Chapter 25: Boundless Heroism!

She looked shy and angry, with arched eyebrows, sparkling eyes, and beads of sweat clinging to her forehead—she was, by any measure, a one-in-a-thousand beauty. Had she been at an ordinary university, she would have easily stood out as the most beautiful girl in her department.

Hearing Liu Bamei’s voice, Chen Jie gave an awkward laugh. He took a deep breath and said, "Where are Aunt Thirteen and Liu Qi? Come on, you’re strong, help me carry these things!"

Liu Bamei wiped the sweat from her brow, stepped forward, and glanced at the burlap sack on the ground. Surprised, she asked, "What is this?" With that, she hauled the sack up effortlessly. Liu Bamei was a martial artist at the introductory Pulse-Washing stage, just one step away from the Bronze Skin level, and she was significantly stronger than Chen Jie. For an average woman, lifting over a hundred pounds with one hand would not have been so easy.

Next, she set the sack down, knelt, and untied it, revealing the silver dollars inside.

*Hiss—!*

She was so shocked she nearly sat back on the floor, stammering incoherently: "Silver dollars! So many... silver dollars!? Did you—did you rob a bank?" Only a bank could hold this many silver dollars. No one would keep such a stash at home.

"Alright, don't act like you've never seen the world. I got these from home!" Chen Jie said with a smile. "Carry them inside. It's still early; we need to go to the apothecary to buy ingredients for 'medicinal tonics' and 'medicinal baths'!"

Seeing so much money, Liu Bamei suddenly became as docile as a lamb. Fortunately, they had just moved into this large house, and the high walls provided a sense of security. Otherwise, it would have been impossible to rest easy with so much money in the house. Once Liu Bamei had stowed the silver away, the two left the house and headed toward West Gate Street.

Chen Jie felt calm inside. With money in hand, there was no need to panic. Half a month ago, he was so poor he couldn't even afford his father’s hospital bills. Now, while he couldn't be called wealthy, he had enough to get by. Regardless, the "medicinal tonics" and "medicinal baths" had to proceed simultaneously. Having tasted the thrill of the all-around physical improvement that martial arts brought him, Chen Jie could not wait.

***

Liu Bamei led Chen Jie to an apothecary called Ji Pharmacy. This was not the "Zhilin Garden" that Chen Jie had visited before, but a much larger establishment. Since moving into their new house, they were much closer to West Gate Street, making errands far more convenient. Though the pharmacy was large, it had a more archaic and venerable atmosphere. As a long-standing establishment, its inventory was far richer than that of Zhilin Garden.

Upon entering, the air was thick with the scent of herbs. The staff member responsible for greeting customers at Ji Pharmacy was not an apprentice like at Zhilin Garden, but the second manager—a physician in his fifties with a profound grasp of traditional medicine. Seeing Liu Bamei and Chen Jie enter, he smiled and came forward. "Patrons, are you here for a consultation or to buy medicine? Is there anything I can help you with?"

Liu Bamei pulled out the list for the tonics and baths and handed it to the manager. "Give me forty portions to start!"

Forty portions right off the bat! Liu Bamei’s tone was filled with bravado. A single portion of these materials cost six silver dollars, which was exceptionally precious in this world. Forty portions meant two hundred and forty silver dollars. With five hundred silver dollars in her bag, she had the confidence to be "bold."

The manager was inwardly astonished. However, after carefully examining the list, he gave a helpless smile. "We have enough of everything else, but we only have ten portions of shark bone."

"There’s nothing to be done about it. Recently, the Eastern Sea has been embroiled in naval warfare with the Easterners, disrupting trade. At the same time, the southern ports have been blockaded by Western powers. Shark bone can't be brought in; it’s in short supply everywhere."

Chen Jie didn't know much about medicine, but he knew that some things could be substituted. He asked the manager, "Manager, you are an expert. Is there anything else that can be used in place of shark bone?"

The manager nodded and smiled. "There is, though it is much more expensive. Rhinoceros bone can replace shark bone, and the effect is actually even better."

Chen Jie nodded without hesitation. "Then use rhinoceros bone. I don't mind the extra cost!"

Forty portions at once—a major sale! Using rhinoceros bone instead of shark bone only added ten silver dollars to the total. The manager seemed to realize that Chen Jie was the one calling the shots. He smiled and said to him, "Very well! I will arrange it immediately. You are quite lucky; if you had come tomorrow, the prices of everything would have gone up."

"We lost the war in the Eastern Sea. It is said the Imperial Court has signed a treaty and must pay a massive indemnity in silver!" He sighed. "Alas, life is going to get harder and harder."

***

The manager shook his head with a sigh and instructed his assistants to begin gathering the herbs. Although it was a two-hundred-and-fifty silver dollar transaction, the manager did not seem overly surprised, which spoke to the depth of Ji Pharmacy’s resources.

At that moment, several other customers nearby, having overheard the manager, spoke up with indignation. "Damn it, I truly don't understand. We have the most powerful fleet in the Eastern Sea; how could we lose to the Easterners?"

"I heard the Easterners have already landed in the Three Eastern Provinces. We are better off here, but in the south and the east, supplies are being choked off. There have already been several famines!"

"There’s no choice. We lost the war, so we have to pay up!"

"The foreigners have already docked at Tianjin, and their arrogance is extreme. They say they are demanding the cession of some territory, though the specifics are unclear."

"Stock up on more daily necessities. Who knows what will happen next?"

"Indeed. Just look at the streets—the number of refugees has been increasing lately."

People around them kept joining the conversation; the situation was clearly dire. Here, at the feet of the Emperor, things were still relatively stable. The coalition forces of the Western powers had not yet entered the capital. However, in every jurisdiction of the Great Qian Dynasty, offices for the Western powers had already been established. In many places, they had carved out their own zones—what were commonly known as "concessions"—where no one from the Great Qian Dynasty was allowed to enter without permission.

Listening to the chatter around him, Chen Jie felt his head buzzing as if it were about to explode.

*Damn it!*

Was history really repeating itself so eerily? Concessions? Coalition forces entering the capital, the burning of the "Gardens," and the payment of hundreds of millions in silver!? No, this was the Great Qian Dynasty, and there was no "Garden" being built here, so why was the history so startlingly similar?

*Hoo!*

Chen Jie let out a long breath, feeling a lump in his throat. He was just a "small fry" now, with neither the power nor the ambition to change everything in this world.

Half an hour later, Liu Bamei settled the bill with the manager, and they left Ji Pharmacy with the herbs.