Dual-wielding! 100x proficiency, I'll grind my way to godhood!

Xiao Liu paused for a moment, then loosened his clenched fist.

"First, after you get away, keep an eye on the pharmacy for me. Record everything in detail: who the manager meets each day, what goods he gets, and when he leaves. I'll give you five taels of silver every month."

Xiao Liu nodded.

"Secondly, you've worked in the pharmacy for three years, so you know the ins and outs of medicinal herbs. Tell me slowly what herbs are used in the pills sold in town, where they come from, and what their prices are."

Xiao Liu nodded again.

"third……"

Chen Mo paused for a moment, then asked, "Where do you get your medicinal herbs from?"

"They were transported from the county town. The Zhao family has an alchemist who refines pills in the county town. This shop in town only sells them, it doesn't refine them. The medicinal herbs are also sourced from the county town; the shopkeeper prepares them according to the prescription and then sells them."

"Shipping every month?"

"Yes. Every month on the fifteenth, the Zhao family brings in a batch of good goods from the county town. On that day, only the shopkeeper is there; all the other employees have been sent out to deliver the goods."

Chen Mo narrowed his eyes.

"Where's the prescription for the medicinal herbs? Have you seen it?"

"I've peeked at the formula for Yiqi San a few times. It uses three main herbs: Astragalus membranaceus, Angelica sinensis, and Codonopsis pilosula. Zhuanggu Wan adds one more herb, Drynaria fortunei. I'm not entirely sure about the proportions, but I recognize the appearance of the herbs, their origins, and how to choose the good ones."

Chen Mo went over these words in his mind.

The source of medicinal materials, the time of purchase, the shopkeeper's sole responsibility, and the general composition of the prescription.

Each one is a loose thread; if you pull on it, you can pull something out.

He stuffed the silver into Xiao Liu's hand.

"One hundred taels, take this to redeem yourself. From now on, work diligently, and you'll be rewarded."

Xiao Liu clutched the silver, his fingers trembling, his eyes red-rimmed, and his lips quivering.

"Young master, I..."

"Don't kneel."

Chen Mo grabbed his shoulder and said, "I don't like this. You do my bidding, I pay you, we're even. This kneeling and kneeling is too much trouble."

Xiao Liu wiped her face hard, trying to hold back her tears.

"Alright. Take care of your business first."

Inside the pharmacy, the shopkeeper was talking to a customer.

When he saw Chen Mo push the door open and come in, his face darkened again.

"What are you doing here?"

"Buy medicine."

Chen Mo walked in, followed by Xiao Liu.

When the shopkeeper saw Xiao Liu, his eyes narrowed into slits.

"Where did you go?"

Xiao Liu didn't say anything, but stood behind Chen Mo as if looking for a wall to block the wind.

The shopkeeper's face changed. He came out from behind the counter, pointed his finger at Xiao Liu's nose, and said, "You son of a bitch."

"Don't point."

Chen Mo's voice wasn't loud, but the shopkeeper's finger froze in mid-air, as if it had been nailed to the ground by something.

Chen Mo slammed one hundred taels of silver onto the counter. He then smashed ten silver ingots onto the wood.

boom!

"Little Six wants to redeem himself. One hundred taels. Count it."

The shopkeeper stared at the pile of silver, then looked at Xiao Liu, and his face twitched.

"Redemption? It's written in the contract..."

"The contract states that if you leave midway, you will be penalized one hundred taels."

Chen Mo interrupted him, her voice flat, as if she were reading from an account book.

"The money's here, I'm taking the person. Any problems?"

The shopkeeper's face turned pale and then red.

"Who do you think you are? A member of the Zhao family, you think you can just take him away like that?"

Chen Mo wasn't in a hurry. He leaned against the counter, put his hands in his sleeves, and looked at the shopkeeper with a grin.

"A member of the Zhao family? Get this straight, Xiao Liu is a long-term contract employee, not a slave of the Zhao family. According to the laws of the Great Yuan Dynasty, an employer cannot stop an employee from paying to redeem themselves. What, does your Zhao family disregard the law in your business dealings?"

The shopkeeper's lips trembled.

"The law? In this town, the Zhao family is the law!"

"Oh?"

Chen Mo's voice wasn't loud, but every word was clear.

"Then I'll go out and shout it out, so the whole town knows that Zhao's Pharmacy is engaging in forced buying and selling, withholding employees' wages, and selling inferior goods as superior ones."

It is true that your Zhao family has many martial artists and great power.

But this town isn't just home to the Zhao family, nor is it solely inhabited by them.

The martial arts school disciples, passing caravans, customers from the neighboring town buying medicine, and even the town garrison commander—if they heard what you said…”

The shopkeeper's pupils contracted slightly.

