Chapter 59

Chapter 59

Shen Song slept for another two days at Qi Residence before waking.

Shan Yue had never seen such symptoms before and came every day to take Shen Song's pulse. Both were ge'er, so there were no restrictions between them.

Today, just after Shan Yue finished taking his pulse, he saw the person move. He looked up and saw Shen Song slowly waking, his round eyes staring at the carved patterns on the bed canopy with a moment of confusion, then turning his head to stare blankly at Shan Yue.

"You're awake? Do you feel any discomfort?" Shan Yue asked softly.

Shen Song suddenly snapped back to reality. He was captivated by Shan Yue's appearance and couldn't help staring.

"Who are you?" Shen Song asked curiously, having never seen Shan Yue before.

"Qi Yuanjing's master. You may call me Doctor Yue."

Shan Yue thought Shen Song might be feeling unwell somewhere, so he checked his pulse again. Only after confirming that he was fine and healthy did he feel at ease.

After all, this person had saved his disciple's life. As his master, he also had to repay the debt his disciple owed.

Shan Yue took great care of both Shen Song and Xie Zhiyu.

Shen Song sat up, stared blankly at the bandaged wound on his palm for a moment, then quickly asked, "Doctor Yue, do you know how my family is doing and how Xie Zhiyu is doing? And the villagers and those masked people who protected us?"

Shan Yue said, "Your family is all well. They know you're at Qi Residence and are waiting for you to wake up and come home."

He first answered about Shen Song's family, then spoke more slowly to explain Xie Zhiyu's condition. "Xie Zhiyu has relied on medicine all these years and has also practiced martial arts to strengthen his body. Though he's still frail, he's much better off than ordinary people. With a good mindset and proper medicinal care, he can recover in a few years. I don't know about other matters—you'll have to ask Qi Yuanjing. But overall, he should be fine."

Hearing this, Shen Song felt a bit more at ease. Before long, he was full of energy, rubbing his stomach and saying he was hungry. Shan Yue had the kitchen prepare food.

A table full of dishes was brought out. Shen Song wolfed down the food and quickly cleared it all, but he was still hungry.

Shan Yue was stunned.

After clearing away the empty bowls and plates, another table of food was brought out. Shen Song finished eating but still wasn't satisfied.

They cleared the table four times and brought out five full rounds of food before Shen Song finally said he was full.

Shan Yue was repeatedly amazed by how much he could eat. Throughout it all, he kept taking Shen Song's pulse and carefully observing every expression on his face, and found that Shen Song showed no signs of discomfort at all.

He just had a big appetite and could sleep like a log.

Now well-fed and feeling great, Shen Song wanted to go home.

Before leaving, he wanted to see Xie Zhiyu.

Shen Song had been staying in a small courtyard next to Bamboo Pavilion, and a servant soon led him there.

When he arrived at the familiar Bamboo Pavilion, Qi Yuanjing was there, having just changed Xie Zhiyu's dressings.

Qi Yuanjing asked how Shen Song was feeling, and Shen Song said he was doing great. His gaze landed on Xie Zhiyu, who was asleep in bed—weak and pale, as if he'd break at the slightest touch.

"He's been asleep more than awake these past few days. Thanks to your blood, the Gu poison has been fully suppressed. Otherwise, his condition would be much worse."

When Shen Song woke up and saw the wound on his palm, he figured his blood had been used for Xie Zhiyu.

Last time, Xie Zhiyu only had to drink his blood once, and it worked for a long time.

This time, it took two doses...

Shen Song asked Qi Yuanjing if Xie Zhiyu's Gu poison had gotten worse. Qi Yuanjing said no—it had actually weakened.

Shen Song lowered his head and thought for a moment. Then it probably had to do with his spiritual power.

Last time Xie Zhiyu drank his blood, his spiritual power was already severely depleted. Later, after the hard earth turned to sand, it had nearly run out completely, so it couldn't keep the gu worm suppressed for long.

As long as Xie Zhiyu's Gu poison hadn't gotten worse, that was fine.

A smile spread across Shen Song's face. He said to Qi Yuanjing, "I need to go home first, or my family will worry about me. Qi Yuanjing, if Xie Zhiyu wakes up, tell him I'll come see him tomorrow. Ask him to stay awake until then, okay?"

Qi Yuanjing's eyes flickered as he nudged Shen Song to say more. "Why do you want him to wait up for you?"

"Because I want to talk to him."

"You can talk to him now. If he can't hear you, I'll tell him what you said when he wakes up."

