This was a two-courtyard siheyuan.
From the outside, it looked exactly like those old courtyard houses in the capital—no obvious difference at all.
“Hey, want a cigarette?”
About ten meters away from the courtyard, a man appeared with a cigarette case slung across his body.
Inside were all kinds of cigarettes—Daqianmen, Huanghelou, and various brands ranging from low to high grade.
Finding someone selling cigarettes in such a secluded place didn’t surprise Shen Qingran at all.
This location wasn’t far from the courtyard.
It was what people commonly called an outpost.
If strangers came around asking questions, they would be chased away immediately.
If scouts or Public Security officers showed up, a warning signal would be sent at once.
If it was an acquaintance or an old client, they’d simply be told where to go.
Those were the unspoken rules of this line of work.
Shen Qingran only discovered this in her previous life—after she had already died and become a wandering soul.
Back then, she had been extremely curious: in an era without convenient communication tools, how did they manage it?
Now she understood.
So that was where the secret lay.
The cigarette seller took one look and realized they were “insiders.”
He didn’t ask many questions.
Bucktooth and the Eight-Character Mustache cooperated as well, not daring to say a word.
After all, their lives were still in Shen Qingran’s hands.
If there was anyone to blame, it was themselves for being blind.
This girl wasn’t simple at all!
They were the naïve ones!
Soon, they reached the gate.
Shen Qingran pulled out her dagger and pressed it against Bucktooth’s back.
“Tell them to open the door.”
Bucktooth grimaced and glanced at Eight-Character Mustache.
The latter coughed lightly.
“Ahem! Visitors!”
The people inside heard the movement but didn’t open the door immediately—only leaving a narrow crack.
“Small household. We don’t receive guests.”
“Not here for business. Just here to drink some water.”
After a brief exchange, the door finally opened.
“Oh! So it’s you two, gentlemen~”
“Quick, come in!”
Bucktooth was just about to bolt when Shen Qingran jammed the dagger forward again.
Eight-Character Mustache gritted his teeth and followed them inside.
Shen Qingran glanced around.
The courtyard looked… very ordinary.
No different from an everyday siheyuan.
“Come, please, all of you.”
“Oh? Looks like a new guest.”
The speaker was a middle-aged woman, dressed in an extremely seductive manner.
Her face was caked in thick makeup—heavy powder, bright red lipstick—paired with a large red flower pinned to her hair.
Anyone unfamiliar might think she was an opera performer.
She even carried that old street-side vibe from years past.
From the moment Shen Qingran entered, the woman had been sizing her up.
“This girl is really pretty!”
“Aren’t you two afraid she’ll get eaten alive?”
Bucktooth didn’t dare speak.
Inwardly, he thought: Who’s eating whom is still up in the air!
This young lady was practically a walking calamity!
Anyone who judged her by her looks alone would be the one getting fooled.
She was definitely not as simple as she appeared.
But Bucktooth couldn’t say that—and Eight-Character Mustache stayed silent as well.
Inside the room, the furnishings were plain.
A single table, several chairs, dim lighting, and a coal stove.
It looked no different from an ordinary household.
Shen Qingran became alert.
Could it be… that I was tricked?
“Grand-Auntie, this girl wants to see Brother Du.”
Bucktooth finally couldn’t hold on anymore.
Eight-Character Mustache’s legs trembled violently. He collapsed and shouted,
“Sister, please! This girl wants to see Brother Du!”
The woman immediately sat down, letting out a cold snort.
“Hmph! I knew something was off the moment you stepped inside.”
“Speak. Which hall are you from?”
“I, Leng Sanniang, will personally deal with you!”
“Leng Sanniang?” Shen Qingran casually tossed Bucktooth onto the ground.
Leng Sanniang sneered.
“Just looking at your outfit, it’s obvious you’re not from our world.”
“If you’re here to cause trouble, then knowing Lord Du’s reputation, you shouldn’t have come alone.”
Leng Sanniang examined the delicate, scholarly-looking girl before her.
Those thin arms and legs—she looked like the kind who couldn’t even get back up if an oil bottle tipped over.
Coming alone to a place like this—a dragon’s den and tiger’s lair—wasn’t that the same as a lamb walking into a wolf’s mouth, never to return?
Leng Sanniang clapped her hands sharply.
The door to a side room opened, and two burly men stepped out.
Both were over 180 cm tall, powerfully built.
One was black as coal, the other pale like a pretty boy.
They looked exactly like a pair of Black-and-White Fiends.
Leng Sanniang pulled out a cigarette from her bosom.
One of the men, sharp-eyed, immediately lit it for her.
Snap!
The flame illuminated her face, revealing an unmistakably vicious aura.
Bucktooth and Eight-Character Mustache scrambled to the side.
Seeing the situation turn bad, they were ready to run at any moment.
Shen Qingran, however, remained calm.
She dragged a chair over and sat down.
Leng Sanniang exhaled a cloud of smoke into the air.
Seeing Shen Qingran’s composure, she was genuinely surprised.
This girl has some nerve.
If it were an ordinary girl, she’d already be begging for mercy or shaking in terror.
But not this one.
Could she really have some background?
“So,” Leng Sanniang said impatiently,
“what brings you here today, miss?”
As she spoke, she shot an irritated glance at the two muscular men beside her.
The way they stared at Shen Qingran—anyone could tell what they were thinking.
Damn it!
Their eyes were practically glued to the girl.
What, hadn’t she ever let them eat meat before?
Ridiculous!
These two were clearly starving, never having tasted decent pork!
Still…
Even Leng Sanniang couldn’t help but admit—this girl was truly beautiful.
“I want to see Brother Du,” Shen Qingran said.
“Oh? ‘Brother Du’?” Leng Sanniang scoffed.
“And who do you think you are, calling him that?”
“Our Lord Du is a man of status and reputation!”
Shen Qingran looked at the lackeys in front of her.
“I said I have business with him.”
“This is not something you can decide.”
Leng Sanniang’s eyes darkened, flickering in the dim light.
“What, then? Has Lord Du changed his tastes lately?”
“Someone like you wanting money? Dream on!”
She assumed this girl was here to extort money.
After all, there had been precedents.
Lord Du was a real man—strong, tall, and imposing.
There had been women before who clung to him relentlessly.
And besides…
Leng Sanniang herself was secretly in love with Lord Du.
But she knew she wasn’t worthy—and never dared say it out loud.
Now this little girl had delivered herself right to their doorstep.
Shen Qingran’s words made Leng Sanniang think she was just like those women—here to scam money.
If that were the case, then why not deal with her right now?
Hmph!
A used-up woman like this—Lord Du wouldn’t even look twice.
Men only chase novelty.
Once the freshness wears off, they all grow disgusted.
Men were all the same anyway!
Leng Sanniang hated her own background and past.
Seeing girls who looked pure and innocent like this one always made her uncomfortable.
Perhaps her past had left her with too many scars.
Whenever she saw such girls, she instinctively felt they were “pretending.”
“Someone come here,” Leng Sanniang ordered coldly.
“Teach her a lesson!”