Yongyang City, Zhang's Pharmacy.

Lin Fan had just stepped into the door of the pharmacy when he was recognized by the guy, and the shopkeeper Zhang didn't care about taking care of the guests in the store, so he hurriedly greeted him and said, "It turned out to be Lord Lin, please sit inside!"

"It's me who bothered me, and please ask the shopkeeper to blame!" Lin Fan arched his hand.

Shopkeeper Zhang said with a smile: "Where the adults say, the adults can come, my small pharmacy is full of brilliance!" ”

I heard that Lin Fan was here, and many patients who came to buy medicine came up to greet him along the way, and Lin Fan also responded with a smile.

He followed the shopkeeper to the back room and sat down as the host and guest. The two exchanged a few words casually, and the shopkeeper Zhang knew that Lin Fan must have something to do here, so he asked, "I don't know why the adults are here!"

"To tell you the truth, I really have something to do this time, and I need the help of the shopkeeper!" Lin Fan said.

Shopkeeper Zhang sighed, "The adults came to me to see me, and now in this Yongyang City, I don't know how many people want to rush to help the adults?" ”

"I don't know what the adults can use in the next, as long as it is within their ability, they will never shirk!"

Lin Fan smiled: "Shopkeeper Zhang, don't tease me!"

Then he said: "I heard that the shopkeeper has cooperated with many medicine farmers, I don't know if this matter is true or not?"

Shopkeeper Zhang was a little suspicious, and he didn't know why Lin Fan suddenly asked this question.

But he still replied truthfully: "Don't tell you that over the years, I have operated this medicinal herb shop, in addition to some medicinal material merchants, I will also buy some loose medicines collected by medicine farmers, and I am indeed very familiar with some medicine farmers and medicine pickers."

"However, in the past few years, bandits have been rampant in the mountains, and these medicine farmers have been cut off from their livelihoods, and the amount of medicinal materials collected is far less than before. It wasn't until recently that most of the bandits were exterminated by adults, and the situation was much better. I wonder why adults ask that? ”

Lin Fan said everything they could say about what they had discussed in the barracks.

Finally, he said, "That's how it is. We now need some medicine farmers who are familiar with the situation to be guides, so we will trouble the shopkeeper! ”

Shopkeeper Zhang's face became solemn, and after hesitating for a long time, he said: "If someone else came to me, I would never agree!" After all, it is too risky to lead the way for the imperial court, and it is easy to suffer retaliation. But since it's an adult who speaks, I should do my best to help the adult! ”

"But please be sure to agree, if I find a guide for the adults, the adults must protect their safety and not affect them. Even if the bandits fail this time, they and their families will not be harmed! ”

"This is nature, and it is our duty to protect them!" Lin Fan got up and solemnly saluted to Shopkeeper Zhang.

"The shopkeeper can help, I am grateful, I thank the shopkeeper here first!"

Shopkeeper Zhang hurriedly helped him up, "What are you doing, my lord?" I can't help it, how can you make me bear it! Speaking of which, the people of the county have to thank the adults, right! ”

He sighed, and then said, "Your Excellency, please come with me!"

Shopkeeper Zhang apologized to the customers in the store one by one and put down the shop's business for the time being.

At this time, the guy had prepared a carriage and let Lin Fan sit in. He personally drove the car and took Lin Fan to the outside of the county.

The guards brought by Lin Fan wanted to keep up, but Lin Fan stopped them and asked them to go back to the Inspection Division directly.

"Phew!" Half an hour later, in a town outside the county seat, the carriage stopped.

Out of habit, Lin Fan opened the curtains to observe the surroundings. It is found that this place is built on the mountain and the scenery is beautiful.

Although the people passing by the carriage had a good look on their faces, it could be seen that the situation was much better than that of people from other places.

Shopkeeper Zhang lifted the car door, "My lord, it's here!" ”

Hearing this, Lin Fan followed behind Shopkeeper Zhang, got out of the car and walked. Shopkeeper Zhang said: "My lord, Uncle Zhou is the most prestigious herb picker in the neighborhood, and he grew up in this mountain since he was a child. Although he has stopped collecting medicine in the mountains in recent years, if he wants to understand the situation in the mountains, I am afraid that there is no one more familiar with him nearby. With him, it's better than any guide! ”

When they were in the car, Shopkeeper Zhang had already given Lin Fan a general introduction to the situation here, and the Zhou Bo he was talking about was the person they wanted to meet this time.

Shopkeeper Zhang is obviously very familiar with this place, and he keeps chatting with the villagers on the road.

Although the villagers were very curious about Lin Fan who was following behind, they probably didn't expect that Shopkeeper Zhang would bring a stranger, and he was also a member of the government.

However, out of instinctive fear of the government and trust in Shopkeeper Zhang, they only looked at it curiously and didn't ask more.

Shopkeeper Zhang took Lin Fan to a courtyard in the middle of the town, lightly buttoned the door knocker a few times, and shouted inside: "Uncle Zhou, it's me!" I've come to see you! ”

A moment later, a coughing voice came from inside, "Ahem! It's the Zhang family's boy, wait a minute! ”

"Yuanzhi, put down the things in your hand first, and go open the door for your Uncle Zhang!"

As soon as the words fell, a loud and slightly childish voice replied, "Okay, grandpa!"

Then there was a trotting sound, and someone came to the door, opened the door and shouted to the shopkeeper: "Hello Uncle Zhang, you are here, come in!"

