A large crowd had gathered at Celestial Pearl Pharmacy within a short time.
Han Shuo was shocked to see that the street in front of Celestial Pearl Pharmacy was packed with so many people that the street was completely blocked. After looking around, Han Shuo estimated that there were around five hundred people gathered in front of his little shop called Celestial Pearl Pharmacy.
Anito and his gang, who were in charge of guarding the Celestial Pearl Pharmacy, stood at the front door. They had no idea how to receive all the important people from the big family clans.
Anito was supposed to allow these people to enter the premises and take a seat. Unfortunately, the first floor of the Celestial Pearl Pharmacy was too small to accommodate so many people at once, while the second and third floors of the building were Han Shuo's laboratory and private gymnasium. Outsiders were not allowed in these areas.
For this reason, Anito was at a loss as to what to do, especially if Andre from the House of Sainte was among those people. If Anito let Andre into the pharmacy, the others would surely complain if they were not allowed in as well. But there wasn't enough room for everyone at once. Anito had to keep apologising as he refused entry to everyone.
Fortunately, these people did not take offence. They chatted happily and light-heartedly as they waited for Han Shuo to arrive.
Having heard about the per capita quota that Han Shuo had imposed during the last sale, upon hearing the news of Han Shuo's return, these people had rushed to the Celestial Pearl Pharmacy with a few squadrons of their family's divine guards. This was the real reason why the street in front of Celestial Pearl Pharmacy was completely jammed with people.
"What... what the..." Han Shuo was torn between laughter and tears when he arrived at the Celestial Pearl Pharmacy and saw the scene.
"Hey, Bryan, you're back! Just in time..."
"... Hey brother, I have been waiting for you here for quite a while. How are you, mate?"
"Good to see you in one piece, Bryan!"
Before Han Shuo could react, the people there began to greet him as if they had known Han Shuo for a long time. Some of them Han Shuo had only met once, while others were complete strangers.
The dense crowd took the initiative to clear a small path for Han Shuo to reach the entrance. Prestigious members of several large family clans stood near the front door. They all waved at Han Shuo with smiles.
"So you're quite popular in this town, huh?" Andrina, who was walking beside Han Shuo, commented quietly.
Andrina's face returned to the icy cold expression she had when Han Shuo first met her. She seemed incongruous with the cheerful and lively surroundings.
Han Shuo forced a smile and walked to the front door of Celestial Pearl Pharmacy. He glanced at Anito who was drenched in cold sweat, Andre who was standing smiling, and the crowd before he slightly bowed his body and said, "My apologies, you all must have been waiting for me here for a long time!"
"Not at all, it's no bother at all!" the crowd replied.
Han Shuo stepped to the front of the crowd, glanced at the powerful people from the great family clans as well as those who had come with them, and announced, "I know your intentions in coming here with so many of your people, so this time, instead of setting a quota for each person, I will divide the medicine by family clan.
Those gathered in front of the Celestial Pearl Pharmacy were all high-ranking members and divine guards of the great family clans. In the City of Shadows, only these ancient and influential family clans were able to receive news of Han Shuo's return almost immediately.
Upon hearing the announcement, Rugersey of the Kisa Family's smile immediately turned to an uncomfortable one. Of all the family clans, Rugersey had brought the most divine guards. He thought he had an advantage over the others until Han Shuo unexpectedly abandoned his previous quota altogether.
"Rugersey, any objections?" Beth of the House of Kinson covered her lips to chuckle before asking teasingly.
"No, no objections," Regersy forced a smile and immediately denied it.
"Alright, the family clan representatives may enter the pharmacy while the divine guards remain outside for the time being," Han Shuo instructed.
Everyone nodded in agreement. Afterwards, Andre from the House of Sainte, Beth and her daughter from the House of Kinson, Rugersey from the House of Kisa, and Tuyas from the House of Buller entered the pharmacy. However, no one from the House of Lavers, the family clan Han Shuo first met, had come.
