Chapter 541 - The Pharmacy by the Street
Chapter 541 The Pharmacy by the Street
Not only did Lin Mengya have a keen sense of smell, but she also adjusted the radar of the Shen Nung System to its maximum sensitivity.
It was only two days ago that Xiu saw Sumei.
If Sumei could still wander around the main street two days ago, it only meant that she had another purpose to have remained here.
Moreover, the mastermind behind the Immortal Powder was surely related to Sumei and her gang.
That gang ought to have been working in the old capital for a long time.
Even if they wanted to retreat, it would not be easy for every one of them to leave within such a short time.
To expose all of them, she only needed a clue!
She did not find anything fishy about the pharmacy she just passed by, at least on the surface.
Nevertheless, her radar had picked up a weak signal.
Both the Fairy Herb and Beauty Laural Orchid were effective for inducing oestrus.
In past, it was said that many courtesan girls loved carrying sachets containing these two herbs with them all the time.
They did so all for the sake of attracting clients.
However, given that pharmacies were decent places, they did not usually stock up on such indecent herbs for sale.
Lin Mengya took a second look and she moved closer towards the pharmacy.
“Please come in, Miss.”
The moment Lin Mengya entered, a witty shop assistant approached her.
Something smelled fishy. Lin Mengya sized up the shop assistant with suspicion.
She could smell the scents of the Fairy Herb and Beauty Laural Orchid, despite they being just faint and subtle.
Why on earth would a shop assistant in a pharmacy be carrying these two herbs at any point in time?
The only explanation was that people frequent this pharmacy to buy these herbs.
That was the reason why he would have their scents all over him.
Nevertheless, Lin Mengya did not give away her suspicion. She nodded at the shop assistant and pretended to be interested in the herbs at the counter.
“Do you have good quality ginseng here? My old folks back home are not at their best so I want to bring them some good quality ginseng to nurture their health.”
Seeing that Lin Mengya was dressed like a wealthy lady and that she had many young and strong servants who accompanied her, he assumed that she was the daughter of some wealthy man.
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With a wide smile on his face, he said, “Yes! We certainly do! Don’t be misled by the small size of our shop. We are stocked up with much good stuff. Please give me a moment. I’ll bring it to you immediately.”
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The shop assistant instantly ran behind the counter to fetch the ginseng while Lin Mengya turned around to exchange a look with Xiu.
Xiu quietly retreated and whispered something into the guard’s ear before returning to stand behind Lin Mengya.
By this time, the shop assistant had brought Lin Mengya a few good quality, old ginseng. He was definitely looking to get a big sum from Lin Mengya.
“Miss, take a look at this best grade ginseng. This is a treasure in our shop. This is not for any commoners to enjoy. You, however, are born into wealth. For this reason, I wouldn’t dare bring anything subgrade to you.”
Lin Mengya raised her brows and glanced at the ginseng with flagging interest.
It was indeed of good quality, but it had not been kept in tip-top condition; therefore, its efficacy had significantly deteriorated.
This piece of ginseng might well be less nutritious than dried radishes.
“Hm, it does look fine, but my old folks might still think it’s not good enough. Do you have ones with even better quality here? Don’t worry about the price. I’m well able to afford it.”
Immediately, the shop assistant began grinning widely. He was over the moon to have bumped into a generous customer.
“Miss, you indeed appreciate the good stuff. We have a hundred-year-old glossy Ganoderma. You would not be able to find such quality Ganoderma anywhere else. Please take a look to see if you’re satisfied with this. It’ll be near impossible to find this elsewhere.”
A hundred-year-old Ganoderma? Lin Mengya’s curiosity was quickly aroused. It would indeed be rare to find a hundred-year-old Ganoderma.
Although it was not totally non-existent, it would be impossible for such a small pharmacy to have such high-quality stuff.
To her surprise, the shop assistant took out a big round box from below the counter with great care.
It appeared to be rather substantial.
He was seen to put the box down extremely carefully onto the counter before he opened it.
Instantly, a fragrance diffused out of the box.
“Please have a look at this, ladies. Is this good enough?”
The shop assistant looked smug while Xiu was rather taken by surprise at the sight.
Wow, this was the first time she even saw a Ganoderma two times the size of her face!
“Is this really a Ganoderma that is more than a hundred years old? Come over quickly to have a look, Older Sister! This is awesome!”
Xiu exclaimed excitedly as she widened her watery eyes.
Lin Mengya, on the other hand, glanced at the Ganoderma with indifference. She did not appear at all surprised.
“Did you say this is the hundred-year-old Ganoderma in your shop?”
The shop assistant did not expect this lady to have such an extremely high expectation.
All of the customers would be taken aback whenever he took out this Ganoderma.
However, this lady seemed to have found it a common sight.
“Of course. This hundred-year-old Ganoderma is the most precious treasure in our shop. Have you seen any bigger Ganoderma than this one we have in our shop?”
