Sudden Turmoil at Miaoshou Garden!

"The newly arrived medicinal herbs are here!" "The trade routes are finally open again. I heard the prefect mobilized the imperial garrison and wiped out the bandits blocking the roads with thunderous force." "Indeed. With the army sweeping through, how could mere bandits not be destroyed? Still, we have to be careful. Word has it that some martial arts experts among them escaped. They're slipping into nearby cities and committing crimes all over." "Those damn bandits, never letting people live in peace..." The apprentices and apothecaries in Miaoshou Garden were engaged in spirited discussion, clearly harboring deep hatred for the bandits. The bandits had cut off the trade routes, preventing medicinal herbs from being transported into Nanyang City, which directly hurt Miaoshou Garden's business. Fortunately, now that the trade routes were restored and Miaoshou Garden had herbs once more, business could return to normal. "Bandits..." Lu Changsheng naturally knew about this as well. The bandits had been routed by the imperial army, but several powerful martial artists had scattered across the prefectures and counties, roaming and committing crimes, giving the constables at local yamen massive headaches. After all, these were martial arts experts; arresting them was extremely difficult. Worse yet, they struck and fled, making off with whatever loot they could grab before moving on, leaving no way to pursue them. Consequently, public order in Nanyang City had recently deteriorated. Several prominent households had been raided in succession. Miaoshou Garden's guard team was deployed frequently, stepping up their patrols. For the moment, Miaoshou Garden remained unharmed. "Lu Changsheng, lend a hand! This basket of herbs is too heavy..." Liu Yang called out to Lu Changsheng. "Coming." Lu Changsheng saw Liu Yang carrying a basket of herbs on his shoulder. The basket was far too large, however, and Liu Yang had underestimated its weight. The load was crushing him so heavily that his entire body trembled; he clearly could not bear it. Lu Changsheng hurried over and gripped the basket. Instantly, the pressure on Liu Yang's shoulder vanished. "Come on, let's lower it together," Liu Yang said. "No need to go to all that trouble." Exerting force with both hands, Lu Changsheng hoisted the basket of herbs straight up on his own. A look of astonishment crossed Liu Yang's face. Just moments ago, that very basket had nearly snapped his back; it weighed at least six to seven hundred jin. Yet Lu Changsheng had lifted it all by himself. Judging by Lu Changsheng's appearance, he was neither flushed nor breathless, looking thoroughly composed and at ease. Clearly, this weight was nowhere near his limit. "Lu Changsheng, have you reached entry-level in the Great River Blood-Strengthening Technique?" Something seemed to click in Liu Yang's mind, and he asked immediately. "Yes, entry-level." Lu Changsheng did not reveal more. After all, his Great River Blood-Strengthening Technique had gone far beyond entry-level—he had already reached perfection in it! Liu Yang was also an apothecary apprentice, having arrived two or three years before Lu Changsheng. Lacking talent for martial arts, he had long since abandoned the path. Liu Yang knew Lu Changsheng had persevered in practicing martial arts, but he had thought little of it. Which apothecary apprentice hadn't persevered at first? Yet in the end, everyone gave up. Without medicinal cuisine and martial talent, achieving anything in martial arts was next to impossible. Yet Lu Changsheng had clearly entered the door of the Great River Blood-Strengthening Technique and had even augmented his qi and blood. Otherwise, there was no way he could possess such immense strength. "I really envy you." "Forget about apothecary apprentices—even among apothecaries, not many have reached entry-level in the Great River Blood-Strengthening Technique." Liu Yang's face was filled with envy. Lu Changsheng merely smiled and said nothing. Martial arts naturally had their perks; strengthening the body alone was benefit enough. Still, envy aside, Liu Yang did not dwell on it. Even if Lu Changsheng had entered the technique, he couldn't join the guard team. For apothecary apprentices like them, what mattered most was qualifying as an apothecary. Although Nanyang City was turbulent, Miaoshou Garden was safe. Day in and day out, Lu Changsheng read medical books, identified herbs, and practiced martial arts, neglecting none of them. In a brief two months, his progress was rapid. Host: Lu Changsheng Comprehension: 198 (Average Talent) Instant Kill Technique: Grand Completion Iron Sand Palm: Grand Completion Six Heavens Blood-Strengthening