You Promised to Be an Idle Son-in-Law, How Could You Become a Land Immortal?-Chapter 79: "Talent" Is Hard to Come By

Chen Yi held an Oil Paper Umbrella, walking slowly through the rain.

He passed through Yanhua Lane, turned north onto Ba Mountain Street, and then made a right at the Prefectural Magistrate’s Office in the city center.

He walked along this wide road, named Wudong Street, stopping and starting as he went.

Before leaving that morning, Liu Si’er had wanted to take the Marquis’s Mansion’s carriage, but Chen Yi had stopped him.

Besides needing to go to Yanhua Lane, he also intended to conduct a secret investigation. He wanted to see the true state of that Medicine Hall for himself.

However, as he walked down the bustling Wudong Street, Chen Yi’s mind was also on "Sword Madman" Liu Lang.

It wasn’t Liu Lang himself that he cared about, but the term "Jianghu People."

The Great Wei Dynasty had a strong culture of Martial Arts. Whether among the Noble Families and Clans, the Imperial Court, or the army, many practiced them.

But in terms of fame, the common folk were most familiar with the names of Wandering Martial Artists.

He figured Liu Lang’s title of "Sword Madman" was a name he had earned while roaming the Jianghu.

’Just a snippet of information from a single meeting is worth an Earth-Level Technique as a reward. He must have some skill, but I wonder just how "mad" his Blade truly is.’

As Chen Yi mused, he casually sized up his surroundings.

Compared to his previous cursory glance, this careful observation gave him a deeper understanding of the situation in the eastern part of Shu State’s capital.

It wasn’t entirely accurate to broadly classify this area as a gathering place for the Mountain Race and Poshisu Foreigners.

In fact, the shops on both sides of the street were still predominantly run by Wei People.

From the accents of the assistants at the doors and the shopkeepers inside, most seemed to be Shu State locals.

However, there were also quite a few people from the various states of the Central Plains who came here to do business.

Most came from Jing State, but visitors from Yan State, Ji State, and You State also made up a certain proportion. Most of them spoke with their respective local dialects.

"Finest sable pelts from the Northern State! Take a look! Mountain goods, built to last!"

"Sharpening scissors, grinding knives! Rusty blades and dull shears, good as new in a flash!"

"Don’t you miss out, folks! Gastrodia powder from Wumeng Mountain, fritillary bulbs carried in with Shu salt! Stops coughs, clears phlegm, guaranteed to work...!"

Guaranteed or not, after the time it takes an incense stick to burn, Chen Yi finally spotted the sign for Jishi Medicine Hall.

The storefront was quite large. Four three-foot-long door panels were opened wide, creating a central entrance flanked by two side entrances.

A couplet hung on either side: "We only pray the world knows no disease / What matter then if dust collects on our remedies?" The horizontal banner read: "Benevolence Between Heaven and Earth."

At first glance, it certainly looked the part.

But there was a strange quietness amidst the hustle and bustle.

Amidst the shouts of the Herbal Medicine Shop hawking its wares next door, a few sickly-looking patients came and went.

However, most of them weren’t carrying any medicinal herbs. Instead, they held a prescription slip and turned into the smaller Herbal Medicine Shop next door.

Chen Yi scanned the area, laughing inwardly.

It seemed that Shopkeeper Wang Ji wasn’t just lining his own pockets; he was also running a resale pharmacy on the side.

’A knack for making money, perhaps?’

’So it’s not that those shopkeepers lack clever minds. It’s that they’ve applied all their cleverness to crooked schemes.’

After a moment’s thought, Chen Yi didn’t enter Jishi Medicine Hall directly. Instead, he walked toward the smaller Herbal Medicine Shop.

Liu Si’er and Ge the Third exchanged a glance, vaguely sensing that something was off.

Even if they weren’t good at business, seeing patients get their medicine from a different Herbal Medicine Shop instead of the main Medicine Hall made it clear there was something fishy going on.

"Sir, what medicine would you like to buy?"

"Deer antler, or perhaps... horny goat weed. Plenty of wealthy gentlemen like yourself are fond of that stuff."

Chen Yi was speechless.

’If I hadn’t read medical texts and possessed this inherited knowledge of the Medical Dao, I really wouldn’t have known what horny goat weed was.’

"I’m not here to buy medicine. I’m here to ask about something."

Unexpectedly, the shopkeeper’s smile vanished. He waved his hand impatiently.

"Shoo, shoo, get out of the way. Can’t you see I’m busy?"

Chen Yi chuckled and shook his head. The people of Shu State were certainly aggressive.

’He sees how I’m dressed but still isn’t afraid of me. Is it because he has powerful backing?’

