Becoming the Villainess: I Dominate the Cultivation Realm with My Wok!-Chapter 177
In the small town at the foot of Qian Ding Sect, Chen Changgui excitedly handed over the written list to the pharmacist.
The pharmacist, recognizing the familiar child, teased as he stroked his beard: "That’s quite a lot of items and not cheap at all, isn’t your Sect Leader here? Can you kids afford it?"
Before Chen Changgui could respond, he saw a shiny gold ingot pass over his head, placed on the counter by a pair of well-defined hands.
Instinctively, Chen Changgui looked at his own hands. Even as a child, his hands were nowhere near as delicate as those hands, which only bore a thin layer of calluses in a few spots, obviously spared from any manual labor aside from cultivation.
"If it’s not enough, I’ll say, and if it is, keep the change." Huo Lian’s voice came from behind Changgui.
The pharmacist casually mentioned it, knowing well that Qian Ding Sect wouldn’t skip on payment. He hadn’t expected such a solid gold ingot to appear on the counter, worth at least fifty taels! And this young master said there’s no need to give back the excess!
Striking it rich!
The pharmacist’s eyes sparkled: "Haha, this old man was just joking with the little ones, no offense, young master. This gold ingot, it’s more than enough for the herbs, it might even buy my entire shop! However, some medicinal herbs might not be available in this humble store."
Huo Lian, hearing this, patted Changgui’s head: "Don’t worry, if they’re not available, I’ll have someone buy and deliver them, usually by today."
"I’m not in a rush..." Changgui said a bit dazedly.
"Young Master Huo, this isn’t rightful gain; our Qian Ding Sect can manage without your silver coin... er, gold money?" Xiao Hu quickly interjected.
Changgui then realized and hurriedly pulled out the elixir he had made: "Right, right, no need to spend your money. I made some elixirs myself, Doctor, have a look, would you accept them?"
The pharmacist hesitantly put the gold ingot back in place, but Huo Lian held it down: "This is just a gift for my visit to Qian Ding Sect, the kids needn’t feel restrained."
"But..."
Xiao Hu was about to protest further when Huo Lian’s gaze turned to the elixir in Changgui’s hands: "A Detoxification Pill? It looks pretty good, did you make it yourself? How long have you been practicing alchemy?"
Changgui’s face reddened, scratching his head a bit sheepishly: "It’s my first time..."
Huo Lian’s eyes briefly showed a hint of joy: "Did Miss Chen teach you?"
"No, the Sect Leader just gave me the books to read by myself." Changgui proudly patted his chest, "The Sect Leader said that all these books are mine, and I am the future hope of Qian Ding Sect!"
Huo Lian’s expression became a bit more serious, realizing the implications of such words could be quite tricky.
"I can buy the elixirs you made, considering it as purchasing them with the gold ingot, what do you think? This way, even if Miss Chen ingests them, you all can explain it well." Huo Lian suggested, glancing at Xiao Hu.
The few children didn’t know the exact price of elixirs; although they vaguely felt it might not be worth such a large gold ingot, since Huo Lian said so, they couldn’t argue further.
Only the pharmacist’s heart ached for a moment; the young master had mentioned that any surplus from the gold ingot was his to keep. He was hoping to take the elixir, sell it, and make a bit more money on the side, alas, what a loss!
"Here are the herbs you requested; some are unavailable here, and others might need to be sought from the Golden Building or the cosmetic powder shop." The pharmacist handed a large bag of herbs to Changgui. "They’re all sorted in small packages, no need to worry."
Before Changgui could reach for them, Huo Lian took the herbs, smiling brightly at Changgui: "I’ll have someone buy whatever else is missing. It’s getting late; why don’t we head back to the sect? I’d like to see how you practice alchemy and perhaps... give you some guidance."
