Nine Netherworld Demon Subduing Record

Fu Qing woke up on a small wooden bed.

The air was filled with the smell of medicine, and the faint sound of grinding herbs could be heard. Light streamed in through the small window, and a figure sat by the window, the shadow on the wall swaying with the movement of his hands.

"Where am I?"

Fu Qing propped himself up and looked around at his surroundings.

"Awake?" The voice was old, yet full of energy.

"Sir, but where is this place?" Fu Qing asked, looking around at his surroundings.

On the walls on both sides were various medicine cabinets, containing herbs that Fu Qing recognized, such as moneywort and lingzhi, as well as herbs he couldn't name, such as the Eighteen Golden Herbs.

The figure before them was wearing a large, off-white robe and was constantly grinding herbs in his hands.

"The Ten-Mile Pharmacy," the man replied.

Fu Qing was stunned. He knew clearly what had happened to him. The dream he had just had was very real, as if something had taken his soul and placed him in a real scene.

"Shili Pharmacy?" Thinking about the name, he suddenly remembered something. Among the official documents was a request to open a branch, and the name on it was indeed "Shili Pharmacy."

Judging from the antique-style furnishings around it, it didn't seem like a newly opened branch, so it could only be the main store.

"It seems I was rescued by you, sir, but who brought me here?"

The figure struck the stone pestle and mortar heavily, finishing the task, then patted his clothes and turned around. He was an old man with a head that resembled a dragon's head and white hair that reached his waist. Although he was an orc, he had a rather otherworldly air about him.

He stroked his beard, pondered for a moment, and said, "Wearing a blue robe, he's probably a bit shorter than you, but he's quite articulate."

"Eloquent?" Fu Qing thought of Qi Feng, the young man in blue who had greeted him at the General Affairs Office. Could it be him?

The pharmacist walked up to him, gestured for Fu Qing to sit down in front of the bed, extended his right arm, and took his pulse again. He then said, "Young brother, you can rest assured. I observe that your pulse is like a drumbeat, very strong indeed, hahaha."

Fu Qing thought about the scene in his dream and the thin black lines on his body, but he wasn't quite sure what they were. Just then, he saw the doctor and asked, "Sir, how did I suddenly faint?"

The doctor simply smiled and said, "Young man, did you perhaps have your spiritual veins tested yesterday?"

Realizing that his unconsciousness was likely related to the substance he had swallowed, Fu Qing quickly replied, "Exactly."

"That's not surprising. What the young man is suffering from is most likely a side effect of the spiritual vein test. He only needs to rest for a day to recover."

"Sir, do you know why I couldn't detect the spiritual vein during the day yesterday, but these symptoms only appeared at night?" Fu Qing was puzzled, thinking that most of the pharmacies were run by Taoist masters, so he might as well ask.

But upon hearing this, the old man's expression changed slightly, and his brows furrowed.

"Can't be detected?"

Seeing his expression, Fu Qing was also puzzled. Could it be that his spiritual vein test was not normal?

He stroked his beard carefully a few times, and after a long while, he finally spoke slowly.

"Young man, please follow me."

After saying that, the doctor turned and went into the inner room. Fu Qing didn't know what he was going to do, but he followed him in.

Upon entering the inner room, Fu Qing felt an immense sense of spaciousness. Although the front hall was not large, the back was a hidden world. Inside was a small, U-shaped building built against the mountain wall, with steps winding upwards. The mountain wall was covered with herbs that Fu Qing did not recognize at all. In the corridor, there were bubbles that floated in the air without any support, each containing various precious materials.

This was actually a hidden world of its own.

"I never imagined there would be a place like this in Cloud Boat City." Fu Qing looked around.

Seeing the pharmacist continue walking inside, Fu Qing followed, until they reached an unusually ancient gate. The gate frame was carved with dragons and phoenixes, showing signs of weathering, and it was unknown how many years had passed.

The doctor knocked lightly three times on the ancient door. After a while, a woman's voice came from inside. The voice was soft and weak, and it had a somewhat bewitching effect. Fu Qing felt as if he were in a beautiful place. He quickly pinched his thigh to try to stay awake.

"What is it?"

"Teacher, I need your help."

Seeing the old man bowing respectfully, Fu Qing's heart churned, wondering if there was some kind of old monster inside, who, despite his advanced age, could disguise himself as a young and beautiful woman.

Shaking his head to dismiss these distracting thoughts, Fu Qing also bowed respectfully.

On the door frame, the heads of the dragon and phoenix turned and faced Fu Qing directly, their eyes emitting a faint light, as if trying to see through Fu Qing completely.

Soon, the dragon and phoenix heads returned to normal, and the gate slowly opened.

Fu Qing saw a red dress swaying in front of him, and fair feet slowly coming to a stop. He glanced up along the red dress and met a pair of bright eyes.

It turned out to be a girl who looked only seventeen or eighteen years old. Her hair was braided on both sides and tied with red ribbons. She had big, bright eyes, skin like cream, and lips like spring peaches.

"This...this is a maid?" Fu Qinggang thought to himself as the apothecary said to the girl in front of him, "Master, I hope you will take action and investigate this young man's condition."

"Old disciple, young master? Your master is way too young!"

It wasn't that Fu Qing thought she was small, but rather that the girl was only about 1.4 meters tall. Even if Fu Qing bent down slightly, the girl still had to look up at Fu Qing.

The girl looked Fu Qing up and down and said, "Hold out your hand."

Although he had many suspicions about the girl's appearance, Fu Qing still dared not be disrespectful. After all, this world was full of strange things, and who knew if the girl in front of him was some kind of ancient demon who had cultivated into human form?

He obediently did as she said, stretching out his arm. The girl did not move directly, but instead took out a jade ruyi from her sleeve and gently placed it on Fu Qing's arm.

Fu Qing felt that the Ruyi was incredibly warm and smooth, as if it carried a touch of warmth.

The girl closed her eyes, and as time passed, her brows furrowed, becoming more and more tightly furrowed.

After a long while, she slowly opened her eyes and asked Fu Qing, "Have you come into contact with anything strange recently?"

"A strange thing?" Fu Qing's heart skipped a beat when she asked this question. Could it be that he was possessed by a demon?

But after thinking it over, aside from being chased by that black-faced ghost and drinking something strange during the spiritual vein test, I hadn't seen anything eerie.

"Young man, you nearly lost your life to that black-faced demon a few days ago. I wonder..."

Upon hearing this, the doctor next to him looked at Fu Qing with surprise.

The girl shook her head: "Anything else?"

"Not this?" Fu Qing asked again, "Then what was being tested to see if the spiritual vein had absorbed anything..."

Seeing that the girl was still shaking her head, Fu Qing really couldn't figure out what she had encountered. Could it be the scene in the dream? However, Fu Qing vaguely felt that the runes in the dream had a great origin, but he didn't know if it was convenient to talk about it.

But the girl said, "Never mind, come in."

She opened the half-door beside her and went inside. Fu Qing and the doctor looked at each other, and the doctor gestured for Fu Qing to enter.

Although Fu Qing was puzzled, he still stepped inside.