"Good firewood, really good firewood..."

　　Lu Ying heard the hawking and opened the back door. "Wait, how much for the firewood?"

　　The firewood seller unloaded his burden. "Five coppers a bundle, ten for two bundles. How much does the miss want?"

　　He walked over to inspect, touching the firewood. They were uniform in thickness, smooth, neither wet nor damp, easy to burn.

　　"It's a good deal. I'll take all of it. Like this, for the next two or three days...actually, I'll take whatever you have for the next month."

　　The firewood seller was overjoyed. "Really?"

　　"Really, as much as you have. Next time, come to the front door."

　　"The front door...where is this?"

　　"The back door of the Trial Mansion."

　　She had the firewood carried to the woodshed and stored, tallying the expenses. Winter was approaching, how could one not stock up on supplies?

　　There was no need to worry about charcoal and firewood, the bedding was complete, no concerns there either; that left food and drink. Food was manageable, the mansion had reserves, and the market was well-stocked. As for drinks, they were running low on wine, with only four large jars left.

　　Calculating the mansion's recent expenses, she thought it might be alright to let the soldiers like Duanmu Da and the others just drink water.

　　At this moment, two soldiers arrived in the kitchen. "Cook, pour us some wine."

　　"We don't have any, go drink at your own home."

　　"It's too far, just a little, one pot."

　　"Am I in charge or are you?"

　　One of them joked, "You're the steward of Lord Zhou's house, of course, you're in charge."

　　Flushed, Lu Ying said, "Enough nonsense, pour it yourself, just one pot."

　　"Alrighty."

　　The two agreed and entered the kitchen, each producing a wine pot and filling it, hiding it in their clothes.

　　Lu Ying watched, amused. "I should buy a few more jars."

　　To avoid encountering thieves from Houtou Mountain, she took two soldiers as temporary escorts before leaving. It was a casual trip, and the two were quite pleased.

　　In September, Beici County was a bit desolate, the chilly breeze made people feel lazy, and the number of pedestrians on the street had decreased by a considerable amount.

　　Lu Ying's goal was to find good and inexpensive wine. After visiting several taverns, she wasn't too satisfied—either the prices were too high or the products were unsatisfactory.

　　"Cook, what kind of wine are you looking for? The one just now was pretty good," one of them asked.

　　"It's too expensive, I can't afford you lot," she replied.

　　"Can't afford...how about we go to Zhou's Tavern? Zhou the proprietor has many supply channels, he's bound to have something."

　　Lu Ying considered it for a moment, deciding it was worth a look.

　　The three arrived at Zhou's Tavern, where Zhou the proprietor greeted them personally.

　　"What would the three of you like to eat today?"

　　"Not here for food today. Do you have any inexpensive wine?" one of the soldiers asked.

　　"Gentleman, you've come to the right place. About half a month ago, our tavern got a new winemaker. His pear fruit wine is quite popular and not expensive. A jar costs three silvers, which is more than half cheaper than grain wine."

　　Lu Ying was delighted. "Really? Let me try a pot."

　　Soon, two men carrying wine arrived.

　　Upon inspection, both men appeared to be around thirty. One of them was slightly older, neatly dressed, and wore a fox-ear dagger at his waist—no doubt he knew martial arts.

　　Zhou the proprietor introduced them, "This is Qian Geng. The fruit wine is made by him. This is Zeng Gang, assisting with the winemaking. Qian, these are big buyers from the Trial Mansion of Beici County. If they like it, you two are bound to make a fortune."

　　Qian Geng smiled. "I assure you, Lord Trial Officer and everyone else, you will be satisfied."

　　One of the soldiers looked unimpressed. "Pretty confident, let me taste your craftsmanship first." Saying this, he poured himself a cup.

　　Most people in Shaowen preferred grain wine, and pear wine was a specialty of Xiyue. If made with local juicy pears, it would be even more delicious.

　　Qian Geng's winemaking skills were average. In Binri City or Bai Jing City, his product wouldn't sell; but to fool these people, it was no problem at all.

