Author: 哔哔 (Bi Bi) / Jin Gang Quan

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 73

When Huo Fenghua woke up early the next morning, he still felt as though there was something inside him. He was lying facedown, limp all over, and didn’t want to get up.

He was sleeping on the outer side of the bed. Beside him was the Feng Tianzong still asleep, and Su Zeyang was sleeping on the inner side. Under the quilt, Huo Fenghua’s body was bare. When he rolled over, his thigh pressed against Feng Tianzong’s leg, and he reached out to lightly hook a strand of Feng Tianzong’s hair with his fingers.

Feng Tianzong still didn’t wake.

Propping his head up with one hand, Huo Fenghua stared at Feng Tianzong for a moment, then looked at Su Zeyang, who had his face buried against Feng Tianzong’s shoulder as he slept. For an instant, Huo Fenghua felt that this was probably the life he’d always been chasing: wealth and glory, with beauties in his arms. Wasn’t this far happier than following Shao Feijie and the others around as an exiled imperial prince?

He extended a finger and pointed at Feng Tianzong in the air: Beauty Number One. Then he pointed at Su Zeyang: Beauty Number Two.

Thinking of that, he couldn’t help but laugh silently. At that moment, Su Zeyang shifted slightly and slowly opened his eyes to look at him.

Huo Fenghua blew him a kiss. Then something suddenly occurred to him. He rolled over, wanting to get out of bed. He’d tossed his long robe aside carelessly last night, and it was now on the floor not far from the bed. Reluctant to leave the warmth of the quilt, he only bent at the waist and stretched out an arm to grab it.

But his arm still couldn’t reach. He leaned farther and farther, and ended up accidentally sliding right off the bed, landing bare-assed on the footstool in front of it. The pain made him yelp. Only then did he manage to snatch his clothes, stand up, and throw them on.

It had been a long time since he had sex. Last night’s indulgence had left his body thoroughly satisfied, but first thing this morning his backside wasn’t feeling so great. After a moment’s thought, he decided it must be because Su Zeyang’s technique still had room for improvement and wasn’t as good as his.

After getting dressed and pulling on his shoes, hair loose and unbound, Huo Fenghua hurried out of the room. The moment he stepped outside, he saw Ruan Qin entering through the courtyard gate. He called out, “Sister Qin, you’re up early. Perfect timing.”

Ruan Qin said, “I figured you were about to wake up.”

Huo Fenghua leaned close to her ear and told her to arrange some people. Whether through disguises or spreading rumors, they needed to maintain the illusion that Feng Tianzong and Su Zeyang were still stranded within Xichou territory. After thinking it over, he added, “Best if people believe they escaped to Zhuyue City.”

Ruan Qin nodded. “Understood. I’ll go now.”

Huo Fenghua smiled. “Thanks for the trouble.”

That morning, Wei Kai came again, carrying his medical case. The day before, after returning, he’d stayed up through the night consulting medical texts, and at last he’d figured out what poison Feng Tianzong had been afflicted with and how to treat it.

Today, he first performed acupuncture on Feng Tianzong. After that, he wrote a detoxifying prescription and handed it to Huo Fenghua, telling him to send people to fetch the herbs.

While Wei Kai sat at the table writing the prescription, the door to Huo Fenghua’s bedroom was open. Wen Heyi stood outside, half his body hidden behind the doorframe, peeking in.

Noticing someone outside, Wei Kai turned to look once, then turned back and asked Huo Fenghua, “Why didn’t I see that young lady from yesterday?”

Huo Fenghua sensed that Wei Kai seemed rather interested in Ruan Qin, so he smiled and said, “Sister Qin has some business today. If Doctor Wei comes tomorrow, she should be here.”

Wei Kai had mentioned before that if he did acupuncture to draw out the toxin for five consecutive days, Feng Tianzong would recover faster. Huo Fenghua wanted to coax him into coming every day.

Wei Kai glanced at him, packed up his medical case, and said, “I’ll come again tomorrow.”

Huo Fenghua smiled as he escorted him out. Passing the doorway, he shot Wen Heyi a glare, and Wen Heyi immediately shrank back.

After Huo Fenghua saw Wei Kai out and returned to the room, he found Wen Heyi standing by Feng Tianzong’s bed, looking at him. As Huo Fenghua entered, Su Zeyang also returned from the next room, where he’d been temporarily avoiding notice. When Wen Heyi saw the two of them, his face lit up and he called happily, “Dad, Mom!”

Huo Fenghua laughed to himself. “Good boy.”

Su Zeyang said, not entirely approving, “Did you get someone to look at Martial Uncle Wen’s injuries?”

Huo Fenghua quickly replied, “Of course I did. The doctor said it can’t be cured. There’s nothing I can do.”

Su Zeyang walked into the room. “We can’t just leave him like this forever.”

Wen Heyi was staring at Feng Tianzong on the bed. Feng Tianzong was awake and was looking back at him.

Wen Heyi asked, “Why are you looking at me?”

Feng Tianzong chuckled softly. “Then why are you looking at me?”

Wen Heyi asked him, “Who are you?”

Feng Tianzong didn’t answer.

So Wen Heyi turned to Huo Fenghua. “Dad, who is he?”

Huo Fenghua answered casually, “He’s your second mother.”

Wen Heyi opened his mouth in surprise.

Su Zeyang let out a helpless sigh.

Wen Heyi stared at Feng Tianzong for a while longer, then asked Huo Fenghua in confusion, “Dad, was I born from Mom, or from Second Mom?”

Huo Fenghua told him, “If you were born from Second Mom, I’d tell you he’s your mom, and this one would be your first mom.”

Wen Heyi turned the sentence over and over in his head for a long time, then suddenly understood. “So I was born from Mom.”

Su Zeyang finally couldn’t hold back. “You weren’t born from me. You’re my martial uncle.”

Wen Heyi seemed scared. He hid behind Huo Fenghua. “I’m not a martial uncle.”

Huo Fenghua patted the back of his hand. “You’re not a martial uncle. You’re Yi’er.”

Su Zeyang said to Huo Fenghua, “Don’t keep deceiving Martial Uncle. We should find a way to treat him as soon as possible.”

Huo Fenghua was helpless too. “Then tell me what I’m supposed to do. I’ve had plenty of doctors in Wuhetan examine him. Wei Kai took his pulse too and said it’s an injury inside his head. What, are we supposed to cut his skull open with a knife to treat it?”

Su Zeyang said, “If no one in Wuhetan can treat him, then we’ll look for doctors elsewhere. There has to be a way.”

For several days in a row, Wei Kai came to perform acupuncture on Feng Tianzong. The detox prescription he wrote also had Feng Tianzong drinking three bowls a day. By the fifth day, Feng Tianzong hadn’t fully recovered, but he was already able to get out of bed and walk around.

Feng Tianzong’s face was still a little pale. Wearing an outer robe, he sat on a stool and said to Wei Kai, “Thank you, Doctor Wei.”

Wei Kai couldn’t help sizing him up a few times. He waved a hand, packed his things, stood, and then turned to look for Ruan Qin. Grinning, he said, “Miss Ruan, when I came today, I bought a box of rouge on the way. I thought it’d suit you perfectly.”

Ruan Qin’s expression didn’t change. She only said politely, “Doctor Wei, I’ll see you out.”

Wei Kai slung his medical case on his back and followed her out with light steps. When he reached the doorway, he turned back and told Huo Fenghua, “I’ll keep coming tomorrow.”

Huo Fenghua asked, puzzled, “Aren’t five days of acupuncture supposed to draw out the toxin?”

Wei Kai spoke as though he didn’t particularly care. “Tomorrow I’ll take his pulse again, write a new prescription, and adjust things.”

Huo Fenghua quickly said, “Then I’ll be troubling you, Doctor Wei.”

After Ruan Qin saw Wei Kai off, Huo Fenghua walked to the table. Seeing Feng Tianzong extend a hand toward him, he placed his hand into Feng Tianzong’s palm. Feng Tianzong gave a slight pull and tugged Huo Fenghua down to sit on his lap.

Huo Fenghua went along with it, but said, “General, you really do have good stamina,” and didn’t dare put his full weight down, afraid Feng Tianzong might not be able to handle it.

Feng Tianzong wrapped both arms around Huo Fenghua’s waist. He was slightly out of breath, yet still smiling as he said, “I have to save some strength to hold you.”

Huo Fenghua looped his arms around his neck. “Do you feel better?”

Feng Tianzong said, “Much better. Maybe in another five days I’ll recover completely.”

Huo Fenghua asked, “And then what do you plan to do?”

Feng Tianzong didn’t answer. He only held Huo Fenghua tighter, one hand slipping under the hem of Huo Fenghua’s clothes to rub along his side at his waist, against bare skin.

Huo Fenghua flinched. “In broad daylight, what are you trying to do?”

Feng Tianzong smiled and lifted his head to look at him. Huo Fenghua met his gaze for a moment, then lowered his head and kissed him.

Just as their breathing began to heat up, hurried footsteps came running in from outside the courtyard. Huo Fenghua assumed it was Wen Heyi and didn’t pay attention. He only lifted his head to glance toward the door, and instead saw Xiong’er standing there, staring in shock.

Seeing Huo Fenghua sitting intimately on Feng Tianzong’s lap, Xiong’er’s eyes widened. He pointed at them, stammering, “You, you two—”

At that moment, Su Zeyang came over from the next room carrying a food box. Wen Heyi followed behind him, calling, “Mom, give me some!”

Su Zeyang walked past Xiong’er into the room and said, “You can’t eat any more, Martial Uncle.”

Inside the box were flaky malt candies. Huo Fenghua had sent people to buy them from an old, well-known shop in Wuhetan. When he noticed Su Zeyang liked this kind of candy, he had them buy quite a lot. As a result, Wen Heyi pestered Su Zeyang every day for sweets.

Xiong’er was still standing there, dumbfounded.

Wen Heyi suddenly reached into Su Zeyang’s arms to snatch the box. Su Zeyang pivoted neatly, dodging his hand, and tightened his grip on the box. “Martial Uncle, if you eat too much your teeth will hurt.”

Wen Heyi said anxiously, “Give it to me!”

Huo Fenghua slapped the table and stood up. “Who told you you could lay hands on your mother?”

Wen Heyi shrank his neck in fright and stood frozen in place, not daring to move.

After yelling at Wen Heyi, Huo Fenghua looked toward Xiong’er at the door. “Don’t just stand there. Come in and talk.”

Xiong’er looked completely bewildered. He still didn’t understand what on earth was going on.

Huo Fenghua said to him, “Since you’re back and the General’s awake too, perfect timing. Tonight, call your big brother over. We’ll all have dinner together.”

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<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 哔哔 (Bi Bi) / Jin Gang Quan

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 72

Su Zeyang’s fingers touched the porcelain bottle, and he suddenly tried to snatch it from Huo Fenghua’s hand.

Huo Fenghua seemed to have anticipated this, quickly withdrawing his hand holding the porcelain bottle, dodging to the side, and shaking the bottle, saying, “I’ll drink this myself.”

Upon hearing this, Su Zeyang said calmly, “So you still need to rely on medicine.”

Huo Fenghua looked slightly embarrassed, but he quickly decided to be shameless to the end, saying, “Yes, otherwise how can I satisfy you? Senior Brother, you’re too lewd.”

Su Zeyang let out a soft “hmph,” not trying to snatch the porcelain bottle from Huo Fenghua’s hand, but instead looking up at the display cabinet. Seeing that there were more than a dozen identical bottles, he struck the edge of the cabinet with his palm.

All the other porcelain pieces on the cabinet remained still, but only those dozen or so porcelain bottles wobbled and fell from the cabinet. Huo Fenghua was startled and quickly dodged, lifting his robe to catch all the small porcelain bottles. He stared at the bottles with lingering fear and said, “I only have these left. Senior Brother, you’re too heartless.”

Su Zeyang said, “I don’t need these.”

Huo Fenghua put the small porcelain bottles back one by one, keeping the last one in his hand, and said, “Perfect, since you don’t need them, let me have them.”

Su Zeyang stretched out his hand towards him, “Give it to me.”

Huo Fenghua was stunned, “You said you didn’t want them.”

Su Zeyang insisted, “Give it to me.”

Huo Fenghua didn’t know if he had calmed down, but he weighed the situation and decided it was best not to defy him anymore. So he said helplessly, “Here, take it, but you’re not allowed to be angry with me anymore.”

Su Zeyang didn’t say anything. As he took the porcelain bottle from Huo Fenghua’s hand, he grabbed Huo Fenghua’s wrist and pressed him against the cabinet behind him.

Huo Fenghua heard the porcelain on the cabinet rattling from the impact, and his heart trembled. After all, they were all priceless and precious porcelain pieces; he would be heartbroken if they were broken.

Su Zeyang pressed him against the cabinet, facing him, holding the porcelain bottle in his hand, shaking it, and looking inside.

Huo Fenghua said, “You said you didn’t need it.”

However, Su Zeyang still poured all the liquid from the porcelain bottle into his own mouth. But then, he kissed Huo Fenghua’s mouth, feeding all the liquid into Huo Fenghua’s mouth, and using his tongue to press against the base of his tongue, forcing him to swallow all the liquid.

The kiss didn’t end. A bitter, astringent taste spread in both their mouths.

They hadn’t seen each other for a long time, and they hadn’t had such intimate contact for a long time either. Just a kiss, and both of them felt their breathing quicken. Due to the effects of the drug, Huo Fenghua’s groin quickly hardened. Although Su Zeyang had given the medicine to Huo Fenghua, he still swallowed a small amount himself. His face, which remained fair and delicate despite being exposed to the elements, was slightly flushed. He lifted one of Huo Fenghua’s legs and mercilessly tore off his pants.

Huo Fenghua quickly said, “No.”

Su Zeyang asked, “Do you want to fight?”

Huo Fenghua was unwilling to give in. He leaned closer to Su Zeyang, “Senior Brother, let me do it.”

Su Zeyang coldly replied, “No.” Then he pulled off his clothes and opened his mouth to kiss his collarbone.

Huo Fenghua’s breathing quickened. He leaned against the edge of the display cabinet, which acted like a screen, separating the door from the bed.  If he turned his head, he could see Feng Tianzong lying on the bed through the gaps in the cabinet.

Feng Tianzong made no sound, and Huo Fenghua didn’t know if he was still conscious.

Su Zeyang had no intention of letting go of Huo Fenghua.  Huo Fenghua could resist if he wanted to, but he wasn’t sure he could overpower Su Zeyang. His whole body was burning with discomfort, and Su Zeyang’s caresses and kisses provided some relief. So he sighed inwardly, closed his eyes, and began to enjoy it.

Su Zeyang lifted Huo Fenghua’s leg, and inserted his fingers into him, gently massaging his insides to prepare to insert himself. Huo Fenghua hugged his neck, trying to relax, but still couldn’t help but say, “Be gentle.”

Su Zeyang said, “It won’t hurt once I’m inside.”

