Qin Shi: I went astray in the Heavenly Sect

Chapter 197 Reunion with an Old Friend, Departure
Night was falling in the west.

In a dilapidated courtyard, a bonfire slowly rose.

There were five people gathered around the campfire: one man and four women.

"Senior brother."

A little girl with silver hair walked in carrying two pheasants, then plopped down next to the boy, looked at him, and extended her little hand forward.

Seeing this, the boy shook his head helplessly.

However, he didn't say much. After taking the pheasant, he turned around and went to the side. He quickly processed the wild game that could be found everywhere, then strung it on two branches and sat down by the fire again.

Standing to the side was a girl in a red dress, who couldn't help but smile upon seeing this scene.

"Master Xiaomeng, you're the first person to have the young master roast a pheasant for you!!"

The little girl sat beside the boy, her arms wrapped around her knees, watching the burning flames with a calm gaze.

"My senior brother and I each have one. There aren't any for you. If you want some, go catch your own."

"."

Upon hearing this, the girl in the red dress was taken aback.

Then she couldn't help but laugh again. If it were someone else, she might have thought the other person was stingy, but she knew that this was not what the girl meant.

The other party always prepares only two sets of things: one for themselves and the other for the boy.

As for the others, they can only rely on their own efforts.

That kind of detachment seemed to only allow that boy to enter her heart, while everyone else was shut out by him.

"Mr. Nian Duan, Miss Rong, would you like some?"

Then the girl in the red dress turned to look at the two people opposite the fire and asked softly.

"Thank you for your trouble, Miss Yan Lingji!"

Nian Duan did not refuse and gently thanked her.

After traveling all day, even she was exhausted, let alone having a disciple with her!

If it were Xiu Yuan who went out to hunt pheasants, everyone would definitely get a share. But this time it was Xiao Meng who went out, which means they have no chance.

Right now, Yan Lingji wants to go out and hunt some pheasants, so this is a good help to them.

Yan Lingji smiled and shook her head.

"It's alright, I'm not like some people who like to eat alone."

As she spoke, Yan Lingji glanced at Xiaomeng twice, but this time, it was like talking to a brick wall, because the little girl completely ignored her.

Before long, Yan Lingji returned to the courtyard, carrying several kinds of game, including three pheasants and two rabbits.

But by this time, the prey was already dead.

Watching the boy still roasting the pheasant, Yan Lingji couldn't help but look at Nian Duan beside her, after all, she didn't know how to roast a pheasant.

"Miss Yan Lingji, leave the rest to me and Rong'er!"

Seeing the hesitation on Yan Lingji's face, Nian Duan slowly got up and took over the rest of the work. Speaking of which, it was the group of them who escorted her and Duanmu Rong back to the medical manor this time.

Along the way, the two of them hadn't done much, which made them feel a little embarrassed.

So they are willing to do as much as they can.

If it was daytime during their rest period, Duanmu Rong would go out with Yan Lingji to find some food. Of course, they would prepare food for everyone.

However, Xiuyuan and Xiaomeng ate very little, sometimes even going several days without eating.

Yan Lingji casually handed the items to Nian Duan, then strode over to Xiu Yuan and sat down beside him.

Sensing the girl approaching, Xiaomeng suddenly opened her eyes, her lips pursed involuntarily. Xiuyuan's current cultivation level was almost at the point of abstaining from grains, and he had no appetite, so there was a high chance that the other portion of what Xiuyuan baked would end up in this girl's stomach.

The little girl was full of resentment about this situation, which is why she said those words earlier. However, Yan Lingji seemed not to understand her rejection and continued to do things her own way, leaving Xiaomeng somewhat helpless.

Yan Lingji casually tossed two dry branches into the fire, then said softly, "When I went out just now, I found some wolf footprints. I suspect there is a pack of wolves lurking nearby."

Upon hearing the word "wolf pack," the expressions of the girls present changed.