With that thought, Chen Yi waved to Liu Si’er and Ge the Third behind him and ordered, "Invite him inside to have a talk."

Liu Si’er paused, then stepped forward with a grim expression and started dragging the shopkeeper inside.

He was already used to the Fledgling’s strange behavior.

’Fortunately, I’m not responsible for the Fledgling anymore, so I won’t get punished for this in the future.’

"You, you people..."

Before he could shout, Liu Si’er clamped a hand over his mouth.

After Chen Yi walked in, Ge the Third shut the door and stood guard outside.

As for being a lookout, practice makes perfect.

He paid no mind to the passersby who noticed the commotion.

A small scene like this was nothing compared to the ruckus the young master had caused last time in Luoyi Lane when he "abducted a maiden."

The shopkeeper had never experienced such an ordeal.

The moment Chen Yi opened his mouth to speak, he confessed everything.

"Shopkeeper, please be magnanimous and spare me this once! It was Shopkeeper Wang who ordered me to do all this!"

It wasn’t that he was blind; he simply never imagined someone from the Marquis’s Mansion would be so low-key.

Originally, after learning that Wang Ji had been punished by Eldest Miss Xiao, he had wanted to close up shop and wait for more news.

But his greed got the better of him, and he wanted to earn a little more.

No, it wasn’t just him. Wang Ji also wanted to use these last few days to make some extra silver coins.

And so, he was caught red-handed by Chen Yi, who had come prepared for the unprepared.

Chen Yi sat behind the counter, flipping through the account books and prescriptions on the desk. He pulled open a few drawers to look at the herbs inside before asking with a smile:

"How long have you had this shop?"

"Two months... no, no... two years, two years."

"Two years? The few stalks of old ginseng you’ve hoarded are older than a hundred of those ’two years’."

Chen Yi took out three stalks of old ginseng from the top drawer, each as thick as two fingers, and asked with a smile:

"Do you know the consequences of not telling the truth?"

The shopkeeper’s face fell. "I can’t hide it from you. I’ve been doing business here for five years."

"But I swear, it was all at Wang Ji’s request! The medicinal herbs, the pricing—it was all his idea!"

Chen Yi waved his hand. "I don’t care about that. I just want to know how much silver you’ve made in five years."

He knew that Wang Ji also had to hand over a share of the profits to the Xiao Family.

It was supposed to be four hundred taels of silver a month.

This Herbal Medicine Shop must have earned even more.

A rough estimate for five years would be at least twenty to thirty thousand taels of silver.

Even after deducting the costs of inventory, profit sharing, and bribes, Wang Ji’s personal fortune must be quite substantial.

At this, the shopkeeper watched Chen Yi’s expression and stammered, "Not much... j-just two thousand taels..."

Chen Yi nodded with a smile. "Let’s just say two thousand taels, then. After I hand you over to the Government Office, you’ll probably be sentenced to execution after the autumn assizes."

"And if the Lord Prefect is feeling particularly kind, perhaps he won’t even wait until autumn to send you on your way."

THUD.

The shopkeeper couldn’t withstand such a threat. He dropped to his knees, trembling as he said:

"I beg you, spare my life! Spare my life...!"

Seeing his state, Chen Yi’s smile faded. He calmly waved to Liu Si’er. "Get the details out of him. Have him sign a confession."

Seeing him act this way, Liu Si’er was momentarily stunned.

It wasn’t that he was still displeased with the Fledgling’s odd behavior. Rather, the Fledgling’s last two commands had carried the air of a superior.

’Has he finally wised up?’

Not long after, Chen Yi and Liu Si’er walked out of the Herbal Medicine Shop. The shopkeeper, still shaken, respectfully saw them off.

The next moment, he saw Chen Yi turn and enter Jishi Medicine Hall, and a vicious thought crossed his mind.

’I can barely save my own skin. Why should I care if Wang Ji lives or dies?’

But clearly, the shopkeeper had misunderstood.

Chen Yi had no intention of having anyone killed. On the contrary, he felt it would be a shame for "talent" like Wang Ji to die so easily.

With that in mind, he calmly walked into Jishi Medicine Hall.

To the astonishment of the two Physicians, several apprentices, and the accountant, he ordered Ge the Third to close the doors and turn away any customers.

"Brother Si, please trouble yourself to go to Wang Ji’s home. Reveal your identity and bring him here."

After Liu Si’er acknowledged the order and left, Chen Yi sat in the main hall. He watched Ge the Third "grin menacingly" as he brought the others under control, and then said:

"As for me, I am the new Shopkeeper, Chen Yi."