Chapter 47

Fu Tingjun remained composed, lowering her head to thread a needle: "Or perhaps they met an old acquaintance?"

Zheng Sanniang set down her work: "Then I'll go serve the guest a cup of tea."

"No need," Fu Tingjun said with a smile. "A Sen is there to handle it." Then she casually brought up Zheng San: "...From the way you speak, it sounds like he's been to many places?"

"Mm!" A hint of a smile would always appear in Zheng Sanniang's eyes whenever she mentioned her husband. "That's just how it is for escort guards." She added, "The escort agency he used to work for was very large, with its headquarters in the capital. Everyone was assigned by the main office. Sometimes they'd deliver a boatload of goods to Jiangnan, and then there'd be more goods to transport from Jiangnan to western Sichuan. Coming and going like that, he couldn't even make it home once a year."

Fu Tingjun nodded: "Traveling by boat or horse always carries some risk—it's better to come home!" Then she brought up their encounter with Fourth Lord Feng on the road. "I've hardly ever left home in my life, yet the moment I did, I ran into such a scourge. That's how Ninth Master got his injury. If we hadn't run into Manager Mo's employer, we wouldn't have even kept our lives."

Zheng Sanniang quickly comforted Fu Tingjun: "Survive a great disaster, and great fortune is sure to follow."

"That's what they say, but I don't know what kind of family this Feng Family is, or whether this will turn into a lasting grudge." Fu Tingjun said. "Could you ask around for me—see if Zheng San has ever heard of this family?"

She didn't mention that Zhao Ling had killed someone.

Zheng Sanniang agreed, prepared the midday meal, and after Yang Yucheng—who had stayed for lunch—left, she tidied up the kitchen and came back to report to Fu Tingjun.

"My husband says that if they've truly offended this family, the best course is to advise Ninth Master to make plans early—if he has relatives in other provinces, perhaps he should seek refuge with them." Her face was full of worry.

Fu Tingjun was greatly startled.

She had seen how wary Feng Laosi was of Zhao Ling, and how easily Zhao Ling had dealt with Feng Laosi. How could things have reached the point of having to leave their homeland to avoid disaster?

"Tell me quickly," she said, leaning forward anxiously. "What exactly is going on?"

"My husband says this Feng Family is one of the wealthiest households in all of Shaanxi, and indeed the entire northwest. They were originally from Gaoling, and made their start smuggling salt in Lintong. Later they connected with some official at court and switched to the legal salt trade, but they still control the private salt smugglers in Shaanxi. Their influence is enormous. There are over twenty brothers in the Feng Family, and the head of the household is this Feng Laosi. He's cunning and treacherous, ruthless and vicious, with a violent temper. He loves ostentation and cares greatly about face. Those who disagree with him often meet with death. Every escort agency passing through Shaanxi pays him respects. Since Ninth Master escaped from his grasp, he's bound to feel he's lost face and will find a way to reclaim it no matter what. You must urge Ninth Master to make plans early."

Fu Tingjun murmured in acknowledgment and fell into deep thought.

Zheng Sanniang didn't dare disturb her.

In the afternoon, calculating that Zhao Ling should be up from his nap, Fu Tingjun went to his side room.

A Sen poured her tea, winked at her, and whispered: "I didn't tell Ninth Master anything!" with a mysterious air.

Fu Tingjun couldn't help but laugh at that.

Zhao Ling smiled too—a faint smile, like pale moonlight: "What mischief are you two up to now?" There was a lightness in his brow.

"I won't tell you for now," Fu Tingjun said with a smile, though there was a hint of melancholy in it. "Ninth Master will find out in due time."

A flicker of suspicion passed through Zhao Ling's eyes.

From outside came Yang Yucheng's hearty laughter: "Ninth Master, look who I've brought!"

Fu Tingjun quickly stood up: "Since Ninth Master has a guest, I'll speak with you another time."

Zhao Ling had A Sen see Fu Tingjun out, and at the doorway she came face to face with Yang Yucheng, who was striding eagerly toward them.

Yang Yucheng was momentarily stunned, and only snapped out of it when Fu Tingjun smiled and nodded at him.

He grabbed A Sen by the collar and said in a low voice: "I thought you were just supposed to see her to Weinan—why are you still by Ninth Master's side? Tell me honestly, is there something we don't know about?"

