Chapter 64 - 65: Purchasing Medicinal Herbs, Flying Thief

Chapter 64: Chapter 65: Purchasing Medicinal Herbs, Flying Thief

"You want to buy Red Blood Grass?"

In the courtyard, Liu Fang wore a crisp, practical outfit. She was wiping the sweat from her forehead after practicing martial arts. Learning the purpose of Su Chen’s visit, she looked a bit puzzled.

Su Chen nodded. "Yes. I wonder if you have any connections for this, Ms. Liu?"

"I do, but recently Red Blood Grass seems to be extremely scarce. I’m afraid it won’t be easy to get your hands on it on such short notice," Liu Fang mused after a moment of thought. Although her family was in the tea business, she still had some understanding of medicinal herbs, so she naturally knew about the shortage of Red Blood Grass over the past few months.

She paused for a moment and asked, "How much do you want?"

"The more, the better!" Su Chen replied.

He wanted so much because he was worried that his panel might require more Qi Blood medicines in the future. He figured he might as well take advantage of this period to buy a bit more, saving himself the trouble of bothering Liu Fang again later.

"As much as there is..." Liu Fang muttered to herself. She looked Su Chen up and down for a few seconds before nodding. "Alright, I’ll send someone to make some inquiries. I’ll let you know if there’s any news."

Hearing this, Su Chen cupped his hands. "Thank you, Ms. Liu."

Liu Fang waved her hand dismissively. "You’re welcome. However, I have to remind you of one thing. The price of this Red Blood Grass is not cheap. You need to be mentally prepared."

"Thank you for the reminder, Ms. Liu. Just go ahead and buy it, as long as it doesn’t exceed one hundred taels." Just in case, Su Chen gave a limit. It would be awkward if Liu Fang bought hundreds of taels’ worth and he didn’t have the money to pay for it.

Liu Fang smiled upon hearing this. "Alright!"

After chatting with Liu Fang for a few more sentences, Su Chen took his leave. She was simply too enthusiastic. After just a few words, she was already trying to play matchmaker for him. Unable to handle it, Su Chen had casually found an excuse to leave.

"Good sir, have mercy! Please spare a bite to eat!"

Arriving at Pingshi Street, Su Chen found the area utterly desolate. The street vendors that could once be seen seemed to have completely vanished, replaced by refugees in tattered clothes wandering the streets.

Su Chen walked from one end of the street to the other, his heart growing heavier by the minute. Begging along the street was one thing, but there were already people selling themselves to bury their fathers, or selling their own sons and daughters. The times were becoming increasingly difficult.

After walking around, Su Chen bought some grain and stocked up on daily necessities before finally heading home.

Over the next two days, Su Chen mostly stayed at home, studying medicine while waiting for Liu Fang’s news.

Liu Fang did not disappoint him. The following day, she sent someone with a message saying she had found a connection and asked Su Chen to come over.

Upon inquiring, Su Chen learned that the contact could sell about thirty stalks of Red Blood Grass, but the price was steep. Thirty stalks would cost a total of fifty taels of silver. This didn’t just cover the cost of the Red Blood Grass; it also included some bribery fees. Of course, despite the exorbitant price, both quality and quantity were guaranteed.

Su Chen thought it over for a moment and agreed. He paid a deposit of thirty taels to Liu Fang. After collecting the money, Liu Fang told him to go back and wait for news, promising to notify him as soon as the Red Blood Grass arrived.

Su Chen had no objections. Having received a definitive answer, he breathed a sigh of relief. If he had continued going to Medicine Town, even if that mute girl had Red Blood Grass, she probably wouldn’t have such a large quantity.

Now that he had found a connection and could buy the amount required by the panel all at once, it was a good thing for Su Chen. The only problem was the steep price.

There were still three or four days until Li Mo’s wedding.

On this day, Su Chen went to the Martial Arts Hall and found Hong Ming. After asking him about the details of giving gifts and money, he finally left.

