13: Drug delivery and making money

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, the next day arrived.

Wang Kai truly hadn't been bragging; as a direct descendant of the Wang Family, he indeed had plenty of Face.

Just yesterday afternoon, after he promised to help get Lin Yi into the Medicine Escort Team, he returned in barely half an hour to tell Lin Yi that it was already settled.

Afterward, Lin Yi first used his privilege as a Martial Arts Scholar to request a half-month leave from the Martial Academy and the martial arts hall where he was registered. Then, early the next morning, he followed the address Wang Kai had given him and went directly to the city gate to report to the Wang Family Medicine Escort Team.

"You must be Young Master Lin Yi, right?"

At the Guangling Prefecture city gate, outside a convoy of at least twenty people, just as Lin Yi arrived, a robust middle-aged man walked up to him with a smile. He wore golden chainmail, held a twelve-foot steel-tipped spear, and his qi and blood were more terrifying than a fierce tiger's.

"I am Wang Chuan, the leader of this Medicine Escort Team, responsible for escorting this batch of medicinal materials. Young Master Wang Kai has already told me about your situation, and I agree to let you join our escort team."

"Greetings, Leader Wang Chuan."

Lin Yi smiled upon hearing this and said:

"I am indeed Lin Yi, but I do not dare to be called 'Young Master.' Furthermore, I will be relying on Leader Wang Chuan's care during this trip. If there is anything I do poorly, I hope Leader Wang Chuan will be magnanimous."

"Haha! Young Master Lin Yi is being too polite."

Wang Chuan laughed heartily.

"You are a friend of our Young Master Wang Kai, so naturally, you are a guest of our Wang Family. Even without you saying anything, I will certainly do my best to take good care of you, Young Master Lin Yi."

"Once the team sets off, Young Master Lin Yi, you can just ride a horse behind me. After all, our destination is Chuanlong County, over three hundred li away from the prefecture city. At the convoy's speed, leaving in the morning, we estimate we'll arrive by noon tomorrow."

"The journey is not short. If any accidents truly happen on the road, I can protect you immediately if you stay behind me."

"Alright! Then I must thank Leader Wang Chuan."

Lin Yi nodded.

From what he knew, the Medicine Escort Team Wang Kai had found for him was quite strong among all the Wang Family's escort teams.

Within the team, most of the guards were Seventh Grade Peak Stage experts, with only a small portion being Seventh-Rank Late Stage. There wasn't a single person below the Seventh-Rank Late Stage!

As for the leader, Wang Chuan, he was a terrifying expert who had reached the Sixth Rank, Late Stage.

Such an expert was no small figure even in the prefecture city, where crouching tigers and hidden dragons abounded. Even twenty people with Seventh Grade Peak Stage combat power like Lin Yi would be no match for him.

Since Wang Chuan was willing to look after him, Lin Yi naturally wouldn't be arrogant. He obediently followed Wang Chuan's arrangement and mounted a magnificent white horse.

Seeing this, Wang Chuan also mounted his horse. After waiting about fifteen minutes for everyone to arrive, he brandished his steel spear and shouted with great vigor:

"Depart!"

"Yes, Leader!"

Everyone obeyed, and one by one, the donkey carts were driven quickly along the dusty yellow road.

In a short while, Lin Yi saw the tall walls of Guangling Prefecture grow smaller and smaller, gradually becoming a tiny black dot.

"I hope everything goes smoothly on this trip!"

At the front of the convoy, Lin Yi rode closely behind Wang Chuan, thinking silently to himself.

This was his first time leaving the prefecture city for business. Even with Lin Yi's mature Heart-Nature, his emotions fluctuated slightly, and he felt a sense of unease... However, as it turned out, Lin Yi's worries were entirely unnecessary.

As a top-tier Family in Guangling Prefecture, the Wang Family, which possessed Fourth Grade experts, had a reputation in the Guangling area that was beyond Lin Yi's imagination.

At the front of the medicine team, as long as the black banner with the character 'Wang' was displayed, most of the so-called outlaws and Highway Bandits along the way would let them pass from a distance, not even daring to show their Faces.

Even for the few powerful mountain strongholds that didn't fear the Wang Family much, as long as the Medicine Escort Team paid a small toll and everyone gave each other some Face, the strongholds would let them through.

Thus, the Medicine Escort Team proceeded smoothly, completing a trip safely in just over three days.

Lin Yi also received sixty taels of silver as payment from the Wang Family, all of which he used to buy qi and blood pills to aid his cultivation, causing his cultivation level to increase significantly.

