59: The pharmacist has gone home; I'm now a master.

"High-quality foundation establishment pills do exist, however..."

Seeing the old man's expression, Zhou Yan knew he had to play his trump card.

"I also plan to buy a batch of Medicinal Pills that can clear abnormal statuses."

"I see that the quality of these apothecary-customized ones is quite good; the apothecary-customized versions of other Medicinal Pills shouldn't be bad either."

"It's just that I don't know any other apothecaries, so I wanted to ask if you have any pills you customized yourself?"

"Yes, yes, of course I do!"

"Since a distinguished guest has visited today, I will definitely bring out my best!"

"Let me first get you the other foundation establishment pills from this shop."

Seeing the old man about to bend down again, Zhou Yan grabbed his arm first.

While the old man was dazed, several Mid-Grade Spirit Stones had already slipped into his robe.

"Apothecary, you should be careful. You almost fell just now."

Zhou Yan looked at the apothecary with a smile.

The old man's eyes widened slightly, and he subconsciously looked around before sitting back down.

"Thank you, distinguished guest. I am indeed getting old, and my body is sometimes uncoordinated. I almost made a fool of myself in front of you," a Cultivator of the Foundation Establishment Stage said against his conscience.

"Oh my, distinguished guest, look at my memory. I just remembered that the shop really doesn't have much stock of high-quality foundation establishment pills."

"Refining a foundation establishment pill isn't hard, but for high quality, a Great Master must take action."

"However, the procedures for a Great Master are tedious, and they aren't always free."

"But I happen to know a Great Master. Although he doesn't refine high-quality pills himself, he has some connections."

"How about this? Go to the West District during the Hour of the Dog (7-9 PM) and walk along the river. You might run into my Great Master friend."

"When the time comes, give this to him, and he will show you a clear path."

The old man handed Zhou Yan a letter, and the two smiled at each other. Just then, Xiao Chen brought over the brewed tea and served it to them.

They raised their cups and drank together.

Finally, Zhou Yan bought a batch of Medicinal Pills for clearing abnormal statuses and took his leave.

It really was a bit of a hassle; buying one high-quality pill required two trips.

In the past, things that could be bought directly by clicking auto-pathfinding were now actually this difficult to get?

Feeling that just promoting to Foundation Establishment was this troublesome, Zhou Yan felt mentally exhausted.

It seemed that in the future, he must catch... invite more Family members into the Family.

Only by being self-sufficient could one suffer less.

Casually turning off the BGM in the sound System, Zhou Yan headed towards the West District.

As he weaved through the crowd, he happened to see a group of people gathered on the opposite bank of the river, discussing something.

At this distance, could a cultivation of Qi Refining Perfection not hear them?

Zhou Yan tried to adjust the sound settings and increased the voice volume.

Still couldn't hear?

Is it some kind of soundproofing Spell?

Don't you know that not wanting others to hear will only make them more curious?

Zhou Yan showed a mischievous smile and utilized the most powerful function discovered so far in the voice settings!

Speech-to-Text!

"Have you heard?"

"The Floating Dream Boat of the Misty Rain Painted Barge is about to arrive at our Jiangnan West Circuit, and it will even pass through our Jiangzhou Prefecture!"

"That's old news! I have the latest here."

"According to reliable sources, the Misty Rain Painted Barge is not only coming, but will also hold a Poetry Gathering, inviting talents from all over. Even our Lord Prefect received an invitation!"

"Whoa, that much Face? They can really invite the Prefect?"

"They invited him, but whether he comes or not is unknown."

"However, it's clear that this Poetry Gathering will definitely be unprecedentedly lively. High officials, nobles, and refined scholars will surely all be present."

"Hehehe, I don't care about anything else, I just wonder if there's a chance to see Fairy Meng Ke..."

While others were talking about the painted barge, one person had already started drooling and speaking foul words.

"Fairy Meng Ke, so small, so soft, so fragrant. If only I could have a taste of that fragrance, hehe..."

"Halt!"

