Xiao Yuan did not leave immediately.
Or rather, from Su Muchen’s point of view, he could not leave immediately either.
A high fever of 38.8°C, a waist and abdominal wound still oozing blood, and an arrow wound in his right shoulder that had yet to stabilize—under modern circumstances, someone in this condition should at least be lying in a hospital bed under observation.
Yet Xiao Yuan himself had an attitude of, “This is nothing.”
Su Muchen found it annoying just looking at him.
A patient was supposed to obediently lie in bed, take his medicine properly, and behave like a patient should. Xiao Yuan clearly did not have that attitude.
He repackaged the remaining tablets, wrote the instructions for use on sticky notes, then used transparent tape to attach them to the medicine bags.
One bag of anti-inflammatory medicine.
One bag of antipyretic analgesics.
And external disinfectant and dressing supplies.
After finishing, he looked up at Xiao Yuan and said seriously, “These medicines cannot be taken carelessly.”
Xiao Yuan sat on the wooden chair, draped in a dark cloak. Although his complexion was pale, his eyes remained calm.
“You tell me.”
Su Muchen pushed the medicine bags toward him.
“The anti-inflammatory medicine: one tablet at a time, twice a day, after meals. Take it for at least three days. You cannot stop after taking it for one day just because you feel fine. The other bag is antipyretic analgesics. Take them only when you have a fever or pain, one tablet at a time, after meals.”
Xiao Yuan looked at those white tablets as if he were looking at some kind of unpredictable concealed weapon.
Seeing this, Su Muchen coldly added, “And you cannot take an entire bag at once either. Even if it doesn’t kill you, it can still leave you half-dead from torturing yourself.”
Xiao Yuan: “……”
Beside them, Xiao placed a gold ingot into a small testing instrument. Hearing this, he laughed.
Xiao Yuan’s gaze swept over.
The instrument was making a faint buzzing sound, while a string of data appeared on the screen. To Xiao Yuan, that thing looked even more like a demon than the medicine in Su Muchen’s hands.
Xiao noticed his gaze and smiled. “No need to be nervous. It’s just testing the gold.”
Xiao Yuan said coldly, “Testing the gold?”
“Confirming its purity,” Xiao said. “The gold Your Highness brought looks pretty good.”
Xiao Yuan withdrew his gaze.
“Naturally.”
His tone was calm, yet faintly carried an air of unquestionable certainty.
Xiao raised an eyebrow. “Looks like Your Highness has quite a substantial fortune.”
Xiao Yuan looked at him indifferently. “That has nothing to do with you.”
Xiao laughed. “Indeed, it has nothing to do with me. It has to do with Young Master.”
Su Muchen did not even raise his head. “If you two want to argue, go outside and argue. Don’t disturb me while I’m writing.”
The shop fell silent for a moment.
Xiao chuckled and continued with his work.
Xiao Yuan, meanwhile, lowered his head and looked at the pen in Su Muchen’s hand.
He had noticed it long ago.
The tool Su Muchen used for writing was very strange.
There was no need to grind ink or dip it in water. The pen tip was thin and hard, and when it touched the paper, it left behind ink marks. Although the handwriting was not particularly neat, with some characters even so messy that they were difficult to recognize, he wrote extremely quickly.
Everything in this world was strange.
Boxes that could emit light.
Copper tablets that could produce sounds.
Small objects that could measure body temperature.
Devices that could test gold.
And those words spoken by Su Muchen that he still could not completely understand.
Xiao Yuan was accustomed to controlling the situation.
But here, for the first time, he clearly felt that he knew far too little.
And ignorance itself was dangerous.
After finishing writing the instructions for the medicine, Su Muchen took out another sheet of paper and began sorting his purchasing categories.
He did not rush to buy anything.
Although he was short of money, he had not been blinded by the gold.
If Xiao Yuan really intended to bring modern supplies back to Da Sheng for use, then the first batch of supplies had to be handled carefully.
They could not be too conspicuous.
They could not be too difficult to explain.
They could not arouse the ancient court’s vigilance too early.
Nor could operational difficulties themselves create danger.
He wrote several broad categories on the paper.
Medical supplies.
Drinking water.
Food.
Warmth.
Hygiene.
Concealing the source.
When he reached the last item, Su Muchen paused.
Xiao Yuan noticed his hesitation. “Concealing the source?”
Su Muchen nodded.
“You can’t exactly tell other people that these things were bought from behind a door.”
Xiao Yuan said, “I have my own explanation.”
“What explanation?”
“Overseas trade routes.”