Shen Song thought for a moment and seemed hesitant. "I also want him to see me."

Qi Yuanjing let out a drawn-out "Oh." "Why do you want him to see you?"

Shen Song said, puzzled, "I just want to. No particular reason. Qi Yuanjing, why are you speaking so strangely today?"

Qi Yuanjing laughed and pretended to be clueless. "Really? Maybe it's because I haven't seen you in so long, so I'm curious about everything."

But he couldn't tell from just a few words what Shen Song really felt for Xie Zhiyu. Most of what he'd told Xie Zhiyu earlier was just to comfort him—so Xie Zhiyu wouldn't lose all hope after everything he'd been through.

And from what he'd observed and understood about Shen Song, this ge'er really couldn't tell the difference between different kinds of affection.

Shen Song nodded and then asked Qi Yuanjing about the villagers and the masked guards who had protected his family.

"The villagers of Shen Family Gully came down the mountain the night Tiger Head Mountain burned. No one was injured. As for the shadow guards, most were badly wounded, but they're all alive and will recover—they just need a long time to heal."

Hearing that everyone was safe, Shen Song breathed a sigh of relief.

When he was about to leave, Qi Yuanjing had the kitchen pack food into the carriage so the boy wouldn't go hungry.

When Xie Zhiyu was awake, he had specifically instructed this. Not just the food, but also hiding the true casualty numbers of the shadow guards.

Living a life on the edge of a knife, in such a dangerous situation—how could everyone have gotten out unscathed while holding off those bandits?

But Xie Zhiyu felt Shen Song didn't need to know any of that.

Qi Yuanjing watched the carriage disappear around the corner. With his task done, he felt a lot more relaxed. If he'd messed up, Xie Zhiyu would have made his life miserable.

Over these two days, the Shen family learned that Shen Song was safe. Shen Chong and Chi Jiu had even gone to Qi Residence to check, and only then did the family fully relax.

The family's shop and vegetable delivery business had started up again yesterday. Especially the vegetable delivery—they couldn't keep the restaurants and taverns waiting too long, since they all relied on the produce to do business.

The customers only wanted the Shen family's vegetables.

When Shen Song returned home, only Shen Jing, Shen Sanqiu, and a few children were there.

Shen Jing's leg had gotten worse again because of the Tiger Head Mountain incident.

Luckily, Qi Yuanjing had checked him and said it wasn't serious—he just needed to rest and recover, though it would take longer. But he couldn't go through something like that again, or he'd definitely end up lame.

Shen Jing, who was sorting medicinal herbs in the courtyard, saw a carriage pull up at the gate and guessed his younger brother was home. He grabbed his crutch and made his way to the gate.

Shen Song jumped out of the carriage and ran toward Shen Jing, holding back his strength so he wouldn't knock his eldest brother down.

"Bro, I'm back safe and sound!"

Shen Jing was a little shy, pressing down on his crutch to stand steadier, and muttered, "It's good you're back. Mom and Dad missed you a lot."

"Then do big brother and sister-in-law, second brother and second brother-in-law, third sister and third brother-in-law, fourth sister and fourth brother-in-law, fifth brother and fifth brother-in-law, sixth brother, seventh brother, little ninth, and the nephews, nieces, and great-nephews and great-nieces miss me? Eight Liang Ban, Tuanzi, Tuan Yi, Tuan Er, Tuan San, and so on..." Shen Song rattled off everyone in the family, from people to pets, from the oldest to the youngest, and he even almost included the sparrows in the tree by the door.

Shen Jing smiled, thinking his brother was really okay, as lively and playful as ever.

The snacks from the carriage were brought down by the driver and taken to the Shen family's kitchen.

Shen Bing had also gone out to the fields to work, and Zhao Bao, who was just a few months old, was being watched by his older brothers and sisters. Shen Song grabbed some pastries individually wrapped in oil paper and went to find the kids.

The kids had been scared during the escape from Tiger Head Mountain.

After getting home, the little ones came down with high fevers, but luckily they got a doctor in time, and after taking their meds, they were mostly better now.

Shen Song spent the whole day hanging out with the kids, and little squishy Zhao Bao crawled all over Shen Song's lap.

Shen Song never expected a baby to crawl that fast, and not only that, but his little hands and feet were tiny yet packed a surprising punch.

Zhao Bao had filled out a bit over the past few months, not like that wrinkly little red old man he was at first.

The little one was all soft, with fair, clean skin, the red mole between his brows made him look like a little doll, and his chubby cheeks smelled faintly of milk, kept tempting Shen Song to nibble and pinch them.

