Chapter 61 Unaware of the Intention to Eliminate Her

Shen Yun was right that night; it wasn't necessarily a bad thing.

He did indeed help her a lot.

Jingmutang's business was in poor condition, and it owed others a large sum of money.

The world is in a bad state these days, and desperate criminals are commonplace. Few people dare to take the plunge into such large-scale business, especially when goods need to travel between several prefectures and counties.

There's no guarantee that the goods won't be intercepted halfway through the journey.

Fortunately, Jingmutang still had a considerable amount of timber in stock within Yizhou City.

Lin Shutang wasn't exactly a spoiled brat; he still inherited most of his father Lin Bonian's skills.

Although he is not as good as his senior brother Song Ying, he can still be considered an expert in the timber industry.

Therefore, Lin Shutang accepted Shen Yun's suggestion to transform Jingmutang from a large-scale commodity trading business to a small-item sales business.

Compared to her, Shen Yun had also been to quite a few places, and he had a lot of experience with the local customs, traditions, and ingenious skills.

This provided Lin Shutang with many ideas she had never thought of before, and gave her a lot of inspiration.

The world is in a difficult time, and Yizhou is located on the border. Although the Western Yue have not attacked yet, most of the people in the city are already in a state of panic.

Especially on countless nights or at dawn, I would be awakened from my sleep by the sounds of war in the border town, which seemed both far away and right in front of me.

Today's temporary peace may not guarantee that one day they won't become refugees after the city falls.

Therefore, Yizhou, which appears to be prosperous on the surface, is actually nothing more than a decaying, decadent place.

The people were simply living a carefree life, doing whatever they could without a care in the world.

Lin Shutang drew inspiration from the prevailing trends in various states, and with Shen Yun's participation, the two discussed and created many new products that had never been seen on the market before.

Sales were high for a time.

Because of the good results achieved, the extra busyness during this period seems insignificant.

Through her and Shen Jun's efforts, the shop slowly began to show signs of operation.

However, this is still far from enough to pay off the debt.

Fortunately, everything was running smoothly, and Lin Shutang was like an inextinguishable weed; his negative emotions only lasted for the first few days.

In the days that followed, he appeared extremely excited.

In their spare time, the two would stay in the wooden house and study it.

Shen Yun's ideas were often novel, and Lin Shutang accepted his suggestions. The two of them drew and revised on paper together, and produced many exquisite little gadgets.

Thanks to Shen Yun's guidance, Lin Shutang gradually realized that making woodwork was not necessarily limited to furniture placement or antique display shelves.

It can also permeate into people's daily lives. For example, a woman's dressing case can be designed to be both beautiful and have more internal storage, and children's toys can be designed with more mechanisms to help develop intelligence.

Therefore, relying on the stockpiled timber of these few Jingmu Halls in the city, Lin Shutang personally demonstrated the renovation and hired many refugees who had fled but actually had skills. In a short period of time, he actually created considerable profits.

Jingmutang also gained some fame for this batch of ingenious and whimsical skills.

After experiencing the day Jingmutang came to collect the debt, Lin Shutang thought she had lost all hope. Unexpectedly, things have taken a turn for the better, and she has managed to fight her way out through another path.

All of this was undoubtedly thanks to Shen Yun's guidance that day and his willingness to work with her to find a solution.

Therefore, it seemed natural that Shen Yun would become Lin Shutang's assistant when he was making woodwork.

Even Chang Geng tacitly agreed not to go in and disturb the two at this time.

Despite being extremely busy, Lin Shutang never gave up on making crossbows every single day.

Lin Shutang drew sketches on paper again and again, and installed and disassembled the crossbow repeatedly, until it finally took on its current general shape.

Such an obvious crossbow could not escape Shen Yun's eyes. Lin Shutang processed four sets of parallel ox-tendon winches for it, and correspondingly widened the cast iron gears. This design increased the kinetic energy by more than 30% compared to traditional crossbows, greatly improving the range and firing energy.

Although it is currently just a small prototype on the table, if it were designed to scale, it would definitely be a giant crossbow, far from being a toy for children to play with.

Sunlight streamed in through the wide-open door, casting a dark, menacing gleam on the unevenly colored crossbow, which was made primarily of brown beech wood, as if it already carried a murderous aura.

Shen Yun silently looked away from the crossbow and handed Lin Shutang a rod. Lin Shutang took it without looking up, turned it around in his hand, and inserted it into the gear with ease, disassembling it and then reassembling it.

"I haven't seen this crossbow before?"

