When Jiang Ming walked into Pingan County, the streets were much livelier than three years ago. There were many shops, teahouses, workshops, cloth shops... There were also many vendors in the open spaces on the streets, selling meals, bamboo utensils, and wild mushrooms. …
After the war, as if the illness was gone, the Yan Kingdom gradually showed greater prosperity than before. The emperor reduced taxes and built large granaries to help the people. Even the villagers in Ping'an County had a much better life.
"It's just a matter of making amends..."
Jiang Ming sighed, walked to the tavern, went straight to the second floor, asked for a bright place by the window, ordered food and drinks, and started eating and drinking.
Now that Lao Jiangtou has completely retired and has become a hands-off shopkeeper, Ah Fei saved some money somewhere and sent people to renovate the tavern. Now it has a new look and business is booming.
The drinkers at the next few tables, their faces red and thick-necked from drinking, were discussing the recent events as usual.
"Marquis Wu is truly a divine man. One battle shocked the world, and all the young men in the town did not dare to act rashly..."
"Hmph, he is just a murderous butcher. He is unpopular and will be punished sooner or later."
"Fuck you, Marquis Wu massacred the city, not to kill, but to warn those who intend to cause trouble..."
"Fuck, how dare you scold me!"
In an instant, wine bowls and benches were flying everywhere...
Jiang Ming quickly protected the food and drinks and sat on the other side of the table to avoid being splashed with blood on his face.
After a while, the two fighting men were thrown out of the tavern by a red-faced man with one hand in each hand, as if they were carrying chickens, and there was a roar of applause.
The red-faced man returned to the second floor and sat opposite Jiang Ming: "Brother Ming, I haven't seen you for a long time."
"Why did you become a thug in this tavern?" Jiang Ming said with a smile. This person was Wang Dong, Jiang Ming's friend at the same time in Hunting Tiger Village.
Three years later, Jiang Ming's strength has also improved to the level of "a low-level warrior", but Wang Dong still can only sense blood energy and has not crossed the threshold of a warrior.
"Just make more money..."
Wang Dong took a sip of wine and smiled bitterly: "Only by practicing martial arts can you know how difficult martial arts is. I'm afraid I don't have the talent anymore, and I'm too lazy to be a dog in those big families, so I inherited my father's legacy. Okay, I opened a butcher shop in Ping'an Town, Oh Bu'an Ping'an County..."
"Didn't I marry my mother-in-law last year? This year I'm going to give birth to a baby again. My family is in a tight situation, so I came here to do more errands..."
Wang Dong rambled on, but Jiang Ming did not interrupt and listened silently. This may be the final destination for most martial arts practitioners.
"Hey, in our period, it seems that the only ones who have become warriors now are you and Fang Lie..." Wang Dong suddenly said: "Just a few days ago, Fang Lie's blood power was running smoothly and he entered the third-rate realm."
"Really?" Jiang Ming smiled and said, "I would like to go and congratulate you when I have time."
"People are very busy now. They follow Guan to hunt for the head but not the end..." Wang Dong whispered, his eyes a little wandering, as if he was recalling the days when we went up the mountain to hunt tigers together.
Jiang Ming patted him on the shoulder and ordered another two kilograms of liquor and a few kilograms of pig head meat. Both of them were very drunk before they left.
However, Jiang Ming did not go home directly. Instead, he turned to a remote drug store.
The medicine shop is called Baicaotang. It is small in area and in a remote location. However, because the medicinal materials are relatively complete, the number of customers is okay on weekdays.
Seeing Jiang Ming come in, several customers who were buying medicine greeted each other:
"Boss Jiang!"
"Boss Jiang, long time no see. What good stuff do you have this time..."
"Nothing, just a few golden wormwood ginseng. I'll clean it up. If you want to see it another day..." Jiang Ming smiled and responded one by one. He was the one who opened the Baicaotang. Now, with his background, he is opening a medicine shop. It's not that big of a deal. Most of the medicinal materials collected on weekdays are sold here. If you buy some medicinal materials from other herb collectors, you can still make some income.