Chen Mo continued, "I'm new to town, and I'm fearless. Your Zhao family business is so big, if your reputation is ruined, is it you, the manager, or the head of the family who can take responsibility?"

The shopkeeper clenched his fists so tightly that his knuckles turned white.

Chen Mo pushed the pile of silver forward.

"One hundred taels, not a penny less. I'll take the person with me; you can pretend this never happened. Let's all maintain our dignity."

The shopkeeper stared at the pile of silver for a full ten seconds.

His Adam's apple bobbed up and down. Finally, he swept the silver into the drawer, pulled a piece of paper from the cabinet, and slapped it on the counter.

"Signed. Get out."

Xiao Liu signed the document with trembling hands.

The handwriting was crooked and messy, but the signature was made with great force, and the paper was torn.

Chen Mo put the contract into his pocket.

"By the way, shopkeeper."

The shopkeeper looked up.

Chen Mo said with a grin.

"You just said I couldn't afford it. Now, who can't afford it?"

The shopkeeper's face turned a deep shade of liver.

His lips trembled a few times, as if he wanted to say something, but he swallowed it back.

Don't be angry.

Chen Mo took out another six hundred taels of silver from his pocket and placed it on the counter.

"Ten bottles each of Yiqi San and Zhuanggu Wan. Six hundred taels, as agreed earlier."

The shopkeeper stared at the pile of silver, his chest heaving a few times.

I turned to get the medicine, my hands still trembling.

The porcelain bottles clattered together, making a tinkling sound.

Chen Mo stood in front of the counter, his gaze sweeping across the pharmacy.

The hidden compartment under the counter is where Xiao Liu mentioned the good stuff is kept.

A wooden ladder in the corner leads to the second floor, where the shopkeeper's bedroom is located, and the account books are under the floorboards.

The stairs are narrow, only wide enough for one person to walk on at a time.

The shopkeeper wrapped the medicine up and slammed it onto the counter.

"Take it and get out."

Chen Mo wasn't in a hurry. He took the medicine and patted his clothes.

"Shopkeeper, I have a question."

"What?"

"Is your medicine genuine?"

The shopkeeper's face darkened again.

Chen Mo smiled, turned around, and led Xiao Liu out of the pharmacy.

The sound of porcelain shattering came from behind me.

Once outside the town gates, Xiao Liu slowed down.

"Young master, are you... are you really not afraid of the Zhao family?"

Chen Mo did not answer the question.

"Which village does your mother live in?"

"Three miles ahead."

"Go ahead. Once you're settled, come find me in town. Zhang Deshuai from Mud Village, just ask around for the martial arts school."

Xiao Liu clutched the silver and nodded vigorously.

"Young master, let me tell you a few more things."

"explain."

"For the medicinal materials of Yiqi San, Huangqi (Astragalus membranaceus) should be selected from old roots, with the best cross-section showing golden wells and jade railings; Danggui (Angelica sinensis) should be whole, with long stems and thick roots, oily and fragrant; and Dangshen (Codonopsis pilosula) should be lion's head or chrysanthemum heart."

Zhuanggu Wan (a traditional Chinese medicine formula) contains an extra ingredient, Drynaria fortunei (a type of herb), which should be selected for its thick, red color and honeycomb-like cross-section.

I recognize all of these; I'll help you collect them from now on.

Chen Mo listened and memorized everything.

"Also, the shopkeeper's best medicine is hidden in a secret compartment under the counter, and the key is under his pillow."

The ledger was under the third tile of his bedroom floor; you could see it by lifting the tile.

On the fifteenth of each month, the day they retrieve goods from the county town, only the shopkeeper is in the shop. All the other employees are sent out to deliver goods, and they won't return until at least evening.

Chen Mo nodded.

"Is there anything else?"

Xiao Liu thought for a moment:

"The shopkeeper goes to the Zhao residence at the end of each month to hand over the accounts, and he always comes back looking grim. Sometimes he gets scolded, sometimes he doesn't. On the day he goes to the Zhao residence, he's the only one left in the shop."

"Which day?"

"Not necessarily. Between twenty-five and thirty."

Chen Mo patted Xiao Liu on the shoulder.

"Alright. Get your mother settled first. We'll talk about the medicine when you get back."

Xiao Liu walked away, turning back every few steps.

Chen Mo stood at the intersection, watching his figure disappear at the end of the dirt road.

He turned and walked back, a smirk playing on his lips.

One hundred taels of silver bought an informant, a person knowledgeable about medicinal herbs, a supply channel, a place to keep accounts, and a lull period on the fifteenth of each month.

This deal is a good one.

He didn't notice that in the teahouse across the street, a man in a gray shirt put down his teacup and kept his eyes following him.