What that "definitely" meant, Xiao Wan’er couldn’t figure out.

Or rather, she could imagine it, but she couldn’t achieve it.

The Medicine Hall’s poor business wasn’t Chen Yi’s fault.

Even if Wang Ji were still there, or if they had hired another capable Shopkeeper, the result would have been the same.

Chen Yi knew this all too well.

He had been clear about it long before he chose to "rest"—when it came to treating patients, Linglan Pavilion was far more capable than the Xiao Family Medicine Hall.

Besides having famous Physicians on staff, they also had the backing of a well-established Medicine Hall in Jing State with a long heritage of prescriptions.

Combined with their relatively cheaper medicinal herbs, no other Medicine Hall could possibly compete with Linglan Pavilion.

As for the Xiao Family Medicine Hall...

At least, without using the Xiao family’s connections, the Government Office, or the Dingyuan Army, the Xiao Family Medicine Hall’s business was bound to suffer.

To break the stalemate, the only way was to have an even more famous Physician on staff, or to possess more numerous and effective prescriptions and treatment methods.

Clearly, the Xiao family, being newcomers to this field, didn’t possess these advantages.

Thinking of this, Chen Yi glanced at the system.

[Opportunity: 223]

’Two hundred... enough to raise two Daos to Great Success...’

He had originally planned to wait until he obtained a suitable True Essence Cultivation method before using his Opportunity points to advance his Martial Arts.

But now, it seemed that if the matter of the Xiao Family Medicine Hall wasn’t resolved quickly, troubles would come one after another...

After a moment of contemplation, Chen Yi raised his Medical Dao to the Great Success Realm.

Instantly, his mind was flooded with the vast and complex Profound Mysteries of the Medical Dao.

He drew a sharp breath.

Even without fully comprehending it, the Profound Mysteries of the Medical Dao at the Great Success Realm were several times more numerous than those of the Martial Arts Body.

The medicinal ingredients alone included not only plants but also the medicinal properties of snakes, insects, rats, ants, and wild beasts.

Furthermore, the related Medical Skills and principles were bewilderingly complex.

If the entry-level Four Diagnostics and Eight Principles, or the Minor Success level’s Six-Meridian Differentiation, understanding of normalcy and change, and herb compatibility were still within the grasp of mortals...

...then the Medical Dao of the Great Success Realm had already transcended the mundane. It could harmonize the yin and yang within the human body, perceive a person’s Five Elements and Six Qi, and even diagnose the cause of an illness simply by observing their complexion.

In terms of Acupuncture Skill, there was even the Meridian Flow method for selecting acupoints, allowing one to treat patients according to the time of day.

Other Medical Skills, such as reshaping meridians or cleansing marrow and strengthening bones, were too numerous to mention.

After the flood of information settled in his mind, Chen Yi finally let out a long breath and asked Xiaodie to fetch him something to eat.

Xiaodie acknowledged with a sound and trotted out of Spring Lotus Garden.

Chen Yi leaned back in the pavilion, gazing at the pond before him to restore his spent mental energy.

Just then, Xiao Wuge tossed aside his fishing rod and came over. "Brother-in-law, is the family in some kind of trouble?"

Although he was young, he had heard a lot of news these past few days and had seen many people in the residence hurrying about with worried expressions.

Coupled with the earlier conversation between Xiao Wan’er, Shen Huatang, and the others, he had a vague sense that something was wrong.

Chen Yi smiled and shook his head. "This is hardly what I’d call trouble."

"Compared to the Old Marquis’s great war against the Barbarian Race, this is just a small hurdle. We just need to get over it."

Xiao Wuge let out an "oh." "What if we can’t get over it?"

"Yesterday, I heard Sister Juan’er say that Big Sister already pawned all her jewelry because there wasn’t enough money to pay the monthly allowances in the residence."

Chen Yi glanced at him, placed a hand on his head, and said with a laugh, "A kid like you shouldn’t worry about adult matters."

Xiao Wuge struggled to move his head away. "Brother-in-law, I’m not a kid anymore."

"If I say you are, you are."

"I’m not..."

The two of them were still arguing about it when Xiaodie returned with two servings of pastries.

After listening for a moment, Xiaodie put down the pastries, stifled a laugh, and said, "Young Master, how can you act just like the Young Master?"

