Chapter 257

Recalling the news Zhuang Shuixian told her yesterday, Zhuang Maidong's face turned black on the spot: Even patients who live so far away have heard the news of my death, and this group of so-called family members came to my house to ask for money and they are quite diligent!

Bei Qiao looked at the man outside the door, who had barely managed to avoid fainting thanks to the help of his companions. He then turned to look at Zhuang Shuixian, whose face was extremely grim, and Jiang Fufu, who was grinding her teeth in anger. "Ghost," he asked, "who are you referring to? A miracle doctor?"

"The news spreads faster than I can ride in a carriage." Zhuang Shuixian shook her head, stood up and walked to the door of the inn: "Don't be afraid, the miracle doctor is not dead, he was just kicked out of the house and his property was taken away." Although the valuables were carried by Zhuang Maidong and the rent for the property was about to expire, but... who can say that what she said was wrong?

"What? The miracle doctor was kicked out of the family? Are they crazy?" Ma Lan, a former patient who had finally recovered, exploded on the spot: "What's a banker without a miracle doctor? How stupid!"

"It's nothing, but they don't think so." Zhuang Shuixian lowered her head, feigning resignation, but inwardly she was practically laughing: They weren't that stupid, and Maidong was a bit of a makeshift type. But this already nasty family had done too many bad things after following Maidong's sudden wealth. If they weren't cut off in time, Maidong would be stuck in the quagmire. Even if he could finally get out with help, he'd still be hurt. Fortunately, they were easily misled.

Upon learning that the miracle doctor had been expelled from the family and rumors of his death spread, Ma Lan was furious and circled the doorway. Her companions circled behind her several times but were unable to hold her back. Seeing that Ma Lan hadn't said anything yet, Zhuang Maidong suggested that she go get breakfast before considering anything else: "I'm fine, really. I can just start over." She was also aware of Zhuang Shuixian's secretive actions, but out of frustration with certain people, she didn't intervene, preferring to wait and see what would happen. She hadn't expected the Zhuang family to be so thoroughly rotten, and that no one, except Shuixian, had left that rotten place.

Indeed, after Zhuang Shuixian's release, she didn't mention anyone else. Given her personality, if someone deserved help, she'd at least mention it, even if she didn't want to. But from beginning to end, she simply said she'd been released, and the others' choices were obvious. Perhaps some harbored a desire to resist, but that didn't matter. Zhuang Maidong didn't want to be a savior.

Ma Lan was not one to dwell on trivial matters. Seeing that Zhuang Maidong was in good condition, she breathed a sigh of relief and warmly invited him to her home to be her doctor. Zhuang Maidong politely declined, saying that he did not want to act as the Zhuang doctor in the martial arts world for the time being. If the Zhuang family came to him, it would be a big trouble.

"Oh, yes, I forgot about this..." Ma Lan sighed, and seeing that she couldn't persuade Zhuang Maidong, she stood up and said goodbye.

"Let's go." Seeing the other party leave, Zhuang Maidong urged Jiang Fufu, who had just finished her meal, to leave quickly. As for Zhuang Shuixian, she was self-conscious and didn't need her reminder at all.

"Are you in such a hurry?" Jiang Fufu wiped her mouth and looked at Bei Qiao who was sitting at the next table: "Aren't we in a hurry to leave?"

"We're not in a hurry, but what if others are? That guy's a real chatterbox." Zhuang Shuixian swung her backpack across her body with gentle, firm movements. "Let's go."

"Hey? What's all that chatter?" Jiang Fufu followed him, confused. "Can someone explain this to me? Why am I the only one who doesn't understand what's going on?"

Is she a chatterbox? Bei Qiao raised an eyebrow. After the others left, she decisively went upstairs, changed her clothes, put on a cone hat, and then slowly went out for a stroll. As she passed a certain intersection, she was not surprised to see someone trying to stop Zhuang Maidong's carriage again.

They had arrived in such a hurry yesterday that Bei Qiao finally got a clear view of Xiaoyue City at daybreak. While Xiaoyue City wasn't much larger than Sijin County, its terrain was more complex, with winding streets and hills. If it was their first time here and they didn't remember the directions, they might get lost.

Bei Qiao skirted two streets, intending to take a shortcut to the government office, and stumbled upon a health-preserving shop in an alleyway. The shop was ostensibly owned by a foreigner who claimed to have a unique culinary skill that could make fruits and vegetables taste like meat, yet still taste like fruits and vegetables, allowing people to eat as much as they wanted without gaining weight. However, some people, unable to control their eating habits, developed diabetes after overeating due to excessive fruit intake.

"Scam! Scam!" A regular customer who had gone to the nearby toilet continued to smash the door angrily.

"I've long told you shouldn't overeat from the health-conscious meals. If you can't eat enough and still ask someone to buy it for you, you'll definitely get sick!" The shop owner yelled that it wasn't her responsibility. "Customers who don't eat according to the recommended amount are not welcome in our shop!"