Shen Song had never been around a baby this age.

It was his first time getting up close and personal with one.

He was the baby uncle.

When Zhao Bao's soft but surprisingly solid little hand smacked him in the face, he grinned and gently took the baby's soft little hand, asking his little nephew to take it easy on him.

But his little nephew couldn't understand a word he said, just thought his little uncle had a great smile, and giggled and buried his face in his little uncle's neck.

Then he looked up, met his little uncle's eyes, and giggled again before burying his face in his neck.

Liu Rui and Qi Tian were attracted by the laughter and joined in this weird game of laughing at each other and then burying their faces in their little uncle's arms.

That night, when the rest of the Shen family came back from the fields or the shops, they heard the kids' happy laughter and Shen Song's big, easy laugh, and couldn't help smiling themselves.

Little Eight was home safe and sound.

The Shen family cooked up a big feast that night, and the old couple kept checking Shen Song over and over, only letting out a sigh of relief once they were sure he was completely fine.

At dinner, Zhou Gu couldn't keep his mouth shut and said to Shen Song, "Little Eight, you have no idea, after you guys fell off that cliff, the guy who grabbed you suddenly coughed up blood and dropped to the ground. Apparently he took poison and offed himself. Man, that was scary as hell."

Shen Song hadn't expected the guy to just straight-up poison himself. A guy this focused, this stubborn, and not even afraid of dying—the people behind him must be seriously scary.

Shen Song was worried about his family's safety. "Did you find out which family sent him?"

Zhou Gu said he didn't know.

Then Shen Chong spoke up, "We've been so busy looking for you guys that we haven't had time to deal with the bandits and the assassins. The head bandit got away with a few guys, but the rest were caught. We can't look into the assassins here; that's got to be handled at the county level."

Zhou Gu said, "No need to investigate, it's definitely the Chen family."

"Sister-in-law, on the very first day our vegetable shop opened, some thugs came to cause trouble. They ruined several business deals in the shop." Just mentioning it made Zhou Gu angry. He tugged at Xu Hongmei, who was nearby, "Sister-in-law, you tell them too, isn't that right?"

The rest of the Shen family looked over, and Xu Hongmei frowned slightly, recalling those unpleasant incidents with irritation.

"I think Second Brother-in-law is right. The Chen family has always targeted our family, wanting the secret to our delicious vegetables. They've done despicable things before, and every time they finish, they lie low for a while, then come back causing even bigger trouble. Yesterday those thugs started pacing in front of the shop, and we didn't think much of it. But today they started blocking customers from entering. Some even harassed the young women and men, scaring people away."

Xu Hongmei couldn't help but slap the table as she spoke. "Most of the customers who come to our shop are women and married men. If they keep this up, how can we do business in the future!"

"Are you all safe inside the shop?" Shen Song asked worriedly.

Xu Hongmei's anger subsided considerably, and her voice softened as she spoke to Shen Song, "We're fine. Yi An is a sturdy man after all, so they probably have some restraint and haven't dared to do anything to us yet."

The old couple hadn't known about this trouble at the shop. It seemed that yesterday the thugs had done nothing, which was why nothing was said. But today they had done something disgusting, driving away customers, which changed the nature of the matter.

Liu Chunxia said uneasily to her fourth son-in-law, "No matter which family is behind this, we can't be careless. Zhao Lu, go check on the shop tomorrow."

Zhao Lu quickly nodded. "Don't worry, Mom."

With Zhao Lu there, Liu Chunxia did feel reassured.

With his build and skills, ordinary people couldn't get the better of him.

The next day, Shen Song was worried about the shop and concerned that his family might be at a disadvantage, so after delivering the vegetables, he went to the vegetable shop instead of Qi's residence.

As he approached the shop, Shen Song saw seven or eight young men in tattered clothes, lounging around with a shiftless air. They glared at passersby to scare them, and the area around the shop was empty, with everyone taking detours.

Shen Song led Eight Liang Ban forward and was stopped by a skinny young man.

"Hey, where's this pretty young man from, looking so fresh and lovely."

The man teased and whistled, and Shen Song found it amusing.

He tried to imitate it and, to his surprise, produced an even louder whistle than the young man's.

The young man across from him was stunned, never expecting a young man to whistle back at him like a ruffian.

Seeing he couldn't intimidate Shen Song, the young man moved to get physical.

Inside the shop, Zhao Lu heard the commotion outside and came out to check.

He saw their Song-ge'er standing across from a thug, who was reaching out to do something to him.

