Invitation

After learning the news he wanted, Qin Lan calmed down and a deep meaning appeared in his eyes.

"Miss Jiang, have you heard anything about the strange stories in the mines of Qixia Mountain from the neighbors recently?"

Thinking that he had heard this from the Wu Mi people, Jiang Nianqing's expression became more solemn.

"I heard a little bit about it when I was out earlier. I wonder if Mr. Qin is looking for me today because there's something strange going on in the mine?"

Qin Lan looked calm, but there was a fierce look in his eyes and a faint smile on his lips.

"That's right. I think Miss Jiang is also aware of the shortage of minerals in Huandu."

"The Seven Gorges Mine changed its orientation due to an earthquake. The original entrance was blocked by huge rocks. Your Majesty sent many explorers to explore, but to no avail."

"Until later, Lu, who appeared out of nowhere and was overthrown by the common people, incurred the wrath of the gods and brought down divine punishment. The Seven Gorges Mountains were relocated again, and the mine, which had been buried for decades, finally revealed its true form."

He took out a yellowed bamboo book, placed it on the stone table, and handed the page with the picture of the plant to Jiang Nian.

"Miss Jiang has made considerable achievements in pharmacology. I wonder if she recognizes this plant?"

During the time when he took over the drugstore, Jiang Nian not only developed insect repellents, but also learned more about drugstores, so that he would not be clueless when others asked him about things related to pharmacy.

Seeing Qin Lan handing the notebook to her, Jiang Nian lowered her eyes.

The plants depicted above are extremely detailed and, except for being in black and white, are almost identical to the pictures in modern picture albums.

Seeing a flash of surprise in her eyes, Qin Lan leaned back in thought.

After reading for a while, Jiang Nian closed the bamboo slips in his hand, raised his head, and his fingertips involuntarily stroked the cover, looking at Qin Lan with some inquiry.

"What special connection does the plant that Young Master Qin is asking about have with the Seven Gorges Mountain Mine?"

He smiled slightly and tilted his head towards her.

"I'm curious too, so." He paused for a moment, then said meaningfully, "Miss Jiang, why don't you go up that mountain with us?"

“…”

Qin Lan changed the topic too quickly, and Jiang Nian was unable to react, then shook his head.

"Master Qin, you've misunderstood. Although this plant looks familiar to me, I'm not sure what it is. If you rashly bring me to Cang County, then if I don't recognize it when I get there, I'll be holding you back."

In Huanchao, she was only familiar with Liangdu City and had never even been out of Pingzhou. If she accidentally got lost or something unexpected happened on the road, she was afraid that she would not have enough experience to deal with it.

What's more, she still had the pharmacy to watch over, and she planned to wait for Sun Dun to come back and get rid of the easiest one among those who coveted her prescriptions.

And Pingzhou's foreigners...

If she were to go far away and something happened to the pharmacy, she would definitely not be able to make it in time.

Qin Lan seemed to see through her concerns, so he put on a smile and shook his finger.

"Miss Jiang, are you worried about the Wumi people rioting in Pingzhou, or are you worried about Sun Dun stealing the prescriptions from the Liangdu pharmacy?"

"Or are there other spies targeting your recipe?"

Before he could clear up all the doubts in his mind, Qin Lan's words interrupted his train of thought.

Hearing the core point of the words, Jiang Nian raised his eyes calmly, hiding the sharpness in his eyes.

The other party knew too much. She had only told these things to Xiao Yingzhu. It was not ruled out that Qin Lan also knew this information, but what he said was too close to what she thought in her heart.

Jiang Nian didn't think that Xiao Yingzhu was so idle that she would tell Qin Lan about what they had mentioned before.

Seeing the slight change in the expression of the girl opposite him, Qin Lan's heart became as clear as a mirror.

He raised his eyes and looked around, his eyes fell on the staff who were making insect repellent in the warehouse, and he smiled slowly.

"Miss Jiang, there's no need to be vigilant. I understand the situation in Pingzhou as well as Xiao Yingzhu, and I've exchanged intelligence with him."

"But don't worry, I only got a rough idea of ​​what I had when my subordinates submitted the secret report. I don't know everything."

Just two sentences seemed to be intended to gain some trust, and that was the end of the story. Qin Lan lowered his eyes and looked at the small, smooth porcelain teacup in his hand. The petals of the flower tea inside revealed a touch of bright red on the tea soup, still as delicate and beautiful as if they had just been picked.

He seemed to be distracted and no longer looked up at Jiang Nian. He just tilted his head and waited idly for her reply.

“…”

How could Jiang Nian not know that Qin Lan was deliberately taking advantage of this tea to give her some time to think about the pros and cons herself.

Right now, not only is it for the future business development of the pharmacy, but also for the upcoming war, no matter how she develops the prescription in her hands, she cannot avoid those minerals.

Minerals are the top priority of the country and what she needs most urgently.

But how can she prove now that the Wu Mi people here will not riot when she goes to Cang County?

There have been countless newcomers flocking to Pingzhou recently, and quite a few of them just take a quick look around and leave. I wonder if they are just checking out the area.

They were like a cancer that had suddenly grown and multiplied in Pingzhou, and could erupt at any time to destroy all peace. The only place she had left in this world was Liangdu City, and it was impossible for her not to think about them, not to question them, and not to worry about them.

Qin Lan mentally calculated the time, figuring that given Jiang Nian's temperament, she must have already weighed the pros and cons in her mind. The petals in the teacup in his hand swayed gently with the waves, like a lone boat on a river, struggling to find balance amidst the turbulent tide.

The teacup opposite Bai Run Ceramics was also put down with him. Jiang Nian sighed softly and lowered his eyes tiredly.

"Mr. Qin, are you here to discuss this matter with me, or are you here just to inform me?"

