After the Immortal Disappeared

Chapter 173: Chapter 174: Hiring a Monkey

Fuzzy Peach chimed in, ”By the way, wasn’t Songyang Prefecture originally founded by a Prince of a Different Surname? How did it end up with a Marquis Songyang?”

”Oh, that’s because our country changed its system partway through. Hereditary titles would be demoted a rank if there were no meritorious deeds to reward them. A couple of the Lords of Songyang were unremarkable, so the title was lowered. It wasn’t until the late Emperor took the throne that the system was changed back. It’s complicated, but anyway, the Marquis Songyang title is now hereditary without demotion. As long as no major crimes are committed, it won’t be changed again.”

Having solved the problem of repairing the Broken Blade, Hee Lingchuan made a new request to Assistant Liu:

He wanted to buy a Pill Furnace.

He would now be focusing his cultivation on the Meridian Technique, which required special, custom-made medicine. It would be difficult to buy ready-made Pills, so he would most likely have to make them himself. He had heard that Pill Furnaces were also graded, and a good one could increase the success rate by more than ten percent.

Just like last time, Assistant Liu readily agreed, then asked Hee Lingchuan in return, ”Do you know Alchemy, or do you have an expert in the field with you?”

”A complete novice. Isn’t that why I’m planning to buy a furnace and learn as I go?”

”The Alchemy Dao is difficult to learn. The nomenclature, medicinal properties, heat control, techniques... without three or four years of dedicated practice, you won’t even achieve minor success. And you’ll ruin countless ingredients in the process.” Assistant Liu chuckled. ”It’s quite agonizing.”

Hee Lingchuan read between the lines. ”I’m surely not the only one who finds it agonizing?”

”Cultivation is a long road, and important people are unwilling to divide their focus. I suggest you hire a Medicinal Ape.”

”A Medicinal Ape?” Hee Lingchuan was astonished. ”What’s that? A Demon?”

’The bustling National Capital really is full of novelties.’

”Yes. There’s a Daoist Sect called the Chishin School, and it’s full of Fire Apes. They have a branch in our country, and they’re particularly famous for their Alchemy. Customers in need can pay a hefty price to hire a Medicinal Ape to take home and concoct medicines specifically for them.”

”How skilled are they?”

”They’re Alchemy Mages, and often even better. I heard that National Preceptor Sunx used to have several Medicinal Apes at his home.”

Hee Lingchuan laughed. ”Sunx Fuping really is a golden goose. Anything associated with him makes money.”

Assistant Liu quickly waved his hands. ”You can’t say that publicly anymore.”

”Then take me there.”

”It’s just that the price is rather high. Also, a hired Medicinal Ape must be treated with the utmost respect. They cannot be slighted, and certainly not treated as a slave or pet, or they can leave at any time.”

Fuzzy Peach lifted his chin. ”Money is a small matter, as long as we get our money’s worth.”

”Just be careful not to refer to a Medicinal Ape as a ’thing’ to its face, or it will turn on you,” Assistant Liu warned. ”I’ve seen someone anger a Medicinal Ape. He got his face punched bloody, then spent the next three days with explosive diarrhea.”

’So we have to watch what we say just because we’re getting a little monkey?’ Hee Lingchuan and Fuzzy Peach exchanged a look and shrugged.

The carriage turned and headed toward the northern part of the city.

As they passed a marketplace, Fuzzy Peach, who had been peering out from behind the curtain, suddenly said, ”Huh, isn’t that Adeng, from Chief Steward Old Mo’s staff? He’s pasting something on the wall.”

Hee Lingchuan poked his head out and saw that it was indeed their family’s servant, Adeng. He was pasting a notice on a public announcement wall, followed by two Support Soldiers.

Assistant Liu immediately called for the carriage to stop.

The marketplace was always bustling with people. When the Official Family had news to announce to the entire city, they would post notices here. On the other hand, only official documents were permitted. Not just any Tom, Dick, or Harry could come and paste things randomly. Doing so would get you arrested and slapped twenty times across the mouth; if your poster was deemed particularly egregious, you’d be thrown in a cell.

