Chapter 26

Wu Xue Mei smiled slightly and said, "Is that so? I think the same."

She turned around and said with a haughty air, "Let's go."

When Wu Xue Mei and the others left the house, Zhang Qi collapsed on the ground, tears streaming down his face. He didn't dare to make a sound, just sobbing silently, tears and snot streaming down his face.

No matter who saw this scene, they would sigh, but no one dared to stand up and speak out for Zhang Qi.

Li Wen Jun watched Wu Xue Mei leave, his eyes burning with desire. The wild ginseng, nearly two hundred years old, had been taken away by Wu Xue Mei. How could he get it from her?

After leaving Zhang Qi's house, Li Wen Jun returned to the Sun family with Sun Jia Ning. Sun Bai Cao, seeing the two return dejectedly, asked what had happened.

Sun Jia Ning described the events in detail. Upon hearing this, Sun Bai Cao, besides lamenting Zhang Qi's bad luck, repeatedly warned Li Wen Jun and Sun Jia Ning not to provoke Wu Xue Mei no matter what.

Back at his own home, Li Wen Jun kept seeing the wild ginseng in the red box in his mind. The wild ginseng was like a curse, constantly swirling in his thoughts. If he could get the wild ginseng, he could start refining Qi Gathering Powder. Once he refined it, he could quickly cultivate and become a true immortal practitioner.

Li Wen Jun wanted to rush to Wu Xue Mei and snatch the wild ginseng, but thinking of her status, he had to calm himself down.

Just being anxious was no use. To get the wild ginseng, he needed to analyze why Wu Xue Mei had "bought" it. Was there something behind it?

Zhang Qi's sale of the wild ginseng was public knowledge. Even if Wu Xue Mei had bought it, she couldn't stop more people from knowing she had it.

In the Song Dynasty, a county magistrate was just a minor official. Above him were the prefect, the governor, and the viceroy. Did these people not need wild ginseng?

Li Wen Jun suddenly had a bold hypothesis: Was Wu Xue Mei buying the wild ginseng to pave the way for her father's career? If so, Wu Tao would definitely send the wild ginseng out of the county to the prefecture.

If he could intercept the person delivering the wild ginseng halfway, wouldn't he have a chance to seize it?

Thinking of this possibility, Li Wen Jun's breathing suddenly became heavy.

His heart was set!

Before the famine, Li Wen Jun had been very respectful of the government. But during the famine, which lasted for months, the government took no action, not even sending someone to check. In the military town, he was almost killed by the local headman. In Sanyang County, the magistrate's daughter was so arrogant, and the magistrate, Wu Tao, never apologized for Wu Xue Mei's behavior.

All these things had long erased his respect for the government. Now, he wasn't afraid of the government, let alone "respecting" it. He was most worried about not being able to confront the government's power directly.

As for intercepting the wild ginseng, Li Wen Jun had no psychological burden. Why should he not be able to rob Wu Xue Mei when she could take it by force?

Li Wen Jun's hypothesis turned out to be correct. Wu Xue Mei had bought the wild ginseng at a very low price to help her father, Wu Tao. Wu Tao's superior, the prefect, was a filial son. His father was seriously ill and needed a medicinal herb over a hundred years old as a decoction. Such herbs were not easy to obtain, so the prefect sent Kong Yishi to Sanyang County.

Kong Yishi, with his high status, couldn't deal with farmers and herbalists directly. He went to Wu Tao and explained the prefect's needs. Wu Tao and Wu Xue Mei immediately started looking for the wild ginseng.

It happened that Zhang Qi was selling the wild ginseng to save his son. Wu Xue Mei came and forcibly bought it. To be honest, a wild ginseng nearly two hundred years old was not cheap at 2,000 taels of silver, but Wu Xue Mei bought it for 10 taels of gold, which was almost like a robbery.

After making his hypothesis, Li Wen Jun had no time to think more. He waited at the county office, watching the bailiffs coming and going.

He remembered what Sun Jia Ning had told him: the prefect was sick and had gone to Huichun Hall for medicine.

Kong Yishi, who was with Wu Xue Mei today, had also come from Huichun Hall. It was likely that Kong Yishi was specially invited by Wu Tao and Wu Xue Mei from the prefecture to check if the wild ginseng was suitable for the medicine. Wu Tao would send the wild ginseng to the prefecture, and Kong Yishi would likely go back with it.

Li Wen Jun didn't wait long before he saw Kong Yishi come out of the county office and get into a carriage. A bailiff drove the carriage, carrying Kong Yishi, with another bailiff guarding him, and they left the county office.

