Hua Yueyun instructed several people to enter the shop and assess the damages, then turned to Shen Xiang and his companion, saying, "If you two have time, feel free to visit our Danxiang Medicine Store anytime. We will always welcome you."
After Hua Yueyun left, Shen Luzong nudged him in the waist and laughed, "You wouldn't be interested in that woman, would you?"
Shen Xiang fixed his gaze on the distant carriage and said quietly, "This woman is very cunning; she has intentions of drawing us in."
Shen Luzong replied, "To manage such a large pill force, and being a woman at that, if she didn't have some tricks up her sleeve, she'd have been devoured long ago."
Five days passed, and the shop was completely renovated, all at no cost, thanks to the people sent by Danxiang Medicine Store. With enough pills and alchemists, the shop could soon be up and running.
Shen Xiang's arrival in the royal city had caught the attention of many forces. He had two main purposes: to develop his pill business and to participate in the Royal Martial Arts Competition!
The Royal Martial Arts Competition had begun accepting registrations long ago. Shen Xiang had signed up early, and with more than two months to go, he began gathering information. It was confirmed that disciples from various sects would appear at the competition, but they wouldn't be competing—they were merely there to observe.
During these days, both Shen Xiang and Shen Luzong were extremely busy, refining pills. To launch successfully, they needed a substantial stock of pills.
"Uncle, this isn't sustainable. Just the two of us refining pills—who knows when we'll be ready?" Shen Xiang had just finished brewing a batch of marrow-cleansing pills, with all the materials sourced from Danxiang Medicine Store.
"You think we can open up shop quickly? Without at least five alchemists, it'll be difficult to maintain operations. Plus, after we open, we need customers! I reckon it'll take at least two or three years before we can smoothly start," Shen Luzong's words sent Shen Xiang into a panic; he couldn't wait that long.
To recruit alchemists, he'd need some rare spirit herbs, so Shen Xiang planned to mature a batch quickly. He immediately left the alchemy room and entered the shop, only to find several people standing inside.
Among them were an elderly man and four handsome youths, all exuding a pure aura that gave off a unique feeling; such refined true energy was not something cultivated in this mundane world.
"Who are you?" Shen Xiang asked.
"Hmph! Are you Shen Xiang?" the old man with white hair barked, his face full of anger. The four young men stood arrogantly, looking down at Shen Xiang.
Shen Xiang frowned and clenched his fists. "What, here to cause trouble?"
Just then, Shen Luzong emerged. Upon seeing the old man, he froze, his body trembling slightly, clearly terrified of this elder.
"You are... you are..." Shen Luzong stuttered, recognizing the old man.
The old man snorted, "Yes, I'm Shen Furong. I left the Shen family fifty years ago to join a martial arts sect. I've returned to recruit disciples for the sect! But I've heard some rather unpleasant news."
Shen Xiang was taken aback; the person responsible for recruiting disciples turned out to be an elder from the Shen family, and he seemed displeased with Shen Xiang.
"You dared to provoke the Yao family? You should know that the Yao family helped me significantly in my martial arts journey!" Shen Furong glared at Shen Xiang, releasing a wave of true energy that pressed down on Shen Xiang, making him feel as if he weighed thousands of pounds.
The shock on Shen Luzong's face faded, replaced by a cold expression. "He is a rare talent in the Shen family after centuries; you dare to make things difficult for him for your selfish reasons? You don't deserve to be part of the Shen family!"
Hearing this, Shen Furong ceased his pressure, sizing up Shen Luzong. He couldn't gauge Shen Luzong's cultivation level and disdainfully said, "What talent? A kid like him can't compare to anyone from my sect. My four disciples behind me are far stronger than him."
As soon as he finished speaking, Shen Xiang moved like lightning, his fists surging with azure light, crackling with lightning energy, and he unleashed a powerful, fierce attack on one of the youths!
The sudden ferocity of Shen Xiang's assault caught the young man off guard. He was hit hard in the chest and coughed up blood, staggering back several steps before regaining his footing.
