Pharmaceuticals

In a small administrative office of the village, a thick scent of traditional herbs filled the air. The only table in the room was cluttered with dried medicinal powder and vessels, while baskets brimming with various hemostatic plants were scattered across the floor. Li A-san, his eyes bloodshot from fatigue, shook a mortar in his hands, pouring out the liquid inside, and carefully scraping the remaining herbal residue into makeshift containers.

Li A-san had been working tirelessly for two days and nights, striving to perfect the medicinal formula. When the traveling doctor treated the players’ knife wounds, Li had observed the herbs used and the entire process of preparation. The doctor had used two preparations: a poultice of mashed herbs applied directly to the wound, and a liquid extract for oral consumption.

By mimicking the doctor's methods, Li A-san had managed to reproduce the effects: the external application stopped bleeding, while the oral solution restored health. However, he soon encountered a significant problem—convenience. Was it reasonable for players to come to the infirmary every time they were injured, only to wait for Li to spend half a day preparing the medicine?

Zhan Xiaobai would never agree to such inefficiency. Even if Li himself were willing, it was not feasible—after all, he was the deputy village chief, not a professional healer.

Zhan Xiaobai set forth his requirements: the medicine must be ready for direct sale, portable for players, usable anywhere, and suitable for mass production. Only then could it become a viable business, yielding substantial economic returns.

Obediently, Old Li refined the herbal liquid into a powder, then processed it further into small pellets that could be easily carried. At last, the finished health-restoring pellets were ready for direct sale. The only drawback was their inconsistency—though identical in appearance, their potency fluctuated, restoring anywhere from +1 to +6 HP. This posed a marketing problem; no one would pay the same price for a mere +1 HP.

To standardize the effect, he undertook dozens of precise purification experiments, all aimed at creating the perfect +5 HP healing pellet.

“Ha ha—it's done!”

Old Li, half-mad with exhaustion and triumph, rushed out of the room clutching five or six completed pellets, eager to show off his achievement to Zhan Xiaobai.

At that moment, Zhan Xiaobai and his companions were dozing in the main hall of the administrative office. Old Li’s excited cries jolted them awake. With a casual wave, Zhan Xiaobai said, “Ah, the latest batch is ready? Let’s test it. Ah Fei, it’s your turn this time. Report back with the results.”

They had already lost count of how many times they had “self-harmed” in the name of testing. It was too soon to celebrate without hard data.

Ah Fei drew his bronze knife, shouting heroically, “Brother, remember my sacrifice today! I’ll test the medicine!” He made a shallow cut on his wrist, yet produced not even a scratch before crying out in mock agony.

Spring and Autumn Hero, unable to watch his antics, pressed down firmly and drew a proper cut, spilling a dozen drops of blood. Li A-san handed Ah Fei a pellet, which he swallowed indignantly while watching his HP bar.

After ten minutes, Ah Fei exclaimed in surprise, “No more, no less—exactly 5 HP restored.”

Zhan Xiaobai’s spirits lifted instantly. “Come on, everyone take one and test it yourselves.”

Jianba, Qiushui, and Spring and Autumn Hero each accepted a pellet as if it were treasure, cut themselves, and took the medicine.

Another ten minutes passed. Comparing notes, everyone reported the same result: a clean +5 HP. Excitement surged through the group; the indispensable health potion of every virtual game had been born in their hands. They could already foresee the sensation that would erupt once the small village began selling these healing pellets.

“Haha, it’s a real success—A-san, you’ve rendered another great service!” Zhan Xiaobai shouted joyfully, clapping Li A-san on the shoulder.

Jianba raised his thumb in admiration. “Old Li, you truly are the village’s most meritorious elder—no one else could have done this.”

Everyone nodded in agreement and praised him. Old Li was so moved he could barely speak. “It’s all thanks to our lord and everyone’s united effort. I dare not take the credit alone!”

With the group’s accolades, Old Li’s level and loyalty soared.

There was no time to lose. Since the standard healing pellet was perfected, they seized the moment, working through the night to produce as many as possible. Using up all their herbs, they crafted over fifty standard +5 HP pellets, along with a dozen inferior, unstable ones—a result of the still-improving process.

As for the pricing, after a lively debate, they settled on a rather outrageous figure.

The next morning, Zhan Xiaobai hurried excitedly to the trade market to sell the healing pellets himself, calling out, “Medicine for sale! Medicine for sale! Instantly restores 5 HP, takes effect in ten minutes, saves you five hours of waiting for natural recovery!”

It was early and the market was sparse, with only a dozen early-bird players, all setting up their stalls.

Seeing Zhan Xiaobai himself selling goods piqued everyone’s curiosity. “Boss Xiaobai, what brings you here to sell things?” “That’s rare, we hardly ever see you here.” “What are those tiny pellets?”

Zhan Xiaobai replied cheerfully, “That’s right, who wants to try one? They’re limited in quantity—once sold out, that’s it. Who wants to buy? Five copper coins per pellet, each restores 5 HP.”

“Healing medicine...?”

“Healing medicine...?”

“Healing medicine...?”

The players exchanged puzzled looks. Was this even a thing in the game? No one had heard of such a thing before. “Does it really restore HP?”

“Of course. Would I deceive you?” Zhan Xiaobai replied confidently.

A shrewd merchant player asked, “Boss Xiaobai, how many do you have in total?”

Zhan Xiaobai smiled. “Everything is right here—just over sixty pellets. This batch is five copper coins each, while these are cheaper, two coins.”

The merchant immediately decided, “Alright, I’ll buy ten, on your reputation alone. Here are fifty copper coins.”

He handed over the coins, took ten standard +5 healing pellets, and hurried off to other villages to resell them at a higher price, making a tidy profit on the secondary market.

Zhan Xiaobai was delighted, pocketing fifty copper coins in one go—he felt rich! No wonder they say the early bird catches the worm; business was off to a great start.

The remaining merchants had less money and bought one or two pellets each to test the market. Soon, half of the standard healing pellets were gone.

As more players logged in, the crowd grew.

“Boss Xiaobai, isn’t this a bit expensive? Can you go lower? I only have two coins,” pleaded one broke player.

“Boss Xiaobai, I’ll take one. Here are five coins—I want to be the first to try it.” Another, wealthier player showed off his purchase to those nearby before heading off to level up with his girlfriend.

By midday, nearly every player near Xiaobai Village had heard the news—healing medicine was now for sale. Players frantically inquired about it, though most lamented the high price; one pellet cost nearly as much as two units of wood. They could only hope the price would drop before they could afford it.

But Zhan Xiaobai had no intention of lowering prices. He was determined to make Xiaobai Village the commercial hub for all Xiliang players. He wanted every merchant in Xiliang to know: if you want to strike it rich, you have to come to Xiaobai Village.