bookpub Chapter 108 Liping's Dilemma
Chapter 108 Liping's Dilemma
Chapter 109 Liping's Dilemma
"He didn't die, I heard he suffered minor injuries," Li Ping said.
"Brother Li, I heard that another child went missing yesterday," Ma Ziye said from the side.
"Hmph!" Li Ping gritted his teeth and slammed his right palm heavily on the table. "It is true. Although we killed many Yin Yuan Sect demons in the battle at Wanghai Tower, the three great protectors are still alive and not seriously injured. It hasn't been a long time since then, and it's started again. Yesterday, the two children of Liu San Niang from the tofu shop in the alley of the West City went missing. When the exorcism team arrived at the scene, Liu San Niang had already become a corpse, and her abdomen had been cut open."
"How hateful! It's a pity that I'm too weak right now. If only I could become stronger, I would join the exorcism team and work with you to wipe out these beasts!" Ma Ziye jumped up in anger and drew her longsword, brandishing it for a while.
"By the way, I have a business deal coming up to me recently. Would you be interested in going together?" Li Ping suddenly said.
"What kind of business?" Wei Dong asked.
"The Lin family is paying for a few officers from the exorcism team to escort a group of martial artists to the Mourning Forest to pick ghost-face mushrooms. Regardless of whether the mission succeeds or not, anyone who goes will receive two hundred taels of silver."
"If anyone gets lost in the Mourning Forest, we must enter the forest to rescue them. For each person rescued, we will receive an additional two hundred taels of silver," Li Ping said.
"The Lin family is one of the thirteen major families in the prefecture. They are in the medicinal herb business. Ghost-face mushrooms are the core ingredient for refining Soul Nourishing Pills, and they are very valuable," Lin Shurou said from the side.
"I've heard that the Mourning Forest is one of the most dangerous forbidden areas near the city, teeming with evil spirits. Ordinary people who step into it are easily lost and have a high mortality rate. Brother Li, I suggest you don't take the risk," Lin Qing said.
"Yes, I heard that many people in the Lin family die every year from picking ghost-face mushrooms. This is because ghost-face mushrooms contain a strong yin energy. The moment they are picked, this yin energy is fully activated, which can instantly plunge people into an illusion and attract nearby evil spirits. Usually, only desperate martial artists would do it," Lin Shurou said.
"It is indeed very dangerous, but martial arts training requires a lot of money, and the monthly salary of the exorcism team is simply not enough. I want to give it a try," Li Ping said hesitantly.
Lin Qing's heart stirred. He could understand Li Ping's predicament. Of the five people present, he was the one who needed the most money.
Wei Dong and himself were servants of the Golden Order, and their monthly quota of medicines was sufficient for their needs. Unless they were buying some rare and precious pills, they did not need to spend any extra money.
As for Ma Ziye, although she was only a second-class servant, the Ma family was now the largest family in Jiangyin County and could provide her with a large amount of silver and pills.
Only Li Ping, whose family background was average and whose talent was good, was not considered outstanding in the Soul Suppression Division. He could not gain the appreciation and training of important figures, so he had to rely on himself for everything.
"Brother Li, what kind of pills do you need, and how many?" Lin Qing asked suddenly after a moment's thought.
"I need a bottle of Vitality-Nourishing Pills," Li Ping replied after a slight hesitation.
The Nourishing Strength Pill costs 300 taels per bottle at Jinbaolou. It is exclusively for martial artists who have mastered the Transformation Strength. It can nourish the body, strengthen the strength, and greatly shorten the time required for them to enter the Embracing Core Strength stage.
"I haven't used up my supply of tonics from the Soul Suppression Division this month. I'll go to the treasury later to collect three bottles of Vitality Nourishing Pills and deliver them to your home," Lin Qing said.
"And me, I don't have all of them either. I'll go with Lin Qing later and give you three bottles too!" Wei Dong shouted.
"Thank you both, brothers," Li Ping said, bowing with gratitude in his heart.
"Brother Li, you're too kind. I'm sure you'll lend a helping hand if I ever encounter any difficulties in the future," Lin Qing said with a smile.