"I wouldn't have come if I wasn't welcome!" Chang Ke angrily took the dishes he ordered and got on the carriage, urging the coachman to go home quickly, fearing that he would have to go to the toilet again if he was a step slower.

"Funiu is arguing with the shop owner again." There is more than one store in the alley. When regular customers quarrel with the shop owner of the health store, people in other stores watch the fun openly.

"Even though she's arguing, can she really break up with the shopkeeper? He's someone who just came back from the immortal world."

"Even if she really wanted to turn against me, she couldn't destroy the store."

"that is."

It seems that I have come to the right place... Bei Qiao walked in under the curious gaze of the natives.

The shopkeeper is actually a gamer. She started out as an ordinary cultivator. After failing to build her foundation in the immortal realm due to harassment and insufficient resources, she took the exam for a job in "Another World Jianghu" (another game) in a fit of rage and unexpectedly passed. Now, she works as a clerk at this official health shop, publicly providing healthy meals to the locals and privately providing healing medicine to players to help them heal their wounds faster.

Golden wound medicine is an external medicine, unlike the props in the game that automatically add blood after use. In addition to providing convenience to players, the official opened this store mainly out of concern for the safety of the staff. This is because this place is very close to the border and the population is complex. If players and staff are unlucky and have a conflict with certain people, they may be seriously injured. If they are not dealt with in time, the consequences are hard to say.

Clinic? It's not impossible to go to a clinic, but the wound medicine sold at the health center has an advantage that the clinic doesn't have, that is, it allows players to use real cash to pay within a limited number of times, and it is only for personal use.

Bei Qiao had learned about this shop on a forum and was planning to buy some remedies for a rainy day. This health club uses a self-service shopping model; customers simply select what they want, place their payment, and leave. If they don't, they'll be locked in and unable to leave. As for the argument between the regular customer and the shopkeeper, it was something the shopkeeper had broadcast from somewhere else via a loudspeaker.

After taking a look at the self-service counter for health meals that almost filled the entire hall, Bei Qiao walked to the back of the counter, where there was a wall covered with star-patterned wallpaper. The space behind it could be opened up using the forum projection, where the golden wound medicine was sold.

Besides the self-service counter selling healthy meals, the shop also features a striking sculpture: a large stone bowl cluttered with valuables. This is the shop's "Immortality Bowl," said to have originally been used to raise goldfish in hopes of wealth. Later, someone attempted to bribe the shopkeeper for the opportunity to cultivate into an immortal, and the stone bowl, once used to hold water, began to accumulate a jumble of valuables. Some successfully obtained a position on the immortal path from the shopkeeper, while others, after failing, took their belongings and left. However, some wealthy individuals and those who were self-righteous left their belongings behind, causing the bowl to overflow with items.

The aspiring immortal: What? Are you asking us how we know the shopkeeper has immortal abilities? This healthy meal is clearly immortal! How could it be just a special cooking technique?

I just chose this type of shop by lottery, and the food is served entirely by technology, but the shopkeeper who has indeed been in the world of immortal cultivation: What is this? Is it a lucky accident?

Seeking the path to immortality... Bei Qiao used the forum interface to open the purchasing area of ​​the golden wound medicine, and by the way, recalled the daily image of Fan Ke, who often came to the village to find Song Tie: It seems that he doesn’t think there is much difference between cultivators and ordinary people. Those with resources can have an easier time, but if those without resources want to climb up, they will be as busy as the social animals outside, and they may not succeed.

Like the Chamber of Commerce and the Bank, the area for purchasing wound medicine was also underground, though smaller. When Bei Qiao entered, he saw a row of automated vending machines and a cluster of players sitting on the ground bandaging their wounds. Some, more safety-conscious, wore masks or, like Bei Qiao, cone hats. But there were also those who didn't care, revealing not only their breasts but also their faces, sitting carelessly on the ground bandaging their own wounds. When Bei Qiao entered, they simply glanced up at him, unconcerned.

Incense was lit around the purchasing area, probably to cover up the bloody smell in the room. In fact, except for people like Bei Qiao who came here on a whim to buy inventory, almost all the other players here were injured, and some were so seriously injured that they were bandaged like dumplings.

Taking advantage of the fact that death in another world isn't truly death, some players on the borderline are so frantic they consume almost as much wound medicine as they do food. The person in front of Bei Qiao is clearly a regular, purchasing with such skill that he doesn't even need to look at the big screen.

"Hey, wait a minute." Seeing Bei Qiao preparing to buy medicine for wounds, a player with no obvious wounds on his body came over from the side: "Do you want to buy medicine? I have some medicine I bought before. It's been a while, so the effect may not be very good, but I guarantee it's real medicine! Buy mine!" As he said that, he put on an attitude as if waiting for a transaction.