Starting as The Young Master of A Pharmacy, He Trained Swordsmanship in Seclusion For Twenty Years - Chapter 45

This good-for-nothing was a complete waste of his efforts.

If not for the sake of his principal wife, Huang Yangping would have long abandoned this useless fool.

Ever since the Jia Family Pharmacy opened, Huang Yangping had been using his position as the county magistrate to pave a smooth path for it.

And what was the result? Jia Sheng, that worthless idiot, was utterly useless—causing nothing but trouble and forcing him to clean up the mess!

“Brother-in-law, you have a stake in the Jia Family Pharmacy too! If you don’t step in, it’ll be ruined for sure!”

Seeing his brother-in-law’s indifferent attitude, Jia Sheng began to panic.

“That old man from the Lu Family Pharmacy is not only highly skilled in medicine but also deeply respected. Nearly everyone in the city goes to him for treatment.”

“If it weren’t for the fact that the Lu Family Pharmacy can’t handle the sheer number of patients, we wouldn’t even have any business left!”

Huang Yangping’s face darkened, but he remained silent.

Because Jia Sheng was right—Huang Yangping had his own motives for supporting the Jia Family Pharmacy so diligently.

Not only did it bring him enormous wealth, but it also supplied him with precious medicinal herbs to aid his martial arts cultivation.

Before County Magistrate Ye Qingshan arrived in Qingyun County, the Jia Family Pharmacy had been on equal footing with the Lu Family Pharmacy.

But in just a few short years, the Lu Family Pharmacy had far surpassed them, relegating the Jia Family Pharmacy to second place in the county.

“In that case… the Lu Family Pharmacy cannot be allowed to remain.”

After much deliberation, Huang Yangping finally decided to take action against the Lu Family Pharmacy.

If he didn’t, the Jia Family Pharmacy would truly go under—and he would lose a substantial source of income.

Truth be told, Huang Yangping had long harbored ambitions toward the Lu Family Pharmacy.

However, the Lu family had ties to Liang Shanhai, who was Ye Qingshan’s trusted subordinate. That was the only reason Huang Yangping had held back.

But now, the Lu Family Pharmacy was threatening his interests.

And when such significant profits were at stake, Huang Yangping would stop at nothing—not even against Ye Qingshan himself, let alone the Lu Family Pharmacy.

Hearing that Huang Yangping was finally moving against the Lu Family Pharmacy, Jia Sheng’s previously gloomy face lit up with excitement.

“That’s fantastic! Brother-in-law, I told you before—that Lu Family Pharmacy should never have been left alone!”

“But… brother-in-law, that brat from the county office is guarding it. How do we deal with him?”

The “brat” Jia Sheng referred to was Liang Cheng.

As the nephew of the Lu family’s patriarch, Liang Cheng had arranged for Chen Shi to patrol the area around the Lu Family Pharmacy.

And Liang Cheng himself had his own motives—keeping a close watch on the pharmacy’s surroundings to prevent any troublemakers.

“Don’t worry. I’ll have Wen assist you in dealing with that brat.”

“Great!”

Upon hearing that his nephew would be involved, Jia Sheng’s worries vanished.

After all, Huang Wen was also a constable in the county office, and his jurisdiction was close to the Lu Family Pharmacy.

…..

The Lu Residence

Lu Xuan had just returned to the county from the Junling Mountains and, as usual, retreated alone to his courtyard.

Since he had informed Liang Cheng in advance that he would be leaving the county today, Liang Cheng had not come to the Lu residence.

Without giving it much thought, Lu Xuan entered his room and retrieved the medicinal supplements he had obtained from Tongfeng Ridge.

He then walked to the training ground in the courtyard, sat cross-legged, and placed the supplements beside him.

With a thought, the system panel appeared before his eyes:

Host: Lu Xuan
Realm: Internal Qi Realm
Techniques:

• Blazing Saber Art (2/9, can be evolved)

• Gale Footwork (1/9, can be evolved)

Points: 55

Confirm consumption of 40 points to evolve Blazing Saber Art?
Confirm consumption of 35 points to evolve Gale Footwork?

After a brief consideration, Lu Xuan chose to evolve the Blazing Saber Art.

At this stage, the first layer of Gale Footwork was already powerful enough for his needs. Strengthening his combat ability took priority.

The last time he evolved Gale Footwork, he had felt his internal qi growing denser, bringing him close to the Minor Achievement stage of the Internal Qi Realm.

This time, evolving Blazing Saber Art, Lu Xuan had a premonition that his strength would advance further.

As soon as he confirmed, 40 points were instantly deducted from the system.

Countless intricate saber techniques flooded into his mind once more.

As Lu Xuan sat on the meditation cushion, the aura around him surged violently.

Upon closer inspection, one could see faint, distorted currents of air swirling around him, creating strange ripples in the atmosphere.

Then, Lu Xuan opened his eyes, and the powerful internal qi surrounding him retracted into his body.

He had broken through!

Immediately, the system panel reappeared in his mind:

Host: Lu Xuan
Realm: Internal Qi Realm (Minor Achievement)
Techniques:

• Blazing Saber Art (3/9)

• Gale Footwork (1/9)
  Points: 15

To his surprise, evolving Blazing Saber Art had propelled him straight into the Minor Achievement stage of the Internal Qi Realm.

Incredible!

Lu Xuan raised his hand, channeling internal qi into his palm, and felt the immense power within—more than double what he had possessed when he first entered the Internal Qi Realm.

Without delay, he consumed the medicinal supplements beside him.

Only after finishing more than half did he finally stop.

When he checked the system panel again, he noticed that his points remained unchanged—still at 15.

This meant that the vast amount of medicinal energy he had just consumed had been entirely absorbed by his body, leaving no residual effects.

“Tsk!”

Lu Xuan couldn’t help but suck in a sharp breath before letting out a bitter laugh.

As his martial realm and techniques improved, the amount of medicinal supplements he required grew increasingly terrifying.

What would last an ordinary martial artist a long time was now barely enough for a single evolution—and sometimes not even that.

Not only were the supplements insufficient, but his system points were also running low.

System points…

Lu Xuan’s thoughts drifted back to the White Lotus Blood Infant in the Junling Mountains—that monstrous entity that could provide him with a massive number of system points.

What exactly was this “Pure World White Lotus Sect”?

In all his twenty-some years of life, why had he never heard of them before?

Logically speaking, an organization capable of creating a creature that even a Blood Refining Realm martial artist couldn’t defeat must be unimaginably powerful.

They couldn’t possibly remain unknown.

“Forget it. Tomorrow, I’ll pay a visit to Uncle Liang Shanhai.”

Now that he knew there were beings in this world capable of creating horrors like the White Lotus Blood Infant, Lu Xuan’s thirst for strength had grown even more urgent.

After all, this time, it was just the White Lotus Blood Infant.

But what if, next time, he encountered something even stronger?

A monster rivaling a Major Achievement Internal Qi Realm martial artist?

Or perhaps… something beyond the Internal Qi Realm altogether?