Asking for an exorbitant price is a common tactic used by unscrupulous merchants.
Yi Qing looked at the two gold ingots in the madam's hand. "It seems we're out of luck with Ruyi. Leave the money. Let's go."
"Don't go! Don't go! I'll go and call her right away." The madam turned around and ran, as if afraid they'd change their minds.
Not long after, the madam brought a woman in. The woman was wearing a light green dress full of wrinkles at first glance. Her complexion was a bit sallow, and the jewelry on her head looked very cheap.
"Gentlemen, Ruyi is here." The madam flattered with a smile.
Xiao Jinghan looked at Yi Qing, and Yi Qing nodded slightly.
"Bring us some food and wine." Xiao Jinghan tossed another gold ingot to the madam.
"Sure thing!" The madam felt she had struck gold today. Such an ordinary - looking woman could earn her so much silver. She thought she should give the girls nicer - sounding names in the future.
Although Ruyi was not very good - looking and a bit old, she was neither overawed nor humble when she saw them. "You two must have something to ask me."
Yi Qing stood up and walked around Ruyi. "You must have been quite a beauty in your youth. You have a child."
Ruyi's face changed. "What do you two mean?"
"Nothing much." Yi Qing just saw it. Whether others had children or not was none of her business. "As long as you answer our questions, this will be yours." She took out a gold ingot.
Ruyi looked at the gold ingot. "I'll tell you everything I know."
Yi Qing could tell she was in great need of money. "Where did the Ruyi Grass you sold come from?"
Ruyi's eyes flickered. "I can't tell you."
"Is the price not high enough?"
"It's not about the price." Ruyi couldn't say.
At this time, the madam came in from outside and had the servants bring in the food and wine.
"Gentlemen, enjoy your meal. Just call if you need anything." After saying that, the madam left.
After that, no matter how Yi Qing tried to persuade Ruyi, Ruyi was unwilling to say anything about this matter. The two had to return empty - handed.
"I should have known. We could have just kept an eye on Ruyi." Yi Qing felt bad about wasting her silver.
Xiao Jinghan smiled. "I'll send someone to keep an eye on Ruyi."
The two walked slowly on the streets of Qingyao. Qingyao was also very lively at night. Probably because it was too hot during the day and people didn't go out much, they came out to be active at night.
There were people selling fruits in bamboo baskets, strange insects being roasted in stoves, and soup in bamboo tubes. People could sit at the low tables by the roadside and enjoy themselves.
Yi Qing was in high spirits while strolling around. She even bought a roasted chicken leg.
The roasted chicken leg was brushed with a strange sauce. It tasted sour, which was quite a unique flavor.
Soon, more and more people, especially women, gathered around them. Yi Qing suddenly lost her appetite for the chicken leg. Seeing Yi Qing's pettiness, Xiao Jinghan took her hand and left. They got on a small boat by the river.
The boatman took the silver and slowly rowed along the river. In this way, they could enjoy the night view of Qingyao without being disturbed.
"Xiao Jinghan, are you always this popular?" Yi Qing lay on the side of the boat and turned to look at Xiao Jinghan.
The lights of Qingyao were reflected in the water and then into Yi Qing's eyes. When Xiao Jinghan looked over, it was as if he saw all the earthly fireworks.
"No." Xiao Jinghan smiled slightly.
"I just..." Yi Qing was about to refute when she suddenly remembered that Xiao Jinghan had been expelled from the Xiao family.
No matter how many people liked him now, when he needed them the most, someone had driven him out of his home and left him homeless.
"I don't care what others think. I like you, and you can only be liked by me." Yi Qing looked at Xiao Jinghan proudly.
Xiao Jinghan nodded. Before he met Yi Qing, he protected all the lights in the world, but he never knew what those lights meant to him. Only when he saw the lights in her eyes did he feel the warmth of the world.
The two took a boat tour of Qingyao and still felt reluctant to leave when they returned to their residence.
"You two still remember to come back!" Ghost Lord was both angry and aggrieved.
He had been in a coma, but these two had gone out for fun.
"What's wrong?" Yi Qing was in a good mood today and didn't want to argue with a patient.
"What did you find out after seeing that Ruyi at the Hongyan Pavilion?" Ghost Lord was anxious.
"You already know. Why are you still asking us?" Yi Qing didn't want to talk to him.
"That Ruyi has dealings with the Ping Family's business. Her son is in the hands of the Ping Family." Ghost Lord said directly. "That's all my information."
"Then you should just keep an eye on the people of the Ping Family." Yi Qing said angrily.
"I guess the Ping Family has a secret branch besides their public business, and this Ruyi is the key to connecting the Ping Family and the secret branch in Qingyao. My people have only been here for a few days and don't know much more than you two." Ghost Lord remembered this when he saw a small boat unrelated to the Ping Family in Pyongyang.
Yi Qing and Xiao Jinghan glanced at each other.
"You two were in close contact with Ruyi. You really don't know anything?" Ghost Lord didn't believe it.
There was nothing that could escape Yi Qing's eyes.
This time, Yi Qing was really careless. Ruyi was so low - key. No matter how she looked at it, Ruyi was just a down - and - out woman of the night. Yi Qing thought she sold Ruyi Grass to support her son, but she never expected that Ruyi would be the key.
"She's not very good - looking." Yi Qing tried to evade the question.
When Ghost Lord heard Yi Qing say this, he knew she must have found nothing. "Take my pulse."
Yi Qing went over to take Ghost Lord's pulse, and her face immediately darkened.
"I don't have much time left." Ghost Lord said directly.
He had accidentally eaten something containing Ruyi Grass, and now the Gu poison in his body was getting out of control.
Yi Qing raised her hand. "Don't be so pessimistic. I definitely won't let you die."
"I believe you." Ghost Lord lowered his sleeves and turned away.
Xiao Jinghan rarely didn't feel jealous. "How much longer does he have?"
"Five days if nothing goes wrong."
But it was very easy for something to go wrong in Qingyao. Ruyi Grass was everywhere here. As long as the Gu worms in Ghost Lord's body were a little stimulated, they would be out of control.
This was something they hadn't expected before.
"I'll follow Ruyi myself." Yi Qing looked solemn.
Ruyi had helped the madam earn a lot of silver today, so she didn't need to clean the Hongyan Pavilion and went back to her residence earlier. When she got home, she saw her son, Ye Si, lying on the ground, twitching.
"Si'er, Si'er..." Ruyi was so scared that she lost her wits. She picked up her son and ran outside.
Yi Qing was sleeping soundly when she felt Xiao Jinghan get up. She woke up immediately and saw Xiao Jinghan come back from outside with a troubled look on his face.
"What's wrong?" Yi Qing looked at Xiao Jinghan's troubled expression.
Xiao Jinghan was just hesitating whether to wake Yi Qing up. "Ruyi's son is critically ill, and they're looking for a doctor everywhere now."
"That's a good thing." Yi Qing said as she got out of bed.
Xiao Jinghan took Yi Qing quietly to a medical clinic. In the southern border, there were witch - doctors. The things in the medical clinic looked very strange.
When Yi Qing and the others arrived, the witch - doctor was stabbing Ye Si with a dark - colored horn - like thing. Ye Si, lying on the sickbed, was pale and rolling his eyes. He looked extremely scary.