After the Foolish Beauty Wore Women's Clothes and Married the Brutal General - Chapter 10

Chapter 10: You Protect Me.

When Nan Jianxue once again reached out to Liang Qifeng for money to buy a hairpin, Liang Qifeng couldn’t help but say, “No wonder your brother can control you. With your spending habits, it won’t be enough to just extort a little bit from me.”

“That’s for later,” Nan Jianxue took the banknote he handed him. After buying the hairpin, he waved it at Liang Qifeng. “This place is clearly so much fun. It’s not as scary as you said. You were obviously just trying to scare me so you wouldn’t have to bring me here.”

This was actually true.

No matter how chaotic the ghost market was, it wasn’t so bad that murders happened at any given moment. It was more of a place for selling things that couldn’t be displayed in regular shops or for selling stolen goods. Liang Qifeng had only tried to scare Nan Jianxue because he was afraid she’d want to come along, but it didn’t work.

However, he didn’t admit it and only reminded her, “This is an item that belonged to a dead person.”

Nan Jianxue shook his head. “No, it’s not. The owner said that it was made by a craftsman from the previous dynasty for a noble concubine, but the dynasty fell before it could be delivered. The craftsman kept it as a family heirloom and only sold it because he was short on money.”

Liang Qifeng looked at the stall owner speechlessly, but he was even more speechless with Nan Jianxue. “You believe that?”

Nan Jianxue was confused. “Why would he need to lie to me?”

“If he said it was taken from a dead person, would you still buy it?” Liang Qifeng said. “He’s just tricking you because he thinks you’re foolish.”

Nan Jianxue frowned, turned to look at the stall owner, and saw him give him a fawning smile, which clearly meant Liang Qifeng was right.

Nan Jianxue’s eyebrows immediately shot up. “You lied to me! Give me a refund!”

“No way. There’s no such thing as returns for things that have been sold,” the stall owner pouted, a little nonchalantly. “That’s the rule of the ghost market. If you don’t have good judgment, you have to accept your loss!”

Nan Jianxue was stunned and looked at Liang Qifeng, asking in confusion, “Is that really a rule?”

Liang Qifeng: “…He’s already lied to you once, and you still believe him?”

Nan Jianxue: “…”

He frowned and looked at the stall owner, and saw him covering his mouth and chuckling. He immediately got even angrier and said, “Are you giving me a refund or not? If you don’t, I’ll have him hit you!”

The stall owner chuckled twice. “It’s not worth it for something so small.”

Nan Jianxue immediately looked at Liang Qifeng and said, “He tricked you out of your money. Are you going to hit him or not?”

“That’s money you borrowed,” Liang Qifeng pulled him closer and said helplessly. “This is a good item. Keep it.”

“I don’t want it,” Nan Jianxue frowned. “I can’t wear it.”

“The things on it are good,” Liang Qifeng glanced at the stall owner and said in a low voice, “They’re all rare stones. If you take them off and make a new hairpin, the selling price will be at least thirty to fifty times higher.”

Nan Jianxue glanced at the gemstones on it and frowned slightly.

The stones on it were indeed very good, but not to that extent. He was just captivated by the design and craftsmanship.

“That’s clearly…”

“Refund, I’ll give you a refund now.” The stall owner suddenly changed his tune and quickly came forward with the banknote. He swapped the hairpin back before Nan Jianxue could react, with a delighted look on his face.

Nan Jianxue then understood and looked at Liang Qifeng speechlessly. “You’re so sly.”

Liang Qifeng raised an eyebrow. “It’s a lesson for you. Have you had enough fun? It’s time to get down to business.”

Nan Jianxue hadn’t had enough fun yet, but thinking about Liang Qifeng’s business, he nodded and followed him.

Halfway there, he was once again attracted by a small stall in a corner.

Liang Qifeng heard the commotion behind him and felt a headache coming on. He reached out and pulled her back before he could walk over and said, “What did you promise me before we came?”