His words sounded like he was comforting Huo Fenghua, but after he was truly inside, Huo Fenghua did feel less pain. The tender flesh inside involuntarily wrapped tightly around Su Zeyang, and he hugged Su Zeyang’s neck tightly, softening his voice as he called out, “Senior Brother…”

Su Zeyang lifted both of his legs, resting them on his wrists, and began to thrust in and out of Huo Fenghua’s body.

Huo Fenghua’s back was against the edge of the display cabinet, and he had to be careful not to knock over the porcelain on the cabinet. Maintaining this position was very difficult, so he could only hold onto Su Zeyang tightly. His body was stretched open, and the repeated friction and impact relieved the unbearable heat he had felt since taking the aphrodisiac that day. He desperately wanted to fuck Su Zeyang, but at the same time, he also craved to have his body filled.

After a while in this position, both of them became uncomfortable. Su Zeyang put him down on the ground, letting him turn his back to him, and had him prop his ass against the cabinet.

Huo Fenghua changed his position, and Su Zeyang held his waist with both hands and thrusted himself into him again. He couldn’t help but tilt his head back, panting heavily and moaning softly.

From this angle, he could clearly see Feng Tianzong through the gaps in the display cabinet.

He knew that Feng Tianzong wasn’t asleep but was just lying quietly on the bed. Huo Fenghua knew that he was powerless at this moment, but he couldn’t help but feel mischievous, deliberately moaning loudly and calling out to his Senior Brother, each sound meant for Feng Tianzong to hear.

Sure enough, Feng Tianzong’s hand moved slightly, then went still again. The effects of the medicine in Huo Fenghua’s body were intense; although his erection was hard as steel in, his hole was soft and moist. He wondered if the medicine had changed its effects after he ingested it.

Even after Su Zeyang came inside him, he still felt unsatisfied and hugged Su Zeyang, wanting to do it again.

Su Zeyang picked him up and carried him to the bed, gently laying him down. He lay beside Feng Tianzong, watching Feng Tianzong slowly open his eyes and look at him.

Huo Fenghua’s clothes were already scattered, hanging on his arms. At this point, he simply took off all his clothes, resting his head on Feng Tianzong’s lower abdomen, and spread his legs towards Su Zeyang, who was outside the bed, saying, “Senior Brother, I want more—”

However, Su Zeyang only took off his boots and climbed onto the bed, holding him in his arms, sitting with his legs spread open in front of Feng Tianzong while caressing his body.

Huo Fenghua trembled. He saw Feng Tianzong reach under the pillow and pull out something, and his face immediately flushed. He thought to himself that he had forgotten about that thing.

It was a jade dildo, which he had found in Third Master Luo’s former room after taking the medicine and being unable to relieve himself. He thought it was dirty then, so he boiled it in water for a long time to clean it and then put it under his pillow.  He had never actually used it before.

Feng Tianzong slowly raised his hand. The jade dildo was crystal clear and exquisitely carved, with a tassel hanging from the end. He asked, “What is this?”

Huo Fenghua panted and said, “What else could it be?”

Feng Tianzong held the jade dildo and placed it against Huo Fenghua’s legs. The cold jade shaft instantly made him tremble slightly, and then he felt the smooth, rounded head of the dildo pressing against his hole, slowly pushing inside.

This was a completely different sensation compared to a real penis. Huo Fenghua tilted his head back, breathing heavily, as Su Zeyang leaned down and kissed his lips.

Feng Tianzong held the tassel between his fingers, slowly pulling the jade object out a little. He watched the shimmering moisture on the jade shaft, then pressed his slender fingers against the base of the jade object and slowly pushed it back in.

Huo Fenghua was tormented by the sensation, his legs tensed, and he called out, “Faster, General!”

Feng Tianzong, however, remained unhurried, playing with him with the jade object for a moment before pulling it out. Huo Fenghua felt his body being pushed forward, and he lay prone on the bed as Su Zeyang entered him from behind once more.

The warmth of the flesh made him exhale deeply. His face rested against Feng Tianzong’s arm, and he closed his eyes in relief.

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<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 哔哔 (Bi Bi) / Jin Gang Quan

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 71

Ruan Qin had someone invite the best doctor in Wuhetan, a man named Wei Kai. He looked only a little over thirty, but his medical skills were superb, though he had a somewhat eccentric temperament.

When Ruan Qin sent someone to fetch him, Wei Kai didn’t want to come at first. It was only after the servant promised him a hefty sum that he finally agreed to bring his medical case and follow the servant to Huo Fenghua’s residence.

To avoid arousing suspicion, Huo Fenghua had Su Zeyang step out. Only he and Ruan Qin stayed in the room to receive Wei Kai.

Even though Wei Kai had come for the money, his expression was still unpleasant. He set the medical case hanging at his side down heavily on the table, then strode to the bedside. “Who is it? What’s wrong with him?”

Huo Fenghua didn’t speak. Ruan Qin answered instead. “He’s our Master’s cousin. He came from Donglin to seek refuge with our Master, but on the road, he ate a fried pancake someone gave him and was poisoned.”

Wei Kai glanced at Ruan Qin. Seeing her gentle, delicate features, he couldn’t help taking a second look and asked, “Miss, what’s your surname?”

Ruan Qin shot Huo Fenghua a look, then retreated half a step behind him. “My surname is Ruan. This is my master, Su Qiang.”

Huo Fenghua smiled and cupped his hands toward Wei Kai. “Sorry to trouble you, Doctor Wei. Please take a look and see what poison my cousin has been afflicted with.” As he spoke, he walked to the bed, gently lifted the blanket, and took Feng Tianzong’s wrist, placing it at the edge of the bed.

Feng Tianzong was awake, lying there without speaking.

Wei Kai first checked his complexion, then his eyes and lips. After that, he sat down by the bed and took his pulse. His fingers rested on the wrist for a long time before he let go and asked, “When you ate that poisoned pancake, what reaction did you have?”

Feng Tianzong said, “At the time, nothing much. I just gradually felt weaker. After a while, I got drowsier and drowsier. I ended up asleep more than I was awake.”

Huo Fenghua heard how his voice lacked strength. He crouched at the bedside, wanting to hold his hand, but he was afraid Wei Kai would get suspicious, so he forced himself to refrain.

Wei Kai frowned. “This poison seems like it built up over time. Someone gave you a poisoned pancake? I doubt you ate only one.”

Feng Tianzong gave a quiet laugh, his lips deathly pale. “Doctor truly is impressive. I traveled with that person for a stretch. He said he’d brought cakes from home and shared them with me along the way. I didn’t expect there would be poison in them.”

Wei Kai didn’t think anything was amiss. He only said, “I’ll write a prescription tailored to the symptoms first. Have someone go prepare the medicine. As for completely purging the poison from his body, I’ll have to go back and consult some medical texts.”

Huo Fenghua hurriedly said, “Thank you, Doctor Wei.”

Wei Kai rose, went to the table, sat down, and wrote out a prescription in swift strokes, then handed it to Ruan Qin.

Ruan Qin took the prescription and escorted Wei Kai out.

Only Feng Tianzong and Huo Fenghua remained in the room. Huo Fenghua crouched by the bed, took Feng Tianzong’s hand, and said, “Don’t worry. Wei Kai’s incredible. He’ll definitely be able to cure the poison in you.”

Feng Tianzong said softly, “I’m not worried. After all these years, it’s rare to have a chance to do nothing, think nothing, and just lie quietly in bed.”

Huo Fenghua looked at him. “You woke up and saw me here, and you don’t seem surprised at all.”

Feng Tianzong withdrew his hand from Huo Fenghua’s grasp, then laboriously lifted it to stroke Huo Fenghua’s face. “When you left, I kept thinking that one day, we’d still see each other again.”

Huo Fenghua said, “Sounds like you didn’t mean it when you told me to go.”

Feng Tianzong only smiled and asked, “Did you sell that jade pendant?”

Huo Fenghua fell silent for a moment, then pulled the pendant from inside his clothes.

When Feng Tianzong saw it, he reached out as if to touch it.

Huo Fenghua quickly drew it back. “You gave it to me, so it’s mine. There’s no reason to take it back.”

Feng Tianzong smiled. “I won’t take it back. As long as you want it, it’s yours.”

Huo Fenghua said, “Senior Brother is mine too.”

Feng Tianzong wasn’t angry. He smiled. “He’s yours.”

A sudden sadness rose in Huo Fenghua. His eyes reddened. “You’re mine too.”

Feng Tianzong said, “Alright. I’m yours.”

Huo Fenghua clasped the hand resting against his cheek and kissed Feng Tianzong’s palm. “Senior brother is still angry. He won’t forgive me.”

Feng Tianzong said, “He just doesn’t want to drag you down.”

Huo Fenghua’s voice was heavy. “He treats you as family, but not me. That’s why he talks about dragging me down.”

Feng Tianzong sighed. “But you were determined to leave. What do you expect him to think?”

Huo Fenghua said, “You lied to him too. It makes no sense he’s only angry at me and not at you.”

Feng Tianzong shook his head. “How do you know he isn’t angry at me?” He was probably even angrier.

Huo Fenghua suddenly thought of something else. “He’s afraid of dragging me down. Why aren’t you afraid of dragging me down?”

Feng Tianzong said, “I am. But I can’t even get out of bed. It’s not like I can crawl out of here. When your Senior Brother killed the imperial guards and carried me away, he fled into the mountains with me on his back. I kept slipping into unconsciousness. I wanted to tell him to leave me behind and save himself. But I didn’t. Do you know why?”

Huo Fenghua felt his chest ache. He said softly, “Because even if you said it, he wouldn’t listen.”

Feng Tianzong gave a faint laugh. “Exactly. So I said nothing. And with you, I’ll say nothing too.”

Huo Fenghua tightened his grip on his hand.

Feng Tianzong said, “Get up. I want to kiss you.”

Huo Fenghua stood and leaned in. After a moment, he slowly pressed his lips to Feng Tianzong’s. Feng Tianzong’s lips and tongue were cold and weak, with a faint bitterness.

When Huo Fenghua pulled back, he asked, “Did I get poisoned too?”

Hearing that, Feng Tianzong closed his eyes and chuckled, then slipped back into unconsciousness.

He slept until night. When he woke again, it was already dark.

Feng Tianzong opened his eyes and saw Su Zeyang sitting by the bed, staring at him without blinking. He said to Su Zeyang, “You’re tired. Go rest.”

Su Zeyang replied, “I’m not tired. I rested this afternoon. You haven’t eaten in a long time. Eat something first, then drink your medicine.”

Just as he finished speaking, the door opened from outside. Huo Fenghua came in personally, carrying a food box. As soon as he entered, he said happily, “General’s awake? Perfect. I brought dinner.”

The dinner was for Su Zeyang and Feng Tianzong. Huo Fenghua had already eaten outside with Xiongda and Xiong’er. He had Su Zeyang go sit at the table to eat, while he carried a bowl of porridge to the bedside and fed Feng Tianzong.

When the porridge was cooked, Huo Fenghua had specifically told Ruan Qin to procure premium ginseng. He minced chicken finely, added greens, and simmered everything slowly in a clay pot until it turned thick and silky, fragrant enough to fill the air, before pouring it into a bowl and packing it into the food box.

Huo Fenghua helped Feng Tianzong sit up against the headboard. He sat beside him, scooped up a spoonful of porridge, patiently blew until it wasn’t hot, then fed it to Feng Tianzong.

As he fed him, Huo Fenghua kept chattering, “You knew someone was trying to kill you, so why did you just let yourself get escorted back to Yujing? And the food on the road, if you knew it was poisoned then don’t eat it. Look what it’s come to now.”

Feng Tianzong humored him. Between swallows, he even answered, “Zeyang and my elder brother were still in Yujing. What did you want me to do, raise an army and rebel?”

Huo Fenghua knew that route was impossible. He was only complaining because he couldn’t stand seeing Feng Tianzong reduced to this. “How would I know what to do? I’m not the Great General of the Western Expedition. If you don’t even know what to do, what kind of general are you? You might as well go home and farm.”

Feng Tianzong was choked into silence. After a moment, he could only say, “I’ve wanted to resign and go home to farm.” But now he was a fugitive accused of treason. What came next couldn’t be decided overnight.

Huo Fenghua didn’t push it further. After feeding Feng Tianzong the porridge, he had him take his medicine, then helped him lie back down.

Feng Tianzong kept his eyes open, looking a bit more alert.

Huo Fenghua watched him. “Looks like Wei Kai’s medicine really does work.”

Su Zeyang, hearing that, came over too.

When Huo Fenghua saw him standing beside him, he couldn’t help lifting his hand and lightly brushing the back of Su Zeyang’s hand with his own.

Su Zeyang felt it and didn’t move his hand away.

Huo Fenghua turned to look at him. “Senior Brother, why aren’t you asking me how I managed to get such a huge residence in Wuhetan in such a short time?”

So Su Zeyang asked, “How?”

There was no sincerity in it at all. Huo Fenghua immediately felt dejected. He grabbed Su Zeyang’s sleeve and shook it. “Senior Brother, do you not miss me at all?”

Su Zeyang lowered his head slightly. After a moment, he said, “I do.”

Seeing Feng Tianzong still unable to get up from the bed, Huo Fenghua finally dared to grasp Su Zeyang’s hand and pull him around the room, telling him how he’d dealt with Third Master Luo on his first night in Wuhetan and seized his vast fortune.

Su Zeyang didn’t speak. He simply listened quietly.

Getting excited, Huo Fenghua also mentioned how that night, he’d discovered Third Master Luo was impotent and could only get hard by taking medicine. He picked up a small porcelain bottle from the cabinet and held it out to Su Zeyang. “This is the stuff. It’s amazing. Senior brother, want to try it with me?”

Su Zeyang stared at the bottle.

Huo Fenghua glanced at the bed and lowered his voice. “Anyway, the General’s fine now, and he can’t get up either.”

Su Zeyang lifted his eyes to him, then reached out, his fingertips touching the porcelain bottle.

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<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 哔哔 (Bi Bi) / Jin Gang Quan

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 70

Huo Fenghua had a carriage brought over and took Su Zeyang and the unconscious Feng Tianzong back with him.

Before the carriage rolled into Huo Fenghua’s residence, Su Zeyang lifted the curtain a sliver and looked at the plaque above the gate, murmuring, “Boonie Bears?”

He glanced at Huo Fenghua.

Huo Fenghua held his hand and gently rubbed it against his cheek. “This is my home now.”

Su Zeyang didn’t pull his hand away.

The carriage entered the residence. Huo Fenghua was the first to get down. He said to Ruan Qin, who came forward to greet him, “I brought two people back. Set them up in my room. Don’t let it spread. Go find the best doctor in Wuhetan.”

Ruan Qin looked surprised and glanced toward the carriage. She didn’t ask who they were. She only nodded and immediately went to find people and arrange everything.

Huo Fenghua personally carried Feng Tianzong back to his room and gently laid him on the bed.

Su Zeyang and Wen Heyi followed in. Wen Heyi walked behind Su Zeyang, stealing curious looks at him. Whenever Su Zeyang turned to look back, Wen Heyi immediately averted his gaze, but a moment later he couldn’t resist edging closer and whispering, “Mom?”

Su Zeyang sighed helplessly. “Martial Uncle, what happened to you?”

Wen Heyi quickly hid behind Huo Fenghua.

