Jin Shanyao is good at everything, except for a kind heart, especially in the last six months when he's become tainted by money... well, in short, he's going downhill.
She waved her hand dismissively, "I'll take this order."
Upon hearing that she was willing to help, the Madam Shi leaned forward excitedly, "That's wonderful! Let's go find her now!"
Jin Shanyao smiled and said, "No rush."
The Madam Shi was like an ant on a hot pan; how could she not be anxious?
"Miss Jin, this is a matter of life and death, and besides, this jade Buddha..." She gritted her teeth and revealed the truth, "This jade Buddha was said to be a birthday gift from a lower-ranking official to the Empress Dowager."
Jin Shanyao suppressed a smile, " Madam Shi, you know my rules: I only perform one divination a day, so regarding the price..."
Madam Shi understood, her eyes reddening as she took out ten taels of silver and pushed it to Jin Shanyao.
Jin Shanyao smiled and pushed the silver back.
Madam Shi's heart skipped a beat, thinking that Jin Shanyao a grudge and refusing to help her. She took out another fifty taels, put them together, and pushed them in front of Jin Shanyao.
Seeing that she wouldn't take it, Madam Shi gritted her teeth, took out one hundred taels of silver, and slammed it on the table, thinking that this would surely work.
To her surprise, the other party remained motionless, and Madam Shi realized that she had offended him severely.
She stood up and apologized, "Miss Jin, I was wrong before. I was blind to your greatness, I deserve to die..."
The Madam Shi, anxious and unable to find a solution, reached out and slapped herself in the mouth.
She was determined to go all out; even if she had to kneel, she would get Jin Shanyao to help her search, otherwise, Shi Household and dozens of people would be doomed.
Jin Shanyao "Oh dear!" and quickly grabbed her hand. "The book doesn't say what to do if the other party harms themselves during negotiations. This is a real problem."
"I'll help you find your husband, and I'll help you find the smuggled goods too. I won't take a single penny."
Madam Shi's heart leaped into her throat. She didn't believe that Jin Shanyao would be so generous as to search for someone for free. The most valuable things in the world are the priceless ones. She was apprehensive, wondering what conditions Jin Shanyao would set.
He asked warily, "What do you want to say?"
Jin Shanyao, ever so considerate, wanted to refill the tea, but found that Madam Shi's teacup was still full, so she awkwardly put down the teapot.
He laughed and said, "As you know, I bought a mountain and want to do business in medicinal herbs."
Madam Shi was bewildered, not understanding what the Jin Shanyao meant, when she heard her continue, " The Shi Household Escort Agency has traveled all over the country for decades, from the North of the Great Wall to the Jiangnan, from mountain roads to waterways, they can travel with their eyes closed!"
Upon hearing this, the Madam Shi nearly tore her handkerchief to shreds. In her anxious state, Jin Shanyao finally revealed her true thoughts.
"I'm in the medicinal herb business, and delivering goods and escorting shipments are essential for me. I'd like to hire Shi Household Escort Agency to do my work."
The Madam Shi's eyes widened in astonishment, "You want my family's security escort agency?"
She hadn't expected Jin Shanyao have such a huge appetite, swallowing her whole family whole in one gulp.
Jin Shanyao couldn't help but roll her eyes. "What do I need your family for? Normal escort services, but the fee should be 30% lower than the market rate."
"Three floors!" Madam Shi exclaimed, her face turning deathly pale. "This... this isn't even enough for the people and horses to eat!"
"So easily startled, she doesn't act like the First Madam at all."
Jin Shanyao up and pressed her down into a chair, placing his hands on her shoulders and bending down to whisper in her ear.
He said in a sinister tone, "I just did some calculations for you, Madam. I'm transporting medicinal herbs; the quantity is large, the supply is stable, and the risk is low. You only need to run errands; you don't need to bear any risks."
The Madam Shi muttered that there was no need to take any risks, and looked at Jin Shanyao with a puzzled expression.
Because the two were standing too close, and the Madam Shi suddenly turned around, they almost kissed.
Jin Shanyao coughed twice and hurriedly straightened up. The Madam Shi's expression was slightly unnatural, and her eyes darted around.
She asked softly, "You mean if the dart is lost, we don't have to pay for it?"
"No need," I will let the bandits and pirates know that it's better to venture into the King of Hell than to mess with the Anzhi Hall. Anyone who flies Anzhi Hall's banner will be terrified.
