Chapter 1251: Heavenly River Apothecary
Several people entered the Jingran Pharmacy one after another. Yang Haoran waved his hand, setting up a restrictive barrier that enveloped the entire Jingran Pharmacy. The main purpose of this was to prevent their subsequent conversation from being overheard by others outside.
Setting up a restrictive barrier in such situations was quite common. If anyone else were in Yang Haoran's position, they would most likely do the same. After all, it was perfectly normal not to want outsiders to know certain secrets about the shop. Thus, most of the customers who remained outside Jingran Pharmacy understood Yang Haoran's actions.
Even if some didn't understand, they still chose not to leave. This was because Yang Haoran had already announced that all their purchases today would receive an 80% discount. Just for that alone, they wouldn't choose to depart.
Jingran Pharmacy was located in a remote area. These people chose to come to Jingran Pharmacy to buy Dānyào not only because they valued the quality of its medicines, but more importantly, because the prices were cheaper than other apothecaries. Otherwise, they wouldn't have specifically traveled all the way here. Since Yang Haoran was offering an 80% discount on all medicines today, it naturally allowed them to save another sum of Underworld Currency, so they certainly wouldn't leave just yet.
As for the customers who came to appraise items, although they weren't here for Jingran Pharmacy's medicines, they needed Gu Yi to appraise their possessions. One reason they chose to come to Jingran Pharmacy for appraisal was that Gu Yi was now somewhat well-known, drawing them by reputation. Another reason, of course, was that Jingran Pharmacy's appraisal fees were considerably lower than other places. Thus, they also didn't want to leave just yet. After all, queuing had already consumed some of their time, so returning home now would truly be a bit uneconomical.
“Heh heh, let me introduce the four of you. This is your boss lady. From now on, what she says is what I say, do you understand? ”
Inside Jingran Pharmacy, Yang Haoran smiled as he introduced Xu Meijing to Gu Yi and the other three. As for Jiang Dashi, he already knew Xu Meijing, so there was no need for another introduction.
Although he was seeing the two new shop assistants for the first time, he wasn't foolish. From their unique Jingran Pharmacy uniforms, he knew these two were definitely new hires by Gu Yi, the manager.
Gu Yi and the other three quickly bowed respectfully to Xu Meijing, and with Gu Yi leading, each gave a brief self-introduction.
Xu Meijing simply hummed faintly, then spoke.
“My name is Xu Meijing. If you ever have any trouble in the future, you can come to me anytime. ”
Xu Meijing gave a simple self-introduction. Upon hearing her words, Gu Yi seemed to realize something, and her eyes instantly lit up.
“Jing. . . Ran. . . No wonder our apothecary is called Jingran Pharmacy. So that’s what it means. ”
Gu Yi's words brought a faint smile to Xu Meijing's face. She said nothing, but waved her hand, producing four jade pendants that floated suspended in front of each of the four.
“Once activated, these jade pendants will immediately form a protective barrier, capable of completely blocking an attack from a late-stage Earth Soul realm expert. If one hasn't reached that realm, breaking through the barrier released by this jade pendant will be extremely difficult. If one hasn't even opened their Earth Soul, it's utterly impossible to break through the protective barrier released by this jade pendant. For our first meeting, I don’t have much to give you. Each of you take one of these jade pendants for self-defense. ”
Xu Meijing’s words not only caused the expressions of Gu Yi and the other three to change dramatically, but even Jiang Dashi’s face, standing nearby, shifted considerably.
What it meant for an expert to have opened both Heaven and Earth Souls was something the two new shop assistants had only heard Gu Yi mention, without a concrete understanding in their hearts. However, they knew that such beings possessed terrifying strength, so Xu Meijing’s words profoundly impacted them.
As for Ban Kui, his understanding in this regard was deeper than the two new shop assistants, so Xu Meijing’s words brought him far greater inner shock than them.
As for Jiang Dashi and Gu Yi, their understanding of this aspect was even deeper than the other three, so the changes in their expressions were the most significant among the five.