After a while, Ruan Qin knocked outside. “Master Su, Master Xiong’er is back. He wants to see you.”

Huo Fenghua knew he couldn’t hide this from Xiongda and Xiong’er, and he didn’t plan to. He turned and called out, “Let him in. You come in too. I’ve got something to tell you both.”

Ruan Qin replied, “Alright.”

Once Ruan Qin left, Huo Fenghua saw Su Zeyang looking at him and heard Su Zeyang murmur softly, “Master Su?”

Huo Fenghua stepped over and took his hand. “I was thinking about you every moment, so I used the alias Su Qiang here in Wuhetan.” His gaze was sincere as he looked at Su Zeyang.

Su Zeyang lowered his eyes and didn’t respond.

A short while later, Ruan Qin knocked again. “Master Xiong’er is here.”

Huo Fenghua immediately said, “Come in, quick.”

Ruan Qin pushed the door open from outside and let Xiong’er step in first. Seeing so many people in Huo Fenghua’s room, Xiong’er froze for a moment. Then he looked in shock at Feng Tianzong lying on the bed, and after that he couldn’t help studying Su Zeyang carefully.

Ruan Qin entered and shut the door. She didn’t seem as curious. She simply stood quietly to the side, waiting for instructions.

Xiong’er swept his gaze around the room and finally asked Huo Fenghua, “Who are they?”

Huo Fenghua pulled him aside and whispered into his ear, “The man on the bed is Feng Tianzong, the Great General of the Western Expedition.”

Xiong’er’s eyes widened in disbelief as he stared at Huo Fenghua. “Feng Tianzong? Didn’t he get accused of treason and escorted back to Yujing?”

Huo Fenghua raised a finger to his lips and shushed him. “This Young Master Su is his wife. He rescued Feng Tianzong from Donglin’s imperial guards and brought him here to Wuhetan. We don’t know whether the pursuers have discovered their whereabouts yet.”

A storm of thoughts flashed through Xiong’er’s mind before he finally said, “Hiding him like this will bring us trouble!”

Huo Fenghua slung an arm around his shoulders. “Besides you and Ruan Qin, nobody knows I’m hiding him. And this is Wuhetan, not Donglin. What are you so afraid of?”

Xiong’er lowered his voice. “So what if it’s Wuhetan? Even if the whole place banded together, we still couldn’t fight the Donglin army. And we’ve only just gotten our footing!”

Huo Fenghua patted his chest. “Don’t panic, don’t panic. I’m thinking of a way. First, have people scout toward Xichou and see if any pursuers are coming. Also check whether outsiders have been slipping into Wuhetan lately, or whether any rumors about their arrival have started spreading. If nothing’s leaked, we should be safe for now. I’ll think about how to handle the rest.”

Xiong’er looked agitated. He craned his neck and glanced at Feng Tianzong again. Earlier, he hadn’t really taken him in, his attention had been caught by Su Zeyang’s looks. Now he looked again at the man whose name shook the Central Plains. He looked terribly weak, his face ashen, lying there soundlessly, like anyone could kill him with one hand.

Huo Fenghua soothed him with a steady pat on the shoulder. “Brother, calm down. If you don’t take risks, how are you supposed to accomplish anything big?”

Xiong’er said, “Then tell me. Why do you want to save him?”

Huo Fenghua thought for a moment. “Fine. Find a time and we’ll sit down and talk it through slowly. I won’t hide anything from you or your brother. Don’t worry.”

Xiong’er hesitated a bit longer, then finally nodded and left after opening the door.

Only then did Huo Fenghua turn to Ruan Qin. “You heard all that just now too?”

Ruan Qin nodded, far steadier than Xiong’er.

Huo Fenghua said, “Their identities absolutely can’t get out. Otherwise it’ll bring trouble for all of us.”

“I understand,” Ruan Qin said.

Huo Fenghua smiled. “Sister Qin has always been bold but careful. I didn’t really need to say any of that. Right now we just need a skilled doctor. And it’s not convenient to have servants here, so I’ll have to trouble you with a lot of things.”

Ruan Qin said, “I already sent someone to fetch a doctor. I also told the maids not to come near this room. I’ll handle everything personally.”

Huo Fenghua nodded. “Then please have someone bring a bucket of hot water and find two sets of clean clothes. If I think of anything else, I’ll call for you.”

Ruan Qin answered, “Alright,” and left the room.

Su Zeyang walked to the bed and adjusted Feng Tianzong’s blanket, then said, “Once he’s a bit better, we’ll leave immediately.”

Huo Fenghua neither agreed nor refused. He only said, “Let’s get the poison out of him first.”

All this while, Wen Heyi stayed hidden behind Huo Fenghua, secretly watching Su Zeyang.

Su Zeyang looked over at Wen Heyi with concern and asked Huo Fenghua, “What exactly happened to Martial Uncle?”

Huo Fenghua tapped his own head. “Seems like he injured it. When I ran into him in Wuhetan, he was already not clear-minded.”

Su Zeyang couldn’t understand. “Even if he’s not clear-minded, how could he end up thinking you’re his father?”

Huo Fenghua didn’t answer this time. He scratched his chin with one finger and changed the subject. “When the water comes, Senior Brother, you wash up and change first. I’ll have someone bring some pastries too. Eat something.”

Su Zeyang didn’t press the question. He only lifted his head to look around the room. “You’ve been living well in Wuhetan.”

Huo Fenghua smiled. “It’s all taken from someone else. But that person wasn’t anything good, so you don’t have to feel sorry for him.”

Su Zeyang said, “If I’d known you were in Wuhetan, I wouldn’t have brought Tianzong here.”

That stung. Huo Fenghua leaned against the display cabinet and lightly stroked a small porcelain bottle sitting on it. “Do you really hate me that much? You won’t forgive me?”

Su Zeyang shook his head. It wasn’t that he refused to forgive him, he only blamed himself for disrupting Huo Fenghua’s life. Since Huo Fenghua had chosen to stay away, he should have truly drawn a clean line.

Not long after, Ruan Qin had the hot water delivered.

Huo Fenghua chased Wen Heyi out of the room and latched the door. He let Su Zeyang bathe inside with the hot water while he dampened a piece of cotton cloth and wiped Feng Tianzong down.

In his memory, from the first time he’d met Feng Tianzong, he’d never once seen him so fragile and defenseless. He stripped Feng Tianzong bare, then started with his face and slowly worked downward with the wet cloth, along his neck and torso, saying as he wiped, “You’re filthy. You’ve gotten my bed and blanket all dirty. Later I’ll have to ask Sister Qin to change them.”

Su Zeyang sat in the tub, his long hair floating on the surface, and said softly, “We’ve been running for our lives.”

There hadn’t even been time to find a doctor to detox Feng Tianzong, let alone bathe.

Huo Fenghua spread Feng Tianzong’s long legs and scrubbed firmly between them.

Suddenly, he heard a faint groan from above. He looked up and saw Feng Tianzong had opened his eyes.

Feng Tianzong was still weak. He frowned slightly at first, as if he didn’t know whether this was real or a dream. Then his brow eased, his lips curling faintly upward as he said, weak and breathless, “You can be a little gentler.”

Huo Fenghua’s hand clenched hard around the cloth. He stared at Feng Tianzong, his eyes turning a little wet, but he still muttered, “I’m going to cripple you, then I’m eloping with Senior Brother.”

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 哔哔 (Bi Bi) / Jin Gang Quan

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 69

Huo Fenghua didn’t actually care that much whether this business deal with Hu Dong and Lan Shuilian would succeed. What he truly wanted was to join forces with Hu Dong and Lan Shuilian and bring Bao Wentong down. Otherwise, the waterways in and out of Wuhetan would always be controlled by Shenlong Wu, which meant that half the money he earned in the future would end up being handed over to Bao Wentong for nothing. Honestly, he couldn’t swallow that.

Huo Fenghua strolled through Wuhetan’s streets with Wen Heyi. It was already close to noon, and the whole city was gradually coming alive.

In the end, they chose to compromise with Bao Wentong for now. The plan was to build the gambling house first. This newly constructed grand casino would be named “Bu Xian Xian*”. In Huo Fenghua’s vision, it would be a paradise of indulgence, with every vice at hand: food and drink, sex, and gambling. The poor gambling scum who sold their sons and daughters wouldn’t even make it past the front gate. Meanwhile, every rich young master in the Central Plains would consider it an honor to have spent a night there.

*Translated, it means No need to envy Immortals, a quite apt name since the place they’re building will give every vice imaginable that one wouldn’t need to envy a paradise like “heaven” where immortals reside.

Standing in the very center of Wuhetan, hands clasped behind his back, Huo Fenghua smiled broadly. The site for Bu Xian Xian was right ahead. Workers were currently tearing down old buildings, waiting to raise the new one.

Wen Heyi trailed behind him, holding a sugar figurine. He stared for a long while, then opened his mouth and bit the figurine’s head clean off.

Aside from waiting for Bu Xian Xian to be built, there was another matter that had Huo Fenghua restless and irritable.

The men he’d sent to gather news about Feng Tianzong had sent a message back by carrier pigeon. After receiving the imperial decree, Feng Tianzong had gone along with the imperial guards escorting the imperial envoy back to the capital. By now, he should be on the road to Yujing and had likely already entered Donglin territory.

That news made Huo Fenghua deeply uneasy. For an instant, he even had the urge to go looking for Feng Tianzong himself. If Feng Tianzong allowed himself to be taken without resistance, then his fate would be entirely in someone else’s hands. If the emperor of Donglin remembered Feng Tianzong’s achievements and spared his life, fine. But if he didn’t even show that much sentiment, then Feng Tianzong and Su Zeyang probably wouldn’t escape this time.

While worrying about this, he then thought again that Feng Tianzong and Su Zeyang might have plans of their own. He shouldn’t rashly charge back and only make things worse. So he merely sent a few more men, straight to Yujing, to gather intelligence.

Thinking of it, Huo Fenghua couldn’t help resenting Feng Tianzong and cursed under his breath, “Stupid to death!”

Wen Heyi, chewing on the sugar figurine’s head, asked indistinctly, “Dad? Are you talking about me?”

Huo Fenghua turned to look at him. “Of course I’m talking about you. Stupid and useless. All you do every day is eat, drink, and have fun. You can’t help with anything at all!”

Wen Heyi lowered his eyes, wronged, and looked at the sugar figurine in his hand. He held it up and asked, “Dad, want some?”

“No. Move it away,” Huo Fenghua snapped.

Wen Heyi silently stuck it into his own mouth. After a while, he’d already forgotten Huo Fenghua had just yelled at him and said, “Dad, I want to eat steamed buns.”

After yelling, Huo Fenghua began to feel bad. “Steamed buns, huh? Fine. Let’s go.”

They cut through an alley toward the main street across the way to buy buns.

A bearded, scruffy middle-aged man lay in the alley. Seeing Huo Fenghua’s expensive fabric, he pushed himself up and lunged, trying to rob him. Before he could even get close, Wen Heyi kicked him hard, sending him crashing into the wall.

Wen Heyi frowned. “Smelly. Don’t come close.”

Huo Fenghua didn’t even look at the man. He told Wen Heyi, “Don’t touch him with your hands. It’s dirty.”

Wen Heyi quickly wiped his hands on his clothes. “I didn’t touch him,” he said, and followed behind Huo Fenghua out of the alley.

Other vagrants in the alley, who’d been gearing up to make a move, all shrank back. They only lifted their heads to watch the two of them hurry past, not daring to do anything.

On the main street there was a bun shop. The wrappers were thin and the filling generous. One bite filled your mouth with rich, oily fragrance. Wen Heyi liked them a lot and Huo Fenghua thought they were good too.

As they walked toward the shop, Huo Fenghua spotted someone standing there from a distance. The person wore rough gray cloth. His long hair was tied up with a ribbon into a bun at the back of his head, exposing a snow-white nape and ears.

All at once, Huo Fenghua felt the silhouette was painfully familiar. He couldn’t help slowing down.

That person bought two buns from the shop, wrapped them in oiled paper, and turned to leave. As he did, he glanced back at Huo Fenghua.

With that single look, both of them froze.

Even in coarse clothes, the man’s clear, elegant beauty couldn’t be hidden. A being like this, Huo Fenghua had only ever seen one since coming to this world. The words flew out of his mouth, “Senior Brother!”

But after hearing “Senior Brother,” Su Zeyang turned his gaze away. As if he hadn’t seen Huo Fenghua at all, he continued walking forward.

Huo Fenghua jolted, then immediately chased after him.

Wen Heyi grabbed Huo Fenghua’s arm and shouted, “Dad, buy buns!”

Huo Fenghua was held back and could only fling Wen Heyi’s hand off. Pointing at Su Zeyang ahead, he said, “Stop him, and I’ll buy you buns!”

At that, Wen Heyi leapt lightly, did a smooth flip in midair, and landed right in front of Su Zeyang, blocking his path.

Su Zeyang looked startled. “Martial Uncle Wen?”

Wen Heyi touched his lips lightly with the half-eaten sugar figurine, staring at Su Zeyang in confusion. “What did you call me?”

Huo Fenghua had already caught up. He grabbed Su Zeyang’s wrist. “Senior Brother, why won’t you acknowledge me?”

Su Zeyang turned his head away. “Weren’t you already dead?”

Huo Fenghua knew Su Zeyang was angry. Panicking, he lifted his arms and hugged Su Zeyang, burying his face in Su Zeyang’s shoulder.

“You know why I left.”

Su Zeyang didn’t hug him back. His voice was cold, but it trembled faintly. “I told you to leave. So why did you still lie to me?”

Huo Fenghua truly started to hurt. He brushed his lips lightly against Su Zeyang’s pale neck.

“Because I wanted you and the General to be together. I wanted it to be like I never existed.”

Su Zeyang took a deep breath and pushed at Huo Fenghua. “Fine. Then I’ll act like you don’t exist. So why are you stopping me?”

Huo Fenghua refused to let go. He hurriedly said, “I know the emperor sent people to escort Feng Tianzong back to Yujing. Why are you here?”

Su Zeyang fell silent for a moment, as if making up his mind. He pushed Huo Fenghua away and said, “You don’t need to worry about it.”

Then he turned and quickly entered a narrow alley to the side.

Huo Fenghua chased after him again. Wen Heyi, curious, followed too.

At the mouth of the narrow alley, Huo Fenghua stopped Su Zeyang. This time he locked his arms around him from behind, refusing to let him go.

“Senior Brother, Senior Brother. I know I was wrong. I didn’t want to hurt you. I just wanted you both to live well.”

Su Zeyang didn’t speak. His body was stiff, unwilling to yield.

Huo Fenghua hurried on, “I know you don’t want to forgive me, but the General is being escorted back to Yujing right now. Aren’t you afraid someone will kill him on the road? Even if you won’t forgive me, you can’t ignore whether he lives or dies. Tell me, why are you here? Do you even know how the General is right now?”

Su Zeyang said, “I told you. Don’t get involved.”

Huo Fenghua wouldn’t accept that. “This is Wuhetan, not Donglin, not Xichou. They can’t control this place. Here, I can still speak with some weight. If you won’t tell me anything, I’ll send people to follow you and investigate on my own.”

