Chapter 34: 034: Returning to the Old Trade (Part 1)

Qi Shan had a certain understanding of Shen Tang; one look at her flickering eyes and he knew she was brewing something mischievous. "That is all old news. If there is an opportunity in the future, perhaps I will tell you."

The implication was clear: he could speak, but Shen Tang was not to pry.

Shen Tang gave a huff and pulled down the pole propping up the window. The vertically opening window slammed shut with a *thud*.

One could faintly hear Young Master Shen muttering, "Fine, don't tell me. Who's curious about your damn business anyway?" Qi Shan could only shake his head with a smile.

"Young Master Shen... still possesses a childlike nature."

Qi Shan sighed softly to himself as he began to unpack his belongings.

He had only finished half when an old woman's silhouette appeared at the door.

She tapped lightly three times. Qi Shan called out, "Come in."

The old woman pushed the door open, bringing in a low dining table laden with dinner and lamp oil for the night. Seeing this, Qi Shan hurriedly stood up to greet her. "How could you do these things yourself? Leave them to me."

The old woman smiled and stepped aside. "Master Qi, just stay seated. This old woman's hands and feet are still nimble; what's the harm in doing it myself?"

She set down the dining table and made the bed.

Once she finished her chores, Qi Shan took several large pieces of broken silver from his purse and placed them in the old woman's hands. "This is for our expenses while staying at your esteemed home. Please, Madam, accept it."

"This simply won't do—"

Without a second thought, the old woman pushed the silver back.

If not for this young man, the bones of her and her husband would have been cold for four or five years already. How could they have lived here in peace?

Not only that—

This gentleman's future had also been ruined along with them.

She said, "This money absolutely cannot be accepted."

To her surprise, Qi Shan remained firm. He pushed the money back and said, "One thing is one thing. If you do not accept it, Madam, we will feel too guilty to continue staying here with a clear conscience." As he spoke, he prepared to repack his scattered luggage.

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

She looked at the young man's shadow cast upon the wooden door and let out a long, low sigh.

Tired from the day's journey, Shen Tang slumped against her wooden pillow and fell into a deep, dreamless sleep, unaware that the oil lamp beside her had burned all night.

The next day, the sun rose in the east.

Driven by her biological clock, Shen Tang opened her eyes right on time.

She pulled out her homemade bamboo tube, fetched clean water from the courtyard, and sat down on the veranda to attend to her personal hygiene. When Qi Shan returned, he saw Young Master Shen sitting in a bold, unrefined posture, leaning over to brush and rinse his teeth.

He handed over a package.

"Here, breakfast. Eat it while it's hot; it's still fresh."

"Thanks." Shen Tang splashed cold water on her face, the remaining sleepiness vanishing instantly with the shock. She bit into a steaming flour cake, and from the corner of her eye, she saw Qi Shan sit down beside her. She opened her mouth and asked, "Does Yuanliang know where the Teaching Bureau in Xiaocheng is located?"

Qi Shan, who was about to speak: "...???"

He nearly choked on his breath.

With a dark expression, he asked, "How old is Young Master Shen that you're already thinking of seeking pleasure at the Teaching Bureau? That is not a place for you."

Indulging in trifles ruins one's ambitions—it was unacceptable!

"What kind of unhealthy things are you thinking, Yuanliang? I just want to go to the Teaching Bureau to find someone and see how she's doing," Shen Tang said with a grin. "After all, without her, I probably wouldn't have risked such an early escape. But thanks to her, I was able to meet you, Yuanliang."

After a moment's thought, Qi Shan understood her meaning.

"You want to go looking for trouble?"

Most likely, she wanted to stir up trouble with that group of exiled women from the Gong clan.

He offered a warning to prevent her from acting recklessly and falling into a trap: "As far as I know, there is still a Fifth Great Officer of the Gong clan on the run. As long as he remains uncaught, the exiled Gong clan prisoners will be watched by informants every single day. If you approach them rashly, aren't you afraid of bringing disaster upon yourself?"

