Early in the morning, Wang Fang knocked on Mo Cheng's door. "Young Master, are you awake?"
"Old Wang, come in."
Letting out a breath of turbid air, Mo Cheng slowly spoke as he emerged from meditation.
Old Wang pushed the door open and brought in the meal Treasure Official's Manor had prepared.
As Li Yan had said, the two of them had arrived in Duobao Town yesterday. After finding the Official's Manor and reporting Li Huo's name, they had indeed received the steward's warm hospitality. Even physicians and medicine had been swiftly arranged.
In the span of a single night, Mo Cheng's injuries had already healed seven or eight parts out of ten.
"Has Brother Li returned?"
"Not yet this morning, but the steward said that little brother Li Huo is remarkably capable, so there is no need to worry."
"Mm..." Mo Cheng nodded and said no more, focusing on his breakfast.
While they were eating, Li Yan had already evaded the people in the manor and silently entered the underground secret chamber.
When Li Yan arrived, Li Fucai was no longer as slovenly and carefree as before. Instead, he had dressed himself in splendid brocade robes, wore a Jade Crown Hat atop his head, a Jade Belt around his waist, and dazzling jeweled jade rings on his fingers.
There was also an additional person beside him—the mistress of the household whom Li Yan had vaguely glimpsed that day, as if seeing her through mist.
"Hahahahaha! Madam, I told you so, didn't I? He definitely had a way to deal with Three Fiends Ridge. Look, hasn't he returned completely unharmed?"
The madam merely glanced at Li Yan, her gaze indifferent, yet her expression clearly delighted. "Young Hero Li truly is extraordinary. Yesterday, you had just leveled Black Cloud Stronghold. I presume Three Fiends Ridge has also been dealt with?"
"Mm, it has been dealt with... Official Li, our agreement..."
"No problem, no problem!"
Li Fucai was beaming. With Black Cloud Stronghold gone and Three Fiends Ridge gone, his business could grow larger and prosper more!
As for whether Wu Zongren would learn that Li Huo had dealt with Black Cloud Stronghold... Who was Li Huo? Did that have anything to do with him, Li Fucai?
Before long, Li Fucai openly appeared within the manor. Cries of surprise and laughter immediately rang through Treasure Official's Manor, and the entire town soon learned that Treasure Official had returned.
Li Fucai did not utter a word about where he had gone. He only said that a safe return was cause for celebration, then waved his hand grandly and gave silver and copper coins to all who came and went.
"Tsk, tsk. Treasure Official Li Fucai truly lived up to his name."
Mo Cheng could not help clicking his tongue at the sight, while Old Wang repeatedly nodded beside him.
"Brother Li, what do you think?"
"Not bad."
"Not bad? How so?"
"He is a merchant. He bore the risks of trade; whether he earned or lost money was his own business and had nothing to do with others."
"But since he made money, it showed he had ability. Yet being willing to take out his wealth and share it with others was something most wealthy merchants could not do."
Mo Cheng fell into thought, and the way he looked at Li Fucai gained several degrees of solemnity.
Soon, the onlookers dispersed. Li Yan brought Mo Cheng to meet Li Fucai, and when Li Fucai heard Mo Cheng's name, his eyes nearly bulged out. He had never expected Li Yan to know someone of such stature.
The son of General Mo's Manor—this was a top-tier force within Great Wu's Martial Merit Lineage. If he could forge ties with someone like this, then even Wu Zongren would need to think twice before moving against him.
Naturally, such matters could not be conducted openly, or else they would surely become a massive handle for others to seize.
Without further ado, Li Fucai immediately had the steward prepare a banquet to entertain Mo Cheng, but Mo Cheng declined on the grounds of his injuries.
Just then, a servant delivered urgent news.
Upon receiving the message, Li Fucai could not help turning to look at Li Yan, his gaze carrying a trace of unease.
Sensing that something was wrong, Li Yan immediately asked, "What happened?"
"This... You should see for yourself."
