The Wang family pharmacy, once bustling with the sound of scurrying feet and the rhythmic opening and closing of medicinal drawers, fell into a sudden, suffocating silence the moment that voice echoed.
"Relax, Manager Wang Jie Li. They are merely searching for my order..."
Zhen Ji spoke with a casual air, as if he had known the man for a lifetime.
Wang Jie Li stepped out from the manager's office at the southern end of the shop. He was a large man with a protruding belly, clad in garments heavy with opulent ornaments. His fingers were encrusted with gold and silver rings.
"Who goes there?" Wang Jie Li squinted, scanning the room for the source of the voice. When his eyes landed on Young Master Gu Zhen Ji, his expression shifted instantly. He scurried toward Zhen Ji, grabbing his hand and planting a kiss upon it.
"I wondered who it was... I should have known it was Young Master Zhen Ji," Wang Jie Li said with a stiff smile, scratching the back of his head.
"Enough with the flattery, Wang Jie Li, you sycophant. Tell your servants to find my items quickly!"
"Ah—! Right away, Young Master! You heard him?! Find the Young Master's items at once!"
The servants shouted a unified "Yes!" and resumed their frantic search through every medicinal drawer. Wang Jie Li took a seat opposite Zhen Ji and began to converse.
"Master, what kind of medicine do you intend to craft with such materials?"
"A high-level medicine. One far superior to those produced by a mere cultivation cauldron," Zhen Ji replied, sipping his tea slowly. Xiaojun and Wang Jie Li listened intently.
"Is it done through an ancient technique?!" Wang Jie Li leaned in, his eyes wide and sharp, awaiting the answer.
"No. It is far more complex than a simple ancient technique..."
"Not an ancient technique, yet more complex? Is it through incantations? Or perhaps... a blood sacrifice?!" Wang Jie Li fired off questions like a barrage. He was desperate to know the method Zhen Ji intended to use.
"No, no. That is my little secret..." Zhen Ji offered a warm yet intimidating smile. Sensing an uncomfortable aura radiating from the scientist, Wang Jie Li quickly changed the subject.
"V-very well! I shall not pry further..." He laughed nervously. "By the way, who is this beside you? I've never seen him before."
"Oh! He is my assistant and bodyguard. He was just hired today. His name is Xiaojun!"
Zhen Ji pointed at Xiaojun. Taken by surprise, Xiaojun bowed stiffly. "H-hello! I am Xiaojun. It is an honor!"
"Hmph," Wang Jie Li replied coldly, knitting his brows. "The Xiao surname? The clan that fell from the Empire's grace due to their treacherous rebellion? The Xiao clan was once famous for its master strategists. They helped the Empire win countless battles across the lands!"
"Ho! You know the history of this clan, Wang Jie Li?" Zhen Ji looked enthusiastic.
'What?! The Xiao family was once an ally of the Empire? Why did Mother and Father never tell me?!' Xiaojun was shaken to his core, but he maintained a professional facade, hiding his shock behind the silver mask.
"I know a little from the Wang family ancestors," Wang Jie Li continued. "The Empire didn't recognize the Xiao family at first. Back then, a Great War between nations caused massive losses. Then, a man named Xiao approached the Emperor with a grand war strategy. The Emperor was skeptical but eventually accepted. The Xiao family became the Empire's most trusted advisors for decades!"
Wang Jie Li paused to pour hot water over fresh tea leaves.
"But that trust shattered when the 20th leader of the Xiao family began a rebellion! They manipulated several Imperial generals, claiming the Empire was corrupt. They even negotiated with the enemy to sell a quarter of the Empire's land. Because of that, many generals lost their loyalty, believing the Emperor had become too greedy to care for his people or his soil!"
'The 20th leader of the Xiao family?! Who was he? Why would he do such a thing?!' Xiaojun clenched his fists, his jaw tightening. 'If he hadn't done that, my family wouldn't have suffered! Father! Mother! Xiao Mei! They suffered because of him!!'
"Wow! That's incredible! Someone actually dared to rebel? That's insane!" Zhen Ji interrupted. "And even crazier, the Xiao family were master strategists? This is fascinating!"
"Indeed! I was just like you—I couldn't believe anyone would dare defy the Empire!" Wang Jie Li replied.
On the other side of the table, Xiaojun could only suppress his rage, his knuckles turning white. Behind the mask, his heart burned with resentment toward his ancestor.
"I found it!" A servant's voice echoed from the second floor. He had found the item Zhen Ji was looking for. However, the servant suddenly froze, his consciousness seemingly swallowed by the object in his hand.
"Bring it down here, you fool! Why are you just standing there?!" Wang Jie Li barked.
"Y-yes, sir!" The servant snapped out of it. An eerie purple mark appeared on his hand. As he descended the stairs, his body began to wither, as if the moisture was being sucked right out of him. By the time he reached the last few steps, his vision was blurred and his body was trembling.
THUD!
The servant collapsed just before reaching the floor. The bird feather he was holding flew about forty centimeters from his hand. The other servants shrieked in horror. Their colleague lay there looking like a desiccated mummy.