Instead of getting revenge, she might end up getting caught herself.

"But leaving a grudge unavenged is not my style."

Shen Tang frowned deeply. She asked herself if she was the type of person to hold a grudge; she wasn't necessarily vindictive, but she certainly wasn't a fool who would be pushed into a fire pit and then smile it off—

That wasn't being broad-minded; that was being stupid!

Qi Shan offered a suggestion: "You could take a detour."

Shen Tang asked, "For example?"

Qi Shan: "Think for yourself."

It was Shen Tang's revenge, not his. If she even needed someone else to devise her revenge, it wouldn't feel satisfying even if she succeeded.

Shen Tang thought for a moment, then shook her head and muttered, "No, no, that method won't work..."

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

He wanted to see how this Young Master Shen would actually retaliate.

Shen Tang averted her eyes awkwardly, refusing to say.

It wasn't that the method wasn't ruthless enough, but that it was inappropriate.

Especially in this lawless world, returning like for like to seek justice for oneself was perfectly reasonable—there was no reason why a perpetrator could do something to a victim, but the victim couldn't use the same means to strike back. It wasn't legal, but it was cathartic! However, since the enemy was a woman and Shen Tang was also a woman, using the same methods to retaliate would be somewhat undignified.

What method?

Naturally, spending money to hire someone to "take care" of that business.

But there was one problem with this plan—

Shen Tang was penniless.

The Teaching Bureau was not like ordinary brothels; the average price was not low.

Thus, the idea was snuffed out as soon as it surfaced.

She sighed, "Forget it—let her live a few more days. Once that Fifth Great Officer of the Gong clan is caught, I'll go to her to ask for her 'guidance'."

Qi Shan shook his head with a smile.

A Fifth Great Officer belonged to the ninth grade of Martial Gall.

How could such a person be caught so easily?

A morning passed in a flash. Shen Tang had nothing to do; she had flipped through Qi Shan's scrolls so many times that she had memorized them all, and looking at them again yielded nothing new. Having nothing to do was difficult for someone with her restless nature. In truth, it wasn't just her; Qi Shan was also suffering.

"If Young Master Shen is bored, go for a stroll in the streets to clear your head."

Just don't hover around him sighing and groaning; he hadn't been able to read a single word all morning because of the distraction.

Upon hearing this, Shen Tang immediately felt energized.

Indeed, the entirety of Xiaocheng was still foreign to her. She could always find ways to pass the time; what was the point of being cooped up in one place? She flipped into her room and pulled out her small treasury—she had saved a bit of money from the vendors selling green plums, cakes, and malt candy along the way.

Qi Shan only had time to warn her to be careful of the constables and not to get lost before the Young Master vanished like a gust of wind.

"Tsk, still a child at heart."

Qi Shan sat back down and returned to his deep thoughts over the desk—on the desk lay a scroll covered in notes and insights, where one could faintly see words like "Imperial Seal," "The Way of the Lords," and the city defense layout of the entire Xiaocheng area.

Meanwhile, Shen Tang was leading her "motorcycle" through the streets.

Beyond the walls lay thousands of miles of wasteland, but within the walls was a bustling, vibrant world, with vendors calling out every few steps along the street.

Shen Tang was curious about everything and ended up buying many small trinkets, until her purse was nearly empty before she knew it.

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

Shen Tang wailed inwardly.

Being this poor was an embarrassment to all transmigrators.

How shameful, how shameful _(:з」∠)_

But after wandering the whole way, she truly couldn't find a good way to earn a living.

Cakes, green plums, and malt candy—Xiaocheng had no shortage of these, the competition was fierce, and the business was hard to make. Shen Tang had finished her loop with her motorcycle when something caught her eye, and she turned back at a run.

"Zhengguang Bookstore? They accept manuscript submissions?"

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