Su Zeyang clenched one hand at his side. After a long while, as if finally deciding, he asked Huo Fenghua, “Can you find a trustworthy physician?”

Huo Fenghua’s heart lurched. “What happened?”

Su Zeyang said, “Tianzong was poisoned. Even now, he still falls into unconsciousness. I had nowhere else to go, so I brought him to Wuhetan.”

Huo Fenghua’s eyes flew wide. “Take me to him!”

Su Zeyang led Huo Fenghua and Wen Heyi through the cramped alleyways. At the end, he slipped into a hidden courtyard. The house inside was shabby, and the door was locked from the outside.

Su Zeyang unlocked it. The moment he pushed the door open, Huo Fenghua saw Feng Tianzong lying on the bed.

Feng Tianzong’s eyes were shut tight. His face was deathly pale. A thin, damp quilt covered him. He seemed still unconscious, not reacting at all to people entering.

For a moment, Huo Fenghua felt dazed. He walked unsteadily to the bedside, slowly crouched, and touched Feng Tianzong’s cheek.

“General?” he whispered.

Feng Tianzong didn’t wake.

Su Zeyang placed the buns he’d bought into a porcelain bowl on the table. “He still hasn’t woken up once this morning. And he hasn’t eaten since last night. If he wakes later, I’ll feed him a bun.”

Wen Heyi stood at the doorway, staring uncertainly at the room and the man on the bed, not daring to come in.

Huo Fenghua slid his hand under the quilt and took Feng Tianzong’s hand. He asked Su Zeyang, “How did it come to this?”

Su Zeyang stood by the table. After a pause, he finally said, “You know the emperor issued a decree accusing him of treason and sent imperial guards to escort him back to the capital. On the way back, they poisoned his food. They wanted to make it look like he died of illness. When I chased after them from Xichou, he was already poisoned, barely alive in the prisoner cart. So I killed the guards escorting him and rescued him. Otherwise, he wouldn’t even have made it back to Donglin before dying on the road.”

Huo Fenghua thought: what he feared had still happened. He stroked Feng Tianzong’s face and asked, “Why were you in Xichou?”

Su Zeyang said, “Do you remember the curse on the Feng family from Luofeng Ridge? I’d been having people watch the Right Prime Minister’s residence. We found someone of unknown identity going in and out of the Wang’s Manor, very likely the person who set the formation at Luofeng Ridge. I chased him all the way into Xichou. Before I could catch him, I heard something had happened to Tianzong, so I had to go after that first.”

Since Huo Fenghua had faked his death and left the General’s Manor, Su Zeyang and Feng Tianzong hadn’t had a chance to reconcile. In the chaos, this happened. Su Zeyang didn’t hesitate. Alone, he took the risk and saved Feng Tianzong.

But Feng Tianzong’s consciousness was hazy, frequently falling into a coma. Su Zeyang had to carry him while avoiding pursuers. Along the way they could only flee north through remote mountain paths. There was no way to take Feng Tianzong to a proper doctor. They only found a mountain healer who took his pulse and said his life was not in immediate danger.

The imperial guards escorting Feng Tianzong wanted people to believe he died of illness. The poison they used worked slowly. It wouldn’t kill him immediately, but it also couldn’t be left untreated for long.

After Su Zeyang brought Feng Tianzong into Wuhetan, he found a doctor at night to examine him and prescribe antidotes, but after taking them there was no improvement.

Huo Fenghua asked, “Do the pursuers know you entered Wuhetan?”

Su Zeyang said, “Not yet. But if they keep digging, they’ll find traces eventually.”

Huo Fenghua stood up from the bed. “I’ll have a carriage prepared. Come back with me first. I’ll find a doctor to treat the General.”

“No,” Su Zeyang said. “Just find a trustworthy physician and bring them here. Don’t get involved in anything else.”

Huo Fenghua walked up to Su Zeyang. “Why shouldn’t I get involved?”

Su Zeyang raised his eyes to him. “You were willing to fake your death just to leave the General’s Manor. So why insist on dragging yourself back into our affairs now?”

Huo Fenghua fell silent. He lowered his head and tugged at Su Zeyang’s sleeve, fingers rubbing the fabric lightly. After a long while, he said, “I left because I didn’t want to keep interfering in your relationship. It wasn’t because I wanted to draw a line and stop caring whether you lived or died. Senior Brother, have you ever thought about how hard it is for me too? To care every moment but not be able to be with you.”

Su Zeyang didn’t answer.

Huo Fenghua looked up. “I know you won’t come back with me because you’re afraid of implicating me. But I can’t just watch you and the General fall into disaster. Even if it means death, I’m not afraid, if I can die together with you.”

Su Zeyang’s expression stayed calm. Only his lashes trembled slightly.

Huo Fenghua took his hand. “With the General in an environment like this, when will he ever be able to detox? And when the pursuers reach Wuhetan, where can you still run with the General?”

Su Zeyang gave a soft sigh.

Huo Fenghua looked at his pale pink lips and couldn’t help leaning in to kiss him.

Just then, a face suddenly popped in beside them, staring curiously at what they were doing.

Huo Fenghua jumped, turned, and snapped at Wen Heyi, “Move away!”

Wen Heyi pressed a hand to his chest, startled, and called, “Dad—”

Su Zeyang frowned. “What happened to Martial Uncle Wen?”

Before Huo Fenghua could answer, Wen Heyi spoke first. “I’m not Martial Uncle. I’m Yi’er.”

Then he grabbed Huo Fenghua’s arm and asked, “Dad, who is he?”

Huo Fenghua patted the back of Wen Heyi’s hand and said, “He’s your mom. Quickly, call him Mom.”

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<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 哔哔 (Bi Bi) / Jin Gang Quan

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

---

Chapter 68

Huo Fenghua had Ruan Qin find him a few quick-witted guards and sent them out to investigate Feng Tianzong’s situation. He wanted to know whether Feng Tianzong had already been escorted back to Yujing, and whether Su Zeyang and Feng Tiansheng would really just sit by and watch Feng Tianzong get hauled back to the capital for trial.

Truthfully, when he left the General’s Manor, he’d already told himself they’d go their separate ways. Whatever happened to Feng Tianzong shouldn’t be his problem anymore. But now that it was actually happening, he couldn’t stop himself from worrying. If the charge of rebellion was nailed down, it could mean extermination of his entire clan. If Feng Tianzong died, Su Zeyang probably wouldn’t escape either.

How could he possibly do nothing?

Thinking of that, Huo Fenghua let out a heavy sigh.

“What’re you sighing for?” Xiong’er asked from beside him.

Huo Fenghua didn’t answer. Ruan Qin draped a cloak over his shoulders and carefully tied the straps for him.

Without realizing it, Huo Fenghua had been in Wuhetan for over half a month. Tonight, he was hosting a banquet at Wuhetan’s largest restaurant, Xianchun House. Xiongda, Xiong’er, and Wen Heyi were with him as they prepared to head out.

Once Ruan Qin finished with the cloak, a servant lifted the carriage curtain and invited him aboard. When Huo Fenghua climbed into the carriage, he saw Wen Heyi already sitting inside. He sat opposite Wen Heyi and beckoned. “Yi’er, come here.”

Wen Heyi immediately got up, crouched by Huo Fenghua’s feet, and rested his head against Huo Fenghua’s knee.

Huo Fenghua stroked his hair. “Dad’s entertaining guests tonight. You’re not allowed to talk nonsense. Stay quietly to the side. If you don’t behave, I won’t take you out again.”

Xiongda sat up front with the driver. Xiong’er climbed in after that, and he happened to hear Huo Fenghua’s warning. “You shouldn’t have brought him today.”

Huo Fenghua said, “I had to. If someone mouths off to Dad later, Yi’er, you slap them. After you slap them, I’ll smooth it over.”

Wen Heyi looked up at him and nodded.

Xiong’er frowned. “None of those people are easy to deal with. Don’t go offending people before you’ve even gotten your footing in Wuhetan.”

So Huo Fenghua patted Wen Heyi’s head again. “Watch my face. Only hit the ones who deserve it. Don’t hit those who don’t. Sit quietly and drink your sweet syrup.”

Wen Heyi replied, “Okay.”

Xiong’er sighed, helpless.

Tonight, Huo Fenghua had invited three guests to Xianchun House.

The first was Hu Dong, a man they’d heard about for a long time. Xianchun House itself belonged to Hu Dong.

The second was a woman named Lan Shuilian. She was also a legendary figure in Wuhetan. Rumor said her stepfather sold her to a brothel when she was young. She grew up stunning, but with a bold, open temperament, and she befriended many people of the martial world. Now, the brothels and pleasure houses of Wuhetan had all been built by her, one after another. Everyone in Wuhetan who saw her called her Auntie Lian.

The last was Bao Wentong, leader of Shenlong Docks, the most powerful force in Wuhetan. Shenlong Docks was the strongest because they controlled the water routes and the transport of goods that connected Wuhetan to Donglin and Xichou. If Shenlong Docks cut off that route, the only detour was through Beiyi. Up north the climate was bitter and supplies were scarce, so shipping costs would naturally rise.

Huo Fenghua, under the name Su Qiang, had taken Third Master Luo’s place in Wuhetan. He was now one of the top figures here. Still, this was his first time meeting these people face to face.

He’d booked out all of Xianchun House for the night. When he stepped into the main hall, he didn’t see a single customer, just Ji Jing standing there. Ji Jing hurried over as soon as he spotted them.

Seeing Huo Fenghua again, Ji Jing froze slightly. He still remembered the first night in Wuhetan, when this slim young man had been dusty from travel, and Ji Jing hadn’t taken him seriously. Now, Huo Fenghua wore a pale blue long robe. A jade pendant hung at his waist. White fur lined the collar of his cloak, framing his delicate jaw and making his skin look snow-bright. His whole bearing looked fair and elegant.

Ji Jing also remembered how he’d mocked Huo Fenghua in his own head for saying he’d drive Third Master Luo out of Wuhetan. Now everything had flipped. Huo Fenghua had actually eliminated Third Master Luo and replaced him leaving Ji Jing with a mix of complicated emotions.

He stepped forward and said, “Master Su, Master Hu is waiting for you upstairs.”

Huo Fenghua smiled. “Just call me Brother Qiang. You’re Xiong’er’s brother, so you’re also my brother.”

Behind Huo Fenghua, Xiong’er gave Ji Jing a small smile.

Ji Jing led them upstairs and brought Huo Fenghua into a private room. Xiongda and Xiong’er stayed outside to wait. Wen Heyi, however, was brought in with Huo Fenghua.

As he walked in, Huo Fenghua loosened his cloak and tossed it to Wen Heyi without looking.

Wen Heyi hugged the cloak and buried his face in the soft fur, rubbing against it. It was so soft it made his heart itch, so he rubbed again.

Sure enough, someone was already waiting inside.

Hu Dong was a middle-aged man, close to forty. He wasn’t tall, and he had a steady, composed air. He was alone in the private room. When Huo Fenghua entered, he didn’t stand, only let out a quiet laugh.

Huo Fenghua didn’t get angry. He walked up to Hu Dong and cupped his fists. “Master Hu, I’ve long admired your name. I’m Gaungtou Qiang of Boonie Bears. I’m new here, and if I’ve been ignorant in any way, I hope Master Hu will be generous with me.”

Hu Dong didn’t respond. He only glanced at Wen Heyi behind Huo Fenghua.

Huo Fenghua had Wen Heyi sit in the corner and play with the cloak. Then he said to Hu Dong, “That’s my godson. Don’t let his looks fool you; he’s a fool. I don’t feel safe letting him out of my sight. I hope Master Hu doesn’t mind.”

Only then did Hu Dong speak, his voice low. “I heard that the day you first arrived in Wuhetan, you told someone you were my, Hu Dong’s, maternal uncle. Funny. I’ve never heard of you as my uncle.”

Huo Fenghua felt his nose itch a little. “Who told you that, Master Hu? They heard wrong. I clearly told him you were my uncle.”

Hu Dong hadn’t expected that. He studied Huo Fenghua in surprise. “I’m your uncle? That’s news to me.”

“Whether you knew it before doesn’t matter,” Huo Fenghua said. “What matters is that from now on, Uncle, you remember you’ve got this nephew in Wuhetan. We’re family. Your business is my business. We make money together, and we fight enemies together. Isn’t that perfect?”

This time Hu Dong looked him over carefully. After a long moment, he laughed. “Sit. Why’re you standing there? Tell me then, when exactly did we become family?”

Huo Fenghua sat on the chair beside Hu Dong, picked up the teapot on the table, and casually refilled Hu Dong’s cup. “Didn’t Brother Ji Jing mention it? When we first came to Wuhetan, it was because my little brother Xiong’er and Ji Jing are sworn brothers. We came to rely on our connections. It’s just that fate took a strange turn. We didn’t end up under your wing, Uncle, and things became what they are now. Still, on account of Xiong’er and Ji Jing’s relationship, shouldn’t Boonie Bears and Master Hu’s group count as family?”

Hu Dong said, “You were calling me Uncle a moment ago, and now it’s Master Hu again.”

Huo Fenghua didn’t mind him taking the advantage in words. He was here to pull Hu Dong into business with him, so he only smiled. “Uncle is what I call you in private. If the whole of Wuhetan found out about this relationship, wouldn’t you become a target for everyone’s resentment?”

Hu Dong sat perfectly upright and took a sip of tea. “You called me here today. What is it you actually want to talk about?”

Huo Fenghua was about to answer when someone knocked lightly outside. “Auntie Lian has arrived.”

The door opened from the outside, and an exceptionally beautiful woman walked in unhurriedly. At first glance she didn’t look old, but if you looked closely, fine lines gathered at the corners of her eyes. After entering, she looked Huo Fenghua and Wen Heyi up and down and asked, puzzled, “Which one of you is Gaungtou Qiang?”

Huo Fenghua stood immediately and went to her. “That would be me.”

Lan Shuilian looked him over, clearly surprised. “You aren’t bald, and you’re the one who killed Third Master Luo?” She found it hard to believe.

Huo Fenghua smiled. “I didn’t kill him. He tried to kill me and ended up killing himself.” Then he looked at her in mock astonishment. “Before I came today, someone told me I should respectfully call you Auntie Lian when I met you. But now that I’m seeing you, I can’t bring myself to say it.”

Lan Shuilian chuckled. “Oh? Why not?”

Huo Fenghua said, “This is clearly Sister Lian. Where did this ‘Auntie’ come from?”

Lan Shuilian burst out laughing, loud and hearty, without a trace of shyness. She lifted a hand and touched Huo Fenghua’s cheek. “Where’d this sweet-talking little brat come from? By age you should call me Auntie Lian. You’d hardly be losing out.”

Huo Fenghua bargained back. “How about Sister Lian? If I can have such a beautiful sister, I’d say I wouldn’t be losing at all.”

Hu Dong spoke up. “If you call Auntie Lian ‘Sister Lian,’ aren’t you taking advantage of everyone in Wuhetan?”

Huo Fenghua said, “Then my sister took advantage first. You can’t pin it all on me.”

