"Ahem..."
Hearing Su Min's voice, the merchant coughed lightly and turned around. Although he had heard the rumors beforehand, he still froze for a split second upon seeing her in person. Fortunately, he was a seasoned man, well-versed in the ways of the world. He quickly collected himself, coughed again, and smiled warmly.
"I am the president of the Fuding Merchant Guild," he said respectfully. "Word of Fairy Su's recent deeds has reached my ears, so I came to humbly request to purchase a few items from you."
Su Min cast a sideways glance at the servants behind him, noting the heavy chests they carried. A quick sweep of her divine sense revealed them brimming with sparkling silver.
"And what is it you want?" she asked calmly.
"Tiger hide, tiger bones, and tiger tendons—these are all premium materials. The hide and tendons, in particular, are excellent for crafting weapons and armor."
Su Min thought for a moment. "The hide and tendons, I still have use for. As for the bones, seventy percent have already been refined by me. However..." she paused, a glint of mischief in her eyes, "there is one other thing you might want."
With that, Su Min casually walked to the back of the room—ostensibly to fetch something—before tossing an object in front of the group.
"This..."
The moment they saw it, the entire courtyard fell into stunned silence. Everyone exchanged wide-eyed glances, hardly believing what they were seeing.
"It's... it's enormous! Unbelievable! I've heard His Highness the Prince has been struggling with... ahem... stamina lately. This would be a priceless treasure, sure to restore his—"
"Careful! That—"
"Ouch! Damn, even this part of the tiger demon is razor-sharp! I'll offer five thousand taels of silver!"
"Take it. You do know that felines have barbs there, right? It's useless to me anyway. Congratulations—may your lord regain his former vigor."
"Uh..."
Now it was the merchant's turn to look embarrassed, his face still bearing a scratch. Clearly, Su Min had understood exactly what he was implying. Discussing such matters in front of a young woman was, admittedly, a little awkward. Su Min, however, showed little concern, only mild exasperation. Who would've thought that even the keratin layer of a tiger demon could be as sharp as a blade?
"Here's the payment for this item. You there—"
Regaining his composure, the merchant signaled his servants to pack up the goods, and had a heavy chest placed before Su Min.
"Tch." Su Min clicked her tongue but said nothing further. She already knew what was inside. After the earlier small spectacle had passed, the merchant grew serious once again.
"I've also heard that you once treated Hero Zhao for his poison."
Once the initial awkwardness passed, the merchant's demeanor shifted. Clearly, the previous transaction had just been a side benefit—he had something more important in mind.
"I wouldn't call it treatment. I merely suppressed the toxin. To fully cure him, he'd need medicinal pills."
Su Min raised a brow in mild surprise.
"Ah, but you don't understand. Hero Zhao's condition stumped every physician in the martial world—yet you effortlessly stabilized him. Now, he's scouring the land for rare herbs, and our Fuding Guild has received multiple orders from him."
"Is that so?" Su Min was slightly surprised. This merchant guild seemed quite resourceful.
"Hero Zhao is one of the strongest martial artists in the land, yet even he fell victim to demonic poison. Yet you cured him. Do you know you're now hailed as the greatest miracle doctor in the martial world? It's just that your location is too remote. Most injured warriors wouldn't survive the journey to seek you out."
"Pfft—" Su Min couldn't help but laugh. Rumors really do spiral out of control.
"Cut to the chase." she said, waving her hand lazily. "I'm no so-called divine healer. My skills aren't even as good as most traveling doctors. If those fools come here expecting miracles, they'll only leave disappointed."
The merchant gave a quick, respectful nod. "I'm here to purchase some of the antidote pills you made for Hero Zhao..."
"I don't have any." Su Min rolled her eyes. Without the ingredients, how was she supposed to make them?
"No need to worry. Hero Zhao has already gathered the necessary herbs and is heading south. He should arrive within a week or two. Our guild has also prepared a full set of ingredients. We merely hope that when you refine his pills, you might prepare some extras for us. We'll supply the materials and pay an additional hundred taels per pill—plus this."
With that, the merchant produced a waist token and placed it before her.
"This is a VIP token from our guild—the highest rank. Should you ever travel through the Great Wei, simply present this at any of our branches, and all our medicinal stocks will be at your disposal."
~Edit and rewritten by Rikhi, Reiya_Alberich, ReiNyam~
"Hmm."
Su Min examined the token with amusement. It was carved from precious sandalwood, adorned with gold filigree. Even disregarding its privileges, the token itself was valuable.
But more importantly... she recognized it.
Her body's original owner had once seen a similar token on her father's desk. Now, with those inherited memories, Su Min understood its significance.
"The Fuding Merchant Guild, bearing the character for 'Fortune'... On the surface, it's under Prince Fu's control, but in truth, it belongs to Prince Yong, doesn't it? Well, no matter. I'll accept it for now—no need to expose them."
After a moment's thought, she agreed. For now, things were manageable, but in the future—whether refining pills or crafting artifacts—she'd need reliable suppliers. She couldn't possibly gather everything herself. As for Prince Yong's rebellion... in the end, it had been all bark and no bite. Though Prince Yong had been executed, his title remained, passed down to his son. Su Min didn't understand why the emperor hadn't abolished the title outright, but clearly, the Yong faction still had ambitions.
"You're aiming high, I see. But let me make this clear: I'll refine the antidote pills for you this time. However, any future pill requests will be at my discretion."
"Agreed."
The merchant agreed immediately. His orders were clear: obtain at least two or three detoxification pills at any cost. Those who wield power valued their lives above all else.
Recruiting Su Min was a priority — no matter the price — unless she made an outright unreasonable demand, anything else was negotiable.
Thus, he agreed without hesitation. His public allegiance was to the useless Prince Fu, but his true master was Prince Yong's faction. The tiger hide and such had been intended for Prince Fu—to embellish his image. Though they hadn't obtained those, the tiger's other trophy would suffice. After all, Prince Fu was reportedly struggling with... bedroom difficulties. This would be the perfect gift.
"Here's an additional one thousand taels of silver," the merchant said, pushing another chest forward. "Payment in advance for the upcoming pills."
Su Min swept her gaze over the boxes and smirked. She estimated that this man had brought at least ten thousand taels with him — hiring so many porters to rush here urgently — yet still hadn't managed to spend it all.