By the time Zhang Chaofeng returned, Shen Bai had already finished eating and napped in his reclining chair for an hour. Thanks to that and the flow of Qi in his Dantian, his body had fully recovered.
"Old Zhang, watch the shop for a bit. I'm heading to the backyard."
Shen Bai stretched and said to Zhang Chaofeng.
Zhang Chaofeng was in the middle of his daily accounting. Hearing this, he nodded and said, "Go on ahead, Shopkeeper."
...
The backyard.
Shen Bai gripped the rusty longsword and began to practice his sword forms again.
With no Evil Qi and no way to find its source—plus it wasn't a good idea to wander around in broad daylight—Shen Bai decided it was more convenient to just practice the Blood Sword Dance.
Currently, his Blood Sword Dance Skill Level was at 800. While it was still a long way from the next level, Shen Bai believed that Skill Level was, by its very nature, something that had to be grinded out.
No pain, no gain, as they say.
Every few swings of his longsword, the Skill Level would tick up a little, bringing a considerable sense of accomplishment.
The constant agitation of his qi and blood was highly draining, so after practicing for a short while, Shen Bai stopped.
'The swings of the Blood Sword Dance are all about agitating qi and blood,' Shen Bai mused, stroking his chin as he looked at the Blood Sword Dance's Skill Level. 'If I keep this up, I won't be able to practice for long before I have to stop and eat. It really slows things down.'
He realized he had a problem.
'The Vajra Fist is fine; it doesn't consume much qi and blood. But the Blood Sword Dance is a real drain. I can't keep this up.'
'Maybe ordinary food isn't enough for me anymore. I need something that can replenish my qi and blood.'
After a moment of thought, Shen Bai decided not to practice the Liver Blood Sword Dance for now. Instead, he would go out and find something to replenish his qi and blood.
'A craftsman must first sharpen his tools. These things can't be rushed.'
Shen Bai hung the rusty longsword from his waist and walked up to the counter. "Old Zhang, what kinds of things do you think can replenish qi and blood?"
Zhang Chaofeng had just finished checking the ledgers. When he heard Shen Bai's question, his eyes widened. "Shopkeeper, don't tell me you actually went to a brothel last night?"
He had only been joking at first, but for Shen Bai to now be asking about replenishing qi and blood was something Zhang Chaofeng hadn't expected at all.
"If you need to replenish your qi and blood, you'll have to go to the pharmacy. There's a resident physician there who might have a prescription."
"A pharmacy?"
Shen Bai nodded. "Old Zhang, you watch the shop. I'm going to the pharmacy."
"Alright, Shopkeeper. But even though you're young and full of vigor, you still need to learn some restraint. The techniques of those ladies at the brothel are too advanced; I'm afraid you won't be able to handle them."
Zhang Chaofeng said, speaking with the air of a seasoned veteran.
The corner of Shen Bai's mouth twitched. Without another word, he left the shop and headed for the pharmacy.
...
Shengyun County Pharmacy.
As the only pharmacy in Shengyun County, it was located in the town's bustling market district.
When Shen Bai arrived, he followed convention and let the doctor take his pulse.
The resident physician had only been checking Shen Bai's pulse for a moment when a look of surprise crossed his face. "Shopkeeper Shen, there's nothing wrong with you. Why have you come to see me?"
Shen Bai said, "I'm just here for a prescription to replenish qi and blood. Doctor, don't be fooled by how healthy I look. It's for Old Zhang—he's not doing so well. His wife was a bit too demanding last night, and today he can barely even walk. I'm getting it for him."
There was only one pawnshop in Shengyun County—Shen Bai's—so most of the neighbors and townspeople knew one another.
"For Old Zhang to still be... tumbling in the sheets at his age, that's really something."
The doctor had no reason to doubt him and wrote out a prescription. "In that case, I'll prescribe a few doses. Take them home and brew them up."
Shen Bai shook his head. "Twenty doses."
The doctor was taken aback. "Shopkeeper Shen, is Old Zhang trying to kill himself?"
"That's not for us to worry about," Shen Bai said. "It's Old Zhang's business, after all."
In this day and age, business was business.
Since Shen Bai had put it that way, the doctor didn't press the matter and wrote out the prescription as requested.
'As for any future rumors about Zhang Chaofeng's weak qi and blood... that's a problem for another day. Besides, Old Zhang is getting on in years. It's only natural for him to take the fall for something like this.'
Before long, Shen Bai had the prescription filled and the medicine in hand.
A full twenty doses. Shen Bai figured that should last him a good while.
With the Blood Sword Dance on his mind, he was about to leave the pharmacy and get back to grinding.
But before Shen Bai could take two steps, someone suddenly walked in from outside the pharmacy.
It was a little girl, about five or six years old, dressed in clothes covered with patches.
At first glance, her attire wasn't unusual; most children in the county town were dressed similarly.
Ordinarily, Shen Bai wouldn't have paid her any mind, but as the little girl walked in, he caught an unusual scent.
'A fragrance?'
It was the same fragrance he had smelled on the person in black he'd encountered at the Qian Family's residence.
'This little girl obviously isn't that person. Her height, build, and age are all wrong.'
Shen Bai stroked his chin and thought, 'Perhaps the little girl came into contact with the person in black, and that's how she picked up the scent. Other than that, I can't think of any other reason.'
The little girl came in, carefully took out a piece of paper, and handed it to the doctor. "Doctor, I'm here to get medicine."
The doctor took the paper and asked in surprise, "Little girl, what do you need medicine for external injuries for?"
The little girl lowered her head, clutching the hem of her clothes. "My daddy went into the mountains the day before yesterday to gather goods and accidentally fell. He told me to come get the medicine."
Hearing this, the doctor had no further questions and called over to his assistant to fill the order.
After getting the medicine and paying, the little girl left by herself.
Shen Bai watched the entire exchange. After a moment of thought, he quietly slipped out the door and followed the little girl.
Shen Bai had long been curious about the identity of the person in black.
He needed Evil Qi, and to get it, he needed to get involved with related matters.
Shen Bai hadn't considered going to the Government Office. Getting involved with officials was a messy business with too many hidden rules, and he had no intention of stepping into that world and inviting trouble.
The person in black was also clearly conducting an Investigation into the Qian Family affair, so Shen Bai wanted to see if he could get some Evil Qi out of the situation.
The first step was to figure out the identity of the person in black, and this little girl was his breakthrough.
With his mind made up, Shen Bai followed her discreetly.
The little girl wasn't walking fast to begin with, and carrying the medicine slowed her Speed down even more.
He followed her as the bustling streets gave way to deserted alleys, finally arriving in a remote, dilapidated part of town.
Ahead of them was a rundown house.
The little girl reached the door, glanced left and right, and seeing no one, took a key from her waist, pushed the door open, and went inside, closing it behind her.
Shen Bai thought for a moment, then approached the door and pressed his ear against it to listen.
After a moment, the little girl's voice came from inside the house.
"Big Sister, here's the medicine you wanted. Can you let my daddy go now?"
After the little girl finished speaking, a clear female voice rang out from inside the room.
"Your father's Cultivation of the Five-Heart Sect's Five Heart Technique has already polluted him. Releasing him now would only harm him."