Su Muchen was startled, then immediately understood.
Indeed.
If Da Sheng had overseas trade, then some uncommon things could temporarily be passed off as exotic goods from overseas.
Soap, sugar, certain medicines, water filters, and things like that might be able to get by in the short term as long as they were not exposed in large quantities.
“You have overseas merchants over there?”
“Yes,” Xiao Yuan said. “But not many. Most are controlled by the nobles.”
Su Muchen frowned. “Then if you use this explanation, won’t you be investigated?”
“Yes.”
“Then why mention it?”
Xiao Yuan said calmly, “Being investigated does not mean they will find anything.”
Su Muchen looked at him.
Xiao Yuan’s expression was very calm, as if he were stating the most ordinary fact in the world.
Su Muchen suddenly realized that this person had been able to survive the kind of imperial infighting he had faced until now. He definitely had not relied on luck alone.
He might be down on his luck, but he was by no means weak.
Su Muchen lowered his head and continued writing. “Then use the overseas trade route as cover for now. But the first batch of supplies cannot be too large. They should mainly be used for emergencies and testing the waters.”
Xiao Yuan asked, “Testing the waters?”
“To see whether the things can be safely used on your side, whether they’ll cause trouble, and also to see how much cargo the ancient door can handle.”
Su Muchen raised his eyes at him. “Last night when you came over, you only had a sword and clothes on you. Tonight you brought a box of gold. What if next time it’s a hundred boxes of grain? Can the door get them through? Will something go wrong? We don’t know.”
Xiao Yuan fell silent.
This was indeed something he had not considered yet.
He had been able to bring the gold over today because the box was not particularly large, and he had vaguely figured out how to open the door.
But if it were a large quantity of military supplies, how would they be transported?
How much could pass through at one time?
Would others notice when things passed through the door?
All of these were problems.
Xiao suddenly spoke. “The door can transport goods, but there are limits.”
Su Muchen and Xiao Yuan simultaneously looked at him.
Sitting beside the counter, Xiao placed the tested gold ingot into another box.
“Living things are the most difficult to pass through. Dead objects are simpler. But weight, volume, and frequency will all create a burden.”
Su Muchen frowned. “What kind of burden?”
Xiao smiled. “Young Master, the door isn’t a shipping company.”
Su Muchen rolled his eyes. “If you keep playing mysterious, I’ll sign you up to work for a shipping company.”
Xiao: “I’m not good at that.”
He sighed before explaining, “Simply put, every time the door is opened, it consumes some kind of thing. I can’t tell you exactly what it is. But you’d better not treat it like an unlimited warehouse.”
Su Muchen caught the key point. “You can’t say, or you don’t want to say?”
“Both.”
“……”
Su Muchen took a deep breath and told himself not to argue with a riddler.
He turned to Xiao Yuan. “So the first batch can only be small. Saving people comes first.”
Xiao Yuan nodded. Although he was dissatisfied with Xiao’s attitude, he could only endure it for the time being.
Su Muchen continued making his list.
For medical supplies, they would first prepare the basics.
Povidone-iodine, alcohol wipes, rolls of gauze, bandages, medical tape, wound-closure strips, disposable gloves, masks, thermometers, fever reducers, and a small amount of antibiotics.
For drinking water, water purification tablets, portable water filters, and instructions for boiling and storing water.
For food, they would not choose overly conspicuous canned goods. Instead, they would choose compressed biscuits, salt, sugar, nutritional powder, as well as rice and flour that could have their packaging removed and be repacked into bags.
For warmth, compressed blankets, cotton socks, gloves, and simple sleeping bags.
Hygiene was the most important.
A large amount of soap.
Su Muchen drew two lines beneath the words “soap.”
Xiao Yuan asked, “Is this item very important?”
“Extremely important.”
“More important than medicine?”
“To some extent, yes.” Su Muchen looked at him. “If there really is an epidemic on your side, clean water, isolation, and sanitation are more important than many medicines.”
Xiao Yuan fell into thought.
Su Muchen said, “Over there, you mostly rely on medicinal decoctions and physicians to treat illnesses. But once an epidemic spreads, it can’t be solved by medicine alone. To control transmission, people need to wash their hands, clean up waste, separate patients, and properly handle corpses and water sources.”
Upon hearing the words “handle corpses,” Xiao Yuan’s eyes darkened.
“Many people have died in the northern border?”
Su Muchen asked.
Xiao Yuan was silent for a moment before saying, “More than the court knows.”
The tip of Su Muchen’s pen stopped.
He understood the weight behind that sentence.
