Footsteps stopped behind the door, yet the courtyard gate remained motionless.
Su Nian wasn’t anxious. Instead, she continued knocking methodically—three knocks each time: the first light, the second heavy, the third light again. After each set of three, she paused briefly before repeating the pattern. When the final knock fell, a voice came from behind the gate.
“Here to see coffins? What style are you looking for?”
Hearing a response, Su Nian breathed a sigh of relief and delivered the lines she had rehearsed in her mind. “The finest coffin, painted red. Price is no issue.”
No matter how bright the light, shadows always linger behind it.
Since arriving in Shilianghe Village, Su Nian had secretly visited the black market many times to trade goods.
After becoming a barefoot doctor, she often went to the black market to procure uncommon yet essential medicinal herbs.
Over time, she became a familiar face among the old-timers there, occasionally exchanging information with them.
From Old Jin, who dealt in medicinal herbs, Su Nian learned about the existence of this courtyard.
In the early days of the black market, it was a chaotic mix of all sorts. Hoodlums and ruffians formed gangs, blocking entrances to rob or extort people openly. Several times, things nearly escalated to loss of life. It wasn’t until a man called Sixth Master appeared, forcefully rallying the idle hands in the black market and establishing rules, that order was restored.
Old Jin said Sixth Master was the biggest gang leader in the surrounding villages. Besides dealing in smuggled goods, he also helped people “resolve troubles,” but only took jobs introduced by acquaintances.
Previously, Su Nian had avoided getting involved with people of such gray identities, fearing it might bring trouble.
But sometimes, it takes a villain to deal with a villain.
If she wanted to quickly—and without alerting Chen Yaozu—find the ruffian who had helped Chen Yaozu plot against her, and then “persuade” that ruffian to expose Chen Yaozu, this Sixth Master was the best candidate.
Moreover, the only person she could think of who could obtain large quantities of grain and supplies in a short time was this Sixth Master!
“Creak—”
The courtyard gate opened a crack. A middle-aged man with a crew cut held the gate and looked Su Nian up and down before stepping back to let her in. “Come in. Sixth Master is in the inner room.”
The two-courtyard house wasn’t large. The front yard was scattered with dusty coffins, but the backyard was unexpectedly elegant in its arrangement.
Su Nian glanced around and followed the man into the central hall.
Inside and outside felt like two different temperatures.
She stood upright at the doorway, catching a glimpse of a slender figure reflected behind the screen.
The middle-aged man who had guided her bowed respectfully toward the figure. “Sixth Master, I’ve brought her.”
“Let her in.”
Sixth Master spoke.
His voice was clear and crisp, like a mountain spring striking stone—pleasantly resonant.
Su Nian paused mid-step.
A gang leader who commanded the respect of so many hoodlums and ruffians should, in theory, be a middle-aged man—burly, shrewd, and speaking with stern authority.
But this voice… it sounded like that of a refined young man?
While inwardly musing, the middle-aged man had already turned to stand guard at the doorway, his tall frame reminiscent of a door god.
Suppressing her surprise, Su Nian walked around the screen. With just one glance, she was struck speechless.
A refined-looking man sat behind a chessboard, appearing to be only in his twenties.
He wore an old-fashioned black robe, with a gilded pocket watch hanging from a button. His short hair was neatly combed back, impeccable in its tidiness. His thin face carried a gentle warmth, but his phoenix eyes were as deep and unfathomable as a dark pool.
In these turbulent times, everyone lived in fear, striving to project an image of poverty and frugality as if it were branded on their foreheads. They wore dark, coarse cloth clothes, patched in places to appear suitably destitute.
Such elegant attire and grooming—Su Nian hadn’t seen anything like it in years. She couldn’t help but take a few extra glances.
Was he really Sixth Master? Or just a spokesperson put forward by Sixth Master?
As she wondered, her gaze swept toward the man’s right hand, tucked inside his sleeve.
