The stone forest was vast—looking left, there was no end in sight, and looking right, the same.

The brothers gazed at the massive expanse of stone formations, and many of them couldn’t help but sigh.

Just standing beside this place and looking at it was enough to make one dizzy and disoriented, let alone actually going in.

“Jiu’er, should we push through?” Qiao Mu asked in a low voice after a moment.

These stone formations were strange. At first glance, every cluster looked different. But when you looked closely, you’d suddenly find that every cluster was remarkably similar.

Feng Jiu’er turned to look at the brothers, and in the end shook her head. “Let’s wait a little longer.”

This wasn’t their own territory, after all—she couldn’t lead the brothers into unnecessary risk.

“We won’t force our way through the stone-forest formation today,” Feng Jiu’er continued.

“We spoke with people from Panlong Stronghold earlier. They’re hoping to find a long-term partner to purchase their herbs.”

“Perhaps that’s something we can use as leverage in negotiations.”

“A partner to purchase herbs?” Long Qi frowned.

Feng Jiu’er hadn’t had the chance to tell Long Qi about this when they first entered.

She looked at Long Qi and Yue Shan and said, “We ran into people from Panlong Stronghold today and spoke with them.”

“They said the stronghold has been cultivating a lot of herbs, and they urgently need a long-term buyer.”

“Our Longying Pharmacy would be a perfect fit.”

“If we can establish a business relationship with Panlong Stronghold, I don’t think they’ll mind letting us pass through.”

“Miss Jiu’er, you’ve only been here one day, and you already know all this?” Yue Shan looked at Feng Jiu’er, his face full of admiration.

“Miss Jiu’er is our boss’s woman—of course she’s no ordinary person,” Long Qi said proudly.

Feng Jiu’er looked at the two of them, smiled faintly, and turned to address everyone.

“We won’t push through today. Right now, let’s split into two groups and scout both sides to see what we can find.”

“If the negotiations don’t work out, we’ll still have to force our way through tomorrow. I heard the brothers skilled in this kind of formation should arrive by this afternoon.”

“Good!”

“That settles it, then.”

“If it doesn’t work, we push through tomorrow.”

“……”

The brothers spoke up one after another, all agreeing with Feng Jiu’er’s plan.

The fifty brothers split into two teams—Long Qi leading one, Yue Shan leading the other.

Before they left, Feng Jiu’er addressed everyone. “Today is only for scouting. Under no circumstances force your way through.”

“None of your groups are large in number—forcing through would give you no chance of success. I don’t want any brothers going missing, understood?”

“Understood!” the brothers replied in unison.

“Good.” Feng Jiu’er nodded. “Long Qi, Yue Shan, if you find nothing by noon, head back.”

“If you run into danger, don’t forget to fire the signal flare.”

“Got it.” Long Qi nodded.

“Understood.” Yue Shan nodded as well.

The two teams departed, leaving behind only Feng Jiu’er, Qiao Mu, Feng Yinan, and Jian Yi.

Feng Jiu’er turned to look at the stone-forest formation. After a moment, she said, “I intend to go in and take a look.”

“I already had the same idea,” Qiao Mu said, glancing sideways at her.

“Maybe there’s nothing to it. If it’s just for show, wouldn’t that be quite a loss for us?”

“Then let’s go,” Feng Jiu’er said, waving a hand as she walked off.

There weren’t many of them, so she wasn’t worried.

Just for show? Not a chance! Still, it was necessary to understand the situation.

At noon, Feng Jiu’er and the others returned to the city.

They were told someone was waiting for them at a restaurant.

Feng Jiu’er had a good feeling about this. She took Qiao Mu and headed straight for the restaurant the brothers had mentioned.

At the restaurant, in a private room on the second floor, Feng Jiu’er met an unfamiliar woman.

“The two of you, please, this way!” the man guarding the entrance said, waving them in.

Feng Jiu’er glanced inside once more, then stepped in. Qiao Mu followed behind her.

The private room was by the window, and looking down, one could see the street below.

The woman seated in the room was tall and well-proportioned.

Her skin was somewhat dark—dark compared to other women, but she looked to be in excellent health.

Her complexion wasn’t the standard beauty’s tone, but it didn’t diminish her distinctive beauty in the least.

Her eyes were large and somewhat deep-set, her nose sharp and straight, and the line of her lips was nearly perfect.

What left the deepest impression was her eyes—lively, spirited, sparkling with light.

“Please, sit!” the woman said, waving a hand and speaking the invitation with a bold, forthright air.

Feng Jiu’er and Qiao Mu sat down on the bench across from her.

The woman stood and poured tea for each of them.

“I wonder if you two have had lunch yet?” the woman asked after sitting back down, waving her hand once more.

“Not yet,” Feng Jiu’er answered honestly.

It was already past noon, and her stomach was growling.

She had originally planned to return to the city to eat, never expecting someone would be waiting for her at a restaurant.

Feng Jiu’er noticed that Panlong Stronghold’s people were stationed both inside and outside the first floor, while the second floor seemed to have only the man guarding outside and this woman.

There were about ten of them in total, and each had a mark of the character “Dragon” on the back of their neck.

“How should I address you, Miss?” the woman asked.

“My surname is Long,” Feng Jiu’er said, cupping her hands.

“Hello, Miss Long.” The woman cupped her hands in return. “My surname is Gong, given name Xinyue. Just call me Xinyue.”

Gong Xinyue looked toward Qiao Mu and nodded slightly. “And how should I address you, Miss?”

“Qiao Mu,” Qiao Mu answered softly.

Gong Xinyue smiled faintly at the two of them. “Miss Long, Miss Qiao, I am the stronghold master of Panlong Stronghold.”

“Today, the brothers came back and said you’re from Longying Pharmacy, interested in seeing the herbs in our stronghold and wanting to work with us.”

“But since none of us have eaten yet, let’s eat first.”

Gong Xinyue glanced outside and waved a hand.

The man outside nodded and led the waiter over.

“The three of you, what would you like to eat?” the waiter asked, bowing.

“Miss Long, Miss Qiao, what would you like?” Gong Xinyue said, looking at the two of them. “It’s my treat today.”

Feng Jiu’er glanced at Qiao Mu, her expression quite pleased.

She hadn’t expected to meet the stronghold master directly.

Still, if the stronghold master had been unwilling to come out, they’d already planned to force their way in the next day. Time was pressing—there wasn’t a moment to waste.

“Xinyue, you can call me Jiu’er, and call her Qiao Mu. We really are from Longying,” Feng Jiu’er said, standing and extending her hand.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you today.”

The stronghold master of Panlong Stronghold was a woman—and such a young one at that. Why had no one told her?

Gong Xinyue stood and shook Feng Jiu’er’s hand.

“Jiu’er, Qiao Mu, it’s a pleasure to meet you both.”

Her voice wasn’t especially gentle, but it was pleasant to listen to.

Neither Feng Jiu’er nor Qiao Mu could deny that their first impression of this stronghold master was a good one.

Qiao Mu stood as well and shook Gong Xinyue’s hand.

“Jiu’er and I aren’t picky eaters—just order whatever, but please make it quick. We’re hungry.”

The moment she finished speaking, Qiao Mu sat back down.

“All right!” Gong Xinyue nodded and looked up at the waiter.

“Make several of your best dishes, as fast as possible!”

“Yes!” The waiter nodded and turned to leave.

The man withdrew as well, leaving only the three women in the private room.

—