Chapter Forty-Four: Trafficking in Narcotics

  Arrived at Wangjiang Slope, entered the pharmacy smoothly. Inside the pharmacy, there was only Xiaoyun alone. When she saw Lu Qi coming, her expression was joyful and a bit shy. This little girl's body had not fully recovered, but her face already had a few points of beauty. After greeting Lu Qi, she immediately ran to the back door to report to Xin Yuer.

  Xin Yun'er came out from the backyard, with a beautiful face and a charming blush. Since Lu Qi's return, her young heart had been immersed in the happiness of love.

  Lu Qi's heart skipped a beat when he saw Xin Yun'er, but he had urgent matters to attend to and couldn't indulge in romantic talk with her.

  He looked at her warmly for a moment before turning serious and saying: "Yuner, I've come on urgent business."

  "What's the rush?" Xinyuner immediately composed herself, she was a straightforward woman who always drew a clear line between public and private matters.

  Lu Qi walked up to her and said in a gentle voice, "Yun'er, I won't be able to continue as the county magistrate. A high-ranking official has been appointed to take my place, and I have to hand over the position tomorrow. I've come here now because I want to bring Xiaoyun with me to San Yuan County to sell medicine. My time is very tight, so I can only rush there quickly, buy medicine and hurry back tomorrow, which means I can only bring Xiaoyun along."

  Xin Yun'er was taken aback and asked softly, "Are you just going with Xiao Yun?"

  Lu Qi and Sheng said: "No, I am still the protector of the county, and I will take ten strong men to buy medicine and escort them back. This is also the reason why I rushed to sell medicine today. After tomorrow's handover, it will be very difficult for me to go to San Yuan County to sell medicine again. I want to use my current power as a county lieutenant to sell medicine in San Yuan County with less resistance."

  Xin Yun'er nodded and said: "Yun'er understands, it's already past noon, you can take Xiao Yun away now."

  Lu Qi was stunned, Xin Yun'er's decisive and clear-headed approach to things made him feel even more affectionate towards her. Xin Yun'er turned around and instructed Xiao Yun to go get the water bag and windbreaker from outside, Xiao Yun happily ran off.

  Xiaoyun left, and Xin Yuner said anxiously: "Young master, you must be careful on the road. If you encounter irresistible bandits, you must abandon your goods decisively. Remember, as long as you are safe, everything else can be regained."

  Lu Qi's heart skipped a beat, his warm and tender eyes gazed at Xin Yun'er, looking at her for several seconds. Xin Yun'er was looked at until she blushed, her cheeks flushing with embarrassment as she lowered her head. Her delicate heart was like a startled deer, suddenly her body tensed up and she was tightly wrapped in his arms, her instincts causing her to push him away in surprise.

  "Yuner, remember, when I come back, I'll take your first kiss. In this life, I will definitely marry you."

  A firm promise had entered Xinyun's ears, her arm relaxed, she looked up and saw the hurried return of Xiao Yun, as well as the back view of Lu Qi leaving, she quickly chased out and stood at the door, seeing the one in her heart get on horseback, then bent down to help Xiao Yun onto the horse, and warmly smiled at her before riding away. She happily stared blankly at the departing figure, standing outside the door for a long time, until being called back by Dong Qing to the pharmacy.

  Lu Qi took Xiaoyun away from Wangjiang Fortress, galloping towards the military training grounds. Along the way, Xiaoyun sat in front of Lu Qi, her waist wrapped around his left arm, as the warhorse ran wildly, causing her to feel both frightened and thrilled. She closed her eyes, leaned back against Lu Qi's body, and secretly wove a beautiful future in her heart.

  Before long, they arrived at the training ground, and the ten orderlies were all ready. Lu Qi just said that he was going to San Yuan County on business, and then led the ten orderlies on the road. The ten orderlies had already been very respectful of Lu Qi, and without saying a word, they followed him on his journey.

  On the way, Lu Qi said that he was going to San Yuan County to sell some medicinal materials and promised to give each of them 20 taels of silver when he returned. The orderlies then realized that the county magistrate was using public funds for private affairs. Although it was a private matter, the orderlies were not unhappy, mainly because they would receive silver. Twenty taels of silver was also a large sum for them. Why wouldn't they be happy to make money from official business?

  Eleven riders galloped swiftly along the road, uneventfully. It wasn't that the region was particularly peaceful, but rather that they were a large group with knives and bows at their sides, and there was nothing obvious to plunder. The bandits wouldn't be foolish enough to rob them of their meager rations. Thus, they arrived smoothly in San Yuan County before dusk.

  San Yuan County is slightly larger than Shi Dian County, and both belong to the upper county. Relatively speaking, San Yuan County is more peaceful than Shi Dian County, with thriving agriculture and commerce. This peace and prosperity are due in part to the fact that the magistrate of San Yuan County is a relatively good official who knows how to do things that benefit the people and merchants, while also being thorough in suppressing bandits.

  As soon as he entered the county town of San Yuan, Lu Qi felt two words: prosperous. Walking on the main street, people and cars flowed like a river, with nearly twice as many people as the main street of Shi Dui County. Lu Qi first found a mid-range hotel to stay in.

