Chapter 155: The Four Wealthiest Heiresses in Business, Part 9

Li Lingjing's suspended heart could not relax in the slightest. Although she had stayed in this place for only a short time, she knew what kind of fate awaited the young women in the brothel once they fell ill.

"She did teach me for a few months after all. Could Mother Lan tell me where she is? I would like to go see her." Li Lingjing's expression remained unchanged, but her fingers were already tightly curled.

Shi Xianyu glanced at her silently, thinking that Li Lingjing's relationship with this Madam Yao was probably quite deep.

The procuress sighed and said, "Madam Yao fell ill, and nobody feels more distressed about it than I do. With her gone from my side, the newly arrived girls in my house are truly getting worse with each batch. If you want to go see her, the house at the very end of the alley behind the dyeing workshop is the one."

At this point, the procuress paused, intentionally probing Li Lingjing's expression. "You... want to go see her right now?"

"There's no rush." Li Lingjing twitched the corner of her mouth, forcing a smile. "Mother Lan, let's discuss the acquisition price instead."

The procuress smiled and nodded. "Since the Daoist priest even brought out a treasure like a night-pearl, it shows your utmost sincerity. As for the price, I will naturally give you a generous discount."

Li Lingjing tried hard to keep her composure. She knew the procuress's rapacious nature—she would pluck a goose as it flew by—so she did not want to appear too concerned about Madam Yao, lest the other woman seize the opportunity to extort them.

In the end, however, the agreed-upon price did not include much of a discount; it was merely the standard market rate.

Li Lingjing agreed with the procuress on the time for the next deposit payment, then rose to take her leave.

The procuress personally escorted them out. When they reached the courtyard gate, she hesitated, looking as if she had more to say, and finally blurted out, "D-Daoist priest... that night-pearl, could you possibly... bestow another one upon me?"

Li Lingjing frowned and asked, "Mother Lan, a single bead is already a priceless treasure. If I were to give you another one, to say nothing of this brothel of yours, you could buy the two buildings on your left and right as well."

The procuress gave an awkward laugh. "Look at what you're saying! Am I the kind of person who doesn't know what's good for her? But buttering people up all around always costs some silver. I can't very well split a single bead in half—giving half to Master Cheng and half to Old Woman Sun, and leaving myself... shouldn't I keep a little something for myself?"

Shi Xianyu knew this woman had been overcome by greed; a direct refusal would likely stir up trouble, yet promising her more would only feed an insatiable appetite.

She thought for a moment, smiled at Mother Lan, and said, "It's just a pearl after all. Although it glows and can be considered rare, it's actually of little use. Once the brothel opens in the future, I will set up a furnace to refine the Fragrant Sweat Pills. Just a single pill can preserve one's youth for twenty years and make the entire body emit a natural fragrance. As long as Mother Lan handles all the networking and preparations properly, the first batch of pills will definitely include a share for you."

The procuress was both startled and overjoyed. "The Daoist priest can also refine pills for preserving youth?"

Shi Xianyu summoned all her acting skills, smiled indifferently, and said with an air of profound mystery, "Otherwise, why would Mother Lan think a person of the Dao like me would join others in running a brothel?"

The procuress was ecstatic, the corners of her mouth curling up uncontrollably. "If the Daoist priest is truly willing to bestow pills upon me, I guarantee I will arrange everything for this brothel to perfection! Master Cheng controls the ruffians and scoundrels across ten streets and eight alleys, and Old Woman Sun manages the human traffickers both inside and outside the city. I can assure you that in the future, no hoodlums will ever dare to make trouble here, and the traffickers will always bring their finest wares to you first!"

Still worried that Shi Xianyu might break her promise in the future, she asked cautiously, "Will the Daoist priest truly bestow pills upon me in the future? You aren't deceiving me, are you?"