Chen Yi stopped talking, picked up a pastry, and said while eating, "That could be taken the wrong way, you know. You deserve a scolding."

Xiaodie chuckled and apologized, then went to console Xiao Wuge. They started whispering back and forth.

Eavesdropping wasn’t difficult for Chen Yi with his accomplished Martial Arts, but he didn’t bother to pay attention.

Just as he had said earlier, compared to the "Mutual Market affair" being plotted by the Imperial Court and the Hidden Guards, Linglan Pavilion was indeed just a small hurdle.

Even if this hurdle involved certain people and matters, it was still just a hurdle.

Chen Yi watched the glistening surface of the pond and thought to himself, ’In the end, it can all be resolved.’

***

「Early the next morning.」

After finishing his Cultivation, Chen Yi instructed Xiaodie to take Xiao Wuge to Jiaxing Garden and then left alone.

When he reached the front courtyard, he saw that among the few Armored Warriors present, he was only familiar with Ge the Third, so he asked him to prepare a carriage.

"Young Master, are we going to Jishi Medicine Hall today? It’s been a while since you’ve been to the East Market."

Chen Yi gave a noncommittal nod. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the old and frail Uncle Gui and greeted him with a smile.

As usual, Uncle Gui ignored him, coughing as he walked out of the gatehouse.

He only said one thing: "Going to buy some things."

Chen Yi watched him walk away and raised an eyebrow. ’This Hidden Guard is even stranger than Liu Si’er and Xiao Dongchen,’ he thought.

But he had things to do today and couldn’t be bothered with these "hawks and hounds of the Imperial Court."

Once Ge the Third brought the carriage around, he got in.

However, just as the carriage passed the Prefectural Magistrate’s Office, Chen Yi spoke up, "Turn right. Head to the West Market."

Ge the Third was confused but followed the order and changed course.

Long after the RUMBLE of the carriage wheels faded, Uncle Gui slowly ambled along Ba Mountain Street and turned left onto Wudong Street.

「About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.」

The carriage stopped at the edge of the West Market. Chen Yi got out, looked around, and told Ge the Third to wait there for him.

Ge the Third didn’t understand why, but he didn’t ask any questions.

Shu State’s West Market was more prosperous than the East Market, mostly selling things like gold and silver jewelry, rouge, and cosmetics.

The people who frequented the West Market were either rich or noble, all from wealthy backgrounds.

Therefore, Ge the Third assumed Chen Yi was going to buy something.

But what he didn’t know was that not long after entering the West Market, Chen Yi browsed a few shops before coming back out and walking toward an elegantly decorated wooden building not far away.

The gilded plaque outside the building bore three large characters: "Hundred Herbs Hall."

It was just past *mao* hour, so Hundred Herbs Hall wasn’t crowded, but it still had several times more people than Jishi Medicine Hall.

The interior layout wasn’t like a typical Medicine Hall with private diagnosis rooms for Physicians; instead, it had a completely open counter.

Behind the long counter were all sorts of medicinal herbs stored in translucent, polished glass bottles, which looked very bright and clean.

On the counter were three stacks of small porcelain vials, about the size of a palm, each with a paper slip on it bearing words like "Old Platinum Tea" and "Wangji Tea."

Chen Yi scanned the room and saw Yan Sea, the former owner of the Herbal Medicine Shop, bustling about behind the counter.

"Ma’am, please take this carefully. Don’t spill the medicine."

"Also, here’s a complimentary bottle of ’Old Platinum Tea.’ It’s nothing expensive, but it’s well-suited for you. Drinking it will help you feel more relaxed."

As Chen Yi was watching, a voice came from his side. "Sir..."

Before Wang Ji could finish, Chen Yi raised a hand, gesturing for him to speak inside. Out loud, however, he said, "Shopkeeper Wang, I trust you’ve been well. It’s been some time since that business of yours."

Wang Ji understood and led him into a private room inside, then up a flight of stairs to the second floor.

"Sir, if you needed something, you could have just sent a messenger to inform me. I would have come to pay my respects."

Chen Yi sat down and waved his hand. "Let’s skip the pleasantries. I came to see you today because I have something I need you to do."

"At your command, Sir..."