Chapter 3: Banner
The entire roof of the small building had been replaced by Ling Xiao with extremely sturdy tempered glass, allowing the medicinal herbs to bask in the sunlight while also preventing prying eyes from those with ill intentions.
On the third floor, against the eastern wall, three one-inch-tall statues of the Three Pure Ones were enshrined.
These three statues were personally carved by Ling Xiao, exquisitely lifelike, and made from precious century-old peach wood. Such an item would be absolutely priceless in China, but in America, the price was about half as much.
Beneath the three statues was a one-meter-tall sandalwood table and chairs, covered with three layers of yellow cloth. Within the shrine, a two-foot-wide, one-foot-high piece of yellow cloth behind the statues appeared inconspicuous.
Ling Xiao respectfully offered three incense sticks to the three statues, then bowed three times before exiting the third floor.
After relocking the iron door, Ling Xiao went down to the second floor, took a bottle of iced cola from the refrigerator, sat alone on the sofa, and casually turned on the TV.
As Ling Xiao drank his cola, he idly flipped through the channels with the remote control. Suddenly, a news report on the TV caught his attention.
The TV screen showed Tony Stark boarding a military plane, smiling and waving to the crowd. His playboy demeanor looked particularly amusing among the many soldiers.
Below the plane, a beautiful CNN reporter was broadcasting the news with a flirtatious expression, leading some to speculate if she was having an affair with Tony Stark.
However, what truly captivated Ling Xiao was what the female reporter said: Tony Stark was going to Afghanistan to test his latest invention, hoping to sell the weapons to the military.
But Ling Xiao knew that Tony Stark's trip would not go smoothly. The unfortunate man would be kidnapped by terrorists, and in his predicament, he would build the Iron Man armor. The emergence of Iron Man, however, marked the beginning of a new era.
After Iron Man, Spider-Man, Punisher, Daredevil, Jessica Jones, Luke Cage, Iron Fist, Mutants, and others appeared one after another. Of course, this included the Avengers, such as Hulk, Thor, Captain America, Black Widow, Hawkeye, Ant-Man, Wasp, and others. Villains like Green Goblin, Venom, Doctor Octopus, Kingpin, The Hand, Hydra, Loki, Dark Elves, and more also emerged. Not to mention the Ancient One, Apocalypse, Dormammu, and Thanos, beings capable of easily destroying the entire world, all would make their appearances. The grand curtain of the Marvel World had already been drawn.
"Sigh!" Ling Xiao gently sighed. Although he now had a Golden Finger, with his cultivation only at the peak of the middle layer of Qi Condensation, he could only barely protect himself and was not truly formidable.
Tipping his head back, Ling Xiao finished all the cola in his hand. He then went down to the first-floor warehouse, checked the inventory briefly, and then walked to the front.
It was already dark, and Gan Jing was busy calculating the day's income. In this Chinese medicine Pharmacy, Gan Jing not only served as a salesperson but also as an accountant, receptionist, and cleaner. A while ago, she even demanded a raise from Ling Xiao, threatening to go on strike otherwise!
"Gan Jing!" Ling Xiao called out. Taking advantage of the absence of patients, he asked in a low voice, "Do I have any appointments tomorrow?"
"Yes!" Gan Jing didn't even glance at the computer beside her. She looked up and coldly told Ling Xiao, "Tomorrow morning, you need to go to Beverly Hills. Young Miss Mikayla Baines called and asked you to go there tomorrow morning for her routine youth maintenance!"
"Oh!" Ling Xiao responded softly. Mikayla Baines was one of Hollywood's recently popular beautiful stars. She somehow heard about Ling Xiao's youth maintenance and came directly to him. Since then, her bi-monthly routine maintenance had never stopped.
Youth maintenance was a method of preserving youth invented by Ling Xiao, highly popular among Hollywood stars, especially older ones. Women around thirty were Ling Xiao's most frequent clients.
"I really don't understand why people in their twenties already start doing maintenance. I truly don't get what they're thinking," Gan Jing grumbled irritably.
Ling Xiao, of course, knew she was right, but could only explain with a smile, "Twenty-four is not young anymore. This is the best time for youth maintenance. If you miss this time, you'll gradually age later!"
Hearing Ling Xiao say this, Gan Jing's hand paused, and her expression instantly turned grim. Gan Jing coldly said, "Ling Xiao, are you implying that I am already an old woman?!"
Gan Jing had completed her four-year undergraduate degree in China before coming to America for her master's. Three years had passed since then, and at twenty-seven, she was naturally not just a little older than the twenty-four-year-old Hollywood actress Mikayla Baines.
Women are most sensitive when others bring up their age, let alone compare them to other younger and prettier women. It was no wonder that a single sentence from Ling Xiao made Gan Jing flare up. At this moment, she was like a wild cat whose tail had been stepped on, bristling all over.
"No, no, no, Gan Jing, I didn't mean that, you misunderstood!" Ling Xiao quickly waved his hands, explaining with a sweating brow, "What I meant is that you are naturally beautiful, and even without youth maintenance, you will always be as beautiful as a twenty-year-old."
"Oh!" Gan Jing suppressed the smile at the corner of her mouth, deliberately maintaining a very displeased expression. Her right hand had even reached for the pestle placed nearby, as if she would immediately smash it down if Ling Xiao said one wrong word.
"That's right, that's right!" Ling Xiao, like a sycophant, stood beside Gan Jing, constantly flattering her. Just then, the bell on the Pharmacy door suddenly rang, and a middle-aged man in a sharp suit walked in.
He wore black-rimmed glasses, and even though his figure made the suit a bit bulky, he still had a somewhat refined demeanor. He asked gently, "Excuse me, is this Ling's Pharmacy?"
Seeing a customer, Gan Jing immediately dropped her cold expression and said gently, "This is Ling's Pharmacy. May I ask, sir, if you are feeling unwell?"
"Hello!" The newcomer nodded slightly to Gan Jing and Ling Xiao, saying, "My name is Robert Banner, and I'm from New York. I heard from someone that there's something called a Mind-Calming Pill here. I was wondering if I could purchase some."
"Mind-Calming Pill? Who told you about it?" Ling Xiao frowned and walked in front of Robert Banner, looking at him with a serious expression. It was important to know that only two or three old fellows in this world knew about the Mind-Calming Pill. From which big mouth did this Robert Banner hear about it?
"This?" Robert Banner rubbed his hands awkwardly, then shook his head gently, saying, "I'm sorry, the person who told me about this doesn't want me to reveal his identity. Also, he said that once you see my symptoms, you'll know what's going on!"
"Hmm?" Ling Xiao frowned slightly, scrutinizing Robert Banner. This person seemed somewhat familiar, but Ling Xiao couldn't recall where he had seen him. Moreover, judging by his expression, the vital essence in his body was so abundant it was almost spilling out.
Robert Banner, Robert Banner, Banner, Banner... Suddenly, Ling Xiao's whole body trembled: No way, why is he here? Shouldn't he be hiding in South America right now?
Ling Xiao took a deep breath and said to Gan Jing with a serious expression, "Alright, Gan Jing, go close the door. We're closing early today!"
"Okay!" Gan Jing looked at Ling Xiao with some concern, then at Robert Banner, and went to close and lock the door.