The extraordinary journey begins with the Ouroboros Stele.

Chapter 46 The Secret Medicine Master Association

Beyond the screen wall inside the gate, there are unnamed small trees planted in the courtyard, blooming with bright red flowers.

After passing through two more arched gates, the ancient-style buildings and pavilions showed no signs of modernization, and the atmosphere became somewhat tranquil.

A row of large red lanterns hangs along the corridor, extending deep into the ancient building, creating a gloomy and eerie atmosphere.

Walking through the corridor into a courtyard, the surrounding sounds suddenly became noisy.

In the courtyard, a rockery and water feature sit in the center, while the guests on the periphery are all dressed in ancient Chinese style clothing, with men in wide robes and women in ruqun and luoshan.

The air was filled with the scent of sandalwood, and many people gathered in small groups, holding jade cups and chatting and laughing.

After Zhuang Huaizhang and Lin Ye entered, many people turned their attention to them.

Two figures walked over, one of whom was Qin Zhixu, dressed in a blue and white brocade robe.

The other person was dressed in a white robe and looked to be in his early forties. He was holding a jade cup filled with wine.

"Mr. Zhuang, it's been a long time. How are you?"

His voice was soft and his tone was calm, carrying an air of effortless authority.

Zhuang Huaizhang nodded slightly and raised his hand to introduce Lin Ye.

"This is Dong Hyuk-kun, the head of Dongyun Pharmaceutical's Coastal City branch."

Lin Ye looked over and saw Dongyun Pharmaceutical, a well-known century-old pharmaceutical company in Biannan, headquartered in the provincial capital, with a powerful background.

Although it only has one branch in Coast City, its strength should not be underestimated, as it is one of the laboratory's partners.

Dong Hyukkun also looked at Lin Ye, his gaze neither sharp nor contemptuous, but rather a faint, top-down scrutiny.

"I had long heard from Zhixu that his junior brother was a handsome and talented man, and it was indeed true."

"This is my business card. Please feel free to contact me if you need anything."

He handed over a business card, which Lin Ye took. Sensing the other party's indifference, they chatted for a few minutes before finding a place to sit down.

Just as he was about to pick up the juice next to him, he thought of the occasion and switched to the unidentified liquor next to him.

The liquid is a mead, amber in color, and sweet.

It is served in a jade cup, giving it the feel of amber glowing in a jade bowl.

He took a sip and put the jade cup down. He didn't like the taste and felt it had a fermented, sour taste.

"How are you feeling?"

After a while, Zhuang Huaizhang walked over and sat down with a smile.

"I'm not used to it."

Lin Ye was straightforward. There was a feeling that, even though no one was deliberately making things difficult for him, there was an invisible barrier that made him unable to fit in.

Zhuang Huaizhang smiled and said, "It's alright, you'll get used to it."

As he spoke, he raised his hand and pointed to a certain spot, "Those people are high-ranking executives from pharmaceutical companies in the city."

"Those people are officials in charge of medicine."

"Their family background there is complicated, and they have some connections with high-ranking officials in the city."

"And there..."

Zhuang Huaizhang introduced them one by one.

After about ten minutes, Lin Ye had basically identified the identities and backgrounds of these people, most of whom were from the medical field in Coastal City.

All things considered, these people can be considered social elites on the periphery of the upper circle of Coastal City.

It's fortunate that my memory improved a lot after my intelligence attribute was enhanced, otherwise I really wouldn't have been able to remember.

"It's okay if you can't remember them. These people outside are not important to you, and you won't have much interaction with them in the future."

"They'll probably have a lot of people asking for your contact information later. It's best to keep them all. You can use them if you need them, but you won't lose anything if you don't."

"I'll go check the back, and I'll have someone call you in later."

After Zhuang Huaizhang left, Lin Ye sat in place, and many people came over carrying jade cups.

After dealing with them for a while, they replaced them with a new group, but this time the middle-aged people were replaced with young people.

Most of them were juniors of the people from earlier, who came out to expand their connections and at least get to know the people properly, so as not to offend the wrong people.

While chatting, many young people were quietly observing Lin Ye.

They felt completely different from the people they usually interacted with; there was an indescribable wildness in their temperament.

They've only ever seen that in gangster movies or certain people in boxing matches.

In the past, they usually looked down on such people, but this person in front of them was Zhuang Lao's student, and his status was not much lower than that of their fathers.

Although they weren't at the top tier of this gathering, they were still in the second tier, much stronger than the others.