Rugersey was a younger patrilineal cousin of the patriarch of the Kisa family. He was one of the Seven Chiefs of the Divine Guards of the City of Shadows, in charge of the Sixth Corps. He cultivated in the Energy of Death and was in the Early-stage of the Highgod realm.
Tuyas was the uncle of the patriarch of the Buller family. Because his talent in cultivating the energy of Darkness was limited, even after living for ages, he remained stuck at the Late-stage of the Midgod realm. However, this man was very capable when it came to business. Most of the finances of the Buller family were left to him.
"Bryan, where have you been for so long? We were so worried about you that we sent men to look for you everywhere," Jiya asked smilingly.
"I travelled out to meet a friend but ran into trouble on the way and was delayed. That's why it took me so long to get back. Haha, thank you for your concern. I will definitely keep them in my heart!" Han Shuo continued with a smile, "All right, this time I have refined over a thousand bottles of various medicines. I will divide one thousand bottles equally among the four family clans here, meaning that each family clan will receive two hundred and fifty bottles. Agreed?"
"Agreed!" the group replied in unison.
To proceed, Han Shuo took out a thousand medicine bottles, placed them on the table, and arranged them according to their types and functions.
Then, as the group watched intently, Han Shuo divided the thousand medicine bottles into four equal parts. There were about six hundred Rejuvenation Pills, which were valued at one hundred black crystal coins per bottle, and the rest were Tranquility Pills and Rebirth Pills, which were valued at five to three hundred black crystal coins per bottle. Han Shuo gave each family clan the same number of bottles of the same type. He showed no favouritism towards the House of Sainte.
Immediately after Han Shuo divided the medicine into four, each representative pulled out their black crystal coins faster than the last and threw the bags right in front of Han Shuo. Without even counting, Han Shuo knew that he would earn around one hundred and fifty thousand black crystal coins from this round of sales.
Andrina, who was standing next to Han Shuo, suddenly looked at the four heavy bags of black crystal coins with glowing eyes, as if she saw the most delicious dishes on the table. She even unconsciously licked the corners of her lips.
Han Shuo saw through Andrina's intentions as soon as he saw her greedy gaze. Han Shuo did not know this mysterious little girl well and was afraid that she would give in to temptation and eat the crystal coins right in front of the group.
Han Shuo cleared his throat softly and waved his hand. His space ring flashed four times before the four bags of black crystal coins disappeared.
Immediately after storing the bags of crystal coins in his space ring, Han Shuo used his consciousness to read the number marked on the bags. Each bag contained exactly forty thousand black crystal coins, giving him a total income of one hundred and sixty thousand black crystal coins, which was more than he had made in the last sale.
"I hope you all had a pleasant transaction!" Han Shuo said, beaming from ear to ear. His mood was lifted.
The representatives of the four family clans kept their medicine away and had a brief and pleasant chat with Han Shuo. Then, at Han Shuo's bidding, they all left the pharmacy completely satisfied, with the exception of Andre from the House of Sainte.
After the representatives of the three family clans had left, Andre asked Han Shuo with a gentle smile, "Carmelita isn't in the City of Shadows. Do you happen to know where she is and what she is up to?"
Han Shuo did not answer Andre's question right away. He took out a bag of black crystal coins and handed it to Andrina, who was looking at him with miserable and pitiful eyes, and instructed her. "Go upstairs. Whatever happens, don't fall asleep like last time!"
Andrina nodded excitedly. Carrying the large bag of black crystal coins containing forty thousand black crystal coins, she hurriedly went upstairs as if she did not want to wait another second.
After Andrina left, Han Shuo sighed softly and replied to Andre, "I don't know where she went, but I do know that she's been looking for me all this time. I believe she has probably left the city for matters related to finding me, right?" Han Shuo wasn't completely unaware of the situation in the City of Shadows. From the conversations between the divine guards looking for him, Han Shuo knew that Carmelita had spared no effort in searching for him. Her actions had touched Han Shuo deeply and he understood that Carmelita had truly taken him as a friend.
