Martial Arts Immortal Saint: Starting from Feeding Horses and Escorting Goods

[Defeat a Bone Forging Warrior of a higher level, Martial Arts Value +1]

A line of small words appeared in Lu Chuan's mind, and his heart stirred.

Does killing Duan Gu count?

I only got 1 martial arts point for killing the two previous Changgui, and now I got the same for killing Duan Gu. How is this calculated?

"Could it be that I only received 1 martial arts point because it wasn't my ability, but rather someone else's trick to ambush and kill the treacherous creature?"

Lu Chuan guessed that was the case.

"Thank you so much for saving me, sir!"

Beside him, the herb gatherer was still kneeling on the ground, repeatedly bowing and thanking Lu Chuan.

He was so happy to have survived the ordeal that he was still shaking with joy.

As Lu Chuan wiped the knife, he said, "It's alright, just a quick fix. Get up."

After sheathing his knife, he looked at the two thieves' corpses and walked over to touch them one by one.

Both of them had money pouches on them, and Lu Chuan's eyes lit up.

I opened it and counted the coins; there were a total of over one hundred coins.

"Okay, that solves our immediate problem."

The herb gatherer stood aside watching Lu Chuan count the money, a complex expression on his face. He hesitated several times before finally remaining silent.

Lu Chuan seemed not to see it; after counting the money, he stuffed it into his chest pocket.

The herb gatherer bowed respectfully and said, "Sir, I am Xu Zhu, an apprentice at the Baicaotang branch in my town. I just heard that you are also going to Shiquan Town. Why don't we travel together?"

"There's a branch of Baicaotang in Shiquan Town?" Lu Chuan raised an eyebrow.

Xu Zhu nodded and said, "Yes, some towns have good surrounding environments and abundant spiritual energy, which often nurture high-grade medicinal herbs, so these places have branches of pharmacies."

"A few days ago, the head clerk of the pharmacy received news that Zhang Heling, the alchemist from Canglan Prefecture, would be traveling around the nearby branches with his apprentices to conduct some teaching and sampling."

"He specifically ordered me to gather more high-quality herbs in the next few days for Master Zhang's use."

"Is Master Zhang coming here?" Lu Chuan's heart stirred.

He still remembered the incomplete recipe for the Bone Forging Pill. Now that he had perfected the Skin Refining stage, his next step was to break through to the Bone Forging stage.

If Master Zhang were to come, there might be a chance to obtain the Bone Forging Pill!

Thinking of this, he nodded and said, "Okay, I'll go with you. We can go check out the pharmacy."

"Alright, sir, please.

Xu Zhu bowed and scraped, showing great respect.

By inviting Lu Chuan to accompany us, we won't have to worry about encountering thieves anymore; it will be much safer.

On the way, Lu Chuan mentally calculated his belongings.

It cost less than 150 coins in total.

Based on the prices in the towns near Canglan Prefecture, staying in a dormitory-style inn would indeed be cheaper, but that's definitely not an option for him.

A single room at the inn costs at least thirty coins a day.

Moreover, even a simple meal costs several coins.

He was a martial artist and needed a lot of meat and other nourishing ingredients, which would cost at least twenty or thirty coins per meal.

Although the monthly salary at the security escort agency wasn't much, the agency's subsidies helped me make ends meet.

But he only has less than 150 coins on him, which is only enough for a few days' stay at an inn, even if he doesn't eat or drink.

"If only I could stay at the pharmacy."

Lu Chuan pondered this in his heart, needing to think it over.

The two arrived at Shiquan Town.

Shiquan Town is not a large town, even slightly smaller than Qingshi Town, and there are not many pedestrians on the road.

"Lord Lu, this is the Baicaotang branch."

Xu Zhu raised his hand and pointed to a pharmacy in front of him.

This pharmacy doesn't look very big. The front is the outer hall where you get medicine and see a doctor, and there's a door on the left leading to the inside.

Lu Chuan followed Xu Zhu into the pharmacy.

