ALL NOVEL Chapter 73: Myriad Medicines Hall
Ignoring Yao Chen’s unrealistic remarks, Xiao Yan began to stroll through Qingshan Town, observing this small town he had never set foot in before.
In the early morning, the town was full of vitality. Various shops were preparing to open, and there were also groups of mercenaries shouting and organizing manpower to enter the Magic Beast Mountain Range.
Xiao Yan suddenly noticed that although each group of mercenaries had their own circle, there was one place with the most people gathered around.
And unlike the open spaces where other mercenaries gathered, these mercenaries were actually surrounding the entrance of a shop.
Myriad Medicines Hall.
It was an herbal medicine shop, so it was no wonder there were so many people gathered around.
Xiao Yan nodded in understanding. These mercenaries who were about to enter the mountains must have prepared life-saving healing medicines before setting off, so it was natural for them to gather at the entrance of the herbal medicine shop.
However, just as Xiao Yan thought so, he noticed something amiss.
There were clearly other herbal medicine shops nearby, and although there were a few mercenaries going in and out, they were far fewer compared to the number of people gathered at the entrance of Myriad Medicines Hall.
Moreover, these people were only gathered at the entrance and didn’t seem to be buying any medicine at all.
What was going on…
Just as Xiao Yan was pondering, the mercenaries at the entrance of Myriad Medicines Hall suddenly became restless.
“Xiao Yixian! My goddess!”
“Choose me, choose me, choose me!”
“You damn bastard! Am I not more capable than you?”
Well, Xiao Yan had a rough idea now.
He scratched his head lightly. Women who were adored by others could be found everywhere, even in this Qingshan Town where mercenaries gathered.
Having guessed this, Xiao Yan wasn’t particularly curious to see how extraordinary this so-called Xiao Yixian was.
After all, in terms of appearance, Xiao Yan was confident that no woman could surpass Yao Chen. Moreover, anyone who could gain such prestige in this chaotic Qingshan Town must have certain means; otherwise, they wouldn’t be able to survive here.
In other words, this kind of woman was probably not someone Xiao Yan would get along with.
Since they wouldn’t get along, Xiao Yan naturally didn’t have much interest.
On the contrary, he was more interested in Myriad Medicines Hall.
Before leaving home, Yao Chen had mentioned that she would teach him alchemy.
However, during the first half of the journey, they encountered bandits, and in the second half, Yun Zhi accompanied him, making it impossible for Xiao Yan to find an opportunity to learn.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, it would be good to visit the herbal medicine shop and familiarize himself with the medicinal herbs before starting to learn. Otherwise, he would have no idea about anything when he began his studies.
Fortunately, although there were many mercenaries gathered at the entrance of Myriad Medicines Hall, they were all there for Xiao Yixian, so there weren’t as many people at the entrance. Xiao Yan easily squeezed in and immediately saw a middle-aged man squatting on the ground, organizing a medicine box. When he noticed someone entering, he slowly raised his head and, upon seeing Xiao Yan’s still youthful face, he was momentarily stunned before smiling and inquiring.
“Young man, do you want to buy medicinal herbs?”
“Ah… No, I just came to take a look.”
Xiao Yan shook his hand slightly, feeling a bit embarrassed, and openly stated that he was not there to buy medicine. But the middle-aged man didn’t seem annoyed. He stood up with the medicine box and placed it on the counter, then glanced at Xiao Yan and smiled.
“No problem. Since the shop has just opened, there aren’t many customers. Feel free to look around.”
“Thank you.” Xiao Yan thanked him softly, then thought of something and asked in a low voice, “My name is Xiao Yan. May I ask for your name?”
“Hahaha, young man, you’re quite polite. That’s not something you see often in Qingshan Town. The mercenaries here usually shout instead of talking calmly; that’s considered restraint for them.” The middle-aged man laughed, clearly having a favorable impression of Xiao Yan. “My surname is Yao, and I’m the owner of this Myriad Medicines Hall. Just call me Boss Yao.”
Then Boss Yao glanced at the Heavy Black Ruler behind Xiao Yan and curiously asked, “Young man, are you also a mercenary?”
“I can’t really be called a mercenary. Compared to those proper mercenaries, I’m far inferior. I just arrived in this town today.” Xiao Yan modestly replied, then pointed to the crowded mercenaries outside and asked Boss Yao, “Boss Yao, do mercenaries in this town go into the Magic Beast Mountain Range every day?”
“Ah, as long as the weather isn’t particularly bad, that’s usually the case.”
Boss Yao answered this way, and as he did, Xiao Yan noticed three bottles of healing medicine on the counter that were obviously different from normal healing medicine. It was clear at a glance that they weren’t produced in the usual way.
“Boss Yao, are you an alchemist?”
Xiao Yan asked, but Boss Yao waved his hand.
“How could that be? Young man, don’t overestimate me. If I were an alchemist, my nose would be in the sky by now.”
Boss Yao said with a cheerful smile. It could be seen that although he was middle-aged, his character was quite carefree and optimistic.
Immediately, Boss Yao picked up a bottle of healing medicine from the counter without caring if it would break and tossed it directly to Xiao Yan. Xiao Yan received it somewhat flustered, and Boss Yao continued.
“I’m just an ordinary physician. I can use flames to rudely fuse medicinal herbs together. It doesn’t require any patience. You can even light a fire and slowly burn it to achieve the same result.”
Listening to Boss Yao’s words, Xiao Yan nodded thoughtfully, lowered his head, and carefully examined the healing medicine in his hand. At this moment, Yao Chen, expressed astonishment towards this healing medicine.
(This boss is quite modest. He’s clearly not an alchemist, yet he can refine healing medicine of such quality.)
(Senior Yao, is this really impressive?)
Upon hearing Yao Chen’s evaluation, Xiao Yan asked in confusion, and Yao Chen provided an answer.
“For a physician, this is already quite impressive. His healing medicine can be compared to what a first-rank alchemist can refine, and some first-rank alchemists may not even be able to match him.”
Yao Chen’s words made Xiao Yan develop a sense of respect towards Boss Yao. Being able to casually refine a healing medicine that even Yao Chen, who could refine five bottles of Qi Gathering Pill with ease, praised so highly, indicated how excellent the healing medicine was for a physician.
It seemed that Boss Yao wasn’t as carefree and casual as he appeared.
“So, Xiao Yan, are you interested in alchemy?”
Seeing Xiao Yan carefully examining the healing medicine, Boss Yao softly asked.
“Yes.”
Xiao Yan didn’t conceal it and nodded slightly. Boss Yao smiled and asked again.
“Then, how about learning from me? Although I’m not very skilled, I should be able to teach you the basics. That little fairy, Xian’er, was also taught by me, you know~”
Boss Yao raised his head proudly, and Xiao Yan was momentarily taken aback.
“Xian’er?” Then Xiao Yan looked sideways towards the door and realized, “You mean Xiao Yixian?”
“That’s right! That child is the one I raised!”
Boss Yao had a face full of intoxication, showing a silly fatherly expression, leaving Xiao Yan feeling helpless.
Well… it seems that fathers with daughters are all like this, right…