The Incense Monopoly Order

Chapter 137 The Ghost Knocks on the Door in Four Sounds
Shang Mingshu stared intently as the person fell. The wind and snow blurred her vision. She wasn't sure if the shot had been fired off target. This shot completely alerted the enemy, who quickly adjusted their strategy and even sent two men armed with muskets to chase after Shang Mingshu.

The two worked in perfect harmony, one firing the gun and the other loading the gunpowder. Their movements were so skillful that they gave Shang Mingshu almost no chance to show herself. Shang Mingshu could only feel each gunshot getting closer and closer.

They pinpointed Shang Mingshu's location and confirmed that she was alone. Zhang Yushuang, watching from a distance, saw everything clearly. She was anxious; if these two continued to pursue her, Shang Mingshu would likely be caught in a pincer movement.

There was a slope next to Shang Mingshu, and she could easily roll down it. There were stones stuck in the ground to protect her, and with her skills, she wouldn't be in such a passive position. However, if she rolled down from here, she would be out of Zhang Yushuang's sight.

Zhang Yushuang naturally saw this scene. She was anxious to tell Shang Mingshu to escape quickly, but she was behind Shang Mingshu. Unless she made a sound, Shang Mingshu would not be able to see her. If she made a sound, she would expose herself.

In the critical moment, Zhang Yushuang took out the handle mirror from her bosom. This mirror was an imported item. It was bright and clear and was her favorite personal item. She placed it on the ground, picked up a stone, and smashed it heavily on the back. The mirror embedded in it shattered into several pieces. She knocked them all out, carefully picked up one piece, and threw it to the other side.

Having studied firearms, his aim was quite good; the lens landed in a crevice in the rock, perfectly positioned to catch the light.

Despite the snowy weather, the lens still reflected light, instantly attracting the attention of one of the men. He instinctively fired a shot at the spot where the lens was.

Upon hearing the sound, Shang Mingshu gripped the rock with one hand, spun around, supported herself with her hand, and fired a shot that struck one of the men squarely between the eyebrows.

As another man's musket came at her, she spun around and circled back behind the boulder.

Without pausing for a moment, Shang Mingshu quickly began to refill the gunpowder. Because there was no actual gun to practice on, Shang Mingshu's movements were a little rusty, but fortunately she knew enough about muskets to install them successfully.

Zhang Yushuang tried the same trick again, but the other party didn't fall for it. The musket he had loaded remained unfired. He picked up the musket and rushed towards the place where Shang Mingshu was hiding.

Zhang Yushuang's heart was pounding. Several times she threw out lenses, but none of them attracted the enemy's attention. She guessed that the enemy had targeted Shang Mingshu.

"Ming Shu!" Since her location had already been exposed, Zhang Yushuang simply called out to Shang Ming Shu loudly. At the same time, she slammed the bronze handle without lenses on the stone. "Do you remember the first story you told me? What was it?"

After saying that, Zhang Yushuang slammed the handle down again.

Shang Mingshu's eyes narrowed.

It's a story about a ghost knocking on the door; the ghost knocking on the door is pronounced in the fourth tone.

Then came another loud bang.

The person rushing up felt a chill; three was a special number. He instinctively flinched, but nothing happened.

Shang Mingshu gripped the musket tightly in her hand, and her breathing became heavy in the cold wind.

Zhang Yushuang held the copper handle in one hand and the largest shard of mirror in the other, striking it heavily with the final blow. Almost as soon as the sound fell, she quickly popped her head out; the two were perfectly in sync, peeking out almost simultaneously.

The difference was that Shang Mingshu tilted her head, and the dark musket barrel aimed at her sparked in her bright eyes, grazing over her shoulder, and she rolled down the slope.

At the same time, a shard of mirror in Zhang Yushuang's hand flew out first, but it accidentally pierced the enemy's neck.

Zhang Yushuang doesn't know martial arts, but Shang Mingshu taught her a way to protect herself: throwing darts. As long as you have enough wrist strength and accuracy, you can hide many darts on your body, including earrings and hairpins...

She had never slacked off over the years; no matter where she was, she would practice darts every morning. Zhang Yushuang ran towards Shang Mingshu: "Mingshu!"

There was a slope next to Shang Mingshu, but the bottom of the slope was very high. Zhang Yushuang ran to the edge of the cliff and just then a hand covered with scratches and bloodstains reached out to her. She immediately grabbed Shang Mingshu with both hands.

"Are you injured?" Zhang Yushuang carefully examined Shang Mingshu.

Shang Mingshu was covered in dirt. She grasped Zhang Yushuang's wrist and said, "I have some minor cuts and bruises on my hands."

"It's all my fault." Zhang Yushuang grasped Shang Mingshu's hand, her eyes reddening and brimming with tears. "If I hadn't insisted on coming to watch the show..."

“It was my own choice to get involved.” Shang Mingshu let Zhang Yushuang carefully wipe the dirt off her wound with a silk handkerchief. “If you really want to be honest, it was me who put you in danger.”

They could have quietly watched the spectacle and left. Shang Mingshu could tell that the two sides were evenly matched, but their momentum was different. The people she had hired were merely hired hands; if they suffered heavy losses, they would surely back down.

If she doesn't intervene now, and the people she hired choose to leave rather than pay the high final payment, then she'll face this group of people directly, people who came with the intention of taking her life.

Zhang Yushuang, unwilling to continue arguing with Shang Mingshu about who was involved, asked: "Should we go down and help?"

Shang Mingshu glanced at them; the enemy had already taken out two musketeers, and their chances of winning were slim: "No need."

She told Zhang Yushuang to wait for her. She went down to the mountainside, picked up the muskets from the two corpses, and searched their bodies for gunpowder. Then she led Zhang Yushuang back.

By the time their large force arrived at the site of the battle, the fighting had just ended. The men hired by Shang Mingshu tallied the casualties, and the leader stepped forward: "Madam Shang, we have lost eighteen men, with thirty-two seriously injured, and captured five alive. Among them, three were hit by muskets, and two sustained minor injuries."

When Shang Mingshu hired her, she explained how compensation would be paid for deaths and injuries, including how prisoners would be redeemed; the price would vary depending on the severity of the injury.

"Don't worry, you'll get every penny you're owed." Shang Mingshu always kept her promises.

The people handing over the work finally breathed a sigh of relief. They lived a life of constant danger, and even if they had known this was a tough job, they would have taken it anyway, fearing that the employer might change his mind later.

He Mu went to pay the money—a box of gold. After confirming everything was correct, Shang Mingshu received five prisoners. Looking at the three men who had been shot by muskets, she ordered without blinking, "Kill them."

Two prisoners were enough; she didn't have time to find a doctor to treat the three wounded.

With a swift movement, He Mu killed three members of the mercenary group.

Those who had been tempted by Shang Mingshu's large sum of money immediately abandoned their plans.

They knew that Shang Mingshu had played a crucial role this time. The two people who died on the hillside had lost their muskets and gunpowder. Shang Mingshu was accompanied by so many guards and killed without hesitation; she was no pushover.

This trip has been quite profitable; if I get greedy again, I might not live to spend it all.

"Ming Shu, will we be able to reach the prefectural city smoothly?" Zhang Yushuang asked worriedly, looking at the two prisoners whose hands were tied and who were being led around.

"There is still one more battle."