Chapter 27: Feng's Pharmacy

Zhang Lingshan froze.

He had only just successfully completed the Skin-Molding stage, and before the news could even spread, someone was already trying to recruit him?

Just as Senior Brother Song Dazhuang had said, once you completed Skin-Molding, you wouldn't need to go looking for work; various kinds of jobs would naturally come knocking at your door.

As a martial artist, he was indeed in high demand.

Even a common, low-level Leather-Skin martial artist possessed a certain level of value.

While they might not catch the eye of the major powers, small factions like the Feng Family Pharmacy were already willing to proactively offer money to recruit him.

However, the price Feng Shaolong was offering...

Not knowing the current market rates, Zhang Lingshan hesitated for a moment.

Feng Shaolong smiled, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Junior Brother Shan, you don't need to make a decision hastily just for my sake. It won't be too late to decide after you've heard the terms offered by others."

"Understood. Thank you, Senior Brother Feng."

Zhang Lingshan cupped his hands in respect.

He still felt it was best to get Big Brother Dazhuang's opinion first.

While Zhang Lingshan waited for Song Dazhuang while practicing his punches, Feng Shaolong returned to his small team, sat down, and gently rubbed his forearm.

"How was it?" his friend Yu Mengyuan asked from the side.

Feng Shaolong nodded. "His strength is quite impressive. No wonder Master took an interest in him. It's only been about three months since he started practicing martial arts."

"Indeed, successful Skin-Molding in three months—a genius. To think I, Yu Mengyuan, worked hard for three years just to break through to Stone-Skin. Comparing people like this is truly infuriating."

As he spoke, Yu Mengyuan asked curiously, "So, what kind of treatment are you giving this genius junior brother?"

Feng Shaolong did not hide it.

Yu Mengyuan gasped in surprise. "To think his treatment is almost the same as mine! You're really giving him face!"

"He is a genius junior brother, after all. In a while, once he breaks through to Stone-Skin, we won't be able to invite him even if we wanted to. It's better to build a good relationship now; perhaps he might lend us a hand at some point in the future because of it."

"Sigh, you have a point."

Left speechless, Yu Mengyuan could only cast an envious and jealous glance at Zhang Lingshan.

Feng Shaolong continued to rub his arm.

There was one thing he hadn't told Yu Mengyuan: he had been injured during his sparring session with Zhang Lingshan!

Though it was an extremely minor injury—just a discomfort in his arm from being struck repeatedly by Zhang Lingshan, feeling as if it had been scalded by boiling water—it left Feng Shaolong puzzled.

How could a mere newly-broken Leather-Skin martial artist manage to injure him, an established Stone-Skin martial artist?

It was a truly eerie fist.

It felt as if a searing heat was contained within those punches, making them impossible to defend against.

*‘Geniuses really are different.’*

Unable to figure it out, Feng Shaolong shook his head and stopped thinking about it.

Regardless, he had no grudge against the boy; there was no need to overanalyze him.

***

Zhang Lingshan was unaware of Feng Shaolong's thoughts. As he practiced the Red Line Fist, he was reflecting on himself: why had he been pushed back by Feng Shaolong so easily just now?

As he replayed the battle in his mind, his punching movements naturally began to change.

His practice methods transformed into combat methods.

It was as if an invisible enemy had appeared before him to spar, helping him gain experience.

Unknowingly, Zhang Lingshan had worked up a heavy sweat, his clothes clinging uncomfortably to his body.

Only then did he stop, realizing that Senior Brother Song Dazhuang had arrived at some point.

"Hey, finished already? You look like you're in good shape. Did you complete Skin-Molding?" Song Dazhuang asked with a grin.

Zhang Lingshan nodded. "Yes, I did."

"Skin-Molding is good! You've taken a step ahead; from now on, it's my turn to catch up to you." Song Dazhuang clenched his fists, signaling his own determination.

As they were speaking, a tall, thin youth walked over and cupped his hands. "Congratulations to Senior Brother Shan on successfully completing Skin-Molding. My name is Lyu Feng. My family runs an escort agency. If you don't mind, you are welcome to visit my home."

"So it is Junior Brother Lyu Feng."

Zhang Lingshan returned the gesture.

He didn't have as much of an impression of Lyu Feng as he did of Feng Shaolong; he had at least seen Feng Shaolong once at the pharmacy, but he had never met Lyu Feng.

It seemed Lyu Feng was always surrounded by other brothers, treated like a star in the center of a constellation, making him difficult to approach.

He hadn't expected Lyu Feng to come and recruit him as well.

"How much for one escort mission?" Song Dazhuang suddenly asked on Zhang Lingshan's behalf.