By the afternoon, Su Chen brought his gifts and headed to the Zhang Mansion, the home of Li Mo’s father-in-law. Li Mo had already been living with the Zhang Family during this period.

At the Zhang Mansion.

Although the big wedding day of Li Mo and Zhang Wan’Er had not yet arrived, the place was already festively decorated with lanterns and colored banners, filling it with a joyous atmosphere.

Yet, despite this celebratory mood, Zhang Hong, the Patriarch of the Zhang Family, couldn’t bring himself to be happy.

"Father-in-law, with me here, if this Flying Thief truly dares to come and steal your ginseng, I’ll ensure it’s a one-way trip for him!" Li Mo comforted him, looking at Zhang Hong’s worried face.

"Alas!" Zhang Hong was not relieved by Li Mo’s assurance. The wrinkles on his face bunched together, impossible to smooth out.

It wasn’t that he doubted his son-in-law, but rather that this Flying Thief was simply too notorious.

The situation was as follows. Just last night, the Zhang Mansion had still been lively and bustling. Zhang Hong had been joyfully preparing for Zhang Wan’Er and Li Mo’s wedding. However, the appearance of a single letter had shattered his good mood.

The letter came from a burglar known as the Flying Thief. The sender openly declared that he would steal Zhang Hong’s treasured thirty-year-old ginseng the night after next, purposefully giving advance notice so Zhang Hong could prepare.

Faced with such a provocative letter, Li Mo and the others were naturally quite furious. Not only did they report to the Government Office, but they also hired several formidable Guards to watch over the Zhang Mansion. As soon as they spotted the thief, they would swarm him and capture him.

Yet even so, Zhang Hong remained uneasy. Although he didn’t know how the Flying Thief had learned about his thirty-year-old ginseng, since the thief had made such a claim, he must have been completely confident. This wasn’t merely a wild guess, but a conclusion drawn from the Flying Thief’s past exploits.

The Flying Thief was a figure who had emerged half a year ago, first appearing in Yellow Stone City. The moment he surfaced, he committed several major heists. His modus operandi was consistent: he would first send a letter notifying his target of what he intended to steal, allowing them time to prepare. Then, he would brazenly take the item mentioned in the letter.

He had struck a total of seven times without a single failure. Every item he stole was a treasure worth over one hundred taels of silver.

His most recent act was stealing the official seal of the Huang Shicheng County Magistrate. At the time, this incident caused a massive sensation in Yellow Stone City. In an attempt to catch the Flying Thief, the Government Office cast an inescapable net, but ultimately still failed to apprehend him. Not only did he manage to escape, but the official seal was lost as well.

If the Flying Thief hadn’t feared the wrath of the Government Office and eventually returned the seal, the Huang Shicheng County Magistrate would probably have been executed along with his entire clan by now. Of course, Zhang Hong didn’t know if this rumor was true or false, but ever since that incident, the Flying Thief’s reputation had skyrocketed.

However, after that, no further news of the Flying Thief came out of Yellow Stone City. Some people believed he had left because of the rebellion in Yellow Stone City, while others thought he had long since been captured and killed by the Government Office.

Back then, Zhang Hong had merely treated the Flying Thief’s exploits as casual dinner conversation and hadn’t paid much attention. He never expected the thief to come to White Stone City and, on his very first strike, target Zhang Hong’s ginseng.

This left Zhang Hong both anxious and terrified. After all, even the entire Government Office of Yellow Stone City hadn’t been able to prevent him from stealing the official seal. Given the strength of their Zhang Family, it would likely be of no use either.

"That’s right, Father. With Brother Mo here, nothing will happen. Just rest easy," a young woman chimed in to comfort him upon seeing Zhang Hong in such a state. She was none other than Li Mo’s fiancée, Zhang Wan’Er.

Hearing these words, Zhang Hong sighed. "That’s all we can do. I’ll have to trouble you when the time comes, Li Mo."