All the staff and customers in the shop turned to look at the little girl.
They all stared at her mockingly.
Shen Ningning was wearing shabby clothes, and her shoes even had a hole in them!
Even though her little face was fair and she was quite pretty.
But everyone was used to seeing refugees, so they all took her for a little beggar.
The Shopkeeper frowned. "Where did this little troublemaker come from? If you don't leave now, I'll have you reported to the officials!"
Puffing her cheeks in anger, Shen Ningning pulled a small, prepared bag of silver taels from her sleeve. Standing on her tiptoes, with a little grunt, she tossed it onto the counter.
"I said, I want to buy clothes!"
The Shopkeeper, half-doubting, opened the bag. Seeing the gleaming silver taels, his expression immediately turned into a fawning smile.
"So the young miss really does want to buy clothes. Forgive my poor judgment."
He called over an assistant, had him take down the garment, and wrapped it up for Shen Ningning.
In addition to the clothes, Shen Ningning bought two outfits for her grandma, as well as shoes for both of them.
In total, she spent one hundred and twenty taels.
The bundle of clothes was not light. She carried it out of the clothing store, walked to a corner, and when no one was looking, she put the clothes into the Immortal Realm!
Afterward, the little one headed straight for the stables.
With the famine ongoing, many families were selling their horses to raise money.
Shen Ningning walked back and forth by the stables.
The shopkeeper in charge came over, a smile on his face that didn't reach his eyes. "Little girl, did you get separated from your parents?"
Shen Ningning lifted her watery black eyes to look at him. "I want to buy a horse and carriage!"
'Because,' she had now understood, 'Silver is very important.'
'Although I have the Immortal Realm, I can't conjure Silver out of it.'
'But I can trade things for Silver.'
'If I buy a horse and carriage, I can take Grandma into the city for a visit.'
'And when I come to sell medicinal herbs again, I won't have to walk all the time, which is so exhausting!'
The shopkeeper was surprised.
It was the first time he'd ever seen such a little person talk so big.
He chuckled. "A horse and carriage costs 200 taels of silver. Are you sure you have that much?"
Shen Ningning nodded. "I do. Pick a strong horse for me, bring the carriage to the entrance, and I'll give you the silver."
The shopkeeper frowned. Although he was a bit suspicious, he did as he was told.
When the horse and carriage were ready, the little one handed him the prepared silver bag.
She had already taken out the remaining eighty taels.
Shen Ningning didn't know how to drive a carriage, so she also hired a driver from the stables.
She had to pay him five taels for the round trip.
Finally, Shen Ningning rode the carriage back to the pharmacy she had visited earlier, Huichun Hall.
"Grandpa Shopkeeper~" she called out, leaning on the carriage window and smiling brightly at the people in the pharmacy. "Get a doctor to come with me on a trip!"
The pharmacy manager hurried out. Seeing the tall, fine horse, he noticed the light in the little one's eyes was even brighter than before.
'Having money really gives you confidence! And she's such a big spender.'
"Little one, if you don't mind, I'll go with you. All the doctors at Huichun Hall are out on house calls. I'm the manager, but I was also trained as a doctor," the pharmacy manager said.
'Finally, I can take this chance to find out where this little girl comes from!'
Shen Ningning tilted her head. "Then how much is your consultation fee?"
He had short-changed her on the Purple Ganoderma earlier, so the pharmacy manager smiled humbly. "Not much. Ten taels for the round trip, not including the cost of medicine. How does that sound?"
Shen Ningning thought for a moment, then nodded. "Get in!"
'Sixty-five taels left.'
'I didn't think I'd have this much money left.'
So, before leaving the Capital City, Shen Ningning went back to the clothing store and bought an outfit for herself.
It cost thirty taels.
After thinking for a moment, she went and bought some pots, bowls, and pans, spending another fifteen taels.
In the end, she only had twenty taels left, but she was completely satisfied!
On the carriage, the pharmacy manager chuckled when he learned of Shen Ningning's lavish spending. "Little one, why didn't you buy water and grain? With that much money, you could live well for quite some time!"
Shen Ningning said without a second thought, "I don't need to!"
The pharmacy manager wanted to ask more, but the little one cleverly closed her eyes, pretending to be asleep.
He couldn't very well press the matter.