Taking the letter, Li Yan skimmed through its contents at a glance, and his brow instantly furrowed.
Something had happened in Dongjiang City!
Just yesterday, City Lord Huang Lingyan had announced that he had received Fierce Wind Bandits' final ultimatum. If Dongjiang City could not hand over the culprit who had killed two of their chieftains, they would stop at nothing to exact revenge upon Dongjiang City.
In a direct clash, Dongjiang City was not lacking in top-tier combat power with Huang Lingyan and Shangguan Liuyun there. But the Fierce Wind Bandits' retaliation would not be a duel between martial artists—they would use every conceivable means.
Poisoning, ambushes, arson—they would disregard the circumstances of their targets, care nothing for who those targets were, and care even less how many died or were injured.
How could the people of Dongjiang City accept such a crazed enemy?
Afterward, the Shangguan Family was surrounded by panicked, terrified, furious citizens.
At first, they kept pleading without end. Later, they cursed madly and even began assaulting the Shangguan Family.
Fearing they might accidentally harm the civilians, Shangguan Liuyun and Shangguan Feiyun had been constrained at every turn. Yet after the crowd withdrew, they discovered that Shangguan Xiyun was gone!
News then spread through the city: either the Shangguan Family would deal with the Fierce Wind Bandits, or they would hand Shangguan Xiyun over to negotiate terms with the Fierce Wind Bandits. Shangguan Liuyun and his brother were directly driven into a corner with no road ahead and no gate behind.
"Bastards!"
After reading the letter, rage could not help boiling in Li Yan's heart.
Dongjiang City sat peacefully in one corner of Great Wu, and the stable supplies the Shangguan Family had secured played no small part in that stability.
Yet now, a pack of ungrateful rabble had repaid kindness with enmity, attacking the Shangguan Family's residence and even abducting Shangguan Xiyun.
There was no need to say more. This had definitely been Huang Lingyan, that old scheming bastard, pulling the strings. Without him, those rabble could never have done such a thing. But the most important matter now was how to resolve this crisis.
"Brother Li, you helped me break out of my predicament, so I will naturally not go back on my word," Li Fucai declared first. "I will immediately contact every merchant. Starting tomorrow, no merchant will enter Dongjiang City again."
Li Yan nodded, then rose to leave, only for Mo Cheng beside him to grab hold of him.
"Without Brother Li's help at Three Fiends Ridge, I fear my little life would have been lost. I am not someone who likes owing others favors. Since Brother Li has need of me, Mo Cheng will naturally give his utmost support."
Wang Fang's expression changed slightly when he heard this. He was just about to speak when Mo Cheng cut him off. "Old Wang, stay here for now and trouble Official Li."
"Aiya, aiya, what are you saying, Young Master Mo? For Mister Wang to stay in my humble home is the honor of my humble home!"
Li Yan nodded. "In that case, gather outside the manor in one hour." With that, he turned and left.
The moment he stepped out of the hall, the anger on Li Yan's face slowly faded.
The development of events was essentially no different from what he had expected, even the timing differed by very little.
When he had fought his way out of Dongjiang City that day, he had known that once Huang Lingyan bared his fangs, he would seize control of Dongjiang City's voice in the shortest possible time. Every tiger blocking his path would inevitably be cleared away.
Wang Jin, who had breathed through the same nostril as him, had not even survived one extra day. How could he possibly give the Shangguan Family a chance to catch their breath?
Though he had received no small amount of benefit from the Shangguan Family, the premise was that he had saved the Shangguan Family's younger sister. It had merely been mutual benefit.
Though Shangguan Liuyun had appeared to trust him greatly, in truth, the Shangguan Family was simply stretched thin for manpower.
And what he was doing now was delivering charcoal in the snow when the Shangguan Family faced its greatest peril!
Only through repeatedly saving one another like this would the relationship between him and the Shangguan Family grow deeper and deeper. After this, their ties would surely become even more profound, and when he needed the Shangguan Family to act, it would be easier for him to speak up.
Before you continue