Xiu shook her head. This piece of Ganoderma, which was the same black color as the others that were commonly seen, appeared to be very similar in terms of its color and shape as the common ones apart from its size.
“That’s right. Our boss is the most well-known medicine man specializing in Ganoderma. No one other than us is able to produce a piece of Ganoderma such as this one.”
At this point, the shop assistant could not help but look smug.
If this piece of Ganoderma was real, it was indeed one that was very rare to come by.
Unfortunately, Lin Mengya was the one who stumbled upon it.
“Men, seize him! Are you aware that you could have someone killed by selling this? This is obviously poisonous and you claimed that this was a piece of Ganoderma. How evil!”
Lin Mengya spoke with a calm voice, but there was a chilling look in her eyes.
She could naturally tell whether this was indeed Ganoderma.
Even if all others were to mistake this as Ganoderma, she was the only person who would not make the mistake.
“You! What are you trying to do? Listen carefully, my boss who is in charge of this shop is a very well-known person in the old capital!”
Upon hearing Lin Mengya’s command, a few strong men charged towards the shop assistant and pounced on him.
The shop assistant panicked. He had never encountered such a situation.
He cried out in that instant.
He was no match for those guards. After struggling for a while, he was pinned firmly to one corner and was unable to move.
“Elder Sister, this thing truly appears to be a piece of Ganoderma to me! It even smelled like one. How could it be wrong?”
Xiu looked doubtfully at Lin Mengya as she questioned softly.
Lin Mengya gazed at the struggling shop assistant without any pity in her eyes.
She walked behind the counter and flipped open what was below it.
As she expected, there were seven to eight such boxes being stacked neatly together.
What he claimed to be a rare hundred-year-old Ganoderma had become common merchandise that could be found all over the streets.
“Miss, I’m not sure how I’ve offended you. Our shop may be small but we have a long history. What you’re doing is against the rules!”
Seeing that he had failed to break free from this grip, all that the shop assistant could do was to argue.
“The rules are not determined by you. Moreover, you are the one who is selling fake stuff in the first place. I’m merely finding the people of evil.
There was no way Lin Mengya would believe that this shop assistant was ignorant.
This so-called Ganoderma simply appeared to look much like the real Ganoderma, but it was actually an entirely different kind of fungus.
Moreover, there were a thousand and one ways to make it smell like the real thing. Humans’ senses of smell and sight were the easiest to be fooled.
Therefore, they had yet to be exposed by the others who were deceived.
“You must have made a mistake, this guest of ours. I’m only a shop assistant here. I’m only following the instructions of the shopkeeper to sell the items here. Please show some magnanimity to a small fry like me. I’m innocent!”
When he realized that his threats did not work, the shop assistant began pleading her pitifully.
He had run out of tricks to play now that he had been held back by two strong men.
All that he could do was to look pleadingly at Lin Mengya and hope that she would be kind.
“Innocent? If you are truly innocent, you wouldn’t have kept marketing this poisonous fungus to me. Let me ask you, where is your shopkeeper?”
The shop assistant averted his gaze and said, “He’s gone out to bring in the new goods! If you don’t believe me, you may ask the neighbors. He usually goes out to bring in the stocks during this time of the year!”
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The shop assistant cried out loudly in fear that Lin Mengya would continue to inflict pain on him if she was not satisfied with his reply.
“Oh, is that so? In that case, you’re the only person in the shop. Am I right?”
Lin Mengya did not make clear if she believed his words, but simply looked coldly at him as she questioned him.
“That’s right… There is only me here. Please spare me, Miss. I’m truly ignorant!”
The shop assistant pleaded with a pitiful look on his face. Other ignorant people might be taken in by his word to think that he had been wronged.
“In this case, I’ll have you come along with me since you refuse to tell the truth. I’ll find someone who can make you tell the truth. I’m just afraid that you won’t be able to withstand the torture in prison.”
Stunned for a moment, the shop assistant hung his head, looking dejected.
“Alright, alright, it’s just my bad luck. You may send me to prison.”
Why would he surrender so quickly? Lin Mengya’s lips curled up at their corners into a cold smile.
“Bring him to the dungeon of the Pavilion of Herbs and give him the special treatment.”
At the mention of the dungeon of the Pavilion of Herbs, there was a look of elation in the shop assistant’s eyes.
He thought he hid his emotions well, but little did he know that Lin Mengya had seen through him.
It was apparent that the shop was colluding with the Pavilion of Herbs. This shop assistant was surely in the know. Moreover, someone else might have recognized the poisonous fungus before.
This was the old capital after all, where the Pavilion of Herbs was the greatest influence. Even the governor had to show due respect to the Pavilion of Herbs.
Lin Mengya supposed that the Pavilion of Herbs always had this man’s back every time he got caught.