"That will depend on Mother Lan's performance," Shi Xianyu said with a smile. "After all, these Fragrant Sweat Pills are extremely rare. Had we not already settled on your establishment, I wouldn't have mentioned them at all. If word gets out in the future and everyone comes begging for Fragrant Sweat Pills, then... whether we can still spare one for Mother Lan will be hard to say."

"Understood! Rest assured, Daoist priest, I will take this secret to my grave!" the procuress said immediately. "I'll start smoothing things over these next few days, and I guarantee you won't have a single worry when you take over this brothel!"

"Good," Shi Xianyu nodded slightly. "Then we shall await your good news."

With that said, Shi Xianyu and Li Lingjing left the alley and returned to the carriage.

Zhi'er was sitting outside with the driver, directing the carriage toward the dyeing workshop.

Inside the carriage, Li Lingjing asked Shi Xianyu, "Daoist priest, are you really going to refine pills in a brothel? How would you even do that?"

Shi Xianyu smiled. "I was just humoring her."

The name "Fragrant Sweat Pill" was something she had once heard about back in青山城 (Qingshan City).

Li Lingjing chuckled as well. "I suppose so. Still, it's a pity about the Daoist priest's night-pearl. Such a rare and peerless treasure was wasted on that greedy procuress."

"It's not actually all that rare." Shi Xianyu drew another handful of glass beads from her tunic. They were brilliantly colored and extremely dazzling, and a few of them were pale green—identical to the night-pearl the procuress had just taken away.

"Do you want them?" Shi Xianyu held them out. "If you like them, I'll give them all to you."

Li Lingjing widened her eyes. "These... these, all for me?"

"Take them," Shi Xianyu stuffed them into her hands. "I have plenty more."

These glass beads were ones she had bought previously when purchasing toys for Lu Li. The so-called luminous pearls were merely glass beads infused with fluorescent powder. Coming to the ancient world this time, she had figured they might come in handy for trading money, so she had brought them along.

In ancient times, glass was considered a rare commodity. Because rarity determines value, certain glassware items before the Qing Dynasty were even more valuable than precious gems.

Li Lingjing cradled the gleaming beads, her entire body rigid for fear of dropping, bumping, or scratching them. It wasn't until Shi Xianyu reminded her to put them away that she stiffly placed the glass beads into a cloth pouch. Still worried that wasn't secure enough, she wrapped the pouch up and tucked it into the inner pocket of her sleeve.

The carriage rocked all the way, passing through the bustling market streets and slowly heading toward a remote area.

The dyeing workshop was a great distance away from the noisy downtown area because the scent of the dyes was mostly pungent, leaving very few residents nearby.

Catching the smell of those dyes, Li Lingjing couldn't help frowning and covering her nose, asking with concern, "How can anyone recover from an illness in a place like this..."

Just as she was speaking, the carriage came to a halt.

"Are we here?" Li Lingjing lifted the carriage curtain to look outside. Seeing the dilapidated houses and cluttered streets, she furrowed her brow even deeper.

Back when Madam Yao was in the brothel, although her status was humble, she had lived a life of luxury and fine clothes, her daily provisions second only to the house's top courtesan. Even if she was older now and in poor health, she shouldn't have been reduced to this.

"Madam Yao received a monthly stipend for helping Mother Lan train the girls, and she had saved up quite a bit. How could she..." Li Lingjing bit her lower lip, staring deep into the alley. "Never mind, let's go in and take a look first."

The procuress had said Madam Yao lived at the very end of the alley.

Frowning, Li Lingjing walked deeper inside. The surrounding air gradually grew thicker; not only was there the choking smell of dye, but it was also mixed with an unpleasant medicinal stench. She spotted some medicinal dregs piled up at the base of a wall, a vague sense of unease rising in her chest. Then, from the other side of a courtyard wall, a woman's coughing reached her ears—one fit after another, as if she could barely catch her breath.

Li Lingjing could finally bear it no longer. She hurried forward a few steps to the front door and hammered on it hard.

"Madam Yao! Is Madam Yao in?..."