Lyu Feng replied, "If you officially join our agency, we provide food and lodging. A Leather-Skin escort earns ten taels for a short trip and thirty taels for a long one. As for the specific price, it depends on what is being protected, the distance, and the number of guards required."

Zhang Lingshan nodded. "And if I don't join officially?"

"If you don't join officially, you would act as temporary help when we have a need. As an external hire, a short trip pays fifteen taels. But since you are Senior Brother Shan, I can apply to give you twenty taels per trip."

Lyu Feng promised, patting his chest.

"Alright, I understand. If you have a need, you can come find me," Zhang Lingshan said.

Lyu Feng replied, "Then it's a deal. From now on, Senior Brother Shan is an external guard for our Zhenwei Escort Agency. Whenever there is a good job, I will certainly come to invite you."

After a few more words, Lyu Feng left to return to his group.

Afterward, several other brothers came by to talk—some from different gangs, others asking him to serve as a guard for a wealthy landlord.

Zhang Lingshan politely declined them all.

First, their compensation wasn't much better than what Feng Shaolong and Lyu Feng offered.

Second, working for them would require long-term commitments, whereas working for Feng Shaolong only required occasional herb-gathering protection.

Working for Lyu Feng was more casual and free; he would only be needed when there was an escort mission, and he could choose not to go.

Thus, after analyzing the options with Song Dazhuang, Zhang Lingshan decided to accept Feng Shaolong's offer.

Furthermore, for Zhang Lingshan, joining the pharmacy and building a relationship with Feng Shaolong had another benefit: his cultivation required a large amount of medicinal herbs.

If he could use Feng Shaolong's connections to buy herbs closer to cost price, that would be even better.

With this in mind, Zhang Lingshan stopped waiting for other offers and went directly to see Feng Shaolong.

"Junior Brother Shan, you've decided?"

Feng Shaolong smiled, unsurprised by the result.

After all, the price he offered was nearly the same as what was given to Stone-Skin martial artists. For martial artists still in their rising cultivation stage, a job with relatively free time was a good job.

"I have. I am willing to join the Feng Family Pharmacy," Zhang Lingshan nodded.

"Good. After lunch this afternoon, come with me to the pharmacy to get familiar with the other herb-gathering guards. If you want someone to spar with, I can have them accompany you."

"Thank you, Senior Brother."

"Don't be so polite; we're family now."

Feng Shaolong put an arm around Zhang Lingshan's shoulder and laughed.

He then introduced Zhang Lingshan to Yu Mengyuan and the others.

These were all fellow disciples he had recruited from the Hong Family Martial Arts Hall. Since they had learned martial arts together and were now serving the same pharmacy, it was only natural to be close.

As Zhang Lingshan greeted them one by one, he realized that Feng Shaolong's small group was anything but ordinary—they were all Stone-Skin martial artists.

He was the only Leather-Skin among them.

It seemed the Feng Family Pharmacy was a much larger power than he had imagined.

He just wondered what kind of status this herb-gathering guard group held within the Feng Family Pharmacy.

Zhang Lingshan couldn't help but feel curious.

Thus, after lunch, he followed Feng Shaolong and the others straight to the Feng Family Pharmacy.

Unlike his previous visits to buy medicine, he did not enter through the main pharmacy entrance this time, but went directly into the Feng family's main courtyard.

"The Sixth Young Master has returned!"

Servants immediately greeted them.

Feng Shaolong explained to Zhang Lingshan with a smile, "I am the sixth in my family. I have three older brothers and two older sisters. I'll introduce you to them later."

"Mm."

Zhang Lingshan nodded.

The Feng family was truly wealthy and powerful.

He had always thought the Hong Family Martial Arts Hall and Hong Zhengdao's residence were quite large, but the Feng family was even more exaggerated—it was as large as five Hong Family Martial Arts Halls combined.

The medicinal herb business was truly profitable.

Following Feng Shaolong, Zhang Lingshan arrived at the courtyard for the herb-gathering guards.

Various stone locks were kept here, along with common weapons—sabers, spears, staves, and clubs were all present.

Zhang Lingshan was immediately drawn to the weapon rack.

Feng Shaolong followed his gaze and smiled. "When we go herb-gathering in the future, you can pick a weapon to use, Junior Brother Shan."

"However, what we learned at the martial arts hall was fist techniques; we know nothing of weapons. You'll need to practice before you can use them, otherwise, you might accidentally injure yourself in the heat of the moment."

"If there is a weapon you are interested in, you can take it to play with for a while."

"But you cannot take it away; that is my family's rule. If it were my own, what harm would there be in giving it to you?"

Facing Feng Shaolong's feigned generosity, Zhang Lingshan offered a few polite responses before walking to the rack and picking up a thick, heavy board-axe.

He liked this one.

Since he hadn't studied weapons, he would use what he was most familiar with.

