Chapter 41: Apothecary Missing

Lu Changsheng halted abruptly as a man in a red robe slowly emerged from behind him. The stranger's face was concealed by a mask, so Lu Changsheng couldn't tell who it was. However, he could faintly sense the surge of blood qi within the man—enough to tell him that this was no ordinary martial artist.

"Do you want these Blood-Strengthening Pills?" Lu Changsheng asked.

"Yes. There are a little over three thousand here. I'll give you one thousand taels of silver for all of them. What do you say, sir?" the man said in a calm voice.

"Deal."

Lu Changsheng did not hesitate. With so many pills, he would have had no easy way to sell them except by setting up a stall in the black market—and even then, it would likely take some time to sell them all. On the other hand, ridding himself of all the pills right then and there for a thousand taels was far simpler.

After taking the silver notes, he was ready to turn away when the red-robed man spoke again. "Sir, were you interested in Blood-Strengthening Pills?"

"

Hm

?" Lu Changsheng simply stared at the red-robed man.

"A little more than a month ago, these pills began to appear in great numbers across the Nanyang Prefecture black market. Being cheap and effective, martial artists at the Blood Strengthening Stage rushed to buy them. Yet when I took some to an apothecary for examination, I learned that many of the herbs inside were costly. At the current price, these pills are clearly a losing trade. There must be some grand scheme behind them. I already have some leads. Would you be interested in investigating this matter with me?"

Lu Changsheng looked at him in silence. It seemed that others had noticed that something was amiss, and some had even begun probing into the truth. However, he could sense that this ran deeper than it seemed, and that danger lurked beneath the surface. He had no desire to wade into such murky waters.

"Sorry, not interested."

With that, he turned and left, disregarding whatever else the red-robed man might have had to say. When he returned to Miaoshou Garden, he set the matter of the pills aside and gave it no further thought.

Ultimately, Lu Changsheng wished to steer clear of trouble so he could quietly continue tempering his organs. The scarcity of new martial techniques to raise his Perception did not concern him either. After all, his Perception was already remarkably high, and at this rate, the Divine Strength Realm was within reach.

He could afford to delay the pursuit of new martial techniques. For the time being, his priority was refining his five viscera and six bowels until they reached extreme resilience, and when the time came, to break open the Profound Gate of Life and Death and advance to the Divine Strength Realm. Reaching that fabled realm was of utmost importance; everything else was secondary to that.

Another month passed in a blur. During this time, Lu Changsheng kept receiving patients, many of which already recognized him. Before long, word spread that the famed physician Wu Jing had trained a remarkable disciple.

Wu Jing had grown fully confident in him and even began entrusting patients with more complex conditions to his disciple. Bit by bit, Lu Changsheng became capable of handling matters on his own.

"Changsheng, you've become skilled enough to take care of patients by yourself," Wu Jing said with a smile. "There is little more I can teach you. I have kept a text that records my decades of practice, experiences, and the handling of difficult cases. You should study it carefully. In a few days, I will inform Miaoshou Garden of your progress. You'll officially be promoted to physician, and you'll be able to hold consultations in your own right."

Wu Jing looked upon Lu Changsheng with both satisfaction and relief. Over the years, he had trained many disciples, but most had turned out mediocre if not outright disappointing. Only Lu Changsheng had truly inherited his mantle. Given time, Lu Changsheng would even carry his medical skills to greater heights.

"Thank you, Master!" Lu Changsheng exclaimed with a reverent bow.

Though he had already spent a month receiving patients, his official position was still that of an apothecary rather than a physician. Only when Miaoshou Garden formally recognized him and allowed him to open his own consultation hall to receive patients would he be acknowledged as a true physician. That day was almost upon him.

𝕗𝐫𝚎𝗲𝘄𝐞𝕓𝐧𝕠𝘃𝕖𝐥.𝐜𝚘𝚖

He recalled how he had been a beggar not long ago, and in less than two years, he had risen to become a physician. Most of all, unbeknownst to everyone else, he had become a formidable Organ Refinement martial artist.

"

Hm

? Why didn't Apothecary Cheng come today?"

"Right? He's always so punctual. He's never been late before."

In the morning, Lu Changsheng lingered in the herbal medicine shop, and he quickly noticed that everyone was talking about Apothecary Cheng.

Apothecary Cheng and Wu Jing had been partners for a long time. One specialized in preparing medicinal ingredients, while the other treated the sick, and together they worked seamlessly. Miaoshou Garden had once attempted to assign Wu Jing a different apothecary, but he had refused, insisting that Apothecary Cheng remain as his partner.

"Old Cheng is known for being punctual," someone muttered.

"Zhang Huan, go to Old Cheng's house and ask what happened," Wu Jing urged with a frown. They had worked together for more than ten years, and Apothecary Cheng had rarely been late. This was indeed strange.

"Understood, Elder Wu." Zhang Huan, always quick on his feet, immediately left the shop and hurried off toward Apothecary Cheng's house.

About an hour later, he returned with a grim expression. He glanced at Lu Changsheng and Wu Jing, then explained in a low voice, "Apothecary Cheng has disappeared. According to his family, he left home early this morning for the shop and never returned. But we never saw him arrive at the shop."

"I've also heard troubling news. This morning, in many herbal medicine shops and even at the Miaoshou Garden headquarters itself, numerous apothecaries and physicians vanished without a trace."

Lu Changsheng looked at Zhang Huan with a grave expression. The sudden disappearance of apothecaries and physicians could only mean that something was terribly wrong.

"What about Miaoshou Garden? Have they sent anyone to investigate?" Wu Jing asked.

"Miaoshou Garden has already dispatched a guard unit led by an Organ Refinement expert to investigate, but it will take time," Zhang Huan replied.

Hearing that, Lu Changsheng was even more alert.

In the next two days, the situation grew worse. In addition to Miaoshou Garden, other shops across the city saw their apothecaries and physicians vanish mysteriously.

Miaoshou Garden housed the greatest number of apothecaries and physicians; it suffered the heaviest losses, with nearly one-fifth of its medical workers disappearing. That figure was no small matter, yet despite their efforts, official investigations uncovered nothing.

"Changsheng, you must be extra careful on your way home these days," Wu Jing warned.

"Yes, Master." Lu Changsheng nodded.

By dusk, as the medicine shop closed its doors, Lu Changsheng rose to leave, preparing to return to his courtyard. His courtyard lay within Miaoshou Garden but was still a fair distance from the shop. The streets remained bustling in the fading light of evening.

Perhaps it was some festival, for lanterns hung in many places. Lu Changsheng strolled about the streets for a while before finally making his way back toward Miaoshou Garden. However, when he turned a corner and stepped into a dark alley, his eyes narrowed slightly, and he came to a halt. At some point, three shadowy figures had appeared behind him.

"This young physician is Wu Jing's favored disciple," one of them murmured coldly. "Be careful not to kill him."

"Yes."

Two of the figures darted forward with astonishing speed. In the blink of an eye, they were behind Lu Changsheng, reaching out to seize him.