Chapter 30

Looking at the somewhat arrogant Hunan Army captain, who brought the bowing and smiling innkeeper to the second floor, He Zhengdao soon saw many of the guests dining on the second floor stand up and politely greet him with phrases like "Deputy Wang, hello!" This proved that the Hunan Army captain, who looked to be not even thirty, was somewhat well-known in the city.

For these guests who stood up to show their friendliness, Deputy Wang merely nodded slightly and said, "Old Wang, I'm recommending our regiment commander to celebrate his fiftieth birthday here because we are from the same clan. Remember to clean up the second floor properly tonight, and don't open the first floor either, to avoid spoiling our regiment commander's mood. Got it?"

Regiment commander? Deputy?

These two titles undoubtedly made He Zhengdao's heart leap with joy. Could it be that the security regiment commander stationed in the city was celebrating his birthday tonight? Was this captain here to reserve a table for his master?

That would mean that the inn would be filled with several key figures from the security regiment tonight, right? Everyone knew that such birthday banquets were often opportunities for these city defense officials to collect bribes and amass wealth.

Watching the innkeeper, who seemed to understand the situation, carefully stuff several silver dollars into the deputy's upper pocket, the deputy appeared quite satisfied. After making a few more requests, he soon left the second floor amidst the guests' congratulatory words.

Seeing He Zhengdao lost in thought, the soldiers, who had already figured out what the regiment commander was up to, stopped drinking and eating. They didn't dare to disturb him while he was thinking.

When He Zhengdao's eyes lit up and he saw the soldiers staring at him, he scolded them with a smile, "Why are you all staring at me? Hurry up and eat, and finish the business quickly. It's rare to come out, and if we don't do the business, I'll dock your pay when we get back."

This statement undoubtedly proved that He Zhengdao had come up with a plan, and the soldiers immediately became happy. They quickly cleared the two tables of rare delicacies, of course, filling their bellies to the brim. When the waiter came to collect the bill and reported that the meal cost nearly ten silver dollars, the soldiers felt a bit pained.

Only He Zhengdao was very generous, throwing ten shiny silver dollars and telling the waiter to keep the change as a tip. This undoubtedly made the waiter very happy. When He Zhengdao pretended to be curious and asked a few questions, the waiter answered without reservation.

Hearing that all the battalion-level officers of the security regiment would come to celebrate the birthday tonight, He Zhengdao's smile grew even wider. After thanking the waiter, who also seemed very happy, he led the soldiers, who were still unsure of what He Zhengdao was planning, to a relatively secluded pharmacy in the city.

Looking at the pharmacy owner warmly welcoming He Zhengdao and his group, He Zhengdao had two soldiers stand guard at the door. He then said with a grand air, "Mr. Li, I want to buy some special herbs from you. Do you have them?"

Special herbs! As long as it can make money, I'll find them even if I don't have them!

After all, as soon as He Zhengdao entered, he placed an unopened envelope of silver dollars on the tea table. This meant he was a big-spending customer!

Staring at the envelope of silver dollars with a greedy look, the owner smiled and said, "Mr. Hu, to be honest, my shop may not be large, but I have everything that other pharmacies in Jingzhou have, and even some that they don't. Besides, in this era, as long as you're willing to pay, you can get any medicine."

Faced with the money-grubbing pharmacy owner, He Zhengdao appeared very pleased and said, "That's great. I, Hu Hansan, like dealing with smart people like Mr. Li. If I want to buy some knockout powder, I'm sure Mr. Li can get it, right?"

Knockout powder!

Hearing that Hu Hansan wanted to buy knockout powder, the owner seemed to understand that these tough-looking guys were probably bandits from the nearby mountains. Who would buy such a drug for robbing and plundering?

Selling such a drug to bandits could cause serious trouble!

As he was considering whether to refuse the deal, He Zhengdao said with a dark look, "What? Is Mr. Li afraid that I, Hu Hansan, won't pay for the medicine? You said that as long as you can pay, you can get any medicine.

Now, I've put the money on the table. If Mr. Li can't provide the medicine, I'll be very angry! The consequences of my anger are very serious! We are all businessmen, and as the saying goes, harmony brings wealth. I pay, you sell. Once we step out of this door, we don't know each other, right?"