For a servant of the Hee Family to be posting here, he must have received official permission.

The characters on the notice were large. The three at the very top were extra bold and big. Fuzzy Peach mumbled them out loud:

”Talent Recruitment Command?”

There weren’t many words, and Hee Lingchuan finished reading it in a single glance. The gist was that the new Governor of Xiazhou, Hee Chunhua, was thirsty for talent and wished to recruit local wise men to go north and fight the rebels together. Regardless of background and in an unconventional manner, anyone with genuine talent in marching armies, managing provisions, combat, or Internal Affairs could apply. The compensation was stated to be generous, and so on. At the bottom was the official seal and wax of the Governor of Xiazhou.

Most commoners couldn’t even recognize a few characters, so the Hee Family servant, Adeng, also had to act as a town crier, reading the Recruitment Command aloud to the crowd and then answering questions.

Hee Chunhua’s target audience wasn’t these people anyway. He was hoping to use them to spread the news as quickly as possible, since the Supporting Army’s time in Shihuan was limited.

The crowd of onlookers grew larger. Hee Chunhua was an official from out of town that few had heard of before, so everyone found it novel and couldn’t help but chatter amongst themselves. Seeing the road become increasingly blocked, Hee Lingchuan told the groom to get the carriage moving again.

Fuzzy Peach was confused. ”Why doesn’t Mr. Hee bring people over from Black Water City? At least he’d know their backgrounds. Why ’recruit talent’ here instead?”

When Hee Chunhua went north, he had five or six advisors with him, but he only brought Mozhe Jingxuan along. As for talent in Internal Affairs and logistics, he was pitifully short-handed.

”It’s a small place, so there’s probably a shortage of talent, right?” Hee Lingchuan said, propping his chin on his hand. ”But this is the foot of the Emperor’s throne, after all. What kind of people *can’t* you find here?”

He remembered his father always complaining about not having enough manpower and having to do everything himself. This time, going to Xiazhou, Hee Chunhua needed to assemble his own team in the shortest time possible. Proactively stocking up on talent was key.

After all, an enemy was eyeing them menacingly from the north. Time was running out for Hee Chunhua and Xiazhou.

’I hope Father finds the right people soon.’

Hee Lingchuan shook his head, instantly tossing this concern to the back of his mind.

’None of this is my business. Let Hee Chunhua and Hee Yue get a headache over it.’

Soon, the carriage was driving up a small mountain.

The peak was elegant, no more than three hundred feet high. It was currently draped in silver, and snow often rustled down from swaying branches.

The carriage was blocked by a memorial archway and came to a stop.

It wasn’t that the groom didn’t want to drive up the mountain, but the archway was only six feet high. It was, however, quite wide, taking up the entire mountain road.

’What a nasty design for an archway. It’s like they’re trying to extort a toll.’

From a distance, Hee Lingchuan saw several uniquely shaped stone urns standing on the stone archway. As he got closer, he realized they weren’t stone at all, but large, gray-furred monkeys whose color was very similar to stone!

They stood on the archway with their heads and tails tucked in, still as wooden chickens. Only when someone approached did one say in a deep, booming voice, ”Chishin School residence. Visitors proceed on foot!”

Assistant Liu got out of the carriage and offered a few pieces of crisp candy to an old monkey with whitening fur, letting it distribute them to the others. Only then did he cup his hands and say, ”Sugar Elder, it’s been three days. This time, I wish to hire a Pharmacist for the Eldest Prince of the Governor of Xiazhou, Mr. Hee!”

He addressed them as Pharmacists, not as monkeys or apes.

”Does he require Alchemy often?”

”Of course,” Hee Lingchuan answered. ”Once every two or three days, on average.”

Cultivating the Meridian Technique required him to consume Yin Yang Powder that was as fresh as possible to maximize its medicinal effects. Hee Lingchuan himself would have loved to refine a batch that could last half a month, but with a helper for the Alchemy, this requirement should be easy to meet.