The court did not know—or rather, did not want to know.
To the emperor and crown prince far away in the capital, the number of civilians and soldiers who died at the northern border might merely be a few cold lines in a memorial.
It might even be a piece on the chessboard used to weaken Xiao Yuan.
But to Xiao Yuan, those were all lives he would have to face.
Su Muchen suddenly felt a little tightness in his chest.
He asked quietly, “You want to save them?”
Xiao Yuan did not answer immediately.
After a while, he said, “If they all die, I won’t survive either.”
The answer was cold.
And realistic.
Yet looking into his eyes, Su Muchen felt that it was not entirely the case.
A person who truly lived only for himself would not insist on returning to confirm the survival of his subordinates while suffering from serious injuries and a high fever.
Nor would he ask for “things that can save lives” when he could use gold to buy himself a way to survive.
Su Muchen did not expose him.
He simply lowered his head and circled the word “Hygiene.”
“Then after you go back, you need to find a few trustworthy people.”
Xiao Yuan said, “There is a chief aide by my side.”
“Does he understand medicine?”
“Somewhat.”
“Is he reliable?”
Xiao Yuan glanced at him. “More reliable than you are at military affairs.”
Su Muchen: “……”
This man was learning bad habits rather quickly.
Xiao laughed again from the side.
Su Muchen could not be bothered to argue with a patient and continued, “Have your chief aide select people. It would be best to divide them into several groups, specifically responsible for patient isolation, clean water sources, supply distribution, and wounded-soldier care. These people cannot be switched around randomly. Otherwise, once order collapses on your side, it won’t matter how many supplies you have.”
Xiao Yuan’s gaze toward him changed somewhat.
“You’re very good at arranging things.”
“I’ve just seen a lot of failed cases,” Su Muchen said. “Once people are hungry, sick, or afraid, order can collapse very easily. Supplies aren’t just about having them. They also have to be distributed properly.”
These were not things found in medical textbooks.
They were more things he had scatteredly remembered while reading history books, war records, and disaster-management materials in his spare time.
He had never thought that one day he would actually put them to use.
Much less that the person he would be using them for would be an ancient prince.
Xiao Yuan said quietly, “I will remember.”
Su Muchen tore off the completed list and handed it to Xiao.
“How much can you buy?”
Xiao glanced at the list. “It’s too late tonight. Ordinary platforms won’t be able to deliver in time. If it has to arrive before tomorrow, we’ll have to find channels with existing stock.”
“Can you do it?”
“Yes,” Xiao said. “But it costs money.”
Su Muchen pointed at the gold again.
Xiao maintained his smile. “The gold hasn’t completely turned into money yet.”
Su Muchen: “Then you just said you could handle it.”
“Being able to handle it doesn’t mean I can conjure cash out of thin air.”
“Aren’t you omnipotent?”
“Young Master, I’ll emphasize this again. I’m just an ordinary shop clerk.”
Su Muchen was speechless for a moment.
Xiao enjoyed his rare speechless expression for two seconds before leisurely adding, “However, I can advance the money for now. Just remember to pay me back.”
Su Muchen looked at him warily.
“Where did you get the money? Don’t tell me you’re going to charge some outrageous interest too?”
Xiao smiled very gently. “Young Master, don’t ask employees too many questions about their private assets.”
Su Muchen became even more suspicious.
The most suspicious thing in this shop was not the door.
It was Xiao.
Xiao Yuan’s gaze toward Xiao also grew colder.
Someone who could handle gold from another world, clean up bloodstains, know the secrets of the door, and casually advance the money for a large quantity of supplies, yet claimed to be nothing more than a shop clerk.
If such a person existed in Da Sheng, he should have been locked up and interrogated three times already.
Xiao seemed completely unconcerned about their gazes.
He picked up his phone and began sending messages.
His fingertips tapped rapidly across the screen.
Xiao Yuan stared at the glowing little square, his brows slightly furrowed.
“What is that?”
Su Muchen lowered his head and organized the medicines. “A phone.”
“What is it used for?”
“Sending messages, looking up information, making payments, buying things, reading books, watching shows, cursing at people, and getting cursed at.”
Xiao Yuan: “……”
The functions of the objects in this world seemed excessively diverse.
Su Muchen took out his own phone. After thinking for a moment, he opened his photo album and found a nighttime photograph of the new urban district of Yunjing.
“This is the city on my side.”
Xiao Yuan lowered his head and looked.
On the screen stood rows of towering buildings, neon lights flowing like rivers. Drone routes crisscrossed the night sky, enormous holographic advertisements hung in midair, and streams of traffic resembled glowing serpents.