Zhao Lu, who had been itching for an outlet, leaped out of the shop in one bound, stretched out his big hand, grabbed the thug by the back of the collar just as he was about to lay hands on Shen Song, and lifted him up with one hand, his arm muscles and veins bulging.

"Brother-in-law." Shen Song called out.

Zhao Lu glared at the young man with fierce eyes, but his question was for Shen Song, "Little Eight, are you alright?"

Shen Song shook his head, saying he was fine.

The man had barely raised his hand when his brother-in-law had already hoisted him up.

Zhao Lu tossed him aside, and the man hit the ground, rolling several times, groaning in pain.

"These people are so annoying. They don't actually attack, just loiter outside the shop and stop us from doing business." Zhao Lu frowned deeply, truly frustrated.

Since they didn't make a move, they couldn't either. Otherwise, at the yamen, they'd be in the wrong and might even get counter-sued.

Zhao Lu, who had hunted for years and dealt with restaurants, inns, and fur shops, understood these dirty tricks.

These people were forcing the shop workers to strike first, so they could report to the authorities. The shop would be fined, and whoever threw the punch would get beaten with boards.

These thugs would also get beaten, but they didn't fear that punishment. Even if they were arrested and sent to hard labor, they weren't afraid.

They were pros at this kind of thing, every last one of them. Anyway, they'd do their time, get out, and score a free meal. Plus, they'd gotten tight with the low-level bosses at the labor camps, so going back was like walking into their own living room.

For a shopkeeper to run into this kind of nasty mess was like swallowing a fly.

Zhao Lu told Shen Song to get home. "You're not safe here. Go on back."

With all these thugs hanging around, Shen Song hadn't even had a chance to talk about them, and the folks inside the shop needed watching too. Zhao Lu was genuinely scared he'd slip up and something would go down if he didn't stay on top of it.

Zhao Lu said he was worried he couldn't handle it all, and Shen Song didn't have any bright ideas either. Once he'd made sure everyone in the shop was okay, he figured he'd go check on Xie Zhiyu, so he drove the ox cart over to the Qi place.

Today, Shen Song didn't get to show himself to Xie Zhiyu.

Because Xie Zhiyu still hadn't woken.

Shen Song sat in the chair by Xie Zhiyu's bed, staring at him for a long time.

He kept counting to himself, hoping that at some number, Xie Zhiyu would open his eyes and look his way.

But it was almost noon, and even Qi Yuanjing had come to fetch him for lunch, and Xie Zhiyu still hadn't budged.

Shen Song's mood, already in the dumps over the family vegetable shop, sank even lower.

"Something happen at your family's vegetable shop?"

Qi Yuanjing asked during the meal.

Shen Song nodded. "There's a bunch of people blocking the entrance, not letting customers in to buy. My brother-in-law said we can't chase them off either, or we'd get arrested and slapped with a fine."

Qi Yuanjing shot Shen Song a look. "If I hadn't asked, you wouldn't have said a word, would you?"

"I didn't want to talk about it." Shen Song's voice came out flat.

Qi Yuanjing rarely saw Shen Song this down, so he pushed, "Isn't that what friends are for—helping each other out? Why wouldn't you want to talk about something like this? Back when the Chen family wrecked your vegetable fields, you told me about it then."

Shen Song chewed on the rice in his mouth—it smelled great, but it didn't taste right anymore.

He knew it wasn't the rice—it was his mood killing his appetite.

"I know all about it now. At first, I thought the Chen family realized they messed up and came to apologize and make it right on their own. But Fifth Brother said it was probably because of you and Xie Zhiyu that they came crawling back to apologize. And after that, because of you two, no other Chen family dared to eye our business or come after us."

Qi Yuanjing kept quiet, letting Shen Song finish.

Shen Song swallowed the rice in his mouth, not in the mood for another bite, and went on, "Second brother-in-law said that assassin was probably sent by the Chen family. He was at the cliff that day, saying he wanted Xie Zhiyu dead. I think the Chen family hated him because Xie Zhiyu protected us, and they were dead set on killing him."

Shen Song looked at Qi Yuanjing. "The people outside the shop might be from the Chen family too. You treat me like a friend, so you'd help my family out. But then the Chen family would hate you too, and you could get hurt down the line."

Qi Yuanjing didn't know what face to make as he looked at Shen Song, his heart softening. "Nothing's gonna happen."

Qi Yuanjing didn't go into detail. "You don't know the full story of who me and Xie Zhiyu really are, but the Chen family is nothing."

