"Who are you? A customer?" She asked with a plain expression.

"No. I was lost and found my way here. I am not a native of this country, and because of that, I was unable to find what I was looking for. Even though I can speak a bit of this language, I can't read any words from it." He promptly lied and spoke as though it was the full truth with an expressionless face.

"Is that so? Then, our little shopkeeper must have told you that this is a brothel; why haven't you left yet? Do you wish to perhaps..." She spoke plainly, her words blunt as she guessed.

"No. I think it wouldn't be polite to leave so abruptly." He casually explained but this was also another lie.

"Is that so? Then you may leave." She spoke plainly as she allowed him to leave.

Zixin cast his full attention to her as he asked seriously, having made a guess, "Do you know of any apothecaries?"

She seemed intrigued and replied plainly, "Yes, why do you need her?"

"I have a sickness. I heard there was a good apothecary near this place, but I couldn't quite find it." He lied once more with his plain face.

"Here's the address of her shop; it's probably open, but remember to pay her well; she doesn't take those who can't pay." She lightly explained as she handed him a compass-like object.

"That's used to find her shop; it can only be entered by those her trusted companions deemed good enough to do her business." She explained with deep meaning.

"Why are you giving me this if its importance is that high?" He asked with slight curiosity but also to gain information.

"Simple really. I learned who to trust because of my past experiences, and because of that; I know that she can trust you." She seemed to be reminiscing of her past as she spoke.

To put her trust over someone she just met; she must either be stupid or she has experienced a rough life.

Zixin lightly bowed at her and spoke with politeness, "I thank you for helping me. Thank you."

After a few more moments, Zixin left the shop and went on his own. He followed the direction the compass took him.

As for how he knew the direction, the compass was guiding him. The compass had an arrow in it; it was pointing straight to where the apothecary's shop.

He followed a path that the compass guided him to and not too long after, he reached the place. Zixin finally stopped at a bookstore.

He entered it and put the compass in his pockets. He immediately went around and observed the books on sale.

The questions that came up to his head the most were: why did the coin take him there, and why is the bookshop still open at the current time?

As for the former, he had an answer; the shop was probably below him. As for how he would enter it, who knows? For the latter, he knew nothing about the normal closing time for shops in this country, so he simply set that thought aside.

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He continued to look through the books and found a book that helped him learn the language better.

He decided to buy and came to the cashier and bought the book at a cheap price.

Once he left the bookstore, he saw a glowing path before him; he quickly followed and entered a well-hidden building in a nearby alley. The door to the building was a piece of the wall that glowed and became a door for Zixin to enter.

Once he entered, he walked down the stairs before him and found an old lady mixing a cauldron filled with liquid.

The room that he entered was quite big and even though the room is filled with books and other items, when one looks closely, one can see that it was all quite organized. The room is also dimly lit with glowing green light from the nearby lamps which filled the room with an atmosphere filled with mystery.

The old lady was quite young-looking, but she had a hunched back, which made her look and seem older. She had little wrinkles on her face which were lightened by the multiple lamps which filled the room. She had slightly dark skin, not too far from brown; she had long gray hair and a set of black pupils. She wore a white and grey robe, she wore a silver monocle, and she wore a pair of sandals.

"Hmm? A young man? What medicine do you need?" She asked as she continued to mix the liquid inside the cauldron.

"I need a cure for my disease. It has already started to eat away at my insides, making my organs weaker by the day. It also made me crave more sleep even though I have slept for enough times." He kindly explained and continued, "Sigh, I have a recipe for a cure for it. Can you make it for me? My skills are bad; I have tried making it before my disease worsened, and it all was a failure. I am willing to pay for it. Please. I need it."

He sounded genuinely sad and pleading for help. But it was all a lie, he simply wanted to get healed.

"Sure, I'll make it. Pay well for it." She took the recipe and gave him a certain curious look before turning her head away.

