After finishing his conversation with Adria, Tahir left the house to go talk to some of the shop owners in the market. He also needed to purchase some additional food and supplies. He knew he could get it from the manor, but he didn't want to stop going to the market abruptly. That would draw attention.
On the way to the market, Tahir noticed some of the city lord's son's lackeys making trouble. He had an extremely low opinion of the city lord's son and his entourage. He mumbled to himself quietly, "It's like shit wrapped in fabric. Just a waste of good material."
When he arrived at the market, he first went to the market where he'd usually buy nourishing herbs for his mother. The shop was owned by Old Man Long.
Old Man Long was one of the kinder men who owned a shop. He was a doctor and herbalist by profession. Although he wasn't visited by the nobles and upper class citizens like most other clinics in Forest Gate City, he was well respected by the working and lower class people because he charged lower fees for treatment and herbs. Tahir thought he'd be a good partner for his business precisely because the nobles wouldn't notice him doing business there. Also, he'd treat the orphans for one copper. His typical fee was one silver. In Forest Gate City, three coppers could get you a day old loaf of bread. One hundred coppers would equal one silver, and one hundred silver would equal a gold. Most of the other clinics charge anywhere from five silver to one gold for their fees depending on the treatment offered, but Old Man Long only charged one silver. A family of three could survive on three silver a month and live comfortably on four to five silver a month. So, Old Man Long was greatly appreciated by the majority of the city since they couldn't afford fees at other places while surviving in the city.
As Tahir entered the shop, he noticed a middle-aged man of average height sitting behind the counter. The man was dressed in a simple, blue robe that covered a matching pair of pants in the same material. While it was a common robe, one could notice that the material was one of higher quality. This man was Old Man Long.
Old Man Long called out to him from behind the counter. "Tahir! Come in. How can I help you?" That was another trait that Tahir liked about Old Man Long. He would greet anyone who entered his shop enthusiastically.
"Old Man Long, I wanted to purchase a few sets of the nourishing herbs for my mother, but I also wanted to talk to you about selling some herbs to the shop."
Old Man Long momentarily revealed a slightly surprised expression but quickly recovered. He invited Tahir to the back to discuss business, but Tahir declined as there was no one else in the shop.
Tahir waved his hand as he replied. "That's not necessary. There's no one here, and while I do have a few at home I can sell now, I want to grow some more so I can sell them to you in higher quantities."
Old Man Long picked up a cup that was sitting on the counter and sipped some of the tea inside. "What herbs are you selling?"
"Just a few common ones used for fever, upset stomachs, and making a paste for covering wounds. I'm learning how to compound these as well, but since that would take me some time to be able to learn how to do it correctly, I'd rather sell the herbs for now."
Old Man Long placed his cup down and scratched his chin in thought. "I think we could do business, but you know that I don't charge much for my treatment fees and medicine. So, I wouldn't be able to give you the best price."
"I know, but it's better than dealing with some of the other clinics in the city. You know how those doctors and herbalists can be."
Old Man Long chuckled. "I'm quite aware of their temperaments. That's why I charge lower fees. I treat the people they look down on, and as a bonus, I don't have to socialize with them. Let's do this. When you're ready to sell me a batch, bring it over. We can talk about money at that time. Hopefully, we'll be able to come to an agreement."
Tahir extended his hand for a shake. "I can do that." Old Man Long grabbed his hand and they shook hands.
After visiting the herb shop, Tahir continued his shopping errands. However, it seems he was destined for a rough morning. As he was walking away from the vegetable stall, someone knocked his basket from his hand. Luckily, the herbs he purchased were wrapped in paper. He wasn't worried about the vegetables as they would be washed later. He sighed and immediately bent down to pick up his herbs and vegetables without even looking at his assailant. As he reached for the last vegetable, someone stepped on it. He stood up with his refilled basket and looked the troublemaker in the eye. Seeing who it was, he knew that a peaceful resolution wasn't going to be reached this morning. He sneered, "Do what do I owe the presence of the illustrious city lord's son? By the way, you've stepped on my vegetable. You should compensate."
Ferik, the city lord's son, looked at his companions and laughed hysterically. "Compensation? You're lucky you're even alive after bumping into me, and you dare ask me for compensation?"
Tahir had little patience for the city lord's son as he knew Ferik was intent on beating him one way or another. He was accustomed to this behavior. Why would Ferik target Tahir so frequently? Just call it "sibling rivalry". Both Tahir and Ferik would gladly deny relation to each other, but they both shared almost the same face, the face of the City Lord. It was an open secret in Forest Gate City that Tahir was the bastard son sired by the City Lord and his servant Adria. It was also an open secret that the Madam of the city lord's palace wanted nothing more than Adria and Tahir dead. She made it clear that she'd make it difficult for anyone that helped them to survive in the city. Old Man Long was really the only one that was exempt as the City Lord warned her not to target him no matter what. She didn't know why her husband would seem so frightened of Old Man Long, but she knew that he wouldn't accept any of her antics on this topic. It's a pity that intolerance didn't extend to Tahir and his mother.
Tahir replied to Ferik. "Let's be honest here. You're targeting me because your mother has sicced you, her favorite little dog, on me to make my life difficult. I'm tired of it."
Ferik couldn't believe what he was hearing. Did this bastard finally lose it? "Do you want to die?"
"If you dared to kill me, you'd have done it long ago. You've beat me, burned me, stripped me, kicked me, and cut me. I don't have any cultivation like you and your friends, so I took it, but I'm done. I'm going home. If you think about it, it's pathetic that a bunch of cultivators would sit around and pick on common people like me and the other kids around the area. If you need to beat someone up that much, go fight in the arena. At least then you'd be respected rather than tolerated because people fear your father."
One of Ferik's lackeys was incensed. He pulled out a dagger from the sheath on his waist and rushed toward Tahir. Tahir was shocked, he didn't expect someone to actually try to murder him today. Tahir held his hand up to try and block it. The blade stabbed through his hand was pushed back towards his chest and his body fell backwards. The blade that went through his hand pierced into his chest, but unseen to anyone, the blade was blocked by a dim light.
Someone called out, "Look! Look! The city lord's son is committing murder. He's killing people! Look! Look!" Ferik startled. He didn't expect this lackey to suddenly try to murder someone. He smacked that lackey on the back of his head so hard he saw stars. "What the hell is your problem? Why would you try to kill him in the open like that? Come on, let's go!" They quickly rushed away.
Tahir felt a pain in his chest where the blade began to stab into him, but he noticed he could still breathe. When he checked his wounds, he saw the dagger had gone completely through his hand. That was going to hurt. Hopefully, he could still use his hand. He also noticed the blade only cut into the muscle on his chest. He felt lucky, but then he was immediately upset. He almost lost his life to a boot-licking piece of shit. The worst part, no one who witnessed what happened came over to help him get up. Once Tahir got up, a few people were surprised, but no one asked if he was alright. He looked around at the surrounding people and shook his head. He called out, "Whoever shouted, thank you," and then proceeded to go home.