Chapter 23

Still in tenth place, and the competition is getting fierce. I don't want to be overtaken again, so everyone, please help me out! There's another chapter today, but it's so hot that my head is fuzzy. Everyone, give me some motivation!

Xu Ziyang came to the street and saw the people celebrating their victory. She wasn't in the mood for it, so she ran into a herbal medicine shop. Xu Ziyang wasn't a poor person who had just arrived in the capital city anymore; she now had a lot of money. She also had a storage bag given to her by the clan leader, which she usually kept hidden under her clothes. She didn't care about that now, knowing that it wouldn't be long, at the latest by dawn, before the order to set out to exterminate the beast would be issued. By then, the herbs and materials for making talismans would be snatched up.

The herbal medicine shop wasn't closed. The shopkeepers and clerks were all cheering at the door. Seeing Xu Ziyang run over in a hurry, they smiled and said, "Miss, we're closed. If you need anything, come back tomorrow!"

Xu Ziyang didn't waste words, rushing into the shop in a few steps. She took out her storage bag and poured out the gold and silver coins on the counter with a clatter. Turning to the shopkeeper who had followed her in, she said, "Cut the crap. I want to buy a large amount of herbs. Will you sell them to me? If you don't, I'll go to the next shop."

The shopkeeper, seeing the pile of gold and silver on the counter, immediately smiled like a chrysanthemum and said, "Sell! Sell! Of course, I'll sell!"

Then he turned to the clerk who was still cheering outside and shouted, "Xiao Gouzi, get your ass in here. What are you doing, acting like a mad pig?"

The clerk, called Xiao Gouzi, hearing the shopkeeper's scolding, hurriedly ran in, bowing and scraping, "Boss, you called me?"

"Of course, I called you. Get to work, prepare the goods for this miss."

Without waiting for the clerk to ask, Xu Ziyang took the paper and pen from the counter, dipped it in ink, and started writing quickly. In no time, she handed over three full pages to the clerk, saying, "Prepare the goods according to this list."

"Sure, miss, just wait a moment, I'll get it ready for you."

Saying that, Xiao Gouzi summoned two more clerks to help him prepare the goods for Xu Ziyang. After a quarter of an hour, a pile of wrapped herbs was stacked on the counter. After paying, Xu Ziyang put the remaining money away and stored the herbs in her storage bag. Without saying goodbye to the shopkeeper, she hurriedly left the shop and ran to a nearby talisman shop. The shopkeeper, who was still standing at the door, shouted loudly at Xu Ziyang's back, "Miss, welcome to come again!"

Xu Ziyang rushed into the talisman shop without looking back. She piled the remaining gold and silver on the counter, took the pen, and wrote a list, handing it to the shopkeeper who had been eyeing the gold and silver. She said, "Prepare the goods according to this list."

The shopkeeper, seeing the gold and silver on the counter, was already itching inside. Hearing Xu Ziyang's words, he took the list and personally went to prepare the goods for her. After a quarter of an hour, he had prepared everything Xu Ziyang had requested. After paying, Xu Ziyang saw that only one gold ingot was left on the counter. She smiled bitterly, put the gold ingot away, and stored the talisman materials in her storage bag. She then took a deep breath, feeling relieved, and hurriedly ran back to her residence.

She knew time was tight, and she might be dispatched at any moment, so she had to hurry to refine pills and make talismans tonight.

The street was still bustling with people. Everyone was excited, and Xu Ziyang pushed her way through the crowd. By the time she returned to her residence, she was drenched in sweat.

Back at her residence, Xu Ziyang locked the door and went into the inner room. After a brief rest, she started refining pills. She refined until dawn, finally finishing the pills. Now a second-rank alchemist, she refined several types of second-rank pills. There were Spirit-Explosion Pills for cultivation, Spirit-Enhancement Pills to replenish essence, Nourishing Pills to repair meridians and internal organs, Muscle-Regeneration Pills for external injuries, and Detoxification Pills for travel. Then, Xu Ziyang hurriedly made many talismans.

At this point, Xu Ziyang had reached the second level of the Qi Condensation stage, but she could only make twenty talismans a day. After finishing, Xu Ziyang was extremely tired. She tidied everything up, listened to make sure there was no noise outside, and immediately fell into a deep sleep on the bed.

She slept until nightfall, waking up groggily. Seeing no one had called her, she thought the clan's higher-ups hadn't made a decision yet. After eating something, Xu Ziyang felt her true qi had recovered and made another twenty talismans.

After finishing, she felt exhausted again. She tidied everything up and immediately sat down to meditate. By noon, Xu Ziyang slowly opened her eyes, a hint of joy flashing in them. She felt the barrier to the third level was loosening, and she would soon break through to the third level of the Qi Condensation stage. She couldn't help but think, "Taking pills is really good!"

Xu Ziyang was overjoyed, but she didn't know that the capital city was already in chaos. The city lord of the capital had received news from Fangtian City. The beast tide was indeed significant, reaching the scale of a medium-sized beast tide. Fangtian City was being ravaged by the beast tide and was seeking help from the capital city.

However, the city lord of the capital, Li Wanpeng, was unwilling to help. If he helped Fangtian City and attracted the beast tide to his own city, wouldn't that be like a dung beetle falling into a dung pit, courting death?

Therefore, Li Wanpeng not only refused to help Fangtian City but also urgently summoned the three major families in the capital to a meeting. At the meeting, Li Wanpeng required the three major families to send disciples to guard the key routes from Fangtian City to the capital, blocking the beasts from coming this way. He also clearly stated that if the beasts came from a particular route, the family responsible for that route would be punished.

There were four key routes between Fangtian City and the capital: one official road and three mountain paths. Li Wanpeng, without hesitation, chose the relatively safe official road for the city lord's residence, while the three dangerous mountain paths were assigned to the three major families.

The three major families couldn't argue with the city lord and didn't want to give in to each other. The Xu family, already weakened and with their leader unconscious, was ultimately assigned the most dangerous route, Tongyou Valley, while the Xiao and Wu families were given the relatively safer Changri Valley and Luofeng Ridge routes.

New and old friends, if you think this book is still short, please keep an eye on it. You can also check out my previous book, "Phoenix Song of Song," which is linked below.

[bookid=1745284, bookname=Phoenix Song of Song]

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