If the wolf pack is small, it's manageable, but if the pack is large, it could be a disaster.

Even Xiaomeng subconsciously looked at Xiuyuan. After this period of continuous cultivation, she was only one step away from becoming a grandmaster.

But even now, she can't guarantee that she can escape from the wolf pack.

"Wolves?"

Xiu Yuan suddenly looked up, glanced outside, and then his brows furrowed slightly.

Yan Lingji was right beside him, and she could clearly see Xiu Yuan's reaction.

Seeing this, she seemed to have guessed something, and her face immediately darkened.

Although she didn't think Xiu Yuan would be afraid of those things, it was best to avoid them in the wilderness if possible.

Xiaomeng and the others seemed to sense something was wrong and looked outside in the direction Xiuyuan was looking.

Before long, the sound of horses' hooves came from outside, and judging from the noise, there were quite a few people coming.

"Lord Zhu, someone's here!!"

A slightly excited voice came from the darkness, as if someone had suddenly seen a savior.

"Ouch!!"

But then came a series of wolf howls.

This unexpected turn of events made Yan Lingji and the others look very grim. If they weren't mistaken, the pack of wolves outside was chasing after these people.

"Women and children?"

When the group hurriedly walked in and saw that there were several women and two little ones, the man in the lead frowned.

I thought the people who would spend the night here would be chivalrous heroes, but I never expected it to be women and children.

Now, their plan to leverage this advantage has failed.

"Lord Zhu, there's a fire here. Have the brothers bring more firewood to make the fire burn brighter. By daybreak, things might be better."

Without hesitation, the man then spoke in a deep voice to a well-to-do elderly man beside him.

The old man first glanced at the situation in the courtyard from a distance, and after seeing that there were several women, he nodded.

"Just pick up what's nearby, don't go far. Those beasts are very clever! Never get separated from your group, or you'll be in danger."

The man nodded, and then he and several others gathered firewood around them. The old man, accompanied by two men, walked over.

"I am Zhu Xingye, an old man who encountered a pack of wolves while passing through this area. I had no choice but to seek refuge here temporarily. I hope you will forgive me!"

Upon hearing the name, Xiaomeng frowned; she felt as if she had heard the name somewhere before.

"Zhu Xingye?"

When Xiu Yuan heard this name, he looked over with some surprise.

Back when he and Xiaomeng left the mountain for Sanyang Village, they met a merchant named Zhu Xingye. Now that another Zhu Xingye has arrived, he is very curious whether this person is the same one he met back then.

A portly old man slowly walked over, and in the firelight, it was easy to see his face.

Xiu Yuan shook his head slightly. Although the man had become much more plump compared to the last time they met, his overall appearance had not changed much.

So he recognized him at a glance; this was none other than Manager Zhu, whom he had met in the Qin state two years ago.

"Are you the manager of Yongtong Cloth Shop, sir?"

Before Zhu Xingye reached the fire, he suddenly heard a voice coming from nearby. He instinctively stopped in his tracks, momentarily surprised and uncertain.

His business has grown bigger and bigger in the past two years, and naturally he has offended more and more people. He doesn't think he will run into any acquaintances here today. He is more inclined to believe that the person who spoke was lying in wait here and was here for him.

"And who are you?"

Zhu Xingye's small eyes darted around and swept towards the fire. From a distance, all he could make out were a few women and two little ones.

Now that he's closer, by the light of the fire, he can see exactly what the people around the fire look like.

But the next moment, a hint of amazement flashed in his eyes. He was a traveling merchant who had been wandering the world for many years and had seen all sorts of people.

The women here, in terms of both appearance and temperament, were among the best I had ever seen, especially the woman in the red dress, who was charming and alluring, even surpassing the most beautiful courtesans in the brothels.

And those two young men gave him a sense of déjà vu.

"May I ask, young hero, have we met before?"

