A divine healer, a general, a young marquis! Who can rival them!

"That piece of land in the north of the city..."

It's settled!

The north side of the city, near water and facing the sun, is the perfect place to plant medicinal herbs.

Liu Ye looked at it again and again, and decided it was a good choice.

They found a few honest and kind farmers, signed contracts, dug the ground, built sheds, and introduced water; the medicinal herb garden gradually took shape.

What's missing?

You need good medicinal herbs to grow them! The medicines sold in city pharmacies are expensive and often adulterated.

Yang Hu is not to be trusted!

After asking around, I found out that there are a few old herbal medicine farmers north of the city who sell legitimate herbal seedlings at reasonable prices.

"I'll go!" Yang Hu said.

Lu Yan was a little worried. "Young Master, it's not very safe outside the city..."

"Take Liu Ye with you," Yang Hu said. "You know the way, and you know who's on the road."

Qin Ying stood to the side, wiping her short knife without saying a word. The 'dead' couldn't leave the city, but the strength in her arm was still much weaker as she rubbed it.

"I'm fine." Yang Hu glanced at her. "I just need to collect a few cartloads of medicinal seedlings to take back."

Early the next morning, they hired a mule cart, with Liu Ye driving it. He casually placed his quiver on the cart shaft, looking neat and efficient.

Once you leave the city, the further north you go, the more desolate it becomes.

The village by the roadside is deserted, with seven or eight out of ten households empty.

The base of the wall was dark and indistinct, and half of the courtyard had collapsed.

Every now and then you'll encounter a homeless person, huddled by the roadside with a vacant look in their eyes.

There were even fewer passengers on the road.

A homeless man, holding a feverish child, stopped him on the roadside, begging for a drink of water.

Liu Ye wanted to continue on his way, but Yang Hu stopped, got out, checked the child's temperature, looked into his eyes, and took out a packet of fever-reducing powder to give to the refugee.

"Feed them twice a day with warm water," Yang Hu instructed, then tossed over two coins. "Keep it warm!"

The refugee was stunned. He was about to kneel down when Yang Hu helped him up and waved him away.

Liu Ye whipped the mule and said in a low voice, "Young master, how many times have you stopped along the way?"

"Just bumped into someone and got a handyman," Yang Hu said casually. "No big deal!"

After traveling for a while, Liu Ye suddenly pulled on the reins and lowered her voice.

"Ahead lies a rocky area."

Follow her gaze.

The road narrowed, with rugged, jagged rock walls on both sides, hundreds of meters high and dark, making it impossible to pass by without one man blocking the way.

The mule turned a corner around a rocky hill, where a group of thieves lay in front of it.

In the middle was a chubby man with a broken knife tucked into his belt. When he saw the car, he grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth.

"Wow, fresh flesh and blood."

He strolled over and touched the back of the car.

"Pay a toll here."

Liu Ye's hand rested on the short dagger.

Yang Hu pressed her down, smiled, and handed her a string of copper coins. "Brothers, excuse me for a moment. We're just two people spraying pesticides; our business isn't big."

The chubby-cheeked man took it in his hand, shook it, and tossed it into his pocket with a sneer.

He sized Yang Hu up and down, then sneered, "You pale-faced scholar, you dare to take this road? On this road, doctors are paid the same price as ants."

"That's all the money you have?" He stared at the cart. "Keep the mule cart, and keep the girl who drives it."

Liu Ye's eyes darkened.

Yang Hu had a plan in mind:

This team is insatiably greedy; they won't let you go no matter how much money you offer.

He remained calm, his hand already reaching into the medicine box.

"Gentlemen," he said slowly, "there's something good here, more valuable than money."

The burly man perked up and leaned closer: "What's the good stuff?"

Yang Hu flicked his hand.

A wisp of powder drifted into the man's eyes on the wind.

It was his medicinal powder: spicy eggplant and veratrum, which, when exposed to wind, would cause a burning and itchy sensation in the eyes.

The man screamed in agony, covered his eyes, and collapsed to the ground, his face covered in snot and tears, rolling around on the ground.

Before the two beside him could react, Liu Ye's short dagger was already outstretched, the hilt striking his wrist, which he gripped tightly; he then kicked the other over.

For someone who has fought against barbarians in the mountains, taking down two ordinary hooligans is a piece of cake.

In the blink of an eye, the people blocking the way were all kicked to the ground.

Yang Hu got out of the car, ran up to the burly man who was rolling on the ground with his eyes covered, and put two fingers on his neck.

The man shuddered, unable to muster any strength.