The jade pendants were just ordinary jade, but after being imbued with a large amount of Xu Meijing’s Spirit Power, they became extraordinary. Before coming to the Underworld, she had learned from Yang Haoran that Jingran Pharmacy had one manager and one shop assistant. Therefore, as the boss lady, she decided to prepare a small gift for the two of them, which resulted in the jade pendants she had just taken out.
Although Yang Haoran had told her that Jingran Pharmacy only had one manager and one shop assistant, for the sake of caution, Xu Meijing had imbued a few extra jade pendants. Otherwise, only being able to produce two jade pendants now would have been somewhat embarrassing for her.
After their initial shock, Gu Yi and the other three were replaced with expressions of pleasant surprise. Even Ban Kui, who was not good at expressing himself, now had an excited look on his face, for he knew how precious this jade pendant was.
However, none of the four reached out to take the jade pendants floating before them. Although they all desired these jade pendants, they were simply too valuable for them, and for a moment, none dared to touch the suspended artifacts.
“Boss Lady, these jade pendants are too precious, we. . . ”
Gu Yi wore an awkward expression, hesitating to speak. At this moment, her heart was conflicted; she yearned to possess them, yet felt the jade pendants were too valuable to accept. Ban Kui and the two new shop assistants, who also hadn't accepted the jade pendants, had thoughts not far different from Gu Yi's.
“To me, they’re just small trinkets. You don’t need to have any psychological burden; boldly accept them. ”
Xu Meijing waved her hand, speaking with a faint smile. Upon hearing this, the four looked at Yang Haoran again. Seeing Yang Haoran nod gently, the four, filled with inner joy and excitement, finally accepted the welcoming gift from their boss lady, Xu Meijing.
“Thank you, Boss Lady! ”
After accepting the jade pendants, the four once again bowed respectfully to Xu Meijing, their inner excitement clearly conveyed through their tone.
Watching the four accept the jade pendants, the surprise in Jiang Dashi’s heart gradually faded. Although such jade pendants were equally incredible treasures to him, his mindset differed from Gu Yi and the others. He didn’t place such great importance on external possessions, so after the initial surprise, his emotions quickly returned to normal.
As for whether Xu Meijing’s words were true or false, Jiang Dashi had no doubts. He knew Xu Meijing’s personality; a person as arrogant as Xu Meijing would never bother to lie about such matters, nor would she condescend to deliberately exaggerate the jade pendants’ abilities in front of her employees.
“Hehe, thank you, Boss Lady! And thank you for what happened earlier too. Today you really helped us vent our anger; it was incredibly satisfying to watch! ”
Gu Yi said with a grin to Xu Meijing. Her joy stemmed not only from the jade pendant gift from Xu Meijing, but also from the earlier scene of Xu Meijing utterly crushing the young man, which had filled her with immense satisfaction. Thus, at this very moment, her mood was exceptionally bright.
“From now on, if any of you suffer any grievances, you can tell me directly. Those my man dares not beat, I will beat. Those my man dares not kill, I will kill. In short, anyone who wrongs you, I, your boss lady, will get revenge for you! ”
Xu Meijing spoke slowly. Although her tone remained as aloof as ever, without any impassioned delivery, these words still made Gu Yi and the other three absolutely surge with excitement. Their awe for Xu Meijing also rose another notch because of this statement.
At this moment, Jiang Dashi’s feelings were precisely the opposite of Gu Yi and the others. It wasn't that he thought Xu Meijing was showing off; knowing Xu Meijing, if she dared to say such a thing, she would certainly act upon it. And that was precisely what worried him. Thus, at this moment, his heart was not filled with excitement, but rather with helplessness.
Jiang Dashi looked at Yang Haoran, and saw that Yang Haoran also happened to be looking at him. Their eyes met, and then both revealed helpless, wry smiles.
“Heh heh, since everyone has briefly gotten acquainted, let’s discuss other matters now. Gu Yi, who was that young man who caused trouble today? ”
Yang Haoran withdrew his gaze from Jiang Dashi and looked at Gu Yi, then asked with a smile.
Seeing Yang Haoran inquire about the matter, Gu Yi immediately responded.