"Let's drink again!" Zhou Wenxiu dismissed these customers and walked out from behind the counter, staring at Jiang Ming dissatisfied.
"Hehe, hehehe..." Jiang Ming quickly poured out all the medicinal materials in the medicine basket, turned around and ran away: "I'm going home first."
…
Early the next morning, Jiang Ming stood in his small courtyard, practicing a set of simple boxing techniques and moving his body.
"Wow, brother Jiang Ming, you are back!"
Outside the fence, in the small courtyard next door, a cry of surprise suddenly came.
Jiang Ming turned around and saw a little girl, not much taller than Fourth Master Bai, jumping over to the fence. She was holding a small porcelain bowl with a corner missing in her hand. Fried golden and shiny cicada monkey.
The little girl was only three or four years old. Her washed white coarse cloth clothes were stained with mud, and her chubby little face looked greasy, like a tabby cat.
"Tian An'an, you're playing in the mud again!" Jiang Ming grabbed the little girl's clothes and pointed at the mud spots on it: "Your mother will beat you when she comes back later!"
"Scared..." The little girl looked down and was shocked: "I didn't play in the mud, these are not my clothes..."
Jiang Ming almost choked. When I went out just now, I saw a little kid squatting in a rain puddle and treading water. Could it be a ghost?
Tian Anan forgot about it in an instant, wiped the snot from his nose, and put a cicada monkey into his mouth with familiarity, chewing it with a crunching sound, and stretched the small bowl this way: "Jiang Brother Ming, eat!"
"Okay, I haven't seen you sensible in half a month..." Jiang Ming was happy and was about to reach out to take it, but Tian Anan quickly retracted his hand without saying anything, staring straight at him with his big round eyes.
As if to say, have you forgotten something?
Jiang Ming was speechless, his praise was in vain...
He went back into the house and pulled out a light red peach blossom stone from the bottom of the medicine basket. The surface of the stone was covered with peach blossom-like spots, like scattered petals, which was really beautiful.
"Two cicada monkeys instead!" Jiang Ming held the stone tightly and handed it over cautiously.
In fact, every time he went down the mountain, he would bring a beautiful little stone to the little girl, but why should he give it to her for nothing if it could be traded?
Tian Anan happily took the stone, narrowed his big eyes into a smile, and then handed over the porcelain bowl.
"It's all your spit!" Jiang Ming unceremoniously grabbed two and threw them into his mouth, while verbally attacking the little kid who was blinded by the "stone".
"You're the one who stinks, you're the one who stinks!" Tian An'an retorted mercilessly, concentrating on playing with the pebbles.
Jiang Ming glanced at the porcelain bowl on the ground beside him, quickly picked up another one and threw it into his mouth.
Tian Anan exclaimed, threw the small stone into the small bowl, turned around and ran away with the small porcelain bowl in her hands. She ran back into the house and peeked half of her head out to see if Jiang Ming had followed to snatch her. Cicada monkey...
Jiang Ming laughed, chewed and swayed towards Baicao Hall.
Zhou Wenxiu opened the door early and was sorting out the medicinal materials. Jiang Ming lay down on the bamboo chair in the inner hall with ease. He felt a little like the life of Dr. Sun in Jishi Hall. It was quite comfortable...
"Shopkeeper, buy medicine!"
Suddenly, a man wearing a bamboo hat and whose face could not be seen clearly walked into the medicine shop and said in a deep voice.
Jiang Ming didn't take it seriously and sent Zhou Wenxiu to sell medicine. There were too many people hiding their identity to buy things. Everyone had some shady secrets, and he was too lazy to care about it.
But then, the medicinal herbs that this man mentioned made Jiang Ming unable to sit still.
"Banksia, snake grass root, cicada slough, dried leech, nine-scented insect..."
Jiang Ming's memory suddenly returned to the prescription from Huang Laogui when he first crossed this world. That was the beginning of everything...