She turned her head slightly, and the road leading to Qishan happened to come into her sight out of the corner of her eye.

That night, was Qin Lan walking here to look for someone, or was he staying here?

His thoughts were hazy for a moment. A direct rejection would be too absolute. What he knew now was only from what he heard from him, which was still not comprehensive enough. Jiang Nian raised his eyes again and smiled at him.

"I already understand the principle, but I need to learn more about this matter before I can make a decision and have a firm plan for the various things that will happen next."

"How about this, I consult with my allies first and then give you a reply?"

This time, Qin Lan proposed this matter to Jiang Nian first, instead of Xiao Yingzhu, just to bring the two of them together.

Now the first group of melon eaters were running towards him without any guidance, which was naturally what he wanted.

Calculating the time, Xiao Yingzhu should be handling official business at this moment, so if he needs a temporary meeting, he can just wait a while.

Apart from the fact that he went directly to the mansion without informing Xiao Yingzhu in advance, everything else was proceeding smoothly according to plan. Judging from the results, there was no deviation and it was perfect.

Qin Lan's smile deepened. He paused for a moment between Jiang Nian's calm and elegant eyebrows, then looked away.

"I happen to be going to see Xiao Yingzhu later. If Miss Jiang is willing, we might as well go together."

This invitation came at a perfect time; it was natural to bring it up now, and there was nothing wrong with it. The mine incident also happened to be related to the operation of the pharmacy. Even if Qin Lan didn't take the initiative to invite her now, she would find Xiao Yingzhu one day to inquire about the situation.

What's more, this matter was heard from the Wu Mi people, and it might be related to them.

If I go with Qin Lan, I might be able to get other useful information during their conversation.

After thinking it over again and again, Jiang Nian nodded.

"Then Jiang Nian will go with you, thanks to Master Qin's kindness."

After standing up, Jiang Nian saw that Fuling seemed to be hesitant to speak. She thought that Fuling was worried that she might be in danger if she left with the young man she met for the first time. After all, in her eyes, Qin Lan was a person who appeared suddenly, with no roots or background, and she couldn't tell whether what he said was true or false.

But Jiang Nian knew more about the recent situation in Pingzhou than Fuling, and also knew what Huandu was about to face. Naturally, he had a certain judgment on the truthfulness of Qin Lan's words, and there were secret guards lurking in the dark.

"It's okay, I'll be back soon after I finish my talk. If Mother asks me where I've been, just tell her I'm talking to Duke Xiao about running the pharmacy."

The thing that was bothering her was different from what comforted Jiang Nian. Fuling was just thinking about whether to tell him about the Flower Festival when she saw Master Qin looking at her, so she had to change her words.

"Okay, miss, be careful on the road."

Fuling nodded, the worry on her face disappeared, and she looked calm and steady.

"Um."

After the matter was explained, there was nothing else to say. Seeing that Fuling had no other doubts, Jiang Nianxin let it go and continued to hand over the warehouse of the Jiang Mansion to her to take care of, and then followed Qin Lan's pace.

—

The troops sent to investigate unknown plants sent letters from all over the place, and the secret inspector who verified the intelligence handed the information to Ai.

"According to a secret report from Cang County, someone discovered a wax leaf specimen of this plant in an abandoned hut at the foot of Qixia Mountain."

"It is speculated that the hut was built some time ago, before the mountain collapsed due to a flash flood, and its location happened to avoid the disaster that year."

Mi Du handed the wax leaf specimen to Ai, who took it and lowered his head to observe the plant that Qin Lan suddenly wanted to look for.

Although it was picked a long time ago, it seems to be still growing and vibrant. If you get close, you can smell a special fragrance.

Ai raised his head and preserved the plant.

"Place?"

The unit that discovered the specimen gave Ai a secret report recording the location.

Yesterday, the troops who went to explore the mine handed over a specimen to Qin Lan, and another one arrived today.

There is no trace of it anywhere else, and the plants found in Qixia Mountain are too dense.

The Pavilion Master said this morning that he had something to do, probably to go to Duke Xiao's place.

I wonder if I can make it now?

Ai quickly packed up and set off immediately to Qishan Mansion.

—

These two days I have been following the mysterious "Lu".

But it seemed as if Na Lu had only been to Qixia Mountain once and had never gone there again.

Xuan Gui had been following Ru silently from yesterday morning to noon today. Seeing that Ru was not there and not going there, he felt that he was being tricked.

Xi Zhen placed his hands on the sharp and cold double blades, gently lowered his eyes, and a warm smile appeared on his lips, like a strange poison that could take a person's life.

The two sides looked at each other and hid in the corner of this secluded place.

"Lu" walked into the desolate and silent house, and a dim light suddenly lit up in the house.

The surroundings were dead silent. Although it was noon, the weather was not very good today. It was gloomy and gray, with no light in sight. In this dark place, it was even darker, like a sunless evening approaching night.

Xuan Gui held his breath and silently moved closer to the wall under the window.

Because of the structure of the house, the conversation between "Lu" and others can be heard more clearly there.

There was a rustling sound inside, and a strange voice was heard.

The sound was like the word "洳", with difficult and unpleasant pronunciation and a strange tone.

"Did you find them?"

The wind blew around, and the cool and cold breeze gently caressed Xuan Gui's neck. The wind seemed to be filled with moisture and was icy cold.

After a while, the brief blank tinnitus passed, and "Lu" finally spoke.

"Found it."

The wooden boards of the house made a sharp creaking sound under the pressure.

He chuckled, his voice suddenly increasing in volume.

"They are here."

The dim lights suddenly came on, making the light outside the window seem to be briefly blinding. A head suddenly popped out of the window, grinning and looking in Xuan Gui's direction. His eyes were bloodshot, as if they were pumping blood.