Chapter 165: An Unimaginable Path (3)

“What are you afraid of? After this, we’ll go out and lie low. It’s useless for him to know anyone.”

The leader did not care much about this.

At this moment, a figure walked over from a distance, followed by a dog. It was precisely Zhou Jing.

“Coming, He’s coming!”

The small group perked up and immediately held their breaths, waiting for their target to approach.

One step, two steps, two steps… Zhou Jing gradually approached the alley.

“Go!”

The leader’s eyes flashed as he drew his dagger and rushed out.

Without another word, he reached out to cover Zhou Jing’s mouth and aimed the dagger at his neck.

“Behave yourself, don’t… Pftt!”

Before the leader could finish speaking, a fist appeared in front of him.

Peng!

His nose broke, spewing as if he had opened a sauce shop. The sour and spicy sauce… no, pain, exploded in his skull.

“Ah!” The leader screamed in pain and squatted down while holding his bleeding nose.

However, the next moment, his gaze met Little Black #1.

Little Black #1 tilted his head and fell into deep thought.

Isn’t squatting down and spreading his legs welcoming me to go in for a tasting?

Head-on!

“Ahhh—”

A scream tore through the night sky!

His accomplice had just rushed out of the alley when he saw a tragic scene.

The leader’s nose was broken and filled with blood. He had fallen to the ground and was torn apart by a hyena-dog creature. Blood splattered everywhere, and half of the leader’s treasures were pulled out…

“Hiss…”

The few accomplices subconsciously gasped. They felt the same way, and their lower bodies involuntarily clenched as though they were feeling the phantom pain.

At this moment, dense footsteps suddenly sounded in the surrounding alley. More than ten guards rushed out, and without a word, they pressed the stunned crooks to the ground and tied them up skillfully.

The captain of the guards walked up to Zhou Jing and looked at the kidnappers’ leader, who was holding his crotch and howling in pain. He could not help but shiver.

The pain of a man resonated too much with him.

“Brother Bill, leave this group to us.”

“Thank you, everyone. Come to my shop tomorrow. I’ll treat everyone to a batch of Energy Potions as thanks.”

“Hehe.” The guard captain rubbed his hands together with a face full of smiles.

Only then did Zhou Jing kick Little Black #1 to stop it from chewing. What it did indeed looked quite painful to bear.

He glanced at the group of enemies and secretly rolled his eyes.

This was already the sixth wave of kidnappers he had encountered recently. There were too many people who wanted to catch him and make a fortune.

Thus, Zhou Jing deliberately built a good relationship with the guards. Every time he returned home, he would get them to escort him. The reward was an Energy Potion, and he would occasionally treat them to a meal. The guards naturally did not mind earning some extra money before the curfew patrol.

After all, he was a weak pharmacist now. He could not just kill all the kidnappers and pretend like nothing had happened.

“I’m considered a nobody now and haven’t been recognized. When I enter the Empire Workshop and have an official identity as my protection, this situation shouldn’t happen again.” Zhou Jing calculated.

…

Imperial Hunter Base, workshop.

A routine meeting was being held. The participants were all the heads of the various departments of the workshop, reporting the recent output and consumption.

The higher-ups of the workshop looked at the ledger list and quickly discovered an abnormality. They were a little puzzled. “Why have we stocked up on so many pain-reduction potions recently? Aren’t these very commonly used potions? Why aren’t there any hunters coming to get them?”

With that, everyone looked at the person in charge of the Hunter’s Potion Department.

The person in charge shook his head helplessly. “I’ve asked around. The hunters have recently gone to an apothecary in the capital to buy this potion. No one wants the potion produced by our workshop.”

“There’s such a thing?” The higher-ups of the workshop were a little stunned.

They were a workshop specially used by the Empire’s hunters. Logically speaking, all the resources used by the hunters were provided by them, and the quality was always the most guaranteed.

This was especially true for the hunter’s potions. They were a gathering of elites here, and their products were outstanding. There was no need for hunters to buy it from other places.

Now that the hunter had chosen someone else not of his own workshop, it was as if he had been outdone. It showed that the workshop had failed in its duty.

The higher-ups of the workshop were a little embarrassed.

“Tell me about the situation.”

The person-in-charge had already expected this and immediately replied,

“Some time ago, a pharmacist named Bill appeared in the capital. He opened a shop and only sold three types of potions. One was a pain-reduction Hunter potion, but the hunters all said it was good.

“However, his main focus is an aphrodisiac. It’s a modified formula for the Energy Potion that can make people’s senses more sensitive. I used… Ahem, I’ve studied it. The effect is very good, so it’s been popular in the capital recently, so his business is quite good.”

“An aphrodisiac?” The Head’s mouth twitched.

“Good lord, our professional Hunter Workshop and the Empire’s research institute is actually inferior to an aphrodisiac maker?

“How is this a slap in my face? This is slapping the Royal Family’s butt!”

His expression was complicated as he answered, “Then have you studied his pain-reduction potion?”

The person in charge immediately perked up and nodded.

“His pain-reduction potion has improved on the original formula, and his level of production is very high. I went to his potion shop personally and found that he has a lot of strong potions in his shop. It’s very likely that he has very advanced potion-making skills.”

“So this is a powerful pharmacist.” The eyes of the higher-up in the workshop lit up. He thought for a moment and said, “How about this? Send someone to investigate and see his level. If possible, invite him to join the Empire Workshop.”

The others who had not spoken were stunned.

“But he’s an aphrodisiac maker. His reputation…” Someone could not help but question.

However, the rest of the higher-ups in the workshop waved their hands and smiled.

“It’s not important that he makes aphrodisiacs. This is just the business path that he chose. Reality has proven that it’s indeed profitable. Don’t be blinded by this appearance.

What was really important was that he could improve the formula of the hunter’s potion and even obtain the recognition of the hunters… Every hunter has drunk countless potions in his life. The level of the pharmacist who can make the hunter praise him must not be bad. We can’t let go of such talent!”

Everyone looked at each other. Although they felt a little uncomfortable, they did not object.

The higher-ups of the workshop nodded and heaved a sigh of relief.

…It was too embarrassing to be inferior to a commoner who made aphrodisiacs. It was better to “recruit” this person as one of their own!