Ma Gu's Designs

Ma Gu's Designs

Lu Qing and Wang Da'an had gone on such a lavish shopping spree at Da Ji that they naturally drew quite a bit of attention.

So when the two of them left, several people gathered outside Da Ji and whispered among themselves.

"Eldest Brother, those two boys bought quite a lot. They look like fat sheep at a glance. Should we go squeeze a little money out of them?"

A Shifty-Eyed youth was the first to make the suggestion.

But the moment he said it, the others immediately looked at him with contempt.

Especially the man called Eldest Brother, who looked at him as though he were an idiot.

"Did a donkey kick your brains loose? Didn't you see how polite even Master Ma was to that boy? And you want me to rob them?"

Having been cursed for no reason, the Shifty-Eyed underling felt rather aggrieved.

"I just thought they were so fat. Look at what they're carrying—without several hundred copper coins, you couldn't buy all that. Two fat sheep that big, if we just get a little off them, it'd be enough for us to enjoy ourselves for days."

Hearing that, Eldest Brother fell silent.

How could he not be tempted? Never mind anything else, the meat those two boys carried on their backs was enough to make his mouth water.

Things had been going poorly for the few of them lately, and they had not tasted meat for several days.

But whenever he thought of Master Ma inside Da Ji, he lost some of his nerve.

That man was not someone to provoke. If they offended him, the lot of them would be left unable to bear the consequences.

Yet when he thought of the things on Lu Qing and Wang Da'an's backs, Eldest Brother could not help feeling tempted again.

Just as the few of them were wavering in indecision.

Inside Da Ji, Master Ma was also beckoning over one of his subordinates.

"Xiao Tian, if I remember correctly, that Old Doctor Chen seems to live in Nine Li Village, doesn't he?"

"That's right. That Old Doctor lives halfway up a small mountain beside Nine Li Village. People from the nearby villages all know it."

The subordinate called Xiao Tian answered respectfully.

"Find some time to go to Nine Li Village and ask around. See whether that Old Doctor has recently taken in an apprentice named Lu Qing."

"Yes." Xiao Tian answered respectfully.

He knew that Master Ma wanted to investigate the Youth who had just brought silver into Da Ji to buy things.

Thinking of this, Xiao Tian suddenly remembered something and quickly reported, "Master Ma, when I came in just now, I seemed to see Chen San and his gang skulking around outside. They seemed to have some ideas about that Youth named Lu Qing."

"Chen San? What are those Little Rascals doing on my turf?" Master Ma narrowed his eyes.

"I heard that some time ago, they stole things in Da Mu Village. The Village Elder there ordered that they were never to approach the village again, so they came over here to scrape by."

"These Little Rascals never do honest work. All they think about all day is stealing chickens and dogs. Go out and warn them: if they dare lay a hand on the guests of our Da Ji, I'll break every one of their dog legs!"

"Yes, Master Ma!"

Xiao Tian went out excitedly.

He had long found Chen San and those little hooligans unpleasant to look at. They never did a single good deed, knowing only how to steal chickens and dogs and prey upon the countryside.

A cousin of his who had married into Da Mu Village had once complained to him that Chen San and his men had stolen several chickens from her home.

He had never had the chance to teach them a lesson before. Now that Master Ma had his back, how could he not give them a proper beating?

After Xiao Tian went out, a burst of commotion soon rose from beyond the market, along with wave after wave of pleading.

Master Ma paid no attention to such trivial matters. Instead, he sat in his chair and pondered.

Lu Qing's appearance today had truly given him a pleasant surprise.

If that Youth really was Old Doctor Chen's apprentice, it would be tremendous news for him.

These country folk outside only knew that the Old Doctor possessed astonishing medical skills and the benevolent heart of a healer, that he was a Divine Doctor.

What they did not know was that, in the city, this Old Doctor was equally a figure of tremendous influence.

Many powerful nobles and wealthy merchants treated him as an Honored Guest.

That was because this Old Doctor not only possessed astonishing medical skills, but was also a great martial arts expert himself.

Even the County Magistrate had once praised his profound cultivation, saying that he had nearly reached the Grandmaster Realm at the Late Stage of Houtian Realm.

