A Sudden Piece of Good News
When Hua Manchun returned to the Flower Immortal Manor, the first thing she did was to summon her old servant, Ru Yu.
Thirty years ago, Ru Yu was one of the most favored women in the Flower Immortal Manor, but now that she is old and her beauty has faded, she has been left by Hua Manchun's side to serve as her housekeeper.
Ru Yu is fortunate.
Hua Manchun extended her index and middle fingers in front of Ru Yu, moving them left and right like scissors for a moment.
An ordinary person seeing this action would think that Hua Manchun was about to smoke, but Ru Yu understood what Hua Manchun meant: he had anger inside and wanted to let it out.
Hua Manchun is Joy Cultivator, the owner of the Flower Immortal Manor. If he wants to relieve his lust, he naturally has special methods and special ways. There are only a little over three thousand people in the Flower Immortal Manor, and apart from Hua Manchun, the rest are all women.
There are more than 500 people living in the central part of the village. These people are in the prime of their lives and are the most favored women of Hua Manchun. Ru Yu would definitely not use these people to relieve Hua Manchun's lust, because after relieving lust, less than half of them may survive.
More than a thousand women lived on the outskirts of the village. Some of these women were too old, and others had offended Hua Manchun lost his favor. They could only do odd jobs in the village.
Some of them were responsible for making beds and folding blankets, some for sweeping and dusting, and others for heavy work such as pulling millstones and pushing carts. Compared to them, Ru Yu was really lucky.
Ru Yu, one shouldn't let these people who have fallen out of favor vent their anger, because these people might add fuel to the fire for Hua Manchun.
There are also more than 500 people living outside the manor. These women all have cultivation and are responsible for patrolling and keeping watch to protect the safety of the manor. These people are very important to the manor and are even less suitable for venting their anger.
Finally, there were a thousand people left. They couldn't be said to be favored or out of favor. For Hua Manchun, they were people she could remember if she saw them, and people she could forget if she didn't see them. These people were the most suitable.
Ru Yu selected thirty people from among them and sent them to Hua Manchun's residence. These thirty people knew what was about to happen.
Standing in the hall, trembling with fear and sweating profusely, Hua Manchun waved his hand. Seeing Ru Yu, Ruyu quickly left the hall and led people to guard the courtyard. Hua Manchun, burning with rage, could kill at any moment, so it was wise to stay away from him.
Hua Manchun shouted into the courtyard, "Ru Yu, how come you don't know any manners?"
Ru Yu's heart skipped a beat, and she lowered her head, saying, "Master, I... I did everything you instructed."
"Do I need to tell you some things? Fetch me some water for a bath!"
"Wash again—" In her high state of tension, Ru Yu couldn't help but blurt out these words, and then quickly said, "This old servant has spoken out of turn. This old servant will go and boil water for my master right away."
"Wait a minute!" Hua Manchun called out to Ru Yu, "What do you mean by 'still washing'? Did I already wash?"
Ru Yu was stunned for a long time, then lowered her head and said, "This old servant is confused, this old servant is mistaken, Master has not washed, this old servant is boiling water for Master—"
It wasn't Ru Yu who reacted strangely; the other maids in the mansion also seemed to be behaving oddly.
Hua Manchun shouted, "None of you are allowed to leave! Explain yourself clearly, what exactly happened?"
The group stammered as they recounted what had happened.
According to Ru Yu and others, Hua Manchun came back two hours ago, took a bath, and then left again. No one knows why she left.
Hua Manchun was shocked upon hearing this. "What does that person look like? How could you mistake me for someone else?"
Upon hearing the words "admit your mistake," Ruyu's Ru Yu went weak with fear. "Master, this old servant was truly blind! This old servant really didn't realize that the person looked exactly like you."
When asked, the other maids all gave the same answer as Ru Yu: "That person is indeed just like our master. We served him a bath, and not only does he look the same on the face, but he also looks the same on the body! Every scar and every mole is exactly the same."
Hua Manchun was initially extremely annoyed, but then fell into deep thought.
Someone is impersonating me, and they're doing it so well; they must be a stagehand.
But what is the purpose of this play?
Ru Yu said that the man took a bath and left without doing anything, and dozens of maids testified that this was indeed the case.
Hua Manchun didn't believe it. He tied up Ru Yu and dozens of maids and had them whipped. Ru Yu never changed her story, and the maids' testimonies remained the same.
Could what they're saying be true?
