The Bigger Hands

That day was one of the rare days along the edge of the Western Wastes when the wind carried little sand. The sky was clearer than usual, the sunlight gentler, and the newly opened medicinal plots outside the Lac Van Tribe formed small patches of green across the yellow-gray land. They were still far from large enough to be called fields, but even this much already made the place look very different from a month earlier.

After making a round of the cultivation area, Hao Nhien returned to the small house and entered the Cosmic Ark.

Tieu Lan still lay quietly in the familiar room. Her breathing was faint but even, her aura stable, with no sign of deterioration.

Hao Nhien sat beside the bed and took her hand.

“Tieu Lan, all three medicinal herbs are growing steadily now. Lac Thua even smiled today, and Tieu Thach still only cares about whether growing medicinal herbs will eventually earn him bread.”

He smiled softly, his fingers unconsciously tightening around the hand resting motionless in his own.

“If you woke up, I think you would like this place.”

There was no answer.

Hao Nhien remained beside her a while longer before standing. But not long after he left the Cosmic Ark, an urgent shout sounded outside.

“Apothecary Giai!”

The moment the door opened, Lac Loi came running over. His face was covered in sand, one sleeve was torn, and blood still stained the corner of his mouth.

Hao Nhien’s gaze immediately turned cold.

“What happened?”

Lac Loi was breathing hard.

“People came from the direction of Heavenly Eye City. They aren’t here to buy medicinal herbs. They want Lac Van to sign over all future medicinal production to them. Chief Lac refused, so they beat people and tried to destroy the fields.”

“How many?”

“Nearly twenty. They’re strong.”

Hao Nhien immediately strode outside.

“Lead the way.”

The medicinal plots were not far from the house. Before they reached them, Hao Nhien could already hear shouting, the clash of metal, and cries of pain.

Running beside him, Lac Loi explained,

“They call themselves people of the Golden Sand Medicine House. They used to purchase medicinal ingredients from several tribes to the south. They probably heard that Lac Van had begun cultivating herbs systematically and came because of that.”

“Do they have any official order or jade slip?”

“No. They only said the rules in this region have always been the same. Any tribe with medicinal herbs has to sell to whoever controls the purchasing routes.”

Hao Nhien asked nothing more.

When they reached the edge of the fields, the situation became immediately clear.

More than a dozen Lac Van people stood together in a line. Lac Lam was at the front, with several young men beside him who had recently begun training their bodies and learning fist techniques under Hao Nhien. Their cultivation was insignificant, yet none of them had stepped back.

Facing them were nearly twenty armed men whose auras were completely unconcealed.

Their leader had a long face and a scar running from his temple down to his chin. His cultivation was at early Foundation Establishment. To Hao Nhien, that level was hardly worth noticing, but if he had not been here, that man alone would have been enough to make all of Lac Van powerless to resist.

A young man from the tribe lay on the ground nearby, blood running from his forehead. At the outer edge of the fields, nearly half a bed of Sa Diep had already been trampled flat.

Lac Thua stood behind the others, his face pale, but his hand still clenched tightly around a jade slip.

The scar-faced man sneered.

“I’ll say it one last time. From now on, the Golden Sand Medicine House purchases the medicinal herbs here. We’ll discuss the price when the goods are delivered.”

Lac Thua answered,

“Lac Van already has an arrangement with Heavenly Eye Medicine Pavilion.”

The man spat onto the sand.

“You sold a few bundles of weeds to the Medicine Pavilion and now you think you’re someone from Heavenly Eye City?”

Lac Lam stepped half a pace forward.

“This is Lac Van’s land. If you want to buy, sit down and name a price. If you want to destroy the fields, then get out.”

The scar-faced man narrowed his eyes and laughed.

“You really think you have someone backing you now?”

A late-stage Qi Condensation cultivator beside him immediately stepped forward and swept his saber horizontally without warning.

Lac Lam had been prepared and avoided the main strike, but the difference in cultivation was too great. The saber qi still tore through the cloth at his shoulder and left a long line of blood.

He was about to retaliate when a figure moved past him.

Hao Nhien placed a hand on his shoulder.

“Leave it to me.”

The saber wielder sneered when someone stepped in.

