C14 Goodbye to My Old Friend

After leaving Lin Qianyi's home, Wang Xiaochuan wrapped up his morning tasks and headed to the herbal medicine market to find ingredients for antialcoholic drugs, diet pills, and calleidics.

With his pockets comfortably full, he intended to convert all his cash into medicinal herbs on this trip.

However, upon his arrival at the market, he realized he had been overly optimistic.

Previously, when Wang Xiaochuan crafted kidney-reinforcing drugs, he had been quite fortunate—the market had all the herbs he needed. This time, after several rounds through the stalls, he was dismayed to find that each medicine he wanted to make was missing a few key ingredients.

Fortunately, these herbs weren't impossible to find; they were simply uncommon because they weren't in high demand, resulting in few market vendors stocking them.

Wang Xiaochuan reached out to several herb suppliers he knew well, listed his needs, and requested they procure additional stock for him posthaste.

While he would have to wait a few days for the new medicine, the market had plenty of ingredients for the kidney-reinforcing drugs and Soul Draught. Wang Xiaochuan purchased them all and took them home to begin production.

For the following days, he spent his daylight hours delivering packages and his evenings at home, crafting medicines and practicing his craft.

He produced numerous batches of kidney-reinforcing drugs daily, all of which Bao Fan purchased. Clearly, Bao Fan couldn't possibly use them all himself.

Bao Fan was transparent with Wang Xiaochuan, sharing that he was distributing the surplus kidney-reinforcing drugs among his friends.

These friends were all influential business leaders with a demand for the drugs no less than his own. Bao Fan aimed to refer more clients to Wang Xiaochuan, hoping to boost his earnings.

Wang Xiaochuan felt moved by Bao Fan's kindness but didn't dwell on it.

"Xiaochuan, I'm doing this as a way of repaying you. If it weren't for you, my marriage would've fallen apart. You saved my family; you're my savior. So, don't feel indebted for this small favor I'm doing for you," Bao Fan told him.

"Besides, I didn't just hand out those drugs for nothing. Without me, those guys would never have known such great products existed in the world. And if they came to you to buy medicine later on, they'd owe me a favor. For a businessman like me, that's exactly what I need."

"So, Xiaochuan, I'm telling you all this to let you know that even though it seems like I helped you out, I actually got the better end of the deal. You don't need to feel embarrassed about it."

Hearing Bao Fan's words, Wang Xiaochuan felt both moved and fortunate. He was grateful to have met someone like Bao Fan while making his first big earnings, as it made his journey to success that much smoother.

In just five or six days, by selling kidney-reinforcing drugs, Wang Xiaochuan had earned nearly a million yuan.

Yet, his bank account wasn't as full as one might expect.

Most of his earnings had gone into purchasing ingredients for the Soul Draught.

To enhance the effects of the Soul Draught, he had refined the formula, adding several costly herbs, which pushed the cost of a single batch over thirty thousand yuan.

And during his daily cultivation, he needed at least two batches of the Soul Draught.

This level of cultivation was quite literally burning through cash.

Thankfully, it was money well spent. Over the past few days, Wang Xiaochuan's cultivation level had been improving steadily and swiftly, with a significant breakthrough just a matter of time.

It was then that the long-awaited ingredients for the antialcoholic drug, diet pill, and other new medicines finally arrived.

Upon receiving a call from the herbal medicine store, Wang Xiaochuan visited the herbal medicine market that very day, took all the pre-ordered herbs home, and even took half a day off to process them into medicines.

In one night, Wang Xiaochuan managed to produce ten batches of antialcoholic drug, twenty batches of diet pills, and twenty batches of calleidic.

He didn't expect the antialcoholic drug to be a big earner; it was specially prepared for Lin Qianyi. The other two, however, were coveted items among the wealthy.

Particularly for the wives of the affluent, both the diet pills and the calleidic were magic medicines that they would clamor for.

Even by conservative estimates, Wang Xiaochuan believed that these medicines could fetch at least half a million dollars. Earning half a million in one night is no small feat, and even someone as accomplished as Bao Fan probably couldn't match such a rapid pace of making money.

The next morning, as Wang Xiaochuan prepared to leave with a heart full of excitement, he received an unexpected call from Bao Fan. "Xiaochuan, remember those friends I mentioned to you? After trying your medicine, they've become quite curious about you. They're eager to meet the expert who can create such magic medicine. I've arranged for a gathering so you can meet them in person. This is a great chance to introduce you to them. What do you think?"

"Meet them?" Wang Xiaochuan pondered. Bao Fan had brought this up before; his friends were surely individuals of wealth and influence. With three new medicines freshly prepared and a need for new clients to sell them to, Bao Fan's proposal couldn't have come at a better time—it was exactly what he needed.