If you can't figure out what the other party's intentions are, then this matter can become difficult to handle.
The next morning, the fire in the Hua Manchun subsided, Ru Yu took the bodies of several women out of the mansion and buried them.
After gathering some materials, Hua Manchun went alone to the deep mountains, saying she wanted to start a business.
Flower Immortal Manor may sound small, but it's actually no smaller than Sea Eat Ridge. The manor is surrounded by a large area of mountains, all of which belong to Hua Manchun. There are indeed many businesses on these mountains, but even Ru Yu doesn't know what kind of businesses Hua Manchun is involved in.
Hua Manchun left home in the morning and returned at dusk, asking Ru Yu, "Is everything alright at home?"
Ru Yu was just beaten yesterday, and I really don't know how to respond.
She nodded and said, "There's nothing special about it."
Hua Manchun was still worried, so she returned to the main hall and planned to call all the relevant people over to ask them a few questions.
As soon as Hua Manchun sat down in the chair, she suddenly noticed a painting behind her. The painting depicted three beautiful women: one holding a writing brush, one holding a long sword, and one holding a needle and thread.
These are the three women most favored by Hua Manchun: one named Yu Ping, who is skilled in poetry and prose; another named Yu Jun; and yet another...
He has practiced martial arts since childhood and is a third-level martial arts practitioner. He is also Hua Manchun's personal bodyguard. There is another person named Yu Wan who is best at needle fingering.
Hua Manchun asked Ru Yu, "Where did these three paintings come from?"
Ru Yu knelt on the ground with a thud. "This old servant was blind and mistook you for my master again. This old servant deserves to die. Please punish me, my master."
Dozens of maids also knelt down. They didn't know if they had really admitted their mistake or if their master was deliberately testing them. In any case, things had been strange these past two days. Their master had done something personally, but then turned around and denied it.
Hua Manchun said to Ru Yu, "I won't punish you. Answer my questions carefully. When did you see me return?"
"I came back around noon, had a big meal, and then you said you wanted to paint, so I quickly made arrangements for you. Yu Ping, Yu Jun, and Yu Wan were all personally selected by you, and the things you're holding were also personally instructed by you."
Hua Manchun stared at the ink painting for a long time without saying a word.
Someone impersonated Hua Manchun and entered Flower Immortal Manor twice.
The first message conveyed was that the other party could accurately imitate Hua Manchun, including her appearance, figure, speech and behavior, and could even deceive Hua Manchun's closest maids.
The second message conveyed was that the imitator was also familiar with the people around Hua Manchun, knew which ones were favored by Hua Manchun, and knew what their specialties were.
It would be a lie to say I wasn't afraid in this situation, but Hua Manchun, I remained calm and composed.
He called his men over and beat Ru Yu severely again. It seemed that there was no better way to deal with it. For the next three days, Hua Manchun stayed at home and did not go out.
No one has tried to impersonate someone else in these three days.
On the fourth day, Hua Manchun went out again, saying that she still had to manage the business.
Ru Yu dared not ask, thinking to herself, "What time is it? Why does my master still have to go out? Is he that short of money?"
Hua Manchun is indeed short of money, and right now is the time when she needs it.
Before leaving, Hua Manchun instructed Ru Yu: "If you see me come back, ask me first, 'Did you make money in business?'"
If I tell you I've made money, made two mountains of gold, that's proof that I really have returned.
If the other person doesn't answer with this sentence, it proves that person is fake.
Hua Manchun went deep into the mountains again, but he returned before noon.
As soon as she arrived at the gate of the house, Ru Yu went weak and she sat down on the ground.
A maidservant nearby cried out, "Why is there another master here?"
There was a "master" in the mansion, drinking tea in his study. He returned before Hua Manchun, and as he entered, Ru Yu asked, "Did the business go well?"
The other person replied, "I made two mountains of gold."
It was exactly the same answer that Hua Manchun had given.
This code was given to Ru Yu by Hua Manchun alone. If even this code is leaked, then Hua Manchun has no more secrets she can keep.
Hua Manchun had never encountered such a situation in all his years of ups and downs, but he remained calm and walked directly into the study to look at the other "Hua Manchun" behind the desk.
"My friend, I am unaware of any offense I may have caused, and I apologize in advance." Hua Manchun bowed.
The fake "Hua Manchun" rose and returned the greeting, saying, "Senior, you mustn't do this. It's too much for me. I have indeed offended you. I've been waiting here today to apologize to you."
