As soon as Li Wanming returned to the courtyard, Wanmo rushed up to her. "What's going on outside? It sounds so noisy."
Li Wanming smiled. "It's nothing. Just a few naughty brats. I've already sent them away."
The matter of the Xiao family could be simple or complicated. Since it involved the secrets of a noble family, it was better not to say too much.
Moreover, she had already sent someone to tidy up the firewood and kerosene piled in the corner outside. There was no need to tell her sisters that someone had tried to set fire to the warehouse, so as not to worry them.
"Brats...?"
Wanmo was still confused when Li Wanming walked over and pointed at the snake on the ground. "Second sister, could you help me pick up this snake? I need it."
Wanmo was taken aback. "A dead snake? What do you need it for? I was going to roast it for dinner..."
"Ah, I've never seen a venomous snake before. I want to dry it and keep it as a collection," Li Wanming replied without hesitation.
Wanmo looked at her and suddenly laughed. "Stop joking! It's understandable that eldest sister has never seen a venomous snake because she didn't often go up the mountains when she was in Fujian. But you? You used to run around in the fields and mountains with me in Fujian. What kind of venomous snakes haven't you seen?"
Li Wanming was at a loss for words. "I... I've never seen one this thick."
"Well, that's true."
Wanmo poked the snake on the ground with the tip of her spear and said with a smile, "The banded kraits in our Fujian are as thin as little fingers. There really aren't any this thick. It seems that the feng shui in the capital is not very good. It actually breeds such poisonous creatures..."
Li Wanming stared at the snake on the ground and thought to herself: There are no such poisonous creatures in the capital.
The snake on the ground was already dead. Its black-and-white scales emitted a dull, cold light.
Wanmo picked up the snake and threw it into the bag carried by a servant beside her.
Li Wanming took the bag and told Wanmo that she was going back to the Listening-to-Snow Studio to dry the snake. When she reached the porch, she stopped. Taking advantage of the fact that no one in the courtyard was paying attention, she turned around and walked towards the outside of the gate.
Of course, she had no intention of drying the snake, let alone keeping it as a collection.
This snake was evidence, but unfortunately, it was not conclusive enough.
She had been quite harsh today. Xiao Jingbai might not be able to get out of bed for three days.
Madam Kang might take this opportunity to cause trouble for her.
She had to take precautions in advance and at least have all the relevant evidence in her hands.
As Li Wanming walked towards the south of the city, she secretly blamed herself. The Princess Chengping had told her so much, but when something happened, she still got angry. As soon as she heard that someone was going to endanger her parents, she forgot everything.
She still needed to practice self - restraint.
Li Wanming couldn't help but shake her head and sigh.
Fortunately, although she was not good at self - cultivation, she knew a lot of other things!
Snakes this thick were not common in the capital.
The little fat boy had said that the snake came from a warehouse in Changyi Fang.
What a coincidence!
She had run a wine shop for two years and was very familiar with the warehouses in Changyi Fang.
— There were no more than three shops that were qualified and capable of selling such wild game.
Li Wanming carried the bag and strode towards the south of the city.
Changyi Fang was located in the southernmost part of the capital, adjacent to the outer city. It was the gathering place of all the large warehouses in the capital. Every day, there was a constant stream of carriages and horses, and the goods were flowing like a tide. It was so bustling that it seemed even the air was boiling.
However, among this prosperity, there were not many warehouses selling flying birds and wild animals.
Li Wanming passed through the railing and stepped over the tall Fang gate. Ignoring the noisy shops on both sides, she turned directly into a narrow and winding alley on the north side.
At the end of the alley, there was a gray wooden fence gate half - open. The paint on the gate had already peeled off, making it look extremely inconspicuous.
This was already the third shop she had visited today.
If her guess was right, the person she was looking for was in this shop.
Li Wanming weighed the cloth bag in her hand and quietly stepped into the gate.
Instead of going to the main hall where the counter was, she passed through a side gate under the western wall and slipped directly into the back courtyard along the gap by the wall.
As soon as she entered the courtyard, a stench mixed with the smell of blood assailed her nostrils, making her frown slightly.
The courtyard was in a mess.
It was also quite shocking.
There were more than a dozen iron cages of different heights placed randomly on the ground. Inside the cages were black pangolins, three - foot - long crocodiles, a huge golden python coiling on the ground and hissing, and gold - and - green peacocks with messy feathers...
There was everything, just like a small zoo.
In the middle of the courtyard, two strong men were holding down a half - human - tall leopard, skinning it and draining its blood.
The leopard's head was hanging limply to one side. It was obviously dead. Half of its colorful fur had been skinned off. Blood dripped from the wooden bench and pooled into a dazzling dark red on the ground.
One of the strong men looked up and saw Li Wanming. He immediately widened his eyes and shouted roughly, "Which family's girl are you? Who let you in?!"
Li Wanming didn't answer. She just swept her cold eyes over the row of iron cages on the ground.
She had long heard that this warehouse had a wild business. From the north to the south of the country, there was nothing they couldn't get as long as you could think of it. But she didn't expect the variety to be so complete. There were flying birds and wild animals of all kinds.
"Hey! I'm talking to you! Didn't you hear?!"
The big man cursed and wiped his hands with a dirty towel that was hard to tell what color it was. He pretended to come over and push her. "You look so clean and fair. Why did you come to such a dirty place? Get out! This is not a place for you!"
"Hey, isn't this Miss Li San?!"
Just then, a short and thin shopkeeper rushed out of the main hall like the wind. He greeted her with a beaming smile. The copper - coin - sized mole on his chin trembled with his movements, looking extremely comical.
"What wind brought you here? Whatever you want, whether it's a leopard skin or a peacock feather, just send Miss Chuntao to tell us. We'll send it to your mansion immediately! Why do you have to come here in person?"
Li Wanming looked at him for a while and then smiled. "Shopkeeper Chang, how have you been?"
During the two years when she was running the wine shop, she needed to purchase a large amount of raw materials such as grains, fruits, flower petals, and medicinal herbs. She often came to the warehouses in Changyi Fang and was quite familiar with the shopkeepers here.
Especially when she later made the Dragon Elixir Wine, the materials she needed were even more esoteric. So she gradually got to know these shopkeepers who specialized in selling rare wild animals.
However, this kind of business was rather special and involved a lot of killing. Those who did this kind of business were often not good people. Their shops were mostly located in the corners of the Fang and they didn't interact much with ordinary warehouse shopkeepers.
If you were not familiar with the way, you really couldn't find them.
Shopkeeper Chang smiled from ear to ear. "Miss Li San, you're being too polite. Your coming here today is like a noble foot stepping on a humble place! It makes our whole shop shine with glory..."
As he was saying, he invited Li Wanming into the front main hall. He also shouted at the back, "What are you standing there for? Hurry up and put away that bloody animal. If you scare our future princess - consort, how many heads do you have to lose?"