The young police officer swore up and down, and a few of the street racers also stepped forward to testify. The old police officer finally believed that what had just sped past wasn't a car, but a person.
In his astonishment, he couldn't help but mutter, "To break a hundred kilometers per hour just by runningā¦ is he a man or a ghost?"
Ghost?!
That word sent a collective shiver down the spines of the police and the street racers.
"It can't be that freaky, can it?"
The group exchanged glances, and each saw a flicker of fear in the others' eyes.
After that, a legend began to spread through Rongcheng City's underground racing scene. It was said that someone had died while racing on Huiling Street in University City. After death, he had transformed into a Fierce Ghost wearing a Bald Qiang mask, who now haunted the area around Huiling Street, looking for other racers to take his place!
The result of this legend was that for a long time, no one dared to race on Huiling Street. Many even gave up the dangerous hobby of street racing altogetherā¦
Of course, Zhao Yuan was unaware of any of this.
After another five or six minutes of sprinting at full tilt, the Shrinking Earth Talisman lost its effect. Including the time from before, Zhao Yuan estimated the talisman's effective duration was about fifteen minutes. It wasn't long, but more than enough to handle an emergency.
'I should stock up on these Shrinking Earth Talismans. They could be useful in all sorts of situations,' Zhao Yuan mused. After tossing the Bald Qiang mask, he took out his phone, opened a map app, and followed the directions back to West Hua Medical University.
ćSoon, it was Saturday.ć
Zhao Yuan had a basketball game in the afternoon, so he left school bright and early. He headed for the traditional medicine market to deliver the Soul-Stabilizing Incense he'd made over the past few days to Fang Yi.
When he arrived at Hundred Herbs Hall, Zhao Yuan found the place was packedāall of them wanting to buy Soul-Stabilizing Incense.
A few clerks from Hundred Herbs Hall were handing out slips of paper to the crowd. Zhao Yuan squeezed closer for a look and saw they were numbered tickets.
Apparently, with Soul-Stabilizing Incense getting more and more popular in Rongcheng City and Zhao Yuan unable to keep up with production, Fang Yi decided being mobbed every day wasn't sustainable. So, he had implemented a ticket system. Customers could take a number, leave their phone number, and go home to wait for a call.
When stock arrived and your number was up, they would call you to come and make your purchase. Each number was limited to one box of Soul-Stabilizing Incense, and you had only one day to pick it up. Miss that window, and you'd have to get a new ticket and get back in line.
Many people were so desperate to buy multiple boxes that they hired others to queue for tickets on their behalf. It reached a point where even the scalpers who typically haunted the hospitals had set their sights on Hundred Herbs Hall, intending to expand their operationsā¦
Seeing the scene inside Hundred Herbs Hall, Zhao Yuan abandoned any thought of going in.
'With this many people, if I walk in there with a fresh batch of Soul-Stabilizing Incense, won't I cause a riot?' He turned and started walking toward the market exit, pulling out his phone to call Fang Yi as he went.
After waiting near the market's main entrance for seven or eight minutes, a panting Fang Yi came running out. Seeing Zhao Yuan, he immediately started complaining, "Oh, for crying out loud, my dear Boss Zhao, you're finally here! If you hadn't shown up with a new delivery, I don't think I could've held out. Do you have any idea how many people have tickets and are waiting for Soul-Stabilizing Incense? We're talking tens of thousands!"
"Alright, alright, stop complaining. I'm here with a delivery, aren't I? Here are a hundred boxes for you." Zhao Yuan handed the large black plastic bag he was carrying to Fang Yi.
"Only a hundred boxes? That's a drop in the bucket!" Fang Yi sighed, then immediately asked, "Little Brother Zhao, I've got the factory all sorted out and the workers are hired. When do you think you can come over and mix the ingredients?"
What Fang Yi looked forward to most was the factory starting operations. Relying on Zhao Yuan alone to produce the Soul-Stabilizing Incense was not nearly enough to meet demand. Only when the factory was up and running could this severe shortage be alleviated.
"No time like the present. How about we go now? Are you free?" Zhao Yuan asked.
"Free! Of course I'm free!" Fang Yi couldn't have been happier. He held the large plastic bag full of Soul-Stabilizing Incense in one hand, grabbed Zhao Yuan with the other, and started pulling him toward the nearby parking lot.
They got in the car and drove toward the suburbs. A little over half an hour later, Fang Yi's Audi sedan pulled into a pharmaceutical factory in the Western Suburbs of Rongcheng.
Zhao Yuan got out of the car and looked around.
The factory wasn't large, but it had everything it needed. The facilities and equipment were all there.
Seeing Fang Yi, a middle-aged man hurried out from the small, two-story office building beside the main plant to greet them.
Fang Yi beckoned him over. "Old Zheng, come here. Let me introduce you. This is Boss Zhao Yuan, my partner. He's also the majority shareholder in this factory. Me? I'm just working for him to get by."
Then he pointed at the middle-aged man and said to Zhao Yuan, "This is Zheng Qiang. He manages the factory when I'm not around. He's been with me for over a decade, completely trustworthy!"
Zhao Yuan nodded and extended his hand to Zheng Qiang with a smile. "Hello, Uncle Zheng. I'll be counting on you to manage things here. And please, don't listen to Brother Fang's nonsense. I wouldn't dare call myself his boss."
As they shook hands, Zheng Qiang silently wondered about Zhao Yuan's background.
He had known Fang Yi was planning a partnership, but not who it was with or what the project entailed. Hearing now that Zhao Yuan was the majority shareholder, he was both surprised and intensely curious.
"Little Brother Zhao, you call Old Zheng 'Uncle' but me 'Brother.' Aren't you short-changing me a generation? How about you just call me Uncle, too?" Fang Yi joked.
Zhao Yuan rolled his eyes at him, refusing to take the bait. He got straight to business. "The place looks good. How about the ingredients? Are they all ready?"
Fang Yi, his attention successfully diverted, nodded. "They were ready long ago, all ground into powder. We're just waiting for you to do the mixing."
"Alright, I'll go mix the medicine now." With that, Zhao Yuan strode toward the main plant.
"You go on. I won't go in with you," Fang Yi said, stopping in his tracks.
In his eyes, the formulation involved specific proportions and was a trade secret. It wouldn't be right for him to be there.
But even though he wasn't following Zhao Yuan into the factory, he still had plenty to say. "Inside, you'll find that batch of new ingredients you asked me to procure. Take a look and see if the quality meets your standards. As for the production license, I've already been in touch with the Food and Drug Administration. As soon as you have the new product ready, we can send it over for inspection. If there are no issues, they'll grant approval right away."
"Alright, got it," Zhao Yuan called back, striding into the main plant.