Andre, who had been watching Han Shuo's reaction the whole time, nodded. He was very pleased with Han Shuo's response - unpretentious and sincere. "That's right, she actually travelled out of town to look for you. Carmelita has truly taken you as a friend. She doesn't want anything bad to happen to you, so I also hope that nothing bad will happen to you. Understood?" Andre said enigmatically.
Han Shuo stared blankly before looking at Andre in a puzzled manner. He didn't quite understand what Andre was trying to tell him, so he asked, "What do you mean...?"
"I want you to be alive and well!" Andre's face suddenly became solemn. With a seriousness that Han Shuo had rarely seen, Andre said in a deep voice, "I have investigated the matter thoroughly. You can rest easy - Avery will not touch you again."
Han Shuo jumped and stared for a moment. He couldn't understand why Andre had suddenly become so supportive of him. This sudden goodwill from Andre left Han Shuo at a loss.
"But of course the most I can offer you is the assurance that Avery won't attack you again. Because of the injustice you suffered last time, for the stability of the City of Shadows, as a member of the House of Sainte, there's not much I can do to Avery. I hope you can understand that," Andre explained in a quiet voice. Then, after thinking for a moment, he quickly added: "One more thing, please do not mention this to Carmelita. I know her temper well. If she found out that Avery had hurt you, she would undoubtedly try to take revenge for you. She could cause a lot of trouble if she tries. It's even possible that the House of Lavers might think of rebelling against us - something we certainly don't want to see.
After a moment of silence, Han Shuo nodded his head and said, "I understand. One day in the future, I will take this revenge myself!"
"Of course, I will not stop you if you have the strength. Who knows, when the day comes, I might even be able to help you! But first, you must be more careful. Alright, I better not be too verbose, but keep my words in your heart," Andre said before leaving the Celestial Pearl Pharmacy with a smile.
Han Shuo understood Andre's position. In fact, Andre's willingness to help ensure his safety had exceeded Han Shuo's expectations. He was not going to ask Andre to take reprisals against Avery for his sake.
One could only gain respect and status in proportion to their strength and value. Han Shuo knew that his current value was nowhere near enough for the House of Sainte to risk falling out with the Lavers family. Although Han Shuo did not like it, he knew how to be patient. He believed that the day would come when he would be worth enough for the House of Sainte to eliminate Avery for him.
With enough power, nothing is impossible!
"Did that guy leave?" Andrina's voice sounded as soon as Han Shuo stepped onto the third floor of his Celestial Pearl Pharmacy. "He's strong. He almost discovered the power I'm hiding!" she said while chewing black crystal coins in her mouth.
"There are forty thousand black crystal coins in this bag, so that's four more years of service!" he said after a short pause, "Remember, don't fall into a deep sleep for months like last time!"
"I know, that's why I'm eating one piece at a time. By digesting it slowly, nothing like that will happen again. All right, all right, stop bothering me. Go and do what you have to do!" Andrina replied impatiently before turning her glowing eyes back to the crystal coins in her hand.
Han Shuo descended to the second floor. After the renovation, his pharmacy laboratory was even more glorious than before the destruction. Bright, shiny pharmaceutical utensils and containers were scattered everywhere. But no one knew that these tools were just for decoration. The only tool Han Shuo actually used to refine medicine was the Nine Tessellation Cauldron.
Anito, who had been diligently guarding outside the Celestial Pearl Pharmacy, entered the shop after everyone had left. He said to Han Shuo with a fawning smile, "That, erm... erm... did you save some for us Third Corps?"
"One hundred bottles for only twenty thousand black crystal coins - special discount for your Lord Erebus!" Han Shuo had prepared pelleted medicine for Erebus for a long time and placed it on the table.
Anito had also come prepared and immediately took out a bag of black crystal coins with a broad grin. To continue, Anito counted carefully and pulled out twenty thousand black crystal coins from the bag of coins, which obviously contained more than that number. He respectfully handed the twenty thousand black crystal coins to Han Shuo and said, "Bryan, I'm only carrying out orders on behalf of His Lordship, so I can't be as generous as the members of the great family clans. These coins technically belong to the public and any extras must be returned to the higher authorities, so..."
