034 Reviving the Old Trade (Part 1)

Qi Shen had a certain understanding of Shen Tang, and a glimpse of her flickering eyes revealed her hidden intentions. "That's all in the past, perhaps I'll tell you if the opportunity arises in the future."

Implicitly, he could say, but Shen Tang couldn't inquire.

Shen Tang clicked her tongue, removed the fork supporting the window, and the vertically opening window slammed shut with a bang.

Faintly, one could still hear Shen Tang muttering, "If you don't want to say, then don't say. Who's curious about your trivial matters?" Qi Shen could only smile and shake his head.

"Shen Tang... still has the temperament of a child," Qi Shen sighed softly, beginning to unpack his luggage.

Just as he had unpacked half of it, the figure of an old woman appeared at the door.

She raised her hand and lightly knocked three times, and Qi Shen spoke up, "Come in."

The old woman pushed the door open and brought in a low-footed dining table with the evening meal and lamp oil for the night. Upon seeing this, Qi Shen quickly got up to greet her, "How could you do these things? Let me handle it."

The old woman smiled and stepped aside, "Young sir, just sit. This old lady's hands and feet are still nimble, how could I not do it?" She set down the dining table and made the bed.

After she finished her tasks, Qi Shen took out several pieces of large silver from his purse and handed them to the old woman, saying, "These are for our stay here, please accept them."

"This won't do—" Without hesitation, the old woman pushed the silver back. If it weren't for the young man in front of them, their old couple would have been dead for four or five years, and they wouldn't be able to live here in peace. Not only that— this young man's future would also be ruined.

"This money cannot be accepted," she said.

To her surprise, Qi Shen was firm in his attitude and pushed the silver back, saying, "What's done is done. If you don't accept it, we won't be able to stay here with peace of mind." With that, he prepared to repack the scattered luggage.

After much persuasion, the old woman finally accepted the silver.

She looked at the silhouette imprinted on the wooden door and sighed deeply.

Tired from the journey during the day, Shen Tang leaned against the wooden pillow and fell into a deep sleep, dreamless throughout the night, unaware that the oil lamp next door had been lit all night.

The next day, as the dawn broke, Shen Tang woke up right on time, summoned by her body clock.

She fetched clean water from the courtyard with a self-made bamboo tube and began tidying up her personal hygiene while sitting under the corridor. Qi Shen had just returned and saw Shen Tang sitting with a heroic posture, bending over to clean her teeth.

He handed her a packet.

"Here, breakfast. Eat while it's hot," he said.

"Thank you." Shen Tang splashed her face with cold water, dispelling the remnants of sleepiness with a shiver. She picked up a piece of steaming pancake and caught sight of Qi Shen sitting down beside her. She opened her mouth and asked, "Does Yuan Liang know where the brothel in Xiaocheng is?"

Just as Qi Shen was about to speak: "???"

He almost choked.

He asked sternly, "How old is Little Master Shen? Thinking of going to the brothel for fun? That's not where you should be."

Indulging in pleasure-seeking leads to a loss of ambition!

"Yuan Liang is thinking of something unhealthy? I just want to go to the brothel to find someone and see how she's doing," Shen Tang smiled and said, "After all, without her, I probably wouldn't have fled so early. But thanks to her, I met Yuan Liang."

After a moment of thought, Qi Shen understood Shen Tang's meaning.

"You want to find someone for bad luck?" Most likely, it was the bad luck of those women from the Gong family who had been exiled.

He reminded her, lest Shen Tang recklessly fall into trouble: "As far as I know, there's still a Fifth Doctor from the Gong family who's on the run. As long as he's not caught, the exiled Gong family will be under surveillance. Approaching rashly, aren't you afraid of getting into trouble?"

If finding someone for bad luck fails, she might end up getting caught herself.

"But not seeking revenge for an injustice is not my style," Shen Tang frowned. She asked herself, not considering herself someone who always seeks retaliation, but also not a naïve fool who would be pushed into a fire pit without a care— that's not being magnanimous, that's being foolish!

Qi Shen offered advice: "You can approach it indirectly."

Shen Tang asked, "For example?"

Qi Shen replied, "You figure it out."

It's Shen Tang's revenge, not his, yet even seeking revenge requires someone else's advice and planning. Even if this revenge could be achieved, it wouldn't be satisfying.

Shen Tang pondered slightly, shook her head, and murmured, "No, no, this won't work..."

"What won't work?" Qi Shen's curiosity was piqued.

He was curious about how this Shen Tang would retaliate.

Shen Tang awkwardly looked away, unwilling to speak.

It wasn't that the method wasn't vicious enough, but rather unsuitable. Especially in this world where justice no longer prevails, using the same means as the perpetrator to seek justice for oneself was reasonable—doing the same thing to the perpetrator as they did to the victim was not justifiable, but it was satisfying! However, since the enemy was a woman and Shen Tang was also a woman, retaliating in the same way would be beneath her dignity.

What to do?

Naturally, it was to spend money to have someone take care of that woman's business.

But there was a problem with this plan—

Shen Tang was broke.

The brothel was different from the usual brothels; the prices were not low.

So, as soon as this idea came to mind, she squashed it.

She sighed, "Forget it—let her live a few more days. When the Fifth Doctor of the Gong family is caught, I'll visit her for advice."

Qi Shen smiled and shook his head.

The Fifth Doctor belonged to the Ninth Class of Martial Valor.

How could he be easily caught?

Half the morning passed by, and Shen Tang had nothing to do. Qi Shen had been disturbed all morning, unable to concentrate on his scrolls. Not only was she uncomfortable, but Qi Shen was also uncomfortable.

"If Little Master Shen is bored, go for a walk on the street."

Don't sway back and forth in front of him, sighing, all morning. He couldn't focus on anything with all the distractions.

Upon hearing this, Shen Tang suddenly became energetic.

Yes, the whole Xiaocheng was still unfamiliar to her. She could always find something to pass the time. What was the point of being stuck in one place? She went into her room, took out her little treasury—she had saved up some money by selling plums, cakes, and candies along the way.

Qi Shen only had time to remind her to be careful of the bailiffs and not to get lost. Shen Tang had already dashed off like a whirlwind.

"Tsk, still so childish."

Qi Shen sat down again, lost in thought. On the table lay scrolls full of notes and insights, faintly showing words like "Imperial Seal," "The Way of the Princes," and the defensive layout of the city near Xiaocheng.

At the same time, Shen Tang rode her motorcycle onto the streets.

Outside the walls, there were thousands of miles of barren land, but inside the walls, there were bustling crowds and lively scenes. Every few steps along the street, there were vendors calling out their wares.

Shen Tang was curious about everything and bought many odds and ends, unknowingly depleting her purse.

"I need to find a way to make some money..."

Shen Tang lamented in her heart.

Being this poor, she felt ashamed in front of the transmigrated woman.

But after wandering around, there was really no good livelihood.

Cakes, plums, candies—Xiaocheng was not lacking in these, and with fierce competition, business was not very good. Shen Tang rode her motorcycle around in circles, and in the end, she turned back empty-handed.

"Zhengguang Bookstore? Buying art drafts?"

Hehe, she suddenly had a good idea to make big money.