But precisely because of this, through continuous stinging and training, these Murder Bees were raised to be even more human-like and obedient than the venomous snakes in the cellar.

Of course, this doesn’t exclude her using medicine on them, bewildering their minds so they only listen to her commands.

Jiang Xue controls these venomous bees with a bamboo flute. Generally, as long as no one provokes them, she won’t strike ruthlessly. Raising Emperor Bees is also a means of self-preservation, considering the many dangers she will face in the future.

Due to the need to accumulate wealth, Jiang Xue had to send Wang Yongqiang, Zhang Yonggang, and Dong Yao down the mountain.

"We need to make money. You take these three thousand taels of silver to Beijing and open a small restaurant. Work step by step, using the cuisines you’ve learned from me over the years. Each person open a shop, don’t go too broad and don’t expose your relationship. Rely on your skills. Dong Yao, you’re younger, open a dessert shop. Take it slow, no need to rush. I need stability. Each person gets one thousand taels to start. Just write me a letter once every six months."

Dong Yao had never left Jiang Xue before, and for a moment, found it hard to accept: "What about you? Are you staying here alone?" 𝘧𝓇𝑒𝑒𝑤ℯ𝑏𝓃𝘰𝑣ℯ𝘭.𝘤ℴ𝘮

Jiang Xue nodded, "I have business here, too. So many former customers, I have to sustain this business as well. We each look after our own, you all have the ability to protect yourselves now and have the basic knowledge of those poisoning recipes. Regular folks won’t be able to harm you – just pay attention usual times."

"In the future, our business should be spread across everywhere. You three are just the start. If you meet suitable people to train, keep them by your side. I never hide my ambitions and hope you won’t disappoint me, because in the future, I aim to undertake a big enterprise."

After sending away the three trained apprentices, Jiang Xue’s life became devoid of worries, and her days returned to a routine: hunting, herb gathering, and poison making. Over the years, running up and down the mountain honed their skills. What used to exhaust them climbing mountains and tremble their legs descending them, now takes only two hours to cover the entire journey – just a third of the time it used to take, proving that nobody had been lazy in these years, and endurance is shaped in this way.

Five years passed in an instant. Dong Yao and the other two gradually made a name for themselves in Beijing. The three restaurants eventually merged into one and bought a large restaurant, managed by Wang Yongqiang. Zhang Yonggang went off to open a pharmacy, primarily using Jiang Xue’s recipes to create various Medicine Pills. Though the shop is small, it excels in quality, with a high Healing rate, so despite high prices, returning customers are especially plentiful.

Eighteen-year-old Dong Yao took over a jewelry shop. Using Jiang Xue’s floral designs, he had an experienced craftsman create them, setting off a fashion trend in Beijing. Within a month, women flocked so much that they broke down the doors, forcing the shop to implement an appointment service to manage their anxious waiting.

Among these three shops, the restaurant’s space is the largest, but the pharmacy and jewelry shop have merchandise priced dearly, not inferior to the restaurant by much.

Jiang Xue named the three shops straightforwardly [Yiyuan Restaurant] [Mumu Pavilion] [Changchun Hall]. Besides these signs, a unique moon emblem designed by Jiang Xue was engraved in the bottom right corner, symbolizing they originated from the same mother.

The surname Jiang was given by Yuan Tian, neither her mother’s surname nor a compound surname, so she didn’t need to engrave it.

Five years ago, the three of them took all her assets, three thousand taels, yet five years later, they returned thirty thousand taels. Adding on her own earnings over these years, she had accumulated nearly thirty-five thousand taels of silver. Especially, the three, relying on the skills she imparted, had bought many people and selected suitable ones to train as legitimate protégés, genuinely working hard toward the direction she set. It was clear they were loyal, which was comforting for her.

However, she overlooked a crucial matter. When she was collecting herbs on a scorching summer day, an unexpected accident occurred—

Her whole body felt like thousands of ants were gnawing at her, the severe pain unbearable, causing her to tremble intensely. Luckily, she was tied by a rope, preventing her from falling straight down. But as she endured the pain and made her way home, dark clouds suddenly covered the Sky, and a fierce wind began to blow, a torrential rain poured down. She lost her footing, her body uncontrollably rolled back onto a rock, her vision went black, and she fainted.