Lan Shuilian laughed nonstop at the side.

Before the banquet, Huo Fenghua had already had people investigate their temperaments. Hu Dong was steady, a true merchant. Lan Shuilian carried more of a martial world spirit, bold and loyal, and she liked making friends. Only Bao Wentong of Shenlong Docks was greedy and vicious, yet he held the water routes and freight lines in his hands, which made him impossible to offend.

Huo Fenghua invited the two of them to sit and said he was new to Wuhetan. He’d been busy handling gang affairs and hadn’t had the chance to pay respects to the elders, so he was grateful to have this opportunity tonight, and he hoped they’d look out for each other going forward.

“People say eating and drinking, whoring, and gambling always come as a set,” he said. “In Wuhetan, we really are one family. This business can’t be done with only the present in mind. We need to make it bigger.”

Lan Shuilian kept smiling at him. Now she asked, “Bigger how? Let’s hear it.”

Huo Fenghua picked up three empty wine cups, flipped them upside down, and stacked one on top of the other two like a little structure. “Like I said, eating and drinking, whoring, and gambling come together. We build one building that caters specifically to rich clients. A casino, a restaurant, beautiful girls to accompany them. Upstairs, it’s all guest rooms. They gamble and drink downstairs. If they win, they take a girl upstairs to enjoy themselves.”

Lan Shuilian still smiled, but she exchanged a glance with Hu Dong.

Huo Fenghua tapped the cup lightly with his chopsticks. “And not just anyone can enter. Anyone who comes in has to first spend enough silver to exchange for chips, like a minimum of one hundred taels. Only the ones who can afford that are our guests. They use the chips to gamble, buy wine, and tip the girls. When they leave, whatever chips they have left can be exchanged back into silver at face value.” He raised his brows.

Hu Dong asked, “You want to build it in Wuhetan? I’m not sure you can attract that many wealthy guests.”

Huo Fenghua said, “Wuhetan sits at the crossroads of Donglin, Xichou, and Beiyi. There are no city walls, so anyone can come and go. Why limit our customer base to Wuhetan? And that’s only step one. If it works, we’ll build a sea-going ship. We sail along Donglin’s eastern coast and lure wealthy merchants and young masters onto the ship to gamble.”

Hu Dong leaned forward slightly, focused, clearly interested.

Lan Shuilian considered it, then said, “It could work. But neither plan can avoid Shenlong Docks.”

Huo Fenghua nodded. “That’s why I invited Boss Bao today too.”

As soon as he finished, someone knocked outside. “Boss Bao has arrived.”

Bao Wentong came late because he didn’t think much of anyone in this room. In Wuhetan, as long as he held the waterways tight, his power couldn’t be shaken, and money would keep flowing in.

The door opened. A short, heavyset middle-aged man stood outside. Bao Wentong was squat and thick, with a face full of hard flesh that made him look fierce. His expression was cold and gloomy. As he stepped into the room, he snorted. “Which one is Gaungtou Qiang?”

Huo Fenghua stood and cupped his fists. “Boss Bao, I’ve long admired your name. I’m Su Qiang.”

Bao Wentong paused. Behind him stood a tall, skinny young man. The young man took one look at Huo Fenghua and laughed. “You’re Gaungtou Qiang? I thought you were a little male courtesan Auntie Lian brought along, here to pour wine and keep her company.”

Before the sentence even finished, a bamboo-green blur swept past. There was a crisp smack. The youth didn’t even see the figure clearly, yet a slap had already landed across his face.

The one who struck him was Wen Heyi. Wen Heyi rubbed his palm, scooted to Huo Fenghua’s side, and called out like he was claiming credit, “Dad!”

Huo Fenghua had given him that instruction casually before leaving. He hadn’t expected Wen Heyi to really do it.

The young man snapped back to himself and flew into a rage. He drew the curved saber at his waist and pointed it at Wen Heyi. “What stray dog is this, biting people at random!”

Huo Fenghua quickly stepped between them. “Brother, don’t be angry. That’s my godson. He’s muddled in the head. Don’t take it to heart. I’ll apologize on his behalf.”

The young man was still furious. “So one ‘he’s stupid’ and that’s it? Send him over. Let me slap him once, and then we’ll call it even.”

Huo Fenghua looked at him. “Then you insulted me just now. Should I insult Boss Bao a couple times too, and then it’s even?”

The young man froze.

Bao Wentong frowned. “Enough. Wait outside.”

The young man had no choice. He cupped his fists. “Yes, Boss!”

Bao Wentong entered. Seeing Hu Dong and Lan Shuilian already seated, he didn’t exchange pleasantries. He only pointed at Wen Heyi. “Send him out too.”

Huo Fenghua patted Wen Heyi’s head. “Yi’er, go wait outside. Stop causing trouble.”

Wen Heyi nodded, hugged Huo Fenghua’s cloak, and left the private room.

Huo Fenghua closed the door and heard Bao Wentong say, “Say what you need to say. I don’t care what trick you used to kill Third Master Luo. In front of me, you’d better be honest and stop wasting my time.”

Bao Wentong sat at the table.

Huo Fenghua smiled, returned to the table, and straightforwardly repeated the plan he’d just described to Hu Dong and Lan Shuilian. Bao Wentong looked impatient at first, but as Huo Fenghua went on, Bao Wentong studied him more carefully. He reached for the wine cup and thought for a long while. “Not a bad idea.”

Huo Fenghua asked, “So what do you think, Boss Bao? Are we making money together or not?”

Bao Wentong said, “We can make the money, but I want forty percent.”

Hu Dong couldn’t help a snort of laughter. “Boss Bao, that’s a lion’s bite. You take forty percent and the three of us split the remaining sixty, twenty each? That’s not right.”

Bao Wentong sneered. “Then I won’t do this business. Go back and bring out your abacuses and see if you can do the math without me.”

Huo Fenghua glanced at Hu Dong, then Lan Shuilian. “Everything’s negotiable. Boss Bao, don’t be so quick to reject it. If there’s money to be made, we should still make it together.”

Bao Wentong stood. “Then you can discuss it among yourselves. Decide if you want to make this money.”

He didn’t eat a single bite before leaving the room.

That damn Thermos*! Huo Fenghua cursed inwardly. When he turned back to Hu Dong and Lan Shuilian, though, he could only shake his head with a helpless sigh.

*Clarity: He’s making fun of Bao Wentong’s [包文同] name by calling him a thermos (which is also [bao wentong]). They sound similar, like almost homophones.

After a moment, Lan Shuilian said, “We still have to do the deal.”

Huo Fenghua traced a finger over the glossy varnish of the wooden tabletop. “We can agree to it first, then later we don’t give him that forty percent.”

Hu Dong looked at him. “What do you mean?”

Huo Fenghua said, “I told you, we’re the family here. Why let someone else clamp our throats and control us at every turn? Isn’t that right, Uncle?”

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 哔哔 (Bi Bi) / Jin Gang Quan

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 67

On the fifth day of Huo Fenghua’s arrival at Wuhetan, Guangtou Qiang became the most talked-about person in the entire Wuhetan area. “That Su Qiang, nicknamed Guangtou Qiang, killed Third Master Luo and his subordinate, the Bald Scholar, on his first night in Wuhetan, taking over all of Third Master Luo’s gambling houses and assets.  It’s said he even took over all of Master Luo’s wives and concubines.”

“Didn’t any of Master Luo’s men stand up and resist? Did they just watch him take such a huge advantage?”

“That’s because…” The speaker raised an arm and patted the bulging muscle on his upper arm, “His fists were harder.  And it’s said that the managers of Third Master Luo’s six gambling houses went to confront him the next day, all dissatisfied with Guangtou Qiang. But Guangtou Qiang crippled one of them on the spot, and then threatened and bribed the rest, saying they could all make money together in the future. So those managers stopped causing trouble.”

“They just stopped causing trouble?”

“Do you think Third Master Luo was some saint? Besides the Bald Scholar, Third Master Luo was harsh on everyone under him, and extremely stingy. Now that there’s a new person in charge, someone who’s skilled in martial arts and unbeatable, and willing to share the wealth, there’s nothing wrong with that.”

“That’s true. But speaking of which, have you ever seen what that Guangtou Qiang looks like?”

“I haven’t seen him, but since he’s called Guangtou Qiang, he’s probably bald. They say he killed the Bald Scholar first, probably because he was unhappy that there was a second bald man in Wuhetan, and he wanted to be the only bald man in the entire Wuhetan from now on!”

“Hahaha, isn’t that ridiculous!”

“What’s so ridiculous about that? I saw some bald guy from Shenlong Village yesterday, and his head was wrapped in gray cloth. He was probably afraid of Guangtou Qiang coming after him.”

Hearing that, Huo Fenghua finally couldn’t hold back his laughter. He’d been sitting in a little noodle shop all morning, listening to two men at the next table gossip. He’d ordered a bowl of plain scallion noodles and a plate of beef, dumped all the beef on top of the noodles, and eaten at an unhurried pace. 

No one knew he was Guangtou Qiang, even though he was a complete stranger in Wuhetan. He wasn’t bald, and he looked kind and harmless. Even if he stood up and said he was Guangtou Qiang, no one would believe him.

After finishing his noodles, Huo Fenghua leisurely wiped his mouth with a silk handkerchief and left the small noodle shop.

Wuhetan was a bit deserted in the early morning. As several porters carrying heavy goods passed by Huo Fenghua, they all looked at him, seemingly wondering why a young man of his appearance dared to walk alone on the quiet streets of Wuhetan.

The men exchanged glances, silently debating whether to make a move.

But as Huo Fenghua brushed past them, he lightly pushed the load of one of the men closest to him. The man stumbled back several steps, nearly falling to the ground, and shook his head at his companions in panic. Only after Huo Fenghua had walked away did he say, “This man is too powerful. We’re no match for him.”

Huo Fenghua walked all the way to the notice board outside the city of Wuhetan before stopping.

Wuhetan had no official government, so there were naturally no official notices. However, the various factions in Wuhetan were constantly vying for power, and when communication was difficult, a channel was needed to announce information to the entire Wuhetan.  

Hence, this notice board existed. In addition, the factions in Wuhetan were always paying attention to news from Donglin, Xichou, and the neighboring Northern Barbarian countries, so there was also a lot of news from the Central Plains and the Northern Barbarians here.

Huo Fenghua only came to take a look, wanting to know how the other factions in Wuhetan reacted to the change of ownership of Third Master Luo’s gambling dens, but he unexpectedly saw a message from Donglin posted on the notice board.

The message had only been posted that morning. It stated that the Emperor of Donglin had issued an imperial decree, accusing General Feng Tianzong of accumulating power and plotting rebellion, ordering him to immediately relinquish his military power and be escorted back to the capital by an imperial envoy. The imperial decree was initially a secret order, and the news only spread after Feng Tianzong had received the decree and it had traveled all the way to Wuhetan, which meant several days had already passed.

If Feng Tianzong hadn’t defied the order, he should now be on his way back to Yujing under escort.

Huo Fenghua stared at the words “Feng Tianzong” on the white paper for a long time, until many pedestrians gathered around, pointing at the notice board and saying that the Emperor of Donglin was going to discard his loyal servant after using him.

Huo Fenghua felt a little confused. Xiong’er had told him that this day would come sooner or later, but he didn’t expect it to happen so quickly. Before leaving Yujing, he had repeatedly instructed Feng Tianzong to intercept evidence of Wang Chu’s collusion with the remnants of Xichou. He thought that if anything were to happen, it would be the Wang family first, and he never expected that Feng Tianzong would be stripped of his military power first.

It had only been a little over three months since he left Yujing.

Huo Fenghua returned to the former Luo Manor, which was now his own residence. The plaque of the Luo Manor at the main entrance had been taken down and replaced with a new one, inscribed by Huo Fenghua himself: “Boonie Bears.” His new gang was also called “Boonie Bears,” and he was the gang leader, Guangtou Qiang, while the Xiong brothers, Xiongda and Xiong’er, were the deputy leaders. Xiong’er was still the general manager of the six gambling houses, and he had been so busy lately that Huo Fenghua hadn’t had a chance to see him much.

As for the former servants of the Luo Manor, Huo Fenghua’s attitude was that those who wanted to stay could stay, and those who didn’t want to stay could leave. This included Third Master Luo’s wives and concubines; those who wanted to stay could become maids in the Manor, and the others were given a sum of money to remarry.

Just as he entered the inner courtyard, Huo Fenghua saw Wen Heyi squatting in the courtyard, looking at the insects on the flowerbed. 

Wen Heyi didn’t turn around when he heard his footsteps, focusing intently on the insects. Huo Fenghua didn’t disturb him but walked past him and went straight into the house.

On the night that Master Luo was shot dead, Huo Fenghua gathered the Luo Manor’s guards and found the person who had brought Wen Heyi back. That person said that Wen Heyi had been found at the border of Xichou, and that he seemed healthy but mentally unstable.  Thinking that he could be used for Bald Scholar’s testing, they brought him back.

As for why Wen Heyi had become like this, that person didn’t know either.

Afterward, Huo Fenghua found a doctor to examine Wen Heyi. The doctor said that he seemed to have suffered a head injury and prescribed several doses of medicine to dissolve blood clots, but there was no improvement after taking the medicine.

When Huo Fenghua entered the house, he saw Ruan Qin directing several servants to move and rearrange the furniture.

Ruan Qin was the woman who had handed the knife to Master Luo in his room that night. After Master Luo’s death, Ruan Qin didn’t want to leave and voluntarily stayed on as a maid. However, Huo Fenghua found her bold, meticulous, and intelligent, and familiar with the affairs of the Luo Manor, so he felt that being a maid was beneath her and appointed her as the steward.

This was the first time anyone had appointed a woman as a steward, and even Ruan Qin herself was very surprised. However, in the following days, she managed the household affairs meticulously, and since it was Huo Fenghua’s personal arrangement, the objections gradually disappeared.

Third Master Luo’s room was no longer habitable and would probably have to be demolished and rebuilt. Ruan Qin arranged for Huo Fenghua to stay in the adjacent courtyard. This room was originally Third Master Luo’s storage room, containing many of his collections, including a secret passage leading to the basement. The basement contained several boxes of glittering gold bars, which even the accountant didn’t know about, and which Huo Fenghua only discovered later. 

Many of the antiques and calligraphy scrolls that were once kept in this room had been moved out to make way for Huo Fenghua’s bedroom, leaving only a cabinet with some exquisite porcelain pieces as decoration.

Huo Fenghua walked to the cabinet and saw a row of plain white porcelain bottles on the bottom shelf, each with a lid. He picked one up, opened the lid, and shook it, seeing a light brown liquid inside. He then brought it closer to his nose and sniffed it, asking Ruan Qin, “What is this?”

Ruan Qin stared at the porcelain bottle for a moment, then walked to Huo Fenghua’s ear and whispered, “This is Third Master Luo’s tonic, for enhancing male potency.”

Huo Fenghua immediately understood. He had seen Third Master Luo drink a bottle that night, and it had taken effect immediately. He sniffed it again, “It’s that effective?”

