Lecher

The three of them soon arrived at a tavern. They took a table on the second floor, ordered several dishes, and began eating.

Throughout the meal, the other two kept observing Chen Feng. He did not mind, stuffing himself with food as they chatted pleasantly.

Chen Feng claimed that he had depended on his mother since childhood. After she died of illness, he had been taken in by a traveling physician, who brought him from place to place to practice medicine.

A few years ago, after the physician also passed away, he had thought that reading ten thousand miles of books was not as good as traveling ten thousand miles. Thus, he began wandering everywhere, taking in the famous rivers and mountains of different regions. He also expressed his desire to join them in searching for Duan Yu.

Zhu Danchen and Zhu Wanli told him everything they knew without holding back, but they refused Chen Feng's proposal to travel together.

The meal soon ended pleasantly. Zhu Danchen arranged a private upper room for Chen Feng, then returned to his own room and said to Zhu Wanli,

"We've confirmed it. It isn't a Human Skin Mask. I never expected there to be someone in this world who looks so alike."

"Indeed." Zhu Wanli nodded. "No matter how exquisite a Human Skin Mask is, it will still look somewhat unnatural when worn. But this Xiaoyao eats, drinks, and speaks with complete ease. Clearly, that is his true face."

"Then his voice should be genuine too. At first, I thought Young Master had deliberately used Internal energy to alter his voice," Zhu Danchen added.

"His face is practically identical to Young Master's. Do you think he might be Prince's..."

Zhu Wanli did not finish, but Zhu Danchen understood what he meant.

Their Prince, Duan Zhengchun, had been quite the romantic figure in his youth. Who knew how many affairs he had left behind outside?

Moreover, Chen Feng was from the Dali Kingdom, and with that face, there was an eighty or ninety percent chance they were right.

"Let's send Prince a message by carrier pigeon about this. Didn't he say that he wanted to search for Young Master with us? Let him see someone who looks exactly like him. I'll ride ahead, while you accompany Xiaoyao and follow behind."

"Though he is strong, he clearly has never practiced martial arts. The martial world has been rather unsettled lately," Zhu Wanli instructed.

"Let's do that." Zhu Danchen nodded. If the other man truly was Prince's illegitimate son, it would have been one thing had they never encountered him. But now that they had, allowing him to come to harm would be inexcusable.

Early the next morning, Chen Feng opened his door, intending to find a place to pawn his folding fan. To his surprise, Zhu Danchen was already waiting outside.

"Hm? Fourth Brother Zhu, weren't you heading out early to look for your Young Master?" At yesterday's meal, Zhu Danchen had strongly insisted that Chen Feng address him this way, and Chen Feng had not refused.

"Yesterday, Eldest Brother Zhu and I discussed it. We decided that bringing you along to search for our Young Master would not be a bad idea. When our Young Master sees you, he will surely be startled. Just thinking about it is rather amusing."

"If that is the case, then I shall respectfully accept." Though Chen Feng did not know why they had agreed to let him accompany them, he guessed it had something to do with his face.

Still, this was for the best. They would feed and house him, and even serve as bodyguards. No matter how he looked at it, he would not lose out.

The two ate breakfast together, with Zhu Danchen naturally paying again. He seemed to have noticed that Chen Feng was short on funds, so he took the initiative to settle the bill.

And after learning that Chen Feng could not ride a horse, he found a carriage for them and personally drove it toward Gusu. Jiumozhi had mentioned at Tianlong Temple that he sought the Six Meridian Divine Sword manual for Murong Bo.

"Brother Xiaoyao, Gusu is still about two days away. The road will be bumpy, so please bear with it." As the carriage rolled along, Zhu Danchen took the initiative to chat with Chen Feng.

"I was the one being willful and slowing Fourth Brother Zhu down. I should be the one apologizing."

"Haha, it's a small matter. By the way, do you enjoy reading?" Among the four great guards of the Dali Kingdom, Yu Geng Qiao was known for farming, woodcutting, fishing, and reading, while Zhu Danchen took reading as his title. Naturally, he was a studious man who never went anywhere without a book in hand.

"I'm ashamed to say it, although my adoptive father wanted me to study and learn to write, I simply wasn't cut out for books. I only learned to recognize characters." Chen Feng knew that Zhu Danchen had read widely in poetry and literature in order to cater to Duan Yu's tastes. Pretending to be a scholar would be asking for trouble.

...Zhu Danchen fell silent for a moment. The words he had prepared could no longer be spoken. Fortunately, Chen Feng was inside the carriage and had no idea Zhu Danchen had killed the conversation with a single sentence.

"I see. Since Brother Xiaoyao's adoptive father was a physician, does that mean you are well versed in the Art of Healing?" After a short while, Zhu Danchen spoke again.

During yesterday's meal, he and Zhu Wanli had probed around indirectly, but Chen Feng had kept his mouth tight. He had only spoken vaguely of his background and mentioned nothing else. Now that they were alone, Zhu Danchen intended to investigate further.

"Well, I was not fond of medicine either, and my father did not force me. However, I am deeply interested in board games. My adoptive father even bought many Go manuals for me to study." Chen Feng knew Zhu Danchen was trying to sound him out, but he did not care.

He only had three months in this world. In a place with such poor transportation, investigating someone would be extremely difficult. He might as well have a good chat with Zhu Danchen and steer the subject toward Go. Perhaps he could learn something about Chess Demon Fan Bailing.

"Oh, really? Brother Xiaoyao is skilled at board games? Then we must find a chance to play a few games. By the way, my Young Master is also an expert in this field. Once you meet, you must exchange a few moves."

"Help! Mm..." Chen Feng had just begun to answer when the two heard a faint cry for help in the distance.

The population during the Song Dynasty had been rather sparse to begin with, and there was not another soul on the official road. Thus, even a faint sound reached their ears.

"Fourth Brother Zhu, was someone calling for help just now?"

"Brother Xiaoyao heard it too? It seems someone has encountered villains outside. Brother Xiaoyao, wait here for a moment. I'll go take a look." Zhu Danchen stopped the carriage after speaking, lightly tapped the carriage shaft, and shot toward the source of the cry.

Chen Feng, who had climbed out of the carriage, happened to see this. After a moment of envy, he ran in the direction Zhu Danchen had gone.

With twice the speed of an ordinary person, Chen Feng could not catch Zhu Danchen, but he did not lose track of him either.

They had only run for a short while when they heard muffled moans coming from a small valley nearby, the kind made with one's mouth covered.

Zhu Danchen rushed over and saw a tall, bare-chested man pressing a woman beneath him. One hand covered the young woman's mouth while the other forcibly tore at her clothes.

"Bold lecher, release that woman!" How could Zhu Danchen fail to understand what was happening?

His Internal energy surged again, making him even faster. The Judge's Brush at his waist appeared in his right hand as he thrust it toward the bare-chested lecher.