"Alright, customer must be going on a long journey, huh? You've prepared so much food."
"Mhm."
"Oh, this horse looks quite spirited. Where did you buy it?"
Seeing the horse, the shopkeeper's eyes flashed with envy.
Horses were not something ordinary people could own. One needed both silver and connections, along with official documents from the authorities.
Even ordinary horses raised by horse traders had to be registered with the authorities; without connections, they couldn't be bought.
This young lady must have quite the background.
He opened his mouth to say something more, but seeing that Jiang Wanyue had no interest in chatting and her expression wasn't too good, he dropped the thought.
Although the horse was good, it was a pity it was an old one. Even if he bought it, it probably wouldn't last more than a few years of work before dying.
"Young lady, these are all our meat buns, vegetable buns, and steamed buns. All packed up. That'll be three taels of silver."
After paying, Jiang Wanyue bought almost all the breakfast available along the way.
She didn't even let the vegetable porridge slip by, having people carry the whole bucket onto the carriage.
Using the carriage curtain as cover, she stored all the things she had just bought into the third floor of the Tower.
That floor was specifically for storing food.
The first floor held weapons, the second floor held rice, flour, oil, and water, and the fourth floor stored many Crystal Cores and energy stones.
As for the fifth floor, it was filled with all sorts of miscellaneous items, like a large supermarket—daily necessities, clothes, fabrics, shoes…
Her eyes suddenly lit up.
Damn, how could she have forgotten?
On the sixth floor were the things belonging to that bastard Li Zheng's wife.
All gold, diamonds, pearls, jade, agate…
That woman loved these yellow and white treasures the most. Every time they went out on a mission and she saw "junk" thrown on the ground, she'd ask Jiang Wanyue to store it in the space.
She's rich now, damn it, she's rich!!
Really, how could she have forgotten about these things?
Modern craftwork like crystals and other beautiful items—any one of them taken out would shock the world.
Suppressing a smile harder to control than an AK, Jiang Wanyue was in a very good mood.
She had bought up almost all the leftover goods from the morning market. Even if it drew attention, it was fine at most; people would just find her strange, not enough to investigate.
Besides, what if they did investigate?
She was preparing for a long journey—who could say anything about that?
Soon, it was noon. Jiang Wanyue went to a restaurant and ordered many dishes, including roast duck.
Just as she finished packing, she heard a familiar, grating voice.
"Oh, who do we have here? It's the Concubine who was divorced from the Marquis Manor. You actually have money to eat at a restaurant? Which young master have you seduced this time?"
As soon as these words were spoken, everyone eating in the restaurant looked up at Jiang Wanyue.
Some looked disdainful, some sized her up thoughtfully, and others seemed restless…
Jiang Wanyue turned around to see who it was, her eyes narrowing dangerously.
Wasn't this woman the wife of the man she had killed?
Small eyes, high cheekbones—a face full of pettiness and meanness.
With so many people around, she didn't want to cause trouble. Ignoring the woman, she tried to walk past her and leave.
But instead of backing down, the woman sought death by blocking her way.
"You little slut, where did you steal this horse from? And where did you get the silver to buy so many roast chickens? Who did you steal it from?"
As if suddenly realizing something, she put her hands on her hips and started cursing loudly.
"Shameless harlot! My husband hasn't come home for two days. Did you seduce him again? Tell me, is that silver my husband's?"
She too had worked in the Marquis Manor and knew Concubine Jiang's affairs best—almost all her silver had been swindled away by the servants.
Now that she had been driven out of the Marquis Manor, how could she possibly still have money? If she didn’t die of illness…
Wait!
The woman’s eyes shifted as she looked Jiang Wanyue up and down.
“You… your injuries… how are they healed?”
At the time, she had seen clearly—Concubine Jiang’s back was a bloody mess, barely breathing, her bones likely broken.
How could she have gotten up after just a few days?
“Tell me, did my husband give you silver to buy expensive medicine? Give the silver back to me.”
Because of Jiang Wanyue’s affair with her husband, she too had been driven out of the Marquis Manor. Now, with no source of income, it was all this wretched woman’s fault.
As she spoke, she reached out to grab Jiang Wanyue’s clothes, ready to strike.
Jiang Wanyue frowned.
“Seeking death.”
Before the woman could even touch the hem of her clothes, she was kicked flying, crashing heavily into the Qilin Stone Statue at the entrance of the tavern.
A sharp crack echoed, like the sound of a bone breaking.
The woman tumbled to the ground, cold sweat beading on her forehead.
“You… I’ll kill you.”
She tried several times but couldn’t get up.
Jiang Wanyue walked step by step to the woman’s side, crouching down to look down at her.
“Want to kill me? I’m afraid the one who’ll die will be you. And you’ve been spreading rumors everywhere about me stealing men—do you think the Marquis Manor will let you off?”
The woman suddenly realized something, her eyes widening in terror.
“Ah…” An excruciating pain shot through her hand.
Jiang Wanyue’s foot pressed down hard, twisting it in place a few times, making the woman scream and beg for mercy.
Before leaving, Jiang Wanyue didn’t forget to remind her:
“If I were you, I’d keep my head down and hope for a better rebirth in the next life.”
The onlookers didn’t understand what she meant.
Originally, Jiang Wanyue had planned to set off early the next morning, but it seemed she would have to leave now.
Better to avoid complications—if the Young Marquis changed his mind and sent someone to silence her, that would be troublesome.
That night, she had only gone to the old maid’s room and encountered layers of traps and many guards, all hinting at deadly intent.
She didn’t believe that Lu Sichen, the Young Marquis, was truly the virtuous, desireless gentleman he was rumored to be.
Perhaps not entirely.
She blinked.
Whatever—if others don’t provoke me, I won’t provoke them. Just don’t cross me.
Jiang Wanyue gathered her things, hitched the carriage, and quickly left the imperial city.
At the back gate of the Marquis Manor.
“Are you sure? It was really Concubine Jiang?”
A man in guard uniform stood there, straight as a pine tree.
Before him stood a short woman, her face full of flattery.
“I saw it clearly. Not only were Concubine Jiang’s injuries healed, but she also broke Madam Zeng’s bones. Oh, and she bought a horse too.”
The woman recounted everything she had seen that day to the guard captain.
He was skeptical until he heard about the public accusations of Concubine Jiang’s affair, his eyes flashing with killing intent.
He rewarded the woman with a tael of silver.
She thanked him profusely and left.
A cold smile tugged at his lips: “That damned old hag, daring to spread rumors about the Marquis Manor—she’s truly tired of living.”
A guard beside him asked, “Captain, do you think Concubine Jiang is really as the woman described?”
He recalled a timid, weak figure and felt as though she were speaking of someone else.
“Should we report this to the Marquis?”
As soon as the guard spoke, he was met with a sharp glare from the captain.
"The Marquis is busy with countless affairs. Do you want to go and get scolded over such a trivial matter?"
Rubbing his chin with his right thumb and forefinger: "But… how were the injuries on her back inflicted?"