Xiao Yuan’s pupils contracted slightly.
He said nothing.
But the silence in that instant was enough to show his shock.
Su Muchen suddenly regretted showing him this.
To an ancient person, the impact was too great.
Xiao Yuan raised his eyes. “Is this the immortal realm?”
Su Muchen froze, then shook his head. “No. This is just a city built by humans.”
“Humans can build these?”
“They can.”
Xiao Yuan fell silent.
After a long while, he finally said quietly, “You people here are very powerful.”
Su Muchen looked at the nighttime scenery of the new city on the screen.
Powerful?
Perhaps.
There were skyscrapers, AI, medicines that could cure illnesses, and enough electricity to illuminate the night.
Yet if a person owed tens of millions, they could still be pressured until they could barely breathe.
A medical student who had just graduated could still fail to find a better job because AI had replaced human labor.
An old family-run shop could still be targeted by a conglomerate.
What was powerful was not every individual.
It was merely that the tools in the hands of certain people were more powerful.
Xiao Yuan reached out, wanting to touch that miraculous scenery.
He wondered, if he became emperor, would he have the ability to create scenery like this?
However, the moment his fingertips touched the glowing square object, it suddenly made a pop.
The object instantly went dark, followed by a faint wisp of black smoke. A trace of burnt odor filled the air.
Su Muchen stared at the screen as it shut off, immediately sensing that something was wrong. No matter how he operated it afterward, the phone showed no response.
His phone was completely dead.
He suddenly remembered that when he had watched the surveillance footage yesterday, the surveillance system had always malfunctioned whenever Xiao Yuan was present.
Could it be that Xiao Yuan possessed some kind of ability that caused electronic devices to malfunction?
But nothing had happened when he used the thermometer.
He looked at the phone that had accompanied him for years, his eyes full of heartache.
His debt had not even been paid off yet. It seemed he would have to add the cost of buying a new phone to his expenses.
Xiao Yuan also noticed that something was wrong and asked, “What happened?”
Su Muchen complained, “You broke it. Add another rule: from now on, you’re forbidden from touching the electronic devices here.”
Xiao Yuan nodded, then asked, “How much? Can I compensate you with more gold next time?”
Su Muchen had originally wanted to refuse, but when he thought of his current situation, he could only nod.
Xiao finished sending his messages, then looked at the two of them, a meaningful smile on his face.
“Excuse me, you two.”
Su Muchen immediately came back to himself. “What?”
“I’ve arranged the supplies. The earliest the first batch can arrive is tomorrow morning. Tonight I’ll take some of the gold out first and have it processed into funds that can be deposited into an account.”
Su Muchen frowned. “Will the deposit be traced by the Sheng Corporation?”
“It will,” Xiao said. “All the banks in Yunjing City are connected to the Sheng Corporation.”
Su Muchen’s heart sank.
Xiao continued, “So it can’t go directly into your account. We’ll have to pass it through several secure channels first, then bring it in under a legitimate pretext.”
“What legitimate pretext?”
“Antique consignment, private collection buybacks, transfers of old shop goods.” Xiao glanced at the old items piled throughout Guichen Studio and smiled faintly. “This shop is perfect for this kind of thing.”
Su Muchen frowned. “But this gold isn’t an old item from the shop.”
“On the surface, it can be.”
“……”
Su Muchen was silent for several seconds. “Am I breaking the law now?”
Xiao thought about it. “Gray area.”
Su Muchen: “……”
His life really was getting closer and closer to a criminal-investigation side quest.
Xiao Yuan did not quite understand what they were talking about, but he could tell that Su Muchen had concerns.
“If this will harm you, I’ll think of another way.”
Su Muchen looked at him.
Xiao Yuan’s expression was cold, but he did not sound like he was merely being polite.
He genuinely intended to find another solution.
Perhaps by bringing other valuables.
Perhaps by using Da Sheng’s methods to deal with the Sheng Corporation for him.
Like what he had said earlier: Do you need me to kill him?
Su Muchen immediately said, “No. Don’t do anything reckless.”
Xiao Yuan frowned and stared at him.
Su Muchen sighed. “On my side, we have to solve things using my side’s methods. The most important thing for you right now is to return alive, and then make it alive to the northern border.”
Xiao Yuan looked at him.
“Are you very afraid that I’ll die?”
Su Muchen was almost caught off guard by the question.
He raised his eyes and said coldly, “If you die, the door will close. Who’s going to help me repay my debt?”
Xiao Yuan did not argue.
He simply looked at him.