“To be good,” Nan Jianxue said. “I’ll just take a look.”

With that, he struggled free and quickly slipped away from Liang Qifeng’s grasp, squatting in front of the stall.

The stall was filled with small toys, and Nan Jianxue immediately fell in love with a little bird. He picked it up and looked at it.

The little bird stood on a wooden post. There was a handle underneath. When you shook it, the bird would open its mouth and peck at the small bowl on the post.

It was a simple mechanism. Nan Jianxue had things like this in his manor, even more delicate and beautiful ones, but the bird in his manor didn’t open its mouth.

He asked the old man selling the items, “How does this bird open its mouth?”

The old man said, “Give me a silver bead and I’ll tell you.”

Nan Jianxue took a small piece of silver from Liang Qifeng and gave it to him.

But the old man complained that it was too big.

Nan Jianxue had no choice but to exchange it for a gold bead and said, “You old man, you’re not trying to trick me out of my money, are you?”

The old man chuckled and put the gold bead into the small bowl. He shook the handle again, and the little bird lowered its head, pecked the gold bead into its mouth, and swallowed it.

Nan Jianxue’s eyes immediately lit up. “It ate it? How do I get it out?”

The old man flicked the bird’s wing, and with a very faint sound, the gold bead slid out of the bird’s bottom.

Liang Qifeng was speechless at the sight.

But Nan Jianxue was amused. “This is fun. Do you have anything else?”

The old man showed him a few other things. Most of them were cleverly made but not delicate, perfect for amusing children.

Nan Jianxue wanted to have more delicate ones made, but at this moment, he was so taken by the old man’s tricks that he wanted to buy everything. Finally, he turned his head to look at Liang Qifeng and said, “Pay!”

Liang Qifeng glanced at the things on the stall, didn’t move, and only said, “You can’t take them all back.”

Nan Jianxue looked at the two zithers on his back and the big bag of jewelry in his hand and immediately showed a look of disappointment.

He really couldn’t take them back.

He was about to pick out a few of his favorites when the old man said, “It’s okay. I’ll deliver them for you!”

Nan Jianxue’s eyes lit up when he heard this. “Really?”

“Really,” the old man said with a happy chuckle. “If you give me a little more money, I’ll deliver them no matter how far it is.”

Nan Jianxue immediately nodded. “Then come with us.”

When the old man heard this, he immediately gathered all his things, put them on his back, and was about to leave with them.

Liang Qifeng had a headache.

But it was Nan Jianxue’s business, so he was too lazy to interfere. He said, “Can you follow me now?”

Nan Jianxue nodded and immediately went to his side.

The place he was going to was a small shop.

Building a small house underground like this, although not exquisite, was indeed very conspicuous.

Nan Jianxue couldn’t help but say, “It seems like this is a very profitable business. Are there many people who come to buy medicine?”

When he said this, there were two people standing in front of the shop. Their clothes and appearance suggested they were a young lady and her maid.

Liang Qifeng was speechless for a moment.

“Wait here obediently,” Liang Qifeng said, pulling her to the side and striding to the front of the shop.

Nan Jianxue wanted to go over, but the old man pulled him back. “My dear, why are you going there? It’s reckless. Be careful not to bump into anything that will rot your hands.”

Nan Jianxue immediately put his hands in his sleeves, but he was too restless. He couldn’t help but talk to the old man. “How many people have such a deep-seated hatred that a shop like this has such a good business?”

The old man chuckled. “Who says you need a deep-seated hatred to poison someone?”

Nan Jianxue was even more confused. “If it’s not a deep-seated hatred, why would you need to take someone’s life? What’s the point of such a self-destructive act?”

The old man frowned upon hearing this, as if he was thinking of something. Soon, he had a look of sudden realization. “What do you think they sell here?”

“Poisons,” Nan Jianxue pointed at Liang Qifeng. “He said that there are poisons that are very common in the ghost market.”

