“Drink up, you little cannon over there, girl, stop staring, the one to my right is cheaper.”
Faced with the Fat Man’s beckoning, Jiang Sui didn’t rush over, but glanced at the Black Monkey with kidneys exposed.
Since her senior had confirmed that this person wasn’t dangerous, she walked over and sat down opposite him.
“So you’re… the Apothecary?” Jiang Sui asked.
“Haha, miss, you have a good eye,” the Fat Man laughed, “Ever since I was a kid, my family always said I should become a medical student. Looks like my dream came true after all, huh?”
Selling Secret Arts Practitioners the medicines they need, one way or another, is basically being a doctor.
“I thought you’d be older.”
“You’re younger than I expected, too. I’m at most in my early twenties,” the Apothecary said, taking a big gulp of liquor. “Picked a good place, right? Doing Wild Trade here is way safer than outside.”
Indeed, a place full of only Secret Arts Practitioners could ward off the usual riffraff to some extent.
All around them, men were drinking with red faces, paying no attention to their corner at all.
A place like this wasn’t somewhere just anyone could enter. Jiang Sui had to pay the Apothecary a deposit and use his connections to find it.
“The things I mentioned online before, did you bring them all?” Jiang Sui asked.
“I brought them, brought them all,” the Apothecary nodded repeatedly. “The internet’s a great thing these days, no more waiting on letters to contact buyers or risky offline meetups. The former’s a pain, and the latter can get you killed and robbed.”
He rambled on to himself, completely ignoring Jiang Sui sitting right there.
The client was right in front of him—could a person like this really make good stuff?
If not for the fact that she couldn’t buy the materials she needed directly, Jiang Sui wouldn’t have sought someone like him out.
“Are your goods really as good as you claim?”
“What, you looking down on me?” The Apothecary suddenly bristled. “The herbs I sell, I grow them myself. The creatures from the biology department, I raise them myself. Miss, your words are a bit harsh.”
“I’m not doubting your goods, it’s just that many people deliberately inflate their prices.”
From the start, Jiang Sui had kept haggling, and the Fat Man’s tongue was tight—he refused to let slip any hint of lowering his price.
Seeing that Jiang Sui’s attitude remained unchanged, the Apothecary scratched his head, then continued,
“Fine, eighty percent of the asking price, but not a cent less.”
“You agreed so fast?” Jiang Sui frowned.
“To be honest, this is my last deal in Lan City. Once I get paid, I’m leaving tomorrow,” the Apothecary shrugged. “There’s no good hiding place in this hellhole, and I can barely make a few deals a year. I’ve wanted to leave for a while.”
He started up again, grumbling about how tough his years in Lan City had been, how doing this sort of business always drew the attention of the Police Station and the Execution Division, and how one misstep could land him in trouble.
What really annoyed him was that the city’s Execution Division was such a force—otherwise, he’d have been invited in for tea more than once already.
Jiang Sui pinched her brow, finding face-to-face transactions with people like this exhausting.
The man babbled on and on, but the only valid point was that the local Execution Division was a real force to be reckoned with.
“Alright, alright, aren’t you in a hurry to leave? Let’s get on with it.”
“Okay, okay, cash or transfer?”
“Either is fine.”
One hand for money, one hand for goods—just like that, the transaction was quickly finished.
Once she’d collected what she wanted, Jiang Sui got up to leave. Behind her, the Apothecary called out,
“Miss, if fate allows, let’s meet again. Remember to buy from me next time.”
Let’s see if we ever meet again.
Leaving the underground trading den, Jiang Sui once again saw the clear sky above and felt instantly refreshed.
“That guy wasn’t bad,” Black Pig jumped down from her shoulder. “He might become a regular helper for us.”
“Is that so? I really can’t stand listening to that man talk—couldn’t get a word in.”
“At least he never showed any malicious intent the whole time. There are too many who want to kill and rob. It’s hard to find a reliable merchant.”
“Alright, alright, our scout pig is working hard.”
Giving Black Pig’s head a quick rub, Jiang Sui prepared to leave the alley.
“Wait.”
“What?”
Jiang Sui looked back.
“Let me finish eating these first.”
