21 Return to the Medicine Hall 1

The house was barely adequate, but Qin Feng knew that when he purchased it. It didn't have to be luxurious but he preferred it to be comfortable, at least. After all, he had to stay there for the next four to six moons.

And it had to be big enough to accommodate all of the loot that he was making away with, when he left the Heaven Sword School. After all, he was certainly not going to leave anything behind, after he takes his leave.

The puppet attracted a little more attention than he would have preferred. With his training, there was no way that he could miss the way that the Guards were reacting, when they realized that it was acting like a porter. And he didn't miss the fact that there were two others who hurriedly left the scene, after he had passed through.

Who they were working for, however, he had no idea. But he was certain that it wasn't the Heaven Sword School. The ones who spied for that organisation were probably still huddled in their homes, and unwilling to venture out into the cold weather!

Then he decided that he didn't care!

Those idiots would do their jobs and he would concentrate on getting his temporary home ready for habitation! And start working on raising his cultivation! That was more important. Especially with what was on the way.

He was just about to head back to the secret storeroom and do that, when he remembered that he had not properly arranged things in there yet. Well, he had been a little short of time. And digging out the storage chamber had taken up a good bit of that.

So it looked like he had no choice but to do it now!

Or rather, get his puppet to handle it for him! It would take a far shorter time, if he did that! Far better if he let someone else, or something else, do all of the heavy work for him!

Close to two hours later, he was finally done with the task.

Qin Feng waved his hand one last time, directing the puppet to shift the boxes so that there was a suitably large empty space in the center of the storeroom. That would make a tolerable training area, if circumstances forced him to come underground, and to hide with the gains that he had made from the Heaven Sword Martial Arts School.

Then he made a rude noise in his throat, and waved his hand at the puppet, sending it back into the corner of the room. He might as well get started then, while the sun was still moderately warm enough to dispel some of the bleak weather.

It would be an invigorating walk, at least, from this new hovel to the Fu Lai Medicine Hall.

Qin Feng did have a few more medicinal herbs that he was certain would be in demand at the moment. Especially if the Marquis' forces had already realized that things were not at all as peaceful as they should be, over in the West.

And his army should be stocking up on every medicine that would be of any use, if War really broke out between them and the intruding Barbarians. Perhaps even at prices beyond what they would normally pay!

If that was so, it would be the perfect time for him to make his first major killing!

*

Ling Jing'er inspected the herbs in front of her carefully, before nodding her head at the younger woman standing to her left with a slight smile. Which widened as she noted how the other woman's shoulders seem to loosen a fraction, when she approved the assessment that the latter had just made.

It seemed the other girls there at Fu Lai Medicine Hall were more than conscious of the reason for her promotion, to Assistant Hall Manager. Well, it was no secret how she got the job, after her predecessor had gotten himself an upgrade to Deputy Hall Manager. A post that had been vacant before, she reminded himself.

Yet, who could say anything about the Main Store's decision? Or the fact that they were keeping Hall Manager Zheng in the East, where the climate was warmer, and much more comfortable, compared to Changqing City. A reward for what he had done perhaps?

Given the way the story had spread, and grown in the telling, the new Assistant Hall Manager, Ling Jing'er, was not so sure what to believe. But she did not doubt that there was an appearance by an unprecedented expert there, in Changqing. And that he had effectively face-smacked the Royal Prince with his actions!

Now, wasn't that reason enough why Hall Manager Zheng was enjoying himself in the East, where he could share that slightly embellished tale with all the friends of the Main Store?

Well, regardless of what had really happened, she was glad that it did. After all, she wouldn't be the new Assistant Hall Manager now if it hadn't, would she? Ling Jing'er waved her hand at the girl in front of her then, and stepped away from the counter.

Although she had still more to do, to make that particular post hers in truth.

She was a trained assessor of herbs, and the top of her field among all of the employees in the Medicine Hall. And she had paid careful attention to the fluctuations of prices of the same, with more attention to detail than the others of her rank. Hence, she had been picked, out of the eleven who had been considered, to take over this role.

Unfortunately, Deputy Hall Manager Luo Junyuan was still around, and learning his own job. Which left her largely on the ground floor of the Medicine Hall, looking over the sales. And checking on other people's work. When was she going to be allowed up onto the second floor?

Then she heard the ruckus. What was going on? And at the front of the Hall at that?

It didn't take long before the matter was finally brought to her attention, along with the so-called perpetrator behind the same. And she thought that she had a good grasp of the situation too, after the briefing that she had received.

"This was not issued to you, was it?" she asked at once, when she was finally brought face to face with the one involved.

He was rather young - no more than sixteen or seventeen, and he was dressed like a rich merchant's brat, in fine cotton cloth that had been dyed a pale blue color. A strange smile lingered on his lips as he nodded back at her. As though he could not be bothered to speak.

Which was enough to bring Assistant Hall Manager Ling Jing'er to the boiling point at once! Curse it! Didn't he know who she was? The sales personnel had clearly introduced her just now, when she entered the room!

"This is not some game, sir. The use of a regular's tag is associated to the good name of the Medicine Hall! We cannot allow it to be carelessly transferred without authorization! And shall have to be reported upwards. Perhaps to the Marquis' Manor!

"In fact, doing so without informing us, without good cause, would definitely result in the same being banned from Fu Lai Medicine Hall in the future!"

* * *