We're practicing all martial arts, so why did you switch to easy mode?

Unlike other alchemists whose homes were always bustling with visitors, the Miao family didn't even have a proper residence; it was deserted and quite desolate.

Upon seeing the situation at the Miao residence, Zhu Qingyou and Fang Rou exchanged a glance and remained silent.

"Since we're already here!" Zhu Qingyou knew that Fang Rou suspected Miao Qian might not have the longevity pill, but they had no other choice but to go in and find out, just to give it a try.

Fang Rou nodded slightly and, together with Zhu Qingyou, knocked on the gate of the Miao residence.

"Nobody here?" After waiting for a long time without anyone coming to open the door, Fang Rou and Zhu Qingyou both had a bad feeling.

Just then, a passerby saw the two women knocking on the door and waved his hand, saying, "Stop knocking. This family has offended the Yuan Gang and hasn't opened their doors for several days."

Did I offend the Yuan Gang?
Upon hearing this, Fang Rou quickly stepped forward and asked the woman, "Madam, could you please tell me in detail?"

"You're such a sensible little girl, I'll tell you in secret then." The old woman took the pill from Fang Rou's hand, her face beaming with joy.

But then his smile vanished, and he looked around with a suspicious gaze, as if afraid of being discovered.

She lowered her voice and said, "A few days ago, the Yuan Gang came to our door, wanting the Miao family's alchemists to join them, but they were refused. Although the Yuan Gang didn't say anything at the time, but..."

The rest of the conversation was left unsaid, but Fang Rou and Zhu Qingyou both understood.

"Did the Miao people move away?" Zhu Qingyou asked hesitantly after a moment.

Although she knew the chances of obtaining the Longevity Pill from the Miao family alchemist were slim, she was still willing to give it a try.

Judging from the fact that the Miao family offended the Yuan Gang, as long as they had the Longevity Pill, it would not be sold during this period.

Because the Yuan Gang controls almost 90% of all the sales channels for pills in the Ziyang Sect.

The remaining scattered channels also have some connection with the Ziyang Sect, but they may not have this connection.

The old woman thought for a moment, then shook her head and sighed, "I don't know. In short, I haven't seen them open the door these past few days. Are you their friends? Or do you need something from them? In this world, they might have already been driven out by the Yuan Gang. Finding them... it's going to be difficult!"

Without continuing her conversation with Fang Rou, the old woman sighed a few times and then quietly left.

"Should we go in and take a look?" Zhu Qingyou asked Fang Rou.

Fang Rou hesitated for a moment, then nodded. The two of them returned to the Miao residence, but this time, instead of checking through the front door, they went to the side door, released their spiritual energy, and peered inside.

"Who are you?!"

Before long, a thunderous roar suddenly resounded, shaking Zhu Qingyou's primordial spirit and causing her to stagger back several steps. Fang Rou, seeing this, quickly grabbed her and channeled her primordial energy to calm her down.

"Who are you?"

At this moment, the door was opened, revealing a handsome and beautiful face. He looked at the two women and asked in a deep voice.

Zhu Qingyou assumed that the person who made the move was this woman, so she cupped her hands and said, "I am a disciple of the Ziyang Sect, and she is the sect leader of the Xuanyin Sect. We have come here to ask for your help."

“A disciple of the Ziyang Sect? The leader of the Xuanyin Sect?” Miao Xingxing murmured. She had naturally heard of the Ziyang Sect, but she had never heard of the Xuanyin Sect.

What intrigued her, however, was why the disciples of the Ziyang Sect would come to them for help.

Without giving it much thought, she sized up the two of them, staring at them for a long moment before saying softly, "Come in."

……

Inside a room in the backyard.

"You want to buy longevity pills?" Miao Qian's expression darkened slightly when she learned that Miao Xingxing had brought disciples of the Ziyang Sect.

During this period of time, the Miao family has been tormented by the Yuan Gang to such an extent that people from the Ziyang Sect still dare to come to their door!

In her view, the Ziyang Sect and the Yuan Gang were birds of a feather, neither of them were good people.

If Miao Xingxing hadn't brought them here, they probably would have been kicked out before even entering the house.

After a conversation, seeing that the two did not seem to be members of the Yuan Gang, Miao Qian then inquired about their purpose.

Fang Rou nodded and briefly explained why she needed the Longevity Pill.

"I can have the Longevity Pill, but..." Miao Qian tapped her slender fingers on the table, revealing a hint of hesitation.

Upon hearing this, Fang Rou asked impatiently, "But what?"

Miao Qian did not answer immediately, but turned her gaze to Zhu Qingyou and said quietly, "But our Miao family has offended the Yuan Gang. Could you ask the Ziyang Sect to help us settle this matter?"