Shen Yun's voice rang out above him. He looked down at the girl's bent neck, her fair skin thinly covering a protruding knuckle that shone brightly.

It looks like it could shatter with a single press.

Shen Yun's eyes were cold, and his fingertips felt a little itchy.

Lin Shutang paused, as if only now realizing what Shen Yun had seen.

She wondered if it was just her imagination, but her voice seemed a little cold today. She looked up and saw that his eyes were gentle and that familiar faint smile still lingered between his brows.

The dappled sunlight danced on his eyelashes, obscuring the expression in his eyes. His amber pupils, like the vertical pupils of some reptile, sent a chill down her spine for no apparent reason.

"I was just doing it for fun when I had nothing else to do," Lin Shutang said somewhat guiltily.

This item is her bargaining chip in the confrontation with Xiyue.

If she could really get into the merchant guild, and the people of Xiyue knew that she had created the crossbow they wanted, she would be more confident in rescuing her father and brothers.

On that day in Yancheng, she only caught a fleeting glimpse of her father's desk, so much so that she had no recollection of any of the details.

Building it completely is no easy task.

Only now did Lin Shutang realize that she had often been too playful in the past. If her senior brother were here now, he would surely be able to replicate it.

Or perhaps he will create an even more powerful crossbow.

In short, it certainly meets the needs of the Western Yue people.

Instead of what she did, who struggled for so long only to have a few things constantly malfunction.

She compared and tried various methods repeatedly, even embedding horn plates in the inner rail to reduce friction, but it seemed that she could never achieve the desired range.

Lin Shutang couldn't help but feel worried. She had no choice but to do this for her father and brother. As long as her father and senior brother returned to Yizhou safely, she would destroy the painting and ensure that the crossbows would not fall into the hands of Xiyue.

However, this matter had far-reaching implications, and if discovered, as Chang Geng said, it would be a serious crime of treason.

Shen Yun didn't need to know about this; she couldn't drag him into it.

Fortunately, Shen Yun didn't ask any further questions. He was always very tactful, well-mannered, and composed.

Upon hearing Lin Shutang's words, he responded softly, and Lin Shutang couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief.

Shen Yun lowered his gaze, watching the girl's waist unconsciously slump down. His thin lips curled slightly, and a hint of mockery casually flashed across his cool eyes.

In the dead of night, all was quiet.

A dark shadow suddenly flashed past the window of the side room, and in the blink of an eye, a person was kneeling outside the landscape screen that separated the inner and outer rooms.

Shen Yun sat at the octagonal table behind the screen. The tea on the table had gone cold. He slowly swirled the teacup, and the ripples reflected the young man's cold and handsome features.

"Let's make our move tonight."

He gave the order, his voice as light as the first snowflakes falling, delicate yet cold.

Upon hearing this, Yingxiao looked up abruptly. Through a screen painted with ink landscapes, the young man's figure was vaguely hidden behind it. The moonlight flowed around him like water, making him appear as clear and transparent as a phantom.

Yingxiao blurted out, "Young Master, are you not going to continue the investigation?"

As soon as she finished speaking, she realized the warning look on the young master's face when she had questioned his decision outside Jingmu Hall last time. She quickly lowered her head again, knowing that she had spoken out of turn and was about to apologize when she unexpectedly heard the young master's voice, "Zhou Ziyang is still holding Pingning City to the death. Reinforcements have not been sent and supplies are running out. I don't have time to waste with her anymore. Since she is willing to serve Xiyue, she might as well go down and join the people of Xiyue."

As he spoke, his tone became even colder, and upon closer listening, it seemed to carry an inexplicable irritation.

"Once the Battle of Pingning is over, I will have my own ways to deal with these parasites in the Yizhou merchants' business."

He scraped his fingertips across the cup, then knocked the white porcelain teacup down, making a soft, crisp sound against the table in the quiet night.

Yingxiao buried her head even deeper, inexplicably feeling a sense of oppression and heaviness.

The young master has always kept his emotions hidden. There are quite a few people on the border who are colluding with the enemy. Otherwise, the young master would not have needed to lure the enemy with his own body and suffer endless pursuit all the way south.

But we've always wanted to get rid of it, so why is the young master so angry right now?

Yingxiao dared not say more, but since that woman had angered the young master so much, she must be a ruthless character, and must be eliminated as soon as possible.

"Be smart and don't leave any clues."

"yes."

Yingxiao accepted the order without delay, only thinking about quickly completing the young master's command to avenge him.