Shopkeeper Zhang said with a smile while walking: "Yuanzhi, I haven't seen you for a while, your kid has grown taller and stronger a lot, and he is a big man."

"I think in another year or two, your Uncle Zhang will be able to ask a matchmaker to tell you a family affair! What about your grandfather, how is he doing lately? ”

This little boy named Yuanzhi was about thirteen or fourteen years old, and when he heard the joke of the shopkeeper, he scratched his head a little embarrassedly, and smiled honestly. "Hey, hey! My grandfather is cleaning up the herbs in the yard! ”

The kid secretly glanced at Lin Fan a few times, he was a young man, and he didn't know who Lin Fan was.

He just felt that the outfit this person was wearing was very majestic, much stronger than the tattered armor worn by the soldiers guarding the gate he had seen in the city before, and it must be worn by some great general.

After the young man was discovered by Lin Fan that he was peeking, he quickly turned his head and didn't dare to look at it again, Lin Fan didn't care, he just thought it was funny.

After entering the courtyard, Lin Fan saw an old man squatting on the ground, constantly sifting medicinal herbs from a dustpan.

It wasn't until a few people came in that the old man stood up and said to the boy, "Okay, Yuanzhi, there's nothing for you to do here, let's play!"

The boy answered, did not disturb the grandfather and they talked about business, and went to the yard to play by himself.

The old man slapped his back with his hand and said, "Old man! I just squatted for a while, and my back hurts! People, it's not okay to be old! ”

Shopkeeper Zhang hurriedly said: "Uncle Zhou, you are not old, you look younger than me!"

The old man stroked his gray beard, and scolded with an angry smile: "Hehe! Just you can talk! Your kid always goes to the Three Treasures Hall for nothing, say, what are you doing this time? ”

The old man turned around, only then did he see Lin Fan, and asked suspiciously, "I don't know who this adult is?"

Lin Fan hurriedly saluted and said, "Boy Lin Fan, I've seen Uncle Zhou!"

"Lin Fan?" The old man thought for a while before he said, "Could it be that you are Lin Fan of the Inspection Department who has recently become famous?"

Lin Fan replied: "It's the kid!"

The old man didn't care about Lin Fan's identity at all, and even had some resistance, he asked indifferently, "I don't know what Lord Lin is doing when he comes to me?"

"That's right, the kid came here this time to ask for something! The government is preparing to exterminate the bandits in Shuanglongling in the near future, and now it needs a guide who is familiar with the situation in the mountains, and I hope that the seniors can go out of the mountains to help, and the kid is grateful! Lin Fan explained the intention.

"What does it have to do with me that you want to exterminate the bandits? My old bones are loose and crumbling, and they won't be of much use! The old man was clearly not willing to meddle in the matter.

"The seniors are too modest! There is a hidden cave in the back mountain of Shuanglong Ridge that can lead to the cave in front, and the shopkeeper Zhang said that only the seniors know where this cave is, so the kid came to invite the seniors out of the mountain! Lin Fan explained.

"I said, it's none of the business with me! Go away, I'm not going to help you! The old man still said.

At this time, the shopkeeper Zhang spoke: "Uncle Zhou, have you forgotten that a few years ago, when Yuanzhi's father and mother went into the mountains to collect medicine, they died in the hands of those bandits, haven't you always wanted to avenge them all these years?" Why are you reluctant to make a move now that the opportunity has come? ”

The old man was very stubborn, "Boy Zhang, I know you want to help me." But so many years have passed since that incident, and I have long been downplayed! ”

"I don't want to cause so much trouble anymore, I just want to watch Yuanzhi grow up, and then marry a wife and have children, and then I will die with peace of mind. As for whether this revenge can be avenged, it doesn't matter so much to me! ”

"Uncle Zhou! You ......"

"Okay, don't say any more, I can't afford to offend those people because of a small family like me. It doesn't matter if I'm dead, but Yuanzhi is still young, I have to let him live! The old man stopped the shopkeeper.

Shopkeeper Zhang had no choice but to look at Lin Fan, "Lord Lin, what do you think this should be?" ”

Lin Fan didn't respond to him, but looked at the boy who was dancing with guns and sticks in the yard.

He asked the old man with some curiosity: "Dare to ask the seniors, is this kid called Yuanzhi?" That's a good name! ”

Shopkeeper Zhang glanced at him in surprise, you are at most two or three years older than others, and you are actually called a child, how are you embarrassed to call it?

However, Lin Fan's identity and status were there, and he couldn't say that it was wrong, but he felt a little awkward.

Speaking of his grandson, the old man did not refuse to be thousands of miles away like just now, but stroked his beard with satisfaction: "The people in the mountains don't have much knowledge, so they deal with some herbs all day long, which is why they gave him such a name."

Lin Fan asked again, "Yuanzhi likes to practice martial arts?"

The old man nodded sadly, "Since the accident of this child's parents, this child has fallen in love with martial arts, saying that he wants to practice his skills to avenge his parents." At first, I also persuaded him, but then the child was too difficult, so he had to let him. ”

"Looks like he's learned a little from others!" Lin Fan said again.

The old man nodded, "Well, I've studied for a few days with a Jianghu guest who came here to perform arts." But I didn't understand any of this, and I didn't expect adults to see it at a glance. ”

Lin Fan got the answer he wanted, so he got up and walked towards Zhou Yuanzhi.