Over the next eight days, Lin Yi followed the Medicine Escort Team on three more trips, earning a total of one hundred and eighty taels of silver.

With the help of these one hundred and eighty taels, plus the fifty taels of martial arts assistance silver from his Martial Arts Scholar status, Lin Yi's cultivation rose like a tide during this period, with his progress increasing at an alarming rate every day.

In this manner, he cultivated peacefully, and in the blink of an eye, it was time for the fifth escort mission... "Good morning, Young Master Lin Yi!"

"Good morning, Young Master Lin Yi!"

"Morning, Uncle Wang!"

"Morning, Brother Li!"

"Morning, Uncle Liu!"

...At the Guangling Prefecture city gate, as Lin Yi arrived at the Medicine Escort Team carrying his long saber, the team members greeted him with smiles, and Lin Yi responded to each with a smile.

After eleven days of working together, he had become quite familiar with these team members. While they weren't life-and-death companions, they were considered friends. More importantly, Lin Yi was in a very good mood right now.

"After eleven days of hard cultivation and spending hundreds of taels of silver, my cultivation finally reached the 99% limit of the Seventh Grade Early Stage last night."

Lin Yi's eyes were full of smiles:

"At this rate, with the terrifying Aptitude of my Martial Dao Sacred Body, I am very confident I can Breakthrough to the Seventh Grade Mid-stage within the next four days, even without any resource assistance."

"If I add the payment from this escort mission, then breaking through to the Seventh Grade Mid-stage will be effortless. By then, there will be great hope for taking second place in the Entrance Exam."

Second place in the Entrance Exam meant four thousand taels of silver, something Lin Yi desired immensely.

Now that those four thousand taels were within reach, he was naturally filled with joy.

"Young Master Lin Yi, you've arrived!"

At the very front of the Medicine Escort Team, Leader Wang Chuan took the initiative to greet Lin Yi upon seeing him.

"Yes, Brother Wang Chuan. Where are we escorting medicine to this time?"

Lin Yi responded.

"This time we are going to Beicang County, two hundred li away from the prefecture city. Beicang County is relatively close, and the roads along the way are easier to travel."

"If we leave this morning, we estimate we'll arrive by evening at the latest. Then, counting the time for loading the medicine and returning, we should be back by tomorrow night. It's a relatively easy job."

"Back by tomorrow night? It really is an easy job."

Hearing this, Lin Yi smiled.

If he could return by tomorrow night, he would still have two days left to use for breaking through to the Seventh Grade Mid-stage.

With that much time, the Breakthrough was practically guaranteed.

While lost in thought, once everyone had arrived, Lin Yi set off for Beicang County with Wang Chuan and the other guards of the Medicine Escort Team.

The journey was as smooth as ever. As the sun began to set and evening approached...

At the end of the official road, a small, low-walled county town appeared before the eyes of the escort team.

"Liu Fusheng, Manager of the Beicang County Branch of the Wang Family Pharmacy, along with the branch's physicians and the escort team instructor, welcomes the lords from the main Family to Beicang County."

At the gates of Beicang County, as Wang Chuan and Lin Yi arrived on their tall horses with the escort team guards, they saw the street outside the gate had already been cleaned and the road leveled with fresh earth.

On both sides of the gate, dozens of people were lined up neatly in two rows. Led by a fat middle-aged man wearing crimson silk robes, they all bowed respectfully to Lin Yi and the others.

"Mhm."

Seeing this, Wang Chuan, who had always been very polite in front of Lin Yi, now looked full of majesty and gave a light grunt of acknowledgement:

"I am Wang Chuan, a member of a collateral branch of the Guangling Prefecture Wang Family. I have come to Beicang County today by order of the Family Head to collect this year's harvest of 'blood origin grass.' Liu Fusheng, have you prepared the herbs?"

"In response to Lord Wang Chuan's question."

As soon as Wang Chuan finished speaking, Liu Fusheng cupped his hands, his fat Face filled with a humble smile:

"The blood origin grass was already harvested yesterday and has been moved into the warehouse, waiting for your arrival, Lord."

"However, it is late now, and traveling at night is inconvenient. Why don't Lord Wang Chuan and the other lords follow me into the city to rest for the night?"

"I have already prepared fine wine and food in the city to welcome you all."

"Mhm, lead the way."

Wang Chuan nodded and did not refuse.

"Yes! Lord Wang Chuan, and the other lords, please come inside!"

Upon hearing this, Liu Fusheng bowed respectfully, his obese body instantly curling into a ball. His Face was all smiles, his fat bunching together like a friendly Maitreya Buddha, as he led Lin Yi's group grandly toward the best restaurant in the city.