By the time they entered the mountain road, the sun was setting.
Shen Ningning opened her eyes again and gave the driver directions.
The carriage she bought was wide and sturdy. To get to Wolf Mountain, they had to pass through Xiangyun Village!
As the carriage rumbled past the village entrance, Uncle Qin and a group of villagers who were tilling the fields looked on with envy.
"Which wealthy family is visiting our village now?"
"From the direction they're heading, it doesn't look like they're coming to our village."
"Speaking of wealthy, I've only seen someone in a carriage once, and that was Old Qin's brother-in-law. Right, Old Qin?"
Uncle Qin's face turned ashen. He lowered his head, wiped his sweat with a coarse towel, and using the excuse of taking a break, he picked up his hoe and walked away.
The carriage stopped at the foot of Wolf Mountain.
"AWOO~" Shen Ningning's face lit up when she heard the familiar call.
'Langlang and the others were waiting for me after all.'
The driver and the pharmacy manager, however, turned deathly pale with fright.
"Wolves?! Don't tell me... this is the legendary Wolf Mountain, teeming with wild wolves!"
Shen Ningning gave a sweet smile. "Don't be afraid. They don't hurt people."
With that, she jumped down from the carriage.
The driver, using the excuse that they had arrived, turned and ran.
The pharmacy manager's legs went soft.
Just as she got off the carriage, Shen Ningning noticed a pale, aloof figure standing in the woods, watching her.
"Big brother!" Shen Ningning scurried over, her little feet going PITTER-PAT.
Mo Lingwei forced his ailing body to stand, his gaze hazy but still commanding.
When he woke up and heard from Grandma Qin that Shen Ningning had gone into the city alone, he thought she was being reckless.
'She's never left this mountain before. With the situation in the city right now, how could she not have been eaten by those crazed refugees?'
Fortunately, he breathed a sigh of relief when Shen Ningning returned.
Mo Lingwei stared at the pharmacy manager behind her. "Who is he?"
"He's the doctor I hired to treat you and Grandma. Grandpa Shopkeeper, let's head into the mountain now!"
Shen Ningning said with a smile, but the pharmacy manager didn't dare to move a single step.
He looked at the wolf pack pacing and circling around them, so scared he wanted to scream but couldn't make a sound.
Mo Lingwei's gaze was even more frightening than the wolves', like a razor's edge.
He watched the pharmacy manager for a moment before saying in a cold voice, "If he's going into the mountain, he has to be blindfolded."
Shen Ningning was confused.
But Mo Lingwei insisted, even tearing a strip of cloth from his own clothes and tossing it to the pharmacy manager.
"Put it on. Otherwise, you're not going back today," he warned coldly.
The terrified pharmacy manager quickly complied. "I'll wear it, I'll wear it! Just tell the wolves... d-d-don't eat me."
'I knew I shouldn't have made this trip!'
'I just wanted to see what kind of family could grow Purple Ganoderma.'
'Who would have thought it'd be a pack of wolves!'
Mo Lingwei and Shen Ningning walked in front, with the Black Wolf King following closely beside Shen Ningning, continuously nuzzling its head against her hand and licking her.
The little one giggled, overjoyed.
"Shen Ningning, you have the mountain at your back, with spring water and food. Don't let strangers learn your location," Mo Lingwei said in a low, cold voice.
He knew the wickedness of the human heart. He knew that possessing so many resources would not be a good thing for a child who was only four years old.
If people with ulterior motives were to break in, even the wolf pack might not be able to protect her.
At this thought, Mo Lingwei suddenly froze.
'Strange... why have I been so naggingly concerned about her lately?'
The group's figures gradually disappeared deep into the woods.
Uncle Qin, who had been hiding in the distance, emerged with a look of astonishment.
He hurried home and told Aunt Qin everything he had seen.
Aunt Qin scoffed. "So that's why that little orphan suddenly dared to challenge me. She has a wolf pack backing her up! But so what? They're just a bunch of beasts. Just watch, I'll take care of her and the wolves together!"
Uncle Qin hesitated. "But... there was also a strange young man with her..."
"Probably just some refugee with nowhere else to go. Nothing to be afraid of! This time, we have to teach that little bitch Shen Ningning a lesson!" Aunt Qin's smile was wicked and full of confidence.