"Dada-da."
The fan tapped rhythmically against Song Qingchao's palm, creating a steady sound.
Old Master Lin had yet to make a choice.
Song Qingchao was not in a hurry.
She sat there, perfectly composed.
"I can have the servants in my manor test the medicine for Doctor Bai."
Song Qingchao couldn't help but let out a laugh. "After all this time, this is the best solution Master Lin could come up with?"
The fan in her hand stilled. "To be frank, Bai You'an and I have been developing it outside the city for over half a month and have only just made some headway. Yesterday, when I saw Xiang Yunling, the prescription in his courtyard also showed some effect. Master Lin, you are a man who undertakes great deeds, and you should understand the feeling of fighting alone. If you are determined to have Bai You'an enter the manor, you may do so, but Xiang Yunling and I must also enter the manor."
"Impossible!" Old Master Lin slammed his hand heavily on the table, causing the tea on it to splash out. "I will never allow Xiang Yunling to go near Wanwan!"
"One 'impossible,' another 'impossible,' what else do you want?" Song Qingchao gently wiped the splashed tea stains from her hands with a handkerchief. "If you believe what I say is false, you can ask the doctors in your manor."
"Miss Song, what do you mean by that?"
Song Qingchao raised an eyebrow and retorted, "No particular meaning."
She squeezed her wrist. "You don't need to think that by keeping me here, Bai You'an will obediently fall into your trap. We aren't that close. In fact, you can't keep me here."
Old Master Lin let out a scoff, then clapped his hands twice. "Then let's try."
As his applause echoed, eight servants clad in black, tight-fitting clothing surged from behind the screen partition.
Song Qingchao remained seated steadily.
She observed the individuals who emerged. From their physique and demeanor, it was evident they were martial arts practitioners from a young age, unlike the servants she had previously dealt with.
"Master Lin has truly spared no expense on this humble woman."
Song Qingchao couldn't help but feel a flutter of excitement in her heart.
Indeed, she had not yet encountered a worthy opponent against whom she could truly showcase her skills.
Old Master Lin snorted, "Take her down!"
At his command, all eight moved simultaneously.
Their movements were synchronized and precise, clearly the result of years of honing their skills.
Song Qingchao, in a display of remarkable cooperation, did not move.
She recognized that these individuals were likely trained in formation techniques. As the saying goes, united, they are strong; separated, they are nothing.
By remaining seated, she ensured that even if these men intended to attack her, they would have to consider the presence of Old Master Lin sitting beside her.
As they closed in on her, Old Master Lin indeed made a move.
While deflecting their grasping hands with her fan, she taunted Old Master Lin, "You're running rather quickly, aren't you?"
Old Master Lin stood at the door with his hands behind his back, letting out a gloomy "哼."
Song Qingchao shook her head helplessly.
These individuals did present a considerable challenge, but they were still manageable.
She blocked a hand coming from above with her left hand, and with her right, she used her fan to send two teacups from the table flying towards the two farthest individuals. As she retracted her hand, she struck the person on her left directly in the abdomen.
In the blink of an eye, she kicked the person on her right away with her right leg, grabbed the arm of the person on her left, twisted it sharply, and then threw them into each other.
She moved as if playing, striking them back with her fan as she moved.
To be honest, Bai You'an's fan was incredibly convenient!
She pondered whether she should confiscate the fan then and there, but at that moment, she was somewhat reluctant to do so.
After she had subdued all of them, laying them on the ground, and walked up to Old Master Lin, she realized the game was over.
She lowered her head and said with a hint of regret, "Is it over already?"
When she looked up again, she saw the astonished face of Old Master Lin.
Following that, the fan in her hand was placed on Old Master Lin's neck.
Song Qingchao smiled quickly, "Don't be afraid, Master Lin. Since this negotiation failed, let's discuss something else."
Old Master Lin's back was against the door panel, his Adam's apple bobbing due to extreme tension.
"Don't be afraid."
Song Qingchao gave him a reassuring look, then slowly withdrew her fan, walked back, and sat down in her chair, picking up the teapot to refill the teacups.
"Sit down."
Old Master Lin stood at the doorway, slowly straightened up, and tidied his clothes. He then let out a soft "哼," stepped over the fallen men, and walked towards the main seat. He kicked aside anyone blocking his path, muttering "useless" with an air of disdain.
After taking a sip of her tea, Song Qingchao spoke in defense of the eight men on the ground, "Master Lin, there's no need for such anger. If these eight hadn't encountered me, they wouldn't be in such a sorry state."
"Miss Song is still defending them?" Song Qingchao's face was filled with disdain. "Do you think I would still spare their lives? What use is a dog that cannot protect its master!"
He then angrily kicked one of the men who had just struggled to his knees.
The man was kicked soundlessly, only kneeling on the ground, neither crying out in pain nor begging for mercy.
"Why would you do this?" Song Qingchao said regretfully. "The effort and money Master Lin invested in training these eight, are you really willing to part with it so easily?"
Old Master Lin glanced at her. "Instead of wasting your breath pleading for them, why don't you state what you wish to discuss."
"This is the first time I've seen someone so eager," Song Qingchao said, putting down her teacup and shrugging helplessly. "Then I shall indulge you. Today, I am not here to bring my younger brother home, nor am I here for Bai You'an. What I truly seek are some medicinal herbs."
She turned her body slightly and placed the list of herbs compiled by Xiang Yunling on the table. "I want all of these. You must give me eighty percent of what you possess."
Old Master Lin casually glanced at the list without any apparent surprise. "Miss Song has a good plan. You first used Bai You'an to lure me, then you used Xiang Yunling to provoke me, and finally, you defeated my hidden guards and threatened my life. You calculated that I would definitely give them to you, didn't you?"
"How can you say that?" Song Qingchao said, but the curve of her eyes completely betrayed her amusement. Truly, a cunning merchant. httpδ:/m.kuAisugg.nět
She then placed the nightingale token from her embrace onto the table and pushed it closer to Old Master Lin with two fingers. "I am offering payment."
"Payment? My Lin family is vast and prosperous. Currently, I have no interest in business matters; my sole focus is on my young daughter."
Song Qingchao glanced at him sideways, then used her fingers to tap the token on the table again. "Would you like to take another look? Or perhaps reconsider?"
Only then did Old Master Lin shift his haughty gaze to the token Song Qingchao was tapping on the table.
Upon seeing it, he was so startled that he nearly fell off his stool.
"Xiyun Pavilion?" he asked, his brow furrowed in confusion. "And Black Nightingale!" The latter part of his sentence was uttered with an upward inflection, tinged with a trace of shock.
He pointed at Song Qingchao. "Are you the boss behind this?"
Song Qingchao used her fan to press his finger down. "Master Lin, can we have a proper discussion now?"