"Please forgive me for being powerless to help you with this matter!" When Miao Qian turned her gaze to her, Zhu Qingyou vaguely guessed that her condition might be related to her, so after hearing this, she smiled bitterly and replied helplessly.

Although she is a disciple of the Ziyang Sect, within the sect today, she is considered an ordinary disciple at best.

If it weren't for her status as the head of the Ziyang Sect, she probably wouldn't even be able to get into the sect with her current strength.

After the Ziyang Sect merged with another sect, although it was destroyed by the Heavenly Demon, it did not perish because of Bi Tianyu's appearance. Instead, it grew stronger.

These people have virtually no status within the entire Ziyang Sect, let alone any say in anything.

She had no chance of dealing with the Yuan Gang; otherwise, she wouldn't have opened a pharmacy on a remote street.

Fang Rou was aware of Zhu Qingyou's predicament, so she asked, "Could we change the terms?"

"How about a different condition? Can you help me get a shop opening certificate?" Miao Qian sensed the difficulty in their words and became even more certain that they had little connection with the Yuan Gang. So she changed the subject and asked.

Since the Yuan Gang took over the management of the Ziyang Sect, even opening a shop requires the Yuan Gang's approval.

Without approval, no one can open a shop in Ziyang City; otherwise, they will be targeted by the Yuan Gang and will not survive more than three days.

Obtaining a business license is not just a matter of money; one must also be prepared to be exploited in various ways.

Miao Qian understood all of this and was willing to compromise. However, the problem was that they had offended the Yuan Gang recently, and they were afraid that the Yuan Gang might not give them a business license. What worried them even more was that even if they did, they might find some excuse to shut it down, which would be a loss for them.

Zhu Qingyou is a disciple of the Ziyang Sect. If we can help them obtain a shop opening permit, the Miao family will have essentially made contact with Zhu Qingyou. When the Yuan Gang learns of this, they will have to think twice before taking action against the Miao family.

Miao Qian understood the intricacies of the matter, as did Zhu Qingyou and Fang Rou, but unfortunately...

"No." Zhu Qingyou shook her head and refused; she didn't have that ability.

Miao Qian wasn't angry, but instead gave them the order to leave: "In that case, please go back."

"I do have a solution. How about I transfer my shop to you?" Zhu Qingyou gritted her teeth and finally made up her mind.

Upon hearing this, Miao Qian's eyes lit up slightly. After thinking for a moment, she nodded and said, "If it's suitable, no problem."

Next, Miao Qian asked Zhu Qingyou to take them to visit the store.

Although Zhu Qingyou's shop is in a rather remote location, Miao Qian likes it very much.

The remote location doesn't mean there won't be customers. There's no shortage of customers in Ziyang City right now. With their alchemy skills, they can definitely develop the business. Moreover, this location is unlikely to be noticed by the Yuan Gang, which suits her idea perfectly.

“Miss Zhu, I won’t take advantage of you. The value of this shop far exceeds that of the Longevity Pill. How about this: in addition to this Longevity Pill, I will contribute another one million Pure Yuan Pills as a 30% share. You and I will run this shop together, and the profits will be split 50/50. You will manage it on a daily basis, and I will provide the pills. What do you say?” After considering it, Miao Qian made her decision.

Zhu Qingyou thought for a moment, then nodded in agreement under their gazes. Of course, a verbal promise offered no guarantee; they would need to have it witnessed by an official.

……

Urban Management Bureau.

"Transfer to the Miao family? Wait a moment."

Once the contract is prepared, it is considered complete when both parties sign it in the presence of the Urban Management Bureau.

However, the city management officials did not immediately agree after reading the contract, but asked both parties to wait a moment.

This gave Miao Qian a bad feeling.

A moment later, the man returned, handed the contract to both parties, and shook his head, saying, "This will not work."

"Why?" Miao Qian asked, dissatisfied.

"Of course it's because you've offended our Yuan Gang!" Before the words were finished, a slightly arrogant voice came from the doorway.

Everyone looked in the direction of the voice, and Fang Rou's pupils suddenly widened in shock. The person who came was none other than Xu Qian.

Xu Qian hadn't expected to see Fang Rou here, but he only glanced at her before turning to Miao Qian and her daughter Miao Xingxing.

He then went to the counter, picked up the contract and examined it. After looking at it for a moment, he put it down and sneered, "You Miao family have offended our Yuan Gang and still want to establish yourselves in Ziyang City? You really don't know your place!"

With a snap, Xu Qian slapped the contract down, glanced at Zhu Qingyou, and his smile froze slightly: "And you even dared to ask a disciple of the Ziyang Sect to guarantee your business. Junior sister, it's not easy to have a shop. Countless people have fought tooth and nail to get a shop opening certificate. You are a member of the Ziyang Sect, so you should side with Senior Brother Tianyu and the Yuan Gang."

In our daily lives, we should help each other instead of giving outsiders an opportunity to take advantage of us.