　　"What do you think?" Qian Geng asked.

　　"It's...it's a bit light on the wine taste, but it's quite sweet, very refreshing. Not bad, Lu the cook, you should try it."

　　Lu Ying poured a small cup, finding it quite pleasant.

　　"How much for a jar?"

　　"Three silvers. Since it's our first transaction, I'll give you a discount. How about two silvers and eighty-five coppers for a jar?"

　　"I'll take twenty jars."

　　The two soldiers looked at each other, thrilled.

　　"Can you deliver today?" one asked.

　　Zeng Gang took over, "We can deliver, but there's one thing. Gentlemen, this stuff is fragile and easy to break, so we'll have to make two trips. Also, you'll have to pay a deposit first."

　　"That's reasonable. It would be a shame to damage such a good product. What do you think, Lu?"

　　Lu Ying handed over ten silvers. "You can collect the rest at the Trial Mansion."

　　With the wine issue settled, the three returned to the mansion.

　　That afternoon, Qian Geng led the tavern staff to deliver the wine. When the mansion heard that the new wine had arrived, they immediately informed inquisitor and the cook.

　　Zhou Ge hadn't had fruit wine for a while and was eager to try it.

　　After finishing his chores, he went to the warehouse to inspect. There, a cart carrying five small jars and two carts with ten small jars of fruit wine were being transported to the warehouse.

　　Looking at the leader, he was smiling at him. Rubbing his eyes vigorously, he was sure he wasn't seeing things.

　　"You over there, the winemaker, come here. I have something to ask you."

　　Qian Geng replied, "Yes, Inquisitor Zhou."

　　The two entered the courtyard, and Qian Geng closed the gate. Hurrying a few steps, he followed the man into the room.

　　Zhou Ge found a chair to block the door and grabbed Qian Geng's hand with joy. "Qian, what are you doing here?"

　　"I was wondering the same about you. How did you become an officer in Shaowen?"

　　The acquaintances caught up with each other, sharing their respective situations.

　　After Zhou Ge was sent to Shaowen on a secret mission, Sheng Huan and Zeng Gang returned to Binri City to report. City lord Zhao, upon hearing this, was anxious and worried that something might happen to his carefully cultivated talent. So he sent Sheng Huan and Zeng Gang to Shaowen to assist, borrowing Qian Geng and Teng Yang from the city.

　　The four of them arrived in Shaowen and uncovered a lot of information related to the Flying Star Sect.

　　Later, they went to Huajun County and found Liang Ran, the Mirror Master. The old Mirror Master pointed them in the right direction.

　　After discussing, they decided to split up. Zeng Gang and Qian Geng would go to Beici County to find Zhou Ge, while the other two would continue their investigation of the Flying Star Sect outside.

　　As soon as Zeng Gang and Qian Geng arrived in Muyang Town, they heard about the arrival of a new inquisitor. After some investigation, it turned out to be Zhou Ge, as expected. Considering that he might have other plans, they didn't approach him publicly. Instead, they found a place to hide their identities, which happened to be the tavern they were in.

　　The new cook in the mansion was naturally known to them, and it was only a matter of time before they made contact, which saved them a lot of trouble.

　　After listening to Zhou Ge's story, Qian Geng felt overwhelmed. "This is a huge mess."

　　"You can say that again..."

　　"Enough about me. Tell me what you've found out."

　　Zhou Ge didn't hold back and shared everything.

　　Qian Geng was stunned after hearing it. "This is more complicated than I thought."

　　"That's how it is. We can only wait and see what happens."

　　"I guess so. Zhou, it's not early, I have to go back, I have time to meet in the restaurant."

　　Saying goodbye to Zhou Ge, Qian Geng came outside, at this time it was getting dark, the convoy of wine delivery had been waiting for a long time, and Zeng Gang on the side was very anxious.

　　Zeng Gang stepped forward a few steps: "Qian, Is the money settled?" ”

　　"Settled, go back to the restaurant."