Chapter 9

The Green Ox was nowhere to be found in the stables. The old man who guarded them was a hunchbacked deaf-mute with a garbled speech. After much effort, he finally managed to explain that the Green Ox had been led away a day prior by a child who whistled outside the stables. The Green Ox then broke through the stable doors and charged out.

After Chang'an understood, he exclaimed in surprise, "How did Erhu end up in Danyang City?! Yu Fu, it looks like we'll have to make a trip to Crimson Blood Fortress." The two stayed at the Rugui Inn for a night and headed towards Crimson Blood Fortress the next day. They had no leads on Erhu's whereabouts, so their only option was to gather information at Crimson Blood Fortress for now.

Crimson Blood Fortress was thirty li outside Danyang Prefecture, a place frequented by outlaws, and the situation there was quite chaotic.

During breakfast time, a carriage slowly drove into Youke Tea House, located three li outside Crimson Blood Fortress.

Youke Tea House served as a forward post for Crimson Blood Fortress to welcome heroes from all walks of life. It was a place for martial artists to rest and gather, and it was indeed chaotic, filled with all sorts of people.

The carriage was simple, pulled by an old horse, and it slowly stopped in front of Youke Tea House, parking by the roadside. A graceful young woman and a plump young man alighted from the carriage. They looked like a couple, walking hand in hand, which indeed made them seem quite well-matched. It was Chang'an and Yu Fu.

Chang'an and Yu Fu sat down at a roadside tea stall, choosing not to go upstairs. They ordered a pot of bitter tea and didn't speak much. The tea was very bitter, and they drank it slowly.

The surrounding tables, however, were incredibly boisterous, filled with bragging, idle chatter, and lively discussions. When a crowd gathers, there are always endless topics and news to share.

"Did you hear? Liu Xuanfeng, the young master of Crimson Blood Fortress, was poisoned by Ning Family's Chang'an. His body was only quietly transported back to Crimson Blood Fortress the day before yesterday. Ning Family's Chang'an is too arrogant; he's caused a huge disaster this time. The lord of Crimson Blood Fortress is determined to take his life."

"Really?! Ning Family's Chang'an will never be able to establish himself in Changshan and Longyuan Provinces again."

"Is that true? Ning Family's Chang'an has been lying low for months..."

These outlaws, whether barefoot or shod, commoners or ruffians, spoke with great enthusiasm, embellishing their stories as if they had witnessed them firsthand, recounting them vividly and with great interest.

Ning Family's Chang'an had risen to fame in just a few years, earning much envy and jealousy in the hearts of many. They wished this huge farce were true. This was the consequence of being too prominent, of selfish desires, and the psychology of onlookers.

Of course, there were also admirers, and their devotion was extraordinary.

"Nonsense!"

Suddenly, at a table, a robust, dark-skinned young man stood up and said sternly, "Ning Family's Chang'an is upright and honorable; how could he poison someone? Stop your malicious gossip and slander here. Anyone who dares to speak ill of Ning Family's Chang'an again will be my sworn enemy."

Everyone was taken aback, and then they slapped their tables and burst into laughter.

The young man was just a junior; these "masters" certainly weren't afraid of him at all.

A man with curly hair among them chuckled, "Why are you covering up for the dirty deeds Ning Family's Chang'an committed? If he didn't do it, why doesn't he come out and clarify himself? I suspect he has a guilty conscience. What do you all think?"

The crowd egged him on, clapping their hands and saying, "Curly Bear is right! It must be like that. Let's all wait and see Crimson Blood Fortress chop off Ning Family's Chang'an's head."

The young man stood up abruptly and pointed at Curly Bear, cursing, "Curly dog, say that again! Believe it or not, I'll fight you to the death!" The young man held an iron rod, already in a fighting stance. He often played with the iron rod, which had been polished smooth and shiny.

Curly Bear was furious. "Junior, have you got mush in your brain to dare curse at me?"

Clang!

A gleaming Ghost Head Saber was unsheathed. The blade flashed, slashing towards the young man's chest. The crowd moved aside with amusement, anticipating a good show. Such brawls and killings were common in the martial world. For those who roamed the jianghu, this was also a form of entertainment.

The young man blocked Curly Bear's saber with his iron rod. Curly Bear's saber technique was seasoned; he drew his blade and swung it, aiming for the young man's waist. The young man blocked again with his iron rod, but his strength was insufficient. He was too young and unstable on his feet, retreating repeatedly, his expression turning grim. Curly Bear, gaining the upper hand, pressed his attack, sneering, "I'll teach you a lesson! Not even the King of Heaven can stop you from taking this blow from me!"

The saber strike was aimed directly at the young man's shoulder, exploiting an opening, intending to sever one of his arms. The intent was quite vicious.

Everyone secretly sighed, feeling sorry for the young man. A spirited young man was about to be crippled. Of course, seeing some blood also made these bloodthirsty martial artists' hearts race with excitement, looking forward to it immensely.

But a sudden change occurred. Curly Bear let out a scream and flew backward unnaturally, crashing onto a table, then falling to the ground. He screamed and writhed, unable to get up, gasping, "Who threw a hidden weapon to ambush me? Who... Ah, it's a tea leaf..."

Yu Fu and Chang'an exchanged a smile.

They had heard what they needed to hear. The two got up, ready to head to Crimson Blood Fortress, a trip they absolutely had to make. Suddenly, a waiter rushed over, blocking their path, and handed them a note. Chang'an looked at it; the note read: "Wine upstairs, tiger outside."

Chang'an looked up and saw a young man in white on the tea house's upper floor looking at him with a smile.

