The Ninth Lady is a rebellious person.

Chapter 314 The Business Snatcher Has Secured the Shop
When the Zeng family delivered a cartload of medicinal herbs and a clever yet steady servant, Lang Jiuchuan had just instructed Fu Qi to change into a new paper figure and glanced at the cartload of herbs. Without any hesitation, she kept them.

Lang Jiuchuan first wrote out a prescription for making Jue Ming Wan (a traditional Chinese medicine), using all the medicinal materials that Wan Shi Pu (another traditional Chinese medicine shop) had. For the ingredients that the shop didn't have, the servant named Feisong went back to the Zeng family to get them and prepared them according to her instructions.

During this time, Lang Jiuchuan took out a compass and walked around the entire house, noting down the directions. He planned to set up a Five Elements Feng Shui array to make the five elements of the house mutually reinforcing, which would be beneficial to health.

In the back courtyard, she found a room and set up a Five Elements Spirit Gathering Array, which would make it convenient for her to draw talismans, meditate, and comprehend the Dao. As for the private room in the inner hall behind the shop, she also rearranged it to make it easier to meet and receive guests.

With the blessing of feng shui, these places will have more spiritual energy than outside, but they are still inferior to cultivating in the deep mountains.

The deep mountains are full of all things, and the vitality and spiritual energy of the plants and trees are far greater than in the city. If she were to comprehend the spiritual energy there, she would definitely be able to absorb more spiritual energy. Thinking about it this way, I wonder what will happen to that unlucky tiger cub.

Lang Jiuchuan only mentioned it briefly and then stopped, without bothering to inquire about the unlucky tiger. At that moment, she was spreading out paper and paints, painting a landscape ink painting.

Jianlan was serving her from the side. When she saw Madam Song coming, she raised her index finger to her lips and shushed her, indicating that she should not be disturbed.

Madam Song carried a tray with a bowl of dessert, steamed egg custard made with milk, and a pot of chrysanthemum, goji berries and ophiopogon japonicus flower tea brewed in a glass pot. This was specially prepared for Lang Jiuchuan.

She placed the tray on the table beside her, stood on tiptoe to take a look from afar, and exclaimed in amazement.

Lang Jiuchuan put down his paintbrush and smiled, "If you want to see it, just come over and come see it. You don't need to be this far away."

When Madam Song saw that she had stopped painting, she immediately poured a cup of flower tea and handed it to her after she washed her hands with a handkerchief, saying, "I was afraid of disturbing you while you were painting."

"It's just a painting." Lang Jiuchuan took the tea, took a sip, and looked at the table: "What have you made? I smell something sweet."

"It's milk custard. I saw some fresh milk today, so I bought some." Knowing that she liked sweet things, Madam Song said, "I added extra snowflake sugar. Try it."

Lang Jiuchuan's eyes lit up, and she immediately went over, opened the lid, and sure enough, the milky aroma and sweetness were even stronger, with a faint almond flavor. She took a spoonful, and the melt-in-your-mouth egg custard made her eyes crinkle with delight.

Sweet and delicious!

Seeing that she liked it, Madam Song smiled. Thinking of the painting that Lang Jiuchuan had just painted, she stepped forward, peeked at it, and exclaimed in admiration.

She was an embroiderer. She couldn't judge the quality of a painting like those great calligraphers and painters, but she could still tell the difference. This ink painting, though only a few strokes, had a clever color scheme. In her opinion, it was very spirited, making the viewer feel as if they were actually there.

But the painting depicts only ordinary mountains and rivers, yet it is very pleasing to the eye.

Jianlan also felt that the painting was very spiritual. It might not be comparable to those famous masters, but looking at the painting made her feel happy. She remembered that Lang Jiuchuan was not the kind of young lady who would paint when she had nothing to do, so she asked, "Miss, is there anything special about this painting?"

"You noticed?" Lang Jiuchuan finished his small bowl of steamed egg custard and said, "This is a Five Elements Ink Painting. It incorporates elements of the five elements into the painting and follows the principles of the five elements. If hung properly, it can be used to set up a feng shui spiritual array. You find this ink painting very pleasing to the eye because the five elements generate each other and have spiritual energy, which makes you feel relaxed and happy."

Lady Song sighed, "If this were embroidered, wouldn't it last forever?"

“That makes sense, but usually, embroidering a Five Elements Colored Ink Painting requires an immense amount of mental energy. It’s no exaggeration to say it’s painstaking and exhausting. It’s just like those jade carving masters; their works have a spirit, which is because the person who carved them spent their entire life’s effort.” Lang Jiuchuan said, “If you had embroidered this kind of Five Elements Colored Ink Painting in your prime, I wouldn’t have said anything. But now, it’s not possible. Your body can’t withstand something that is so draining in terms of energy and spirit.” Madam Song immediately said, “You’re overthinking it. Most of the embroidery I did before was rather craftsman-like. The only Guanyin image I had was…” She shook her head, remembering those unpleasant things, and said, “Right now, I just hope that Die’er gets well. I dare not dream of anything else.”

She was modest, but Lang Jiuchuan disagreed.

Whether a work has a craftsman's touch is for others to judge, but when she mentioned the Guanyin statue, Lang Jiuchuan thought of Zhenbei Marquis Xie Zhenming.

February is already more than halfway over, so I suppose he has already started preparing to return to Beijing?
Lang Jiuchuan curled his lips slightly.

Jianlan and Song Niangzi sensed the change in Lang Jiuchuan's aura and couldn't help but exchange a glance. Neither of them dared to make a sound, and for some reason, they suddenly felt a chill.

"Master." Fu Qi arrived at the backyard, his expression somewhat unpleasant.

Lang Jiuchuan asked curiously, "What's troubling you? You look so upset."

"Someone is stealing our business."

Lang Jiuchuan's eyes widened. What? Did she hear that right? Someone was stealing their business?

"Who?" She threw the brush she had just picked up into the brush washer and said, "Who's the blind fool?"

"The person is in the shop up ahead."

Lang Jiuchuan strode out. "Those who want to steal business are even trying to steal our shops. How arrogant!"
Madam Song frowned, watching Jianlan calmly pack her things, and said, "Miss Jianlan, aren't you worried?"

"What are you worried about?" Jianlan blinked and said, "Are you worried that the guy who's stealing your business will get a good slap in the face from our girls?"

Madam Song: "!"

That makes sense. Someone as capable as Ninth Sister would never be bullied.

Lang Jiuchuan walked to the door connecting the back room and the shop, and heard a voice stepping on her shop and making sarcastic remarks.

“Look at this shop, it doesn’t look like a proper shop at all. These medicine cabinets, are they for practicing medicine or exorcising ghosts? They don’t look reliable at all. They call themselves the ‘All-Purpose Shop’ and can solve all problems. This kind of gimmick doesn’t sound reliable at all. I’m different. I come from the Maoshan Sect. I can catch ghosts and fight. By the way, I’ve also joined the Xuan Clan. You know the Feng family, right? Go and ask around. I, Yi Ce Dao Ren, am quite famous in the Feng family.”

"But Daoist Master, my wife insists that I..."

"You're covered in yin energy. Your wife must be confused by that evil spirit. Take me back to the manor to take a look. Once I, the Taoist priest, step in, no demon or ghost can hide. Why are you letting your master waste money here?"

Lang Jiuchuan was so angry he laughed. He flung the curtain aside and walked out, sneering, "I'd like to see what kind of shameless Xuan Clan is, stealing business from other people's shops?"

(End of this chapter)