Upon hearing this, Xiaomeng subconsciously glanced at Zhu Xingye. He did look somewhat familiar, but she couldn't remember where she had seen him before. After all, for her, unrelated people weren't worth remembering.

"Senior brother?"

Xiu Yuan flipped through the branch in his hand and replied, "A dilapidated temple outside Daicheng."

Memories welled up like a spring, and not only Xiaomeng, but even Zhu Xingye recalled what had happened back then.

"Oh!"

"I remember now, you are that young hero from back then, and so is this young lady."

Then Zhu Xingye looked over at Xiaomeng. For him, Xiaomeng actually left a deeper impression. A young girl with white hair was a rare sight, no matter where she was.

"Young master, have you met before?"

Seeing the other party's reaction, Yan Lingji was also a little curious. A wealthy merchant was not a rare existence in the Seven Kingdoms, but a Grandmaster was different. Logically speaking, they should not have any interaction.

Xiu Yuan nodded.

"We had a chance encounter."

Upon hearing the word "Young Master," Zhu Xingye's eyes flickered. He had already guessed the identities of Xiu Yuan and Xiao Meng back then, and now, hearing a stunningly beautiful woman address them as "Young Master," he was even more certain that their background was anything but simple.

"Lord Zhu, this..."

The two men accompanying Xiu Yuan were also taken aback when they heard Xiu Yuan's words. Then they looked at Zhu Xingye, as if seeking confirmation of whether the matter was true or false.

Zhu Xingye nodded.

"What this young hero says is true. I met them before, but I never expected to meet them again in a place like this."

As he spoke, Zhu Xingye couldn't help but sigh softly.

"Manager Zhu, why don't you come over for a chat!"

Unlike Zhu Xingye, Xiu Yuan didn't care about the wolf pack outside. If those beasts didn't know what was good for them, he had the ability to wipe them out here. Nian Duan and Duanmu Rong exchanged a glance, slowly got up, and came to Xiu Yuan's side, making way for him.

Since the other party was not an enemy, they would not be impolite.

"Two years have passed since we last met. You and this young lady look even more energetic than before, while I, on the other hand, have gained a head full of gray hair."

Upon hearing this, Xiu Yuan chuckled softly.

"Birth, aging, sickness and death are the natural order of things. When we, fellow disciples, reach the age of the shopkeeper, we will probably not be able to escape this fate either."

"It's quite a sight to see the shopkeeper this time; he certainly looks much more prosperous. Business must have been good these past two years!"

When business was brought up, Zhu Xingye waved his hand modestly, but the smile on his face never left him.

"The business world is full of ups and downs; it's just a matter of luck!"

Then he changed the subject, and his tone became much lower.

"However, this time, it seems my luck has run out."

Seeing this, the women present couldn't help but glance at him a few more times, but inwardly they shook their heads.

If one's luck has truly run out, will they still be able to run into them?
"Where did Manager Zhu come from?"

Xiu Yuan twirled the branch in his hand again. Seeing that the pheasant was cooked, he handed one to Xiao Meng and the other to Yan Ling Ji, and then asked.

Zhu Xingye hesitated for a moment, then sighed and said, "To be honest, young hero, I came from Mount Taiyi this time and am going to the State of Qi."

"Oh?"

Xiu Yuan seemed to have thought of something and nodded.

"But is it because of the blank paper?"

Upon hearing this, Zhu Xingye gave Xiu Yuan a meaningful look. In the current Seven Kingdoms, if you were to ask what the most profitable thing is, it would undoubtedly be blank paper.

The Taoists sold this item at an extremely low price, attracting merchants from seven countries to flock to it. They then took it to other countries and sold it at a higher price.

The profits earned from these transactions were several times greater than those from ordinary silk and artifacts, and several wealthy merchants in the seven kingdoms had already multiplied their wealth several times over through this.

"Young hero, you have a good eye; it is indeed a blank sheet of paper."

