Era: You're asked to cook a home-style dish, but you cook Wellington.

"puff"

With a short sound, the dagger pierced his body.

The intense pain left Gao Yang's mind blank.

He opened his mouth wide, as if trying to say something, but couldn't utter a single word.

Only Su Wanqing knew that Gao Yang's last words were: Go quickly!

She carried a small bag and quickly moved among the plants.

Tears blurred her vision, but the slope gave her no chance to think, making her pace quicken.

Only when Gao Yang could no longer see Su Wanqing did he breathe a sigh of relief.

He looked at the five people, clutching his wound, and forced a smile.

"Brother, aren't we tired? We've been fighting for so long and there's still no result. You guys are going to miss your mission. Why don't you leave your contact information and I'll wire you some money? I guarantee you'll be satisfied with the price."

The boss was so angry at these words that he laughed. He shook his head, walked up to Gao Yang, and offered him a cigarette.

"Brother, I'm not trying to be mean, but look at your woman, she still ran off with that ginseng, didn't she? It was really unnecessary. You could have just let me give you a quick one, right? I'm quick."

The leader lit one for himself and pointed it at his underling.

"Brother, to be honest, I really admire you. Look at this scar on my face, it's from when I was someone's lackey. You're better than that guy. If I had fallen into your hands back then, I probably would be dead."

"But now that I'm the boss, I can't just think about myself. I also have to think about them. If you do this, our reputation in the industry will be completely ruined, won't it?"

Hearing his boss say this, Gao Yang understood that today's negotiations were probably not going to go well.

He took deep drags on the cigarette.

The smoke entered his lungs through his trachea, choking him and causing his eyes to water uncontrollably.

He looked up at the sky; the clouds were still thick, damp and cold after the rain, and the wind swept through the woods, carrying the pungent smell of grass and trees.

Gao Yang slowly lowered his head, the smile on his lips fading slightly, but with a hint of relief.

He raised his hand to wipe away the tears from the corners of his eyes, half from the smoke and half from the longing hidden in his heart.

"I understand. In the underworld, reputation is everything. You're just caught up in the situation."

He released his hand from the wound, and blood gushed out from between his fingers, staining the soil in front of him red.

His body began to tremble slightly, but his eyes remained clear.

"I only ask one thing of you: stop chasing her. You can get a lot of money by taking my head."

The eldest brother looked at him, took the last drag of his cigarette, threw the butt on the damp soil, and crushed it out with his foot.

The complexity in his eyes was now tempered with a hint of determination. He crouched down and took a deep breath.

"Brother, I admire you for being a man, and I can agree to not pursue her, but I can't spare your life."

Gao Yang nodded and stopped arguing. He used his last bit of strength to look up again in the direction Su Wanqing had run away, as if he could see her holding the old ginseng and running towards the Su family's old house with all her might.

He thought of Su Xiaoyu's expectations and Su Wanqing's tearful eyes, and a faint smile finally appeared on his lips again.

"Let's get started."

Gao Yang finished his last puff of cigarette and threw the butt on the ground.

The eldest brother nodded and slowly turned his back.

"Let's do it."

The fifth brother, with his hands wrapped in gauze, glared at Gao Yang with venomous eyes.

"Now, you can't escape anymore."

The blade flashed, silently, without a sound.

As night falls in the mountains and forests, countless creatures emerge from their nests.

Su Wanqing felt a sudden, inexplicable panic in her heart.

She looked back, and the Cangmang Mountain was still the same Cangmang Mountain, towering and unmoving in the night, everything as usual, but the pain in her heart could not be shaken off no matter what.

"Gao Yang, you absolutely can't get hurt, you have to wait for me!"

…………

A small courtyard on the outskirts of Beijing.

"Boss, according to the information below, the little cook who was with Su Wanqing is gone on Cangmang Mountain."

The middle-aged man was standing respectfully to the side, watching the elderly man with gray hair water and fertilize the plants.

"Oh, what about Su Wanqing?"

The old man remained unmoved, his hands moving with practiced ease, his fingertips brushing the water droplets on the leaves, his expression calm and undisturbed, as if he were merely inquiring about a trivial matter.

The middle-aged man paused, seemingly trying to figure out how to start the conversation, but in the end, he could only lower his head, his voice trembling slightly.

"Su Wanqing escaped."

"Nonsense! I told you from the beginning that this matter had to be kept secret. Now, that old man from the Su family knows that someone laid a hand on Su Wanqing. He'll definitely investigate thoroughly, and he might even drag us into it. We'll be completely finished, do you understand?!"

The old man was clearly angry. He suddenly stood up and smashed the kettle in his hand on the ground.

Clear water slowly flowed from the kettle, wetting the middle-aged man's feet.

The old man felt extremely dizzy, clutched his forehead, and staggered.

The middle-aged man quickly helped him up.

"Boss, how do we fix this now?"

The old man leaned against the middle-aged man for a while, and his dizziness subsided slightly. The anger in his eyes gradually subsided, replaced by a chilling ruthlessness.

He shoved the middle-aged man aside, walked to the stone table and sat down, tapping his fingers heavily on the surface, making a "thump-thump" sound that made the middle-aged man's heart tighten with each sound.

"Remedy? How do we remedy it?"

The old man's tone was icy, and his eyes were incredibly sharp.

"Su Wanqing brought the two-hundred-year-old ginseng back to the Su family. Once it's given to Old Master Su, that old man will be able to live a few more days. When he starts his thorough investigation, our people planted in the Su family, as well as the assassins from Cangmang Mountain, might all be exposed!"

The middle-aged man lowered his head, cold sweat sliding down his cheeks, and whispered.

"I have an idea, what do you think? We can send someone to keep an eye on the area near the Su family's old residence. As soon as Su Wanqing gives the ginseng to Old Master Su, we will immediately contact Second Uncle Su. Second Uncle Su is greedy for money, and he will be most unwilling to accept Old Master Su's awakening. Let him deal with Su Wanqing and say that Su Wanqing has obtained a century-old ginseng and is on her way."

The old man squinted, stopped tapping, remained silent for a moment, and then a sinister smile curled at the corner of his mouth.

"At least you have some brains. But we still need to put pressure on him and have someone tell him that if he can't get it done, we'll hand over all the evidence of his collusion with outsiders and the transfer of assets over the years to Old Master Su."

"Yes! I understand!"

The middle-aged man quickly agreed, feeling a slight sense of relief.

"besides."

The old man suddenly changed his tone, becoming increasingly harsh.

"Those assassins in Cangmang Mountain can't be allowed to live. They've met Gao Yang and know about our mission. If the Su family catches them and forces them to reveal anything, we're all finished. Send someone to deal with them all without leaving a trace, as if they never existed."

The middle-aged man was startled and nodded hurriedly.

"I understand! I'll arrange for men to go to Cangmang Mountain tonight to deal with those assassins and ensure they leave no hidden dangers."

The old man nodded and waved, signaling him to leave.

The middle-aged man bowed slightly and walked out of the courtyard.

…………

Vast and boundless mountains.

It was completely dark, but the road ahead could still be vaguely seen by the moonlight.

There was a lot of noise in the mountains and forests.

"You motherfucker, Gao Yang, stop right there! I've believed your lies!"