Ruan Qin said, “He had someone specially prepare this medicine. It contains potent ingredients like deer blood, tiger penis, and ginseng. He said he even found some kind of aphrodisiac flower from abroad, and it cost him a lot of money. If you don’t want it, Mr. Su, I’ll have someone move them all out.”

Huo Fenghua was startled by this, then hesitantly leaned closer to Ruan Qin’s ear and asked, “Does this medicine… Does it help with lasting longer?” He couldn’t help but blush slightly as he asked.

Ruan Qin lowered her eyes and softly said, “Yes.”

Huo Fenghua nodded. “Then let’s keep them for now. I’ll handle it myself.”

Ruan Qin acknowledged this, and after seeing that the things in the room were mostly settled, she gestured to the servants to leave with her.

Before Ruan Qin left, Huo Fenghua stopped her, “Sister Qin, wait a moment.”

Ruan Qin stopped and looked at him. 

Huo Fenghua said, “Help me find two or three trustworthy guards in the mansion, ones who are quick-witted. I want to arrange for them to help me gather some information.”

Ruan Qin nodded upon hearing this. “I’ll go arrange it now.”  

After saying that, she closed the door behind her as she left the room.

The room suddenly became dim, leaving only Huo Fenghua alone. Many thoughts flooded his mind at the same time. He stared at the white porcelain bottle in his hand, lost in thought. He stood leaning against the cabinet for a while, and thought, ‘I’ll try to see if it really can extend the duration.’ Then, as if possessed, he raised his hand and drank the entire bottle of tonic.

The medicine had a strangely bitter and pungent taste. After drinking it, he was lost in thought for a while before feeling a surge of heat rising from his groin.

Huo Fenghua placed the empty porcelain bottle on the cabinet and walked unsteadily to the bed and sat down. The numerous thoughts in his head were all dispelled, leaving only burning desire. He lowered his head and saw his trousers bulging. He reached out and unbuckled his belt; his cock was hard and hot to the touch.

He tilted his head back and took a deep breath, then lay down on the bed, pressing his hot face against the cool silk sheets.

His body felt constrained by his clothes. He pulled at his clothes, stripping them off. His fair chest was exposed to the slightly cool air, and his nipples stood erect even without being touched. He stripped himself naked, carelessly throwing his clothes and trousers on the floor. Then he heard a soft clinking sound. As if remembering something, he trembled and reached out from the bed to search among his clothes, finding the smooth jade pendant.

Huo Fenghua held the pendant’s tassel in his hand and gently placed the jade pendant against his chest. He had always kept the jade pendant close to his body, carrying his body’s warmth, just like when Feng Tianzong had given it to him. The jade pendant lightly brushed against his nipple, which immediately became even more swollen. 

He guided the pendant along his skin, sliding it down until it reached his thighs. It felt as if a hand was caressing him, but he couldn’t tell whether the hand belonged to Feng Tianzong or Su Zeyang.

He gripped his throbbing erection with both hands, enclosing the jade pendant in his palms, and jacked off with it. The uneven surface of the pendant enhanced the pleasure of self-stimulation. His fair skin flushed a vibrant red, and he tilted his head back, gasping for breath, while his eyes stared blankly at the thick canopy above.

Perhaps due to the effects of the drug, Huo Fenghua felt that his shaft was harder than usual, the veins bulging and the head glowed a rosy red. As he caressed himself with the jade pendant, clear precum oozed from the slit, sliding down his cock and completely soaking the pendant. 

His body felt ecstatic, yet he couldn’t find satisfaction no matter what.

Huo Fenghua closed his eyes while one hand caressed his body. In his mind, he imagined Feng Tianzong’s rough hands touching his skin, and then Su Zeyang’s smooth silk-like skin against his own. Fantasy and reality slowly overlapped, his desire growing hotter, as if a pair of hands were spreading his legs apart, and a man’s cock was forcefully penetrating him.

He suddenly opened his eyes, finding his legs spread apart, his asshole repeatedly contracting, feeling a sense of emptiness. He couldn’t help but move the jade pendant downwards, brushing against his perineum and resting at the opening of his hole. For a moment, he had the urge to insert the pendant inside.

Of course, the jade pendant couldn’t be inserted. Huo Fenghua felt a throbbing pain, and a cold sweat broke out on his forehead. He threw the pendant aside, cursed under his breath, and instead slowly inserted his finger, gently pressing against the inner wall. He caressed himself with both hands, one in front and one behind, but still couldn’t find satisfaction. He tossed and turned in bed for a long time until he himself grew impatient, finally climaxing while fantasizing about Feng Tianzong and Su Zeyang.

Huo Fenghua lay in bed, panting, feeling utterly unsatisfied, which greatly troubled him. He began to consider whether he should find someone else.

He fumbled on the bed and found the jade pendant he had soiled. He stared at it for a while when the door was suddenly pushed open from the outside, and Wen Heyi rushed in like a gust of wind.

Huo Fenghua’s room was usually off-limits to anyone, and when Ruan Qin left, she only pulled the door shut without locking it from the inside. He had forgotten that there was a simple-minded Wen Heyi in the courtyard.

Seeing Wen Heyi burst in, Huo Fenghua quickly grabbed the blanket and covered himself.

Wen Heyi didn’t seem to notice anything amiss. He simply knelt down by the bed and opened his hand for Huo Fenghua to see, saying, “Dad, look.”

There was an insect in his palm.

Huo Fenghua was annoyed. He blew a breath at Wen Heyi’s palm, blowing the insect off his hand, and said, “I don’t want to see it. Get out.”

Wen Heyi looked at him in shock, then his eyes brightened, and he got up and ran outside.

---

<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 哔哔 (Bi Bi) / Jin Gang Quan

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

---

Chapter 66

Huo Fenghua forced the man to tell him which courtyard Third Master Luo lived in, then struck him with a palm and knocked him out again. He turned back and looked at the Bald Scholar lying on the ground, barely alive. Stroking his chin as he pondered, he said to Wen Heyi, “Yi’er, put him on your back. Come with Dad to settle accounts with an old man.”

Wen Heyi started shaking the key ring again. Hearing that, he looked over at Huo Fenghua. “What old man?”

Huo Fenghua said, “The old man who locked you up. He dared bully my Yi’er. Watch Dad deal with him for you!”

Wen Heyi moved closer and nodded. “Okay, Dad.”

Hearing the keys clink in Wen Heyi’s hand, Huo Fenghua held out his palm. “Give me the keys.”

Wen Heyi hesitated at once, edging away with the keys in hand.

Huo Fenghua put on a stern face and snorted. “Hand them over first. When we get back, I’ll buy you a string of bells to hang around your neck. Then wherever you go, it’ll jingle like this.”

Wen Heyi reluctantly handed the keys to Huo Fenghua. Huo Fenghua felt a sudden swell of emotion. He patted Wen Heyi’s head. “Good Yi’er.”

Huo Fenghua went and opened the remaining iron cages in the room. Some of the men inside were already half out of their minds, while others were still conscious. He told them to wait a little longer. Once he dealt with Third Master Luo, he’d let them all leave.

Then Huo Fenghua had Wen Heyi knock the Bald Scholar out again and hoist him onto his back. The two of them slipped out of the side courtyard and followed the direction the guard had given, circling around to an inner yard behind a pond.

The inner yard’s main gate had guards, and the lights were still on inside. Third Master Luo apparently still hadn’t gone to bed.

They didn’t go through the front gate. Instead, they went straight behind the building. Huo Fenghua wasn’t good at lightness kung fu, so he had Wen Heyi lift him up to the roof first, then come back down and haul the Bald Scholar up afterward.

Wen Heyi tossed the Bald Scholar aside, wrapped an arm around Huo Fenghua, and leapt lightly onto the roof. His steps were steady and silent.

Huo Fenghua patted Wen Heyi’s back approvingly and pointed at the Bald Scholar on the ground. Wen Heyi jumped back down.

Huo Fenghua shifted carefully across the roof to the center, crouched, and lifted a roof tile. Dim yellow lamplight spilled out at once. He lowered his head and looked inside. A broad cushioned couch sat in the room. A middle-aged man reclined on it, while two naked women at his feet were kissing each other, tangled together.

At that moment, Wen Heyi carried the Bald Scholar up onto the roof. He walked soundlessly to Huo Fenghua’s side, set the Bald Scholar down, and leaned in to look as well.

Huo Fenghua felt something was odd. If he’d guessed right, that middle-aged man was definitely Third Master Luo, but for some reason he was having the two women kiss and touch each other while he just sat there watching.

Wen Heyi couldn’t see clearly with Huo Fenghua in the way and tried to squeeze in. Huo Fenghua pulled him back, shook his head, and covered his eyes with one hand. In a voice so low it was barely a breath by Wen Heyi’s ear, he said, “Kids aren’t allowed to look.”

Wen Heyi froze for a moment, then raised his own hands to cover his eyes and stopped peeking inside.

Huo Fenghua looked down again and saw that Third Master Luo and the two women still hadn’t noticed a thing. He didn’t know how strong Third Master Luo’s martial arts were, but since he relied on the Bald Scholar, Huo Fenghua guessed Third Master Luo wasn’t very capable. Now it seemed that was true. His cultivation was mediocre, so mediocre he didn’t even sense someone on the roof.

Just then, Third Master Luo lifted a hand and untied his waistband, revealing the thing between his legs. Huo Fenghua watched with a look of disgust, only to see it was very small and limp, drooping there without any firmness at all.

Third Master Luo reached for a white porcelain bottle by the couch, popped the lid, and swallowed down a big mouthful. He began to pant. After a moment, his penis finally stiffened, but just barely.

Huo Fenghua felt like he’d just learned something important. Excited, he grabbed Wen Heyi’s arm.

Wen Heyi was startled and slid his fingers aside from his eyes to peek at him.

Huo Fenghua crooked a finger, leaned close, and whispered into his ear. “In a bit, I’ll go down first. When you hear me whistle, you throw the Bald Scholar off the roof into the room. Got it?”

Wen Heyi nodded.

Huo Fenghua sneered inwardly. So Third Master Luo couldn’t get it up. Fine, then. He’d show him how to “deal with it.” Then he jumped down from the roof.

Third Master Luo had just gotten hard from the medicine and was grabbing one woman to push himself into her when he heard a noise from the roof. He didn’t even have time to look up before someone dropped straight down and hit the floor.

Poor Third Master Luo. He’d finally gotten hard, and the fright made him go soft again.

Right after that, a figure burst in through the window, flipped onto the couch, seized Third Master Luo by the throat, and said, “Shut up!”

The two naked women screamed in terror. The guards at the door heard the commotion but didn’t dare rush in. Instead, they called loudly from outside, “Third Master? Is something wrong?”

Huo Fenghua tightened his grip around Third Master Luo’s throat so he couldn’t breathe and said, “Tell them not to come in!”

Then he loosened his grip slightly. Sure enough, Third Master Luo wheezed to the two guards outside, “Don’t come in!”

As soon as the words left his mouth, Third Master Luo reached back to try to lock Huo Fenghua’s wrist and pry his hand away. He couldn’t budge it. Huo Fenghua drove a knee into Third Master Luo’s lower back and forced him face-down onto the couch.

“Why don’t you look at who’s lying on the floor?” Huo Fenghua said. “With your pathetic martial arts, you think you can resist?”

Third Master Luo turned his head and saw only that shiny bald head on the floor. His face instantly drained to a ghastly pallor.

Huo Fenghua looked up and saw the two women still clinging to each other, trembling violently. He said to them, “Put your clothes on and go downstairs.”

The two women immediately scrambled off the couch, grabbed their clothes, and dressed.

Third Master Luo asked through clenched breath, “Who are you? What do you want?”

Huo Fenghua didn’t answer him. He asked the women instead, “Who are you?”

One woman, braver than the other, said, “My father owed gambling debts. He sold me to Third Master as a servant.”

Huo Fenghua nodded and asked the other, “You too?”

The second woman shrank back and nodded.

Huo Fenghua lowered his head toward Third Master Luo. “You filthy old lecher. You and the Bald Scholar are in bed together, using living people to test drugs, and you’re ruining decent women on top of it!”

Pinned down, Third Master Luo wheezed, “Their fathers owed me money. They sold themselves to me. What ‘decent women’ are you talking about?”

Huo Fenghua said, “If I say they’re decent, they’re decent. Their fathers owed gambling debts, so go sleep with their fathers. What does that have to do with them?”

Third Master Luo’s face flushed red as he snarled, “Who are you, barging in here and spouting nonsense!”

Huo Fenghua didn’t answer. He raised his head and called to the roof, “Yi’er, come down.”

Wen Heyi jumped down through the hole in the roof. He landed with one foot right on the Bald Scholar’s back and actually stepped him awake. The Bald Scholar groaned and lifted his head.

Third Master Luo, frantic, cried, “Brother?”

Huo Fenghua gave a cold laugh and tightened his hold on Third Master Luo’s throat. “Don’t bother hoping for your brother. His martial arts are crippled. He’s a useless waste now. He’ll never help you do evil again.”

Wen Heyi kicked the Bald Scholar away, then crouched by the couch and looked up at Huo Fenghua, calling softly, “Dad.”

Huo Fenghua forced Third Master Luo to look at Wen Heyi. “I’m asking you. Where did you grab him from to use him for drug testing?”

Third Master Luo stared at Wen Heyi. He didn’t recognize him. “Who is he?”

Huo Fenghua said, “He’s my son. You people snatched him and hung him in the Bald Scholar’s cage because you wanted to test drugs on him.”

Third Master Luo drew a breath. “The ones who grabbed test subjects were my men. I never saw him. I don’t know who he is.”

Huo Fenghua sneered. “Now you do. I’m telling you. He’s my son. You kidnapped him and you made him stupid. I’m going to settle this properly with you.” Then he said to Wen Heyi, “Yi’er, go find rope and a knife. Dad’s hand is tired. We’ll tie him up first.”

Before he finished speaking, the woman curled in the corner suddenly said, “I know where to find some.”

Third Master Luo shot her a vicious look. She wasn’t afraid. She walked to a wooden cabinet beside the couch, opened it, took out rope, then rummaged through a drawer and produced a small knife. She handed everything to Huo Fenghua.

Huo Fenghua had Wen Heyi help him spread Third Master Luo’s arms and legs and bind him to the couch. Huo Fenghua crouched in front of him with the knife, the tip aimed at Third Master Luo’s throat. He smiled. “Now we can talk properly.”

Third Master Luo seemed to recover his wits. He studied Huo Fenghua and asked, “Young man, who exactly are you?”

Huo Fenghua said, “Me? My surname’s Su, given name Qiang. On the streets, people call me Guangtou Qiang.”

Third Master Luo glanced at Wen Heyi again, puzzled. “That’s your son?”

Huo Fenghua smiled. “Adopted, but he’s still my precious darling. No one’s allowed to touch him.”

Third Master Luo nodded. “This is all a misunderstanding. I didn’t know anyone went and grabbed your son. That’s on me. Let me go and we can talk everything out.”

Huo Fenghua grinned and slowly slid the knife tip down from Third Master Luo’s throat, all the way to between his legs. The cold back of the blade pressed against his penis. In an instant it shrank even smaller. Huo Fenghua clicked his tongue in disgust. “All right. We’ll talk. Once we’ve agreed on terms, I’ll let you go.”