A Sen yelped in a hushed tone: "I don't know anything. I know nothing at all. If you've got the nerve, go ask Ninth Master yourself."

The young man who had come with Yang Yucheng watched them with a smile, the corners of his mouth slightly parted. From a distance, he looked like he was just enjoying the show, but in fact he was making a series of soft, urgent sounds: "Stop fooling around—that fellow Xiao Wu is glaring at us from afar!"

Yang Yucheng released A Sen with an embarrassed look and said: "So what if he sees? Ninth Master and I have been friends since we were kids. Can't I even joke around with Ninth Master's attendant?"

This was the answer he'd given when Mo Yi asked him what his relationship with Ninth Master was during lunch.

The young man shook his head with a somewhat helpless expression.

The three of them entered the side room together.

Fu Tingjun, meanwhile, was wondering to herself—the one who had spoken was Yucheng, but who was the other one?

Though his features were ordinary, he had a pair of gentle eyes that made him seem particularly kind.

Could he be that one called Yuanbao?

She'd have to ask A Sen about it later!

Out of the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Xiao Wu at the door welcoming someone in with unbridled joy. Within a few breaths, Xiao Wu returned, beaming, accompanying a stranger into the room.

The man appeared to be twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old, with dark, rough skin and a plain, honest face. He wore a coarse blue cloth garment. At first glance, he looked like someone who had toiled in the fields for years, yet his jet-black eyes were as cold and sharp as autumn water, and his brow carried a chilling murderous aura, exuding an unyielding fortitude that made it impossible to underestimate him.

Fu Tingjun's heart trembled, and a sense of momentous convergence washed over her.

The man suddenly raised his head, his gaze sweeping past Fu Tingjun's back as he strode quickly into Mo Yi's chamber.

"Tao Mu, you've finally come!" Mo Yi let out a relieved, hearty laugh. "I've been at my wit's end these past few days, just waiting for you to come and give me some advice!"

"Brother Mo!" The man called Tao Mu smiled and bowed in greeting, the coldness in his brow softening somewhat, but Mo Yi grabbed him by the arm. "Don't stand on ceremony with me—I'm in a real bind here!" He then called for Xiao Wu to serve tea and pulled Tao Mu over to sit in a nearby armchair. "Did you receive all the messages I sent through Chen Liu?" Mo Yi's expression turned serious. "Do you have any ideas?"

"I received all the messages," Tao Mu said with a smile. "Brother Mo is on his own here, with only Xiao Wu and Xiao Liu to help—it's inevitable that some things slip through the cracks..."

"Enough, no need to flatter me." Mo Yi made a "stop talking" gesture, cutting off Tao Mu. "This time, to find Sixteenth Master, we brought out the elite of the army. And Xiao Wu and Xiao Liu—needless to say, you trained them yourself. Even so, the three of us haven't found a single lead to this day..."

As he spoke, Xiao Wu served tea, then quietly closed the door and took up his post outside.

"I originally planned to test their true intentions, which is why I agreed to let Chen Liu take A Sen to Xi'an Prefecture... The clothing shop was Chen Liu's choice, and the snack vendor was someone they happened to run into on the road. Not a single extra word was spoken, let alone any chance to slip out of Chen Liu's sight. But not long after we returned to Linchun Town, people from Jiuligou kept arriving in town to settle in, forcing us to come into the city. Staying at the Xisheng Inn was my spur-of-the-moment decision—they didn't even exchange a word with the innkeeper. Yet within a few days, they ran into a former fellow townsman, Yang Yucheng, and that Yang Yucheng brought along someone called Jin Yuanbao, claiming to be an old acquaintance. This time, having been trapped in Xi'an Prefecture by the disaster, he met Yang Yucheng, who mentioned Zhao Ling and learned that Zhao Ling was also in Xi'an. Jin Yuanbao insisted on coming to see him..." He rubbed his aching head. "There's not a single flaw, yet I can't shake the feeling that something's off. But I just can't put my finger on anything."

Tao Mu smiled. "We're all just passing acquaintances, and Sixteenth Master has returned to the residence safely. Brother Mo needn't worry too much. When I came, I received a letter from Fifth Master telling us to head back early if there's nothing pressing..."

