News of Whale Blood!

"A fair, plump young master?"

Fang Xuan narrowed his eyes slightly, and Sikong Jihuai's honest-looking face, always wearing a smile, surfaced in his mind.

That eldest young master of the Sikong Family was a little too enthusiastic.

He gently shook his head. People of the martial world all said that this eldest young master was affable and open-hearted, a rare kind soul among the great families.

From his one encounter with the eldest young master, Sikong Jihuai had indeed been as the rumors described—kind by nature, making those around him feel like they were basking in a spring breeze.

Yet for some reason, Fang Xuan always felt that behind Sikong Jihuai's ever-smiling face lay a shadow that was hard to name.

"Brother, that plump young master seemed like a good person. He knew you were sleeping, so he didn't disturb you. He even invited Xiao Li and me to go play in the city." Fang Lan's eyes curved into crescents as she smiled, clearly leaving with a favorable impression of Sikong Jihuai.

"Mm. Keep your distance from him." Fang Xuan let out a soft breath. He simply could not believe that Sikong Jihuai, the eldest son of a great family and someone raised on the most orthodox family education, could truly be as guileless as he appeared.

A den of wolf cubs could never raise a dog!

Fang Xuan turned to glance outside the house. Several heavy red-lacquered chests were piled there, with silver glinting faintly through their seams.

Yuan Bo sending over the money was within his expectations.

It was not that Yuan Bo truly valued his wife and daughter above money. Rather, from Yuan Bo's perspective, once Zheng Juexiong returned, wouldn't the money be returned in full anyway?

"But this Whaling Ship..."

Fang Xuan narrowed his eyes. Born into a fishing family, he had naturally heard of Whaling Ships.

They were vessels capable of sailing into the deep sea and hunting great whales!

"I was just worrying over where to find whale blood. This Whaling Ship has arrived at exactly the right time!"

A sharp gleam flashed through Fang Xuan's eyes. He took down a straw rain cape hanging on the wall and strode out the door.

"Brother, we still need to put up the couplets—"

Before Fang Lan could finish, Fang Xuan had already vanished into the thick night.

The evening breeze drifted gently, and a full moon hung high overhead.

At Hai Hour, the Yamen Runner guardroom in East City was brightly lit.

Huff, huff, huff!

The moment Fang Xuan arrived outside the guardroom, he heard waves of lewd sounds. Faintly, he could also make out a man continuously kowtowing and begging for mercy.

Fang Xuan frowned and knocked on the door.

Creak.

The door opened outward by a crack. A Yamen Runner poked his head out and looked Fang Xuan over before turning back inside and shouting, "Brother Zheng, Fang Xuan is here!"

"Fang Xuan is here? Hah... let him in!" Yang Zheng's panting voice came from within.

Only then was the guardroom door opened.

Fang Xuan stepped inside. A pungent fishy stench made him frown, and he raised his eyes again.

A buxom woman with her clothes half-undone was being held immobile against the table by two Yamen Runners!

Two trails of tears ran down her fairly lovely face. Her expression was numb and vacant, like an empty shell with its soul torn away.

Behind her, Yang Zheng was repeatedly thrusting forward hard.

A poor, scrawny man in a coarse sleeveless shirt, his sallow face marked with bloody handprints, knelt on the floor nearby and desperately kowtowed to Yang Zheng!

Fang Xuan's eyes gradually narrowed.

Fang Xuan vaguely remembered this poor man. When he was little, he had called him Shunzi Ge. He was an honest man, one of the few tenant farmers east of the city.

He had heard that Shunzi Ge had married a pretty wife in recent years and had a daughter. Their life was not particularly good, but it had at least been warm and peaceful.

"Master Yang, Lord Officer, I beg you! I beg you, please spare my family—spare my wife!"

The poor man's voice tore from his chest in despair.

"Spare you? Fine. You owe us a total of three taels, six qian, and eight wen in tax money, and you've owed it for twenty days. I'll do you a favor and count it as ten taels of silver. Bring out the silver, and I'll let you go!"

The poor man was struck dumb as if by lightning, staring blankly at Yang Zheng's cold sneer.

Ten taels of silver...

Yang Zheng had already bled his entire household dry bit by bit. He could not even produce a hundred wen, so where was he supposed to find ten taels of silver?