For someone like that, Master Ma had long wanted to befriend him, but he had never found a good opportunity.

But now, Lu Qing's appearance had let him see a glimmer of hope.

If he could befriend Lu Qing and establish a connection with Old Doctor Chen, perhaps he would have a chance to return to the city someday.

He was truly sick to death of this godforsaken market where even birds did not shit.

If he had not caused trouble before, and if his father had not forbidden him from leaving until he had stayed here for five years, he would have long since dropped everything and gone back!

Master Ma silently made his calculations alone.

Lu Qing and Wang Da'an, however, had no idea what had happened at Da Ji after they left.

Still, Lu Qing remained vigilant the whole way. He knew that their shopping trip at Da Ji had been a little eye-catching.

But there was no helping it. He had quite a few things to keep busy with next, and had no time to run to Da Ji every few days, so he could only take a risk.

Fortunately, nothing unexpected happened all the way until they returned to the entrance of the village.

The two took the Red Rope down from the tree, put it back beneath the stone slab, and continued carrying their things toward Lu Qing's home.

It was nearly noon by then. Most of the villagers were resting at home, and few were walking through the village.

Thus, Lu Qing did not run into anyone when he returned home.

"Whew, we're finally back."

After setting everything down, Wang Da'an panted slightly.

"Thank you, Da'an Ge. Without your help, I couldn't have carried so much back." Lu Qing looked deeply grateful.

The heavier things they had bought, such as grain and meat, were all on Wang Da'an's side.

What Lu Qing carried were lighter household odds and ends.

"What are you thanking me for? This is what I should do. Speaking of which, I should be thanking you. Today was the first time I ever spoke to Master Ma from so close, and he even remembered my name!"

At the mention of this, Wang Da'an grew excited again.

"Is this Master Ma very impressive?" Lu Qing asked curiously.

"Of course he is!" Wang Da'an said. "You have to know that all of Da Ji is managed by Master Ma. He even has a group of men under him. Around here, he's the most imposing person there is!"

This made Lu Qing even more puzzled.

In his view, although Da Ji's prosperity had somewhat exceeded his expectations.

At the end of the day, though, it was only a small market.

The goods sold inside were not luxurious items either, mostly just agricultural products and byproducts.

Such a market surely could not earn that much money.

And judging from Master Ma's bearing, he did not seem like someone who would care about such small sums.

So why would he stay at Da Ji?

Could there be something else going on beneath the surface?

Lu Qing could not figure it out.

"Da'an Ge, has Da Ji always been managed by Master Ma?"

"Not exactly. Before, it was managed by an old man everyone called Uncle Li. It was only about two years ago that Master Ma took over."

"I see..." Lu Qing fell into thought.

"All right, I should head back. A Qing, get some rest first. You must be tired after carrying so much back."

Seeing that Wang Da'an was about to leave, Lu Qing hurriedly stopped him. "Wait, Da'an Ge!"

Then he took a piece of pork, half lean and half fat, from the basket on his back.

"Take this meat home. Make something nice tonight, and let Wang Grandpa have some too."

"I can't, I can't!" The moment Wang Da'an saw it, he waved his hands repeatedly. "This meat isn't cheap. You should keep it for yourself and Xiao Yan to eat!"

"I still have plenty here, as you saw. Besides, this time you led the way for me and helped carry so much stuff back. Take this meat as my thanks."

"Even so, this is too much. Such a big piece of meat is worth more than ten copper coins!"

"Just take it!" Lu Qing forcibly stuffed the meat into Wang Da'an's hands. "If you refuse it, I'll be too embarrassed to ask you for help again when I need something in the future."

"This... all right."

Since Lu Qing had put it that way, Wang Da'an could only accept the meat.

"All right, stop feeling awkward and hurry home. We've been out so long that Wang Grandpa might already be worrying. Da'an Ge, go back quickly and let him know you're safe."

Seeing that Wang Da'an still seemed somewhat embarrassed after accepting the meat, Lu Qing pushed him toward the door.

After Wang Da'an left, Lu Qing cut off another small piece of meat.

Then, carrying the meat, he prepared to go next door to Grandpa Zhang's home and bring Xiao Yan back.