The middle-aged man coming down from the merchant ship looked puzzled as he took the pale yellow note from the little beggar, instinctively grabbing the beggar’s wrist to prevent him from leaving. With his other hand, he gently unfolded the note, revealing a strangely drawn ship and a gold ingot. The latest_epɪ_sodes are on_the N0velFire.ɴet The picture was clearly not drawn with a brush; it looked as if it had been crafted with the goose quill favored by people from the Western Regions. "Who sent you to deliver this?" The little beggar flushed red, gritting his teeth, and tried hard to pull his hand back, but the middle-aged sailor’s grip was like an iron clamp, impossible to shake off. Seeing he couldn’t escape, the little beggar immediately raised his hand, randomly pointing into the crowd: "Someone gave me three copper coins to give you the note, and then he left. I don’t know who it was." The middle-aged man snorted coldly, twisting the boy’s arm with force: "Filthy beggar, don’t play dumb. There was a group of beggars surrounding a strangely dressed woman in front; it must have been her who sent you. How dare you lie to me with open eyes." The little beggar was twisted around, gasping in pain, hissing sharply. At this moment, the middle-aged man’s eyes had already connected with Lin Wanwan’s across the air, scrutinizing each other for a moment. The man frowned and let go of the little beggar, who, free at last, slipped into the crowd like a loach and vanished. Lin Wanwan appeared unconcerned, crossing her arms as she watched the middle-aged man. Because her face was covered, it was hard for him to read anything from her expression. However, just by looking at her fearless eyes, it was clear she was incredibly bold. Perhaps she was from the underworld, but definitely not an ordinary good family woman. After pondering for a moment, the middle-aged man walked towards Lin Wanwan. Seeing this, she turned and walked into the street. The two moved with a tacit understanding, counterflowing against the bustling crowd, one after the other. Not only was a small elephant following Lin Wanwan, but a few hesitant little beggars were also tagging along. After walking over a hundred steps, Lin Wanwan entered a teahouse, picked up a fruit basket placed nearby, pointed to a private room, and then indicated the teapot. The language barrier was not an issue as long as there was peppercorn. She gave the shopkeeper two peppercorns, and he nodded and bowed, ushering her into a private room with a curtain hanging at the entrance. For her strange attire and the small elephant following her, the shopkeeper and his staff completely turned a blind eye. The little beggars were naturally kept outside: "Shoo, shoo! This isn’t a place for you. Move aside, don’t block grandpa from doing business." Unable to enter the teahouse, the little beggars didn’t leave and squatted at the wall’s base, waiting. The middle-aged man also entered the teahouse, and the shopkeeper hurried to greet him: "Sir, would you like something to eat?" The middle-aged man, speaking strongly accented local language, was easily identifiable as an out-of-town merchant. "I’m looking for someone." Having said that, he pushed the shopkeeper aside and headed straight for the private room Lin Wanwan had just entered. The shopkeeper tried to stop him: "Hey, hey, sir, sir, please take it easy, let me report first..." But as the shopkeeper spoke, the middle-aged man had already pulled open the curtain, and Lin Wanwan waved her hand, signaling to the shopkeeper that it was fine. "This note, you gave it to me, right?" Lin Wanwan spoke: "May I know how to address you? Are you from Mao County? Part of the Lu Family?" The middle-aged man was surprised to hear Lin Wanwan speak Mao County dialect flawlessly, but he was not surprised that she knew he was from the Lu Family, as the ship openly flew the Lu Family flag. He looked Lin Wanwan up and down before kneeling opposite her, switching to Mao County dialect: "I’m Lu Daxiong, known in the martial world as Lord Lu." Lin Wanwan nodded and said, "So, you are a Vietnamese Merchant associated with the Lu Family (Mao County belongs to Yuezhou)?" "Correct. What, are you a Vietnamese Merchant too? Which caravan do you follow? Why are you looking for me?" With disdain in her voice, Lin Wanwan said: "Merchants? Do you see anything about me that resembles the lowly merchants like you?" Upon hearing this, anger flared on Lu Daxiong’s face, though he quickly suppressed it, saying coldly: "If you’re not a Vietnamese Merchant, why draw something mysterious and send it to me?" He slapped the note on the tea table, glaring at Lin Wanwan, his biceps bulging with tension, almost ready to fight at any moment. Just then, the shopkeeper timely shouted from outside: "Sir, shall I brew your tea now?" Lin Wanwan slightly raised her chin, ignoring Lu Daxiong’s intimidating demeanor, signaling him to tell the shopkeeper: "Tell him to brew the best tea, and bring it in after we’re done talking." Lu Daxiong’s eyes, like eagle eyes, were fixed on Lin Wanwan. Seeing her calm and fearless appearance, he was hesitant inside, eventually calling out to the outside: "Brew the teahouse’s best tea, and I’ll have it after I finish my business." "Alright." The shopkeeper’s footsteps faded. Lin Wanwan leisurely twirled a black peppercorn, saying slowly: "Let me be straightforward. I’m a descendant of the Zhen Family from Lin Pavilion. Recently, I encountered a storm at sea, losing the ship and the servants. Now I have some goods at the dock that need to be transported back to Mao County, and I want to hire you to send them. Additionally, during this time, I need to hire you as my personal interpreter." The tone and demeanor she exhibited were entirely that of someone doing him a favor by asking for help—a reflection of the nobility’s attitude toward merchants, which was frustrating but unavoidable. "The Zhen Family? I thought it was someone significant, but it’s just a minor and humble family, daring to put on airs before me." The middle-aged man sneered, "Do you think you can just hire me..." Before he finished speaking, Lin Wanwan casually took out nearly twenty peppercorns and scattered them on the tea table, looking at him challengingly, saying nothing. Lu Daxiong’s voice noticeably softened, his eyes glued to the black peppercorns, still muttering: "I have important business to attend to..." Lin Wanwan placed another dozen peppercorns on the table, and Lu Daxiong immediately stopped his speech, conceding: "Helping you deliver the goods is not impossible. I happen to be the captain of our ship." Lin Wanwan chuckled softly, saying: "If you weren’t the captain, I wouldn’t have sought you out. If I didn’t have this discernment, why would I come out here? I could just stay home enjoying life. Look, these ten peppercorns will serve as your deposit. Go buy a sea-ready ship to load my goods entirely. Then, hire some sailors and sail back to Mao County to deliver it to Lin Wanwan of the Hou Tao Lin Family." Finishing her statement, she leisurely added: "Oh, and if you can’t find the Hou Tao Lin Family, just take my letter to the County Magistrate Xiao Zifang; that’s the same, as he is Lin Wanwan’s cousin." Upon hearing this, Lu Daxiong took a sharp breath, never expecting her to be backed by the Lanling Xiao Family and, astonishingly, to call Xiao Mingfu directly by name!