The rest of the train ride went rather smoothly.

A man had tried to dial 110 shortly after, but Wang Shen had stopped him with a stern warning once more. The dead bodies were still on the floor, but the people on the train avoided talking to him and looking at the evidence.

Everyone got off at the next stop. They were too freaked out about the dead bodies to stay on. It was easy to call a cab, even at this time during the night.

Wang Shen, on the other hand, stayed on. He had business to attend to, despite it being almost midnight. His acquaintance lived on the outskirts of the outer city. He would need to barter a deal to use his pill-concocting cauldron. It would be difficult, especially since Hu Pingtong didn’t know him yet.

Hu Pingtong, a future master of alchemy. Wang Shen knew that he made the best pills because he was from the Hu family. They had been cultivators even from before the apocalypse, as some families in China were.

Wang Shen scoffed. The level of cultivation pre-apocalypse couldn’t have even reached core formation, right? Otherwise, there was no way that it would have happened the way it had. What had happened in his timeline would never have come to be. If there had been Nascent Soul cultivators back then . . . What had they been doing?

I hope he’s awake. Wang Shen thought as he crossed his arms. His plan would depend on Hu Pingtong.

The train reached the next destination. His destination. Wang Shen got up and left without sparing another glance at the dead bodies on the floor. They weren’t his problem anymore. The police could deal with that.

The Hu family were indeed wealthy. Just by peering through the front gates, Wang Shen could see the courtyard that stood between the main building and the entrance was already four times the size of his house. The Hu family had a rich heritage of producing top quality alchemists and cultivators. They also had a hand in the affairs of the mortal realm. The Hu’s owned a large portion of the pharmaceutical market in current-day China as a moderately successful cultivator family.

There were no guards posted at the main gate at this time, but the security system was running 24/7. A camera swiveled in his direction, and Wang Shen waved at it.

A deep voice came out of the speaker box above the main gate. “Identify yourself.”

“I’m here to speak with Hu Pingtong. Please let him know that I wish to meet him,” replied Wang Shen.

He caught the voice off guard as it fell silent for a brief moment before responding with a curtly. “The young master is not available. Goodbye.”

“You’ll want to hear my message,” Wang Shen deliberately called out. He made sure the voice hadn’t left before continuing.

“It’s better to light one candle than to curse the darkness. Hu Jingtong would want you to see me.”

There was a pause as the voice hesitated once more. “I’ll pass on the message. Wait here.”

Wang Shen knew he was in the clear. After all, the secret Hu Family code was not something that should be known by strangers. Mentioning the Hu family’s side patriarch also helped his case. Just as he expected, the voice returned in no time.

“Please enter, esteemed guest! The young master awaits you in the foyer.” This time, the voice was rather respectful.

Wang Shen strode through the opened gates and flightless stepped to the main building in an instant. Opening the grandiose doors, he took his first step inside the main building. Lavish gold and silver pillars that gave way to two ascending staircases greeted him. A pristine white-tiled floor paved the ground, and an assortment of expensive mahogany furniture decorated the interior.

The Hu family clearly knew how to advertise their wealth.

A scurrying of footsteps and heavy panting filled the air as Hu Pingtong rounded the hallway corner and burst into sight. Perspiration painted the boy’s face as he arrived at a stop before Wang Shen.

Wang Shen raised an eyebrow. The young master Hu had obviously been enjoying his meals. He immediately acquired a bad impression of the second son of the Hu family.

Straightening his back and mopping the sweat off his face, Hu Pingtong offered a handshake and introduced himself.

“My name is Hu Pingtong, and I am the second young master of the Hu family. My guard told me that you wanted to speak with me, mister . . .” The boy trailed off, unsure of how to address him.

Wang Shen shook the offered hand. “You may call me Wang Shen.”

“Right! Please have a seat, Shen-ge. How can I be of service to the main branch? And you also know my father, Hu Jingtong?”

The code Wang Shen had provided to the guard at the gate was a special communications code used between the main branch and side branch of the Hu family. The main branch was located in Beijing and the side branch was in Changsha. Wang Shen knew of this because he had acquired this intel during the apocalypse when he had saved the main branch’s patriarch, Hu Longtong. Hu Longtong had expressed his gratitude by teaching him the family’s secret code and had also given him a few other gifts. Wang Shen had never found a use for the communications code up until now.

“I’m not actually from the main branch. I’m just a passerby who happens to require your help,” admitted Wang Shen. At this, Hu Pingtong’s eyes widened in shock. Upon seeing the boy reach for his jade slip, he sent a flicker of qi at the boy’s hands, causing him to yelp in surprise.

“I wouldn't call the guards if I were you. I don’t want to use force. Don’t worry. I don’t mean any harm. I just require the use of your family’s medical cauldron. I can help cure your father’s illness,” said Wang Shen.

He watched as Hu Pingtong’s eyes changed from fear to anger. The boy stood up and shook a finger at Wang Shen, bristling with indignation. “How do you know about my father’s condition! That is a coveted secret that only we know! Not even the main branch knows about this! Who the fuck are you?!”

Wang Shen was not surprised. The boy was an inexperienced second son of an influential family. He didn’t yet know when to put on airs and when to act appropriately. He let out a blast of qi to quell Hu Pingtong.

Wang Shen appreciated the boy’s attitude but still needed to let him know who was stronger. The boy cowered once more and sat back down, all bravado out the window. Two guards that had been hiding in the vicinity instantly entered upon sensing Wang Shen’s qi blast and surrounded Wang Shen in fighting stances.

“Tell your men to stand down. I’m not here to fight. Would it kill you to listen to me first before acting?” said Wang Shen exasperatedly while looking at Hu Pingtong. “If I wanted you dead, you wouldn’t be alive right now.”

The second young master hesitated before nodding at the guards for them to retreat. The two men looked at each other and shrugged, bowing respectfully before stepping back into the shadows.

“Look. I don’t have much time to waste here. Like I said before, I need you to use your medicinal cauldron. I know you have a lot of questions, but I can explain all that later. In return for using your cauldron, I’ll make you a pill that can cure your father’s broken meridians,” explained Wang Shen. “As a sign of good faith, I will give you these. I’m sure I don’t need to explain what they are,”

Unzipping his backpack, he took out two Heavenly Cures and presented them to Hu Pingtong. The boy’s eyebrows shot up so high that Wang Shen thought they would fly off his face. Hu Pingtong’s expression was like that of a child’s first time in a candy shop.

“I can’t believe I’m holding two Heavenly Cures! Heavenly Cures are A-class medicinal plants. They are tough to obtain due to their discrete locations and difficult to detect medicinal qis. Alchemists from all around the world know that the Heavenly Cure is a precious ingredient in pill creation. A single petal can purify the contents of a pill and also increases the chances of upgrading the pill’s tier during refinement. These are beyond rare! Any alchemist would sell an arm and a leg even to obtain even one Heavenly Cure let alone two. How did you get your hands on so many?” Hu Pingtong exclaimed.

Wang Shen shouldered his backpack and stood up. “Let’s just say it's a trade secret. Now about that cauldron . . .”