"You don't understand what I mean." Mo Yi didn't relax at Tao Mu's words; instead, his brows knit tighter. "You don't know—when I first saw Zhao Ling fighting those bandits at the City God Temple, aside from the one throw that took down the bandit leader, everything else was utterly unremarkable. Later, when I examined his internal injuries, his true qi was sluggish and blocked, like a river silted up over years, difficult to dredge. I assumed he'd been wounded by Feng Laosi, and thinking that he'd managed to escape from Feng Laosi with a child and a woman, I figured he was a man of some mettle, and it wouldn't be beneath me to keep him company. Since there was no word from Sixteenth Master, I couldn't let him go. And because I respected that he had some real skill, I didn't want to sour the relationship, so I only gave him ordinary medicines like Gongjian San. They wouldn't cure him quickly, but with continued use, he'd recover in two or three months. Who would have thought that in just over ten days, he'd already be walking around? Then there's that young servant beside him, A Sen—he looks no more than eight or nine, yet when he performs an ordinary staff technique, it's a perfect blend of orthodox and unorthodox methods, with rigorous discipline that shows true mastery of the martial arts... According to A Sen, he learned his skills from Zhao Ling. You and I both come from military families—outsiders watch the spectacle, but insiders understand the craft. With skill like that, I doubt even the chief instructors of our two households could match it!"

Tao Mu listened thoughtfully. "I've received some intelligence. Feng Laosi has been killed, and the twenty-odd men with him were wiped out as well. Now the Feng Family is led by Feng Laosan."

"What?" Mo Yi shot to his feet.

Tao Mu looked at him, his expression calm. "Feng Laosi's last known whereabouts were a village called Dong'an near Weinan County. From Dong'an Village to Xialuyu in Lantian is only about fifty li—even a woman could cover that distance in a single night. And from Xialuyu to Xi'an Prefecture, one must pass through Linchun Town!"

"Damn it!" Mo Yi cracked his knuckles, his voice dripping with sour resentment. "I've spent all my life hunting geese, and now I've been pecked by one. No wonder this Zhao Ling recovered after just a few days of rest—I've run into a top-tier master!"

"Afraid it's just as Brother Mo suspects," Tao Mu said. "With something this big happening, the Feng Family in their old gangster days would have torn up the ground three feet deep to find whoever killed Feng Laosi. But this time, they haven't said a word about his death, and his funeral was handled hastily." His expression gradually turned grave. "A young master of this caliber has appeared on the northwestern road, and I didn't even know about it... I suspect he's a river-crossing dragon."

Mo Yi was taken aback. "You think he's from the Tengji Guard?"

Ever since Shi Wenbin became the commander of the Tengji Guard, he had recruited many renowned young masters from the jianghu.

Tao Mu nodded.

"Not likely!" Mo Yi said with firm confidence. "That fiancée of his—her every move and mannerism is steeped in the dignified pride of a proper lady from a great household. How could some wild, rough-and-tumble jianghu woman fake that? If he were from the Tengji Guard, where would he find a woman like that? Don't forget—when she was at the City God Temple, the dagger was already at her throat. If Sixteenth Master's signal had come a moment later, she'd have been dead!" He sighed with feeling. "To kill Feng Laosi and wipe out everyone around him in one stroke... a young master like that, unfathomable and unreadable... If he takes Sixteenth Master's name card to pledge himself to Fifth Master, fine. But if the Tengji Guard sets their eyes on him..." His voice trailed off as his expression tightened, and he looked at Tao Mu.

Tao Mu was looking back at him.

Years of fighting side by side, living and dying together, allowed the two to understand each other's thoughts instantly.

Zhao Ling held Sixteenth Master's name card. The card bore no specific inscription—besides serving as a key to open the door of the Shaanxi Regional Military Commission, it could also be used to seek an audience with Sixteenth Master himself. If Zhao Ling were just some frail, bookish scholar, it wouldn't matter. But he was a top-tier master... The story of Jing Ke's assassination attempt on the King of Qin had been told for a thousand years... And Zhao Ling had two companions who were clearly no ordinary men...

For Sixteenth Master's safety, better to kill the wrong man than let the right one slip away!

"In that case, there's no time to waste." Tao Mu rose decisively. "I'll go request Fifth Master's orders immediately. We may need to mobilize the Divine Crossbow Battalion!"

A vicious glint flashed across Mo Yi's face. "Then wait for my word."