Shen Song stared at Qi Yuanjing, who picked out what he could share from what he'd found out and told him, "The assassin was traced back—someone higher up planted him in Fang Tian's gang of bandits, using the Chen family as cover. It was supposed to be foolproof, and the target was always Xie Zhiyu."

"As for the Chen family, they really did want your family's secret recipe for growing vegetables. Before, they held back because they were scared of Xie Zhiyu. Later, when Xie Zhiyu got into trouble, they got bolder.

They teamed up with the higher-ups, using your family as leverage against Xie Zhiyu while also grabbing the recipe. With that backing, they dragged in some rich merchants and big shots from Yunan Prefecture, gunning to become the top merchant house in Yunan."

Qi Yuanjing's eyes went cold, and his voice got heavier. "They don't know we're back yet, and things up top are locked down for now. Fang Tian's gang got caught, but Ma Lin slipped away with a few guys. While Xie Zhiyu was awake, he had people spread rumors to throw them off. Those idiots in Yunan Prefecture all think it was two bandit groups fighting each other that screwed things up."

Shen Song listened, his heart racing. In just a few sentences from Qi Yuanjing, he could already catch a glimpse of the bloody storms they'd survived in the months they were gone.

No wonder they both looked more worn out than before.

Qi Yuanjing noticed Shen Song's frown and figured he was worried about the vegetable shop. "Don't worry, everything's under control. For your family's safety, keep the shop closed for a few days. Once word comes down from above and Xie Zhiyu and I can move, the Chen family will be handled right away."

The families in Yunan Prefecture were making a racket right now, causing plenty of headaches for the county office too.

The people Xie Zhiyu had planted in the county office needed to keep things stable in Yunxi County, or else they could've sent clerks to make arrests.

Qi Yuanjing thought about it, but there was no one to spare at the moment. And the shadow guards under Xie Zhiyu had taken heavy losses after the coup in the capital. The ones sent to protect the Shen family were all Xie Zhiyu could spare.

After that night at Tiger Head Mountain, the shadow guards who weren't too banged up could only watch over the Shen family from the shadows for now—they couldn't show their faces to chase off the scum.

Closing the shop for a few days would help too, and it might throw those people in Yunan Prefecture off.

Make them think the Shen family had lost their protection.

And in the meantime, they could lure out more hidden forces trying to use the Shen family against Xie Zhiyu—killing two birds with one stone.

After finishing his meal, Shen Song was about to head home, but before he left, he went to check on Xie Zhiyu one last time. He still hadn't woken up.

He couldn't help reaching out and touching Xie Zhiyu's face.

He whispered, "Wake up soon, alright?"

-

Back home, Shen Song passed along Qi Yuanjing's suggestion to the family.

The Shen family agreed it made sense. Mostly, the tangled web of forces behind this wasn't something they could just decide on their own. Closing the shop for a couple of days was fine.

It also gave the family a little break.

On the second day the shop was closed, Li Geng and Shen He headed into town together to deliver vegetables to the restaurant.

The donkey cart could only hold so much, so they had to make two trips a day.

One trip in the morning, then back home for lunch before heading out again.

After those two trips, there wasn't much left to do.

Early the next morning, Shen Yuan and Shen He would show up, heading to the fields to pick vegetables with the Shen family.

Today was just like any other delivery day. Because of his birthmark, Shen He used to be really quiet, always keeping his head down. Since he started making his own money from deliveries, he'd taken to covering his face with a cloth so he wouldn't scare people, but his personality had brightened up a lot.

Lately, for some reason, Shen He noticed the birthmark on his face had faded a ton, not as dark as it used to be. Plus, he'd saved up a decent pile of copper coins, and he was getting more cheerful by the day.

When they got there, he hopped off the donkey cart and started hauling the vegetable crates like it was nothing.

Li Geng tied up the donkey and, noticing the waiter who usually came out early to meet them was nowhere around, went up and knocked on the door.

"Excuse me, delivering vegetables from Shen Family Gully. Anybody home?"

He knocked a few times, paused, then knocked again.

Shen He had already unloaded all the vegetables the restaurant ordered from the cart, just waiting for them to open up and take the delivery.

Just as Li Geng decided to ask the shop next door what was going on with the restaurant, the door opened from the inside.

The one who opened it was the restaurant's manager—a chubby young guy with a smooth face and big eyes, who was usually all smiles and pretty likable.

But today he had cried his eyes red, huddled behind the door crack, his voice thick with a stuffy nose, "I can't order from the Shen family's kitchen anymore... boo-hoo-hoo... waaahhh..."

