Chapter 51 — Burning Money

what.

I can’t give you more. I need what I have left.

Lin Che started to reply, but she was already typing.

Here

A contact card followed, then a message beneath it: Here’s the supplier. Tell them you’re buying for me and they probably won’t overcharge you.

The shop was called Yushu Apothecary and was located approximately twenty minutes by foot from Hu Baolin’s pharmacy, so he roughly knew half of the route there already. It seemed like most of the cultivators in the area, at least the ones who didn’t reside within the Shen Clan, lived in this small neighbourhood near Hu Baolin’s.

Thank you.

No reply. He assumed she had gone back to whatever she’d been doing and put his phone away.

***

Yushu Apothecary was located within a row of small shops, in between a tea distributor and a flower shop. The sign was carved into wood and the building was smoky enough that it was difficult to see through the glass from the outside.

Lin Che pushed open the door and was immediately greeted by a layered and complex smell of different spices and woods. It reminded him of the oud Xu Fang had once gifted him after a trip to the Middle East, except it was far more potent, which he previously hadn’t thought possible.

The shelving ran floor to ceiling along every wall, and there were small round tables dotted around the room, each containing a jar which held a lit stick of incense. These must have been the cheapest batches used for decoration and atmosphere, as the Qi they were releasing was extremely faint even despite their quantity.

Behind the counter, a woman in her forties was writing something in a ledger with a ballpoint pen and did not look up. She had close-cropped hair and silver hooped earrings.

Lin Che stopped for half a second before continuing his walk to the front desk.

He knew this woman. Or, rather, he knew a version of this woman from back when he worked at Hu Baolin’s pharmacy over the weekend and she came to collect some prescriptions — she was called Wei Chunhua. In this life, however, they had never met.

“I’ll be with you in a moment,” she said, still writing in her ledger.

“Take your time,” said Lin Che.

She finished the line and capped the pen before looking up at him.

“What can I help you with?”

“I’m looking for some incense,” he said, which was not very helpful given that he was in an incense shop. “I’m buying on behalf of Shen Yue — I’m not sure which varieties she usually takes, but I was told to mention her name.”

Something shifted slightly in Wei Chunhua’s expression.

“How much are you looking to buy?”

Lin Che had considered this before deciding to enter the shop. The three sticks had taken him from nothing to over a month’s progress in less than an hour. He needed enough for serious practice of the Boundless Intake Sutra to improve his proficiency in the technique. After all, if he were going to solo the holy land once again, he ought to rinse all the ambient Qi dry before handing it over to the Shen Clan.

“Enough for two months of daily use,” he said.

Wei Chunhua looked at him.

“Daily use,” she repeated.

“If possible.”

She studied him for a moment before turning to the shelving behind her and looking for the correct incense. Unlike Hu Baolin, however, she was nowhere near what could be described as efficient — she kept on opening and closing boxes on each shelf to see if they contained the right one.

“What’s your relationship with Shen Yue?” she asked, whilst still searching.

“I’m her fiancé,” replied Lin Che.

“Well, it’s about time that girl got married,” said Wei Chunhua. “Anyone would have done at this point,” she muttered under her breath.

“What was that?”

“Nothing — just talking to myself about these sticks of incense.”

The story has been illicitly taken; should you find it on Amazon, report the infringement.

Eventually, Wei Chunhua found the correct box and brought it to the front counter. She began counting out the correct number of sticks, before suddenly pausing and looking up.

“These are for Shen Yue, right?” she clarified. Lin Che felt his body being probed for its cultivation level, which was an uncomfortable feeling that caused a slight shiver down his spine. “If you’d like some for yourself, they’d be nearer that shelf on the right,” she said, pointing.

“They’re for her,” confirmed Lin Che.

Wei Chunhua began totalling up the bill.

“Tell her I wish her good luck on her breakthrough,” she said, sliding the bill across the counter.

Lin Che looked at the total and blinked twice. He made sure to keep his expression neutral, but it looked like he’d have to sell his own apartment instead of keeping it as his potion brewing station as he had intended.

“Do you accept credit cards?” he asked.

“Of course.”