Clouds and Moon Shadow

The city of Lizhou is getting more and more chaotic. What should they do next?

Especially with winter approaching, the situation will only worsen, not to mention that the Great Chu and Nanzhao are still at war, and the number of refugees will only increase.

What incredible luck she had to end up in such a chaotic place!

"Little Master---Little Master---Mo Ji just delivered the medicinal herbs. Go and take a look. I think the quality is even better than last time!" With a loud shout, Doctor Zhang rushed into the front hall like the wind, startling Rong Qingqing.

Now, she wants to run away whenever she hears that old man's voice. He's so noisy, that lousy old man!

Gu Qingyue frowned even more as she looked at the disheveled old man with his wild beard, gray hair, and filthy body.

Is this... just coming out of the chimney?

"Haha, little master, you're finally back! I missed you so much!" he said, and then went to take Gu Qingyue's hand.

"Stop, just stand there and talk," Gu Qingyue quickly waved her hand to make a stop gesture, looking quite disgusted.

"Little Master! Don't you miss me? We haven't seen each other for so long!" The old man insisted, eager to get closer to the young master.

He had a lot of questions he wanted to ask, especially about a pill he had been trying to make yesterday based on his junior master's prescription. He had tried making it no less than ten times, but it ended up blowing the window off and leaving him covered in soot. This made him extremely depressed, and he urgently needed to ask his master about it.

"I want to, I really want to. Just stand still and I'll want to," Gu Qingyue quickly said as she saw the old man stretch out his dusty hand again.

"Pfft------" Rong Qingqing next to her couldn't help but laugh out loud.

"Alright, you old geezer, go wash your face first, there's a patient waiting behind you," Rong Qingqing said with a laugh.

"Patients? What patients? Let me tell you, I won't treat anyone who isn't seriously ill! I'm not someone who treats just anyone!" After saying this, Doctor Zhang rushed out, seemingly having completely forgotten about the medicinal herbs he had mentioned when he entered.

Gu Qingyue rolled her eyes helplessly as she watched the old man run out again, then walked towards the back door. She needed to check the medicinal herbs herself.

In the blink of an eye, the front hall was empty again. Oh well, there was still a lot of things to worry about!

Fifteen minutes later, Gu Qingyue arrived at the back door. This time, unlike the first time, it was Liu Yan who came, personally bringing people to deliver the goods to her door. Gu Qingyue was a little curious.

After carefully inspecting the medicinal herbs, Gu Qingyue noticed a significant improvement in quality this time. Curious, she asked a question and learned that the herbs were sourced from the Nanzhao Kingdom's medicinal herb merchants' association and came from Yuding Pass. This time, the supply to Da Chu was plentiful.

Gu Qingyue carefully inspected some key medicinal herbs. Hmm, they were indeed processed better. In particular, the fresh herbs that she had specifically instructed to use were all wrapped with their roots and preserved very well. Gu Qingyue looked at Liu Yan's serious face and gave her a thumbs up.

The fact that Mo Ji Pharmacy was able to operate on such a large scale is naturally related to the unique geographical conditions of Nanzhao, but it is even more related to Mo Ji's own unique methods of preserving and processing medicinal materials, which is well worth learning.

"Yes, I am very satisfied with the medicinal herbs. Please thank Young Master Mo for me."

Gu Qingyue expressed her sincere gratitude.

"You're welcome, it's my pleasure. I hope Young Master Gu will continue to patronize our Moji business in the future. Please feel free to make any requests you may have," Liu Yan said with a smile, cupping her hands in greeting.

He dared not underestimate this Young Master Gu. Although the quantity of goods purchased by other medical clinics could not compare, many of the herbs purchased by Young Master Gu were rare and of high value, which made Mo Ji very rich.

"Want to come in for a cup of tea and a rest?" Gu Qingyue looked at Liu Yan's polite yet grateful expression and wanted to laugh. She quickly extended a warm invitation.

"No, I have other matters to attend to. Please be on time for the banquet tonight, young master," he said, cupping his hands in greeting before leading several carriages away.

Gu Qingyue breathed a sigh of relief. Why were these two, master and servant, being so polite to her? Was it because they had saved her life, or did they have ulterior motives?

After all, they were from Nanzhao, and she dared not easily entrust them with her trust.

When she returned to the front hall, the boys and children she had brought back today had already washed up and were all dressed in the uniform of Moon Shadow Pavilion. They stood in a row, looking at Gu Qingyue as she walked in, somewhat apprehensive.

"I have two choices. First, stay and join us, serve me, and live and die in my hands. You will be my man in life and my ghost in death. Second, you can choose to work as a waiter in our Wenxianglou to earn money. It's the same contract of life and death. If you make a mistake, you will either be sold off or beaten to death. You have two quarters of an hour to consider."

Gu Qingyue sat at the head of the table, picked up the teapot and poured herself a cup. She took a few sips, squinted, and looked at the people standing in the hall.

She is now taking in more and more people, and strict rules and regulations and confidentiality measures have been established for those who are willing to join Moon Shadow Pavilion. Anyone who signs a contract of servitude is bound to have a death contract.

Although she despised the human trafficking of this era, it was not an era with a sound legal system like her previous life, where laws were strict and binding. In this world, most constraints on people were enforced through contracts, and people were more likely to be loyal because of the constraints of indenture.

Therefore, she wouldn't naively talk about equality between people and use morality to restrain those below her; she couldn't afford to gamble with that.

"May I ask, Master, what would it mean to join you?"

The group looked at each other blankly for a long time. It was Linlang who finally came to her senses, mustered up her courage, stepped forward, cupped her hands in greeting, and asked.

They were all servants who had signed a life-or-death contract. Their master's demands were their mission. He owed his master a life-saving grace, so how could he be easily frightened into backing down by a few words from his master?

Moreover, they all knew that their master was a kind and righteous person; otherwise, he wouldn't have stood up for them at the Water and Land Temple. Otherwise, they would already be in that hellhole of the Bamboo Ritual Hall.

Therefore, he really wanted to find out what his master's instructions were, not because he wanted to back down, but because he wanted to know if he was capable of completing the task given to him by his master.

Gu Qingyue remained silent, staring intently into Linlang's eyes. She wanted to know if this young man truly harbored a sincere heart beneath his respectful facade.

After a short while, Linlang couldn't help but break out in a cold sweat. The young man at the head of the table had a gaze as sharp as snow in the dead of winter, carrying a hint of coldness and iciness, quite different from his appearance in the nunnery at noon.

He couldn't figure out what his master meant, and felt his legs trembling so badly that he almost knelt on the ground.

Just as he felt his heart was about to leap into his throat, the boy's voice came, "I will find someone to teach you skills. After you have learned them, you will serve us. Once you join, you will never regret it. Of course," Gu Qingyue paused, "when you have acquired skills and perform well, I will also give you a good future as appropriate. I will not mistreat anyone. My word is my bond."

After speaking, Gu Qingyue softened her tone and a smile appeared on her face, but her words were chilling: "If there are any traitors, I will show no mercy."

His tone was light yet carried immense weight, making people feel even more fearful and uneasy than if he had spoken harshly.