Feng Jiu’er and Qiao Mu went to another pharmacy in the town, one located in a somewhat out-of-the-way spot, its storefront even smaller than the first.

The person minding the shop was a woman, about twenty-something years old.

The woman looked at the two who had entered, a glint of astonishment flashing in her eyes.

But she quickly reined in emotions that shouldn’t have shown.

“For consultations, go on inside. For medicine, bring the prescription slip over here.” The woman withdrew her gaze and waved her hand.

There was a touch of disdain in her tone.

With a clink, Qiao Mu set a piece of silver down on the table.

“We’re just looking around,” she said flatly.

The woman first glanced at the silver on the table, and when she raised her eyes again, they were full of smiles.

“Looking around?” She blinked. “No trouble at all, look all you like — there’s nothing in our shop that can’t be seen.”

The words had barely left her mouth before she snatched up the silver and bit down on it to test it.

Not a single customer all day, and now two people showed up handing over money — she was delighted.

With the shopkeeper’s permission granted, Feng Jiu’er didn’t hold back either.

She looked the place over from front to back, top to bottom, and her gaze finally settled on the woman.

“Is this your shop?” Feng Jiu’er asked.

“It’s my family’s,” the woman replied, rubbing the silver against her sleeve.

Feng Jiu’er glanced toward the inner room and asked, “You’re not the one who does consultations?”

“No,” the woman shook her head. “That’s my father-in-law. He’s the one who opened the shop. I just mind the counter and fetch medicine for people.”

“By the way, who are you two? Why are you looking around our shop? We’re a proper, legitimate business — nothing wrong here at all.”

“Business doesn’t seem to be doing very well for you,” said Feng Jiu’er, paying the woman little mind.

The woman hadn’t expected Feng Jiu’er to suddenly say something like that, and she froze for a moment.

But she quickly recovered, raised an eyebrow, and lowered her head again to look at the silver in her hand.

“It’s true, business isn’t good. The location’s no good — we only get trade from the neighborhood, and this village doesn’t have many people with money. Sigh!”

“My father-in-law’s medical skill is quite good. I’ve told him time and again to leave this village and open a shop in town, but he won’t hear of it. Nothing I can do!”

Feng Jiu’er furrowed her brow, watching the woman who kept staring wide-eyed at the silver clutched in her hands.

“So you’re saying this shop alone isn’t enough to make your family well-off?”

“Tch!” The woman waved a hand, glanced back at the door to the inner room, then turned back around.

“If I didn’t have my own little scheme, we wouldn’t even be able to put food on the table.”

“How so?” Qiao Mu asked.

The woman looked at Qiao Mu, then at Feng Jiu’er, blinked, and lowered her head to keep fiddling with her silver.

“This money-making scheme — if I go around telling everyone, wouldn’t I be cutting off my own livelihood?”

“We have no interest in your money-making scheme.” Qiao Mu pulled out another piece of silver, the same size, and set it in front of the woman.

“Do you know anyone from Panlong Stronghold?” Qiao Mu tapped the table with the silver. “Just tell me yes or no.”

Qiao Mu hated nothing more than someone dragging things out, and looking at this arrogant woman, she’d already felt the urge to hit her.

The woman stared at the silver in Qiao Mu’s hand, her eyes gleaming brighter than starlight.

“I know them, I know them.” The woman said it, then looked up at Qiao Mu.

“I know them,” she said again, and reached out her hand. “What do you want to know?”

All she could think about was silver — as if nothing in this world mattered more than money.

Qiao Mu didn’t hand the silver over right away — this woman really was greedy.

“I want to know everything you know about Panlong Stronghold,” Qiao Mu said, pulling the silver back and tossing it up in front of the woman.

It had been a single piece of silver, but when it was tossed up again, somehow there were now two pieces — and both just as large.

The woman’s eyes tracked the silver as it rose and fell.

“Is all of that for me?” she asked.

“If your answers are useful to us, all of it is yours,” Qiao Mu replied.

The woman was overjoyed, the corners of her mouth curling up. “I don’t really know anyone important from Panlong Stronghold myself, but I do know some of their people.”

“What I mean is—” the woman said, a little anxiously.

She rubbed her fingertips together and continued, “They send me herbs every day, but the people who deliver them keep changing.”

“So whether I ‘know’ them or not, I honestly don’t know how to answer that.”

“Why do they deliver herbs to you every day?” Feng Jiu’er frowned, glancing around.

“And besides, your shop can’t possibly need a fresh delivery of herbs every single day, can it?”

“Of course it’s not for my shop,” the woman said, glancing at Feng Jiu’er before her gaze quickly returned to Qiao Mu’s hand.

She thought it over, then let out a soft sigh. “Ah, well — come with me.”

With that, the woman walked out from behind the counter and headed toward the door leading further inside.

Feng Jiu’er and Qiao Mu exchanged a glance and followed after her.

The door opened, revealing a courtyard inside.

At a glance, one could easily spot herbs spread out on the ground.

The woman walked out and stopped.

“Look — these are the herbs I’ve bought from the people at Panlong Stronghold.”

“Once these herbs dry out, we only keep a little for ourselves. Most of it gets sent elsewhere.”

“Sent where?” Feng Jiu’er stepped out from behind Qiao Mu, looking at the herbs on the ground.

“Sent to where?” she asked again.

“My husband takes them to the towns further inland. Our herbs are cheap, and several pharmacies in other towns buy up what we have,” the woman said.

“Usually it’s the towns to the south — several of those towns have no mountains and not enough farmland, so it’s hard for them to find herbs there.”

“Panlong Stronghold must have plenty of herbs. I saw their people come recommending their herbs, and that’s when I came up with this idea.”

“These days our family basically survives by selling these raw, not-yet-processed herbs.”

“So like I said — if it weren’t for my clever idea, this shop alone would leave our whole family drinking the northwest wind.”

“Did they deliver herbs today?” Feng Jiu’er cut into the woman’s rambling.

The woman turned to look at her and nodded. “They did.”

“What’s going on?” She frowned, looking between Qiao Mu and Feng Jiu’er. “You two aren’t really planning to—”

“No!” Qiao Mu held out the silver in her hand.

The woman’s eyes lit up, and she scurried back two steps in delight to take the silver.

“For now, don’t say a word to anyone about what happened today,” Qiao Mu said coldly.

The woman felt a chill and looked up. “I—I—I understand.”

“What time is tomorrow’s delivery?” Qiao Mu’s voice remained heavy.

“The hour of Si,” the woman said. “They said the herbs have been growing well these days, so they’ll be delivering every day.”

“What… are you two planning to do?”

“You don’t need to know!” Qiao Mu turned and looked at Feng Jiu’er.

The woman flinched, a flicker of fear rising in her eyes.

Feng Jiu’er’s gaze settled on the woman, and she spoke softly, reassuringly, “We’ll come back tomorrow at the hour of Si.”

“This matter absolutely cannot be revealed to anyone for now. Just carry out your trade as usual.”

“Any losses you suffer, we will absolutely repay double.”