Chapter 9

The next morning, a group of people rushed to the county town to file a complaint.

This case was clear and straightforward. The county magistrate would not offend Lin Xiuzhai and Du Tuanlian just for a mere apothecary owner. After reading the complaint, he immediately issued a warrant, ordering the constables to bring Wang the shopkeeper to court.

Since Wu Jie left the city the day before, Wang the shopkeeper had been somewhat uneasy. When Joen and the others did not return that night, he became even more restless. By the time the constables came to arrest him, he had already guessed what was happening. Shaking, he came to the court and, upon seeing Wu Jie and Joen waiting for him, was so frightened that he collapsed on the ground, confessing his crimes frankly.

With solid evidence and a confession, Wang the shopkeeper naturally ended up in the death cell, awaiting execution after the case file was reviewed by the Ministry of Justice. However, there was still one loose end to tie up—Wang was a solitary man, with no wife, children, or even relatives. With him gone, the apothecary needed to be handled properly.

According to the laws of the Eastern Chu Kingdom, murder, whether successful or not, was a capital offense; coercing a good citizen into becoming a bandit was considered treason, punishable by the execution of the father and son and the exile of the entire family. However, there was a slight complication in the handling of property—murder required the property to be given to the victim as compensation, while treason required the confiscation of all assets.

Wang the shopkeeper had always been frugal, and after years of running the apothecary, he had accumulated considerable wealth. More importantly, the apothecary itself was quite valuable. Should the property be confiscated or compensated? The county magistrate was somewhat at a loss.

After careful consideration, he still could not make a decision, so he turned to his advisor, the magistrate's fellow townsman. Although the advisor was not particularly well-read, he was very astute. Seeing the magistrate's hesitation, he subtly pointed at Wu Jie.

The magistrate was taken aback but quickly understood the advisor's meaning.

Wu Jie claimed that his quest for immortality had been unsuccessful, and he had only found a ginseng root. While this sounded reasonable, many people failed in their quest for immortality, but who could return with a ginseng root worth 800 taels of silver after failing?

It was likely that his trip was not a failure in seeking immortality but rather a failure in severing his ties to the mortal world...

To offend Lin Xiuzhai and Du Tuanlian for the sake of Wang the shopkeeper's wealth was one thing, but to offend Wu Jie, who might become an immortal in the future, seemed less worthwhile...

Having thought this through, the magistrate made his decision, slammed the gavel, and pronounced his judgment.

Wang the shopkeeper's crimes were unforgivable, and he was sent to the death cell to await execution. His movable property was confiscated, but the apothecary itself was awarded to Wu Jie.

"Regardless, the county town needs an apothecary. The Wu family has a long history of practicing medicine and will surely manage it well," the magistrate said with a kind smile. "I know you are a seeker of immortality, but your father and brother are not. Staying in the county town as a renowned doctor would be quite suitable."

This judgment stunned everyone in the court, including Wu Jie himself. According to Lin Xiuzhai's prior estimation, the most he could expect was the return of the ginseng root, but he never expected to be awarded the entire apothecary!

Of course, no one would turn down money, and Wu Jie was no exception.

Thus, when he left the county office, he had transformed from Wu Xia'er, the owner of a small rural apothecary, into Wu Jie, the owner of a large urban apothecary.

Thanks to the magistrate's special attention, the transfer of the apothecary went smoothly, and the Wu family took over the business with little effort. However, the owner was Dr. Wu, not Wu Jie, for two reasons: Wu Jie had no intention of running an apothecary, and Dr. Wu did not trust his youngest son's medical skills.

"You can only treat minor ailments. Being a wandering doctor is one thing, but opening an apothecary? You need at least ten more years of training!"

Wu Jie smiled awkwardly, acknowledging that while he might be a decent doctor, he was still far behind his father.

Thus, Dr. Wu took charge of the "Ping'an Hall" in the county town, while the "Wu Family Apothecary" in Wu Family Village was handed over to Wu Jie's older brother, Wu Cheng.

The case took a long time to resolve, and they even bought a large house in the county town, where all three families temporarily resided. This was both for convenience and the possibility of eventually moving there and becoming "city dwellers."

Everyone seemed happy, except for one person.

Du Ruo.

She had confidently assured Wu Jie that he would benefit upon his return, but she had not expected him to return so quickly—and with such success!

"Ah! How embarrassing!" The most formidable woman in Wu Family Village sat on the windowsill and sighed deeply.

After sighing for a while, she walked to the door, looked around to ensure no one was paying attention, then closed the windows and doors. She pulled out a wicker box from under the bed, carefully opened it, and removed some items used as a cover, revealing a purple wooden box.

The box was simple but sturdy. Inside, there was only a bright red jade stone.

