James Bolton harbored deep regret in her heart as she left directly with her daughter.

Henry Clark stood by the cauldron, gazing at the breathtakingly beautiful John Foster, yet felt no ripple in his heart, and asked, “The Zhang father and daughter have already left. Why don’t you go?”

John Foster replied with a half-smile, “In all of Hanshan City, this is the best place for cultivation. With such abundant spiritual energy, wouldn’t it be a waste not to cultivate here?”

Henry Clark said, “That’s too far-fetched.”

John Foster covered her mouth and chuckled, saying, “Alright! Then I’ll tell you the real reason. I came to Hanshan City alone to temper myself, and meeting the Zhang father and daughter was just a coincidence. Now that they’ve obtained the Hundred Solution Elixir, I believe the old lady of the Zhang family will be fine, so I’m free to go wherever I wish.”

Henry Clark asked, “And?”

John Foster smiled, “And… you’ve piqued my interest. I plan to stay and see what other miracles might happen to you.”

Miracles? What miracles? It was just refining a batch of pills—how could that be called a miracle?

Henry Clark shook his head and said calmly, “I’m not interested in you.”

John Foster’s expression froze for a moment, but she quickly smiled again, “The more you say that, the more interested I am in you. Never mind, I have some things to take care of. I’ll be back when I’m done.”

With that, John Foster drifted away, leaving gracefully.

Henry Clark watched John Foster’s departing figure and sighed inwardly. He belonged to the Ma Yi lineage, able to peer into yin and yang, and glimpse the secrets of heaven. Every time he revealed such secrets, he would incur karmic consequences. Anyone who became close to him would inevitably be implicated, except for Apothecary Servant, the old man who accompanied him day and night and would one day defy fate for his sake. As for others, he was unwilling to get close.

No, wait!

There was one more person.

A delicate little face appeared in Henry Clark’s mind. She was not someone he had known before, yet she was— a little girl with a pure heart who had done so much for him.

Grace Young.

A poor child from a destitute family in Hanshan City, sent by her parents to a textile shop at a young age, signing a twenty-year indenture. But her constitution was cold and frail, and she was often sick. The textile shop had driven her out years ago. Now, Grace Young could only linger in the medicinal market, working as a broker for visiting adventurers. The commissions and tips she earned were partly used to support her family, and the rest all spent on Henry Clark.

He had inherited the memories of “Henry Clark”, and also his feelings.

It was as if Henry Clark could see, in the unseen workings of fate, an invisible thread already tying him and Grace Young together, a bond nearly impossible to break.

“Master.”

Apothecary Servant finished his task and returned, followed by dozens of craftsmen.

Henry Clark asked, “How much blue silver is needed to rebuild the Rare Medicine Workshop?”

Apothecary Servant replied, “If we follow the previous scale of the Rare Medicine Workshop and include building materials, it will take a total of 1,400 taels of blue silver. Our workshop is in a remote location with plenty of open space around. If we expand, we can make use of the nearby land, and the independent bathhouse you wanted before can finally be realized.”

“Mm, I know.” Henry Clark continued, “How much blue silver for the expansion?”

Apothecary Servant said, “I’ve already inquired. It will be about 2,000 taels.”

Without hesitation, Henry Clark said, “Then expand it. After all, this is where we’ll be living for now! Apothecary Servant, later take 1,000 taels of blue silver and buy some jade. Also, I’ll make a list of other things I need—buy those as well.”

“Yes!”

Apothecary Servant nodded with a smile.

Henry Clark was silent for a moment, watching the craftsmen begin to clear the ruins, then said slowly, “Although we have some blue silver now, we can’t just sit and eat away our resources. I need medicinal herbs, and there are plenty in the Jinluan Mountains. In the next two days, arrange the rebuilding of the Rare Medicine Workshop. Two days from now, we’ll head to the Jinluan Mountains.”

After that,

Henry Clark asked Apothecary Servant for two gold notes, two hundred taels of blue gold—equivalent to two thousand taels of blue silver—then hurried toward Wenyao Studio. He needed iron ring grass. Although he knew not many people bought it, there were always surprises, so he needed to buy it as soon as possible to feel at ease.

The Hanshan City medicinal market covered a large area and was divided into two sections. The east side was the stall area, where small vendors set up shop. Most of the herbs sold there were ordinary, but rare herbs occasionally appeared. The west side was the shop area, with hundreds of herbal shops, most selling high-quality herbs, though some still tried to pass off inferior goods.

Henry Clark walked along the stone path, passing through the shop area.

He had lived in this medicinal market for ten years. For the first nine, he had hardly left the Rare Medicine Workshop. Only in the past year had he frequently roamed the market, buying the herbs he needed. He had even walked all over Hanshan City several times.

To the south of the medicinal market was Hanshan City’s large trading market, where adventurers bought and traded goods. Between the two markets was a hundred-meter-wide open space, on which ten arenas had been built.

Adventurers.