Coming Home Often

At Yuan Benyu's reminder, Li Xian finally remembered.

He had been away from home for a long time.

He wondered what things were like in Nanfeng City now.

Had they reached the state Yuan Benyu described, with the winds howling and the rains sweeping in, and soldiers and bandits running rampant?

If so, weren't his Third Sister, First Madam, and Second Madam in great danger?

Could something have happened to them during all this time?

At the thought, Li Xian grew somewhat anxious.

He had indeed neglected them.

Though he had transmigrated into the Original Body, he didn't fully share its view of family ties.

But those people were, after all, the only ones in this world connected to him by blood through this body. He couldn't just leave them to fend for themselves.

Li Xian didn't consider himself so cold-blooded and heartless.

So, after meeting Yuan Benyu and talking with him for a while,

Li Xian no longer felt like drinking.

After returning to the Cao Gang headquarters with Brother Xin and Wan Cai, he thought it over. Given how turbulent things had become, a small place like Nanfeng City was no longer suitable for living. It would be safer to bring them all to Yangzhou City.

After all, he had established himself in Yangzhou City, and he could develop it as his base from now on.

For the time being, there was no better place.

Li Xian made his decision at once.

He ordered someone to fetch Liang Haisheng.

"Brother Liang, do we have a branch in Nanfeng City?"

Liang Haisheng shook his head. "No, we don't."

Li Xian frowned and asked, "Then where's the nearest branch to Nanfeng City?"

"Bai Liu City."

Bai Liu City was less than a hundred li from Nanfeng City. With a good pair of legs, one could make the round trip in a day.

Li Xian said, "Pass down my order. Have the Hall Master in Bai Liu City gather his men and reach the Li Family Escort Agency in Nanfeng City the day after tomorrow. He must meet up with me there!"

Hearing this, Liang Haisheng asked worriedly, "Dragon King, why? Has something serious happened there?"

Li Xian said, "No, Brother Liang, don't overthink it. I just need help with a personal matter."

"I see."

Liang Haisheng still looked somewhat uneasy.

After giving Liang Haisheng a few more instructions about handling gang affairs, Li Xian set off for Nanfeng City with Brother Xin and Wan Cai.

Once they had left, Liang Haisheng thought it over, but still couldn't put his mind at ease.

"One branch might not be enough. I'll have the men from the two branches near Nanfeng City go help. No, three branches. That should take care of it."

Li Xian was now too precious to risk. He was the hope of everyone in the Cao Gang, and not a single thing could go wrong.

"Right, that's settled!"

Nanfeng City, Li Family Escort Agency.

Ever since Li Xian had left, the Li Family's fortunes had plummeted.

Before that, with Li Lantian holding things together, the Li Family had been a respected household in Nanfeng City.

After Li Lantian died, Li Xian had surpassed his father.

The Li Family Escort Agency's name had still carried some weight.

But with Li Xian gone and Li Lantian's old connections in Nanfeng City gradually fading,

the Li Family had begun to slide downhill.

The demonic forces and rebels lurking outside the city were bad enough. The oppression within the city alone was enough to leave the Li Family gasping for breath.

"Third Miss, people from the Escort Association just came by again."

In the main hall, the maid Xiao Ying said with a bitter expression.

The Escort Association was an organization formed by all the local escort agencies in Nanfeng City, supposedly to maintain standardized management of the local agencies.

These days, of course, it had long since lost its original purpose.

More ironically, Li Lantian had once served as its president for two years.

"They came to collect the dues again?" Li Chunxiao asked calmly.

They used to be the ones chasing others for their dues. Now the wheel had turned, and they were the ones being chased.

Xiao Ying smiled bitterly. "Yes. What else could it be? Has anything good ever come of them visiting?"

"I know. I'll find a way," Li Chunxiao said.

The Escort Association's monthly dues weren't much, only a few dozen taels of silver.

In the past, that sum had meant nothing.

But for the Li Family now, already spending more than it earned and struggling to cover even food and daily necessities, it was a burden.

All this time, Li Chunxiao had been holding the Li Family together by herself.

Though her talent was decent, during Li Xian's absence she had broken through to the Mid-sixth Grade through her own efforts.

But it still wasn't nearly enough to stand her ground in an increasingly chaotic Nanfeng City.

Looking at Third Miss's increasingly haggard face, Xiao Ying said with concern, "If only Second Young Master were here. With him to help, Third Miss wouldn't have to work so hard."

Li Chunxiao said, "Second Brother is making his way alone in Yangzhou City. He's away from home, with no one to rely on. He may be having an even harder time than we are, so we shouldn't make things difficult for him."

She had always believed that Li Xian's life away from home was harder than theirs.

"Oh, I understand."

"Don't worry. Tell the Escort Association that they'll get every bit of their dues."

Li Chunxiao planned to pawn some of the jewelry her mother had prepared as her dowry, exchange it for silver, and get through the immediate crisis first.

The following morning.

People from the Escort Association came again.

Someone kicked open the gate of the Li Family Escort Agency.

"Who's there?" A Li Family servant hurried over at the sound.

"Your lordship kicked it in. What of it? Got a problem?" A short, rat-faced man with a leering look yelled arrogantly.

He was just a low-ranking lackey from the Escort Association, and lately he had been the one coming to make trouble at the Li Family's door.

When the servant saw that he was from the Escort Association, he immediately fell silent, not daring to speak.

Seeing the Li Family members' fearful expressions, the leering short man felt immensely gratified and laughed even louder.

"A Jian, you should be more courteous to President Li's family."

Behind the short man stood a middle-aged man with a thin frame and a goatee. He rolled two steel balls in his hand and spoke with affected amusement.

A Jian bowed and scraped. "President Huang is right."

The middle-aged man was Huang Qiyao, the current president of the Nanfeng City Escort Association.

He was narrow-minded, greedy, and lecherous.

Back when Li Lantian was president, he had repeatedly suppressed Huang Qiyao, humiliating him and making him lose face.

All these years, he had held a grudge against Li Lantian—and the Li Family—for it.

Now that he had risen to power and the Li Family had lost its former prestige, he was sure to repay every old grudge many times over.

Huang Qiyao peered inside. "Why don't I see my niece?"

The niece he meant was Li Chunxiao.

He hadn't seen the Third Miss of the Li Family for several years.

In that time, the girl who had once been little Li Chunxiao had grown into a graceful young woman, a beauty by any measure.

And after years of practicing the Martial Dao and managing the Li Family, she had acquired a resilient, spirited air.

Huang Qiyao had seen Li Chunxiao again not long ago and had been instantly smitten. His wicked thoughts had already begun to stir.