"Is that all you've got?" Shen Xiang said coldly. He saw through Shen Furong's motives, realizing that this elder had no loyalty to the Shen family and was willing to turn on his own for the sake of ingratiating himself with the Yao family.
Shen Xiang's sudden attack infuriated Shen Furong. While he had only heard of Shen Xiang's strength, witnessing it firsthand was another matter. Shen Xiang's ability to injure those disciples left him shocked.
"Is this the strength of disciples from a martial arts sect?" Shen Xiang scoffed, glancing at the other four youths, who looked enraged.
"If it weren't for your sneak attack, you wouldn't even touch me!" one of the youths wiped the blood from his mouth angrily.
"Then how about a proper fight?" Shen Xiang cracked his knuckles, his face filled with combativeness.
"Let's do it!" The youth was burning with rage, knowing that the only way to vent it was through battle.
Shen Furong did not intervene. He expressionlessly stepped aside, creating a clearing. The youth charged at Shen Xiang.
The youth moved with grace, as if dancing lightly on water, his feet barely touching the ground. Not only was he fast, but he also carried a potent momentum.
"Sixth Level of the Ordinary Martial Realm!" Shen Xiang instantly assessed the youth's strength.
Seeing Shen Xiang standing still, the youth thought he had stunned him with his footwork and felt a surge of pride. He leaped into the air, executing a flurry of rapid kicks, filling the air with his legs, a barrage aimed at Shen Xiang, causing the atmosphere to explode with energy.
This attack was unexpected for Shen Xiang. In that moment, he could hardly evade the torrent of legs flying at him. He hadn't anticipated that this seemingly delicate youth would master such a domineering leg technique.
"Thud, thud, thud." Shen Xiang's body was struck repeatedly by the flying kicks, sending him flying into a wooden table, which shattered beneath him.
"Hmph! You're not that impressive!" the youth scoffed. After landing his kicks, he expected Shen Xiang to be down for the count. Yet, to his astonishment, Shen Xiang jumped back to his feet as if nothing had happened, brushing off his clothes.
The youths were left in shock, as was Shen Furong.
"You... I definitely kicked you, but you should have been unable to withstand my intense true energy. I kicked you at least ten times, each kick infused with powerful energy," the youth said, his face serious. Very few could remain unscathed under his technique at their level.
Shen Xiang smiled lightly. "Your technique is indeed impressive, but it's still not enough!"
As he spoke, Shen Xiang lunged forward like a bolt of lightning, his fists crashing down like a mountain axe. He unleashed a relentless barrage of punches, each strike echoing like a raging river, conjuring fierce tiger heads with every blow, vibrating the air with their ferocity.
The continuous storm of punches sent a flurry of afterimages swirling around, crashing into the youth, who quickly enveloped himself in a golden shield of true energy, a protective barrier shimmering with golden light.
Despite the strength of the shield, Shen Xiang's relentless onslaught was shaking its foundations, revealing cracks as the golden barrier began to dim. Shen Xiang's punches were relentless, pushing through, while the youth's defense faltered under the sheer pressure.
Finally, Shen Xiang roared, his fists ablaze with fiery energy, striking the youth with overwhelming force, shattering his golden shield. The youth was sent crashing through a wall, collapsing onto the street outside, blood spilling from his mouth as he lost consciousness.
Shen Xiang surveyed the scene, his eyes filled with intensity as he turned to the remaining three youths. "Who else wants to challenge me?"
The three youths were speechless, their expressions betraying their fear. Shen Xiang emanated a menacing aura, reminiscent of a seasoned warrior.
"We're leaving!" Shen Furong had nothing left to say, his own shock at Shen Xiang's strength evident. He recognized that Shen Xiang was indeed formidable.
"Wait! He's a disciple from a large sect; while we were sparring, I unintentionally injured him. I must heal him to avoid incurring the sect's wrath," Shen Xiang said, pulling out a pill furnace and sitting cross-legged. He began retrieving various spirit herbs from his storage bag.
He was actually going to refine a pill!