The old man smiled. “Knives come in different lengths, and poisons are even more varied. How they are used and where they are used depends on who is using them. They’re not all for harming people.”

Nan Jianxue immediately became interested. “They’re not all for harming people?”

“Of course. In addition to poisoning people, they also have things to poison mice,” the old man said, pausing and lowering his voice. “There are also some things that don’t take a person’s life, some shady stuff.”

A single sentence made Nan Jianxue’s thoughts run wild. He also lowered his voice like the old man. “Like… ‘Begonia Spring,’ ‘Lust Powder,’ ‘Drunken Spring Night,’ or ‘Ghost Mandarin Duck’?”

The old man frowned when he heard this. “How do you know about these things, little girl?” He then looked at Nan Jianxue again. “You look like a young lady from a noble family. How do you know so much?”

Nan Jianxue thought to himself that he had, of course, read about them in novels.

And heard about them in the palace.

“Mind your own business,” Nan Jianxue said. “Are you going to tell me or not? If you don’t, I’ll deduct your money!”

“You’re a brat… I’ll tell you,” the old man said, both annoyed and amused. “They do have them. As long as you can afford it, they can even make a custom one for you.”

“They can do that?” Nan Jianxue was amazed. “But there are still too many of them.”

He still felt that the people who needed these medicines were in the minority, and even fewer would be able to find a place like this and pay for them.

The old man smiled again. “The best poison masters are also the best pharmacists. They also have things here to treat and save people.”

“Then they can do honest business,” Nan Jianxue said. “They could even go into the palace and become imperial physicians. That would be so much better.”

“It’s not as fast as making money in the ghost market,” the old man said, pointing at Liang Qifeng, who was giving a banknote to the shop owner. The denomination was not small, more than all the money Nan Jianxue had spent today. “People who want to buy things come to them, and people who want to investigate things come to them.”

Nan Jianxue pouted.

The old man looked at him like this, and for some reason, he misunderstood. “Men are best at coaxing young girls. Don’t be a fool and just follow people for a little money, okay?”

Nan Jianxue listened to his earnest tone, gave him a sideways glance, and said, “I just think the money was too little.”

The old man chuckled happily upon hearing this. “It is too little. He probably won’t get any information.”

Nan Jianxue frowned. “Why?”

“If you have money, they’ll naturally raise the price. Once the price is raised, they’ll give you something vague and unclear, and what can you do about it?” the old man said. “These people have many tricks. Ordinary people can’t afford to mess with them, so they just have to suffer in silence.”

Nan Jianxue felt that Liang Qifeng probably wouldn’t suffer this loss, but hearing the old man’s gloating tone, his eyes darted around, and he whispered to him, “Do you have a way?”

The old man smiled when he heard this. “I’ve been in this ghost market for so many years. I have many connections.”

Nan Jianxue immediately said, “If you can find out who bought that medicine, I can give you money too.”

The old man immediately asked, “Really? How much can you give me?”

Nan Jianxue nodded. “How much do you want?”

The old man really thought about it. After a while, he gritted his teeth. “One hundred taels!”

Nan Jianxue: ?

Nan Jianxue hesitated. “That’s a hefty price.”

The old man immediately became unhappy. “He gave a thousand taels!”

Only then did Nan Jianxue realize. “You want silver? Okay, if you can really get it, I’ll give you two hundred.”

The old man was stunned. “Really?” After he said that, a grin immediately spread across his face. “Then you go wait up there.”

After saying that, he ran off and disappeared into the crowd before Nan Jianxue could even ask him where he was going.

When Liang Qifeng returned, he looked at Nan Jianxue with a complicated expression. “I was only gone for a moment, and you let someone trick you out of two hundred taels again?”

Nan Jianxue: ?

“You’re listening again!” Nan Jianxue glared at him. “I’m just testing it! What if he’s right? What if they give you a vague list and that old man can get the real one? I haven’t paid yet anyway.”

Liang Qifeng was speechless and showed him the paper in his hand.