"Don't worry, I understand. Take the medicine and get on with your errands. Also, thank you for the effort you put into my shop," Han Shuo naturally understood that those black crystal coins didn't belong to Anito and didn't mind not receiving a tip.
"You're welcome... You're very welcome..." Anito replied smiling. After keeping the medicine away, he instructed his fellow divine guards, "I'm going back to the Third Corps to run an errand. You stay near the shop. If any fool makes trouble here, you all know your duties!" Anito then left in a hurry.
Suddenly, as Han Shuo was about to step back into his shop, a familiar voice sounded, "It's been a while, Bryan."
When Han Shuo turned around, he saw the charming Donna standing right in front of his pharmacy. She was still as beautiful and lovely as ever. However, Han Shuo could see the traces of grief in her eyes. Although she still wore a smile, it felt somewhat unnatural...
Han Shuo had never regretted getting rid of Cage and Eve, nor did he feel that he had betrayed his conscience. After all, it was Avery who had made the first move against him.
However, facing Donna, Han Shuo still felt a little uncomfortable, as if he had done something unfaithful behind her back. He chuckled softly and said, "Hello Donna, it really has been a while. I went to the residence looking for you, but unfortunately you weren't there. I heard you went to the Space Dominion?"
Donna smiled and replied, "Yes, I did. However, I did not expect to return from that distant place to find my good-for-nothing cousins murdered".
Has she discovered something? Does she suspect me? That's impossible. Even Avery never suspected me. How would Donna? Han Shuo's heart skipped a beat but he showed no emotion. He cordially invited Donna into his shop before he sighed, "Donna, I have heard about your cousins' unfortunate fate. Please accept my condolences."
Maybe he didn't? Donna thought to herself. She had silently watched every change in Han Shuo's expression, but had seen nothing out of the ordinary.
No one in the House of Lavers had any suspicions about Han Shuo because in their eyes, Han Shuo did not have the strength or the nerve!
But Donna, who had previously travelled to the Profound Continent and fought shoulder to shoulder with Han Shuo, did not feel the same way. Donna understood how ruthless and decisive Han Shuo could be and suspected that Han Shuo was hiding his true strength. Therefore, after making some inquiries about Cage and Eve's deaths, the first person she suspected was Han Shuo!
There were many who had grudges against Cage and Avery, but Donna knew of none who would strike so decisively. Avery suspected Carmelita. But Donna, who had been friends with Carmelita for some time, knew that Carmelita wasn't one to seek revenge for the slightest grievance. She was certain that the killer could not be Carmelita.
Donna had no concrete reason to suspect Han Shuo, but when she thought of him, she felt that Han Shuo was the most likely suspect, especially after Han Shuo managed to return safely to the City of Shadows. She had arrived at the Celestial Pearl Pharmacy a long time ago, but she was in no hurry to enter. She only showed herself after everyone had left.
"The last time Eve came to this pharmacy, you saved her from being disfigured. But she was too insensitive and even resented you. I haven't thanked you for that yet, so thank you!" Donna said with a hint of sadness in her face. She had found out what really happened in that incident.
Han Shuo figured out Donna's intentions after hearing her repeatedly mention Cage and Eve. Her suspicious glances had also stopped.
A deep rift had unknowingly separated the two who had once been best friends. Neither Donna nor Han Shuo had expected this outcome.
The smile on Han Shuo's face widened after he found out Donna's true intention in visiting him, but his sincerity faded. After exchanging a round of empty dialogue, Donna, seeing that she could not extract any information from Han Shuo, left a bag of crystal coins and silently left with a hundred bottles of medicine.
After leaving the shop, as she rolled a medicine bottle in her hand, Donna muttered to herself, "I have known for a while that you would climb to high places, but I did not expect you to do so by stepping on the bodies of my family members..." She sighed softly and left quietly.
From inside the pharmacy, Han Shuo watched her back as her figure slowly disappeared into the distance. When she was completely out of sight, he quietly remarked, "I'm sorry, but it had to be done