After chatting for a short while, a commotion broke out in the courtyard, and everyone's eyes turned to the entrance.

An old man, surrounded by several people, entered the courtyard. He was dressed in a similar dark brocade robe to Zhuang Huaizhang and carried a dragon-headed cane.

Many people went up to greet him, but the old man in black didn't speak to anyone and went straight into the backyard.

Lin Ye looked away, and seeing that no one was paying attention, picked up the juice and took a sip.

About ten minutes later, a waiter in brocade robes approached and said, "Mr. Lin, Mr. Zhuang requests your presence."

Upon hearing this, the young people sitting around the woods chatting all changed their expressions.

The backyard was a place even their fathers weren't allowed to go.

As the waiter walked through a long corridor, the noise gradually subsided, and a small backyard came into view.

There were only a dozen or so people in the courtyard, sitting in an arc in the center.

Dong Hekun and Qin Zhixu were sitting prominently in the middle, near the front.

Sitting in the center was the old man in black robes from earlier, with Zhuang Huaizhang sitting beside him.

"Xiao Lin, come here, this is your Uncle Chen."

Zhuang Huaizhang smiled and introduced the old man in black.

"Old Chen, isn't my student pretty good? You'll have to take good care of him in the future."

Chen Hua smiled and nodded, looking at Lin Ye.

"Good child, sit down. Today is your first time here, so sit next to your teacher."

"Thank you, Uncle Chen."

After he sat down, several pairs of eyes fell on him, scrutinizing him.

Zhuang Huaizhang gently pressed his hand down.

"Don't be nervous, this is a necessary process, and there will only be more situations like this in the future."

Lin Ye nodded, relaxed his body, and accepted the gazes with equanimity.

As the surrounding gazes gradually thinned, Chen Hua turned slightly to look at Zhuang Huaizhang.

"Old Zhuang, your quota for the secret medicine will be a bit smaller this time. But as compensation, we'll transfer some of the regular quotas from other pharmaceutical companies to you."

Zhuang Huaizhang's expression remained unchanged as he looked at Chen Hua, "Did they send you a message?"

Chen Hua lowered his gaze slightly, said nothing, and simply nodded.

Zhuang Huaizhang laughed. "No wonder you didn't come this year. It turns out you don't take me seriously anymore."

He looked at Chen Hua with a hint of displeasure, "You're getting old too."

The voice wasn't quiet; everyone present could hear it clearly, but no one spoke.

Qin Zhixu looked at the ground in front of him. If he used the power of the main branch of the Qin family, he could actually solve this problem completely.

But Father...

The atmosphere in the courtyard suddenly became somewhat tense.

Zhuang Huaizhang was silent for a moment, then sighed, "Let's do it your way."

Chen Hua raised his eyes slightly and gently took Zhuang Huaizhang's hand.

"Thank you for understanding me. I am indeed getting old and have to think about my family."

"I understand," Zhuang Huaizhang said.

Just as he finished speaking, a waiter walked over and leaned slightly closer to Chen Hua.

"Master, the person has arrived."

Chen Hua seemed to breathe a sigh of relief. "Old Zhuang, the people I invited have arrived. Go and greet them."

After he left, Lin Ye looked at Zhuang Huaizhang, "Teacher, what is it?"

Zhuang Huaizhang tapped his fingertips on the armrest.

"Another secret medicine laboratory has been competing with us for the pharmaceutical market in Coast City."

"I heard before that they got involved with Tieqin's group, and it seems to be true."

"Otherwise, as the president of the Coastal City Secret Medicine Practitioners Association, Old Chen wouldn't have been unable to withstand the pressure of a secret medicine laboratory."

Lin Ye nodded. "Teacher, what exactly is the secret medicine?"

He had taken stock of the medicinal herbs in the warehouse. To be honest, the herbs were indeed quite effective, but not to the point of being considered miraculous.

The laboratory is of a much higher status, and there's even something like the Secret Pharmacist Association.

Even according to what the teacher said, this association has a wide reach and is not limited to a single city.

"No rush, I'll explain it to you slowly after the party tonight," Zhuang Huaizhang said.

The courtyard quieted down, as if everyone was waiting for Chen Hua to return.

A short while later, footsteps sounded, and Lin Ye looked towards the corridor, showing a hint of surprise.

The person Chen Hua was leading was Yan Yi.

Before he could speak, Yan Yi also saw Lin Ye and they made eye contact.

"Senior brother!"