"Where did you come from, you barbarian? Not only is your appearance unsightly, but you're also delusional!"

"We refined scholars do not know you, do not know you at all!"

Just as they were getting excited, a young man who was originally at the edge of the crowd suddenly leaped next to the man who just spoke and threw a punch with a sharp wind.

"You scoundrel, how dare you fantasize about Lady Meng Ke!"

"She is a figure like a mother to me!"

"How can I allow you to insult her like this!"

Transcription paused.

"Painted barge, Poetry Gathering?"

"Could it be that another new plotline is being triggered?"

Although the chat content of those passersby was somewhat abstract, under the baptism of a certain FPS game in his previous life, plus the environment of the Sect where talents were already abundant, Zhou Yan had long since developed the ability to automatically filter useless information and capture key content.

I am about to Breakthrough to Foundation Establishment. After the Breakthrough, I'll be short of experience to promote to Foundation Establishment Mid-Stage. This Poetry Gathering should be considered a big event, right?

I just don't know if it meets the mission trigger conditions.

*Cough, cough.*

As if deliberately trying to attract Zhou Yan's attention, a person wearing a black cloak stood at the entrance of a nearby alley. As soon as he saw Zhou Yan appear, he coughed twice.

Zhou Yan indeed looked over.

Except... "Apothecary Huo, why is it you?"

The other party was obviously stunned for a moment, and quickly pulled Zhou Yan into the alley while casting a soundproofing Spell, asking in a low voice.

"How did you recognize me?"

Zhou Yan didn't say much.

In fact, the mini-map in his field of vision had long since marked the other party as a friendly NPC, and besides, he hadn't dealt with many people since coming to Jiangzhou Prefecture.

Who else could it be but Apothecary Huo, who was attracted by Zhou Yan's aura of being 'approachable through wealth' and thus had his favorability soar?

But the most crucial thing was... "Apothecary Huo, you didn't change your shoes."

The other party looked down and saw that he was still wearing the straw sandals from when he worked at the Pill Shop. He was suddenly speechless, and the scene was once a bit awkward.

After a moment of silence, Apothecary Huo was the first to speak and break the silence.

"Fellow Daoist, you have something for me, right?" he said while gesturing the size of an envelope.

Zhou Yan understood and took out the letter Apothecary Huo had written personally earlier and handed it over.

"Oh~!"

Apothecary Huo took the letter, and his tone suddenly became formal.

"So it is a recommendation letter from Apothecary Huo of the Jiangzhou Pill Shop."

"Apothecary Huo and I are close friends. Since he introduced you, I will definitely help with this favor."

"However, the rules cannot be skipped. I must confirm your identity."

"What is your name?"

Zhou Yan said helplessly.

"Apothecary Huo, it's already like this. Is it necessary to go through the motions?"

Hearing this, Apothecary Huo seemed to have flipped a switch, and his whole person became righteous.

"The Apothecary has already clocked off. Now I am the 'Great Master'," he whispered, tightening his cloak.

"The Night Roaming Ruins has the rules of the Night Roaming Ruins. Fellow Daoist, don't spoil things."

Having no choice, Zhou Yan had to honestly report his name.

After hearing it, Apothecary Huo nodded and handed over a token.

"During the Hour of the Ox (1-3 AM), wait outside Jiangzhou Prefecture. Holding this token, someone will naturally meet you. There will be what you want there."

After speaking, he took off his straw sandals, stuffed them into his robe, wrapped his black cloak tight, and left in a hurry.

Fine, I have to make another trip.

Having just arrived in Jiangzhou Prefecture, I've certainly racked up a lot of steps.

Hiss, I almost forgot there's another urgent matter!

I was so busy obsessing over the bad gacha luck and buying foundation establishment pills that I forgot to contact the Sect and pick up the 'surprise' the Fourth Elder mentioned.

This is the real business!

If the gacha didn't give a surprise, the surprise must be a surprise, right?

Since it's still early, I might as well open a 'blind box' now.

Thinking of this, the previous gloom was swept away instantly.

Games are meant to be played with a smile.