183: past

Shen Qian didn't go directly back to school. Instead, he went to order two audis, one black and one red. The red one was intended as a small reward for Tan Xinxin for helping him, while the black one was for his own use. He planned to have Wei Meng drive it on weekdays, making it convenient for travel whenever he needed to meet someone.

"For the next couple of days, your responsibility is to find a shop and handle the renovations. When you have time, go check on your daughter. As for picking up the car, you'll do that when the time comes.

I have only one requirement for you: no drinking. When I call you, you need to be available."

"Don't worry, Mr. Shen!"

"Hmm, it's getting late. Now take me to the Pharmacy I asked you to infiltrate."

"Alright!"

Wei Meng parked the car by the roadside and followed behind Shen Qian.

"How did you get in last time?"

"From the back. There's a window at the back, but it's on the second floor. If you want to go in, Mr. Shen, I can climb in from the second floor first and then come down to open the door."

"No need. I'll just climb in from the second floor too."

"But..."

"No problem. Just crouch down a bit, and I'll step on your shoulders to get up."

"Alright."

Shen Qian stood on Wei Meng's shoulders, bent his knees slightly, and with a light jump, grabbed the edge of the second-floor window. Then, with a push of his hands, he pulled himself up.

"Wei Meng, stay down here and keep watch until I come out."

"Alright!"

Shen Qian entered the Pharmacy. The shop didn't let in much light to begin with, and since it was nighttime, it felt even darker.

Not long after entering, he caught a whiff of a strange odor—the same one that had been on Wei Meng earlier.

Because his senses had been enhanced, Shen Qian's sense of smell was much stronger than Wei Meng's. After turning on his flashlight, the bright beam swept across the room.

It was similar to the scene Wei Meng had captured. The second floor had only three rooms: a study, a bedroom, and a bathroom. Since no one had lived there for a long time, every surface was covered in a thick layer of dust.

"Damn, even though it's only two floors, who knows if it's a book or just a piece of paper! How am I supposed to find it?"

If one person hides something and another tries to find it, the difficulty is no small matter.

According to the information provided by the system, it should be a pharmaceutical method, so it was highly likely to be a book. Shen Qian headed to the study. When his flashlight shone into the study, a strange feeling suddenly arose within him.

But for the moment, he couldn't pinpoint what was off.

The flashlight beam landed on the bookshelf. Shen Qian looked over each book one by one. He had expected them all to be medical books, but to his surprise, the shelf was filled with books like success studies, public speaking and eloquence, business logic and thinking, and similar titles.

This made Shen Qian frown helplessly.

It seemed the original owner of the shop had wanted to get rich. But if that was the case, why not just make good use of the prescription? Was there really a need to read these books?

The questions kept piling up. Unable to figure it out, Shen Qian had no choice but to pull out each book and flip through them one by one.

He didn't know how much time had passed. Even he was starting to feel dizzy and tired, but there was nothing useful in any of these books! There were some notes left by the original owner, though, and it was clear that the person had studied them seriously.

Shen Qian rubbed his temples and climbed back out through the window he had come from.

"What time is it now?"

"2:54."

"Let's go. Find a place to rest for a bit. Take me back to school tomorrow morning. Also, do one more thing..."

Wei Meng listened, his eyes suddenly widening, but then he nodded.

"As for the money, that box should be enough even after renting the shop."

"Mr. Shen, this is the first task you've entrusted to me. I'll complete it no matter what!"

"Be careful."

"Yes!"

Before leaving, Shen Qian glanced back at the Pharmacy. The thing was there, but he believed he would find it soon.

Not two days after returning to school, Shen Qian received a message from Wei Meng.

"The person has been caught."

Seeing the message, Shen Qian let out a long sigh of relief. He had thought the other party would be more patient, but they had exposed themselves so quickly.

During the day, the Pharmacy had much better lighting than at night. Shen Qian entered through the back door. On a chair, a man was tied up tightly by Wei Meng, his mouth stuffed with a towel, struggling desperately.

Seeing Shen Qian arrive, Wei Meng pulled the towel out of the man's mouth.

"Who are you! Why are you tying me up!"

"I'm the owner of this shop. You sneak into my place and ask me why I'm tying you up?"

"Nonsense, how could this shop possibly be yours!"

After saying this, the man suddenly jolted and looked at Shen Qian, but all he met was a faint smile.

"So, you know the owner of this shop.

I thought so. The whole place is covered in dust, including the floor of the study, but the books on the shelf have so little dust.

I'll give you only one chance. Tell me why you're here, or..." He glanced at Wei Meng.

"We'll just keep you tied up here. After three or four days without food or water, you'll confess everything."

"No, I'll talk."

"I advise you not to lie to me. If you do, I have a hundred ways to deal with you."

The man could tell Shen Qian was not someone to mess with. In these times, anyone who could afford to have a bodyguard around couldn't be ordinary. Three or four days without food or water—no one could withstand that.

"I used to be an apprentice at this shop, learning traditional Chinese medicine from the Old Master..."

"Get to the point! I'm not interested in your past."

"The Old Master was particularly skilled in strengthening the kidneys. Many wealthy people, even some officials, came to seek his help. I came here to steal the prescription."

"Didn't the Old Master pass the prescription down to his descendants?"

"The Old Master's family had been practicing medicine for generations. Later, the whole family moved to Shanghai. After the Eldest Son saw the prosperity of Shanghai, he didn't want to spend his life as a doctor and went into business instead.

After the Eldest Son made some money, the whole family moved abroad. The Eldest Son did have an Illegitimate Son in Shanghai, and the Old Master had originally hoped that the Illegitimate Son would inherit his legacy.

But that Illegitimate Son was also solely focused on business. He even tried to trick the Old Master out of the prescription so he could sell it directly and get his first pot of gold.

Then... the Old Master suddenly developed dementia and died a few years later."

"So you suspect the Old Master hid the prescription here."

"The Illegitimate Son had planned to sell this shop, but after the old man died, according to the order of inheritance, the shop naturally became the property of the old man's Eldest Son.

To be honest, the Eldest Son was pretty harsh on that Illegitimate Son. After getting the news, he didn't let the Illegitimate Son stay for more than a few days before kicking him out of here.

Everything I've said is true. I've been searching for a long time and haven't found it. Let me go, and I won't come back."

Shen Qian believed the other person when they said they had searched for a long time without finding it. After all, if they had found it, they wouldn't have come back again.