That gaze made Su Muchen feel a little uncomfortable.
He lowered his head and stuffed the medicine bags into Xiao Yuan’s hands.
“Anyway, once you get back, the first thing you do is take your medicine and rest. The second thing is to find your chief aide and organize the situation at the northern border. The third thing is to come back tomorrow night to collect the first batch of supplies.”
Xiao Yuan took the medicine bags. “Tomorrow night?”
“You can’t carry anything else tonight,” Su Muchen said firmly. “Your wounds will split open.”
Xiao Yuan said, “I can send someone.”
Su Muchen paused.
“Send someone over?”
Xiao Yuan nodded.
Su Muchen immediately looked at Xiao.
Xiao thought for a moment. “Only special people can open this door. Although it isn’t necessarily impossible for a living person to cross through it, whether they can pass through completely intact depends on whether the door permits it. Not just anyone can pass.”
Xiao Yuan’s eyes darkened. “If I bring someone with me?”
Xiao said, “It might work. But they might also only bring one hand through, or lose a pair of legs.”
Su Muchen immediately rejected the idea upon hearing this.
“No!”
He had never imagined that this door could be so terrifying.
Xiao Yuan had already crossed through it safely twice, so he had never considered what would happen if the crossing failed.
He did not even dare imagine such a bloody scene, much less experiment with it.
Xiao Yuan looked at him, clearly not entirely trusting Xiao’s explanation.
Su Muchen, however, spoke coldly, “Absolutely no gambling with people’s lives. What if the person who comes through is missing half their body and dies? What then?”
Xiao Yuan fell silent.
Su Muchen was right, but he disliked this feeling of being controlled by circumstances.
Especially when he had to rely on a door, rely on Su Muchen, and rely on this completely unfamiliar world.
He did not trust Xiao. Since he intended to make use of this door, he had to completely understand the abilities this door could offer.
Experimenting was not difficult.
All he needed was to find a condemned prisoner, bind him, and send him through the door to find out the result.
Xiao Yuan said quietly, “I don’t like things that are beyond my control.”
Su Muchen looked at him. Although he did not know what Xiao Yuan was planning, he could vaguely sense that it definitely was not anything good.
“You don’t like it, and neither do I.”
Su Muchen pointed at the debt documents on the table, then pointed at the door.
“Look, I’m surrounded by a pile of things I can’t control right now. But a person has to have principles. That’s the rule here.”
Xiao Yuan fell silent.
Then Su Muchen turned back to Xiao to confirm, “Xiao Yuan won’t have any problems, right? Will he be alright when he crosses the door?”
Xiao smiled and answered, “No. Those who can open the door are not only the masters recognized by the door, possessing the authority of the ‘key,’ but are also people of destiny. Naturally, they can freely travel between the two worlds.”
Only then did Su Muchen feel slightly relieved.
Although he did not understand what the key was, he already understood that whenever Xiao did not want to explain something, no matter how much he asked, he would not say. But once the time was right, he would explain everything clearly.
Su Muchen folded the list and placed it in front of Xiao Yuan.
“For now, we can only solve things one at a time.”
After these words fell, the shop suddenly became quiet.
For some reason, Xiao Yuan felt that these words were more reassuring than those impassioned oaths.
One thing at a time.
It was not a guarantee of certain victory.
It was not an empty promise.
It was simply a willingness to keep moving forward even when faced with a complete mess.
This was different from everything Xiao Yuan had heard in Da Sheng.
Those people spoke of Heaven’s Mandate, righteousness, imperial grace, and the state.
But Su Muchen only said:
One thing at a time.
Xiao Yuan said quietly, “Good.”
It was already close to one in the morning.
Xiao Yuan could not stay any longer.
When he stood up, his body swayed almost imperceptibly.
Su Muchen immediately reached out to support him.
When his hand touched Xiao Yuan’s arm, he realized that his body temperature was still very high.
“Can you actually make it back by yourself?”
Xiao Yuan lowered his eyes and looked at the hand supporting him.
Su Muchen’s fingers were slender, with clearly defined joints, while his palm carried a faint trace of warmth.
A very slight warmth.
It was not like the force used to pull someone up from the battlefield.
Nor was it like the hypocritical assistance of those people in the palace.
It was simply because he was afraid Xiao Yuan would fall.
Although Su Muchen had also gone two days without sleep and his complexion was extremely poor, looking thin and weak as if he might collapse at any moment, he was still worrying about him.
Xiao Yuan suddenly felt that his wounds did not seem to hurt quite as much.
He withdrew his gaze.