"This kind of thing has only recently become popular. I don't know what those Taoist masters were thinking, but they sold it at a very low price. We just need to ship it to other countries, and the price can even increase several times over."

"Among them, the State of Qi is the best, as scholars there are often willing to pay higher prices to acquire this item, making Qi the best choice for us itinerant merchants."

Upon hearing this, Duanmu Rong, who had remained silent, couldn't help but furrow her delicate brows slightly.

Xiu Yuan and Xiao Meng are members of the Taoist Tianzong sect. Isn't this Zhu Xingye afraid of angering them by belittling Taoism in front of them?

Upon hearing this, Yan Lingji glanced at Xiu Yuan and then said softly, "It seems that there is a master guiding Qi behind the scenes."

Upon hearing this, Nian Duan, Duanmu Rong, Zhu Xingye, and the others were taken aback.

Then Zhu Xingye asked with some odd curiosity, "May I ask what this young lady means by that?"

Buying blank paper at a high price doesn't seem like a smart move from any perspective. Where did the other party come to this conclusion?

Yan Lingji's gaze became somewhat distant.

Actually, she deduced this conclusion from another matter: in Xinzheng, South Korea, the Ninth Prince Han Fei made a bet with Emerald Tiger, one of the Four Fiends of the Night.

This was a bet where the outcome was determined by the price of grain. In the end, Han Fei used a strategy of buying grain at a high price, attracting many grain merchants from the seven kingdoms. After the grain supply in Xinzheng reached saturation, those grain merchants had to sell grain to Han Fei at a price lower than the market price. The supply and demand relationship changed from supply falling short of demand to supply falling short of demand, completely overturning the pattern of the business war.

While Qi's move might not be exactly the same as Han Fei's, its actual effect would likely be similar.

In the future, Qi's white paper will definitely be the first to drop in price, and it will also be the place with the lowest price.

Because the supply and demand relationship will change rapidly when buying at such high prices.

When supply exceeds demand, prices will only fall.

Yan Lingji then gave an explanation, the reasoning behind which left Zhu Xingye stunned.

He then looked at the girl with the eyes of someone looking at a saint. If circumstances allowed, he would have kowtowed to her at least twice.

Xiu Yuan seemed to be thinking of someone, then gently shook his head. Qi State had many scholars, a flourishing literary culture, and several great Confucian scholars. One of them was an elder at the Xiaoshengxianzhuang Confucian Academy.

This person was none other than Han Fei's teacher, Xun Kuang.

In the situation at Xinzheng, Han Fei succeeded by manipulating the evil and greed in human nature. Xunzi also wrote his book based on the theory that human nature is inherently evil.

This Confucian scholar's understanding of human nature was probably even greater than that of Han Fei.

So when Yan Lingji thought of it, Xiu Yuan had already guessed who was behind this plan.

"Shopkeeper, have you heard of any major events on your journey?"

Xiu Yuan then asked again.

Actually, the most important reason for his conversation with Zhu Xingye was that he wanted to know what had happened recently in the seven kingdoms.

"This"

Upon hearing Xiu Yuan's question, Zhu Xingye was momentarily speechless, as his field was not closely related to the imperial court.

After thinking for a moment, Zhu Xingye spoke again: "There is one more thing, which we learned when we passed through Shouying City. It seems that the Magistrate Li Yuan has passed away due to poisoning."

Upon hearing this, Nian Duan's pupils constricted sharply, and his hands clenched unconsciously.

Having avenged her past grievances was a kind of relief for her.

Duanmu Rong, however, looked more surprised. The prescription left by Nian Duan was genuine. If Li Yuan took a gamble in the end, the probability of being saved was not small.

"Didn't Li Yuan seek treatment?"

Zhu Xingye chuckled softly.

"I'm not entirely clear on the specifics, but Li Yuan holds a high position of power, so things shouldn't be like this. As for the details, that's beyond my knowledge."