"Damn it! Why did that idiot touch it directly without using the container?!" Wang Jie Li shouted, slamming the table.
Zhen Ji stood up, looking both curious and shocked. "What happened to him?"
"I forgot to warn him—never touch that thing directly! Anyone who does will turn into a dry corpse!"
"What?! A dry corpse?!" Zhen Ji stared sharply at Wang Jie Li.
"Yes! The feather of a Purple Lightning Firebird drains the life energy of anyone who touches it! Even if you were one of the Ten Great Martial Artists of the Empire!"
"Then how do we handle it?!" Zhen Ji asked, his face pale. He hadn't realized his experimental material was this lethal.
"You must never touch it! You carry it using specialized tools or a container with a 98% Fire Concentration to suppress the effect!"
'98% Fire Concentration? What kind of forging is that?' Xiaojun muttered to himself, temporarily pushing aside his thoughts on the Xiao clan.
"What is 98% Fire Concentration?" Zhen Ji asked, confused. "And what kind of smith can forge with such precision?!"
"To achieve 98% Fire Concentration... one must forge using the Purity of the Eternal Blue Flame. When the original container for that feather was created, the smith sacrificed his own life energy to manifest a Blue Flame with that level of concentration!" Wang Jie Li explained.
He looked at the dead servant. The corpse was now emitting sparks of purple lightning. The other servants didn't dare touch the body; they could feel an intense burning sensation just by standing near it.
"Is that smith still alive?" Zhen Ji asked, his eyes fixated on the feather. 'This is exhilarating!'
"Yes, but he is paralyzed... he can barely speak. It's as if his soul is trapped underwater." Wang Jie Li walked up to the second floor, toward the drawer where the feather had been kept. "Leave the body there! I'll deal with it later!"
Zhen Ji and Xiaojun followed him. "Where are we going, Wang Jie Li?"
"To find the storage box for that feather."
They walked past hundreds of drawers lining the walls. It was a beautiful yet terrifying sight; each drawer felt like a Pandora's Box. They stopped at a drawer in the center of the floor. Wang Jie Li opened it, and a brilliant blue light blinded Zhen Ji and Xiaojun.
"Don't look at the light for too long, or you'll go blind," Wang Jie Li warned.
'A box with 98% Eternal Blue Flame concentration?!' Both Zhen Ji and Xiaojun whispered in awe. The craftsmanship was divine—detailed carvings of dragons and long-tailed sparrows adorned the box. It was a true work of art.
"Let's go down and move the feather into this box," Wang Jie Li said, sounding weary. He clearly wanted the dangerous object out of his shop as soon as possible.
Back on the ground floor, Wang Jie Li gestured toward the dried corpse, and the body was suddenly vacuumed away, vanishing from sight.
"Listen, I can't risk my life to put that feather in the box... and neither would you, Young Master. Your life is too valuable! That leaves only my servants and your assistant. I can't afford to lose more workers... so your assistant must do it."
Wang Jie Li opened the blue-glowing box. Zhen Ji had no choice but to command Xiaojun. "Xiaojun, do it."
Xiaojun hesitated, his hand hovering over the feather. 'Am I really doing this? A six-year-old forced to give his life for these adults...'
The moment Xiaojun's fingertips brushed the feather, his hand began to incinerate. Within seconds, only the bone was visible.
Ugh!
'Damn it, the effect is too strong! If I knew it would be like this, I'd rather be dead!'
But because of his high-speed regeneration, Xiaojun's body fought back. The sight of his hand—half-charred bone and half-raw flesh crawling to mend itself—made several servants nauseous.
"What did you give your assistant, Master Zhen Ji?!" Wang Jie Li backed away in horror. "His recovery is monstrous! It rivals the masters of the ancient sects! No... it's even stronger!"
"Hahaha... I gave him medicine and artifacts crafted by my own science!" Zhen Ji boasted.
After a few agonizing seconds, Xiaojun managed to drop the feather into the box perfectly. His hand fully restored itself, but he looked ghastly. He was drenched in sweat, and a few strands of his hair had turned from black to stark white.
"T-this is unbelievable!" Wang Jie Li shouted. "He's still standing after that?!"
KUAKH!
Xiaojun vomited a massive amount of blood. "I... I've done it, Master. Where... where to next?" His vision was swimming. Just as he was about to collapse, Zhen Ji flicked his fingers.
SNAP!
Xiaojun's body instantly stood bolt upright as if the fatigue had never existed.
"Well then, let's settle the transaction!" Zhen Ji said to a stunned Wang Jie Li.
"A-ah! Yes, Young Master!"
"How much for the losses and the item?"
"We are like brothers, I won't overcharge you! 120 Gold Zhang will cover the item and the damages!"
Zhen Ji tossed a leather pouch filled with a fantastic amount of gold. "Keep it."
"Thank you, Young Master! Have a pleasant day!"
Zhen Ji and Xiaojun stepped out of the pharmacy. Zhen Ji stretched and calmed himself after the unexpected turn of events.
"Hah! Next stop... the Tong Ren Tang pharmacy!"