The other party revealed that his surname was He, Hua Manchun deduced briefly. "You are He Jiaqing, the First Young Master of the He Jiaqing He Family?"
He Jiaqing clasped his hands in greeting and said, "It is indeed I."
Hua Manchun was startled; he hadn't expected He Jiaqing to have such sophisticated methods.
But his face remained expressionless, as if he were reasoning with a friend. "Young Master He, I have no grudge against you. What is the meaning of your mockery of me?"
He Jiaqing laughed and said, "Senior Hua, you and I personally have no real grudge, but you and my friend Chu Yaoqian have a deep-seated feud."
My sister is a bit naive and straightforward, and has offended many seniors in various ways. I hope that the seniors will be magnanimous and spare my sister's life for Mr. He's sake.
He spoke humbly, but his methods were tough. He Jiaqing entered Flower Immortal Manor three times, which was called "force first, then courtesy," proving his strength and making Hua Manchun reassess her own strength during the negotiations.
Hua Manchun then made a concession. "Miss Chu and I have no grudges against each other. We live in neighboring areas and occasionally have some friction. In addition, there were some small things in the past, but others have made a big deal out of it. As long as we can talk things out,
There was no holiday involved at all.
As they spoke, Hua Manchun took out a dressing box and handed it to He Jiaqing: "This is a treasure that Miss Chu lost. I found it and was just about to return it to her."
Since she is Young Master He's sister, then I would like to trouble Young Master He to give this dressing box to Miss Chu.
He Jiaqing accepted the dressing box, Hua Manchun continued, "Young Master He is a rising star, and I would very much like to make you my friend. However, there are rules in the Flower Immortal Manor that men cannot come and go as they please. I hope that Young Master He will respect local customs and not make things difficult for me."
"Of course," He Jiaqing apologized again, "If I need to visit you again in the future, I will find another place. I will take my leave now."
Upon arriving at Chu Yaoqian's residence, He Jiaqing took out his dressing box.
Chu Yaoqian lit up with surprise. "This box is my magic weapon. Last time I fought with Hua Manchun, he snatched it from me."
Brother He, how did you get it back?
He Jiaqing laughed and said, "On the surface, he relies on scheming, but in reality, he relies on his abilities. Sister, you don't need to be afraid of Hua Manchun anymore. After this lesson, he will never dare to cause you any more trouble."
Chu Yaoqian addressed him as "Big Brother" and He Jiaqing as "Sister," and the two got along very well.
This lesson was painful, but Hua Manchun refused to back down.
She spoke very politely to He Jiaqing, but the fire in Hua Manchun's heart burned ever brighter.
He was pondering a question: Was He Jiaqing doing this simply to stand up for Chu Yaoqian, or was there another reason?
Before this, Hua Manchun had just been humiliated by Li Qi. Could this matter also be related to Li Qi?
Dealing with He Jiaqing alone is already difficult enough; if Li Qi were to resort to underhanded tactics, Hua Manchun would truly be unable to withstand it.
He called Ru Yu over and asked, "How many years have you been with me?"
Ru Yu answered tremblingly, "Master, I have served you for forty years."
"I remember spoiling you back then."
Ru Yu nodded. "I will remember your kindness for the rest of my life. I have done wrong these past few days. I have no face to stay by your side. Please allow me to do some rough work and chores. I will do my best to help you, my master, even with my old bones."
"How could you possibly defend yourself against such a ruthless person?" Hua Manchun chuckled. "This isn't your fault."
Call Xiu Yan here.
Xiu Yan was watering the flowers in the yard; you could hear her if she called out.
But in front of Hua Manchun, Ru Yu dared not speak loudly. She came to the entrance of the main hall and waved to Xiu Yan.
Xiu Yan looked up and saw Ru Yu bleeding from all seven orifices, lying outside the door.
"Older sister—" Xiu Yan exclaimed in surprise, cautiously approaching the door to check the situation.
Ru Yu is dead; she was poisoned by Hua Manchun's technique.
Hua Manchun asked her to call Xiu Yan. Xiu Yan came, having been summoned by Ru Yu. In Hua Manchun's view, this meant that Ru Yu had finished her last task.
No matter how strong He Jiaqing was, in Hua Manchun's eyes, Ru Yu should have died long ago after mistaking her master three times in a row.
Hua Manchun wrote a letter and handed it to Xiu Yan: "Go outside the manor, find Yuan Chunping, give her this letter, let her read it in front of you, and then burn it."