Li Wen Jun frowned. Three adults protecting a wild ginseng made it difficult to seize it. But if he could get the wild ginseng, he would find a way to achieve his goal no matter how difficult it was.

Li Wen Jun went to a tailor's shop and bought some ordinary, common clothes. He then went to another shop and bought fake beards and wigs. He found a pharmacy and, under the pretext of constipation, bought some croton seed powder. He originally wanted to buy knockout powder, but that would be too obvious and could raise suspicion. Croton seed powder was different.

Finding a secluded place, Li Wen Jun dressed up, stuck on a fake beard, put on a wig, and wore unnoticeable clothes. He put a walnut under his tongue and then went to the horse market in the county to buy a strong horse.

After that, Li Wen Jun rode the horse and followed the road from Sanyang County to the prefecture, chasing after Kong Yishi and the others.

Sanyang County was about 200 miles from the prefecture, and the road was not smooth, full of dirt and rugged terrain. Even if Kong Yishi and the others had a smooth journey, it would take at least two days to reach the prefecture.

Li Wen Jun chased for half a day and saw Kong Yishi and the others traveling leisurely. He rode past them and went a bit further. Seeing a tea house by the road, he stopped his horse outside, dismounted, and went in to eat.

When it was time to pay, he asked the owner where there was a place to rest nearby.

The owner told him that about five miles down the road, there was an inn, the only one within ten miles.

Li Wen Jun was delighted. He quickly remounted his horse and galloped down the road, aiming to reach the inn first and make some preparations to seize the wild ginseng from Kong Yishi and the others.

About a quarter of an hour later, Li Wen Jun arrived at the inn. It was a very simple inn, designed for passing horse teams. Even before entering, he could smell the strong horse odor.

The innkeeper came out to greet him. He warmly welcomed Li Wen Jun inside and had someone take care of his horse, washing and feeding it.

The inn had mostly communal dormitories, with only a few single rooms. Li Wen Jun took one of the single rooms and asked where the toilet was, pretending he needed to use it.

The innkeeper didn't pay much attention and told Li Wen Jun to call him if he needed anything, then went back to his business.

Li Wen Jun left the room and walked to the toilet, urinated, and then didn't return to his room immediately. Instead, he wandered around the inn.

The inn was simple, with a large yard surrounded by a mud wall made of yellow soil and wheat straw. Some parts of the wall were broken and patched with thorns.

The layout of the yard was clear. On the west side of the yard were two buildings, side by side, running north to south. The southern building was the inn, providing rest and meals for travelers, and the northern building was the stable.

The stable was built with straw and tree trunks, with horse posts and troughs. Li Wen Jun's horse was tied there.

The inn was a two-story building. The upper floor was for guests, and the lower floor was for dining. The entrance faced east, and each room had a window on the east and west walls, allowing guests to see outside. The south and north walls had no windows, meaning guests had to leave the inn to see their horses.

After Li Wen Jun had thoroughly checked the inn, Kong Yishi, accompanied by two bailiffs, arrived in a carriage. It was already dusk.

One of the bailiffs shouted as soon as they entered the yard, "Innkeeper, innkeeper, come out quickly!"

The innkeeper was busy with another group of guests and came out a bit late. After settling the guests, he ran out and, seeing the bailiffs, became nervous. He bowed and said, "Sir, are you here for a meal or to rest?"

The bailiff on horseback, with a fierce look, lashed out with his whip and said, "Damn, were you shitting inside? It took you so long to come out, freezing Kong Yishi and our Li head. Can you afford to compensate us?"

The innkeeper didn't dare to dodge and endured the whip. He had to be cautious and said, "Sir, I didn't know such important guests had arrived. I apologize for the delay. I don't dare to ask for your forgiveness, but how about this: all your meals and lodging today are free, on me."

The bailiff who had hit him nodded in satisfaction, dismounted, and said haughtily, "We need the best rooms, two of them, and good wine and food. Also, take good care of our horses. If a single hair is missing, I'll skin you alive."

"Rest assured, I will take good care of you. Sirs, please, come inside," the innkeeper said warmly.

Li Wen Jun followed them into the inn and saw the innkeeper accompanying Kong Yishi and the others upstairs to arrange their rooms. To his slight disappointment, their rooms were not next to his, with two rooms in between.

Kong Yishi's room was at the end, and the two bailiffs' rooms were next to his. Anyone who wanted to approach Kong Yishi's room would have to pass by the bailiffs' rooms.

Li Wen Jun had hoped to eavesdrop, but now he saw it was impossible and had to think of another plan.

Li Wen Jun found an empty table and ordered some simple food, watching the activity upstairs.

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