Surviving in the chaos of war begins in the wilderness.

Chapter 69 Temporary Appointment and Service

Wangji Pharmacy.

Even Wang Zhengyu was moved when he saw the bezoar. In the end, he offered a very reasonable price—260 taels!

However, after the transaction was completed, Wang Zhengyu took the initiative to invite: "Brother Xiaotian, would you be interested in taking up a position on my alternate account? If I'm not mistaken, you should already be at the peak. I'm willing to offer you 8 taels of silver per month, plus 20 catties of meat, pork or mutton, whichever you prefer."

"Huh?" Zhou Ye was taken aback.

To be honest, Zhou Ye was quite surprised. He thought of the other disciples at the martial arts school, like Huang Sheng and Wu Jun, who had been longing for external positions, and now this opportunity had been so easily delivered to their doorstep?

Furthermore, the remuneration for temporary assignments is quite generous. Generally, a martial artist at the advanced level receives around 5 taels of silver per month, along with some meat. This should be roughly the same for everyone. It takes several years for the salary to gradually increase by 1 or 2 taels. If it's 8 taels or more, then it will definitely take more than 10 years.

Those who have reached the level of martial arts proficiency now have a stable income.

For example, other disciples at the Fenglei Martial Arts School who have reached the Qi Refining stage. If they earn 5 taels of silver per month, 3 taels will go to the school for tuition. Meat can replenish their Qi and blood. The remaining 2 taels can support their families. Perhaps after saving for a few months, they can even afford a low-grade Qi and Blood Pill.

Unexpectedly, Wang Zhengyu gave him 8 taels of silver directly.

This good news came too suddenly, and Zhou Ye became cautious: "May I ask, young master, why me?"

Wang Zhengyu chuckled: "To be honest, young brother, my father was originally in charge of the small shop. He and the other two Ming Jin seniors were able to protect the pharmacy's business. But last time, an accident happened; they encountered bandits. One of the Ming Jin seniors died, and the other escaped. The one who escaped was too scared to come back. My father was also seriously injured and needs a long period of rest. So this time, through the Chamber of Commerce, we hired two more Ming Jin seniors. But we're not very familiar with these two seniors. So we wanted to find a few more trustworthy people."

Upon hearing the words "mountain bandits"—and the kind of mountain bandits capable of killing or injuring even a Ming Jin martial arts master—Zhou Ye immediately abandoned his idea.

"Young Master, I am grateful for your high regard. However, I am only a beginner and am afraid of placing too much burden on you. Besides, I often have to travel through the mountains and practice martial arts, so I may not be able to take care of your business at all?"

Hearing this, Wang Zhengyu laughed and said, "Brother Tian, ​​you're too kind. Didn't you already give me the answer just now? You can keep running through the mountains and still deliver herbs continuously, even rare items like bezoar? And you don't seem to care about 8 taels a month. Your income from running through the mountains must be more than 8 taels, right? So I have a lot of confidence in your skills. Furthermore, you've been studying medicine and reading all sorts of medical books. Your character must be good, and I'm very satisfied with your character."

Zhou Ye was speechless for a moment. It was indeed difficult to hide certain things from a business partner like Wang Zhengyu.

"Young Master, thank you for your kindness. I really don't have time. Besides, even if I were to enter the realm of internal energy, my strength would still be no match for those senior masters of the realm of external energy."

"Brother Xiaotian, you've misunderstood." Wang Zhengyu smiled again. "Of course I won't force you. I don't need you to guard the pharmacy, I don't need you to escort the caravans, and I don't need you to solve problems beyond your capabilities. In other words, only problems at the entry-level will require your help. Also, I won't interfere with your temporary posts outside, unless they conflict with the pharmacy's business. It won't affect your original mountain runs and martial arts training either. Furthermore, if you need any medicinal herbs to aid your cultivation in the future, the pharmacy will provide them to you at a discounted price. Of course, if nothing goes wrong, this is good for everyone. But if something does happen, I'll still ask you for your help, young brother. We will offer additional compensation as appropriate."

"Huh?" Zhou Ye was taken aback again. He couldn't help but ask, "Young Master, isn't this kind of treatment practically 'offering' to someone?"

Wang Zhengyu laughed out loud: "That's true. But those who are offered sacrifices are generally at the Ming Jin level or above, and we also need to consider the face of those two seniors. So your treatment will not be affected, it's just a change of name. To be honest, I also have my own selfish motives. If Brother Xiaotian can break through to the Ming Jin level, I hope you can give priority to the lower account. By the way, at that time, I will lend you a few rare medical books passed down in my family."

Zhou Ye had a sudden thought and quickly began to consider it.

If the problem is just the level of internal strength, then it's relatively easy to solve. Even if things go wrong, at least self-defense shouldn't be a problem.

There is also a kind of offering called "temporary posting," which doesn't take up much of your time either, and is almost like giving money away for free.

Especially those rare medical books? The temptation was simply too great. At least at this stage, Zhou Ye had no other way to obtain them.

Furthermore, Wang Zhengyu's thoughts should be considered to some extent. Could this be seen as the young master placing a bet in advance? Wang's Pharmacy is currently facing difficulties, and this is essentially a timely help. And in the future, if it comes to Ming Jin (a type of martial arts skill), can Wang Zhengyu pre-book a Ming Jin master?

Of course, there is something even more important, and that is—saving time.

I can't keep fishing, catching birds, and gathering herbs all the time. With this offering fee, I'll be able to greatly reduce the time I spend traveling through the mountains.

It's important to understand that the purpose of earning money is to practice martial arts, not just to earn money for the sake of earning money. With this stable income, I will have much more time to practice martial arts.

After thinking it through, Zhou Ye nodded: "Okay. But I have a few requests."

Wang Zhengyu smiled and said, "It's alright, go ahead."

"I don't want to reveal my identity, so I'll just use the name 'Oda'?"

"Sure," Wang Zhengyu agreed without hesitation. In fact, this situation is not uncommon among martial artists. They are afraid that their enemies will seek revenge on their families, so they often use a pseudonym.

"From now on, all the herbs I collect will be given to your pharmacy."

"I couldn't ask for more. Of course I can."

With an additional stable supply of herbs, Wang Zhengyu had no reason to refuse. However, this also greatly benefited Zhou Ye, as he wouldn't need to frequently travel to the mountain market.

"If I am fortunate enough to break through to the Mingjin level, I guarantee I will choose your Wangji Pharmacy."

This was Zhou Ye's promise. It wasn't just for those few rare medical books; it was also to reassure Wang Zhengyu.

Wang Zhengyu was overjoyed. He solemnly bowed deeply and said, "From now on, I'll leave things to Brother Xiaotian."

"Young master, you're too kind. Oh, and also, could you directly convert the meat into silver...?"

"..."

When Zhou Ye left Wang's Pharmacy, he had an extra 20 taels of silver.

Finally, both parties agreed that meat would no longer be provided, and instead, 10 taels of silver would be given directly each month. As for the extra 10 taels of silver, it was considered... an advance bonus, a kind of signing fee, perhaps?