Xiu Yan nodded repeatedly, took the letter, and ran all the way to the outside of the manor.
In the camp outside the manor, she found Yuan Chunping. This woman was not considered a member of the Flower Immortal Manor, because she was not the manor lord's woman; she should be considered the manor lord's guest.
Yuan Chunping opened the letter and saw two lines written on it, "Li Qi and He Jiaqing are going to join forces against me. Find a way to get Li Qi away so we can defeat them one by one."
Xiu Yan asked, "Miss Yuan, have you finished reading the letter? Your master told you to burn it immediately after you finish reading it."
Yuan Chunping nodded and burned the letter by candlelight.
The flames from the letter illuminated Yuan Chunping's face, making the woman appear exceptionally beautiful.
Xiu Yan looked at Yuan Chunping, her heart pounded, and she felt a flame rising within her, making it difficult for her to control herself.
"Miss Yuan, I—" Smoke began to rise from Xiu Yan's body.
Yuan Chunping asked with a smile, "What's wrong?"
"I just feel hot." Xiu Yan's body was on fire, really on fire.
Yuan Chunping exclaimed, "Quickly, bring me some water!"
None of the women around dared to move.
They knew this was the technique used in the Hua Manchun.
They just watched Xiu Yan burn to ashes.
Hua Manchun had no intention of keeping Xiu Yan; he didn't want to keep any of the maids in his mansion.
"They mistook their master for someone else, and no matter the reason, they deserve to die," Hua Manchun thought, looking at the corpses in the courtyard. His resentment lessened slightly.
"Li Qi, live a few more days. He Jiaqing, I'll send you on your way first."
Hua Manchun wanted to deal with Li Qi a few days later, but Li Qi wanted to go find Hua Manchun now.
Ma Wu's new business was going smoothly. Li Banfeng discussed it with Feng Daiku: "Hua Manchun is your neighbor. He's a good person. Last time we met, I was too busy to properly entertain him. Could you please arrange for him to come out so we can meet again?"
Feng Daiku knew Li Qi's temperament and also knew Li Qi's purpose.
She knew that Li Qi was no ordinary person, and she had indeed suffered a lot at Hua Manchun's hands. This was a good opportunity for revenge.
But Feng Daiku managed to dissuade Li Qi: "Young Master Li, this matter is not urgent."
Li Qi shook his head. "I'm anxious. I feel uneasy if I don't see Master Hua for a day."
Feng Daiku expression, "Young Master Li, I have fought Hua Manchun for many years, and I know his methods very well. Not only is his own combat strength extremely high, but he has also befriended some ruthless people. The origins of these werewolves are still unknown."
"Give me some time to find out where these people are. Then we can come up with a foolproof plan before we make our move."
Feng Daiku genuinely cared about Li Qi. Although this was a golden opportunity to get rid of Hua Manchun, in Feng Daiku's eyes, Li Qi was definitely not someone to be used. He was a friend, a true friend, and a comrade-in-arms who fought alongside him.
But Li Qi wasn't so easily persuaded. Hua Manchun was already on the ingredient list, Li Qi naturally had to include him in the purchasing plan.
Through Feng Daiku, Li Banfeng gained some further understanding of the Flower Immortal Manor. He planned to first investigate Hua Manchun 'Hua Manchun mysterious businesses before inviting her to his home.
Hua Manchun has worked hard for so many years, and it hasn't been easy. If he were gone, and the business were to fall into ruin, Li Qi would feel really bad.
He was just about to head to the Flower Immortal Manor when Liao Zihui suddenly arrived at Xindi.
Liao Zihui said he came to offer his congratulations and actually gave Ma Wu a gift. Then he found Li Qi and said he had something important to discuss.
After several collaborations, the animosity between the two lessened considerably, Li Banfeng arranged a place for them to chat alone for a few minutes.
"Brother Li, I received a message. I don't know if it's good news, but the higher-ups have agreed to send you another 20,000 Three-Headed People, saying it's to help you expand your power."
Li Banfeng laughed and said, "This is a good thing! But why do they want to strengthen my power?"
"From what I've gathered, the higher-ups mean that you've effectively fulfilled your duties Balance Person in several missions, and in their eyes, you are the most outstanding Balance Person of all time."
Therefore, the higher-ups hope that you will have greater influence in Pro State so that you can play a greater role in the future.
Li Banfeng looked at Liao Zihui and asked, "Is that really what they think?"
