Chapter 62: Ten Thousand Fragrance Hall

The sky was nearing noon, and the sun was quite scorching. At the entrance of the three-story building of "Ten Thousand Fragrance Hall," one of the most famous medicinal shops in the center of the capital city of Wu, stood a man dressed in a black robe, his face covered by a black headscarf, exuding a strict and upright aura, and looking somewhat robust.

The man raised his head, and the eyes that were not covered by the headscarf stared at the gilded shop sign hanging high for a full minute before he stepped up the stairs leading to the main door of "Ten Thousand Fragrance Hall."

"I wonder if the master of this shop is here. I've been to several places, but no one could identify what kind of medicinal herb this cocoon is. Sigh... I hope this 'Ten Thousand Fragrance Hall,' which is backed by the Zhou family, won't disappoint me and can tell me the true answer. What exactly is this cocoon?"

The man thought to himself as he climbed the stairs.

—Indeed, this robust man with a deep and profound gaze under his black headscarf was none other than Xiao Bei, who had come to the center of the capital city of Wu with the medicinal cocoon, hoping to find an expert who could identify it.

The reason Xiao Bei had changed from a slightly lean figure to a robust one was due to a cultivation technique he had practiced.

This technique was similar in principle to the Bone-Shrinking Technique, but Xiao Bei had reversed the process during his youth to develop a body-expanding technique to enhance his deductive power.

When he first used this technique, if it weren't for the fact that Xiao Bei had refined his body with his cultivation, turning it from a weak constitution to its current state, he wouldn't have been able to use it.

However, Xiao Bei noticed that no matter how he used this technique or the Bone-Shrinking Technique, his facial features remained somewhat similar to his original appearance. To avoid any trouble that might arise from people recognizing him, he decided to cover his face with a black headscarf when he changed his appearance.

Surprisingly, this added to Xiao Bei's mysterious aura.

The reason Xiao Bei used this technique to alter his appearance was because... a commoner without sin can be accused of harboring a precious gem! This medicinal cocoon was undoubtedly formed from a top-tier medicinal herb, and the number of people who would covet such a treasure was countless. Therefore, precautions were necessary.

To avoid unnecessary trouble, Xiao Bei couldn't appear in his true form. Thus, he came up with this plan... If someone did covet the treasure, Xiao Bei wasn't worried.

Xiao Bei believed that even if there were a few Imperial-level martial artists in the capital city of Wu, the chances of encountering them were minimal. As for those with lower cultivation levels who might covet the treasure, Xiao Bei didn't mind teaching them a lesson that greed should not be directed at him, as it could cost them their lives...

As Xiao Bei stepped up the stairs and crossed the threshold, a whistling sound reached his ears.

It was a blue bundle, roughly the size of a human head, which had been thrown out of the shop for some reason.

Xiao Bei didn't move, but his aura suddenly surged.

A focused burst of martial energy erupted from his body!

"Boom!"

The bundle was directly repelled.

"Sorry, sorry, sir, I'm truly sorry..." A young apprentice in a green robe hurriedly apologized to Xiao Bei, bowing deeply.

Xiao Bei glanced around the shop without saying much, causing the apprentice to assume he was very angry, so he bowed even deeper.

Waving his hand, Xiao Bei said, "It's fine. I came here to ask if you also accept the inner cores of demon beasts in addition to selling medicinal pills?"

Xiao Bei intended to start by offering a high-grade inner core and then use that as a pretext to see if the master of the shop was present.

If the master of "Ten Thousand Fragrance Hall" wasn't there, he would leave. If the master was there, he would mention that he had even better goods to discuss further.

"We do accept them." The green-robed apprentice nodded and gestured for Xiao Bei to follow him inside for a detailed discussion.

"Accept what? Hey, you, I'm talking to you! Who told you to touch that bundle?" A slightly plump young man shouted at Xiao Bei. He was dressed in a white silk robe, wearing two rings made of unknown materials on his left hand, and holding a finely carved wooden box in his right hand.

In front of him stood a middle-aged man with a pale face, dressed in coarse cloth and a demon beast fur around his waist, looking like a hunter.

The hunter's eyes were fixed on the blue bundle, but for some reason, he didn't dare to pick it up, his face pale with anxiety and sweat pouring down his forehead.

Xiao Bei ignored the young man and continued to the green-robed apprentice, "The inner core I have is of high quality, so..."

"I understand, sir. My lady, who can make decisions, is upstairs. I'll go inform her," the green-robed apprentice said, looking at Xiao Bei's covered face with a growing smile.

It wasn't the prospect of a high-grade inner core business that made him smile, but the aura Xiao Bei exuded, which told the apprentice that this man was likely a powerful expert. This meant that if the arrogant young man, who had been bullying others in the shop, continued to provoke him, there would be a show to watch.

The more he thought about it, the wider the apprentice's smile grew.

"Go ahead." Xiao Bei nodded, but then frowned, noticing the apprentice's expression.

Xiao Bei was not afraid of the slightly plump young man, who was only at the Fourth Rank of the Later Heaven Martial Artist level, but he didn't want to cause unnecessary trouble. Moreover, he felt a sense of disdain.

Why waste time stomping on an ant when he could use that time to think and do more important things?

However, the young man, seeing that Xiao Bei ignored him, turned red with anger and stormed over, pointing at Xiao Bei and shouting, "I'm talking to you! Didn't you hear me? What, big guy, you're not giving me, Lord He, any face?"

Lord He?

Hearing this name, Xiao Bei was taken aback. Could this arrogant young man be from the He family? In the capital city of Wu, someone surnamed He who was so arrogant and domineering could only be He Zhi's youngest brother, whom he had never met?

What a coincidence... Shaking his head and smiling, Xiao Bei turned around and began to look around the first floor of "Ten Thousand Fragrance Hall."

"Fine... You have guts! Just wait and see!" The young man's face turned ashen, but after a moment of consideration, he realized the gap in strength. The aura Xiao Bei exuded, which he couldn't detect, made him realize he was no match. With a final threat, the young man stormed out.

As soon as the young man left, the middle-aged man who looked like a hunter quickly walked over, bent down, and picked up the blue bundle with a relieved expression.

Xiao Bei watched the young man's back, deep in thought—If you really come back, Lord He, I'll give you an unexpected surprise.