“Another one—”

He did not finish.

The saber had already come down.

Hao Nhien merely shifted half a step aside and punched the flat of the blade.

A piercing metallic sound rang out.

The saber shook violently, instantly numbing the man’s hand. Before he could recover his grip, the weapon had already flown free, spinning several times before stabbing into the sand several zhang away.

Hao Nhien stepped forward immediately after and struck him squarely in the chest with his palm.

The late-stage Qi Condensation cultivator was sent flying, rolling four or five times across the sand before finally stopping. Blood spilled from his mouth, but his life was not in danger.

The entire area around the fields fell silent.

The scar-faced man stared at Hao Nhien, his expression changing.

“You’re Giai Nhien?”

“Yes.”

“An apothecary?”

“Yes.”

The man forced a laugh.

“Not bad for an apothecary.”

Hao Nhien did not answer. He looked first at the trampled Sa Diep bed, then at the injured young man being helped to his feet, before turning back.

“If you want to buy medicinal herbs, you can make an offer. If you want to compete with Heavenly Eye Medicine Pavilion, that is also your business. I won’t stop you.”

The scar-faced man narrowed his eyes.

Hao Nhien continued,

“But beating people and destroying fields is no longer business.”

NovelPhoenix carries the chapter published by the author, but this page copied its text without consent.

“Apothecary Giai.”

The man sneered.

“You haven’t been in this region for long. There are certain rules you still don’t understand.”

Hao Nhien looked at him calmly.

“I don’t need to understand the rules of the Golden Sand Medicine House. I only need to know that this land is not yours.”

The scar-faced man’s expression darkened.

“You think because Heavenly Eye Medicine Pavilion stands behind you—”

The aura of an early Foundation Establishment cultivator began to rise around him.

Lac Van had no one strong enough to oppose a cultivator at that level, so even that small amount of pressure immediately made many of the people behind Hao Nhien tense.

“Then let me see just how capable Apothecary Giai really is.”

The scar-faced man was about to step forward when Hao Nhien also took one step.

He did not release his full aura, nor did he reveal his true cultivation. The concealment remained in place, suppressing most of his strength.

Middle Foundation Establishment.

Yet so condensed that the man opposite him immediately sensed the difference.

The scar-faced man stopped.

He could not determine Hao Nhien’s exact layer. He only knew that the pressure before him far exceeded his own early Foundation Establishment cultivation, while the earlier strike had already proven that the man in front of him was certainly not some apothecary who only knew how to stand beside a pill furnace.

After one breath, he unconsciously retreated half a step.

Hao Nhien looked at him.

“I do not want to kill anyone. But from now on, if anyone tries to enter these fields to destroy medicinal herbs or strike the people of Lac Van, I will do more than knock them away.”

The scar-faced man looked at him, then at his subordinate being helped up.

At last, he waved a hand.

“Leave.”

Someone behind him was still unwilling.

“Big Brother—”

“I said leave.”

The group began to withdraw.

Before turning away, the scar-faced man gave Hao Nhien one final look.

“Apothecary Giai, this may not be over.”

Hao Nhien only replied,

“Next time, bring someone who knows how to talk.”

The man ground his teeth but did not turn back.

After the Golden Sand Medicine House disappeared beyond the edge of the sands, no one in Lac Van cheered. The tension had not completely faded.

Lac Lam helped take the injured man inside, while Lac Loi and several young men inspected the trampled plots. Lac Thua stood looking at the damaged ground, his expression extremely ugly.

After a while, he said,

“This is my fault.”

Hao Nhien looked at him.

“Why?”

“I thought that as long as we acted properly, traded honestly, and did not take anything from anyone, others would leave us alone.”

Hao Nhien was silent for a moment before crouching down and setting upright a fallen Sa Diep plant.

“Doing the right thing only means that we have reason on our side. It does not mean everyone else will suddenly become reasonable.”

Lac Thua looked at him.

“Something like this was bound to happen sooner or later. It just happened a little sooner than expected.”

More than a dozen young men still stood nearby. Their eyes occasionally fell on Hao Nhien’s fist, then shifted toward the saber still stuck in the sand.

Hao Nhien noticed.

He turned toward them.