The chubby young man broke down crying mid-sentence, and though Li Geng was a little confused, he still comforted him in time, "It's alright, it's alright. In business, all kinds of things happen. If Shopkeeper Lu ever wants to place an order again, that's totally fine."

Shopkeeper Lu sobbed even harder, mumbling that there wouldn't be a next time.

Li Geng had no idea why, so he just waited for him to let it all out.

Since the delivery date hadn't come yet, canceling the order meant breaking the contract.

They still had to talk about the penalty for breaking the contract.

Shopkeeper Lu hadn't forgotten about that either. He'd come prepared. Still crying, he slipped a money pouch through the door crack. It looked well-made, with nice fabric.

He said between sobs that it was the penalty for breaking the contract.

Li Geng took it, opened it up, and saw it was more than enough.

He wanted to say he'd borrow a small scale to weigh the silver, since they didn't want to take more than they should.

But Shopkeeper Lu had already shut the door, heartbroken, and Li Geng could still hear him sobbing miserably.

If he was so unwilling, why cancel the order?

A bad feeling rose in Li Geng's chest.

Helping Shen He load the vegetables back onto the donkey cart, Li Geng drove on to the second restaurant.

Same as Shopkeeper Lu, they canceled the order too.

That one didn't cry, but the sad, reluctant look on his face was impossible to hide.

Then the third, the fourth, the fifth...

Li Geng and Shen He spent the whole morning delivering vegetables without getting rid of a single basket, but instead collected a pile of penalty money.

The money pouches holding the penalty money all looked similar in craftsmanship and fabric.

Li Geng got more and more suspicious.

Meanwhile, Shopkeeper Xu called together all the restaurants in Qingyun Town that ordered from the Shen family.

Shen Song was there as well.

He'd come to deliver vegetables today and was pulled into the restaurant by Shopkeeper Xu, who said there was something important to talk about and asked him to hang tight.

Once all the restaurant owners in Qingyun Town who ordered from the Shen family had shown up, Shopkeeper Xu said grimly to Shen Song, "Someone came to us yesterday and threatened that if we didn't stop ordering from the Shen family, they'd wreck our restaurants and our homes."

Shen Song knew right away who was behind it.

"The Chen family wants our family's secret recipe; this is all their doing. It's our family that's dragged you into this." Shen Song felt guilty.

Shopkeeper Xu waved his hand, "What's there to be sorry about? That Chen family is clearly out of their minds. Whenever someone has something good, they want to snatch it up and hog it. Utterly arrogant! Absolutely shameless!"

Shen Song silently memorized those two insults and nodded hard.

Exactly!

Utterly arrogant!

Absolutely shameless!

"Song Geer, don't worry. I'll go ahead and have you call me Uncle Xu, and as your uncle, I won't back down at a moment like this."

Shopkeeper Xu's face was full of fury; he was genuinely angry.

Having a perfectly good life suddenly disrupted is hard not to be angry about.

Lin Yue was also furious. He had heard Shen Song's account of Shen Yian's banquet cooking methods and had made three times his usual profit that winter.

During the New Year season, people really splurged.

Lin Yue had been saving up to expand his small restaurant and host banquets there too.

Then this happened.

Not to mention the damage to his own business, but with someone targeting the Shen family, Lin Yue wouldn't back down either.

"Shopkeeper Xu, tell me what you need me to do. As long as it helps Song Geer, I'll give it my all."

With Lin Yue's words, the other owners also voiced their support one after another.

Among them, some weren't too keen on getting involved.

But since Shopkeeper Xu was the de facto leader, and Lin Yue was fiercely supportive, bringing along those who were already inclined to support, the few reluctant ones could only go along with the crowd.

Shopkeeper Xu said, "In all of Yunan Prefecture, who's bigger than the prefect? Let's all go to the yamen and make a fuss!"

Lin Yue agreed without hesitation.

The others hesitated briefly before also saying yes.

Shen Song tugged at Shopkeeper Xu, "If we go like this, won't we get beaten with rods? I don't want to drag you all into suffering."

Shopkeeper Xu chuckled softly and whispered to Shen Song, "Don't worry. Our prefect loves a good reputation above all. Though we say we're making a fuss, we're actually going to loudly seek the prefect's protection, singing praises of his virtuous name along the way. It's a bit hard to explain, but Song Geer, just follow along and watch."

If it were truly dangerous, the other owners besides Lin Yue wouldn't have followed him into this.