"Yes, yes, who among you still needs tonics? I can still get quite a few pills this month," Wei Dong asked again.
Ma Ziye shook her head: "My father just sent me a large sum of money for tonics last month, and I can't even finish them all."
"Brother Wei Dong, I need a bottle of Fengyang Pills," Lin Shurou said with a smile.
"No problem, no problem, I'll give it to you all at once later!" Wei Dong said.
"Brother Wei Dong is such a good person," Lin Shurou said with a smile.
"Haha, that's for sure. I, Wei Dong, am known as a man of great righteousness. It's just a few bottles of tonics, nothing more." Wei Dong laughed heartily.
A moment later, Li Ping and the others left, and the wine and meat on the table were all eaten up.
Lin Qing accompanied Wei Dong to the Zhenhun Division's treasury, a three-story building guarded by about twelve constables and a steward surnamed Cao, a man in his forties with a square face and a dignified and solemn demeanor.
"What would you two like?"
Lin Qing and his companion entered the attic. Steward Cao was sitting at a table to the left of the entrance. No matter who came in, they had to register their name and the time. When they left, they had to register what tonic they received and how much.
"Manager Cao, I need three bottles of Vitality-Nourishing Pills," Lin Qing said, bowing.
"Me too, plus a bottle of Fengyang Pills!" Wei Dong added.
The two men handed over the token, which Steward Cao glanced at and said in a deep voice, "You two go and fetch the medicine!"
"yes!"
The two constables standing behind him turned and headed straight for the second floor of the attic.
"Steward Cao, do you know if there are any Five Saints Soul Nourishing Pills in the pavilion?" Lin Qing suddenly remembered that he had promised to find a Five Saints Soul Nourishing Pill for Yun Tianxing, but since arriving in the city, various problems had arisen one after another, and he had been so busy that he had forgotten about it. He only remembered it now.
"Yes, but the Five Saints Nourishing Soul Pill is of extremely high quality and is one of the most precious pills. You two are not qualified to receive it," Manager Cao said calmly.
"How does one become eligible to receive such elixirs?" Lin Qing asked.
"Come back and ask when you become the head of the department, or even a steward," said Steward Cao.
"Okay!" Lin Qing nodded, feeling more confident. As long as he became the head of the department, he would have a chance, so it wasn't too difficult.
By this time, the two constables had already retrieved the elixir.
"Check the quotas. If the numbers are incorrect, report it immediately. Otherwise, once you leave this attic, it's none of my business how many are missing," said Steward Cao.
"Okay." Lin Qing and the other person quickly checked the number of pills and found that the number was correct.
The two turned and left, taking a detour to deliver the pills to Li Ping and Lin Shurou respectively.
Afterwards, Lin Qing returned to his own courtyard. As soon as he arrived at the gate, he saw Wang Ling walking towards him.
"Lin Qing, the matter of those five shops has been settled. The Luo family has withdrawn all their personnel, and you can send someone to take over at any time," Wang Ling said.
"Thank you, sir," Lin Qing replied, bowing.
Wang Ling had said he would handle this matter for him, but he didn't expect things to move so quickly. However, a new problem has arisen: what should he do with these five shops? Where would he find the manpower to manage them?
"My lord, I have no one to serve me in the city, and it's no big deal to leave the five shops empty. What do you think we should do?" Lin Qing asked.
"Then let's lease it to the Soul Suppression Division. Five shops, with a monthly rent between thirty and fifty taels. I'll handle the arrangement, at fifty taels a month for five years. How about that?" Wang Ling pondered.
"That would be best." Lin Qing nodded slightly.
"Alright, I will handle this matter properly within five days. There is one more thing: has the problem caused by the Blood Flame Force been resolved?" Wang Ling asked again.
"Since I entered the realm of Embracing the Elixir and cultivated the Tathagata Strength, the Blood Flame Strength has been completely suppressed," Lin Qing said.
"The Tathagata Force is of extremely high quality, so suppressing the Blood Flame Force is naturally a piece of cake." Wang Ling nodded slightly. "Then I'm relieved. If there's anything else, you can come to me anytime."
"Yes, sir."