Chapter 26: A Massive Profit

These two men were local hoodlums from Sheng Chunhua’s village. When Sheng Chunhua returned home wearing silver bracelets yesterday, word had already spread that her niece had dug up ginseng and sold it for thirty taels of silver.

The greedy had been drawn in, and the two men had quickly conspired to rob Sheng Wanqiu and then ravage her, believing the thirty taels would then be theirs for the taking.

To steal both wealth and virtue—they certainly had grand ideas!

Sheng Wanqiu wandered along, a faint smile on her lips, observing her surroundings as if she were merely walking a dog. She had seen enough; she had a clear grasp of the merchants in Sishui Town. Once she returned, she would start planting watermelons. No one in this area seemed to be selling fruit, so she had stumbled upon a lucrative niche—a chance to make a fortune.

But first, she had to deal with these two wretched little rats.

Sheng Wanqiu turned into an alleyway, and the two men followed immediately behind.

"Master, look—is that the girl who stripped those people last time?"

Ling Yi had sharp eyes. As he pointed, Lu Yu saw Sheng Wanqiu carrying her basket into the alley, followed by two men with clearly malicious intent.

"Master, should we follow and take a look?" Ling Yi asked, anxious, as he too sensed the danger.

"She will not come to any harm," Lu Yu said, his voice calm and light.

"But what if she does? Let me check; I might be able to help!" Ling Yi was genuinely curious and worried. After all, it was Sheng Wanqiu who had exposed the foreign spies last time, allowing them to secure intelligence and thwart the enemy's plans.

"Noisy!"

Despite his words, Lu Yu was already walking toward the alley. Ling Yi followed, silently chiding his master for being such a hypocrite. The two used their lightness skills to leap onto a roof, only to stop and stare at each other in shock.

Lu Yu: "???" Ling Yi, is this what you call 'coming to harm'? Who exactly is the one suffering here?

Ling Yi: Tragic! Simply too tragic!

Sheng Wanqiu had walked deep into the alley, and once the two men caught up, she turned around with a cold sneer.

"You’ve been following me for quite a while now. Aren't you tired?"

The two men were stunned. The girl had known they were there all along; she had been playing with them the whole time!

"Hand over your silver, and we'll spare your lives!"

"Hurry! Don't force our hands!" The two grew desperate, their anger boiling over at the realization they had been mocked.

"And what if I say no?" Sheng Wanqiu set down her basket, crossed her arms, and looked at them with utter disdain.

"Then don't blame us for being impolite!" The two exchanged a glance and charged at her.

Sheng Wanqiu didn't panic; she crouched down, pulled a brick from her basket, and with lightning speed, cracked it over their heads. Blood sprayed instantly.

As the two men collapsed, Sheng Wanqiu looked down at them with a cold smile. Youth is wonderful—they fell asleep the moment they hit the ground!

This was the scene Lu Yu and Ling Yi witnessed. Tsk, tsk, tsk! They felt a flicker of sympathy for the two hoodlums; it looked painful.

Sheng Wanqiu checked their breath. They weren't dead—just barely clinging to life. To avoid future trouble, and since there were no surveillance cameras here, she decided to resolve the root of the problem.

She drew a sharp, gleaming dagger from her calf holster and cleanly severed their hamstrings and tendons, then sliced out their tongues. Don't call her cruel; she was sparing their lives, wasn't she? For scum like this, only such measures would ensure they remained docile and stopped harming other women. It was a service to the public.

She rummaged through their clothes. Bah! Poor wretches! Only a few copper coins! Still, money was money, and she dropped the coins into her purse, enjoying the pleasant clinking sound.

By the time Sheng Wanqiu had walked far away, the master and servant in the shadows finally dared to breathe.

"Too tragic!" Ling Yi sighed, clutching his chest.

"The show is over. Let's go," Lu Yu said, leaping off the roof. Ling Yi took one last look at the two men, who lay on the ground in an unknown state of life or death, and shivered. He decided that if he ever saw that girl again, he would definitely take a detour.

"Ah, Young Master! You’ve come! A rare guest indeed!"

Ding Dali looked at Lu Yu as if he were the God of Wealth. He was here for the ginseng; his silver was secure.

"Where is it?" Lu Yu sat down. His deep blue martial attire made him look exceptionally elegant, appearing entirely out of place in the dilapidated medical clinic.

"I’ll fetch it right away! Please, have some tea!" Ding Dali served the tea with fawning enthusiasm before hurrying to the backyard to retrieve the ginseng.

"Heavens! Is this the thousand-year ginseng?" Ling Yi exclaimed. Having been by his master's side for so long, this was the first time he had seen a specimen of such quality.

"Indeed! This is a thousand-year ginseng. Don't say you haven't seen one; I’ve practiced medicine for years and have never seen one either. It took me a monumental effort to acquire this." Ding Dali began to boast, praising the ginseng as if it were a divine treasure, all to squeeze out a few more taels.

"Slap!" Lu Yu didn't waste words; he slammed the banknotes onto the table.

Ding Dali picked them up, beaming. Wow! Twenty-five thousand taels! Inside, he was screaming with delight—he had made a killing!

Lu Yu took the packaged ginseng and left, Ling Yi following closely behind.

"Walk slowly, Young Master! Please give my regards to the eldest young master. If I find anything else of quality, I will send a message by pigeon immediately." Ding Dali bowed them out, clutching his banknotes. Watching them leave, he sighed. Lu Yu might be cold, but he was truly devoted to his brother, Lu Li.

When the Princess was pregnant with the eldest son, she had shielded the Prince from a poisoned blade. Though treated in time, the poison had affected the fetus, leaving the eldest son with a weak constitution and a prophecy that he would not live past ten. The royal house never lacked tonics, and the eldest son had been fed medicine his entire life, miraculously surviving for eighteen years.

Lu Yu was two years younger, and from childhood, he had looked after his frail brother. Ding Dali knew that as long as he claimed to have thousand-year ginseng, the second young master would surely come.

After dealing with the two pieces of trash, Sheng Wanqiu asked a passerby for directions to the livestock market and headed over. Now that she had money, buying a donkey cart wasn't too much to ask, was it? Improving her quality of life was something she had already discussed with Mother Sheng. If she kept the money, people would surely pester her to borrow it constantly—it was annoying. Since they knew she had thirty taels, she might as well spend it all to eliminate any future trouble.

She held her nose as she entered the market. The smell was truly eye-watering—the stench of livestock excrement was simply overwhelming.