Back then, to prevent being robbed, he had made a stone axe in Red Leaf Mountain and used it to chop the rogue Li Hu to death.

The advantage of an axe was that even without knowing specific techniques, one could swing it with great force. There was no need to worry about breaking the weapon due to improper strength or being injured by a weapon's recoil.

Even if he failed to strike an opponent, an axe could be used to bash them, which was equally lethal.

Therefore, Zhang Lingshan had decided: he wanted this axe.

Seeing Zhang Lingshan pick up the board-axe, Feng Shaolong was momentarily stunned. This was the first time he had seen someone pick an axe.

As young martial artists, who hadn't heard stories of heroes or dreamed of wandering the world with a sword?

Consequently, when Yu Mengyuan and the others saw the weapon rack, they all picked up swords; even sabers were rare.

Yet, Zhang Lingshan had chosen the most unexpected option: an axe.

This was truly...

"Junior Brother Shan is indeed unique," Feng Shaolong praised. He then called out to a guard in the courtyard, "Uncle Tie, you also practice with the axe. Spar with my junior brother."

"Yes, Sixth Young Master."

Uncle Tie responded with a deep, muffled voice.

The man was burly, with bulging muscles, looking quite domineering and fierce.

He walked up to Zhang Lingshan and flashed a kind but unsightly smile. "You are a friend of the Sixth Young Master; you certainly have an eye for things. But although an axe seems simple, it is not easy to use. I will first teach you how to exert force."

"Alright."

Zhang Lingshan immediately watched him intently.

He saw Uncle Tie plant his feet in a horse stance, then stomp his right foot hard against the ground. His waist drove his shoulders to twist, and he swung the axe down with a ferocious strike that made the air whistle.

However, his axe technique was quite unsightly, looking like a clumsy bear. He even nearly stumbled because he had exerted too much force.

This caused Yu Mengyuan and the others to burst into laughter.

In their eyes, Uncle Tie was a joke. Although he was strong and looked mighty, he was extremely inflexible and quite dim-witted.

The reason he was a herb-gathering guard was primarily to act as manual labor; no one expected him to be effective in combat—it was a bonus if he didn't cause trouble.

After all, with his fighting style, if he exerted too much force and fell, he might knock over his companions before he even reached the enemy.

Thus, his role was limited to carrying heavy loads and clearing paths.

"Alright, alright, I can't entrust you with even the smallest task. With that stance of yours, what if you break my junior brother?"

Feng Shaolong said with some dissatisfaction.

Though he knew Uncle Tie was dim-witted, he hadn't expected him to be *this* dim.

He thought that since the man used an axe frequently, he would at least know a few moves, but that display was simply embarrassing!

If Junior Brother Shan thought all the guards in their family were at this level, wouldn't he look down on the Feng Family Pharmacy?

"A-Lei, you go spar with Junior Brother Shan."

Feng Shaolong pointed to another smiling youth.

"Coming!"

A-Lei immediately ran over and said to Zhang Lingshan, "I am the Sixth Young Master's most trusted guard. My name is A-Lei. Young Master Shan, feel free to swing your axe at me; don't worry about hurting me. If I get hurt, it's because I lack skill and deserve it."

"Then I won't be polite."

Zhang Lingshan didn't hesitate. From the man's posture and footwork, he could tell he was highly skilled, so he immediately gripped the board-axe.

*Clang! Clang! Clang! Clang!*

A-Lei held a curved saber and was incredibly agile. No matter how hard Zhang Lingshan swung the axe, the saber remained untouched.

With a simple redirection, A-Lei diverted the force of the axe strikes to the side.

If the other party hadn't been holding back, Zhang Lingshan might have ended up like Uncle Tie, stumbling due to misplaced force.

Although the other party had spared him the embarrassment for Feng Shaolong's sake, Zhang Lingshan himself felt too awkward to continue.

He felt like a three-year-old child.

The man was purely playing with him.

It was utterly boring and provided no training value whatsoever.

Thus, he immediately stopped and cupped his hands. "As expected of the Sixth Young Master's most trusted guard; your strength is remarkable. I admit defeat."

"Oh, we were just sparring for fun. What's with all this talk of winning and losing?"

A-Lei smiled.

He then gave Zhang Lingshan some pointers on his force-exertion techniques. Although he didn't use an axe, mastery of one method leads to mastery of all; guiding a novice like Zhang Lingshan was easy for him.

Seeing Zhang Lingshan listen humbly, Feng Shaolong felt very gratified.

Now, Junior Brother Shan had seen the true strength of the Feng family.

As time passed, the sky grew dark.

Though Zhang Lingshan hadn't had enough, he bowed to take his leave. Just as he stepped out of the courtyard, he saw an acquaintance.

"Tie Feng?"