thefictionvixens Page 12
Page 12
"Aren't Miss Lingyue and Miss Yuelan coming down for dinner today?"
As evening approached, Qiu Ying, dressed in a light blue coarse skirt, asked Fu Hai, who was sitting bored at the octagonal table, a question.
"Don't worry, they won't starve." Fu Hai shrugged helplessly. He had tried, but he just couldn't get the two of them to leave the pavilion today. He looked outside.
The slanting rays of the setting sun cast long, slanted shadows on the stables, signs, and other structures outside.
He sighed, "Yesterday there were still people from Hao Hu and Qiao Gong Fang, but today there isn't a single customer." As it grew darker, Fu Hai helped Sister Qiu Ying hang lanterns on both sides of the inn.
Several large candles were lit inside the inn, illuminating the lobby. Suddenly, the sound of wheels turning and horses neighing could be heard outside. The billowing dust obscured much of the light from the lanterns.
"Are any martial arts practitioners staying here?" Fu Hai was about to get up. "Boss, please have a seat!"
Sister Qiu Ying, standing beside him, brewed him a pot of tea. "He didn't dismount immediately upon arriving at the inn's entrance, and even deliberately kicked up dust. He must be here to cause trouble! In the past, Fu Hai would have gone to the entrance to check things out, no matter what."
But now that he knows Qiu Ying's background, he naturally chooses to listen to her.
So he remained seated at the octagonal table, holding the teacup that Sister Qiu Ying had handed him, unmoved. The sound of hooves outside suddenly ceased.
Amidst the smoke and dust, there were even flashes of swords.
Then came another arrogant shout: "What are you doing? What are you doing?"
"We're here to discuss business. Put away your swords and don't frighten them. ...Hmph!"
Upon discovering that no one had come out of the inn, the person who had spoken had essentially staged a show of force—rushing in with a knife and shouting to stop them—and made a disgruntled snort.
Not long after.
A young man dressed in brocade robes and holding a folding fan, and a fat man holding an abacus, stepped into the inn.
Behind them followed more than a dozen burly men dressed in black, wielding swords and knives. "Put away your swords!"
The young man turned around and shouted, "I already said we're here to talk business. Stay outside." The dozen or so burly men in black sheathed their swords.
They lined up neatly at the entrance of the inn, all heading towards Fu Haiting, who was sitting at the Eight Immortals table in the lobby. Their gazes met, exuding a menacing aura.
The young man in brocade robes and the fat man carrying an abacus swaggered into the hall. The fat man, dressed in a wide-sleeved gray robe, wore a friendly smile.
He cupped his hands in greeting to Fu Hai: "This must be Young Master Fu of the Dragon Claw Sect of Xiaodiancang Mountain, a pleasure to meet you. I am Su Bocheng, the advisor of the Feihong Gang, and this is Young Master Zheng, the young leader of our Feihong Gang! We have come today only to discuss business with your sect."
Although he had a smile on his face, the dozen or so gang thugs behind him glared at Fu Hai with a fierce look in their eyes.
It looked like they wanted to devour him alive. Fu Hai chuckled.
In the past, he might have been nervous.
But now, he has a fourth-level demon cave assassin by his side who has a high level of favorability towards him.
Even if all the experts from the Flying Flood Gang attacked together, they wouldn't be enough for his sister Qiu Ying to kill alone, so he wasn't afraid at all. He was as calm as an egg!
Chapter 21 The Heroine Ye Liuxiang?
Fu Hai, of course, also knew about the Flying Flood Gang.
A notorious gang in this county has recently risen rapidly thanks to the Grand Canal to the east.
The gang leader, Zheng Lichuan, nicknamed "Benhong Palm," is a notorious cunning and ruthless individual.
This young gang leader was named Zheng Xiu, and he was considered a notorious troublemaker in An County. Of course, the world was generally peaceful these days.
Even a gang like this has to abide by the rules, so this display of force with knives was just intimidation. "So it's Young Master Zheng and Master Su! Please sit!"
Fu Hai smiled and said, "Are you two looking for a meal or a place to stay? But since you're both from the county town, I suppose you don't need to come all the way here to stay?"
Master Su sat to his side, his fat body swaying slightly.
The fat on his face jiggled as he said, "We've already told you, we're here to talk business. Let's put it this way, we don't think your Dragon Claw Inn will be able to stay afloat anytime soon."
"Although the Dragon Claw Sect of Xiaodiancang Mountain is officially registered with the government, even a small sect like this has to pay nearly a thousand taels of silver in taxes every year. With that little income, it looks like you won't be able to survive this year."
"Why not sell us the small Cangshan Mountain and the sect's quota?" Fu Hai bluntly replied, "Cash! Not for sale."
Zheng Xiu said in a sinister tone, "Asking you to come and talk business is giving you face."
"If you don't want to talk, we have plenty of ways to make you hand over Little Cangshan Mountain and get out of here." *Slap!*
He opened his folding fan and struggled fiercely.
Master Su raised his hand: "Young Master, please calm down. I think this Master Fu is a sensible person. Let's talk this over." He looked at Fu Hai: "Brother Fu, I'd like to say..."
Fu Hai shrugged: "You don't need one of you to play the bad cop and the other the good cop."
"In short, the Dragon Claw Sect was handed over to me by my adoptive father, so it cannot be lost in my hands."
