Hu Xiaotian said, "He wouldn't come knocking without a reason. Who knows what this fellow wants now?"
Zhao Wusheng asked, "Should we invite him aboard?"
Hu Xiaotian shook his head. "I'm getting restless after spending so long on the ship. Let's go down for a walk!"
Zhao Wusheng accompanied him down the gangway.
When Xu Fengwu saw Hu Xiaotian coming off the ship, his face immediately blossomed with smiles. He seemed an entirely different man from the vicious, cold-hearted figure of yesterday. Hu Xiaotian, however, offered him no friendly expression. Zhao Wusheng's remark yesterday had reminded him of something, and he had begun to suspect that the Gold-Extinguishing Den was connected to the Xu Family of Jinling.
Xu Fengwu chuckled. "I'm truly sorry to disturb your rest so early in the morning, Master Hu."
Hu Xiaotian said, "If you know you should be sorry, why disturb me?"
Rebuffed, Xu Fengwu's smile grew awkward, yet his laughter became even sharper and more grating. "Heh, well, here's the thing. Yesterday, I meant no disrespect whatsoever to you, Master Hu. My people were simply being foolish and made me lose my head, which was why I struck them to teach them a lesson. After you left, I thought it over carefully. I was the one at fault to begin with. I've brought the banknotes. Fifty thousand taels are what you're owed, and another ten thousand are a small token of compensation."
Hu Xiaotian took the banknotes without the slightest hesitation. Money had come right to his door; why turn it down? I don't give a damn what you're after.
Seeing Hu Xiaotian accept the banknotes, Xu Fengwu beamed. "Sorry for the trouble, Master Hu, but please hand Xiao Rou over so I can take her back. After all, the girl belongs to our