Especially since this outsider has offended the Yuan Gang and is also a member of the Ziyang Sect, it is even more inappropriate to cooperate with her.

Considering this is your first offense, I will not pursue the matter further.

As for this contract, I see no need to sign it.

He didn't know Zhu Qingyou, but since she was a disciple of the Ziyang Sect, he would at least give her some face.

If the other party is sensible, he can pretend nothing happened; if not, he has plenty of ways to take back the shop.

Upon hearing this, Miao Qian pursed her lips, trying her best not to let her anger show.

Zhu Qingyou remained silent. She hadn't expected that the Yuan Gang's influence extended even to the Urban Management Bureau, and that they were making things so difficult for the Miao family.

Now that things have come to this, it seems unlikely that this matter will succeed without Xu Qian's consent.

She sighed inwardly, knowing that the deal with Miao Qian had fallen apart midway, and neither she nor Miao Qian could reverse it.

Fang Rou clenched her fist. She was about to succeed, but Xu Qian stopped her again. The anger and resentment in her heart were about to burst out.

But she knew that this was something she couldn't stop, and all hope ultimately vanished like a silent wave.

So much so that her mind went completely blank the moment she walked out of the Urban Management Bureau.

"What is this?" Fang Rou and Zhu Qingyou exchanged a glance, puzzled, as Miao Xingxing handed them the longevity pill.

Miao Xingxing's voice was also somewhat indignant as she explained, "It's not your fault that this matter failed. This longevity pill can only extend life by one year, so consider it my compensation to you."

"Thank you!" Fang Rou said gratefully and accepted the longevity pill.

Extending her lifespan by a year, though not a long time, would give her enough time to find a new longevity elixir.

After giving him the longevity pill, Miao Xingxing did not leave, but stood gazing at Zhu Qingyou, a look of hesitation crossing his face.

Seeing this, Zhu Qingyou asked, "What's wrong?"

"Sister, you are a disciple of the Ziyang Sect. Have you ever heard of a disciple named Su Chen?" Miao Xingxing asked shyly.

"Su Chen!"

Upon hearing this, the two women looked at each other.

"You know Brother Su?" Miao Xingxing sensed something was off in their tone and quickly asked, "Then where is he?"

After entering the Ziyang Sect, she had been trying to find out about Su Chen, but the Ziyang Sect was too big, and she didn't know anyone there. In addition, the recent situation of the Miao family made her unable to keep up, so she didn't find out any useful information.

Having learned of Zhu Qingyou's identity, she had actually wanted to ask her for a long time, but only now had the opportunity. So, she took the opportunity of giving her the Longevity Pill to inquire, hoping to get information about Su Chen from her.

Judging from their expressions, they seemed to know Su Chen, which made Miao Xingxing feel a little expectant.

"What is your relationship with Su Chen?" Fang Rou asked instinctively, acting on her woman's intuition.

Miao Xingxing then recounted how she met Su Chen. Upon hearing this, Fang Rou introduced herself, saying, "I am Su Chen's senior sister..."

"I see. So where is Brother Su now?" Miao Xingxing was both surprised and delighted after confirming the information.

Fang Rou shook her head and said, "I don't know either."

Immediately, Fang Rou and Zhu Qingyou told Miao Xingxing what they knew.

Upon learning that Su Chen was no longer in the Ziyang Sect, Miao Xingxing was extremely disappointed, but she quickly recovered and took out another longevity pill from her bosom, handing it to Fang Rou: "This is a longevity pill that can extend one's life by ten years. Go and give it to Brother Su's master."

“This…” Fang Rou hesitated.

Zhu Qingyou asked, "So your mother knows...?"

The Longevity Pill, which extends life by ten years, is already worth more than 500,000 Pure Yuan Pills. Miao Xingxing just took it out like that, and she was really worried that the other party would be beaten and scolded by Miao Qian.

"It's alright, I made all of these myself." Miao Xingxing waved her hand and smiled, then asked, "Could you take me to see Master Hong? I know a little about medicine and can help Master Hong take a look."

"it is good!"

……

Urban Management Bureau.

"You did a good job this time. If you encounter Miao people again in the future, let me know immediately."

Xu Qian took out the Pure Yuan Pill and rewarded the man from the City Management Office. The man said gratefully, "Thank you, sir."

Tread.

At that moment, footsteps sounded, and a figure flew into the city management office like the wind, arriving in front of Xu Qian.

"Brother Xu, something terrible has happened! A major incident has occurred at the Ziyang Sect."

"What a panic! What kind of behavior is this!" Xu Qian's face darkened when he saw the newcomer's flustered state. "With Senior Brother Bi in charge at Ziyang Sect, what major incident could possibly happen?"

The man was still flustered: "It's Su Chen! Su Chen has returned to the Ziyang Sect!" (End of Chapter)