"Can't produce it, can you? Fine. I remember you still have five mu of farmland at home, and your daughter is nearly ten—" Yang Zheng was just about to continue.

"Brother Zheng, why are you in such a foul mood today? You can even stomach a country woman? How about I arrange a few young girls from the pleasure house to show my respect for you, Brother Zheng?"

A laugh interrupted him.

Yang Zheng gave one hard thrust, then rose and tightened his belt as he shot the poor man a glare. "Shunzi, your wife is not bad. I'll come back later!"

Only then did he raise his head and give Fang Xuan, who had spoken, a smile that did not reach his eyes.

"Tsk, tsk. Times really have changed. Master Fang is a hall master now—what majesty! So now you've come to mock the way I do things?

Come out. I have something to say to you!"

With that, Yang Zheng strode out of the guardroom, pulled out a chair in the main hall, and sat down.

Fang Xuan turned back to glance at the poor man, who was shuffling forward on his knees and trembling as he dressed his own wife. He could not help drawing a deep breath.

Yang Zheng was greedy for money and lustful by nature, and he especially delighted in violating other men's wives and daughters. What had happened today was far from the first time!

He looked toward Yang Zheng, who sat in the main hall sipping tea. A flash of coldness passed through the depths of his eyes before he strode out, pulled over a chair, and sat down as well.

"What are you saying, Brother Zheng? No matter how far street scum like us climb, don't we still have to do as you officials tell us?" A smile spread across Fang Xuan's face.

"Is that so? Then I hope your words match what is in your heart. It wasn't easy for people at the bottom like you to claw your way up here. Don't lose yourselves all at once and forget your place."

Yang Zheng gave Fang Xuan a meaningful look.

Then, his tone shifted, and he asked with a smile that did not reach his eyes, "A Xuan, I heard that you extorted ten thousand taels of silver from South City today? As far as I know, East City doesn't need ten thousand taels, does it?"

There were no oil lamps in the yamen's main hall. As night rose, the place was steeped in a gloomy darkness.

Fang Xuan's face was obscure in the night, his expression impossible to read.

When Fang Xuan did not answer at once, Yang Zheng's brows slowly furrowed.

"East City indeed doesn't need ten thousand taels. But Brother Zheng has been running around for me—how could I let you work for nothing?"

Suddenly, with a laugh, Fang Xuan handed over a deed.

Yang Zheng took the deed and glanced at it. His brows immediately relaxed, and he burst into laughter. "Hahaha, A Xuan! I said you were different from those other street scum. You really know the way of things!"

"Heh." In the dim light, Fang Xuan tugged at the corner of his mouth without expression.

That bastard plucked feathers from passing geese and stripped bark from passing trees. He had long guessed that Yang Zheng would come asking him for money.

"A Xuan, don't say that your big brother here is greedy. You should know that when you pay tribute to me, I also have to pay tribute to those above me."

Yang Zheng patted Fang Xuan on the shoulder, seemingly afraid that Fang Xuan might feel displeased, and offered a token consolation.

Then, without drawing attention to it, he tucked the deed into his sleeve and turned with a smile. "A Xuan, don't say your brother takes money without doing any work. This time, I have a fine assignment for you!"

"A fine assignment?" Fang Xuan sneered inwardly. He was probably trying to send him off to do some filthy business again.

Yang Zheng raised his teacup for a sip and cleared his throat. "One of the court's Whaling Ships was carrying over a thousand jin of whale blood through our stretch of water when it was seized by a nest of Water Bandits from Ping River. The court has not learned of this matter for the time being. The County Magistrate has ordered me to find that nest of Water Bandits within seven days and wipe them out!"

"A Xuan, I'm leaving this matter to you. If you pull it off, heh heh, my official career will have hope. Once I climb higher, I definitely won't treat you poorly!"

The moment those words fell, Fang Xuan felt a surge of blood rush straight to his head. He was so enraged that he laughed instead.

Fuck your mother!

Water Bandits capable of hijacking a court vessel, and he wanted a mere street thug like him to wipe them out?

Wasn't that the fucking equivalent of the Nine-Headed Insect sending Benbo'erba to deal with Tang Sanzang and his disciples?!