"Hao Ge, you're not actually going to agree to him, are you? That guy almost killed us before!"
"Zhu Kai, we have to consider the bigger picture. We have no choice right now."
"What do you mean no choice? We can go to another city and start over!"
Wan Hao sighed and found a rock by the roadside to sit on.
"Start over? Is it that simple? Don't you forget how much tax money it costs to settle down!"
Upon hearing about the tax money, Zhu Kai's expression darkened again.
The Xu Kingdom had strict policies regarding population mobility. If a person moved from one city to another, even if just passing through, they had to pay a hefty tax. The settlement tax was even more exorbitant, with some people even needing to take out loans from merchant associations to barely afford it.
Because of the settlement tax, large-scale population movement was rare in the Xu Kingdom, which also facilitated the empire's control.
"Then... then there must be another way, right?" Zhu Kai asked, a mix of anger and helplessness in his voice.
Wan Hao remained silent, patting Zhu Kai's shoulder.
Just then, Lin Xiao Tian, who had been quiet all along, walked up to the two of them.
"Xu Hao, what did you say? You have a way?"
Lin Xiao Tian nodded.
"Let's hear it!" Both of them immediately became interested.
However, after hearing Lin Xiao Tian's suggestion, they slumped back down in disappointment.
"I thought you had some brilliant idea? If those powders were so easy to make, would we even be talking about leaving?"
They both felt Lin Xiao Tian was joking, as he had just told them that if they could create a powder to conceal their aura, they could simply ask Lord Luo to register them, and all their problems would be solved.
But Lin Xiao Tian was not joking.
The next moment, a small jade bottle appeared in his hand.
Zhu Kai took it and immediately recognized it as the powder used for entering the mountains, but his expression was calm.
"You still have this! Did you get it leftover from Liu Yue? Throw it away! Maybe this powder also has issues!" Zhu Kai said dismissively.
"I made this myself." Lin Xiao Tian used sign language.
Zhu Kai blinked and quickly felt Lin Xiao Tian's forehead.
"He doesn't have a fever!"
Lin Xiao Tian brushed his hand away and continued to explain, "I really made it myself. I studied medicine for a few years before."
"Really?" Wan Hao asked.
Lin Xiao Tian nodded vigorously.
Pretending to be deaf and mute was truly troublesome. If he could speak freely now, Lin Xiao Tian would have shouted it out loud.
"I don't believe you, unless you can show us how!"
Lin Xiao Tian spread his hands.
Alright!
It was showtime!
...
Half an hour later, in Zhu Kai's room.
A burst of excited shouts came from the room, drawing the attention of passersby.
Zhu Kai even ran out.
"Sorry everyone, a bit noisy!"
After saying that, he closed the door.
Closing the door in broad daylight clearly indicated something was amiss.
But Zhu Kai was just a nobody, so no one bothered to peep. They just thought he had gone mad.
And at this moment, inside the room.
"I'm crazy..." Zhu Kai muttered to himself.
"Xu Hao, you... you are truly... I don't know what to say..." Wan Hao also stammered.
It wasn't their fault.
They had just witnessed Lin Xiao Tian preparing the powder, and his professional techniques had completely won them over.
"The efficacy of this medicine might be slightly inferior to that of the medical hall, but the price will definitely be cheaper. We don't have middlemen taking a cut," Lin Xiao Tian communicated through sign language.
"You kid, you're too amazing!"
"You brat, you've been hiding this from us. Do you not consider me, Zhu Kai, your brother? You even sleep in my bed!"
"You never asked!" Lin Xiao Tian shifted the blame directly.
"Now that we have this, we only need to pay a registration fee. It's so much cheaper than before," Zhu Kai said excitedly.
"Yes! Now we can enter the mountains with much more peace of mind," Wan Hao breathed a sigh of relief.
Not having to leave his home was truly a great relief for him. After all, he had a family, and his wife would surely object if he left.
"We don't need to enter the mountains," Lin Xiao Tian suddenly signed.
"Are you crazy? If we don't go into the mountains, how will we live?" Zhu Kai once again felt Lin Xiao Tian's forehead.
Wan Hao was also taken aback, but he still asked, "Xu Hao, do you have any other suggestions?"
Lin Xiao Tian smiled slightly and revealed his plan to the two of them.
...
Three days later.
Still at Zhu Kai's house.
A large red plaque was hung up, looking particularly conspicuous. Passersby couldn't help but look.
"Zhu's Medical Hall!"
"Isn't this Zhu Kai's house? Did this guy switch careers and open a medical hall?"
"Is it fake? Practicing medicine without a license can lead to legal consequences from the empire!"
A murmur of discussion arose.
Someone even reported it to the authorities, and the government officials came to the door.
However, after a brief visit inside, the officials came out again.
Not long after, a group of government officials arrived, escorting an old man.
The old man entered Zhu's Medical Hall. Some recognized him as a physician recruited by the empire, specifically serving the Black Rock City area, and also the most skilled physician in Black Rock City.
"Is he here to debunk the fraud?"
"Haha, he dares to impersonate a physician. Zhu Kai is tired of living."
"Isn't that the truth? I heard he also pestered the academy's tutors. I think he's in big trouble this time."
Everyone was talking, most of them waiting to see Zhu Kai embarrass himself, waiting to see the plaque smashed down.
However, a few moments later, the old man came out. He wasn't there to remove the plaque, but to instruct the soldiers nearby to take good care of this place from now on!
The plaque was not removed.
The old man's words were very clear: he acknowledged the identity of the medical hall, meaning it was indeed a genuine medical hall with a proper physician!
"Another physician has appeared in Black Rock City, and it's at Zhu Kai's house?"
"Do you know what his rank is?"
"Whatever his rank, he's at least a low-tier one, right? Our Liu Yue physician in Black Rock City is also low-tier, isn't she?"
Before long, Zhu Kai's doorstep became a bustling thoroughfare.
Many forces in Black Rock City expressed great sincerity towards this suddenly appearing physician, and quite a few tried to recruit him, but were politely refused.
Meanwhile, at Liu Yue's medical hall.
"What did you say? Another physician, and at Zhu Kai's house?" Liu Yue looked astonished.
She hadn't expected to encounter someone competing for her livelihood even in such a remote small town. What was she to do? Would people still respect her as before?
"By the way, did you find out what rank he is?" Liu Yue was most concerned about this.
She was low-tier, and any slightly more skilled physician could easily outshine her.
"I heard he's a low-tier physician."
"Low-tier? That's good..." Liu Yue breathed a sigh of relief. She then casually asked, "But why did he choose to open a medical hall at Zhu Kai's house?"
"I heard that physician knew Zhu Kai a long time ago. His name is something like Xu Hao?"
"Xu Hao? You don't mean the Xu Hao from the hunting team?"
"It seems so..."
*Clink.*
The teacup fell to the ground, splashing water everywhere...