Third Master Luo’s breathing tightened. “What are your terms?”

Huo Fenghua asked, “How many gambling houses do you have in Wuhetan?”

Third Master Luo didn’t answer.

Huo Fenghua glanced at him and chuckled. “No need to ask you. I’ll ask the two young ladies.” He turned to the woman who’d fetched the rope and knife and asked gently, “Sister, do you know your Third Master’s accountant’s surname?”

She replied, “Zheng.”

Huo Fenghua pressed the knife to Third Master Luo’s groin. “Bring Mr. Zheng here. Or I’ll castrate you first.”

Third Master Luo stared at him for a moment, then called for the men outside to bring Mr. Zheng over.

Third Master Luo had six gambling houses in Wuhetan, two residences, five hundred thousand taels in a money house, plus other valuables large and small. The accountant’s forehead was slick with sweat. As he worked the abacus and wrote, even the tip of his brush trembled.

Huo Fenghua asked, “You’ve counted carefully? If you miss anything, I’ll come after you, Mr. Zheng.”

The accountant nodded frantically. “Counted carefully. Counted carefully.”

Huo Fenghua said, “Good. Then write me a contract. Third Master Luo voluntarily transfers all assets under his name to me, Su Qiang. Write it clearly. All assets. That includes the maids and servants in this household too. From now on, they’re all mine, Gaungtou Qiang’s.”

The accountant was terrified. He looked up at Third Master Luo and didn’t dare to write.

Third Master Luo gave a cold laugh. “Your appetite’s too big.”

Huo Fenghua reached out and patted Wen Heyi’s head, where he sat watching from the edge of the couch. “My son’s worth that much.”

Third Master Luo said, “You think forcing me to transfer my property to you means my subordinates will accept you?”

Huo Fenghua hummed. “Third Master’s right. Then teach me. When you colluded with the Bald Scholar to kill your elder brother, stole everything he had, and took his wife for yourself, how did you get everyone to fall in line?”

Third Master Luo said coldly, “So you already investigated me. You came tonight specifically for me?”

Huo Fenghua smiled. “Yeah. So if you don’t sign this transfer contract today, I’ll definitely kill you. Want to test me?”

Third Master Luo didn’t speak.

Huo Fenghua let the small knife wobble in his hand as if it might slip at any moment. “Killing you in one stab would be boring. Let me think where to start cutting first. That thing between your legs is useless anyway. I’ll cut it off for you and you won’t have to take tonics anymore. How about it?”

Third Master Luo’s face went red, then white.

Huo Fenghua said, “Third Master, why bother? I’m the one holding the knife, you’re the fish on the chopping board. If you keep dragging this out, you’re just giving me more chances to humiliate you. The Bald Scholar’s already crippled. Who are you counting on to save you now? Those useless idiots outside? Look at them. They don’t even have the guts to charge in.”

Third Master Luo’s breathing grew heavy.

Huo Fenghua lowered his voice. “People like you, without benefits to gain, how many would still truly work for you? Look at this. Even the woman in your bed handed me the knife because she wants you dead. Who are you expecting to risk their lives for you?”

Third Master Luo finally said, “If I sign, you’ll let me go?”

Huo Fenghua said, “A gentleman’s word is his bond.”

Third Master Luo fell silent, then said, “Untie me.”

Huo Fenghua didn’t hesitate. He cut the ropes binding Luo’s hands and feet. Third Master Luo rubbed his wrists, stepped off the couch, took the contract from the accountant, and read it line by line. After reading, he signed his name and pressed his fingerprint.

Third Master Luo pinched the contract in his hand, then suddenly spun and lunged toward a side cabinet, reaching to shove a vase on top.

Huo Fenghua instantly heard the click-clack of hidden mechanisms. His gut screamed danger. He shoved Wen Heyi off the couch and rolled off it himself. In the next heartbeat, feathers and arrowheads shot from all directions, aimed at the center of the couch.

Third Master Luo backed away several steps and shoved the second vase on a table near the door.

Huo Fenghua barked, “Down!”

He and Wen Heyi hit the floor. The two women also threw themselves down. Only the accountant, too old and too slow, couldn’t dodge. Arrows burst from the room’s corners and pierced through him. Blood sprayed as he collapsed.

Third Master Luo had already retreated to the doorway, about to escape. He reached for the last vase near the door.

Huo Fenghua lay flat, kicked off hard with both feet, and skimmed across the floor to Third Master Luo’s feet. After Third Master Luo triggered that last vase, Huo Fenghua grabbed his ankle and hurled him back toward the center of the room.

This time, the floorboards in the center clicked and rattled, and arrows shot up from beneath the floor.

Huo Fenghua cried out, “Martial Uncle!”

The arrows were dense and powerful. The two women had stayed tucked in a corner that wasn’t covered by the trap. Wen Heyi, though, was in the center. He flipped and landed on top of the Bald Scholar’s body. The arrows pierced through the Bald Scholar, losing force, and Wen Heyi kicked them aside.

Third Master Luo wasn’t so lucky. Several arrows punched up through him. One shot straight up from between his legs into his body, killing him instantly. His death was gruesome.

Huo Fenghua clutched his chest and let out a long breath. He hadn’t planned to kill Third Master Luo. He understood that if he didn’t wipe him out completely, he might leave future trouble behind, but he wasn’t the kind of vicious criminal who could kill without blinking. When it came to murder, he still hesitated. He just hadn’t expected Third Master Luo to have a back-up trap that sent both himself and the Bald Scholar to their deaths.

After a long while, Huo Fenghua finally got up, went to Third Master Luo, and snatched the transfer contract from his hand. It was crumpled and warped from being clenched.

In Wuhetan, that contract could be priceless or worth less than dirt. It all depended on whether Huo Fenghua had the ability to take over Third Master Luo’s businesses.

Holding the contract, he opened the door and shouted to the guards outside, who were bristling with weapons, “Third Master Luo is dead. Before he died, he transferred all his property to me, Su Qiang. You have three choices now. First, settle your pay, pack your things, and get lost. Second, follow your Third Master to the grave. Third, stay and follow me, Su Qiang. From now on, we’re all brothers. We earn money together, and we enjoy the good life together!”

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<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 哔哔 (Bi Bi) / Jin Gang Quan

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 65

Huo Fenghua was too curious to resist. Seeing that there was no one else in the room besides the few men locked in the cages, he pushed open the unlocked door and slipped inside. None of the men in the cages woke up. They stayed sprawled on the ground asleep. Only Wen Heyi sat on the floor with his head resting against the bars with his eyes closed. It was hard to tell if he was asleep.

Each iron cage had a large padlock hanging on it, fastening the people inside securely.

“Martial Uncle Wen?” Huo Fenghua crouched in front of the cage holding Wen Heyi and called softly, keeping his voice low.

Wen Heyi’s eyes stayed shut. No reaction.

Huo Fenghua reached through the gap between the bars and poked Wen Heyi on the forehead, calling again. “Martial Uncle Wen?”

This time Wen Heyi slowly opened his eyes. He looked at Huo Fenghua, and in his gaze there was a kind of innocence Huo Fenghua had never seen before. After staring for a long moment, he asked, “Who are you?”

Wen Heyi’s voice was very soft, and his tone was strange, like a child’s.

Huo Fenghua froze. Instinct told him Wen Heyi wasn’t right. Testing him, he said, “You don’t recognize me anymore? I’m your dad.”

Wen Heyi looked confused. He thought for a bit, then said, “You’re my dad? Then what did you call me just now? What ‘Martial Uncle’?”

Huo Fenghua didn’t understand what was going on either, so he blurted, “I called you Shushu*. That’s your childhood nickname. You don’t remember?”

*Clarity: Martial Uncle is [Shishu] (师叔).

Wen Heyi raised his head, frowning hard. “My name isn’t Shushu. You’re lying.”

Huo Fenghua said, “Right, you’re not Shushu. Your name’s Wen Heyi. I should be calling you Yi’er.”

Wen Heyi grabbed the bars with both hands. He squeezed so hard his fingertips turned pale. He studied Huo Fenghua. “Are you really my dad?”

Huo Fenghua lifted a hand and scratched his face, then called, “Yi’er?”

Wen Heyi’s eyes immediately reddened. Without meaning to, he raised his voice. “Dad?”

Maybe his voice carried. Huo Fenghua heard footsteps coming this way. He turned his head just in time to see a man dressed like a guard step out from an inner room. A ring of keys hung at the guard’s waist, clinking loudly with every step.

The man spotted Huo Fenghua at once. His expression changed as he barked, “Who are you?”

Huo Fenghua reacted fast. He slapped his palm against the front cage, using the recoil to launch himself at the man. Before the guard could respond, Huo Fenghua clamped a hand over his mouth and chopped the back of his neck with the other, knocking him out.

Huo Fenghua took the key ring from the guard’s waist, returned to Wen Heyi’s cage, and asked, “Is there a key here that opens this lock?”

Wen Heyi seemed not to understand. He liked the crisp sound of the keys clinking together and reached out to grab them.

Huo Fenghua quickly pulled the keys away. “Stop messing around. I’m getting you out.” He began trying keys in the padlock on the cage door.

He tried several in a row, but none opened it. Wen Heyi crouched inside the cage, propping his face in his hands as he watched Huo Fenghua work, intent and serious. After a while, he suddenly looked past Huo Fenghua, toward Huo Fenghua’s back.

Huo Fenghua stopped.

He knew someone was standing behind him. He just didn’t know when that person had come out from the inner room, or when they’d taken up position at his back.

There weren’t many people who could slip past his awareness like that. One name surfaced in Huo Fenghua’s mind: the Bald Scholar.

He blinked at Wen Heyi. Wen Heyi blinked back, baffled.

Huo Fenghua tossed the whole ring of keys through the gaps in the bars into Wen Heyi’s cage. Then he threw himself onto his back and kicked hard against the cage, sliding backward in a sudden burst. He shot his hands up over his head, intending to grab the person’s ankles, but the man moved with startling agility. He sidestepped, bent down, seized Huo Fenghua off the ground, lifted him over his head, and hurled him aside.

In that instant, Huo Fenghua saw a bright, smooth, round head. It really was the Bald Scholar.

Huo Fenghua slammed into another iron cage and fell to the floor. His inner energy surged, coursing through his meridians and shielding his body, so he wasn’t injured, though it still hurt. After landing, he lay face-down and played dead. He planned to wait until the Bald Scholar came to grab him, and then, well, he’d show him.

The Bald Scholar might be called a scholar, but he’d been dragged out of bed in the middle of the night. His upper body was bare, his muscles solid. There wasn’t a trace of scholarly refinement about him.

He walked toward Huo Fenghua, but after only two steps he heard a clinking. Wen Heyi was shaking the keys inside the cage, playing with them.

So the Bald Scholar changed direction and went to Wen Heyi’s cage. He reached toward the bars. “Give them to me.”

Wen Heyi clutched the keys and retreated into a corner, shaking his head.

The cage was roomy. With Wen Heyi tucked in the corner, even with his arm thrust through the bars, the Bald Scholar couldn’t reach him. And if he shifted position, Wen Heyi shifted too, jingling the key ring as if teasing a dog.

The Bald Scholar stopped, hands clasped behind his back, watching him.

Huo Fenghua secretly lifted his head.

The Bald Scholar seemed not to notice. He pulled out a key from his belt, inserted it into the padlock on Wen Heyi’s cage, and was about to turn it.

Huo Fenghua suddenly spoke. “Wait.”

He didn’t know why Wen Heyi had been locked up. With Wen Heyi’s martial arts, no one should’ve been able to subdue him easily. Thinking it through, the most likely explanation was that Wen Heyi had suffered some mishap in Xichou and been captured. Huo Fenghua was afraid Wen Heyi might’ve lost his martial arts, so he couldn’t stop himself from intervening.

The Bald Scholar turned to look at him. He left the key in the lock, as if he didn’t fear Wen Heyi at all.

Huo Fenghua acted as though he’d been badly injured. He clutched his chest, struggled to his feet, and panted as he asked, “How did you catch him?”

The Bald Scholar’s voice was deep. “Who are you?”

Huo Fenghua glanced at Wen Heyi, who was still shaking the key ring with full concentration. “He’s family.”

“Family?” The Bald Scholar’s expression was unreadable.

Wen Heyi suddenly grabbed the bars and shouted, “He’s my dad!”

The Bald Scholar narrowed his eyes. “You’re his dad?”

Huo Fenghua suspected Wen Heyi might be pretending to act dumb just to mess with him, but he didn’t show it. He only lifted his chin. “What, I don’t look old enough? That not allowed?”

The Bald Scholar gave a cold laugh. “Allowed. Of course it’s allowed.” His five fingers curled into a claw. He lunged, fast as lightning, and clamped a hand around Huo Fenghua’s throat, lifting him clean off the ground.

This was exactly what Huo Fenghua had been waiting for.

Ever since Gu Guangji had fed him the Qi-Gathering Golden Pill and he’d absorbed Zixi’s decades of inner energy, he hadn’t used his Star Absorbing Technique again. He didn’t know how to trigger it. Even in bed, when Feng Tianzong and Su Zeyang had worked him into a bloody heat, it hadn’t activated. The only method he could think of was to recreate that day, when Zixi had choked him and he’d seized Zixi’s pulse.

The Bald Scholar squeezed hard. Huo Fenghua grabbed his wrist and locked his fingers onto his pulse, trying to drive his inner energy from his fingertips into his dantian. But only his own inner energy moved. It didn’t draw the Bald Scholar’s power in at all.

He tried again and again, while his face reddened and swelled from the choking. When he tried to pry the Bald Scholar’s arm off, his strength was already failing. Panic slammed into him. He saw a faint smile tug at the Bald Scholar’s lips. Huo Fenghua was just about to throw everything he had into shoving him away when he heard the crisp clink of keys.

At some point, Wen Heyi had opened the cage lock and walked out. He stood outside the cage, shaking the keys.

Huo Fenghua made a muffled “mmph mmph” to catch his attention. Wen Heyi looked up, frowned, and said, “Let go of my dad!” He swung a palm strike at the Bald Scholar’s back.

When the blow landed, both the Bald Scholar and Huo Fenghua looked shocked. The Bald Scholar released his grip. He hadn’t expected the strike to carry such deep, cold inner force, and he hadn’t braced against it. He staggered back two steps, face flushing, as if injured.

Huo Fenghua stumbled back too, gulping air, quickly circulating his inner energy. He shouted at Wen Heyi, “Son, beat him up!”

Wen Heyi obediently assumed a stance and struck at the Bald Scholar’s chest again. This time the Bald Scholar blocked it and counterattacked in a storm of blows. Wen Heyi could still catch the techniques, but he was forced back step by step.

Seeing this, Huo Fenghua leapt behind the Bald Scholar and attacked in tandem with Wen Heyi from front and back. Wen Heyi’s pressure eased instantly. The two of them besieged the Bald Scholar, holding a rough balance for a time.

This courtyard was either too secluded, or the Bald Scholar was relying on his own prowess, because there were no guards nearby. They fought for a long while and no one came running.