“That fellow, like Senior Jiang, is an Underworld Ghost Official, and behind him is Senior Lu Tianhe, one of the nine great Guardians under our Underworld Emperor. ”
As she spoke of this, the excitement on Gu Yi’s face gradually faded. By the time her words completely fell, there was no trace of excitement left on her face; only seriousness could be seen.
Of the five Great Emperors of the Yin Division, besides the Great Emperors of the four continents, there was also one Great Emperor in the Yin Division—the Underworld Emperor, whom Gu Yi was referring to.
Although Yang Haoran wasn't an Underworld Ghost Official, he knew of this Underworld Emperor, and also had some understanding of the nine great Guardians under this Underworld Emperor. Lu Tianhe, whom Gu Yi mentioned, was indeed one of the nine great Guardians under the Underworld Emperor.
Yang Haoran didn't speak, as it was clear Gu Yi had only just begun her explanation. So, he didn't interrupt, but quietly waited for Gu Yi to continue.
Gu Yi paused only briefly, then continued speaking.
“Senior Lu Tianhe has quite a few properties in the Underworld, among which is an apothecary named Heavenly River Apothecary. And that young man is one of Heavenly River Apothecary’s managers. ”
By the time Gu Yi reached this point, Yang Haoran already had some guesses in his mind, but he still didn't speak. Seeing that neither Yang Haoran nor Xu Meijing showed any intention of speaking, Gu Yi continued.
“Although Heavenly River Apothecary’s scale isn’t the largest in the Underworld, it is somewhat larger than our Jingran Pharmacy. Furthermore, Heavenly River Apothecary’s location is much better than ours, so Heavenly River Apothecary’s business has always been quite good. ”
After a brief pause, Gu Yi immediately continued speaking.
“However, as our Jingran Pharmacy gradually gained some fame, Heavenly River Apothecary’s business saw a relative decrease. This is because, in terms of quality, there isn’t much difference between the medicines sold by Heavenly River Apothecary and those sold by our Jingran Pharmacy. To be precise, the quality of the medicines sold by our Jingran Pharmacy is even better, but in terms of price, we are much lower than Heavenly River Apothecary. This has led some customers who originally preferred to buy Dānyào at Heavenly River Apothecary to slowly abandon them and choose our Jingran Pharmacy instead. ”
Yang Haoran and Xu Meijing had not known the full story before this, but with Gu Yi explaining it to this point, they finally had a general understanding of the matter.
“According to your explanation, that young man came to cause trouble at our Jingran Pharmacy partly out of envy for our increasingly booming business, and partly to retaliate against us for snatching Heavenly River Apothecary’s customers? ”
Yang Haoran asked Gu Yi with a faint smile on his face. Although this matter was not good for him, the smile on his face did not disappear because of it.
“I certainly think so, because besides these two reasons, I really can’t think of any other possibilities. It’s not the first time this man has come to our Jingran Pharmacy. When he first came, he even tried to poach me. When I refused, he caused trouble in our shop. In the end, I had no choice but to ask Senior Jiang to handle it. Although we successfully drove him away that time, I didn’t expect him to come knocking so soon again, even claiming we were selling fake medicines. This is clearly an attempt to ruin our Jingran Pharmacy’s reputation. Once our Jingran Pharmacy’s reputation is gone, business will naturally plummet, and that would only benefit Heavenly River Apothecary, with no downside for them. ”
The more Gu Yi spoke, the angrier she became, and the fury on her face grew even stronger. The joy she had felt when Xu Meijing gave her the jade pendant earlier was now completely washed away by her inner rage.
Yang Haoran nodded with a smile, indicating to Gu Yi that he already knew about the matter. Then, he turned his gaze to Jiang Dashi.
“Heh heh, Jiang Dashi, thank you so much. Last time, if it weren’t for your help, I don’t think that young man would have left so easily. This time, I also have to thank you. If you hadn’t arrived at Jingran Pharmacy in time, I’m afraid my four employees wouldn’t have been able to hold out until Xiao Jing and I appeared. ”
Yang Haoran bowed to Jiang Dashi and spoke with a smile. Although his expression wasn’t serious as he spoke, his tone was extremely sincere.