Seeing her hesitation, Jin Shanyao pressed her advantage, " Madam Shi, you should think it through. If you leave this shop, you'll have to come back tomorrow. By then, it's hard to say whether your husband will be alive or dead."
She picked up her teacup and took a small sip. "Or you could report it to the authorities. Magistrate Yang may not be a great official, but he's not incompetent either."
The Madam Shi had already reported it to the authorities; if there hadn't been no progress, why would she have sought help from Jin Shanyao?
The Madam Shi gritted her teeth, "Let's set a deadline. Shi Household need to eat too."
Jin Shanyao an eyebrow, seemingly indicating that the Madam Shi wasn't losing her temper. "Five years. Whether the Shi Household Escort Agency will continue after five years will be decided then."
The Madam Shi calculated in her mind that the medicinal herbs in the mountains were harvested only once a year, which meant she would need to help Jin Shanyao transport the goods five times. "Alright, I agree."
Jin Shanyao brought out writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones, using Shi Household Escort Agency as collateral. If the Madam Shi reneges halfway through, the escort agencies will belong to Meng Anzhi. Of course, if Jin Shanyao fails to find them...
Of course not; the strong never sign betting agreements with others.
The Madam Shi was filled with regret. No wonder she and Jin Shanyao didn't get along; that girl was too ruthless.
If she had known this day would come, she would never have offended Jin Shanyao. Now she's going to have to run five escort missions for her for nothing.
The contract was signed and stamped by the government.
"Miss Jin, my husband is counting on you."
Jin Shanyao her head and pretended to count on her fingers, her Spiritual Power already quietly being released. As time passed, the Madam Shi became increasingly anxious.
After a while, seeing Jin Shanyao open her eyes, she hurriedly asked, "Well, did you find it?"
" Qingzhou Prefecture, halfway up the mountain on the east side of Hat Mountain. Bring the government officials with you. Oh, by the way, you need to report to the government office at Hat Mountain," Jin Shanyao kindly reminded him.
The Madam Shi staggered to her feet, "Oh, oh, I'll go right now..." She took a few steps and turned back, "I... I can't do it alone."
Jin Shanyao smiled encouragingly, "You can do it, believe in yourself. I'll have Dahuang Xiaoli guard ahead of time, don't worry, neither your husband nor the Jade Buddha will escape."
The Madam Shi vaguely felt that something was wrong with what she was saying, but she couldn't quite put her finger on it. In her anxiety, she didn't have time to think about it carefully and hurriedly went to the government office to report it to the authorities.
After the Madam Shi left, Jin Shanyao called over Dahuang and Xiaoli, and vigorously rubbed their heads.
He laughed and said, "Keep an eye on them, don't let anyone touch Shi Chang'an and the Jade Buddha."
Dahuang: "Don't worry, Master. Even if they find a way out, I'll block it."
Xiaoli rolled her eyes. Silly dog.
Following the Spiritual Power emanating from the Jin Shanyao, Dahuang and Xiaoli darted away, heading straight for Shi Chang'an's location.
At this moment, Shi Chang'an and the other bodyguards were tied up and left in the cave.
Behind them stood a half-meter-tall jade Buddha, and a dozen or so robbers disguised as villagers were roasting flatbread around a fire.
"Master went to great lengths to seize the jade Buddha, and it truly managed to disintegrate..."
"Shut up," the man was suddenly interrupted halfway through his sentence. Realizing he had misspoke, he glanced at the bound Shi Chang'an and made a throat-slitting gesture to his leader.
The leader nodded, signaling him to clean up properly, and the man drew his broadsword and slowly walked towards Shi Chang'an.
Shi Chang'an and the bodyguard turned pale with fright and hunched back. When they saw the man swing his knife at them, Shi Chang'an's pupils constricted in terror.
Just at this critical moment, a loud woof came from outside the cave...
The sound, like a dog's bark or a ferocious beast's roar, sent the man flying off his feet and crashing heavily against the stone wall, spitting out a mouthful of blood.
Fear gripped the crowd, and they all grabbed their knives and cautiously moved away.
"Dog... damn it, I thought it was a ferocious beast. I'll slaughter you and eat you today."
Before the man could finish speaking, something suddenly darted into the cave. They hurriedly returned to the cave and found a mountain weasel appearing in front of Shi Chang'an.
It was looking at them with disdain.
"Damn it, there are a lot of wild cats in the mountains, let's switch to bows and arrows..."
As soon as he finished speaking, more than a dozen men drew their bows and shot arrows at the Xiaoli's throat.