“I can.”
Su Muchen looked at him suspiciously.
Xiao Yuan asked, “If I couldn’t, what would you do?”
Su Muchen froze, not knowing how to answer.
Xiao let out a very soft whistle from the side.
Su Muchen instantly released his hand, his expression turning cold as he glared at Xiao.
“Don’t get the wrong idea. I’m just afraid you’ll die inside the door and block the passage.”
Xiao Yuan looked at him, seemingly wanting to laugh again.
But this time, he held it back.
He felt that he was strange.
In the past, he had almost never smiled, nor had he ever felt the urge to laugh.
But today, he had already suppressed that urge several times.
He walked toward the door.
Su Muchen followed behind him and handed him the long sword wrapped in cloth.
“Your sword.”
Xiao Yuan stopped, his gaze falling upon the sword.
Last night, he had deliberately left this sword behind.
One reason was to use it as collateral.
The other was to test him.
To test whether Su Muchen would be greedy.
Whether he would sell it.
Whether he would keep it for himself.
But when he returned today, the sword was still there.
It had been carefully wrapped and stored beneath the counter.
Xiao Yuan reached out and took it. When he unwrapped the cloth, he discovered that the bloodstains on the sword had already been cleaned away.
“Why didn’t you sell it?”
Su Muchen was speechless. “Isn’t this an important weapon for you to defend yourself with? How are you supposed to defend yourself without a sword? Are you going to throw medicine bags at people?”
Xiao Yuan’s fingertips paused, somewhat speechless.
Although losing his weapon would be somewhat troublesome, he still had martial arts, internal energy, and some concealed weapons. At worst, he could use his qinggong to escape.
After a moment, he said, “This sword is worth quite a lot.”
“I know.”
Even though he did not understand how to appraise antiques, he could still tell that this sword was extremely valuable. Moreover, in modern times, it could even be sold as an antique for an unimaginably high price.
“You’re very short of money.”
“Yeah,” Su Muchen said. “But I’m not so desperate that I’d sell a patient’s life-saving tool.”
Xiao Yuan looked at him.
Su Muchen felt uncomfortable under his gaze and frowned. “Take it. Don’t lose it.”
Xiao Yuan gripped the sword hilt and said quietly, “I’ll bring something else next time.”
Su Muchen waved his hand. “Tell me before you bring anything next time, so you don’t bring another pile of things that are difficult to turn into cash.”
Xiao Yuan said, “Good.”
He gripped the bronze ring.
Cold white light once again seeped through the cracks of the door.
Su Muchen stood outside the door, watching as the light gradually brightened.
For some reason, a strange feeling suddenly rose in his heart.
It was as if this door was no longer merely trouble.
Nor was it simply a road leading to gold.
It was more like a thin and dangerous thread.
One end tied to his life.
The other end tied to Xiao Yuan’s life.
Before Xiao Yuan stepped into the light, he suddenly turned around.
“Su Muchen.”
“Hmm?”
“I’ll come tomorrow night.”
Su Muchen looked at him. “Bring information.”
Xiao Yuan nodded.
“And one more thing.” Su Muchen added, “Remember to take your medicine.”
Xiao Yuan was silent for half a second.
“Got it.”
“Don’t brush me off.”
“……Got it.”
Only after the white light swallowed his figure and the door closed did the shop return to silence.
Su Muchen stood where he was. Only after several seconds did he slowly let out a breath.
Xiao walked over, carrying a black briefcase in his hand. At some point, he had also put on a black long coat.
“Young Master, I’m going out for a while.”
Su Muchen watched him put several gold ingots into the case, and his eyelid twitched.
“You’re going out like that?”
“Otherwise?”
“Won’t you get robbed?”
Upon hearing this, Xiao could not help smiling. “People who try to rob me usually have worse luck.”
Su Muchen was silent for a moment. “Should I not have asked?”
“Young Master is becoming more sensible.”
Su Muchen said coldly, “Just go.”
Xiao smiled, opened a black umbrella, and walked into the night.
Only Su Muchen remained in the shop.
He looked at the list on the table, the debt documents, and the remaining gold, suddenly feeling that everything was extremely unreal.
Only two short days.
A crack had been torn open in his life.
Debt, the conglomerate, the ancient door, the prince, gold, the epidemic at the northern border.
All of it had crowded in.
He sat back behind the counter, opened his laptop, and began reorganizing the purchasing list.
Item name, quantity, purpose, precautions, an ancient-world explanation, risk level.
He systematically calculated the actual value each batch of supplies could provide.
The gold was not merely life-saving money. It was also startup capital.
