Your clinic returned to peace.

You practiced medicine while continuing your cultivation.

Your medical skills became more renowned.

Many prominent figures from Youtong County began seeking your treatment.

Even people from neighboring counties came for your services.

Through healing patients, you gained deeper understanding of the human body.

Your pill refining skills improved significantly as a result.

Your progress in refining third-grade pills showed clear advancement.

Your success rate increased from one pill to two per batch.

However, you still hadn't reached the initial proficiency of three pills.

One day while consulting patients,

a timid girl of about fifteen or sixteen came to see you.

She wore coarse clothes full of patches,

but had striking beauty with bright, sparkling eyes.

She brought two wild gastrodia elata roots she'd dug up in the mountains to thank you for curing her illness.

Her parents had actually given up on her, leaving her to fate.

Moved by pity, you had treated her for free previously.

Not recognizing the medicinal herbs, she simply noticed this type in your shop and dug some up as gratitude.

You recalled her name was Liu Jing.

Her treatment had been experimental - you hadn't been very confident.

Seeing her fully recovered validated several of your theories.

This breakthrough resolved several issues in your third-grade pill refining.

Accepting Liu Jing's two gastrodia roots, you tried paying market price.

She only took enough for two steamed buns before happily skipping away.

After she left, you immediately began refining third-grade pills in the clinic's backyard.

The results were immediate.

From one batch of ten attempts, you successfully refined four pills.

Your third-grade pill refining reached initial proficiency.

After this, Liu Jing frequently brought wild medicinal herbs from the mountains.

Each time you offered payment, she only took enough for a few steamed buns.

This continued for a full month.

Every visit brought different herbs.

You began suspecting Liu Jing might have some special constitution

for discovering rare medicinal ingredients.

You invited her to help at the clinic when free,

paying her small wages.

After careful observation,

you realized you'd read too many novels.

Liu Jing had no special abilities -

just good luck finding herbs.

Sometimes she even brought weeds,

mistaking them for valuables with a cheerful grin.

"No thanks," you'd wave her off.

Liu Jing treasured this work.

When farm chores were light, she came daily,

eagerly doing every available task.

This significantly reduced Bai Chen and Jiao Mingxu's workload.

Bai Chen gained more free time,

visiting the brothel more frequently.

Recently obsessed with a courtesan named Qiu Niang,

he'd spent most of his savings trying to win her favor,

even promising to buy her freedom.

Where physical desire should rule, Bai Chen had grown emotionally invested.

You recalled the old saying - "Simps die miserable deaths."

Even honest Jiao Mingxu acted strangely lately,

often disappearing mysteriously.

Your focus remained on cultivation.

Through moderately diligent practice,

after three months

your true qi completed its sixth refinement.

The density of your internal energy became terrifying.

Your martial talent received another boost.

With current aptitude, you could qualify as a core disciple even in first-rate sects.

Several days later,

Liu Jing suddenly stopped coming.

Her family delivered a wedding invitation -

her father had sold her as a concubine to a middle-aged merchant.

In three days, he would take her as his bride.

Her father forbade further outings.

Your expression darkened.

You stormed to Liu Jing's home to intervene.

Contrary to expectations,

Liu Jing wasn't resisting the marriage.

Quite the opposite - she seemed delighted,

happily announcing her upcoming wedding.

Though a concubine, it beat struggling for daily meals.

You realized your misconception -

assuming all concubines were unwilling.

For impoverished families like Liu Jing's, this was an enviable opportunity.

You gifted Liu Jing an imperial green jade bracelet as congratulations.

Three days later, you attended her wedding banquet,

where she smiled radiantly throughout.

Returning to clinic duties,

you gradually felt medicine no longer aided your pill refining.

You began withdrawing from practice,

teaching basic skills to Bai Chen and Jiao Mingxu,

having them handle consultations,

only calling you for difficult cases.

You spent most time cultivating quietly in the backyard.

With only 300+ internal spirit pills remaining,

you had to conserve them,

no longer swallowing handfuls like blood qi pills.

Now you savored each pill individually.

You planned to demonstrate mastery of blood qi pill refining next year

to obtain the internal spirit pill recipe before complications arose.

By then your supply would be nearly exhausted,

allowing seamless transition to self-production.

One night after cultivation,

you went to relieve yourself before bed.

Finishing, you suddenly shivered -

then abruptly broke through.

The sudden advancement made you piss your pants in excitement.

Your Wild Heaven Saber Technique reached late-stage Marrow Washing.

Concurrently practiced Heavenly Desire Formless Technique also advanced.

Tremendous true qi roared through your meridians,

dragon and tiger cries reverberating deafeningly.

You could now instantly defeat even Essence Refining late-stage martial artists.

You outwardly displayed only Skin Refining Peak cultivation -

caution remained your foundation.

That day while cultivating intensely,

Bai Chen rushed in frantically:

"Senior brother! That rival clinic is causing trouble again - they smashed our shop!!"

You paused cultivation: "Standard procedure - close up and release Mingxu!"

"We did! They beat Jiao Mingxu beyond recognition!!"

Right then, a bruised Jiao Mingxu stumbled in:

"Senior brother! I can't handle this!!"

The opposition had gathered local gang members -

over twenty people,

including two Bone Tempering martial artists,

determined to ruin your business.

Bai Chen panicked: "Senior brother! Notify the sect!!"

Jiao Mingxu agreed: "They're too strong! We can't win!"

He You Shan added: "Senior brother, Brother Xu is right!"

You stood to confront them,

then paused abruptly.

"Wait." You turned to He You Shan. "Who the hell are you?"

When did an extra person appear?

She nearly slipped by unnoticed.

Jiao Mingxu hurriedly explained: "Senior brother, it's complicated! Let's escape through the back!"

Bai Chen rolled his eyes: "She's the girl Mingxu's been courting lately."

You stared at Jiao Mingxu: "That sounded pretty straightforward."

"Ahem, true..." Jiao Mingxu scratched his head sheepishly.

Having focused on backyard cultivation recently,

you rarely consulted patients.

You never expected even honest Jiao Mingxu to find romance.

The world was changing too fast.

You instructed: "I'll handle this. Stay here - don't move."

Pushing through the backyard curtain, you entered the front.

"Senior brother!"

They called after you to escape together, but you'd already vanished.

Your voice carried faintly: "You've clearly never met real gangsters!"

Anxiety twisted Jiao Mingxu's honest face.

Finally hardening his resolve, he said: "You Shan, flee to Danxia Sect! We'll rescue senior brother and meet you there!"