The black cat said, lowering its head again to the leftovers Jiang Sui had set on the ground earlier.
Didn’t you say you didn’t eat scraps?
Even though Black Pig’s fussiness delayed her a little, Jiang Sui still made it back to the manor before nightfall. She placed all the materials she bought into the Secret Treasure Chest, then stuffed it under her bed.
The crazy talisman she’d accidentally burned through the ceiling last time had already been patched up by herself.
Now, she could continue performing her Wild Trade rituals in peace!
For the next while, Jiang Sui’s days didn’t change—school, work, making money, and teasing Lu Yunze on repeat, especially the last part, which took up most of her energy.
Lu Yunze’s attitude had also changed a lot. At first, whenever Jiang Sui teased him, he’d run far away; now, he no longer avoided her.
Even if she played a little rough, Lu Yunze would just frown and scold her a few times, then continue blushing from her teasing.
Of course, aside from Lu Yunze, Jiang Sui was also keeping an eye on the situation with Qianyao.
She had to not only catch the man she wanted, but also guard against other women making moves.
Luckily, Luo Lin, that airheaded sweet girl, wasn’t much trouble as a rival. She never doubted Jiang Sui’s trust and often confided her complaints.
“Lately, someone’s been deliberately spreading rumors about me, and even sabotaging things I’ve done,” Qianyao brought it up more than once to Jiang Sui.
“So strange, I don’t remember doing anything to offend anyone. Maybe because I took second place at the school festival, some creatures are jealous?”
“How could they treat our little Yao like that? Too much!” Tingke cried out in shock.
“They better hope I don’t find out who’s behind it,” Luo Lin said angrily.
“That’s right.”
“I’ll show them what happens to those who offend the Luo Family.”
“Exactly.”
“He’s probably laughing at us behind our backs.”
“Hey… I mean, probably not.”
Qianyao grumbled but didn’t really take it to heart. To her, such slander could be solved with money—it was just a minor issue.
If anyone truly wanted to undermine her foundation, it would have to be a real move from behind the scenes.
After leaving Qianyao’s room, Jiang Sui began to consider her next step.
There was still time, and since Qianyao was still admiring herself in front of the mirror, she decided to go look for Lu Yunze first.
“I remember around this time, he should be in the courtyard tending his flowers.”
As soon as she left the manor, Jiang Sui spotted Lu Yunze. But he wasn’t alone.
Next to him stood a woman, and a gentle one at that.
“Sorry for dropping by so suddenly, is Qianyao home?”
“Qianyao should be in her room. Let’s go inside and talk.”
Lu Yunze led the guest, Li Zhiya, past Jiang Sui. He shivered slightly as he walked by.
“What’s wrong?”
“Nothing, young master, everything’s fine,” the little servant forced a smile—one that seemed oddly meaningful. “Who’d have thought our strange young master would be so gentlemanly in front of an outsider lady?”
“What? What are you talking about?”
Lu Yunze was baffled, but thankfully, Li Zhiya didn’t catch Jiang Sui’s meaning. Still, seeing another girl reminded her of that chicken-and-snake cake, and her face paled a little.
Of course, Jiang Sui wouldn’t tease a timid girl. Instead, she helped Lu Yunze greet the guest, and went to inform Qianyao in her room.
When she heard Li Zhiya was visiting, Luo Lin’s expression turned serious.
“She’s here?”
“Yeah, she came with Lu Yunze.”
“Oh.”
“She’s holding onto Lu Yunze’s arm.” (Of course, that was a lie.)
“Despicable—!”
With Jiang Sui adding fuel to the fire, Qianyao rushed out like a volcano about to erupt.
She went straight to Lu Yunze, making sure he performed every last bit of guest etiquette and business, before letting Li Zhiya finally get to the point.
“Um…”
Without saying much, Li Zhiya suddenly began to cry.
Everyone was stunned at the sight.
“What’s wrong?”
“This time, I came to invite all of you,”
Li Zhiya wiped her tears.
“I’d like to invite you to my family’s funeral.”
“What, Jin Fengcheng has died?”
Not only Lu Yunze and Qianyao, but Jiang Sui, who was listening from the corridor, also frowned.