A large part of Huo Fenghua’s martial arts had been taught by Wen Heyi. The two moved in sync, boxing the Bald Scholar in and striking so densely it felt airtight.

The Bald Scholar had suffered internal injury when Wen Heyi had struck his back earlier, and his movements were sluggish for a moment. Huo Fenghua seized the opening and kicked him in the waist, sending him stumbling sideways into a large vase set on the ground. The vase toppled with a crisp crash.

The sound stole Wen Heyi’s attention. His steps halted and he turned to stare at the broken porcelain shards.

Huo Fenghua’s heart lurched. “Martial Uncle!”

The Bald Scholar seized the moment and surged at Huo Fenghua with full force. With Wen Heyi distracted, he meant to crush Huo Fenghua first. His hands moved in rapid techniques, every strike packed with deep inner power. Huo Fenghua had plenty of inner energy, but his foundation was shaky. He hadn’t learned refined, intricate techniques. What he feared most was exactly this: a strong opponent with superior forms that he couldn’t handle.

Under the Bald Scholar’s fierce onslaught, he quickly began to fail, scrambling in confusion. Then the Bald Scholar’s fists hammered into his chest, more than ten blows in a row. Huo Fenghua raised inner energy to resist, but he was still beaten until blood spilled from his mouth and he dropped to his knees.

The Bald Scholar snorted coldly, then turned and launched a punch toward Wen Heyi.

Huo Fenghua threw himself forward with everything he had, hitting the ground and grabbing the Bald Scholar’s ankle with one hand.

His fingers locked tight and yanked back. He’d meant only to stop the Bald Scholar from advancing, but in that instant, as his own inner energy returned to his dantian, a vast, surging force poured wildly from the Bald Scholar through Huo Fenghua’s palm.

Both of them froze.

The Bald Scholar tried to shake free, but his inner energy was no longer under his control. Huo Fenghua’s hand seemed glued to his ankle. It wouldn’t budge. And Huo Fenghua felt that massive power flooded into his limbs and bones and then returned to his dantian. It wasn’t as dramatic as last time, when his whole body had swollen and burned, but it still forced his meridians and dantian wide, swelling with unbearable heat.

Before his eyes, the Bald Scholar lost all strength and sagged downward. Huo Fenghua still didn’t dare let go. Only after he’d drained the last trace of inner energy did he finally release him. He remained sprawled on the ground, working hard to corral the chaotic inner force rushing through his body and draw it all back to his dantian.

Panting, he lifted his head toward Wen Heyi and saw him still staring blankly at the broken shards. So he called, “Martial Uncle Wen?”

Wen Heyi ignored him.

After a moment, Huo Fenghua changed tactics. “Yi’er?”

This time Wen Heyi turned back and whispered, “Dad?”

Huo Fenghua held out a hand. “Hurry, help your dad up.”

Wen Heyi came over, crouched, and helped Huo Fenghua roll over and sit up, letting him lean against his chest. He even thoughtfully smoothed Huo Fenghua’s messy bangs.

Huo Fenghua found the foolish Wen Heyi strangely cute. He didn’t mind that Wen Heyi was filthy and disheveled. Leaning in his arms, he asked, “How did you end up locked in a place like this?”

Wen Heyi blinked. “Yi’er woke up here.”

Huo Fenghua couldn’t stand his tone. He frowned. “Where, in the cage?”

Wen Heyi nodded. “Mm.”

Huo Fenghua asked again, “What about before you passed out?”

Wen Heyi stared up at the ceiling beams, scrunching his face as he tried to remember. After a while he said, “I can’t remember.”

Huo Fenghua waved it off. “Forget it.” His body had already started to recover. The huge influx of inner energy had even filled in the internal injuries he’d just taken. Now he only felt limitless vigor.

He looked at the Bald Scholar lying on the ground. Since he’d come this far, he thought, why not go all the way. Tonight he might as well take care of Third Master Luo too.

Just then, he heard the guard he’d knocked out earlier groan and wake up.

Huo Fenghua got up, squatted in front of him, and clamped a hand around his throat. “Which room does Third Master Luo live in? Tell me the truth and I’ll spare your life.”

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<<< || Table of Contents || >>>

Author: 哔哔 (Bi Bi) / Jin Gang Quan

Translator: Kinky || https://kinkytranslations.com/

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Chapter 64

That young man was Ji Jing, Xiong’er’s childhood friend.

He was very warm toward Xiong’er. He reached out and gave him a quick hug. “I didn’t think you’d actually come.” After he’d sent that letter, Xiong’er hesitated for ages and never wrote back. He’d assumed Xiong’er wasn’t coming at all.

After catching up with Xiong’er, Ji Jing said to Xiongda, “Brother Xiongda, I didn’t think you’d be able to come too. That’s great.”

Xiongda was reserved by nature and only nodded at him.

Only then did Ji Jing look at Huo Fenghua. Two lanterns hung at the restaurant entrance, and in the dim yellow light he couldn’t make out Huo Fenghua clearly, only that he looked slender. So he asked Xiong’er, “And this gentleman is?”

Before Xiong’er could speak, Huo Fenghua smiled and said, “My surname’s Su. My given name’s Qiang. My nickname is Wuhetan Qiang. You can call me Brother Qiang.”

When Ji Jing heard “Wuhetan Qiang,” he instinctively glanced at Huo Fenghua’s head. Then he heard “Brother Qiang,” and he gave a soft laugh without replying. He turned to Xiong’er and said, “You’ve had a hard journey. Come in and sit. I’ll have the kitchen send up a table of food and wine.”

They followed Ji Jing into the restaurant. Xiong’er looked around and saw that the main hall was tall, bright, lavish, and splendid. He couldn’t help saying to Ji Jing, “Looks like you’ve really been doing well for yourself here in Wuhetan.”

Ji Jing smiled without saying anything and led them upstairs into a private room. After he shut the door, he finally said, “Thanks to Master Hu thinking well of me, he let me manage a few restaurants here in Wuhetan. When I wrote to you a couple years ago, it was because I wanted you to come help me.”

Ji Jing was trusted by Hu Dong in Wuhetan, but people here were vicious. On the surface they called you brother, but behind your back they waited for the right moment to stab you. Back then, holding things up alone had felt difficult, so he’d wanted Xiong’er to come help. After all, they’d grown up together. That was the kind of person you could truly trust.

The group sat down around a round table.

People brought dishes and wine in one after another. Once all the irrelevant servants had filed out, Ji Jing personally filled cups for Xiongda, Xiong’er, and Huo Fenghua. “Now that you’re here, you’ll follow me and work hard in Wuhetan,” he said, brimming with confidence. Then he raised his cup. “Once you’ve rested up today, in a couple of days, when there’s time, I’ll introduce you to Master Hu.”

Xiong’er didn’t respond. He only glanced at Huo Fenghua.

All the way in, Ji Jing hadn’t paid Huo Fenghua much attention. Now, seeing Xiong’er ignore him and look to Huo Fenghua instead, Ji Jing felt a flash of displeasure and couldn’t help sizing him up again. Under the bright lamplight, he saw that even though Huo Fenghua’s face was smeared with grime, his features were extremely refined, and his eyes were unmistakably bright.

Huo Fenghua smiled. “We don’t want to work under Master Hu. We want to open a gambling house.”

Ji Jing froze and set down his cup. “A gambling house?”

Huo Fenghua nodded.

Ji Jing laughed, with a hint of mockery. “Little brother, do you know who controls the gambling houses in Wuhetan?”

Huo Fenghua propped his cheek on one hand, looking like he was all ears.

So Ji Jing continued, “Every gambling house in Wuhetan is under Third Master Luo’s people. If you want to open one, first you need Third Master Luo’s approval. You pay him tribute every month, and you also have to let his people lend money in your establishment.” He paused, then went on. “Wuhetan isn’t that big. Sure, there are plenty of drunks and degenerate gamblers, but it still can’t accommodate more gambling houses.”

Hearing that, Xiong’er looked toward Huo Fenghua.

Huo Fenghua said, “So what you’re saying is, if I want to open a gambling house, I have to drive that Third Master Luo out of Wuhetan.”

Ji Jing had expected him to say they’d go rely on Third Master Luo. He hadn’t expected Huo Fenghua to open his mouth and talk about driving Third Master Luo out. Ji Jing couldn’t help letting out a snort of laughter. “You think Third Master Luo could run wild in Wuhetan for this long without having skills? Beside him there’s a subordinate with terrifying martial arts. People call him the Bald Scholar…”

Bang! Huo Fenghua suddenly slammed the table and barked, “Insolence! He dares call himself ‘Bald’!”

Ji Jing wasn’t angry. He only found him exaggerated and ridiculous. “He’s truly bald.”

Huo Fenghua raised a hand and touched his own head. “So you mean I’m a fake bald guy?”

Xiong’er jabbed him with an elbow. “Enough, stop it. You are a fake bald guy. Why do you care about pointless crap like this?”

As soon as he finished speaking, the group heard a loud commotion outside the door, sounding like it was coming from the restaurant’s ground-floor hall.

Since Ji Jing managed the place, he naturally had to go take a look. He opened the door, saw a passing waiter, and asked, “What’s going on downstairs?”

The waiter said, “It seems like Third Master Luo’s people are collecting gambling debts. They made a scene here.”

Huo Fenghua heard that from inside and immediately stood up to watch. The group went to the second-floor railing and looked down into the hall.

Xiong’er asked Ji Jing, “You don’t need to do anything?”

Ji Jing replied, “Let’s watch first. This is common as dirt in Wuhetan. If it doesn’t disturb the other guests eating, we don’t have to interfere. Third Master Luo’s people know the limits when they collect debts.”

Down in the hall, about four fierce-looking men surrounded a middle-aged man. They had an IOU spread open in their hands and shouted, “Pay up!”

The middle-aged man hunched over, begging desperately. “Give me two more days, please. I’m begging Third Master.”

One of the debt collectors grabbed his collar and hauled him up. “Third Master said tomorrow’s the last deadline. If you can’t pay, then you’ll obediently send your son over to settle the debt!”

The middle-aged man’s eyes went wide, his face going ghastly white. He grabbed at the man’s hand. “I, I have a daughter, fourteen this year. I’ll send her to settle it. Please, let Third Master spare my son, okay?”

The collector flung him off in disgust. “Enough talk. Let’s go!” With that, the group left the restaurant.

The middle-aged man collapsed limply to the floor. Soon the restaurant staff dragged him up and threw him out.

Huo Fenghua frowned hard. “He’s shameless. Not only does he gamble like that, he even wants to trade his fourteen-year-old daughter to save his son.”

Ji Jing said, “That’s because you don’t know. If he sends his daughter to Third Master Luo, he might live. If it’s the son, there’s a good chance he goes and never comes back.”

Huo Fenghua looked startled.

Ji Jing felt this wasn’t a good place to talk, so he waved them back inside. After he shut the door, he said, “That Bald Scholar under Third Master Luo has been refining ‘medicine men’ lately.”

“Medicine men?” Xiong’er asked curiously. “What’s that?”

Ji Jing said, “I can’t really explain it clearly either. We’re not that connected with Master Luo’s side. But the talk is that the Bald Scholar is using living people to test drugs, trying to refine a living corpse that has bronze skin and iron bones, formidable martial arts, and is under his control. Third Master Luo has been grabbing people for him to test on. Who knows how many bodies have already been carried out from the back courtyard of the Luo residence.”

“That vicious?” Xiong’er’s heart jolted.

Ji Jing lowered his voice. “There’s no law here. If you walk out at night and someone cuts you down with one knife, you’re dead, and that’s that. So you should find a backer as soon as possible. With a backer, before someone lays a hand on you, they’ll weigh it first and see whether they can afford to.”

Between the lines, he was trying to persuade Xiongda and Xiong’er to follow him and work under Hu Dong.

Huo Fenghua was thinking about something else and didn’t notice what he was saying. He suddenly said, “I want to make a trip to Third Master Luo’s residence.”

Everyone looked at him.

Huo Fenghua rubbed his chin. “Go meet that Bald Scholar.”

Xiongda hurriedly raised both hands and signed at Huo Fenghua. They’d been together long enough that Huo Fenghua could roughly understand. He nodded and said, “I know I might not be his match. I’m not going to clash with him head-on. I’m just going to test the waters. Don’t worry.”

Xiong’er frowned. “You have no idea what it’s like in there. If you charge in recklessly and can’t get out, then what?”

Huo Fenghua smiled. “Then it comes down to each person’s skills.”

Xiongda signed that he wanted to go with him.

Huo Fenghua shook his head. “You stay here. I’ll go alone. Otherwise if I have to run for my life, I’ll still be thinking about you.”

At the hour of Yin*, Huo Fenghua brought Xiongda and Xiong’er to the narrow alley behind the Luo residence, following the direction Ji Jing had pointed out.

*Between 3-5 AM.

Even in Wuhetan, most people were asleep by then. Only now and then did a drunk stagger past on the street. There were also people lying along the roadside, dark shapes you couldn’t see clearly. You couldn’t tell whether they were drunks passed out or already corpses.

Huo Fenghua wore black. He tightened his cuffs and pant legs, had Xiongda and Xiong’er wait outside, then climbed the wall in alone.

Inside Third Master Luo’s residence, everything was dark and quiet. Everyone seemed to be asleep. Only pairs of servants patrolled with lanterns. As they walked they chatted casually, never imagining someone had slipped in during the night.

At first, Huo Fenghua had only wanted to open a gambling house and satisfy his own wish. He hadn’t figured out how to deal with Third Master Luo. But after hearing Ji Jing talk about how brutal and vicious Third Master Luo and the Bald Scholar were, he started thinking he might as well rid the world of them.

Unfortunately, the Luo residence was large, and he didn’t know which room belonged to Third Master Luo. He couldn’t just barge around blindly.

The spot he climbed in was the back courtyard, not far from the rear gate. Just then, he heard heavy footsteps approaching. He immediately hid behind a fake rockery. Through the gap, he saw two people come out of a side door, dragging an enormous cloth sack along the ground. The sack looked extremely heavy, and it made a dull sound as it scraped.

They dragged it to the back gate and opened it, then lifted the sack together and carried it out of the residence.

Huo Fenghua paused, remembering what Ji Jing had said. He thought, Could that sack be a corpse? A chill ran through him. He looked toward the side door they’d come from. The back-courtyard patrol had already moved farther away, so he silently ran over.

Through that side door was another big courtyard. A room in that courtyard still had lamplight glowing inside.

Huo Fenghua perched in a large tree in the courtyard and watched the window, holding his breath and listening carefully. He didn’t detect any movement, only the shallow breathing of several people, none of whom sounded like skilled fighters.

So he moved closer. He wet the window paper and gently poked a hole to peer inside. The room was empty except for several tall iron cages. Four of them held people, and three were empty.

The people in the cages were sprawled on the ground asleep. At a glance they were all young men. Huo Fenghua’s gaze swept over them, then landed on the face of one man near the door, and his whole body jolted.

That ragged, disheveled-haired man leaning against the iron bars with his eyes shut was Wen Heyi.

Why was Martial Uncle Wen here? Huo Fenghua’s mind went completely blank.

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