Several days later, early in the morning, as the first ray of dawn shone through the orderly roof tiles and fell upon the entrance of Hundred Herbs Shop, the largest pharmacy in Taishang Town.
"Bang Bang Bang -"
A series of knocking sounds broke the stillness of the town's early morning.
At this hour, Boss Ding Fa of Hundred Herbs Pharmacy had not yet woken up, and a half-asleep assistant reluctantly opened the door, mumbling about which "son of a bitch" was disturbing his dreams so early in the morning.
Outside the door stood several disheveled pharmacy owners with panicked looks on their faces.
The assistant took a closer look and recognized them as the pharmacy owners from the Town Mayor's shops. Why had they all come so early? It was apparent that some serious matter had transpired.
"Quick, go and call Boss Ding out," all the people of Hundred Herbs Shop, who is the second son of the village chief of Huoyan Village, Ding Fa, whose older brother was the Great Martial Master Ding Mao who had previously injured the village chief.
Relying on the medicinal herb resources of Huoyan Village, and Ding Mao's status as a Great Martial Master, the brothers had monopolized the sale of Blood Stopping Flower in Taishan Town.
It was these two brothers who squeezed out Banana Leaf Village's Blood Stopping Flower and falsely accused their Hemostatic Agents of being counterfeit.
With the threat of force and the price of one hundred silver coins per month, they had united all the pharmacies in Taishan Town.
A few days earlier when the village chief's grandfather was seriously injured and carried back to Banana Leaf Village, the Ding brothers had even booked the town's tavern to celebrate heartily.
They both believed that Banana Leaf Village, without its Dual Element Mage, would soon collapse.
"Boss Ding, there's big trouble. Hemostatic Agents, someone is giving them away for free at the town's largest tavern," it is well-known that Blood Stopping Flower is used to make Hemostatic Potion, and most pharmacies buy Blood Stopping Flower with the purpose of making Hemostatic Agents.
The price of Hemostatic Agents is several times that of Blood Stopping Flowers, making it the main source of income for most of the town's pharmacies.
The tavern in the town is the place with the highest foot traffic, where merchants from various places and some Hunter Soldiers passing through Taishang Town would gather.
And now, someone is giving away Hemostatic Agents for free in such a place, and the quality of those Hemostatic Agents is even better than those in the pharmacies.
The Hunter Soldiers and merchants immediately changed their stance, and these days, the Hemostatic Agents in the various pharmacies had no takers.
"Is this true? Have you found out the background of the person distributing the Hemostatic Agents? Who else nearby can produce Hemostatic Agents in such large quantities..." Ding Fa was a shrewd businessman, he calmed the other worried pharmacy owners while secretly sending an attendant to inform his elder brother.
"No need to look into it anymore, I've already had the Old Pharmacist from our pharmacy check it out. It's Banana Leaf Village's Hemostatic Agent," one of the pharmacy owners admitted reluctantly.
His pharmacy was a centuries-old establishment in the town, and the pharmacist there had a wealth of experience. The last time Banana Leaf Village's Hemostatic Agent was delivered, the Old Pharmacist praised it profusely on the spot. If it wasn't for his threats to fire the Old Pharmacist, it would have been difficult to frame Banana Leaf Village afterward.
Several pharmacy owners also secretly had their attendants disguise as merchants and blend into the crowd to get some of the Hemostatic Agents.
Upon examination back at their shops, they immediately recognized them as Banana Leaf Village's Hemostatic Agents.
"Could it be that the old man from Banana Leaf Village isn't dead?" Ding Fa also found it odd.
At this moment, Ding Mao arrived with a supporting Magician.
With his beloved daughter Ding Lei still missing, Ding Mao blamed everything on Banana Leaf Village. Now hearing that Banana Leaf Village was selling Hemostatic Agents in town, he let out a sinister chuckle: "Really asking for trouble. They don't appreciate the chance at life they were given."
"Older brother, you must not act recklessly; after all, this is Great Zhou City, and killing civilians within the town is a crime," the laws in the Wuji Continent are very particular. For example, in Great Zhou City, those who possess magic and combat skills are not allowed to attack civilians indiscriminately within the towns.
However, between mages and martial artists, private duels are permissible as long as they do not affect the general populace.
The purpose of this is to protect the safety of civilians. However, if there are demon beasts in the wild, the nation's laws will not intervene in casualties resulting from private duels.
"You think I'm just a martial artist who's bolstered by physical prowess. I'm aware of the rules of Great Zhou City, little brother. Sometimes to kill a person you don't need to do it yourself. As a pharmacy owner, how could you not know the rules of the pharmacy profession? Within the nation, the private concoction and sale of medicines are strictly forbidden. Only mages who have the qualification recognized by the Magic Temple or pharmacists can manufacture and sell medicine. Offenders may be detained at minimum or exiled at worst," said Ding Mao, a Great Martial Master who truly lived in big martial arts halls of the city, showing insight above the ordinary person.
Several pharmacy owners suddenly realized.
What a tactic, killing without spilling blood. This time, Banana Leaf Village was surely doomed.
Inside a restaurant in Taishang Town, Yun Sheng and several villagers from Banana Leaf Village rented two rooms, used as a temporary venue for the free distribution of hemostatic potions.
Yun Sheng's idea was simple: the eyes of the masses are sharp and clear, the quality of hemostatic agents cannot only be judged by one pharmacist; only the direct users possess the most direct right to comment.
She thought of distributing medicine for free. Once the formulation of the hemostatic potion was figured out, it wasn't difficult.
Since Banana Leaf Village had an abundance of Blood Stopping Flower ingredients, it only took a few days for Yun Sheng to lead the villagers in making nearly a thousand bottles of hemostatic agents.
Some days earlier, several Hunter Soldiers had already received her potions.
Those who had used them rushed back eagerly the next day; in just one morning, already fifty or sixty traders and Hunter Soldiers had taken hemostatic potions from her, and the praise was overwhelming.
By the middle of the day, Yun Sheng and several villagers were still busy.
A trader dressed as a peddler stepped forward and carefully asked, "May I ask if hemostatic agents are being distributed for free here?"
"Yes, each person may receive one bottle of hemostatic agent per day," to the peddler's surprise, the reply came from a young girl about five or six years old.
The young girl was clear-featured and charming, with dimples on her smiling face. It was indeed Yun Sheng.
Yun Sheng handed over a bottle of the hemostatic agent.
The peddler took the bottle and sniffed it under his nose, and the doubt that had gathered in his eyes instantly dispersed.
The quality of this bottle of hemostatic agent could rival that from the Medicine Emperor Pavilion, yet it was for free. Could it be that a remarkable pharmacist was hidden near this remote mountain town?
The peddler thought for a moment and then asked loudly, "Little girl, was this hemostatic agent made by your master?"
Given Yun Sheng's age, she could, at most, be a Medicine Gathering Boy, so it was naturally assumed by the peddler that the hemostatic agent was concocted by her master.
"This medicine is..." Yun Sheng started to reply as she saw him.
From outside the restaurant, a flurry of footsteps approached, and a group of local garrison soldiers barged in without a word.
The leader, with a fierce glint in his eyes, reached out intending to smash the bottle of hemostatic agent.