Chapter 109: Chapter 109: Driven to Desperation

Su Qing smiled, showing just the right amount of excitement. "That would be wonderful. Now all I need is the Chicken Blood Vine."

Mr. Gong stroked his beard. "Chicken Blood Vine doesn’t grow around here."

"Yes, and everyone’s about to hole up for the winter. So, I plan to use this time to take a trip to Yun Province," Su Qing said. "I’ll go search in the mountains there. It would be best if I can find it."

"You’re going to Yun Province?" Mr. Gong was very surprised. "All by yourself?"

Su Qing nodded. "Yes, I’m going alone."

Mr. Gong was a little worried. "A young girl like you, who’s never traveled far... It’s not safe to go so far away, to a place where you’re a total stranger."

"It’s alright," Su Qing said with a smile. "I know what I’m doing. I’ll be careful and make sure I don’t get tricked." 𝒇𝒓𝒆𝒆𝙬𝒆𝒃𝓷𝒐𝓿𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝓸𝒎

Seeing Su Qing’s insistence, Mr. Gong thought for a moment and said, "Wait here a moment."

With that, Mr. Gong went to the back courtyard. He returned shortly after with a small porcelain bottle and handed it to Su Qing. "Take this."

"What is it?" Su Qing took the bottle and looked at it curiously.

"It’s a sedative," Mr. Gong chuckled. "When you’re out traveling, being vigilant isn’t always enough. You’re a young woman. If a bad guy spots you, it’s not impossible that he might try to drag you off to a secluded place. Keep this sedative on you. If you run into a situation you can’t escape, just throw the powder and make a run for it."

"Thank you, Mr. Gong." Su Qing smiled and asked, "This seems very useful. I’ll buy it. How much is it?"

Mr. Gong waved his hand. "Don’t talk about money. Consider it a gift from me."

Then, Mr. Gong chuckled again. "However, I do have a small request."

Hearing this, Su Qing looked at Mr. Gong with a hint of curiosity.

Mr. Gong smiled and said, "Later, if you find the century-old Chicken Blood Vine and come back, I’ll prepare the healing powder for you for free. However, you definitely won’t use up such a large stalk of Purple Danshen. What do you say... how about selling the rest of it to me?"

After speaking, Mr. Gong looked at Su Qing expectantly. He was practically drooling. A Century-old Purple Danshen was a once-in-a-lifetime find. If he missed this chance, who knew if he’d ever see one again?

Su Qing thought for a moment, then smiled. "Alright."

"Really!" Hearing Su Qing agree, Mr. Gong’s face lit up with joy. He quickly added, "If you find the century-old Chicken Blood Vine, I’ll buy the rest of that too, alright?"

"Okay." Su Qing agreed with a smile. ’She didn’t really need the herbs herself, and it would be a waste for them to remain with her. After all, she didn’t know pharmacology. These ingredients needed to be in the hands of someone who could use them to their fullest potential.’

"Oh, Su, you’re just too kind!" Mr. Gong was so happy his beard trembled. He stared at the Century-old Purple Danshen, his eyes gleaming, already pondering what medicines he could make once it was in his hands.

Seeing Mr. Gong’s excitement, Su Qing took out the sixty-plus-year-old Purple Danshen as well. Mr. Gong’s eyes widened even more. ’Good heavens, just how many treasures has this girl collected? This Purple Danshen isn’t as old as the century-old one, but it looks to be at least sixty or seventy years old.’

’What a treasure!’

’An absolute treasure!’

"Su, are you selling this Purple Danshen too?" Mr. Gong now looked at Su Qing as if she were a legendary ginseng doll—a walking, talking warehouse of rare medicinal herbs.

"This Purple Danshen isn’t much use in my hands either," Su Qing said with a bright smile.

"Ah, good, good, good!" Mr. Gong exclaimed, overjoyed. He thought for a moment, then said, "Su, how about this? This Purple Danshen is about sixty to seventy years old. How about I give you this much for it?"

As he spoke, Mr. Gong held up six fingers.

"Okay." Su Qing nodded. "No problem."

"Excellent." Mr. Gong’s eyes crinkled into a smile. "Wait here, I’ll go get the money for you."

After saying that, Mr. Gong brought out two wooden boxes and packed each of the Purple Danshen stalks separately. He had Su Qing put away the century-old one herself. Then, he asked the young man who was drying herbs in the back to watch the shop and hurried off to the bank to withdraw money.

When Mr. Gong returned with the money, he settled the transaction with Su Qing. Cradling the box containing the Purple Danshen with a broad smile, he said to her, "Su, if you get any more fine herbs in the future, remember to bring them to me!"

Su Qing smiled, pursing her lips. "Okay."

That night, after completing her transaction with Zhang Erlai, Su Qing quietly returned to Lihua Village. Around midnight, Du Changting and his team were escorting a group of people back to the county bureau.

"Zhi Han, First Uncle’s and Second Uncle’s men have been caught," Fang Lutian said to An Zhihan, who was reading a book.

"All of them?" An Zhihan was very surprised. He looked up at Fang Lutian. "When did this happen?"

"Last night, around midnight," Fang Lutian said. "A Cheng had them under surveillance and saw it with his own eyes. They were all captured, not a single one got away. And..."

An Zhihan asked, "And what?"

"According to the man A Cheng sent, someone tipped them off yesterday afternoon. Only then did Du Changting lead his men out."

An Zhihan narrowed his eyes. "So, that means First Uncle’s and Second Uncle’s men were likely subdued by the informant. That person probably just notified Du Changting’s team to go pick them up. Otherwise, there’s no way they could have returned so quickly."

"I think so too," Fang Lutian said quickly.

"Did anyone see who threw the note?" An Zhihan looked at Fang Lutian and asked.

Fang Lutian shook his head. "No. Apparently, the note seemed to appear out of thin air. It hit the guy outside right in the face, but no one saw anyone throw it."

"A master, then." Hearing this, An Zhihan tapped his fingers lightly on the table. "Now First Uncle and Second Uncle are in for it. The men they sent all entered the country illegally."

Fang Lutian chuckled at his words. "Indeed. First Uncle and Second Uncle are going to have their hands full this time."

Just as An Zhihan and Fang Lutian had predicted, it didn’t take two days for the news to reach Xiangcheng. An Lizheng furiously smashed the ashtray in his hand onto the floor. "Those idiots! I told them to keep a low profile, to keep a low profile! And now look! No one could have been more conspicuous! Now everyone knows our men entered the country illegally to stir up trouble!"

An Likang was also agitated. "Big Brother, what do we do now? If the old madam finds out, we’re definitely going to get an earful."

"What else can we do? We have to get them out," An Lizheng said, annoyed.

’He’d love to just abandon those bastards, but he couldn’t afford to alienate his subordinates. After all, he was the one who sent them on this mission.’

’He couldn’t let them lose faith in him.’