49. Thousand-year-old ginseng, delicious.
"Keep the hidden items to your brother. With you in your heart, external things are worthless to you," He Chen said simply, unconcerned.
"You flatter me, sir," Fanghua thought, a sweet feeling welling up inside. "Sir, these things would be a disaster if they were in my brother's possession. Tu Da Gou's trade with the demon beasts certainly deserves death. But he's right on one point: without military protection, Tujia Fortress would hardly have peace."
"Sir, the hidden compartment is at the back of the hall. My father always said that the more visible a place is, the harder it is to detect."
"Okay, take us there," He Chen said, then turned to the two women and said, "Would you like to come and take a look too?"
Yun Su and Bi Yunyan wanted to laugh, so they said, "I'll chat with Sister Bi. You two go ahead, but come back quickly." After saying that, they even smirked.
"Okay, be careful. I'll be right back." The two went out through the side door and followed the pebbled path to the room behind the hall.
Inside, along the wall, a row of bookshelves stood empty except for a small bed, presumably for sleeping. The bookshelves were covered in dust, indicating no one had been there for a long time.
There was also a candlestick nearby. Fanghua gently turned the candlestick, and an exit large enough for one person to enter appeared.
"Should we go down? I'm a little scared," Fanghua asked, looking at the pitch black interior.
Their divine senses were activated; there were no living creatures below. 'Let's go down and take a look.'
Holding a candle, the two quickly descended a flight of stairs. The lower section, about a third the size of the upper one, contained a small bed with a silk quilt. There were also many books and several boxes. He Chen used a knife to pry open several of the boxes.
"Ah, so the marksmanship manual and mental cultivation techniques were all here. No wonder Tu Da Gou couldn't find them," Fanghua said with some surprise.
A simple jade box contained a ginseng root. It appeared to be a thousand years old.
A large mahogany chest—with a tap of his dagger, the lock came off. Inside was a chest full of gold and silver, presumably his savings over the years. A cursory glance revealed no other treasures.
"Let's leave the gold and the manual to Tsuchizhe," He Chen said casually.
Fanghua shook her head and said, "Thank you, sir. If my brother wants to learn martial arts from this manual, please leave it to him! Please keep the rest."
"Alright!" Then the spatial ring stored all the items away. The thousand-year-old ginseng was picked up and devoured. It felt so good; all the cells absorbed it rapidly, throbbing with joyful excitement.
After the examination, I was about to leave when someone hugged me tightly from behind. I heard a barely audible whisper in my ear, "Please, sir, have mercy!"
Suddenly, night was no different from daytime. Everything was perfectly clear.
The candlelight went out, and the fragrance filled the air, instantly transforming the cold night into spring. Half an hour later, the secret room was quiet.
Yun Su and Bi Yunyan were chatting happily, reminiscing about their childhood favorites like braised pork hock and stir-fried eel. They then discussed He Chen's impressive appetite. Soon, an hour had passed. Fang Hua and Bi Yunyan entered through a side door. The two women looked at them and laughed so hard they bent over, their expressions becoming even more charming. They were momentarily stunned.
"There was a thousand-year-old ginseng inside, and I just ate it." He Chen explained why it was a little late.
Yunsu playfully remarked, "Oh, is ginseng delicious? Why did it take you so long to eat it? It should have been stewed and eaten slowly."
Just then, there was a knock at the door. "Sir, the inventory is mostly complete."
"Okay, bring it in." He Chen said.
Bi Yunyan also smiled secretly.
Gui San came in, and Yang Dexing and Feng Xingbu also arrived.
Several large boxes were carried in. Inside were silver and gold. There weren't many other valuable medicinal herbs, just a few hundred-year-old ginseng roots.
'Okay, good. You can keep your own portions. Take the rest back. Leave the ginseng.'
"Thank you, sir!" the group said gratefully.
I've earned this much extra money just from tidying up; I should definitely thank them properly.
After leaving, Gui San said, "My lord, the demon beast meat has been collected. We'll have it processed and delivered to your residence tomorrow."
"Alright, you did very well this time. Here, take a portion of the demon beast meat. Cultivation can't stop. Also, starting today, you're the vice-leader."
"Yes, thank you, sir." Gui San knelt on one knee and thanked him.
"Brother, I'll go back and have someone bring you some Qi-replenishing pills!" Yun Su watched as He Chen wolfed down all the ginseng and other spiritual herbs.
She said with concern. She thought to herself, 'Brother, your physical training is probably due to insufficient spiritual energy here; it needs nourishment. This place is limiting your development. If you were in a place with abundant spiritual energy, you would probably be even more powerful now.'
"Thank you, Su'er, but no need. I'll get what I need with these hands."
"Brother Shen, don't worry about losing money or favors. Qi-replenishing pills aren't rare. Your body is weak; replenishing it sooner rather than later will prevent damage to your foundation. Besides, with your abilities, even a small amount of Qi-replenishing pills is a huge advantage for others."
Yun Sujiao asked with feigned concern. Hearing such praise from such a beautiful woman truly made her heart flutter! 'Alright, then I'll listen to Su'er.'
At this moment, after a night of fierce fighting, another night of fierce fighting ensued. Finally, dawn broke outside. A few people emerged; most of the ground had been cleaned up, and the Tujia villagers, who were unharmed, began to tidy up the mess left behind by the battle.
"This side, this side needs tidying up too." Tu Zhe, shovel in hand, shouted hoarsely, directing the villagers to clean up. Overnight, Tu Zhe seemed to have grown up. Of course, Tu Fanghua had also grown up.
Tu Fanghua came to Tu Zhe's side, whispered a few words, and then returned.
Gently rest your head against the body.
Let's go.
Gui San has already prepared the horses!
Bi Yunyan and Yun Su each rode their own mounts.
He Chen lifted Tu Fanghua onto the horse's back and wrapped his arms around her waist from behind to protect her.
"Giddy up!" The group rode their horses toward Huangtu City.
Along the road, past farmland, the crops appeared sparse and with only a few leaves, overgrown with weeds. At dawn, no villagers were seen working in the fields!
"Stop!" The group stopped. "The crops aren't doing very well!" He Chen said.
"There have been several disappearances outside recently, and villagers are afraid to come out in the early morning and evening. They don't know if it's a person or a demon or monster, so many people are too scared to stay outside!" Bi Yunyan explained.
'Okay, go back and tell Deputy Ghost that if there are any demons or monsters in the vicinity, report them to me immediately so I can handle them.'
"Yes, Your Excellency is merciful. I thank you on behalf of the people outside the city!" said Bi Yunyan.
"Nothing's wrong. Go back and have the constables and police investigate the surrounding area. Some things should be cleaned up as well."
The group continued their journey towards the county town. This wouldn't end there; so many wolves had died—their wolves would surely seek revenge!
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