"No matter what! Not for sale!" That last sentence was firm and resolute.
This immediately made Master Su's face turn ugly.
If he had merely been playing the good cop, allowing Master Su to better negotiate, Zheng Xiu's eyes now truly sharpened and hardened.
He sat opposite Fu Hai, closed his folding fan, and pointed at Fu Hai's face:
"You're being ungrateful. You won't talk properly now, but I'm afraid you won't have a choice later."
Fu Hai picked up his teacup: "If you two are just here to discuss this matter, then please leave. Although we have tea and water here, you are not welcome, so please excuse us." Zi Guang, however, pulled back slightly, his gaze lowered.
At that moment, a new notification popped up: 【Ding!】
[The righteous heroine "Night Fragrance" has been detected secretly spying on the host's demonic lair. She is suspected of plotting against the host's Heavenly Evil Sect. The host is advised to remain vigilant at all times.]
Fu Hai felt something was amiss.
He initially thought the system was issuing a warning because of the threat posed to him by the Flying Flood Gang.
What is this "Heroine Ye Liuxiang"?
Zheng Xiu and Master Su were both secretly furious when they saw that after he finished speaking, his eyes were lowered, as if he didn't even want to look at them again.
Originally, they only intended to threaten and bribe.
Then, at an extremely low price, Dao Shi gave up the martial arts sect slots of Xiaodian Cangshan and Longzhao Sect.
I never expected this kid to be so reckless, showing absolutely no respect from the very beginning. "In that case, Brother Fu, you'd better take care of yourself."
Master Su could tell that the young man was truly determined and wouldn't listen to reason. So he chuckled and stood up.
Given the clandestine nature of the Flying Flood Gang, they naturally possess countless methods.
Let this Dragon Claw Inn never be allowed to stay open again starting tomorrow. So what if the world is at peace?
If the government is reliable, even sows can fly.
Zheng Xiu also stood up, pointing the tip of his folding fan at the boy's forehead:
"Damn it, you really don't know what's good for you. I heard your two junior sisters are quite pretty too, don't let them both fall into my hands next time." With a snap, the folding fan opened.
He fanned himself with his right hand, put his left hand behind his back, and strode out. Fu Hai looked up and glanced at his back.
This guy not only threatened him, but he even threatened his two junior sisters.
Even though he was a model young man who upheld the five virtues and four beauties, Fu Hai was immediately enraged.
"Let's go!" Zheng Xiu shouted. "Tomorrow we'll see how this kid dies." This wasn't a threat.
In this world, as long as you're ruthless enough and have powerful backers, there's nothing you can't do. More than a dozen burly men in black outfits mounted their horses simultaneously, their hooves churning.
With a whoosh, a madman flashed by, and the wooden pole standing in front of the inn snapped instantly.
With a snap, the broken pole crashed to the ground, and the people burst into a defiant roar of laughter.
Then, protecting the carriage carrying Young Master Zheng and Master Su, they sped away. Fu Hai then got up and left the inn.
He ignored the group of gangsters heading towards the city gate. His gaze swept back and forth around the inn.
Suddenly, he saw a small, thin figure in a pink trench coat under the tree to the west. It was too far away for him to see clearly.
It was vaguely discernible that the person was petite and delicate, and with the pink trench coat, she was probably a girl.
She wore a hood, and the moonlight was like water, but the place where she stood was shrouded in the shade of trees. Therefore, it was impossible to see what was inside the hood.
But then, it seemed as if a few stars flickered in the distance.
Then, the petite figure in the pink trench coat turned around and emerged from the shade of the trees.
Strangely, instead of seeing her figure more clearly, her pink trench coat appeared in the moonlight.
The moonlight, like rising water, completely submerged that petite figure.
The figure gradually became blurry, until it slowly faded away and disappeared in the moonlight. Fu Hai raised his hand and rubbed his eyes.
Her petite figure was so dreamlike that he wondered if he was seeing things.
However, the system's warning message disappeared at this time.
Qiu Ying, dressed in a light blue rough coat, stepped forward and calmly carried the fallen wooden pole to the side of the stable. Then he returned to Qiu Ying's side: "Master?!"
She glanced at the boy, who was completely unfazed by the threat, and a hint of approval appeared in her eyes.
The boss's composure just now made it seem as if he had a powerful backer and was not threatened by the other party at all.
For a young man who had never set foot in the martial world and had no background or powerful connections, his courage was truly extraordinary.
“Sister Qiu Ying, don’t be afraid!” Fu Hai comforted her in return. “Xiaodiancang Mountain is our home, the home of the four of us. I will protect it no matter what, and I will never let anyone take it away.”
With chest held high and unwavering resolve.
With Sister Qiu Ying as his backer, he wasn't worried at all. Qiu Ying heard him say, "A home for four people."
Although his face was expressionless, the corners of his mouth involuntarily turned up slightly.
"Hmm!" She casually entered the lobby, picked up a rag, and wiped the table. - "Host affinity +10086! Emotion value +200, in a pleasant mood!"
Fu Hai looked at the prompt bar below the character attribute box for [Qiu Hanlian]. Steady!
So stable!
This is the value of having a powerful, ruthless, and highly skilled expert in your family.
Chapter 22 The Young Master's Head Severed! He's not even going to act anymore?