Old Jin had said that the reason Sixth Master was called Sixth Master, aside from his ruthless methods, was mainly because he had six fingers on his right hand.
Unfortunately, his hand was completely hidden by the sleeve, so Su Nian couldn’t see clearly and couldn’t verify the man’s true identity by counting his fingers.
While Su Nian scrutinized Xiao Sheng, Xiao Sheng was also sizing up Su Nian.
A navy-blue cotton-padded jacket, a deep red woolen scarf wrapped around her head and face—she looked like an ordinary rural woman. But those bright almond-shaped eyes and the way she carried herself as she entered betrayed her identity.
An ordinary family couldn’t raise a girl like this.
Those who had the means to find him were all seasoned players in the black market.
There weren’t many young women familiar with the black market, and coupled with the demeanor she exuded in her every move, it wasn’t hard to guess who she was.
Xiao Sheng leaned back, his eyes playful. “So you’re that spicy village doctor.”
His confident tone made Su Nian’s heart tighten, her pupils widening in surprise.
She was wrapped up so that only her eyes were visible, yet this Sixth Master had guessed her identity at a single glance?
Xiao Sheng stared at Su Nian’s eyes, wide with shock, and a faint smile curled his thin lips. “You’ve made quite a stir in the black market. Most of the medicine there is bought by you—a wealthy big spender.”
Xiao Sheng had heard about Su Nian from his subordinates more than once.
An educated youth sent down from Haicheng, originally a pampered daughter of a capitalist family, she had money and a fiery temper. She had made a name for herself in Shilianghe Village by treating people’s illnesses.
He had thought she was bold and clever, and at the time, he even considered partnering with her to deal in medicinal herbs. But after learning that Su Nian had been fooling around and gotten pregnant with someone from the village, he immediately crossed her name off his list of potential partners.
Someone whose head was filled with nothing but romance and love had no place on the same boat as him.
The information revealed in Xiao Sheng’s words sent a chill down Su Nian’s spine.
She had thought that by acting cautiously, no one would notice her. Little did she know she had already been thoroughly investigated!
Why had Sixth Master’s people looked into her?
Did they see she had money and wanted to rob her? Or did they have other motives?
Su Nian clenched her trembling fingertips, cold sweat suddenly breaking out on her back.
“Even in this line of work, there are rules.”
Xiao Sheng watched Su Nian’s frightened expression, the smile on his lips tinged with amusement. “If I really had ill intentions, do you think you’d still be able to stir things up in the black market for this long?”
Su Nian’s heart settled a little.
He was right.
If he had wanted to move against her, he would have done so long ago. There was no need to wait until now.
Only after relaxing did she realize how stiflingly hot the room was, like a steamer.
Since her identity had already been exposed, she simply took off her scarf and sat down, letting her sweaty face breathe.
Glancing at her watch, she realized she didn’t have much time left.
“Sixth Master is a straightforward person, so I’ll speak plainly.”
Su Nian opened her small bag and, using it as cover, took a gold bar from her Space, placing it beside the chessboard.
“I’m here today for two reasons. First, to spend money and ask Sixth Master to help me find someone and settle a matter. Second, to exchange gold bars for food and daily supplies.”
“I have money, and Sixth Master has people. It’s a win-win deal where both sides get what they need. I just don’t know if Sixth Master dares to take on this business.”
In the dimly lit room, the gleaming gold bar stood out as the brightest object.
Xiao Sheng’s eyes held a hint of scrutiny.
Calm and composed in the face of trouble, and even daring to provoke him with reverse psychology—it seemed he hadn’t misjudged her.
Could such a person truly be swayed by a man’s promise, obediently staying at home to care for husband and children, ruining their own future?
Xiao Sheng narrowed his phoenix eyes, picked up the gold bar, and weighed it in his hand. Raising an eyebrow, he revealed a hint of wickedness that didn’t match his appearance.
“Hah, only when evenly matched can it be called a deal?”
“Gold bars delivered right to my doorstep—even if I pocket them outright, what can you do about it?”