Guichen Studio could not rely solely on Xiao Yuan bringing valuables from the other side.
He also had to get the shop running again, at least… make it look reasonable on the surface.
Otherwise, Sheng Chengxiu would definitely continue keeping an eye on the source of his funds.
After thinking for a long time, he finally wrote a line in his notebook.
—Guichen Studio reopens.
Main business: antiques, secondhand goods, handmade incense products, tea, exotic goods from overseas.
Su Muchen looked at the four words “exotic goods from overseas” and could not help laughing.
On the modern side, they used antiques and old goods to conceal the source of the gold.
On the ancient side, they used overseas trade routes to conceal the source of modern supplies.
The two worlds were lying to each other.
It was surprisingly symmetrical.
Four in the morning.
Su Muchen was finally so exhausted that he fell asleep with his head resting on the counter.
His sleep was shallow.
In his dreams, one moment it was his father’s cold back.
The next, it was Sheng Chengxiu’s eyes, full of certainty that he would get what he wanted.
Then it was Xiao Yuan, covered in blood and standing at the doorway, telling him, “Wait for me.”
Finally, he dreamed of his childhood self standing before that door.
His grandfather was holding his hand, his voice very low.
“Muchen, on the day the door opens, do not be greedy, do not be afraid. If someone comes through the door…”
He still could not hear what came after that.
When Su Muchen suddenly woke up, the sky was already bright.
There was an additional cup of hot coffee on the counter.
A note was pinned beneath it, the handwriting carefree.
—Some of the money has been processed. The funds will arrive in the account shortly. The supplies will be delivered before ten this morning. Young Master, remember to wash your face. Don’t let Sheng Chengxiu see you looking like someone sucked all the yang energy out of you.
The signature was a simple sketch of an owl.
Su Muchen expressionlessly finished reading the note, then tore it into pieces.
“Who got their yang energy sucked out?!”
The moment he finished speaking, his phone vibrated.
It turned out to be a bank deposit notification.
The amount was not particularly large, but it was enough to cover the current interest and the payment required to suspend part of the proceedings.
The deposit description was “Settlement Payment for Consignment of Old Goods.”
Su Muchen stared at the string of numbers for a long time.
The money had really arrived.
It was not a dream.
He finally had money!
He had still been angry just moments ago, but now he wanted to properly thank this omnipotent shop clerk, Xiao.
Although the money had arrived in a very abnormal way, even carrying a strong gray-market aura, it had truly appeared in his account.
The enormous weight pressing against his chest had finally shifted away a little.
Nine in the morning.
Sheng Chengxiu arrived right on time.
This time, he did not bring anyone from the bank, only two assistants.
When he entered Guichen Studio, he still had that cold, refined, and dignified appearance, as if he were certain that today he would obtain the answer he wanted.
“Mr. Su.”
Sheng Chengxiu smiled faintly.
“How have you considered it?”
Su Muchen stood behind the counter.
He had barely slept last night, and his complexion was still somewhat pale, but his gaze was much steadier than yesterday.
On the table were the organized debt documents.
As well as a freshly printed bank transfer receipt.
Su Muchen pushed the documents toward him.
“I’ve already paid part of the overdue interest and the priority repayment amount.”
The smile on Sheng Chengxiu’s face paused slightly.
The assistant behind him immediately stepped forward to check.
Several seconds later, the assistant’s expression changed slightly.
“President Sheng, it’s real.”
Sheng Chengxiu looked at Su Muchen.
For the first time, his gaze truly turned cold.
This was impossible.
He had already ordered every financial institution not to lend money to Su Muchen. He had even arranged matters with the underground lenders.
Su Muchen’s bank balance had not even been enough to pay the interest.
Where had he suddenly conjured this money from?
Could it be…?
“Where did you get the money?”
Su Muchen calmly replied, “Consignment of old goods from the shop.”
Sheng Chengxiu sneered.
“Those junk items in Guichen Studio can sell for this much? The shop had been operating at a loss before, yet suddenly it started making money overnight?”
Who would believe that?
He was certain Su Muchen was lying.
Su Muchen looked at him.
“Since Mr. Sheng wants to buy this shop so badly, you should know that this shop can definitely make a steady profit. If it could only lose money, why would you want to acquire it?”
Sheng Chengxiu’s eyes suddenly darkened.
The air inside the shop seemed to freeze.
Su Muchen’s fingers tightened slightly, but his expression did not change.
He knew he was gambling.
Gambling that Sheng Chengxiu would not dare expose everything directly.
