HLnovel Chapter 204 Black Market
Chapter 204 Black Market
The gist of it is that her younger brother has been safely taken away, and she is told to wait for him to return here and not to go out alone.
"Heh!" Su Fuying sneered, casually tossed the things into the fire, changed into his night clothes, and quietly closed the door.
She had observed the city during the day and found that the city's defenses were lax and there was nothing to fear.
So she didn't hesitate any longer and, under the cover of night, headed straight for the city gate.
Now, entry is permitted, but exit is not. The only way out is to slip away at night when the guards are less vigilant.
As planned, a few scattered soldiers lay sprawled on the city wall, snoring softly. Seeing this, I couldn't help but feel a surge of sorrow and anger.
The Pei family risked their lives to protect the country, but behind them were a bunch of rats gnawing away at their hard work. It was truly heartbreaking.
After leaving the city, she headed straight north without hesitation.
As dawn broke, they finally arrived at the border of Northern Li. She had always had an in-depth understanding of ancient military defense, and now was the time for that knowledge to come in handy.
Entering Bei Li now would be harder than climbing to heaven, but the only way to succeed is through the hidden valves in the moat.
Looking down at the dark, deep river, she took a deep breath, made up her mind, and jumped into the water.
Going against the current, after taking a third breath, they finally found the hidden door.
Beili, inside Nuguan City.
Sunlight streamed into the city, reflecting a sense of tranquility and peace.
A child with pigtails skipped along the riverbank, then suddenly stopped, pointed ahead, and excitedly shouted, "Mom, there's someone in the river!" His voice was clear and melodious, but it startled the lady beside him.
The woman quickly took the child into her arms and hugged him tightly, her face full of terror.
She looked in the direction the child pointed and saw only ripples spreading across the calm river surface in the breeze, nothing else.
The lady breathed a sigh of relief, gently patted the child in her arms, and tenderly scolded, "How many times have I told you not to go near the river? Also, children shouldn't talk nonsense." After saying that, she turned and left with the child in her arms.
Shortly after they left, Su Fuying climbed ashore from the river, soaking wet.
She quickly went to a nearby farmhouse, found the clothes drying in the sun, changed into them, left a silver ingot as compensation, and then hurriedly left.
A moment later, Su Fuying appeared in front of a pharmacy.
She stepped into the store, looked around, and finally her gaze landed on the counter.
"Shopkeeper, do you have any cold tobacco in the shop?" Her voice was low and firm.
The boss had been reclining in his chair, enjoying a moment of peace. However, upon hearing Su Fuying's question, he immediately sat up straight, his eyes widening in disbelief.
Su Fuying noticed her boss's unusual reaction and felt somewhat confused.
Cold tobacco is neither rare nor precious in the Northern Li Kingdom, but the demand for it is extremely low.
This shop may not be big, but it wouldn't be surprising if it didn't have any cold tobacco.
However, the boss's surprised expression seemed to reveal something unusual.
"No, no, you should leave now." The boss suddenly started to shoo them away, looking somewhat panicked.
"What's going on? If you don't have it, you don't have it. Why are you kicking people out like this?"
Su Fuying felt displeased; her gaze turned cold as she stared directly at the middle-aged shopkeeper in front of her.
The shopkeeper had initially thought the simply dressed woman was nothing special, but her imposing presence made him re-evaluate her. He wondered to himself, could she be a noblewoman living in anonymity?
However, judging from Su Fuying's appearance, he doesn't seem to be from Bei Li. Moreover, the war between Bei Li and Nan Xia is currently raging, and Bei Li has just won, with the situation only slightly stabilizing. It's unlikely that people of high status would come to a place like this at this time.
Unsure of Su Fuying's identity, the shopkeeper put on a smiling face and tentatively asked, "Judging from your appearance, Miss, you don't seem to be from Bei Li?"
The faces of the people of Beili are usually deep-set, quite different from the gentle beauty of the people of Nanxia, making them easily distinguishable. However, Nanxia and Beili are currently at war, and if Su Fuying is from Nanxia, it will be very difficult for her to leave.
“That’s right, I come from Dongqi and I enjoy traveling around,” Su Fuying replied.
Dong Qi maintained neutrality among the four states and maintained relatively harmonious relations with the other states.
"So you're a friend of Dong Qi." The shopkeeper breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile, "Miss may not know, but Bei Li has now banned the sale of Hanyan tobacco."
"Why?" Su Fuying pressed, and seeing the shopkeeper hesitate, she directly took out a silver ingot and placed it on the counter.
The shopkeeper's eyes lit up immediately, and he quickly picked up the silver to check its authenticity.
After confirming that everything was correct, a genuine smile appeared on his face. He then closed the shop door and explained in a low voice, "Miss, you've come to the right person. He's the younger brother of my uncle's aunt's son's daughter-in-law..."
"Speak the key."
Su Fuying interrupted impatiently.
"Okay, okay."
The shopkeeper chuckled and said, "A relative of mine serves in the army. I heard that someone told His Majesty that if the Cold Grass Fire is banned and General Pei of Nanxia is delayed for a while longer, Nanxia will naturally fall without a fight."
Su Fuying raised an eyebrow, as if she had guessed something, and continued to ask, "Why?"
"Well, I don't know." The shopkeeper's eyes began to dart around.
Su Fuying reached out to take the silver back, but the shopkeeper quickly protected her, saying, "I know, I know, I'll tell you."
"Speak!" Su Fuying's voice was even colder.
The shopkeeper quickly said, "I only heard about it, I don't know if it's true. The regent of Nanxia was poisoned and returned to the capital for treatment. He needs Cold Tobacco to be cured. Without Cold Tobacco, he can only wait to die."
"With the Regent dead and General Pei of Southern Xia now trapped, Southern Xia will fall into chaos and collapse without a fight."
Su Fuying chuckled softly, seemingly having already guessed some of the clues.
"Miss, that's all I know," the shopkeeper said cautiously, worried that Su Fuying might be dissatisfied and take the money back.
"Do you know where in Beili you can still buy Cold Grass Smoke?" Su Fuying stopped pressuring him and decided to find another way.
“You’ve come to the right person again,” the shopkeeper said smugly. “At the beginning of each month, there’s an underground black market in the east. People there will sell anything. They might have what you need.”
"The beginning of the month?"
"Yes, there are three more days. If you really need it, Miss, you can go there and take a look."
The shopkeeper's gaze kept lingering on Su Fuying's waist. Su Fuying understood his meaning and took out another silver ingot. "Do I need any proof to go in?"
Seeing that she was so sensible, the shopkeeper stopped hiding it and took out an invitation from the cabinet. "Take this, and you can go in directly, Miss."