“Oh, don’t mention it, there’s no need to be so polite between us. Let alone the fact that I promised you I’d look after Jingran Pharmacy for you. Even if you hadn’t brought it up, given our relationship, if Jingran Pharmacy were in trouble, I would absolutely not stand by. ”
Jiang Dashi said with a smile. Although Yang Haoran’s words of gratitude were extremely sincere, he didn’t feel he had contributed much.
Yang Haoran didn’t argue with Jiang Dashi on this point, because he had his own measure in his heart. He just needed to know how much weight Jiang Dashi held in his esteem.
“Heh heh, even before, when I wanted to help you, I was willing but powerless. But now it’s different. My job position has changed. The position I’m currently in is precisely responsible for the quality issues of all the shops on your street. ”
Jiang Dashi’s words surprised Yang Haoran somewhat, and immediately, the smile on his face deepened by a few points.
“Heh heh, if you hadn’t said anything, I wouldn’t have known your job position had changed so drastically. Congratulations! ”
Yang Haoran said with a smile. How could Yang Haoran not know what Jiang Dashi’s current job position meant? Although their street was remote, there were still many shops, big and small.
It was easy to imagine how popular Jiang Dashi would be, being responsible for the quality issues of all goods in all shops on this street.
Seeing Yang Haoran congratulate him, Jiang Dashi shook his head with a wry smile.
“In the eyes of others, my current task is a highly lucrative position, but you know my character; I would never use my job to line my pockets. That’s not my style, but many people simply don’t believe it. ”
Yang Haoran naturally knew what kind of person Jiang Dashi was, and he also knew that Jiang Dashi wouldn’t use his status to make a big profit.
“Heh heh, the reason I congratulated you just now wasn’t because this job offers a chance to line your pockets, but because you are now valued more by your superiors than before. If the higher-ups didn’t value you, they wouldn’t have transferred you to this position. ”
Yang Haoran explained with a smile. Jiang Dashi didn’t refute his words, but the smile on his face deepened considerably.
“Heh heh, since you’re responsible for all the shops on our street, I will certainly cooperate with your work. You can investigate my Jingran Pharmacy as much as you like. If there truly are fake medicines, then the appropriate punishment should be meted out. I don’t want people spreading rumors, nor do I want to cause you any trouble in your work. ”
Upon hearing this, Jiang Dashi spoke with a smile.
“I’ve already inspected Jingran Pharmacy long ago; all the medicines you sell are perfectly fine. Moreover, I trust that you wouldn’t do something like selling fake medicines. However, since Heavenly River Apothecary has spread this rumor, there are probably many who already know about it. Therefore, I must still conduct another inspection of Jingran Pharmacy’s medicines. This is a rule, and also for Jingran Pharmacy’s own good, because only this way can your Jingran Pharmacy’s innocence be proven. You won’t blame me, will you? ”
Yang Haoran let out a light laugh, immediately giving Jiang Dashi a positive response.
“Heh heh, you’re doing this for my own good. How could I be so unappreciative as to blame you? I, Yang Haoran, am not so foolish as to be unable to distinguish good from bad. ”
Receiving Yang Haoran’s affirmative reply, Jiang Dashi also breathed a sigh of relief. His greatest fear was Yang Haoran misunderstanding him; it would have been truly regrettable if this matter caused Yang Haoran to have an unfavorable opinion of him.
“It’s good that you understand. However, what I’m doing is indeed helping you. Only after re-inspecting your Jingran Pharmacy can I officially prove that your medicines are problem-free. ”
Yang Haoran nodded with a smile, then spoke.
“Heh heh, of course I understand. For this matter, you shouldn’t feel any psychological pressure; investigate however you need to. I will have absolutely no complaints. Compared to this, I have an even more important matter I’d like to ask Jiang Dashi about. ”
Upon hearing this, Jiang Dashi showed a hint of doubt on his face.
“Oh? What is it? Feel free to ask. As long as I know and it doesn’t involve secrets that cannot be spoken, I will tell you everything. ”
Yang Haoran didn't beat around the bush and immediately asked Jiang Dashi.
“How is Senior Lu Tianhe’s relationship with our newly appointed Guardian of Jingling Continent? Do you know about this? ”
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