Severing Time & Space

Brewing Trouble, Part I

The day after Wu Jian's meeting with Zhou Zu and Zhou Lihua found him traveling to the Zahn City marketplace with Hou Jingshu and Wu Meiying. It was a busy day with many people wandering through the streets.

That was the excuse Hou Jingshu used when she hugged his arm. He thought she was just doing it because Wu Meiying was.

"I really don't like it when you see that fox without us," Hou Jingshu said with a sigh.

"You mean Zhou Lihua? Why?" asked Wu Jian.

"Jingshu doesn't like Lihua because she teases her," Wu Meiying giggled.

It was indeed a busy day, though. A literal sea of heads filled his vision as he walked. They couldn't go one li without bumping into at least twelve people.

Families were out for a stroll, young couples walked hand-in-hand, a group of men chatted enthusiastically as they carried building materials, and children ran through the street, their laughter echoing around him.

Hou Jingshu's face turned a fetching pink. "That is not the only reason. While I am still too young and wish to accomplish many things before I marry, it does not change the fact that you and I are engaged. I don't like how that fox woman seems to have set you in her sights."

"Is it really that big of a deal? You are already sharing Jian with me," Wu Meiying said.

"That's completely different," Hou Jingshu tried to say, but she wasn't able to really justify what made Wu Meiying different from Zhou Lihua outside of "you've known Jian longer than me." It seemed like a weak excuse to Wu Jian, but he didn't say anything.

Upon entering the town square, the group directed their attention to the various Wu Clan operated medicine stalls. These simple carts were but one way the Wu Clan sold the alchemy pills made by none other than Wong Jiu. As always, there was a large crowd gathered around all the carts as people clammored to buy healing pellets.

"Seems our business really is doing well," Wu Jian murmured.

Wu Meiying glanced sideways at him. "Were you worried?"

"Honestly? I expected the Ming Family to try and sabotage our efforts somehow." He shrugged. "I'm glad to see my fears were unfounded."

"Let's go to Won Ju's," Hou Jingshu said after a moment. "I want to see if any interesting medicines or ingredients have come in."

Won Ju's Medicine was even busier than the medicine stalls. After Wong Jiu began refining alchemy pills, the Zhou Clan bought Won Ju's Medicine and began using it to sell more alchemy pills. Of course, they sold healing pellets, but they also sold other pills as well like Soul Pills, Blood Clotting Pills, and Energy Pills. The Energy Pills were particularly popular among farmers and people whose jobs required heavy manual labor. Craftsmen and builders really liked them too.

The deal the Wu Clan made with the Zhou Clan was that the Wu Clan would allow them to sell healing pellets and earn sixty percent of the profits made. In exchange, the Zhou Clan would buy Won Ju's Medicine and sell everything else as well. While they made one hundred percent of the profits from anything else, the Wu Clan still earned sixty percent for the healing pellets sold there.

"Ah! Welcome, you three!" Won Ju greeted from where he stood. An older man with large muscles stood next to him, his outfit the heavy kind someone who worked a blacksmith's forge might wear. "Feel free to look around while I help this customer."

They waved at him and wandered the store, looking to see if anything caught their eye, though of course nothing did. Anything interesting would be located in the back where it couldn't be stolen. The only items out here was the cheap stuff.