BDSMST -Chapter 106 Bai Yutang’s True Intentions

Late into the night, the study’s candlelight still burned bright.

Jiang Suisui and Gu Yan sat across from each other, with the ancient books and diagrams Bai Yutang had brought spread out on the table between them.

“Many of these are unique copies. Especially this Annotations on the Shennong Materia Medica—even the Imperial Medical Bureau only has fragments. That he could obtain it shows that the Bai family’s resources are even greater than we imagined,” Jiang Suisui said solemnly as she flipped through a yellowed volume.

“A merchant going to such lengths just to cooperate with us in selling vegetables… it doesn’t make sense,” Gu Yan said, his fingers tapping rhythmically on the table—a habit when he was deep in thought.

“The terms he offered are far too generous—so generous they feel like bait,” Jiang Suisui interjected. “A 70–30 split, with the Bai family taking only thirty percent. That’s practically giving us silver for free. What is he really after?”

“What he’s after may not be silver,” Gu Yan’s gaze drifted toward the window, toward the mountains behind Woniu Village that seemed especially dark in the night. “What he wants… may be the land beneath our feet.”

Jiang Suisui’s heart skipped a beat.

“You mean…”

“I had Wei Ziqian investigate,” Gu Yan said, turning to face his wife. “The Bai family is a wealthy merchant clan dating back to the previous dynasty, with hundreds of years of legacy. They’ve always been known for cautious business practices and never engage in unprofitable deals. But in the past hundred years, they’ve done something very unusual.”

“What unusual thing?”

“They’ve been secretly collecting maps of Daxia, especially ancient maps recording mountains, rivers, and geographical features. They’ve spent enormous sums to do this. Moreover, their focus seems to be on regions with special legends or unique terrain,” Gu Yan said quietly, each word deliberate and firm.

Jiang Suisui immediately grasped the key point.

“The Woniu Mountain where our village lies is, according to local legend, the place where Shennong once tasted hundreds of herbs. Though most of it is probably myth… but…”

But Bai Yutang—a man who clearly knew every secret in these ancient texts—was very likely coming because of this legend.

The cooperation was a pretense; his real goal was to scout the mountain.

“No matter what he wants, we’ll observe and wait,” Jiang Suisui said, closing the book. “Since he’s willing to bring such fine gifts, we have no reason to refuse. We can agree to cooperate, but with some conditions.”

“What do you have in mind?” Gu Yan asked.

“Simple. We can cooperate, but all products under the ‘Suisui’ brand must be shipped from Woniu Village. His men can inspect the goods, but they cannot enter the core areas of the estate, nor go up the mountain without permission,” Jiang Suisui said, circling Woniu Village on the map. “We must keep the initiative in our own hands.”

“Agreed,” Gu Yan said, approving her plan. “I’ll handle the defenses. As long as he behaves, we can let him play his game at our pace.”

The next day, Jiang Suisui sent a reply to Bai Yutang via a messenger to the town.

Bai Yutang raised no objection to her conditions and readily agreed. Both parties quickly signed the contract.

The Bai family’s efficiency was astonishing. Within three days, the first batch of boxes, each bearing a cute ‘Sui’ logo, and a seasoned trading caravan arrived at Woniu Village.

Bai Yutang personally oversaw the handoff between the caravan manager and Uncle Fu. He was courteous and only moved within the designated areas. Regarding the greenhouses and crop cultivation methods, he merely observed from a distance, never asking a single question. He seemed truly like a shrewd merchant eager to finalize the cooperation.

However, the information Gu Yan’s men brought back told a different story.

Wei Ziqian reported to Gu Yan and Jiang Suisui in the study:

“My lord, madam. These past few days, Bai Yutang conducts business in the estate during the day, but every evening, he goes alone to Old Zhang’s house on the east side of the village.”

Old Zhang was the eldest man in the village. His mind had grown a little muddled with age, but in his youth, he had traveled all over, selling goods from village to village, and knew more of the local legends and stories than anyone within ten miles.

“Every time Bai Yutang visits, he brings fine wine and food, and sits with Old Zhang, drinking and chatting. Our people stayed at a distance, so we couldn’t hear clearly, but we caught snippets—he was asking about whether Woniu Mountain had any places called ‘Immortal Caves’ or ‘Bewildering Valleys’,” Wei Ziqian reported.

“What else did he do?” Gu Yan asked.

“He also paid villagers from nearby communities high prices for several stones said to have been dug out of the mountain, each engraved with strange symbols.”

Jiang Suisui and Gu Yan exchanged a glance.

It seemed their suspicions were correct. Bai Yutang’s true target was this mountain.

“Keep an eye on him. Don’t alert him,” Gu Yan instructed.

“Yes,” Wei Ziqian acknowledged and left.

The study was left with only the couple.

“What exactly is he looking for?” Jiang Suisui wondered. She had surveyed the mountain herself multiple times, and aside from the spiritual spring, she had found nothing remarkable.

Gu Yan walked over to her, picking up a rubbing of one of the engraved stones that Wei Ziqian had brought back from the villagers.

The symbol was winding and curving—neither script nor drawing, exuding an ancient and mysterious aura.

“I feel like I’ve seen this symbol somewhere before,” Gu Yan frowned, searching his memory.

He had spent years stationed on the northern borders, encountering many totems and scripts of the Beimu tribes and other western regions, yet this one was entirely unfamiliar.

“Perhaps the answer lies within him,” Jiang Suisui said. “The more desperate he is in his search, the more likely he is to make a mistake.”

At that moment, Gu Xuan’s voice came from outside the door.

“Mother! Uncle Fu said the foundation for our school has been completed!”

Jiang Suisui’s thoughts snapped back from Bai Yutang’s scheming. She set aside her speculations and smiled.

Compared to uncovering someone else’s secrets, she cared far more about building her own home.

“Let’s go take a look,” she said, taking Gu Yan’s hand.

No matter what Bai Yutang was after, as long as they remained strong, Woniu Village would always be their Woniu Village. No one would be able to act as they pleased here.

When they arrived at the construction site, they saw a wide, leveled area with dozens of craftsmen hard at work. The foundation stones of the school had been firmly laid, and the outline of the building was already clearly visible.

A group of children, including Gu Xuan, stood nearby, watching with curiosity.

Jiang Suisui looked at the hopeful scene and felt a surge of energy and purpose.

She turned to Gu Yan and said, “When the school is finished, you’ll give the first lesson to the children, okay?”

Gu Yan looked into her bright, shining eyes and nodded.

“All right.”