Chapter Sixteen: What Does It Mean to Snatch a Wolf with Bare Hands

Two days later, Lin Lidong erupted in fury inside the inner hall of the Rejuvenation Hall, having just received news that made his blood boil.

A newly arrived batch of precious medicinal herbs had been stolen on its way into the city. Not only had the men transporting the goods been beaten within an inch of their lives, but even the carriage had been burnt to ashes.

“If any of you dare repeat what you just said, I’ll have you all pack your things and get out!”

Lin Lidong’s voice thundered through the entire Rejuvenation Hall, startling the customers in the front hall who were there to have prescriptions filled. They wondered in alarm whether a madman had been taken in by the Hall.

“Young Master, it’s not that we’re useless—it’s that those men were simply too ruthless. Wang Er was struck on the head and hasn’t woken up since!”

One of the workers, his head wrapped in bandages and his right cheek swollen grotesquely, tried to explain through slurred, indistinct words.

But Lin Lidong was in no mood to listen. All he could think was that the loss amounted to a thousand taels—goods he had personally negotiated for and ordered to be brought back just days before.

He always handled procurement himself, and nothing had ever gone wrong—until now, when disaster struck on such a scale that it nearly gave him a heart attack.

With the entire shipment missing, who would bear the enormous loss? The Hall would soon face a severe shortage of medicines, and business would surely suffer. Merely contemplating these consequences gave Lin Lidong a pounding headache, yet he had no idea where to even begin looking.

The robbers had all masked their faces, leaving not a single clue. Finding them would be like searching for a needle in a haystack.

“Young Master, could it have been the bandits from Tiger Head Mountain?”

Someone voiced this suspicion, but Lin Lidong disagreed.

“What would those burly mountain thieves want with so many medicinal herbs? Are they planning to open a clinic or eat them for supper?”

He felt certain the bandits had no use for such goods, so they were unlikely to be the culprits.

At that moment, one of his subordinates speculated, “Only someone holding a serious grudge against you could have pulled this off. Recently, it seems only Lin Yuanzhou has had a falling-out with you.”

“Yes, that’s right! I almost forgot—it must have been Lin Yuanzhou!” Lin Lidong spat the words with venom.

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Lin Qingxuan made his way to the courtyard where Jiang Chen was brewing wine. He looked around at the handful of workers going through the motions of the brewing process and felt a headache coming on.

“Jiang Chen, didn’t you promise to begin mass production as soon as possible? Why is it that, in the end, only a few people are working here?”

As the main investor, Lin Qingxuan was deeply concerned about when he would see a return on his money. Renting the courtyard, purchasing equipment, and hiring help had already cost him a small fortune.

If he didn’t see substantial profits soon, he feared he’d lose sleep every night.

Jiang Chen came over, ignoring Lin Qingxuan’s complaints, and instead asked about today’s visit to Lin Yuanzhou.

At the mention of this, Lin Qingxuan’s face lit up with excitement, for everything had proceeded just as they’d planned.

Lin Yuanzhou had secretly arranged for Lin Lidong’s goods to be stolen, but he never expected that, before he could even enjoy his spoils, the shipment—worth a thousand taels—would be snatched away by the bandits of Tiger Head Mountain.

Little did he know that this twist—where the predator becomes the prey—was orchestrated entirely by Jiang Chen.

That night, Jiang Chen had sent Gu Jun up to Tiger Head Mountain with a note detailing the shipment’s time and route. The mountain bandits, ever eager for profit, perked up at the news that a cargo worth a thousand taels would be passing beneath their lair.

As expected, the bandits didn’t care what the crates contained—they simply seized everything and made off with the lot.

Thus, Lin Lidong lost a thousand taels’ worth of goods, while Lin Yuanzhou, after all his scheming, gained nothing. Most amusing of all, the true victors were not even the bandits of Tiger Head Mountain.

For the bandits knew nothing of medicine or business; those valuable herbs in their hands would likely end up as firewood.

Jiang Chen nodded with satisfaction, then uttered something that nearly caused Lin Qingxuan’s heart to stop.

“Come on, let’s pay a visit to Tiger Head Mountain.”

“Jiang Chen, do you even know what you’re saying?” Lin Qingxuan stared at him, wide-eyed. “That’s Tiger Head Mountain, home to hundreds of cutthroats who kill without blinking! If we go there, will we ever come back alive?”

“Bandits act for profit. As long as we can offer them something worthwhile, there’s no reason we can’t negotiate,” Jiang Chen replied, as though the danger meant nothing to him. But Lin Qingxuan was resolute in refusing to go along on a suicidal mission.

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“What’s there to negotiate with them about? Don’t gamble with my life,” Lin Qingxuan protested, no matter how Jiang Chen tried to persuade him. He was terrified he’d go up the mountain only to never return—he was far too young to die at the hands of bandits.

“I’ll go with you,” Gu Jun declared, stepping forward without hesitation. Though he didn’t know why Jiang Chen wanted to go to Tiger Head Mountain, he was willing to accompany him through fire and water if need be.

Jiang Chen had no choice but to instruct Lin Qingxuan, “Then you stay and take care of Drunken Immortal Tavern. Zhao He hasn’t caused us any trouble lately—I suspect he’s plotting something.”

“Wait—are you really going to Tiger Head Mountain? What exactly do you plan to do there?”

Jiang Chen smiled with pursed lips. “Of course, I intend to retrieve that shipment. Once it passes into our hands, no one will ever be able to trace it.”

“Fine, go if you must, I can’t stop you. Just don’t die up there—otherwise, who am I supposed to ask for my money back?” Lin Qingxuan’s complaints trailed after them, but Jiang Chen was full of confidence about this venture.

He knew that in his past life, his parents had died at the hands of these very bandits. Now that he had crossed into this world, the debt was his to settle.

For now, however, the bandits still had their uses. Once he had wrung every ounce of value from them, he would find a way to eliminate them and rid the people of their scourge.

On the way, Gu Jun asked, “Those bandits are unreasonable, and they’re the ones who stole the goods. How are you going to persuade them to hand the shipment back?”

“They’re bandits—they don’t listen to reason, do they?”

Jiang Chen replied, “Bandits are only interested in profit. In some ways, that’s one of their few redeeming qualities.”

“I’m going to negotiate a business deal with them. Soon, you’ll see what it means to pull off a heist without lifting a finger.”

As they spoke, the two men arrived at Tiger Head Mountain. There, a stockade was built against the mountainside, and the moment their unexpected arrival was spotted, a cacophony of shouts and threats rang out from within.