It recorded the clothing, appearance, and accent of the person who bought the medicine in great detail. Although they didn’t know who it was, they should be able to find them by following the description.

“But that old man said…”

“They did raise the price,” Liang Qifeng said. “They know who I am and want to continue doing business in the ghost market, so they won’t be perfunctory with me.”

Nan Jianxue also understood.

Although this place was difficult to manage, it wasn’t impossible if one was determined. And Liang Qifeng was that kind of person.

Nan Jianxue looked at the person described on the paper again, and his eyebrows immediately furrowed. “Is this a eunuch?”

Liang Qifeng nodded. “That’s for your brother to investigate. Let’s go back.”

“But what about the old man…”

“You want to wait here?” Liang Qifeng said helplessly. “Are you really that rich?”

“He also took my toys,” Nan Jianxue frowned. “He told me to wait up there.”

“Then let’s go up first,” Liang Qifeng took his hand and walked towards the exit.

All in all, their trip went smoothly. There was no bloodshed or killing. Nan Jianxue bought many things, and Liang Qifeng got the answer he wanted.

Nan Jianxue was in a great mood. He happily followed behind Liang Qifeng and asked him when they would come back.

“We won’t. I’m not bringing you,” Liang Qifeng directly refused. “What’s a spoiled princess doing obsessing over things like this? If your brother finds out I brought you to a place like this, he’d be weird if he didn’t kill me.”

“Don’t worry, I won’t tell him,” Nan Jianxue said. “We’ll come secretly.”

Liang Qifeng: “…Did I not make myself clear enough?”

“Oh, I don’t understand,” Nan Jianxue turned his head and stared at the wall.

“Watch your step,” Liang Qifeng reminded him, but as soon as the words left his mouth, Nan Jianxue stumbled over a small stone.

Liang Qifeng quickly reached out to steady him. Just as he was about to tell him to be careful, a man’s scream suddenly came from somewhere.

Nan Jianxue was stunned and turned his head with Liang Qifeng in the direction of the sound.

The place was not far from them, but it was blocked. Nan Jianxue couldn’t see what was happening.

He looked at Liang Qifeng a little bewildered. “What’s wrong?”

Liang Qifeng frowned slightly, pulled him to the side, and raised his hand to block Nan Jianxue’s vision. He said in a low voice, “Something you don’t want to see.”

Nan Jianxue was stunned. Just as he was about to understand, he felt someone run past him very quickly, but before he could get far, another scream was heard.

And mixed in with it was the sound of a sharp blade cutting through clothes and flesh.

Nan Jianxue’s whole body instantly tensed up.

He heard the man who screamed curse something and then run away.

The person who had acted also didn’t chase after him.

He bent down and picked up something, cursed softly, and then turned and left.

The surroundings became quiet again, with only a few quiet exchanges of bargaining.

Nan Jianxue hadn’t seen anything, but from the return to normalcy, he felt a different kind of eerie strangeness. He vaguely understood the horror and chaos that Liang Qifeng had told him about.

He couldn’t help but shiver. He reached out his fingers and grabbed Liang Qifeng’s sleeve. “We… let’s go up first.”

Liang Qifeng said, “Okay,” and moved closer with their hands still touching. He gently turned Nan Jianxue’s face towards the way they came.

It was pitch black there.

Liang Qifeng said, “Where’s the thing I gave you?”

Only then did Nan Jianxue take out the luminous pearl that Liang Qifeng had given him.

The faint light illuminated the tunnel, which made Nan Jianxue feel a little more at ease. He leaned a little closer to Liang Qifeng, almost pressing his whole body against him, and said in a low voice, “Walk a little slower.”

His voice was thin and weak, and his throat was a little shaky, like a frightened little animal.

Liang Qifeng’s voice also unconsciously softened. “Do you want me to follow behind you?”

Nan Jianxue, however, shook his head, leaned closer to him, and said, “I’ll follow you. You protect me.”

Liang Qifeng smelled a faint floral scent coming from him.

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