Chapter 11

......

Just a wall apart, the differences between the inner and outer city are truly like heaven and earth, especially when it comes to housing.

A small courtyard house with a yard would cost only eighteen taels of silver in the outer city, but in the inner city, it would cost a full sixty-three taels, and even after much haggling, it would still be sixty-one taels!

With his meager salary from working in the government office, Yang Yu would have to save for forty-two years without eating or drinking to afford it!

Even a prison guard like Old Yang, who had a regular position, would need to save for six years without eating or drinking to buy such a small courtyard house.

"Carriers, boatmen, innkeepers, and brokers—though they commit no crimes, they should be killed... The compensation from the old man is almost spent."

Biting his teeth, Yang Yu left the broker's office, his heart aching with pain.

The money bag sent by Captain Wang contained twenty taels of silver and a fifty-tael silver note.

This far exceeded the usual compensation from the government, and Yang Yu guessed that either 'Three-Zhang Liu' had a change of heart, or Captain Wang had spoken up.

This amount of money was considerable, but it still didn't last long. After buying the house, most of it was gone.

"Sir, please walk slowly. Someone will deliver the deed to you tomorrow."

The broker smiled.

"I need to find a way to make some money..."

Yang Yu put away the deed and began to think.

'The old man's compensation is less than ten taels, and the silver I extorted from Wang Liu is just a bit over ten taels...'

'Even if I don't touch the old man's compensation, the combined twenty taels would only be enough for twenty medicinal baths...'

'Old Wei said Hu Wan was lucky, but he still had to buy at least three hundred batches of herbs, which is truly terrifying...'

'I don't know how powerful the 'Blood Change' is, but I now know how expensive it is...'

......

With these thoughts, Yang Yu turned towards the apothecary to prepare a batch of herbs for a trial.

According to Old Wei, the 'Blood Change' is not something that can be achieved overnight. It's a gradual process with no shortcuts.

It could take one to two years, or even three to five years, and there's always the possibility of failure.

If it fails once, you lose a hundred days of effort. If it fails three times, not only will you lose hope of the 'Blood Change,' but you will also damage your body's meridians...

"Why have the prices gone up?"

Yang Yu's face showed his pain.

The apothecary owner, wearing a small felt cap, showed a hint of impatience but still said patiently:

"Isn't it because of the outer city? Some strange wind has blown in, and in just one month, over twenty people have died. With more people using medicine, the prices have to go up."

"Over twenty people have died? How could there be so many?"

A customer buying medicine exclaimed, "Could this be an epidemic?"

In an era where a cold could be fatal, a few deaths were normal, but over twenty deaths in a month was truly terrifying.

"Who knows?"

The apothecary owner, while weighing the herbs, said casually, "If you think it's too expensive, wait a few days. The herb merchants from Shunde Prefecture should be back soon..."

"Can a disease wait?"

The customer glared and quickly took out the money to buy the herbs he needed.

'I need to move as soon as possible...'

Yang Yu's heart sank.

He remembered what his grandmother had said at noon about the two brothers in his alley who had fallen seriously ill.

If this really is an epidemic...

His heart tightened, and Yang Yu no longer haggled. He took out the ten taels of silver he had extorted from Wang Liu and bought enough herbs for seven to eight days.

He hurried out of the apothecary and rushed home.

As the sun set and the sky grew dark, Yang Yu hurried back to the outer city just before the inner city gates closed.

"Xiao Yu? Why did you buy so many herbs? Is someone in the family sick?"

As he turned a corner, Yang Yu heard someone calling him.

He turned around and saw several constables carrying a straw mat out of a nearby alley. Behind them, holding a small straw mat, was Zhu Shisan.

"Go ahead, I need to talk to Xiao Yu for a moment."

Zhu Shisan said to his companions and walked over, the stench making Yang Yu step back.

"What's this?"

Looking at the corner of the straw mat, Yang Yu's face turned grim.

"Alas. This family must have been dead for a few days. By the time the neighbors noticed, the bodies were already rotting..."

Zhu Shisan's face was somber.

"This child has been dead from hunger for several days..."

Zhu Shisan couldn't continue, and Yang Yu fell silent.

"By the way."

After a while, Zhu Shisan seemed to remember something and said, "Yesterday, I heard someone say that 'Three-Zhang Liu' was scolding Captain Wang, apparently about your old man's compensation..."

"Captain Wang delivered it this morning..."

Yang Yu paused before answering.

"That's good."

Zhu Shisan looked around, seeing no one, and leaned in to whisper, "Xiao Yu, listen to me. Take the compensation and buy a vacant house in the inner city, even if it's a bit more expensive..."

Yang Yu's heart stirred, "Do you know something?"

Although they were both constables, their duties were different. Yang Yu, with his arithmetic skills, worked in the warehouse.

Zhu Shisan, on the other hand, patrolled the streets, handling dirty and tiring tasks like 'disposing of bodies,' 'cleaning the county office,' and 'transporting supplies.'

He was much better informed.

"I can't say much more."

Zhu Shisan hesitated for a moment, then, seeing no one around, said, "I'll only tell you, don't tell anyone else."

Without waiting for Yang Yu to nod, he continued:

"The disease in the outer city is strange, it might be an epidemic. You should leave as soon as possible..."

"Zhu Shisan!"

A loud call from a distance interrupted Zhu Shisan.

He hurriedly responded, said goodbye to Yang Yu, and followed the others with the straw mat.

"Epidemic."

Yang Yu sighed.

Given the poor hygiene in the outer city, an epidemic was not impossible. He wasn't sure if it was an epidemic, but staying in the outer city was definitely not safe.

Thinking this, Yang Yu didn't go home but returned to the inner city gate, took out two mace of silver, and asked the gatekeeper to wait.

He then rushed home, packed nothing, and hurriedly carried his grandmother back to the inner city, to the small courtyard he had just bought but hadn't received the deed for yet.

The inner city had four districts: East, West, South, and North. The South was the most prosperous, while the North was relatively desolate. He had bought a house in the North.

Though not as good as the South, it was much better than the outer city.

Seeing Yang Yu pry open the door with a broken sword, his grandmother was worried, "Xiao Yu, this isn't good if someone sees us..."

"Better to be early and at ease. We've already bought the house, so who cares if someone sees us?"

Yang Yu didn't mind.

The small courtyard had two rooms in the south, two in the north, one in the side, and a small yard with two water jars and an old tree.

After a quick cleanup, he settled his grandmother.

Yang Yu didn't rest. He started a fire, boiled water, and began to cook the herbs. Two hours later, he poured the decoction into the large jar.

He added hot water, tested the temperature, then stripped down to his underpants and jumped in.

"Blood Change..."

Yang Yu calmed his mind and began to adjust his breathing according to the method taught by Wei He.

"According to Old Wei, the biggest challenge of the 'Blood Change' is to empty your mind and think of nothing. Hu Wan wasted at least dozens of batches of herbs just on this step..."

......

The human mind is chaotic, even in dreams, it never rests. Without long-term training, it's impossible to control.

In the warm, almost scalding decoction, Yang Yu silently chanted:

"Refine!"

Buzz~

In the next moment, he found himself back in the Cauldron of Gluttony.

"I wonder if this will work..."

As this thought crossed his mind, he saw a faint light on the dark cauldron wall, in addition to the progress bar for 'Refining the Broken Sword.'

[Blood Change Progress: (0/100)]

"Is this possible?!"