Gambling that although the other man knew Guichen Studio had a secret, he might not know that the door had already opened.
Sheng Chengxiu stared at him for a long time.
Then he suddenly smiled.
“Su Muchen, you’ve surprised me.”
Su Muchen said, “I’m pretty surprised myself.”
Sheng Chengxiu took a step forward.
“You think paying off a little interest can protect Guichen Studio?”
“At least I don’t have to sell it today.”
“What about tomorrow? The day after?” Sheng Chengxiu’s voice was very low. “Can you guarantee that you’ll always be able to come up with money?”
Su Muchen looked at him as well, without avoiding his gaze.
“Mr. Sheng can take your time and watch. Anyway, I can’t run away, and you won’t lose anything.”
The interest in Sheng Chengxiu’s eyes deepened, becoming even more dangerous.
He suddenly reached out and picked up an old copper coin used as decoration on the counter.
“I think I’m beginning to understand why the old master of the Su family would rather leave this place sitting here than hand it over to your father back then.”
Su Muchen’s heart jolted.
Sheng Chengxiu knew his grandfather.
…He really did know more.
Su Muchen remained outwardly calm. “I don’t understand what you’re talking about.”
Sheng Chengxiu placed the copper coin back where it had been.
“That’s fine.”
He leaned slightly closer, lowering his voice.
“I’ll slowly make you understand.”
That oppressive feeling approached once again.
But this time, Su Muchen did not feel his legs go weak like yesterday.
Perhaps it was because he had seen a box of gold last night.
Perhaps it was because he knew that behind that door was another person who shared life and death with him.
Or perhaps he had simply been pushed into developing a little temper.
Su Muchen raised his eyes, his tone very calm.
“Mr. Sheng.”
“Hmm?”
“If you’re really that free, you can make an appointment with a psychiatrist and have your excessive need for control checked.”
Sheng Chengxiu’s smile stiffened.
The assistant behind him looked horrified.
Su Muchen continued, “Although I haven’t officially started working yet, I can recommend a few psychiatrists to you. They’ll be more humanized than AI diagnosis.”
The shop fell completely silent.
After a moment, Sheng Chengxiu actually laughed.
The laughter was low and cold.
“Good.”
He looked at Su Muchen, his gaze like that of a predator that had finally locked onto its prey.
“I’ll come again.”
Su Muchen casually replied, “You’re welcome. Customers are welcome during business hours. Acquisition offers are not.”
Sheng Chengxiu gave him one final look before turning and leaving.
The doorbell rang.
Only after the man had completely disappeared did Su Muchen slowly loosen his clenched hand.
His palm was covered in sweat.
He closed his eyes, leaned against the counter, and cursed under his breath.
“Crazy bastard!”
Xiao’s lazy voice came from behind him.
“Young Master, aren’t you a medical student? You should be calling him mentally ill here, not a crazy bastard.”
Su Muchen abruptly turned around.
At some point, Xiao had already appeared beside the back door, carrying two large bags in his hands.
He smiled brightly. “Though your attitude was pretty impressive.”
Su Muchen took a deep breath and asked irritably,
“Where were you just now?”
“Back door.”
“You were watching the show again?”
“I was moving goods. I was working seriously.” Xiao put the bags on the floor. “The first batch of supplies has arrived.”
Su Muchen immediately forgot about being angry and walked over to open the bags.
Inside were medical supplies sorted by category, water filtration devices, soap, gloves, masks, and several boxes of compressed biscuits.
There was not much.
But it was the first step.
The true first step.
Su Muchen crouched on the floor and looked at those supplies, his mood gradually settling.
On Xiao Yuan’s side, there was still the northern border, the epidemic, assassinations, and the deadly political struggle at court.
At least right now, he was not completely without options.
He had the ability to help Xiao Yuan.
And he could repay his debts.
Xiao stood beside him and looked down.
“Young Master, what do we do next?”
Su Muchen raised a hand and rubbed his brow before standing up.
“Remove the packaging, repackage everything, write the instructions, and then wait for Xiao Yuan to come tonight.”
He paused, then picked up a bar of soap.
“I absolutely have to keep this prince alive.”
This was not merely for his own sake.
It was also for Xiao Yuan, the people beside him, and his subjects.
He could tell that Xiao Yuan was someone who cared about the people. Otherwise, he would not have purchased these supplies, even if his initial motivation was also to keep himself alive.
Xiao gave a wry smile.
“Sounds like a huge project.”
Su Muchen looked at the supplies covering the floor and shook his head.
“Can’t be helped. Who told him he’s our only customer right now?”