The waiter said repeatedly, "The young master upstairs invites you. He says he has profound secrets to reveal and good wine to offer. He invites you two to share a drink."

Chang'an felt a flicker of doubt and frowned slightly. "Yu Fu, let's go meet the young master upstairs. This person... I find him familiar. There's something strange about this!"

There was a Young Master Cao in Danyang Prefecture, whose family had been in business for generations and was immensely wealthy. However, they couldn't achieve fame in a prosperous place like Danyang Prefecture. In terms of wealth, the Cao family wasn't among the top, but they were indeed a prominent family. People in Changshan and Longyuan Provinces knew that the Cao family excelled at swordsmanship, with men, women, old, and young all proficient. They rarely paid attention to the Cao family's business dealings.

The Cao family had a remarkable individual, Young Master Cao Jing, who had considerable fame in the martial world.

Cao Jing had his own separate residence and lived alone in Danyang Prefecture. He never had any male attendants, only women. The women by his side never stayed for a fourth night. No matter how beautiful they were, he would only spend three nights with them, and he would always pay them, yet he never visited brothels and detested women from brothels. He was dashing, wealthy, strong, a master swordsman, and handsome, never lacking women or friends.

Many people wanted to curry favor with him.

However, Chang'an detested this person, not even wanting to meet him, and had even once considered killing him. Yet, the person standing before him with a smile was none other than Young Master Cao Jing.

Chang'an had never met Cao Jing before, but he recognized him immediately.

He regretted coming upstairs.

Cao Jing stepped forward, chuckling, "Ning Family's Chang'an, I've heard much about you. Please, sit, sit!" He was refined and, surprisingly, had no women with him.

Chang'an wasn't surprised. He had known for a long time that Cao Jing had no women with him. This was because Cao Jing had fallen for a woman and vowed not to indulge in ordinary women again, unless it was that specific woman. It was because of that woman that Chang'an had wanted to kill him.

Yu Fu held Chang'an's hand. No matter the time, she wanted to hold his hand and rarely let go. Chang'an had no intention of sitting down and said impolitely, "If you have something to say, just say it directly."

Cao Jing's face always wore a smile, a smile that warmed both men and women, always eliciting a smile in return. When Cao Jing wasn't smiling, it usually meant it was time to draw his sword, so most people cherished seeing Cao Jing smile.

Chang'an, however, looked indifferent. Yu Fu was intently pinching the back of Chang'an's plump hand, as if it were amusing.

"You've indeed lost all your inner energy."

Cao Jing suddenly said.

Chang'an replied, "That shouldn't be a secret anymore, should it?"

Cao Jing smiled. "For most people, secrets remain secrets. Even if they are revealed, no one will believe them. Even if you were to run to the railing right now and shout that you are Ning Family's Chang'an, people would just think you're an idiot, a madman."

Chang'an said, "So the original Chang'an is dead, and there's a Fatty Ning now."

Cao Jing was stunned, "Fatty Ning? That's a good nickname!"

Chang'an said, "Indeed, it is!"

Cao Jing smiled and nodded, saying, "I'm a friend of Lu Jing."

Chang'an sneered, "Lu Jing is indeed untrustworthy."

Cao Jing's eyelids twitched, and he felt a chill, but his smile remained warm. The three of them stood at the doorway, a table full of food and wine emitting a strong aroma, ignored by everyone.

Cao Jing suddenly said, "Su Yueru's husband is still alive!" It was earth-shattering. He also stopped smiling abruptly, his face filled with resentment.

Chang'an was greatly alarmed.

Cao Jing continued, "Our Cao family is a secret branch of the Money Gang, and my father is the leader! Su Yueru recently disappeared from the Moon Concealing Pavilion, taken away. According to secret transmissions, the person who took her was the leader of the Money Gang, her husband."

Chang'an was even more shocked. He knew the influence of the Money Gang, which covered the entire Great Gan Dynasty. Wherever there was money, there was the Money Gang, just as where there were beggars, there was the Beggar Gang, deeply rooted. The leader of the Money Gang was elusive, appearing and disappearing like a ghost, his wealth rivaling the nation, and his martial arts unfathomable.

The woman Cao Jing had fallen for was Su Yueru. Once, when Su Yueru was drunk, he had torn open her top and fondled her chest. However, Wang Qiandang discovered him and beat him severely.

It was precisely because of this that Chang'an had intended to kill him. Su Yueru had treated him exceptionally well, and he couldn't tolerate Sister Yueru suffering such humiliation. But in the end, the Blood Rose, who had always been uncompromising, unexpectedly stopped Chang'an and prevented him.

Chang'an now seemed to understand the whole story.

Su Yueru always tried her best to avoid people from the Money Gang; she seemed to be evading that man.

Chang'an suddenly remembered that night, Su Yueru's tearful smile, and he became absent-minded. Yu Fu gently pinched him. He came back to his senses and pulled Yu Fu downstairs.

Cao Jing suddenly said again, "There was a Green Ox, heading towards Longyuan Province by water."

Chang'an and Yu Fu had already gone downstairs and boarded a carriage heading towards Crimson Blood Fortress.

The old horse was very old, but it ran with exceptional strength. Chang'an's whip struck a bit too hard, and Yu Fu felt sorry for the old horse.

Crimson Blood Fortress appeared very desolate. A place where people had died always seemed to exude a gloomy aura.

Chang'an and Yu Fu dismounted and walked towards the front of Crimson Blood Fortress, only to find a burly man already standing at the crossroads, like a fierce pack leader, staring at them.