Chapter Eleven: An Overabundance of Inner Monologue

Chu Yun noticed the girl looking at him and couldn't help but offer her a gentle smile. In truth, his smile was sincere and pure. Yet to the girl, it seemed unbearably lecherous. She shot him a glare and picked up two knife coins from the ground. “Boss Wu, I suppose I’m just unlucky this time. But next time, even if I have to spend several more days on the road to sell my herbs elsewhere, I won’t sell them to you.”

Chu Yun was momentarily taken aback and said, “I’m willing to pay a higher price for your herbs. Why won’t you sell them to me?”

The girl snorted coldly. “A higher price? You little scammer, do you even have the money?”

Hearing this, Boss Wu laughed as well. “Exactly, Chu the Swindler, do you really have that much money?”

He knew all too well that Chu Yun was penniless—a pauper who had just gotten an ounce of silver from Jiang Lin, which he himself had already swindled away. By now, Chu Yun surely had nothing left.

But to everyone’s surprise, Chu Yun produced an ounce of silver from his clothes and declared, “I have money!”

Boss Wu was stunned, and a wave of annoyance instantly swept through him. He regretted not taking this chance to extort Chu Yun for that ounce of silver as well. Now, he was worried the girl might actually sell her herbs to Chu Yun.

But the girl simply stared blankly at Chu Yun for a moment, then dumped the herbs from her basket onto the ground, shrugged the basket onto her back, and turned to leave.

Puzzled, Chu Yun asked, “I have silver and can pay you more for your herbs. Why still refuse to sell to me?”

She paused, looked back, and snapped, “Chu the Swindler, herbs are meant to heal and save lives. You’re no doctor—what are you buying them for? Let me make this clear: even if you offered me an ounce of silver for these herbs, I wouldn’t sell them to you. And let me give you a word of advice: give up, Chu Yun. I, Zeilan Ye, would never take a liking to a scammer like you.”

With those words, she left.

Chu Yun stood rooted to the spot, utterly speechless. He couldn't help but sigh inwardly—this Zeilan Ye certainly had a flair for drama. All he wanted to do was buy some herbs and maybe hire her to forage for more; how had she managed to twist it into some kind of courtship?

“Hahaha, Chu the Swindler, left speechless, aren’t you?”

Boss Wu was delighted to see Chu Yun get rebuffed by Zeilan Ye and burst out laughing. Chu Yun, however, looked at Boss Wu with a blank expression.

Boss Wu’s laughter faltered under Chu Yun’s gaze. “What are you staring at me for?”

Chu Yun replied, “I can see the toxins eating away at your insides. You don’t have long to live.”

Boss Wu, recalling how Chu Yun had examined him earlier, bristled. “Chu the Swindler, do you have a death wish, cursing me like that? Do you think I’m as gullible as Jiang Lin, just taking your word for it that I’m sick? I already had Doctor Li from the Witch Doctor’s Guild examine me. He said I’m fine. Last time at the Fragrant Inn, you were just pulling my leg.”

Chu Yun shook his head and smiled. “Sick or not, you’ll know soon enough. Just don’t come running to me for help when the time comes.”

With that, he turned and walked away.

Boss Wu watched Chu Yun depart, then glanced at the blisters on his fingers. Was it really so serious that it could threaten his life? But he quickly dismissed the thought. There was no way Chu Yun had suddenly learned medicine from a dream about an immortal.

At the same moment, Chu Yun returned home with his herbs, only to find a crowd gathered at his doorstep, gossiping about him.

“That Chu the Swindler is truly despicable—he just married his wife yesterday, and today he’s sold her to the Red Blossom Brothel.”

“Beast! A wretch like that deserves to be dragged out and beheaded.”

“I heard that Yang Liu’er is not only beautiful but hardworking too. If it hadn’t been for Magistrate Chen’s efforts, she’d never have married such a scoundrel.”

“That dog of a man—he’s beyond saving…”

Chu Yun was dumbfounded by the accusations. What was going on now? When had he supposedly sold Yang Liu’er to the Red Blossom Brothel?

He stood on tiptoe to peer over the crowd.

There, he saw Yang Liu’er crouched on the ground, sobbing quietly. Chen Ping had drawn his bronze sword and was shielding her, standing firmly in her defense. In front of him stood four burly men, eyeing them like hungry wolves.

Drawing on the memories left by his predecessor, Chu Yun recognized the four men as enforcers from two different groups: the Lucky Hand Casino and the Red Blossom Brothel.

The casino’s enforcer glared at Chen Ping. “Magistrate Chen, yesterday Chu Yun borrowed an ounce of silver from us. Today, either let the Red Blossom Brothel take Yang Liu’er, or pay the debt yourself.”

The brothel’s enforcer chimed in, “That’s right, Magistrate Chen. Chu Yun told us himself—he owes the Lucky Hand Casino an ounce of silver and wants us to take Yang Liu’er to settle the debt. He also said she’s untouched and worth more than just an ounce. He took an ounce of silver from us as well, so you owe us too. If you won’t pay, we’ll be taking Yang Liu’er with us.”

Hearing this, Chu Yun silently cursed his predecessor for being such an utter scoundrel, capable of such monstrous deeds.

Yet as he thought back, he realized the original Chu Yun had indeed gone to the Lucky Hand Casino yesterday, gambled away all the knife coins he’d stolen from Yang Liu’er, and tried to borrow more money. But the casino, knowing his reputation as a wastrel, had refused to lend him anything.

Then, the original Chu Yun had gone to the Red Blossom Brothel, intending to sell Yang Liu’er—negotiations had even taken place. But the brothel hadn’t given him a single coin in advance. In fact, they’d offered thirty knife coins for Yang Liu’er—not an ounce of silver—and they certainly wouldn’t have handed over the money first or sent men to forcibly collect her.

Why, then, were they saying all this?

Chu Yun thought of Boss Wu who had just sold him a few herbs for an ounce of silver, and suddenly everything became clear. These people must have heard about how he’d earned money diagnosing patients at the Fragrant Inn and were now trying to extort him for it.