Not long after, the moon rose high in the sky, and wisps of smoke began to rise from the distant bedroom, followed by flames leaping in the room.

Shen Yun stood by the window, quietly watching the bedroom being consumed by flames.

As darkness was gradually torn open, a crack appeared, and amidst the blinding firelight, a slight warmth drifted in on the wind.

Perhaps the fire was too intense, he felt a tightness in his throat, and his chest felt as if it were filled with water, making it difficult to breathe.

His fingertips gripped the windowsill tightly as he silently stared at a section of the burnt-out beam that crashed to the ground with a loud thud.

Sparks exploded, unleashing even larger waves of fire that, carried by the wind, were already spreading to this area.

With a flicker of his eyes, Shen Yun lowered his gaze, a fleeting hint of annoyance crossing his brows. He then abruptly turned and closed the window.

He strode away resignedly, kicked open the red-hot door of the room along the corridor connecting the two rooms, and braved the heat to enter the burning building.

The trusses and wooden cabinets inside the room had been burned to charcoal, and the four walls were covered with large swathes of flames. The flames on the curtains climbed up the cliff, connecting the beams to the ground, and burned into a wall of fire.

Outside the courtyard, Chang Geng's cries of "Miss" mingled with the crackling of the fire, and the sound of beams crashing down was deafening.

Shen Yun was kept in the outer room, ignoring the smoke that seemed to seep into her lungs and the stinging flames that stung her skin.

He called her name, hoping to find her somewhere.

The wind was unusually strong tonight, and the fire had spread to the neighboring house thanks to the wind.

Shen Yun's eyes misted over, becoming blurred and crimson from the burning pain of the fire.

"Lin Shutang!"

He rushed into the inner room and saw the figure crouching in the corner, hugging himself tightly. Hearing his voice, the figure looked up and saw that his eyes were red from crying.

He paused for a moment, then rushed forward, pulled her up, held her in his arms, and ran towards the door.

He firmly protected the back of her head with the back of his hand.

Just as they were about to step out of the room, the door frame suddenly crashed down from above, and the heat wave sent them both tumbling down the steps.

Shen Yun lay on her back on the ground, her whole body aching as if it had been broken apart. Her hand was red from being hit by the wooden frame, and her fingertips trembled unconsciously.

He looked up, his gaze falling on the dark shadow on the treetop, and his eyes darkened.

Yingxiao knew she had messed things up; the door frame had fallen but hadn't hurt Lin Shutang, instead harming the young master. Feeling guilty, she lowered her head.

Lin Shutang, still shaken, turned back to look at the fallen plank, her eyes reflecting the firelight. When she turned her head, she realized that she had fallen on top of Shen Yun. She hurriedly sat up and pulled Shen Yun to her feet.

Shen Yun had many burns on his body from the flames, and after rolling on the ground, he got covered in sparks and sawdust, looking quite disheveled.

He frowned slightly and glanced at himself with some disgust, but suddenly someone grabbed him by the waist and hugged him tightly.

The girl wore only a light cloud-colored strapless long dress with a silk gauze long shirt over it. The scent of soap stalks wafted into my arms, and her soft body was enveloped in the warmth of the flames, which instantly turned cold.

Shen Yun felt the person in his arms trembling uncontrollably, tears seemingly soaking a large patch of his chest. The girl's long black hair hung down, the ends brushing against the back of his hand, and the burning pain seemed to fade, becoming a tingling, itchy sensation.

The girl cried uncontrollably, "Chen Yun, I'm so glad you're alright."

Shen Yun was stunned for a moment, and his voice sounded uncertain as he slowly lowered his head, very hesitant, "You...are you worried about me?"

Lin Shutang stepped out of his arms. The girl's face was fair, but it was covered with a lot of ash. Her eyes were red from crying, and the tip of her nose was also red.

She sobbed, "It was me, it was my fault for not placing the candlesticks properly, which caused the fire. Thank goodness you're alright, Shen Yun... I'm so sorry..."

It felt like something was blocking her throat. Shen Yun looked at her, momentarily at a loss for how to react, a rare look of helplessness flashing across her face.

He raised his hand, then froze in mid-air for a long time before finally touching Lin Shutang's cheek, wiping away the remaining dust from her face. Tears wet his fingertips as he wiped them away, while Lin Shutang continued to shed tears.

His palms were all wet from the sweat, and he finally started to get a little impatient. He wiped her face clean, then took her head in one hand and pressed it against his neck. He gently stroked her thin back. "It's alright now."

He said, his voice hoarse and strained.