“I was here today, so you did not need to keep fighting. But I will not remain in Lac Van forever.”

Everyone fell silent.

Hao Nhien pointed toward the medicinal fields.

“I teach you fist techniques, body training, and how to work together not so that you can go looking for fights, and certainly not so that you can become stronger and bully others. I only want the day to come when someone steps into your fields and you do not need to run and find me before you dare to stand your ground.”

Lac Lam clenched his fists.

So did Lac Loi.

No one shouted, but their eyes had changed.

Hao Nhien turned away.

“Treat the injured first. Then restore the fields.”

Two days later, six cargo wagons appeared outside Lac Van.

The moment the markings on their sides came into view, Lac Loi recognized them.

“Heavenly Eye Medicine Pavilion.”

By the time Hao Nhien arrived, Dai Ninh had already stepped down from the wagon. Behind him were two managers, four guards, and a large quantity of neatly secured supplies: digging tools, rope, wooden stakes, fired-clay jars, two small carts, medicinal storage boxes, seeds, and thick cloth for shading the nursery.

As soon as Dai Ninh saw Hao Nhien, he laughed.

“Apothecary Giai, I did not come empty-handed this time.”

Hao Nhien looked at the convoy.

“I can see that.”

Without waiting for instructions, Lac Loi had already gone with one of the managers to check the goods. He recorded the quantity of each group of tools and marked which supplies should go into storage and which should be sent directly to the cultivation area.

When most of the supplies had been unloaded, Dai Ninh noticed that one of the outer plots still bore signs of trampling despite the villagers’ efforts to restore it.

He stopped.

“What happened?”

Lac Loi, who was standing nearby, answered,

“Two days ago, people from the Golden Sand Medicine House came and tried to force Lac Van to hand over all future medicinal production to them. Chief Lac refused, so they beat people and tried to destroy the fields.”

Dai Ninh’s gaze immediately turned cold.

“Golden Sand?”

“Yes.”

“Was anyone badly injured?”

“No one’s life was in danger.”

Dai Ninh turned toward Hao Nhien.

“Apothecary Giai handled it?”

“I drove them away.”

Dai Ninh was silent for a moment, then gave a faint, cold smile.

“Then they came at exactly the right time.”

Hao Nhien raised an eyebrow.

“Because what I brought today should make them think much more carefully before stepping into this place again.”

Everyone returned to Lac Thua’s largest house.

After sitting down, Dai Ninh placed a black jade slip on the table.

“First, the pills.”

Hao Nhien looked at him.

“Most of the one hundred and fifty pills have already been sold. Individual customers and several clans took some, but more importantly, the military supply office took twenty pills for trial almost immediately after the Pavilion received them.”

“Which three types?”

“Qi-Vitality, Body Strengthening, and Qi Recovery.”

Dai Ninh smiled.

“Three days later, their people came back and asked whether we could supply them consistently.”

Hao Nhien nodded slightly.

Dai Ninh pushed the jade slip across the table.

“The commercial division has approved a six-month trial.”

Lac Thua immediately sat straighter.

“A trial of what?”

“Registering Lac Van as a medicinal supply point for Heavenly Eye Medicine Pavilion for six months. The Pavilion will provide materials, quality inspection, and guaranteed purchasing. We will also use these medicinal ingredients together with pills refined by Apothecary Giai to fulfill part of a trial military supply quota.”

Hao Nhien asked,

“How large is the quota?”

Dai Ninh handed over another jade slip.

“Not high. I deliberately kept it at a level large enough to prove the model without forcing you to chase quantity.”

Hao Nhien read through it.

The main supply was exactly as they had anticipated: Qi-Vitality Pills, Body Strengthening Pills, and Qi Recovery Pills. Meridian Nourishing Pills and Body Stabilizing Pills were not included in the fixed quota and would only be delivered when ingredient supply and refinement time allowed.

“This is manageable.”

Dai Ninh smiled.

“I knew you would say that.”

Only then did he point at the first jade slip.

“This part is what Chief Lac needs to see.”

Lac Thua looked at him.

“If Lac Van completes registration as a supply zone, people directly listed under medicinal production can have their labor obligations converted into production obligations for the duration of the trial.”

