Chapter 233: New Clerk (2/3)

The Honglin Medicine Shop was a sprawling establishment, and the cultivators drifting in and out were, at the very least, of the Origin River Realm. A few cultivators had just stepped through the threshold when they were greeted by this scene of splashing gore; the crimson blood nearly sprayed onto the toes of their boots, causing them to inadvertently retreat several paces!

Even many of the customers within the shop were thrown into a minor panic at this moment, hurriedly backing away to the side.

Both flying swords, condensed from pure Qi by the Thousand Sword Technique, had now fulfilled their purpose and instantly dissolved back into a cloud of spiritual essence!

"Who was it?! Just who was it?!" Qin Honglin was an old man clad in a pristine white alchemist's robe, leaning on a snake-headed cane. His back was slightly stooped, and he possessed a look that carried a hint of otherworldly, transcendent grace.

Of course, that was merely how he looked.

He had only just stepped out from the back rooms at this moment, and upon witnessing this scene, his face instantly turned an ashen green, sinking to the absolute depths of fury!

Since he, Qin Honglin, had established this "Honglin Medicine Shop" in Half-City, nearly a century had passed. Though he had encountered various matters of all sizes, no one had ever dared to kill his men inside his own establishment!

And to do so right before his very eyes!

Behind him, a bald cultivator with a sinister countenance and a voluptuous woman heavily laden with makeup and the scent of cosmetic powder emerged from the rear: "Grand Boss, what happened here?"

Immediately afterward, the two caught sight of the two corpses in the shop, and a wave of shock washed over them!

"Who!? Just who could be so utterly lawless, having such flagrant disregard for our Honglin Medicine Shop!" The expressions of both individuals instantly turned ice-cold!

"Xue Nian! Xu Biao!"

Two red-robed cultivators immediately stepped forward with utmost reverence.

"Go investigate this thoroughly!" The voluptuous woman wrapped her arm around Qin Honglin's, saying coyly, "Grand Boss, in that Red Bone Pill you are preparing to refine, isn't there a shortage of a prime main ingredient? Look at this, it has practically delivered itself right to our doorstep!"

"Then I can only hope that his cultivation doesn't disappoint this old man!"

...

Zou Mo slowly opened his eyes, sensing that the twisting agony of his displaced internal organs had lessened considerably. Looking at the person before him, he muttered, "Mis... Mr. Fang?"

"Over here! Right over here!" A chaotic din of approaching footsteps echoed down the way.

"What happened here?!"

Though Fang Qi had previously seen highway robbery go completely ignored, the commotion just now had been a bit too loud, making it impossible for no one to notice.

At this moment, Fang Qi actually beheld a squad of cultivators dressed in varied attire, yet all bearing the identical emblem of a black tiger embroidered upon their chests, marching over aggressively.

"North District Peacekeeping Squad!" The leader was a burly man with a scarred face, who barked in a cold tone, "What's going on here?!"

"I have no idea," Fang Qi replied with an innocent expression. "Gentlemen, I am merely a nobody passing through this place. For some inexplicable reason, I just found these people collapsed on the ground."

"You don't know...?" The scarred man stared down at Fang Qi with a frigid scrutiny.

A dark-faced cultivator looked at the rather ordinary-looking young man before him and let out a sinister chuckle: "A little brat like this, even if he had the gall, he wouldn't have the capability."

"Huh!? A storage artifact!" A younger cultivator seemed to have discovered a storage artifact at the waist of one of the corpses, crying out in pleasant surprise.

"Where? Where?!"

"We've hit the jackpot! There's another one here! The cultivation of these fellows wasn't low at all!"

"There are also a few unconscious guys here, look like ordinary folk!"

"What are you scrambling for!? Everyone show me! How many spirit crystals are there?!"

Amidst a flurry of looting and shouting, one of them glared toward the side at Fang Qi: "What are you looking at! You lot, beat it, right now!"

Fang Qi: "..."

"Phew... to think a place like this could actually have law enforcement? Truly a ghost of a chance!" As far as Fang Qi was concerned, ordinary factions mattered little, but a suspected official force... there was no need to conflict with them if it could be avoided; after all, he was here to open a shop.

"Mr. Fang..." Zou Mo only felt as though his body had been treated by some means, turning remarkably better, to the point where he could actually walk now.

"What happened just now? Did you see it, Mr. Fang?" Zou Mo spoke with some apology, "They didn't do anything to you just now, did they?"

"I don't know either," Fang Qi replied casually. "Just now, a massive swarm of flying swords suddenly rained down out of nowhere. Of those guys, some died and some fled, and now they've all run off."

"This city truly is perilous..." Zou Mo was clearly still suffering some physical discomfort, coughing twice and spitting up a bit of congested blood. "Should we find an opportunity to leave?"

"What is there to fear," Fang Qi said. "You saw it just now as well; this city has peacekeepers, right? What happened earlier was likely just an accident."

Zou Mo recalled those so-called peacekeepers who cared only for dividing the spoils and had directly driven the two of them away, breaking into a cold sweat. Could one truly rely on fellows like that?

Fang Qi began walking toward the deeper parts of the city, speaking as he went: "I have already made up my mind to secure a shop in this city, and I'll run my business here from now on!"

"You truly intend to open a shop here...?"

"Indeed." Fang Qi cradled the back of his head with his hands, speaking with satisfaction, "Look at this city; cultivators are everywhere, tall buildings tower on all sides, the flagstone streets are smooth, the roadside trees are orderly, and the flowers in the beds beneath the trees are like scattered stars!"

"It is practically 'half a city of houses, half a city of trees; a landscape filled with verdant green'!" Fang Qi remarked, "A city like this, don't you think it's much better than that Black Dragon City or whatever?"

Fang Qi gazed up at the gloomy sky: "Aside from the weather being prone to rain, there shouldn't be any other drawbacks, right?"

The moment the words left Fang Qi's mouth, a passing bird fluttered its wings and landed upon a branch, seemingly tired from flight and wishing to rest for a moment. Suddenly, countless twigs lashed out, instantly forming a cage!

Blood dripped down along the branches, and the flowers beneath the tree appeared even more vibrant.

Zou Mo had just approached those flowers, intending to pluck one for a sniff; seeing this scene, his hair stood on end and he instantly recoiled several meters away!

Fang Qi: "...Perhaps ordinary people really aren't quite suited for this sort of place..."

"Alright, Xiao Mo, what do you plan to do? Will you take the dharma boat to Black Dragon City?"

"I..." Although Zou Mo desperately wished to leave this city, he counted the few remaining spirit crystals in his purse, "..."

His head drooped down: "I think I will stay."

"What kind of shop does Mr. Fang wish to open?" Zou Mo fidgeted with his fingers in immense embarrassment, saying, "If it is acceptable, could I come to help out in your shop, Mr. Fang... Right now, the only person I know is you..."

"And..." He glanced at the faint spiritual light swirling upon the surrounding buildings, murmuring, "And... having a shop might indeed be a lot safer..."

Zou Mo spoke up loudly: "I can work! As long as there is food and a place to stay, that's enough!"

Seeing that Fang Qi remained silent, Zou Mo hurriedly added, "If Mr. Fang feels that requirement is too high, I can take care of my own food!"

"Well, although the business hasn't started up yet... the shop will need to hire people sooner or later." Fang Qi pinched his chin and said, "Alright then, room and board are covered, but there might be no wages in the early stages."

"Thank you, Mr. Fang! Ah... no, Boss!" Zou Mo's face was filled with profound gratitude, and he hurriedly bowed, saying, "Thank you so much!"

Fang Qi replied casually: "Then let's go look for a suitable shop right now."