"Rent it or get out!" the boatman said impatiently. "Let me tell you, two men just came and rented all the boats at this dock. If I hadn't sent my boat for repairs, not even this rickety old thing would be left."
"If you think it's too expensive, you don't have to rent it. Anyway, for the past month or so, this dock only has my boat!"
Rent it, she had to. This was crucial to preventing Shen Yimin from turning evil.
Just as Li Yue Shu was about to pay and haggle, something flashed in her mind.
"You mean all the boats at this dock were rented by two people?" A glint appeared in her eyes. "Why would two people need so many boats?"
The boatman rolled his eyes. "How should I know? Maybe rich people have their quirks!"
Li Yue Shu's heart stirred, and she understood instantly. Without a second thought, she turned and left.
The boatman hadn't expected her to move, and by the time he reacted, her back was already out of sight.
The boatman was stunned.
Why did this young woman leave without even trying to bargain?
After leaving the dock, Li Yue Shu returned to the main road in the neighboring town.
Two people renting all the boats meant they were either crazy or trying to cover something up.
The information about the wealthy merchant's whereabouts, revealed by the pimp, was too accurate. It didn't seem like something overheard by chance; instead, it felt like someone deliberately leaked it.
All this suggested the wealthy merchant was no ordinary person and had quite a retinue, necessitating the renting of all boats to accommodate them.
With such a large entourage, even the most careful would leave some trace.
As expected, Li Yue Shu found traces that had been deliberately concealed.
She immediately mounted her horse and rode in that direction.
Meanwhile, two men in black arrived at the dock. "Boatman, where are the boats?"
Seeing their peculiar attire and the palpable hostility emanating from them, the boatman dared not ask further. He quickly replied, "All the boats at this dock were rented by two people a while ago. Only this old boat of mine, which I missed because it was being repaired, is left."
Upon hearing this, the two men exchanged glances. Despite their apparent displeasure, they each tossed a silver ingot. "We'll rent this boat!"
The boatman's eyes lit up. He bowed subserviently and pocketed the silver.
He liked straightforward customers. The young woman earlier was not only poor but also strange.
Fortunately, she didn't haggle with him, or he would have missed out on this big business!
He mused happily as he worked quickly, soon rowing the two men in black into the distance.
...
On the other side, as dusk settled, Li Yue Shu finally caught up with a group of over a dozen people.
They were dressed as guards, each armed and exuding a formidable presence.
Amidst several horse-drawn carts filled with unknown goods, a carriage with a covered compartment stood.
Li Yue Shu surveyed the scene and guessed that Shen Yimin and the wealthy merchant were likely inside the carriage.
So much time had passed; she wondered about Shen Yimin's condition.
Li Yue Shu hid in the shadows, her small frame blending seamlessly with the night.
She observed everything carefully, her hand already gripping the silenced pistol.
Although she was a medical researcher, she occasionally joined other members of her organization on missions, so her combat skills were not lacking.
However, she only had seven bullets. To deal with over a dozen skilled fighters in one go, she might not be able to rescue the person and would end up getting herself killed.
As she was contemplating a strategy, the carriage suddenly shook violently.
The surrounding guards merely glanced at it, seemingly accustomed to such occurrences.
Immediately after, a man's voice came from inside the carriage: "You brat, don't force my hand! Follow me, and you'll have a life of luxury forever! If you go back to Qingfeng Pavilion, by the time you're an adult and deflowered, you'll be a plaything for thousands!"
"You dare to kick me? I won't wait until we get back. I'll deal with you now!"
With that, the carriage began to shake violently.
Li Yue Shu's heart tightened. Without time to think, she darted forward like an arrow loosed from a bow.
"Who's there?!"
Hearing the commotion, everyone immediately surrounded the carriage, drawing their weapons with vigilance.
Li Yue Shu moved with extreme speed, but she was still at a distance. By the time she reached them, the carriage was already well-protected.
However, her momentum did not falter. She raised her pistol without aiming.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
With three muffled shots, the three men blocking Li Yue Shu's path collapsed to the ground before they could even react.
Everyone stared with wide, shocked eyes, their minds frozen.
What a powerful hidden weapon!
While the others were stunned, Li Yue Shu slipped into the carriage.
Inside, a portly man was holding Shen Yimin's hands with one hand, while the other had already reached inside his clothes.
Seven-year-old Shen Yimin's face was pale, his crimson eyes filled with piercing despair and hatred.
Seeing this, Li Yue Shu's fury ignited. "Damn it, you animal!"
She raised her hand, and with a "whoosh," a bullet pierced the fat man's forehead.
The surprise and anger in the man's eyes vanished as he died instantly.
Warm blood sprayed onto her face. Shen Yimin stared with wide eyes at the man lying dead before him, feeling only satisfaction and exhilaration.
He deserved to die!
He should die!
Seeing the turbulent undercurrent in Shen Yimin's eyes, as if he could destroy everything, Li Yue Shu's heart skipped a beat.
She quickly stepped forward and pulled Shen Yimin into her arms. "It's okay, Mother is here. It's okay..."
Her gentle voice flowed like a warm current, stirring Shen Yimin's cold, dead heart.
The next moment, a tingling sensation spread through the back of his neck, and Shen Yimin fell into a deep sleep.
Outside the carriage, the guards, who had snapped out of their shock, immediately aimed their weapons at the carriage, a level of alertness they had never felt before.
They had never witnessed such a potent hidden weapon, capable of taking a life in the blink of an eye, and they hadn't even managed to see what it was.
The leader, with a surge of bravery, used his saber to lift the curtain. But what shocked them was that inside the carriage, apart from the corpse of the portly man, there was nothing else.
At the same time, Li Yue Shu had taken the unconscious Shen Yimin into her space.
Even with a gun, she couldn't have escaped from over a dozen skilled fighters while carrying Shen Yimin.
Li Yue Shu placed Shen Yimin on the operating table and discovered that although his body appeared fine externally, he had severe internal injuries.
Such injuries could be inflicted by wrapping a wooden stick in cloth when striking.
Thinking of this, Li Yue Shu's gaze darkened, and she mentally made a note to hold Qingfeng Pavilion accountable.
She administered an IV drip to Shen Yimin and also gave him some sleeping medication.
This was partly to prevent him from waking up mid-way and discovering her biggest secret, and partly because he was sleeping extremely restlessly.
Clearly, no matter how ruthless the future villain might be, at seven years old, he was still just a child.
To be safe, Li Yue Shu stayed until the afternoon of the next day before leaving the space.
She rode back alone and only released Shen Yimin when they were close.
Meanwhile, Shen Wei had been guarding the academy entrance with the twins, never leaving their side, not even to sleep.
Just as they were about to lose patience, they saw Old Man Liu rushing towards them.