Liao Zihui shook his head and said, "I don't know what they're thinking, so I said I don't know if this is good news."
But now that I've received this message, if I don't pass it on to you, then I would be in the wrong.
If my message causes you any misunderstanding, then I've done something even more wrong.
Liao Zihui was careful in everything he did, and he was especially careful in this matter.
After pondering for a moment, Li Banfeng returned to Yuezhou the next day.
Upon arriving at the Dark Star Bureau, Shen Jingye delivered the same message: "Director Li, the higher-ups intend to strengthen your capabilities and plan to send an additional group of people to Sinner City."
Li Banfeng stroked his chin and said, "I can't accept a free lunch. I'm a little worried about suddenly receiving such a large number of people."
"I also think this came too suddenly," Shen Jingye said, giving Li Banfeng a meaningful look. "But I've also heard something else: the higher-ups Birch Hermit Association and hope we can clean up this organization."
Li Banfeng deliberately asked, "What kind of organization is this?"
Shen Jingye gave a general overview of the Birch Hermit Association, emphasizing the organization's current situation. "Their leader seems to have been missing for some time, and many of the Birch Hermit Association's activities have been suspended."
However, something unexpected happened recently, and their activities gradually became more frequent, especially on the Black Market. They were conducting large-scale transactions, buying and selling very frequently.
The Birch Hermit Association been revived.
Miglov cannot be resurrected; his soul was taken by his Wife, and the rest of his body has long since been restored.
Now it seems they have a new president.
Is it true that the new president has made such a big move as soon as he took office?
"Little Shen, do you mean that the higher-ups want me to take down the Birch Hermit Association, and in return, they're willing to give me another batch of Three-Headed People?"
Shen Jingye shook his head. "I didn't say anything, I didn't say anything at all. I just said that the timing of these two events was a bit of a coincidence."
After saying that, Shen Jingye left.
He spoke even more cautiously than Liao Zihui, which did not surprise Li Banfeng.
However, his intentions were basically the same as Liao Zihui's; they were expressing some kind of implication, a dangerous implication that could not be explicitly stated.
Is Shen Jingye trying to warn me to be wary of the Birch Hermit Association?
Li Banfeng summoned Chen Changrui and inquired about the previously assigned task, "What activities have Yellow Flower Leaf, Night Walk Green Shade, and those other groups of dark ability enthusiasts been up to lately?"
Chen Changrui shook his head and said, "They're all quite well-behaved. Yellow Flower Leaf has almost stopped all activities recently."
Judging from these signs, the Birch Hermit Association doesn't seem to have been resurrected, or perhaps Chen Changrui's information source is inaccurate.
Late at night, Li Banfeng contacted Tang Changfa: "Have there been any recent activity from the Ferry Gang or the Birch Hermit Association on the Black Market?"
Tang Changfa shook his head and said, "I haven't heard anything about the birch trees or the ferry, but I have seen a few foreigners always walking around in the Black Market."
The clues are elusive, as if the answer lies in the Black Market of the Culture Palace.
Shouldn't we investigate what the Secret Order is trying to do in the Black Market?
Two days later, Shen Jingye came to see Li Banfeng: "Director Li, we have received orders from above to attach great importance to the inspection of the Black Market this month."
Li Banfeng asked, "Doesn't the Dark Star Bureau frequently investigate the Black Market? Is there anything special about this time?"
"I don't know what's so special about this, which is why I'm specifically informing you whether you want to participate in this inspection. The operation is the day after tomorrow."
Let me see the schedule first...
After Shen Jingye left, Li Banfeng and the other Ban Feng had an in-depth discussion.
Investigating the Black Market in the name of the Dark Star Bureau was indeed a good opportunity, but it came too suddenly.
Not only was this opportunity sudden, but a series of events were also somewhat unexpected.
The day after tomorrow.
Should I go or not?
Late at night, Teacher Song's phone rang.
Teacher Song glanced at the caller ID, answered the phone, and said, "Lin Fojiao, this is unusual. You actually called me on your own initiative. I have a pressing matter to attend to, and I can't afford not to. Someone is trying to bait me, and I don't want to get involved in this—..."
After hanging up Lin Fojiao's call, Teacher Song pondered for a moment and then called Li Banfeng:
"Ban Feng, there's an academic conference at the university about wormholes, with two professors, one new and one old, giving it a rundown. Could you come and attend?"
PS: Lin Fojiao is the boss of the Black Market.