Inside the counter, Clerk Li was slightly surprised to see Xu Zhu's appearance.

"What happened to you, kid? Did you get beaten up?"

Xu Zhu said with a bitter expression, "Uncle Li, I encountered thieves in the woods. Fortunately, this Lord Lu saved me, otherwise I wouldn't be able to come back today."

"Oh?" Only then did Clerk Li look at Lu Chuan and immediately recognized that Lu Chuan's clothes were the uniform of the Zhenyuan Escort Agency of Canglan Prefecture.

He immediately cupped his hands and said, "So you're a young man from Zhenyuan Escort Agency. Thank you for saving my nephew."

Lu Chuan smiled and returned the greeting, saying, "It's nothing. It's only right to stand up for what's right."

"I encountered danger on my journey this time, but I escaped by sheer luck. I happened to run into a thief who was trying to rob me, so I helped him out."

"On the way, I heard Brother Xu say that Master Zhang from Canglan Prefecture might come to town to preach, so I thought I'd like to come and see."

"I also know Zhang Dan and his apprentice from the past, and I thought I'd catch up with them."

"Oh?"

Upon hearing this, Clerk Li's eyes lit up slightly.

Lu Chuan glanced at the pharmacy and hesitated before saying, "But it seems it hasn't arrived yet. Perhaps I should come back another day and find an inn in town to stay in."

Clerk Li immediately said, "Young brother, there's no need to stand on ceremony. You saved my nephew's life and have a past relationship with Master Zhang. You must stay at my pharmacy for a few days."

"Although my pharmacy is not big, there are still a few rooms in the inner courtyard."

"In a few days, Master Zhang will be arriving with his apprentice."

"These past few days have been my way of repaying the life-saving grace you saved."

Lu Chuan looked troubled: "Is this alright? I'm afraid it will be too much trouble for Registrar Li."

Clerk Li chuckled and said, "It's no trouble at all, it's only right."

Lu Chuan felt reassured and cupped his hands again, saying, "In that case, I shall respectfully accept your offer. Thank you, Registrar Li."

"Hehe." Clerk Li chuckled and stroked his beard before turning to look at Xu Zhu.

"Xiao Xu, why don't you take Brother Lu to the inner courtyard to make arrangements?"

"Okay, okay." Xu Zhu nodded repeatedly.

"Lord Lu, please come with me."

Xu Zhu put down the herb-gathering basket and led Lu Chuan into the inner courtyard.

The inner courtyard was much larger than the pharmacy's storefront, with a straight road leading to it and several rooms on both the left and right sides.

There is a hall directly in front, and inside there are still many small rooms.

In the inner courtyard, besides Xu Zhu and Li Zhubu, there were several other medicine apprentices living there, all of whom were from Baicaotang.

Xu Zhu led Lu Chuan to a room on the left.

The room here isn't large, but it's more spacious than the one Lu Chuan stayed in at the escort agency. It has bookshelves with pharmacology books on them, as well as facilities like a medicine furnace.

Xu Zhu said, "Brother Lu, you can stay here with peace of mind. You can contact me anytime if you need anything."

Lu Chuan nodded and said, "Okay, you go ahead and do your thing. I need to rest too."

After seeing Xu Zhu off, Lu Chuan returned to his room, closed the door, sat cross-legged on a futon on the left side of the room, and took a deep breath.

"It's good that we're staying here; it'll save us a lot of money."

Lu Chuan twisted his neck.

When he mentioned his past relationship with Zhang Danshi's apprentice, Clerk Li's eyes visibly lit up.

If he hadn't said that, I don't know if he would have been allowed to stay.

But in reality, he and Yu Xiaoshui were not close; he had only seen her once and they could not even be considered friends.

"Now I have 1 point of martial arts skill. If I complete the Bone Forging Pill recipe, I can present it to Alchemist Zhang when he arrives and exchange it for Bone Forging Pills..."

Lu Chuan stroked his chin.