain maximum focus and prevent danger.

The carriage wheels rolled across the cobblestone road and headed straight out of the city.

Outside the city, the conditions are not as good as inside.

The road was a dirt road, and it wasn't smooth; it was full of potholes.

"I didn't understand why there was this 'carriage sickness' thing in TV dramas before, but now it seems strange not to get sick!"

Li Chuan muttered to himself.

If a person is in a carriage, they will be bounced up and down almost constantly.

This is probably where the fatigue from traveling comes from.

The group walked on in silence.

They would stop to rest approximately every hour.

Li Chuan was unwilling to let such free time go to waste, and every time he stopped, he would seize the opportunity to practice Tongbei Quan.

He always felt insecure until he had mastered Tongbei Quan.

And so, in an open space, Li Chuan's punches were fierce and his movements were relentless.

Some people who saw this scene felt that Li Chuan couldn't distinguish between what was important and what wasn't, and instead of taking a break, he was wasting his energy.

Luo Houping, standing in the distance, looked on with admiration.

Hard work will always be respected, no matter where you are.

"Perhaps Ah Zheng's judgment was not bad this time. Although there is no hope of breaking through to the Dark Force realm, if he can study the fighting style properly, he will still be a good fighter in the future," Luo Houping thought to himself.

About fifteen minutes later, Luo Houping called on everyone to set off.

Perhaps because it was close to Anning County, there was no danger along the way.

But as they approached Huangshi County, Li Chuan noticed some refugees on the road.

Especially as you travel further into Huangshi County, the number of displaced people increases.

During this time, when he saw refugees coming to beg, Luo Houping would ask everyone to stop and give them some porridge.

The porridge was mixed with sand, and only truly starving refugees would drink it, thus preventing malicious begging.

Even so, many refugees still drank it in large gulps.

More important than sand is filling our stomachs.

After drinking, many refugees kowtowed to the crowd to express their gratitude and shouted that the Luo family was benevolent and righteous.

Wang Youfang, who was traveling with him, was so frustrated that he couldn't help but whisper:

"I'd long heard that the Luo family's pharmacy was benevolent, always preparing a carriage loaded with relief grain to distribute to wandering refugees whenever they went out of town. Now that I've seen it, it's certainly true!"

Li Chuan recalled that he had indeed seen a carriage that was different from the others before setting off.

There were only eight carriages in total, but one of them was allocated to provide relief to the refugees.

You should know that a single carriage can probably bring in several taels or even ten taels of silver.

The Luo family's actions truly deserve the title of "benevolence and righteousness."

"With such a pure family tradition, it's no wonder they could produce someone like Senior Brother Luo." Li Chuan nodded secretly, then casually asked, "Why are there so many refugees outside the city?"

Upon hearing this, Wang Youfang seemed to have opened a floodgate of words:

"It seems that our dynasty has started a war with the northern barbarians. The situation at the front is critical, so taxes have been increased. Those who cannot pay the taxes have their land forcibly taken away and driven out of the city, which has resulted in a large number of displaced people."

"Our Anning County is relatively better off, but Huangshi County is notorious for its exorbitant taxes and levies. I hope nothing goes wrong along the way. I just got married, and I haven't even had a few good days yet!"

"By the way, Brother Li, have you gotten married yet? What kind of woman do you like? I can recommend one to you. I heard there's one in the south of the city..."

As Wang Youfang spoke, he gradually veered off-topic, going further and further away from the subject.

Li Chuan felt helpless; he had figured it out—Wang Youfang was just a chatterbox.

But he didn't interrupt Wang Youfang. After all, he hadn't left the city for a long time and didn't know much about the outside world. It would be good to hear more.

"You're from Songfeng Martial Arts School, so you should know Senior Brother Luo Zheng, right? He's the one who introduced me here. Senior Brother Luo is truly kind and generous; he's even willing to give me two taels of my monthly salary."

"How much?" Li Chuan was taken aback.

"Two ounces, aren't you one too?"

"Yes, I misheard you," Li Chuan replied after a moment of silence.

The sky quickly darkened, and the howling of wolves could be heard from time to time. Wang Youfang also stopped talking and became serious.

After walking another five miles, the group arrived at an abandoned house.

The house was dilapidated on the outside, but inside there was a brazier for lighting and even a few kettles.

Li Chuan understood that this should be a rest stop for the Luo family's newly opened pharmacy.

Traveling at night is not advisable; one must find a relatively safe place to rest.

The Luo family probably owns quite a few more locations like this.

Compared to the cartload of medicinal herbs, the circuitry in Luo Houping's mind is probably the most valuable thing.

After all, there's no Gaode Map in this world.

Even if it exists, it doesn't necessarily mean it will lead to a good path...

"Eight people are out there. The rest of you should take a break and take turns keeping watch at night," Luo Houping instructed, frowning.

Li Chuan was assigned to the safest and most relaxed first shift. At this time, everyone was not yet fully asleep, and it was not late at night.

He knew perfectly well that this must be the "special care" that Luo Zheng was referring to.

The night was safe and uneventful.

There was none the next day either.

On the third day, when they were only twenty miles from Huangshi County, the situation changed.