After evaluating it for a few seconds, she spoke, "It'll take about a month to gather the ingredients and make it. Are you still willing to pay for it? Are you still willing to wait for it? Let me remind you that this isn't a recipe that would be completed in a couple of attempts. It'll take multiple times. Over a hundred based on my calculations, and each attempt takes quite a bit of time to do. Unless you get lucky, you won't get it quickly; are you still willing? I won't mind you backing out now; I won't do business with those who can't even keep their word." She added, "I know you probably lied to me during your explanation, but I don't mind it; as long as you can keep your word, I am willing to do it. As for the payment, here."

She handed him a piece of paper with numbers written in their language. Zixin remembered the book he bought and used it to translate the price.

"I'll pay for it." Zixin nodded as he spoke. His tone was one of seriousness.

"Good, it's a deal then."

"Is that all you need from me? Nothing more?" She asked, trying to probe him deeper.

"Hmm... Nothing more." He replied plainly because of two reasons. One, he understood that she was trying to probe him, and because of that, he wouldn't speak unnecessarily to give her any more information. And two, he really didn't need anything else. What? An aphrodisiac? Why the need for it? The reason he entered the brothel in the first place is because he knew it was a brothel. He guessed that there must be someone there who had a connection with some apothecary. If not, he would have just followed the person to find where he gets said aphrodisiacs.

He gave a small bow before speaking, "I shall leave for now."

She simply nodded and Zixin left the way he came from.

He walked as he read the book that he was currently holding. He was committed to learning this new language.

When he reached the walls outside the palace, he climbed the buildings and ran on the roof tiles until he reached the walls of the palace. He climbed quickly and reached the top of the wall.

He ran once forth and jumped to get back to his room.

"Lord, are you fine?" Marshall woke up and asked him.

Zixin gave a light nod and buried himself in his bed.

After a few seconds, he laid himself well in the bed and asked with his plain tone and expression still there, "Marshall. Do you think I'm lucky?"

Marshall was quite confused over the question, but he quickly thought about it and replied, "Lord, you need to be more specific with your wording. I could easily interpret as you asking: 'Have I been lucky since birth?' or 'Where did my luck start?'"

Zixin understood his words, and he quickly rephrased it, "Then. Have I been lucky during this day?"

Marshall quickly considered the question before giving him his simple answer, "Based on the fact that lord is asking this, has Lady Eule spoken to you before departure?"

Zixin didn't bother to speak, only wanting to hear Marshall's answer. As he waited, his eyelids slowly dimmed, almost closing but fortunately, Marshall spoke, "Yes. I do believe that Lord has been lucky. Didn't you get to meet quite a bit of interesting individuals during this day? Didn't you find an apothecary to make a cure?"

The last part caught Zixin off guard. He made multiple guesses before finally understanding how Marshall knew.

"Give me the letter." He ordered with annoyance.

Marshall quickly followed, and took a letter from his pocket and handed it to Zixin. Zixin opened the letter to see the contents inside.

The contents of the letter are as follows:

Dear Zixin, I have already known Marshall will give this to you. You expected me to have given him one so why wouldn't he have this letter? Now, let's get back to our main topic. I will supply you with all the materials you need to create the cure. For that, you must make sure that an alliance is to be formed. Anything less will not be tolerated. Oh right. Sorry for not letting you use the Doctor's help in our Palace; it's a part of our vow, isn't it? I am sorry and sad that you won't be able to use it because of our vow. That is why I am giving you this opportunity myself. I doubt you trust my words and you should be questioning it all, but please, trust me, for this one time alone, ok? Sigh.

Sincerely, Xiu Ying of Longevity.

Zixin decided to accept the offer since his life was on the line here, and it'd be stupid not to take such an offer. He really can't be bothered with whatever scheme Xiu Ying has in store.

Zixin then looked at Marshall. If gaze alone could radiate power, his gaze would pierce the soul and read your existence like a book.