She walked to the door again, listened carefully, and heard no footsteps or voices.

With a slightly relieved mind, Du Ruo rushed back, picked up the jade stone, and pressed it to her forehead.

"Master, Master of the Three Mountains! Didn't you say that I could achieve the foundation stage and develop supernatural powers in just a hundred days? It's been almost five months, and I've only improved my cultivation a bit. I haven't seen any signs of supernatural powers!"

"The hundred-day foundation stage is based on the average disciple who can pass the Immortal Gate's examination. I never expected your talent to be so poor, still stuck at the 'body forging' stage after all this time! The cultivation method I taught you is external, and once you complete body forging, it will naturally stimulate your body's potential, transforming your internal energy into true qi, advancing from the acquired to the innate stage, at which point you will naturally gain supernatural powers," a hoarse, sharp voice came from the jade stone, piercing her mind. It was the voice of the Three Mountains Daoist. "You glutton! Instead of working harder to make up for your poor talent, you blame me for not teaching you well? Meeting a disciple like you is truly my misfortune!"

Du Ruo's face turned red, and she hurriedly apologized.

After a long while, the Three Mountains Daoist's anger subsided somewhat, and he said helplessly, "If I still had my cultivation, refining two elixirs to cleanse your body and transform your essence would be easy. But I had the misfortune to offend the Dragon Taming Sect, and my physical body was captured, my soul sealed. Now, only a wisp of my spirit remains in this soul-nourishing jade, barely surviving without any supernatural powers or magical abilities... Ah! Why am I so unlucky to meet a glutton like you! Look at you, what can you do besides eat! I've never seen someone with such poor talent in my life!"

"This is all fate... Master, please don't always scold me. Can you help me think of a solution? Right now, the fourth brother is busy and might not remember our conversation, but when he finishes and remembers... Where will I, his sister, have any face left?"

"You glutton, you know shame? Then why are you still talking nonsense? Go practice!" The Three Mountains Daoist roared angrily from the jade stone, his voice like a bell resonating in Du Ruo's mind. "Look at what you've been doing these days! You've barely improved your cultivation and are already causing trouble, smashing rocks and uprooting trees. Are you practicing or performing? If I still had my powers, I would have you whipped a hundred times!"

Du Ruo, humiliated, quietly put the jade stone back and sighed, then went to the training ground to practice.

Her training method was quite unusual. She neither exercised her body nor meditated to cultivate qi. Instead, she repeatedly submerged her head in water, almost suffocating herself to the point of fainting, and then, in the brief moments before fainting, she would circulate a peculiar cultivation method.

This method was almost insane, but the results were very clear. When the body sensed danger, it naturally stimulated its potential, which was then transformed into cultivation power and integrated into her meridians, nourishing her physical body.

Each of her training sessions was equivalent to ten days of regular practice. In just five months, her cultivation had reached the level of a top-notch martial artist. Now, Du Ruo was not just the best fighter in Wu Family Village; even the spear and staff instructors in the county town's military camp or the head of a security company would not be a match for her.

But... being just a martial artist was not enough!

Her original plan was to achieve immortality within half a year and then proudly take Wu Jie as her disciple!

Unfortunately, Wu Jie's return was much faster than she expected, and her own poor talent left even the Three Mountains Daoist speechless.

If this continued, her grand words would become mere boasting!

Du Ruo sighed in her heart and continued to practice diligently.

"In folk legends, if you have a chance encounter with an immortal and receive their teachings, you can quickly achieve immortality. Why is it different for me? At this rate, when will I become an immortal?"

In fact, she knew she had already had the good fortune of several lifetimes—discovering the Three Mountains Daoist's hidden skills by stealing offerings, finding his secret cultivation place while climbing a mountain, and finally finding the jade stone containing his residual soul after the Immortal War destroyed the Three Mountains Temple, thus becoming his disciple and receiving his immortal teachings... Such good fortune was like something out of a legend. If she still felt unsatisfied, she truly deserved to be whipped.

But... she was really in a hurry. If she didn't become an immortal soon, she would be utterly embarrassed!

Waking from a semi-fainting state, even the carefree and carefree woman felt a chill. Looking at the ordinary basin of water, she lacked the courage to submerge her head again. She found a sunny, sheltered corner, sat down, and, while feeling the increased power in her body, frowned in worry.

"This is definitely over..."

After thinking for a while, Du Ruo finally came up with a not-so-good solution.

Delay!

First, let Wu Jie see her rapidly improving cultivation. Then, he would be like a donkey seeing a carrot, patiently waiting for her to achieve great cultivation.

"Um! That's what I'll do!"

Page Flip AD Start

Page Flip AD End