Chapter 6

The next day, as soon as it was light, Qin Hong made proper arrangements for the matters at home and asked his third uncle to send the old doctor back home. After packing their bags, he and Qin Fengming set off for Tenglong Town, which was thirty miles away.

Tenglong Town, located in a strategically important position, was a must-pass route between Qijia City and Luyu City. It was the largest town within fifty miles of Qin Family Village. The town had a main street lined with various shops, and the constant flow of merchants and travelers made it bustling and lively.

Upon arriving in Tenglong Town, Qin Hong and his son first visited the blacksmith shop to see Qin Fengming's second brother. After more than a year of blacksmithing, Qin Fengming noticed that his second brother's complexion was ruddy and his physique much stronger than before.

When asked about their visit to the town, Qin Hong only mentioned selling mountain goods and did not mention his grandfather's injury. After instructing his second brother to take good care of himself, he and Qin Fengming left.

Tenglong Town was surrounded by mountains, and the business of buying and selling animal skins was thriving. The father and son did not have much trouble selling the mink and python skins for three taels of silver.

Three taels of silver were enough to support Qin Fengming's family for half a year, so they were naturally delighted.

With the silver in hand, the father and son did not delay and went directly to the largest pharmacy in Tenglong Town: Wan Shou Hall.

Inside the pharmacy, a man in his sixties was sitting on a wooden chair by the counter, eyes closed, resting. A young man of about seventeen or eighteen was organizing the herbs in the various drawers.

Upon entering the shop, Qin Hong did not speak but directly took out the snake gallbladder and placed it on the counter.

Qin Hong's action startled the old man, who immediately opened his eyes. Seeing the gallbladder, he showed a look of surprise, sat up, and picked it up.

"This is a python gallbladder. Judging by its age, it must be over a hundred years old. Do you intend to sell it?"

"Yes, sir, how much do you think it's worth?" Qin Hong quickly replied upon hearing the old man's question.

The old man looked at Qin Hong and his son, pondered for a moment, and said, "The gallbladder is well-preserved and recently extracted. It is worth five taels of silver. What do you think?"

Qin Hong did not speak but took out a prescription and placed it on the counter, saying, "Sir, this is a prescription for treating external injuries. Can we exchange the gallbladder for these herbs?"

Seeing the prescription, the old man showed no surprise, took it, and examined it for a moment before turning to the young man and saying, "Daming, do we have any dragon tooth grass?"

"We have three qian. I just checked," the young man replied quickly.

Hearing that they had dragon tooth grass, Qin Hong and his son felt a great relief, as if a heavy burden had been lifted.

The old man held the prescription, thought for a moment, and then picked up a brush to make some changes. After a while, he said, "This prescription is for treating external injuries. After some adjustments, five doses of herbs will cost six taels of silver. However, since you are mountain hunters and life is hard, I will accept the gallbladder as payment."

Hearing this, Qin Hong and his son were overjoyed. "Thank you, sir."

Just as the old man instructed the young man to prepare the herbs, a commotion arose outside the shop. Four large men then escorted a young man in his twenties, dressed in a colorful robe, into the shop.

The young man held a folding fan and wore a six-sided hard hat. Upon entering, he glanced at the people in the shop, snorted, and said nothing.

The four large men shouted, "Lao Liu, do you have motherwort and dragon tooth grass?"

Upon seeing the young man enter, the old man quickly stood up, walked out from behind the counter, and instructed Daming to bring a chair. He said respectfully, "Young Master Zhang, what brings you here? If you need anything, just send a message."

The young man glanced at the old man, waved to one of his followers, who immediately said, "Young Master went hunting in the mountains, and Da Huang accidentally broke his leg. We need motherwort and dragon tooth grass. Bring them quickly."

Hearing this, the old man's face changed slightly. "We have motherwort, but the dragon tooth grass was just sold to them." He pointed to Qin Hong and his son.

Upon hearing this, the young man did not look at Qin Hong but said with a frown, "I need the dragon tooth grass now. No matter who it is, they must give it to me."

Although he did not know who the young man was, Qin Hong knew he must be someone powerful. He quickly stepped forward and said, "Young Master Zhang, we need the dragon tooth grass to save a life. Please be kind and let us have it."

Hearing this, the young man finally looked at Qin Hong, sneered, and turned his head away, showing no interest in speaking. One of his followers rushed to Qin Hong and shouted, "You need it to save a life? Ha, Da Huang is worth more than your life. He was bought for fifty taels of silver last month. Get out, or you'll lose your life if you make Young Master unhappy." He then started pushing Qin Hong.

Qin Hong, being a hunter, was strong and pushed the man away, sending him several feet back. He then turned to the young man and said, "Buying things should be on a first-come, first-served basis. Since we bought it first, why should you take it?"

Seeing Qin Hong dare to resist and shout at him angrily, the young man became furious. He slammed the table and shouted at the large men, "Ha, someone in Tenglong Town dares to argue with me about first-come, first-served. How dare you! Get this insolent person out of here!"

The large men did not hesitate, punched and kicked Qin Hong, and threw him out of the shop, saying, "If you make any more noise, we'll kill you."

Qin Hong, though strong, could not fight against so many. As he was thrown out, he stumbled and fell on the street. Seeing his father being beaten, Qin Fengming, who was only ten, tried to help but was slapped by a large man and thrown out of the shop.

By now, many people had gathered to watch. Some brave souls whispered, "Look, Young Master Zhang is bullying people again."

"Heaven is blind, allowing such a scoundrel to exist in Tenglong Town."

Qin Fengming helped his father up. Qin Hong wanted to go back into the shop to argue, but a villager held him back and whispered, "You're from the mountains, so it's best not to go. He is a local bully, and you can't afford to offend him. A wise man does not fight against power. Just bear with it."

Although he grew up in the mountains, Qin Hong knew that going back would not help. He stood aside, glaring at the shop. Qin Fengming, who had never experienced such a situation, was blank, but he had one thought: When I grow up, I will take revenge and make Young Master Zhang pay.

A moment later, Young Master Zhang and his followers came out of the shop. Seeing that Qin Hong had not left, they sneered, "Daring to fight over things with Young Master in Tenglong Town, you must be tired of living. Be careful, or we'll drag you to the mountains and feed you to the wolves."

They then left without another word, following Young Master Zhang.

After a while, the old man from the pharmacy came out, looked around, and whispered to Qin Hong, "The Zhang family is powerful in Tenglong Town. The father is the town mayor, and it's said that their younger son is learning magic in some Blood Refinement Sect. The elder son, relying on his father's power, bullies and oppresses people in Tenglong Town. You are outsiders, so it's best to bear with it."

Qin Hong wiped the blood from his mouth, eyes wide with anger, but said nothing.

The old man stood for a moment, frowned, and said, "I will give you another prescription. Although it doesn't include dragon tooth grass, other herbs can be used as substitutes, and the effect will be almost as good. I will give you several doses, and no matter how severe the injury, it will be cured."