Lac Thua’s hands immediately tightened.

Dai Ninh explained more clearly,

“Those currently working freely outside may return if they choose. Those already serving a labor term must either finish that term or complete the proper transfer procedures. They cannot simply run away. The Pavilion can assist with paperwork for those who qualify.”

Lac Loi, standing near the doorway, immediately brightened.

“I have a list.”

Dai Ninh turned toward him.

“A list of what?”

“People from Lac Van currently working in Heavenly Eye City and several nearby stations. I know of more than thirty for certain. There may be more.”

“Give it to my manager. They will check which cases are eligible for transfer.”

Lac Loi immediately turned to leave.

Lac Thua called after him,

“Do it after you eat.”

Lac Loi looked at the jade slip, then at the old man. Only then did he reluctantly nod.

“Yes.”

Quan Nha, seated nearby, smiled softly.

Dai Ninh continued,

“There is one more point. Once the medicinal zone is covered by the supply contract, the portion of production registered in advance belongs to the Pavilion’s quota. Others may still purchase surplus outside the contract if Lac Van wishes to sell it, but no one may force down the price through violence, seize the goods, or compel you to redirect registered production elsewhere.”

Lac Thua asked,

“And if someone still does?”

Dai Ninh gave a cold smile.

“Then it is no longer merely a matter of damaging Lac Van’s fields.”

He tapped one finger against the jade slip.

“They would be interfering with a registered supply source of Heavenly Eye Medicine Pavilion and affecting a military supply quota.”

No further explanation was needed for Lac Thua to understand how different those two things were.

Hao Nhien looked at Dai Ninh.

“The Golden Sand Medicine House?”

“I will send someone to speak with them.”

Dai Ninh waved a hand.

“They are not worth your concern. At the very least, once they know Lac Van is part of the Pavilion’s supply chain and military provisioning, they will not be stupid enough to come here openly and trample the fields again.”

Hao Nhien did not disagree.

That was exactly what he had wanted from the beginning.

That afternoon, Dai Ninh inspected the cultivation area once more, while Lac Loi led the two Pavilion managers to the storehouse to sort the materials. Tools were recorded by recipient, the carts divided between medicinal transport and manure hauling, and the new storage boxes set aside in preparation for the first harvest.

No one had formally given Lac Loi a title, but he had naturally become the person standing between Lac Van and matters that needed to be handled outside.

By evening, after Dai Ninh and the Medicine Pavilion’s people had left, Lac Van gradually quieted again.

The new tools were stored away, the two carts stood against a wall, and the Medicine Pavilion’s jade slip still rested on the table inside Lac Thua’s house.

Quan Nha walked with Hao Nhien toward the edge of the fields.

She studied him for a moment before asking,

“Are you thinking about the Golden Sand Medicine House?”

“No.”

“Then what?”

Hao Nhien looked at the small sign of Heavenly Eye Medicine Pavilion that had just been erected at the entrance to the medicinal zone.

“After today, Golden Sand is almost no longer worth worrying about. Anyone who fears the Pavilion or the military supply office will naturally stay away.”

Quan Nha understood quickly.

“So if someone still dares to move against Lac Van later…”

“Then they will be worth examining carefully.”

Hao Nhien nodded lightly.

“At least then we will know the opponent is not someone who can be forced back by a document or by the name behind the Medicine Pavilion.”

The night wind passed through the Sa Diep beds, setting layer after layer of leaves trembling softly beneath the moonlight.

Hao Nhien watched them for a moment before saying,

“Relying on others can help Lac Van stand firmly at the beginning, but it cannot rely on them forever.”

Quan Nha asked,

“Have you thought about the next step?”

“Not yet.”

He looked toward the low houses.

Farther away, the light inside Lac Thua’s house was still burning. Lac Loi and Lac Lam sat inside, checking the list of people who might be able to return.

Hao Nhien watched that lamp for a while longer.

“But from today onward, the things we truly need to guard against are no longer people like Golden Sand.”

Quan Nha did not ask further.

Hao Nhien did not explain.

If one day a hand large enough to reach past both the Medicine Pavilion and the military supply office still tried to touch Lac Van, then that would be a hand truly worth following back to its source.