  After dinner, Lu Qi ordered the ten messengers to return to their guest rooms and rest without leaving the door. He was afraid of causing trouble and making unnecessary branches. The purpose of coming to San Yuan County was to sell medicine quickly and return.

  The orderly ran for an entire afternoon and was exhausted, so he went to rest. Lu Qi took Xiaoyun onto the street. Xiaoyun was a young girl who had been riding horses for a long time and was even more tired than the orderlies, but she was a very strong-willed girl. She knew that Lu Qi's time was pressing, so she gritted her teeth and endured the fatigue and soreness of her body, accompanying Lu Qi onto the street.

  Lu Qi looked at the fatigue of Xiao Yun, and also appreciated the strength of this little girl. He praised her with warm words, and the little girl's heart was delighted, and her spirit was full of energy.

  Lu Qi came out and changed into official clothes. He didn't want to waste time wandering around, so he spent a few dollars to find someone to take him directly to the Wanshengtang. When they arrived at the front of the Wanshengtang, Lu Qi saw that the storefront was very large, spanning over 30 meters, with three doors open. Above the middle door hung a signboard with bold and powerful characters reading "Wanshengtang".

  Wanshengtang's business was also booming, with dozens of people waiting to buy medicine and see a doctor, all sitting on bamboo chairs. Lu Qi didn't have time to wait, so he directly walked up the steps towards the middle door, and those who were seeing the doctor on the way immediately made way for him when they saw Lu Qi's official uniform. Lu Qi and Xiao Yun smoothly entered Wanshengtang.

  At this time, the sky was already dark, and more than a dozen lamps were lit in the Wansheng Hall to illuminate it. The hall was divided into three areas: diagnosis area, medicine preparation area, and payment area. More than ten people were busy in an orderly manner.

  Lu Qi, dressed in official attire, made an appearance and immediately attracted the attention of an elderly man with a long white beard. As soon as he saw the old man approaching, Lu Qi hurriedly bowed and asked: "May I ask if you are the master of Wan Sheng Tang?"

  The old man also bowed and said with a smile: "This old man is not the master of Wan Sheng Tang, but only the shopkeeper hired by the master."

  Lu Qi listened and understood the meaning of Da Zhanggui, that is to say, the business of this Wanshengtang was decided by this white-haired old man. He bowed and said: "I'm disturbing you, sir. I'm here to wholesale medicine."

  The old man was taken aback and exclaimed: "Your Honor's eyes are unfamiliar; you must be from another county?"

  Lu Qi nodded and said, "Yes, I am the protector of Shizhen County, here on official business in San Yuan County. I will return tomorrow. I heard that Wanshengtang is a fair and honest business, so I came to buy some medicine to take back."

  The old man nodded and said kindly: "Sir, what kind of medicine are you looking to buy? How much quantity?"

  Lu Qi waved his hand, and Xiao Yun hurried forward with both hands holding up the list. The old man looked at Xiao Yun and took over the list, flipping through it in his hands. He raised his head solemnly and said: "Officer, the quantity on this list is very large, including many medicinal materials for treating external injuries. Currently, external injury medications are military-controlled banned drugs, retail sales are allowed, but bulk purchases require official approval documents."

  Lu Qi and Sheng said: "I know this, but the documents for crossing counties are complicated. I also sell medicinal materials for external injuries for official use. Yesterday, when I led soldiers to suppress bandits, many of my subordinates were injured and had no medicine to treat them. That's why I rushed to San Yuan to buy medicine. Tomorrow morning, I must transport it back. This is a matter of life and death. Please, old sir, just let me through. Here is my county lieutenant's token. If there's any trouble, you can push it onto me. I'll leave a letter as proof."

  Lu Qi spoke sincerely, simultaneously presenting the county magistrate's waist token. The old man carefully accepted the token and examined it before nodding and saying: "Since it is an official matter and the county magistrate has personally come to make a purchase, I can make an exception. However, Wan Sheng Tang's business is fair and honest, but we usually conduct cash transactions."

  Lu Qi and Sheng said: "Don't worry, old man, I will make a silver transaction."

  The old man nodded, and Lu Qi said: "However, human life is at stake. I ask the old gentleman to prepare the car and medicine overnight, and the cost of the vehicle and medicine will be settled together early tomorrow morning."

  The old man nodded and said, "Alright, I'll make sure you catch your bus tomorrow morning."

  Lu Qiyan said seriously: "There is one more thing, I ask you to remember that if the medicine you sell me is fake or of poor quality, I will report it to the prefecture and invite you to Stone Dam for a confrontation."

  The old man's face changed, and he said angrily: "Wanshengtang has been a reputable shop for decades, if the official doesn't trust us, he can go to another store."

  "Sir, I don't distrust you at all. It's just that the quantity of medicinal materials is large and there may be some unscrupulous people taking advantage of it. I'm using official silver to buy medicine, and if anything goes wrong, the responsibility will be huge. This is for the military's use, so we can't afford any losses. Please understand my difficulties."

  The old man furrowed his brow and said in a gentle voice: "I'm about to enter the earth, I won't deceive you, bring the silver early tomorrow morning."

  Lu Qi Zheng colored and bowed, saying: "Your humble servant thanks you, sir."

  After Lu Qi and Xiao Yun left, the old man shook his head and sighed softly: "People's hearts are no longer what they used to be."