Hearing the phrase "serious consequences," the owner broke out in a cold sweat. But when he heard the phrase "harmony brings wealth," greed overcame reason, and he said, "Since I said it, I'll stick to my word. I have the medicine, but the price will be a bit higher."

Since it's about making money, why not ask for more?

For this pharmacy owner who was willing to risk his life for money, He Zhengdao didn't say much. He took out another unopened envelope of silver dollars and said, "I have plenty of money. But Mr. Li, remember not to be too greedy.

I'm in the business of risking my life. If you anger me, the consequences will be severe! This is twenty silver dollars. Prepare enough knockout powder to knock out at least two thousand people. Is this price fair enough?"

As he said this, He Zhengdao deliberately showed the pistol on his waist, confirming to the owner that these people were indeed bandits. If he had known their identity earlier, he could have reported them.

But now, he didn't dare. If he reported them, he might be killed by these ruthless bandits before reaching the security regiment. In this era, being a good citizen didn't always have a good outcome.

Compared to reporting He Zhengdao and his bandits to the security regiment, it was better to take the twenty silver dollars first. With money, he could go anywhere, which was the smart way to handle things.

Although the amount of knockout powder He Zhengdao wanted was a bit much, the owner smiled and said, "This price is very fair. Thank you, Mr. Hu. But remember, once the medicine leaves my shop, I know nothing about it. We'll act as if we've never met. What do you think, Mr. Hu?"

This statement was very much to He Zhengdao's liking, and he smiled, "Mr. Li is indeed a smart man. Dealing with smart people is easy! Don't worry, although we may be unreasonable at times, we know business is business. What we say, we will do. What do you think, Mr. Li?"

Seeing how straightforward He Zhengdao was, the owner was about to take the money when He Zhengdao pressed his hand down and shook his head, indicating that he should first produce the medicine before taking the money.

Feeling that this young bandit leader was not easy to deal with, the owner didn't say much. He quickly took out several large packets of white powder from a drawer at the bottom of the medicine cabinet.

He said cautiously, "This is the knockout powder commonly used on the streets. Just a small amount, dissolved in water or alcohol, can knock someone out without a trace.

These packets are all the stock in my shop. Not only can they knock out two thousand people, but even more. Once they drink it, they won't wake up for several hours."

Looking at the white powder, which resembled the white powder he had seen in the black market in the future, He Zhengdao sniffed it slightly. The smell was similar to what he had seen before. Although he couldn't be sure if it was genuine, to ensure the success of the mission tonight, He Zhengdao pretended to inspect the goods and quickly hid some in his fingernail.

He smiled and said, "Yes, Mr. Li is honest. The quality of the medicine is good. Here, take the money, Mr. Li. Count it carefully. Make sure the amount is right, or I'll be blamed for not being fair.

If you say the amount is wrong after I leave, that will be a problem. Right? We should follow the rules. You deliver the goods, I pay the money. I've inspected the goods, so you should count the money."

As he spoke, he had the puzzled guards pack the knockout powder. The owner, who was counting the silver dollars, said he trusted He Zhengdao and wouldn't cheat him.

Once the owner confirmed the amount was correct, He Zhengdao handed him a teacup and said, "Alright, since the amount is right, let's part as friends. Since there's no wine, let's drink tea instead. After this cup of tea, we'll act as if we've never met. You sell your medicine, I do my business. What do you think, Mr. Li?"

The owner, feeling good with the money, happily agreed, "Indeed, indeed!"

He picked up the teacup without hesitation, lightly clinked it with He Zhengdao's, and drank it like wine.

Just as He Zhengdao was about to leave the pharmacy and told the owner not to see him off, the owner suddenly felt dizzy. Realizing he had been drugged, he pointed at He Zhengdao in shock, saying "You, you, you..." before collapsing into the arms of a guard.

Earlier, when He Zhengdao pushed the teacup to the owner, who was busy counting the money, he had already mixed the knockout powder hidden in his fingernail into the tea. Seeing that the owner was indeed drugged within ten minutes, He Zhengdao felt that the knockout powder was indeed effective.