"Speak," Yang Hu squatted down and said slowly, "Are you from Luanshigang? Are you the one who transports Zhouji's trucks to deliver goods outside the pass?"

The man's eyes were still half-closed, but when he heard him mention "weekly journal" and "outside the pass," his face changed.

"Who are you? Who are you?"

"I'm gathering herbs," Yang Hu said calmly. "I'm talking to you."

He increased the pressure on his fingers. The man, in pain, opened his mouth.

"Yes, it's from the rocky hill! There are hundreds of people there!" he said, his voice trembling with fear. "You blinded me, the boss won't let you get away with it! Anyone who touches the goods on this road will be killed!"

After he finished speaking, Yang Hu pressed his acupoints again and made him lie down.

Yang Hu stood up.

Hundreds of people were protecting Zhouji's goods being sent to the area beyond the Great Wall.

The information from Scarface and what Liu Ye had inquired about all matched up.

This rocky hill was no ordinary bandit stronghold. Rather, it was home to a private army, kept in captivity, guarding this secret passage for transporting military supplies and equipment to the area beyond the Great Wall.

He looked up at the dark, rocky slope.

Inside was a large hideout; what we encountered today were just a few low-level thugs collecting tolls at the crossroads.

"Let's go." Yang Hu got into the car. "Gathering herbs is the priority. We have to take down this den sooner or later, but not today."

Liu Ye responded and drove the cart past the groaning men.

The journey to gather herbs was unimpeded. When those old men heard that Doctor Yang from the city wanted them, they dug out all the herbs they had hidden away for years.

The old herbalist, who spent years digging for herbs in the mountains, had a hole in one of his fingers caused by the sap of a poisonous herb. It festered for more than half a month before it healed.

Yang Hu reached out and looked at it. He had washed it with wine, peeled off the necrotic parts, and a sore had formed.

"Do not let it come into contact with water again, and change the dressing every three days!"

The old herb farmer repeatedly expressed his gratitude and loaded his car with his best herb seedlings, offering them as a half-price gift.

"We've heard of Dr. Yang's reputation here, even in the remote mountains of the north." He grinned, revealing a mouth full of missing teeth. "Today, I've witnessed firsthand the legendary doctor who can snatch people from the clutches of even the King of Hell in the capital."

On the return trip, we bypassed the rocky hill.

It was already dark when I got home.

Yang Hu recounted the events that had occurred on the northern route to Qin Ying and Liu Ye.

Upon hearing this, Qin Ying's sharp eyebrows furrowed.

"They're openly collecting tolls right there, it's an open secret!" she said, emphasizing each word. "The real good stuff goes through a different route, somewhere nobody knows and doesn't need to know. Hundreds of people eat, drink, and relieve themselves on this rocky hill, while the army's food and weapons are being sent out. How many patrolling military checkpoints can they possibly hide that from them?"

She looked at him.

"The person backing you up is much more powerful than you think!"

Yang Hu nodded.

"I set up my herb garden here for convenience!" he said, taking a couple of sips of tea. "It's inconvenient, but it's also a reason! From now on, when I'm gathering herbs or delivering goods, I'll have a reason to take that route, and eventually I'll know exactly what's in the garden!"

Qin Ying looked at him.

Under the light, his expression was indifferent, as if it were just an ordinary matter.

Her hand, which was drawing the sword and sheathing it, paused for a moment.

"You!" She turned her head away, her voice lowering, "You're a doctor, yet you insist on jumping into this mess!"

"Treating and saving lives is like wading through water, and investigating this case is also like treating and saving lives," he said. "So many soldiers on the border have lost their lives on this secret passage. If we block this passage, the barbarians will send one less unit of food and weapons, and there will be less bloodshed on the city walls!"

Qin Ying did not speak.

But in his lowered eyes, a strength quietly began to weaken.

The night was deep.

Yang Hu sat alone here, opened a blank sheet of paper, and sorted out the information he had gathered over the past few days, one by one.

Reporter Zhou's grain.

The private army of Luanshigang.

Goods that have been sent out.

And then there's the person who lies in ambush deep inside, treating the entire official road as his backyard.

It became clearer and clearer, and the person's shadow drew closer and closer.

I put down my pen and looked out the window at the quiet night.

The few hundred people at Luanshigang were an unavoidable obstacle.

But he has time!

Truckloads of medicinal seedlings were delivered, and the medicinal herb garden gradually grew larger.

He would take a clean and well-lit path to the road closest to the rocky hill.

At that point, this whole place will be taken down.