In that instant, she keenly caught the boy’s gaze—deep, weathered, and tinged with a certain sharpness. She could hardly imagine how such eyes, which only those who had weathered many storms would possess, could appear on the face of a youth.

He...

What on earth had he experienced in the past?

John Foster asked herself in her heart, her curiosity about Henry Clark growing even stronger.

“My name is Henry Clark—‘Ye’ as in ‘a single leaf obscures the eye,’ and ‘Tong’ as in ‘bright, cold pupils.’” Henry Clark turned slightly toward John Foster, speaking with a half-smile: “Heaven’s way is cyclical, cause and effect are inevitable. For lending a hand today, I will surely repay you in the future.”

“Heaven’s way is cyclical? Cause and effect are inevitable?”

A brilliant light burst forth in John Foster’s star-like, deep and bright eyes. She could hardly believe her ears—such words, containing the profound principles of the Dao, were actually spoken by this youth.

Whether it was interest or curiosity,

Her heart seemed like iron drawn irresistibly to a magnet, with a tendency to sink ever deeper.

John Foster recalled the purpose of her visit and said softly, “There’s no need to wait for the future. I came here today to accompany The Bolton Patriarch in seeking medicine. It’s a matter of life and death—I hope you can lend your aid.”

“Is it worth it?”

Henry Clark turned slightly, facing John Foster directly.

A hard-to-describe feeling welled up in John Foster’s heart. She glanced again at James Bolton and his daughter before speaking softly: “My... my father received kindness from The Bolton Ancestors in his early years. Just as you said, heaven’s way is cyclical, cause and effect are inevitable. Consider this fulfilling my father’s long-cherished wish and repaying the The Bolton Family’s favor.”

Henry Clark said nothing more. His steps as he left the ruined courtyard were much steadier than before. Coming to stand before James Bolton and David Bolton, he asked calmly, “What medicine do you seek?”

James Bolton and David Bolton had listened to every word of the conversation between Henry Clark and John Foster. Though they never dreamed that the mighty emperor of the Sky Net Empire owed their The Bolton Family a favor, and that it would be repaid under such circumstances, as a man of utmost filial piety, James Bolton was willing to obtain the medicine to save his mother.

“The Hundred Remedies Elixir.”

Henry Clark was taken aback, his brows instantly knitting together.

The Hundred Remedies Elixir was an extremely difficult antidote to concoct, and the required medicinal ingredients were nearly impossible to obtain. Even with nine years of observation and one year of hands-on experience in compounding and alchemy, he was only sixty to seventy percent confident in successfully making it. One failure would mean wasting ingredients worth a fortune.

Seeing Henry Clark’s expression, James Bolton’s heart skipped a beat, a sense of foreboding rising within him. In the past half month, he had searched nearly all of Hanshan City, yet failed to find an apothecary capable of making the Hundred Remedies Elixir. In the end, it was from the city lord of Hanshan, Richard Carter, that he learned of this obscure Zhenyao Apothecary and saw a glimmer of hope.

“You... can’t make it?”

Henry Clark said coolly, “You’ll have to find a way to gather the ingredients for the Hundred Remedies Elixir yourselves. My time is limited, so I hope you can do it within two days. Once it’s successfully made, I won’t take a single coin as payment.”

James Bolton’s eyes lit up and he said eagerly, “What ingredients do you need? Just tell me. As long as it can be found in Hanshan City, I’m confident I can buy it.”

Such wealth and confidence!

Henry Clark felt a twinge of regret—what an easy fat sheep to fleece!

What a pity!

To repay the favor for John Foster’s help in putting out the fire earlier, he couldn’t accept any blue silver. Whether in his previous life as Edward Clark or now as Henry Clark, he never liked owing favors.

Over the past year, the previous Henry Clark had visited nearly every apothecary in Hanshan City and was familiar with the situation of each shop. So, to avoid wasting time, he said calmly, “Wen Yao Zhai has the largest and most comprehensive stock of medicinal ingredients in all of Hanshan City. Go there.”

James Bolton was taken aback and asked in confusion, “Where is it?”

Hearing this, Henry Clark looked at the man before him with some surprise and asked, “You’re not locals?”

“No,” James Bolton shook his head and said, “We’re from the prefectural city of Zifu County. This time, I brought my family to Hanshan City mainly for business, and also to let them relax a bit. My mother was in good health, but suddenly fell ill, so we’ve been stranded in Hanshan City for several days.”

“How old are you?”

Henry Clark asked with a slight frown.

James Bolton replied, “I am seventy this year.”

Seventy... the age of three score and ten?

Henry Clark was speechless. This man surnamed Zhang was already seventy, so his mother must be at least ninety! At such an advanced age, he still brought her all the way from the prefectural city of Zifu County, traveling thousands of miles to Hanshan City. What nonsense, what a pointless ordeal. Wasn’t he afraid of wearing out the old lady’s frail bones?

South City.

“Wen Yao Zhai” had existed for hundreds of years and was considered an old and reputable apothecary in Hanshan City. Whether in terms of supply channels or sales volume, it far surpassed the other shops in the medicinal market. It was rumored that Wen Yao Zhai had a highly experienced and powerful herb-gathering team, who roamed the famous Jinluan Mountains year-round, collecting herbs and also buying from other gatherers deep in the mountains. Sometimes, they even dared to venture into the wild southern marshes in search of rare herbs.

At this moment.