Chapter 159: Injured Again

"Fine." He thought for a moment, pulled a black token from his chest, its back engraved with a lifelike qilin: "This is This Prince's token; keep it well."

"Thank you, Prince."

Since that day of drinking, Chi Nan Yi has not seen Mo Junyan again, and Qing Shan's whereabouts are unknown.

The reputation of the World's First Manor has been fully spread throughout Jingcheng; every day one can see palace people coming to the shop to get vegetables.

Onlookers are very curious, wondering what kind of vegetables could be so coveted by the palace nobles.

People often come to the restaurant to ask about its opening date.

"Miss." Ji Bai briskly walked over, placing a document on the table: "Miss, this is the farmland you ordered your subordinate to purchase. Coincidentally, a greenhouse has already been built there, so vegetables can be grown in winter. However, my subordinate asked and, for some reason, nothing has ever been cultivated in the greenhouse during winter."

"Never mind; if others can't grow it, that doesn't mean your lady's household can't." In the space there is Spiritual Spring; land without Spiritual Spring cannot be transformed.

Now it's winter, and even in Jingcheng it's hard to buy fresh vegetables; those that exist are all from greenhouses, scarce and pricey, affordable only to the royal family and the honored nobles.

When the former owner was at the Minister's Residence, she could not guarantee fresh vegetables every winter day.

The medicinal cuisine shop is about to open and needs a large supply of fresh vegetables; although the space is piled with vegetables that can be taken at will, over time this will inevitably raise doubts.

Now that the farmland and greenhouse have been bought, a slight soil amendment followed by watering with Spirit Spring Water should yield vegetables not much different from those in the space.

That night, as Chi Nan Yi was just about to lie down, she heard a sudden noise coming from the window.

In the past it was always Mo Junyan who entered through the window; could it be him again?

At that moment, a black figure dressed in night‑cloaking gear leapt through the window.

A strong, pungent scent of blood filled her nostrils; Chi Nan Yi furrowed her brows slightly and hurried forward.

When she saw who had arrived, Chi Nan Yi silently rolled her eyes; wasn't this the Qing Shan who had vanished earlier and still owed her three hundred taels of silver?

Where did all those injuries on his body come from?

If he was injured or being chased, why would he run to me? What does he think this place is?

"Cough—cough—cough…" Qing Shan's lip corner dripped blood as he rasped, "Brother, I'll hide here one more night."

At that moment, a group of footsteps sounded from outside the shop, and Chi Nan Yi cracked the window open a sliver.

"You go over there and find them! You must capture the thief!"

"Yes!"

The footsteps scattered away; Chi Nan Yi turned her head toward Qing Shan lying on the ground.

"Hey."

Qing Shan's eyes were tightly shut, and he gave no reply.

From his appearance, he seemed to have fainted.

"What a hassle." Chi Nan Yi frowned, walked to his side, and forced a mouthful of Spiritual Spring into him.

After a short while, Qing Shan slowly came to his senses; at that moment he finally saw Chi Nan Yi's attire—she… she was a woman?

Qing Shan was startled, tried to rise from the ground, but inadvertently tugged his wound, gasping sharply from the pain.

"You… you…"

Having his male disguise uncovered, Chi Nan Yi was unhurried, saying lightly, "Now you realize how rude you were?"

"I… I didn't know, Miss…" Qing Shan's face was full of remorse: "I beg your forgiveness, Miss."

"Forgiveness? How to atone? Last time you ran off without paying the silver you owed this Miss, and now you play these empty games—what's the use? And this time too." Chi Nan Yi reached out her hand: "Both incidents add up to six hundred taels; how will you pay? Cash, silver notes, either works."

"I… I don't have any." Qing Shan's eyes flickered as he turned his head elsewhere.

Chi Nan Yi: "…"

She already knew she had rescued a chronic debtor.

"I…"

Before he could finish, Chi Nan Yi tossed him a porcelain bottle and, in one motion, pulled him up from the ground.

"Thank you, Miss…"

Before he could finish, Chi Nan Yi dragged him to the doorway and kicked him out with a foot.

Ji Bai heard the commotion inside the room, just as he reached the doorway, he saw a man in night‑cloaking gear being grabbed by the collar and kicked out by their Miss.

Ji Bai's heart sank, and he hurried to the doorway, his long sword at his waist already drawn.

"Take him to another room. How dare you disturb this Miss's sleep? One sword strike and your neck is mine."

Qing Shan knew he was in the wrong; though the kick hurt badly, he dared not say anything.

Ji Bai saw the wound medicine in his hand and sheathed his long sword.

His face tightened, his cold eyes fixed on Qing Shan.

"Let's go."

Qing Shan clutched his chest; although the wounds on his body still throbed faintly, they were far better than when he fled.

Qing Shan stared deeply at Chi Nan Yi's tightly shut door, then limped and followed Ji Bai out.

At dawn the next day, before sunrise, Qing Shan once again slipped through the window into Chi Nan Yi's room.

Chi Nan Yi had long been aware.

Before Qing Shan could reach the bedside, she flashed silver in her hand, swiftly rolled off the bed, and pressed a dagger against his throat: "Didn't I tell you not to disturb this Miss's sleep? Can't you understand?" The dagger moved a few inches closer to his throat.

"I… I'm here to give you silver." Qing Shan didn't dodge, pulling out two silver notes and some broken silver, stammering: "There's a little over a hundred taels here; the rest I'll owe for now."

Chi Nan Yi looked at the cobbled‑together silver, smiled, and said, "These were stolen?"

"Nonsense! I, the young master, am a man of upright stature; how could I steal?" He glared at Chi Nan Yi, then, unwillingly, asked, "Where's the antidote?"

"What antidote?"

"The antidote for the Stretch Leg Stare Eye Pill!" Qing Shan shouted loudly: "You wouldn't refuse to give it, would you?"

"What are you shouting? I'm not deaf." Chi Nan Yi glared: "Six hundred taels was the fee I gave you for treatment; now you have just over a hundred taels, cobbled together, and the rest you haven't returned, yet you want the antidote? The antidote costs extra."

"The extra… why don't you go robbing?" Qing Shan's face flushed red: "Isn't that a bandit?"

Seeing Chi Nan Yi ignore him, Qing Shan coughed twice softly: "How much silver for the antidote?"

"One thousand taels."

"One... one thousand..." Qing Shan nearly passed out.

Where was he supposed to get one thousand taels of silver now? He couldn't possibly go to that ungrateful person to ask for it!

"I don't have it."

Seeing him looking like a dead pig unafraid of boiling water, a stubborn deadbeat, Chi Nan Yi said faintly: "If you don't have silver, you can pay with other methods."

"Other methods? What methods?"

Chi Nan Yi's gaze lingered over his body, and that barefaced look made Qing Shan's hair stand on end.

Could this man have taken a fancy to him!

No! Absolutely not!