He smiled and responded, "Sure, Bao Fan, just let me know the time."

"Great, sooner is better than later. Let's make it tonight. Meet me at Sunken City at five o'clock, and I'll take you there."

"Sounds good."

"Oh, and one more thing, Xiaochuan. There's still plenty of time, and I suggest you get yourself some new clothes. Don't take it the wrong way, but after earning hundreds of thousands through me, haven't you thought about updating your wardrobe? And your hair—get that taken care of too; it's starting to look like a bird's nest. Even with your exceptional medical skills and martial arts, you should still care about your appearance. It's a matter of respect for others."

Upon hearing this, Wang Xiaochuan checked his reflection in the mirror. He thought he looked quite decent, certainly not as dire as Bao Fan had suggested. Nevertheless, he took the advice to heart and agreed.

Finally, Bao Fan recommended a high-end styling studio, telling Wang Xiaochuan to get his hair done there. He mentioned that he had shares in the studio and could arrange for the best stylist to work on him.

After ending the call, Wang Xiaochuan requested some time off from Lai and set out to get ready for the evening's gathering. He hopped on his electric scooter and headed straight for the bustling shopping district at the heart of the city center.

This particular street was Drison County's premier shopping destination, modeled after the renowned shopping haven of Jinling Road in the East Sea. It was a magnet for the city's most upscale brand stores and exclusive venues catering to the wealthy.

One such place was the hair salon recommended to Wang Xiaochuan by Bao Fan, nestled within a luxurious shopping complex on this street. Despite being a salon, it was known as Tredo Styling Studio. Bao Fan had mentioned that the owner was once a stylist for Hong Kong's biggest stars.

Having returned to his hometown, he opened this studio where a single haircut could cost at least a thousand yuan—a price point well beyond the reach of the average person.

As Wang Xiaochuan made his way toward the salon, he was met with a barrage of disdainful stares and sneers. "Oh my god, is that poor kid actually heading to Tredo?" one onlooker muttered. "Hey, does that guy even realize what Tredo is? He must think it's some cheap street-side barbershop where a haircut goes for five yuan," another scoffed.

The surrounding crowd buzzed with gossip and judgment. Wang Xiaochuan, however, was unfazed by their snide remarks. To him, they were nothing more than snobs, and he certainly wasn't going to waste his time confronting them.

Besides, it was just a haircut. Even if it cost ten thousand yuan here, that wouldn't make a dent in Wang Xiaochuan's wallet. He had brought with him nearly all of his recent earnings to splurge on a new wardrobe—over half a million yuan in cash tucked away in his backpack. In all likelihood, he was carrying more cash than all the onlookers combined.

Ignoring the whispers, Wang Xiaochuan strode confidently into Tredo Styling Studio. The staff had already taken note of him before he entered, and upon his arrival, they couldn't help but furrow their brows and regard him with scorn. "What does this country boy think he's doing here?" they wondered silently.

This is Tredo! The clientele here are either wealthy or distinguished. Ordinary folks wouldn't dare step foot in this place.

Wang Xiaochuan's shabby appearance stood out starkly against the opulence of Tredo's usual guests. What was someone like him doing here?

Nonetheless, bound by the shop's etiquette, the employee managed a professional smile, approached Wang Xiaochuan, and gestured towards the exit, "I'm sorry, sir, but it seems you've come to the wrong place. Please leave."

"Wrong place?" Wang Xiaochuan raised an eyebrow and replied, "Isn't this the Tredo Hair Salon?"

"No, sir. This is the Tredo Styling Studio."

"What studio? It's a hair salon, right? Then I'm in the right place. I'm here to get a haircut."

"Please."

The waiter gave Wang Xiaochuan a contemptuous glance and said, "Sir, this isn't just any roadside hair salon. This is Tredo! Even our most affordable stylist will set you back at least six thousand. Did you get that? Six thousand! Can you afford it?"

Wang Xiaochuan scoffed, "Just six thousand? What's the big deal about that?"

"Huh? You? That's laughable. Take a good look at yourself in the mirror. Do you really think you belong here? Get out of here, country bumpkin, and stop interfering with our business."

A wave of anger rose in Wang Xiaochuan's chest, but before he could retort, a familiar voice suddenly rang out from behind him.

"Hey! Isn't that Wang Xiaochuan?"

He turned to see a young man and woman entering the shop, arm in arm.

Both around eighteen, the man was tall and handsome, the woman delicate and beautiful, and they were both decked out in designer wear.

Wang Xiaochuan's face fell at the sight of them; he recognized the pair.

The woman was Lee Qi, and the man, Zhou Yao. One was the girl of Wang Xiaochuan's dreams in high school, and the other, the reason he had to drop out.