Assistant Liu explained to him, ”Controlling the flame for Alchemy is an important part of a Fire Ape’s Cultivation. The Chishin School hopes that all the Fire Apes they send out can advance diligently in their Cultivation.” He then turned to the old monkey. ”Which of your Pharmacists are available in the residence?”

”You’ve come at an inconvenient time. A major pharmaceutical company from out of town just came by and hired twelve of them in one go.” Sugar Elder, the old monkey, scratched his back. ”There’s only one Pharmacist left now.”

Fuzzy Peach immediately whispered to Assistant Liu, ”He’s not the one nobody else wanted, is he?”

The old monkey’s fur may have been white, but his hearing wasn’t dull. In fact, it was quite sharp. He rounded his eyes and said, ”What nonsense are you spouting, boy!”

Assistant Liu gave a light cough. ”Sugar Elder, hiring is a negotiation between two equal parties, with no lies or deceit. Is there something special about this Pharmacist?”

Hiring was a two-way street. One side was competing, the other was selecting; both needed to understand each other.

”His Alchemy Skill is excellent, he rarely fails a batch, and he is the best of all the Fire Apes here.”

Failing to refine a medicine was called ’failing a batch.’ The ingredients for High Tier Pills were very expensive; a single failed batch could mean a loss of tens or even hundreds of thousands of silver.

Assistant Liu asked tentatively, ”Does he eat too much, then?”

”No, not at all.”

”Is he unclean and smelly?” Monkeys had a natural odor, which was even gamier if they didn’t bathe, and some families couldn’t stand it.

”How could that be!” Sugar Elder glared. ”Lingguang has none of the bad habits you’re thinking of. He’s the most diligent, ambitious, clever, and dexterous child we have here. He just happened to be out when the others came to hire, which is the only reason he wasn’t taken.”

The old monkey jumped to the ground. ”Come, I’ll take you to see him.”

The archway was very low. With the Chishin School monkeys watching, Hee Lingchuan didn’t feel it was right to just jump over, so he had no choice but to bend down and duck under it.

The monkeys watched with grins, some baring their teeth in amusement.

Seeing a human have to bow and scrape to get past the archway satisfied the monkeys’ mischievous minds.

There were only a few buildings on the mountain, all large and spacious. Hee Lingchuan looked up and saw several treehouses nestled in the large trees, with shadows moving on nearby branches.

’Of course. Monkeys like to stay in trees.’

Sugar Elder called up into the trees a few times. A series of CHIRPS soon answered from above, and then an ape clambered down the tree, landing on a branch before the group.

This monkey’s fur was a lighter color than its kin, and it wore a bamboo hat on its head.

Hee Lingchuan saw that its build was lean and small, its movements agile. Its fur was exceptionally clean, and its eyes were intelligent. Unlike a normal monkey’s, which would dart around restlessly, its gaze swept over the group before locking onto Hee Lingchuan, as if it knew he was the important one.

Sugar Elder introduced Hee Lingchuan to it, and Hee Lingchuan then asked:

”You’re called Lingguang?”

The monkey nodded. It didn’t scratch its ears or cheeks, appearing as composed as a human.

”Mister Sugar Elder recommended you to be my Medicinal Ape. I have some medicinal ingredients here. How about you help me refine them into a Thousand Firming Pill?”

Lingguang knew this was its employment test. It jumped cleanly to the ground and, from who knows where, pulled out a small furnace no bigger than the palm of a hand and placed it on the ground.

The furnace slowly grew until it was level with Fuzzy Peach’s shoulders.

Then, it held out a hand to Hee Lingchuan.

For an ape, its palm was very clean, without a speck of dirt or leaf debris.

After taking the ingredients, it quickly grabbed a few handfuls and threw them into the furnace, nothing like Hee Lingchuan, who would measure everything carefully, afraid of the slightest error.

Then, the monkey blew a breath toward the bottom of the furnace. With a WHOOSH, flames erupted inside.

’No wonder they’re called Fire Apes.’

Throughout the process, the monkey controlled the intensity of the fire, making it larger and smaller, its color deeper and lighter. It also threw in more ingredients from time to time, its movements so fast that onlookers could barely follow them.