"Why not just give him a healing pill directly? Why go through the trouble?" Shen Furong's face remained impassive.
Shen Xiang chuckled coldly. "Try using a regular pill to heal him and see how that works out. He was injured by my fire and lightning true energy; without a suitable pill, his injuries won't heal properly."
As he spoke, Shen Xiang ignited flames in the pill furnace. Shen Furong brought the unconscious youth back and examined his
injuries, realizing they were severe, with remnants of lightning and fire energy within him. Regular healing pills wouldn't suffice.
Half an hour later, Shen Furong and his disciples waited in silence, curious to see Shen Xiang's alchemy skills.
When Shen Xiang finally opened the furnace, a fragrant aroma wafted out. Remarkably, he had concocted a healing pill within just an hour, leaving Shen Furong and the youths astounded.
"This is a Great Revival Pill, a mid-grade common pill!" Shen Xiang handed a pink pill to Shen Furong, hoping to alleviate any potential resentment from the family elders and reshape Shen Furong's impression of him.
Mid-grade common pill! Shen Xiang had only taken a little over half an hour to refine it! As Shen Furong received the pill, he recognized its authenticity and couldn't help but admit Shen Xiang's potential.
"Are you trying to sell pills? There are already plenty of medicine stores around, and the Yao family has its own alchemists. You two alone can't sustain a business! That idea is far too naïve. I'll ensure the Shen family blocks your endeavors. This is just a waste of resources! Also, if you have any sense, you should go apologize to the Yao family!" Shen Furong threw down his words before leaving with the youths.
Once he was gone, Shen Luzong sighed, "That man has always been self-serving. It's no wonder he left the Shen family long ago. After receiving aid from the Yao family, he now turns against his own kin. If your grandfather were here, he would surely punish that man."
Shen Xiang was tidying up the ground and asked, "Uncle, is this the typical strength of disciples from large sects?"
Shen Luzong shook his head. "Those are just outer disciples. If they were inner disciples or true disciples, you wouldn't stand a chance! Shen Furong is probably only one of the higher-ranking outer disciples."
Shen Xiang was taken aback, realizing that Shen Furong's strength was at least at the ninth level of the Ordinary Martial Realm, yet he was still just an outer disciple! What kind of power would the inner and true disciples possess?
"I need to recruit a few alchemists." Shen Xiang resolved, having formed a plan.
"Most alchemists in this royal city are affiliated with powerful factions, so finding one is incredibly challenging," Shen Luzong sighed. Alchemists were scarce, and those who weren't associated with major factions often had families that nurtured them.
Shen Xiang's eyes sparkled. "I'll pay a visit to the Danxiang Medicine Store and discuss some business with that woman."
With that, he set aside his broom and rushed out of the shop towards the grand Danxiang Medicine Store located in the city center, the largest among all its branches.
The Danxiang Medicine Store's headquarters resembled a massive estate. Upon entering, Shen Xiang was warmly received after revealing his identity. A maid led him through numerous courtyards until they arrived at a beautiful garden brimming with colorful flowers, where a modest house stood in the center.
Surrounded by the floral paradise, Shen Xiang felt his spirits lift as the sweet scent enveloped him. A soft, alluring voice drifted from inside the house, "Shen Gongzi, please come in! I knew you would return."
Her enchanting voice left Shen Xiang momentarily stunned. After chastising himself with a mental "vixen," he steadied himself and walked over.
Entering a charming little hall filled with fragrance, he was greeted by a stunning woman with a graceful figure and captivating beauty, preparing flower petal tea.
Previously, when he had encountered Hua Yueyun, she had been veiled, so he hadn't seen her face clearly. Now, he was struck by her beauty, which exceeded his expectations. She wore a sheer white dress, subtly revealing her delicate arms and alluring long legs. What was most striking was her slender waist and the deep valley between her bosoms, all visible through the thin fabric.
This was unfiltered temptation. If Shen Xiang hadn't possessed great composure, he would have made a fool of himself. He wondered why this enchanting woman would treat him with such hospitality.