Technique: Fourth Layer On his attribute panel, Lu Changsheng's comprehension had climbed to 198. With just two more points, it would reach 200—nearly double that of an ordinary person. Lu Changsheng looked forward to seeing whether reaching 200 points would unlock a new evaluation. Would his comprehension advance to an entirely new tier then? Furthermore, over these past two months, comprehension was not the only thing that had surged. His Instant Kill Technique was also on the verge of perfection; he could feel that it would likely reach perfection in just a few days. The Instant Kill Technique was likely a third- or even fourth-tier martial technique; once perfected, it would certainly be extraordinary. Finally, there was the Six Heavens Blood-Strengthening Technique. Lu Changsheng had already cultivated it to the fourth layer. It truly lived up to its reputation as a superior martial art: each layer was a heaven unto itself, bringing an earth-shattering transformation. Now, the vigor of Lu Changsheng's qi and blood was astonishingly formidable. Even at just the fourth layer, his strength was immense, allowing him to easily shatter stone slabs. Master Meng of the Flying Crane Martial Arts Hall had been a Tempering Bone Realm martial artist, yet he had only been able to shatter stone slabs. Currently, Lu Changsheng was still in the Strengthening Blood Realm, yet his strength was already on par with Master Meng's. When he reached the sixth layer, just how terrifying would his strength become? Clang! Clang! Clang! "Hurry, all apprentices come out to help!" Suddenly, Supervisor Zhang's shouts echoed through Miaoshou Garden, his voice tinged with urgency. "What happened?" Lu Changsheng immediately set aside his tasks and hurried to Miaoshou Garden's central square. Supervisor Zhang's face was grim as he said in a heavy voice, "Just an hour ago, a band of thugs raided one of Miaoshou Garden's pharmacy shops." "Many doctors, apprentices, apothecaries, and even members of the guard team suffered heavy casualties." "Right now, all apprentices are to report to the front hall to assist the physicians in treating the wounded!" The apprentices were shaken. A Miaoshou Garden pharmacy shop had been looted? And with heavy casualties? Lu Changsheng immediately thought of the bandits swept away by the imperial army. Only those desperate bandit outlaws would dare to blatantly plunder a Miaoshou Garden shop in broad daylight. Before the apprentices could think further, Supervisor Zhang led them all to the front hall. In the front hall, numerous stretchers covered the floor. Some of the stretchers were covered with white sheets. Clearly, those draped in white sheets were dead. A quick glance revealed that roughly a dozen people had perished. Moreover, several dozen wounded lay nearby—some missing arms or legs, others with faces as pale as parchment, clearly near death. The scene shocked all the apprentices. Many turned pale; they had never witnessed such a gruesome sight. Lu Changsheng's expression remained steady, but his heart weighed heavy. Miaoshou Garden was a major power in all of Nanyang City. Every single pharmacy had guards stationed, so how could the losses be this severe? There was only one explanation: the enemy was too strong! Under the physicians' directions, the apprentices began assisting in tending to the injured. Before long, a group of people dressed in fine robes arrived in the front hall. Someone recognized them; leading the group was the current family head of Miaoshou Garden, Zheng Renxin. Miaoshou Garden had been founded by the ancestors of the Zheng family and had endured for over a century. The current head, Zheng Renxin, was not particularly skilled in medicine, but he was said to possess fine martial talent and was a formidable martial artist. The people trailing behind Zheng Renxin were virtually all upper-echelon members of Miaoshou Garden. Beholding this tragic scene, their teeth ground in fury. "Family Head, these thugs are too brazen, daring to lay hands on our Miaoshou Garden! Give me a squad of guards, and I will lead them personally to capture those scoundrels!" "It's been so many years since Miaoshou Garden suffered an outrage like this! We must punish them severely!" "Family Head, say the word, and the guard team will scour the entire city to drag those thieves out!" These clan elders and senior officials were seething with righteous indignation. The thugs' actions had clearly inflicted heavy losses on Miaoshou Garden. In silver alone, over three thousand taels had been lost. Not to mention the precious medicinal herbs, which had been cleared out completely. With so many dead, the follow-up medical care and compensation payouts would also cost a fortune.