Then Duanmu Rong turned to look at Nian Duan.

Although he didn't say anything, his meaning was clear: he seemed to be asking whether Li Yuan had actually taken the gamble.

Nian Duan seemed to understand Duanmu Rong's meaning, but this time, she did not answer.

The prescription sent to the other party was fine. If Li Yuan hadn't hesitated, he would have ordered someone to prepare the medicine as soon as he received the prescription, and by then he would have already recovered.

But the other party did not do so.

There's a saying in medicine: "Once you miss this village, you won't find another shop like it."

The same applies to stubborn lesions; when they are not severe, one prescription is used, but in other cases, another prescription is used.

Different symptoms of the same disease require different medications.

If Li Yuan were to test the medicine one last time, it would be like wielding the sword of the previous dynasty to kill the people of this generation; it would be strange if he succeeded.

What about other countries?

Xiu Yuan asked again, "If he wants to understand the affairs of the Chu Kingdom, it won't take too much effort, since they are currently within Chu territory."

"The power struggle within the Qin court should be resolved soon. I heard my colleagues in Xianyang mention it, and it seems that the Prime Minister has lost this time. Qin may be about to make a big move."

"At present, I only know some things about the Qin and Chu states. As for other countries, I don't have much information because I haven't been involved recently."

At this point, Zhu Xingye's eyes showed a hint of apology.

What about in the martial arts world?

After a while, Xiu Yuan brought up the martial arts world again.

Zhu Xingye cleared his throat and continued, "The most prominent figure in the martial arts world right now is a great Taoist named Qingxu. I've heard he's the most outstanding person after that old immortal. He's already a grandmaster at a young age, and his future is limitless."

Upon hearing this, Yan Lingji smiled.

This old man probably doesn't even know who the person sitting across from him is.

"By the way, this is farmland. If we manage to escape tonight, we can seek out a leader named Zhu. He's a public-spirited and righteous man."

Nothing happened overnight, but when Zhu Xingye woke up, Xiu Yuan and the others had already left.

Recalling the negotiations last night, Manager Zhu couldn't help but have some suspicions.

There was one thing he didn't mention last night: rumors were circulating in Shouying City about a young man wielding a sword and suppressing a thousand troops.
"An interesting young man!!"

Another month passed, and Xiu Yuan, Xiao Meng, Yan Ling Ji, Nian Duan, and Duanmu Rong returned to the Medical Manor.

After a short rest, Xiu Yuan left with Xiao Meng and Yan Ling Ji.

Nian Duan stood in front of the medical clinic, looking at the extra boulder, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

The boulder was about two people tall and looked like a rockery from a distance. Moreover, there were four large characters on the boulder: "Jinghu Medical Manor".

Recalling the young man who used his sword as a pen, writing with unrestrained fluency and in one go, a touch of warmth appeared deep in her eyes.

Having spent years navigating the world, she knows that good deeds don't necessarily bring good rewards, and evil deeds don't necessarily bring evil consequences.

But the young man from the Taoist Tianzong sect did not disappoint her. When she became his disciple, her master had said something to her.

"If this world is to change, someone always needs to take the first step."

Perhaps a physician can become that kind of person.

"master."

Suddenly, a voice reached her ears, and Nian Duan subconsciously looked over, only to see a girl walking slowly towards her.

"No one has been at the medical clinic for a while now, so the bedding and some medicinal herbs in the rooms need to be aired out."

Nian Duan shook his head. The person who came was none other than his disciple, Duanmu Rong.

"Rong'er."

Her disciple is good in every way, except that he is a little stubborn.

"They're gone!"

Duanmu Rong lowered her eyelids and nodded.

Seeing that Duanmu Rong had become a silent person again, Nian Duan gently raised her head and looked at Mirror Lake.

A young girl's thoughts are written all over her face!

"Qingxu said something very true: two people who are destined to be together will come together no matter how far apart they are."

(End of this chapter)