Chapter 10

After everyone had taken their seats, Chen Jinan spoke up: "Young Master Feng, I have taken Wei Xiaobao as my disciple and appointed him as the chief of the Green Wood Hall. I also wish to hire you as a special guest advisor to the Heaven and Earth Society, to take care of my young disciple and have full authority to handle the affairs of the Green Wood Hall."

Feng Xiaoxiao was greatly surprised and turned to look at the others, only to find that they were all smiling at him, except for Wei Xiaobao, who had a pained expression. He immediately understood that Chen Jinan must have discussed yesterday's plans with them, which was why no one objected.

Feng Xiaoxiao hurriedly said, "General Commander Chen, what about my master...?" Before he could finish, Chen Jinan interrupted, "I have already sent someone in your name to Changbai Mountain to find Miss He, and delivered the ginseng and lingzhi to her. I also wrote a letter for her to give to Master Yuan, and I believe he will agree to your joining the society. For now, you will serve as a guest advisor."

Feng Xiaoxiao touched his earlobe and smiled bitterly, "General Commander Chen, you are really pulling the ladder out from under me."

Everyone laughed, and then they all began to ask Feng Xiaoxiao about Master Yuan Chengzhi's recent condition, while also lamenting the unpredictability of life.

After the chief officers dispersed, Chen Jinan took Feng Xiaoxiao and Wei Xiaobao back to the room, and told them the secret hand signals and codes for communication. He instructed them to find an old man selling ointments at the Tianqiao in Beijing if they needed to contact him. The old man's ointment flag was half red and half green, and he was responsible for external communications for the Green Wood Hall. Chen Jinan then said, "Brother Mao Shiba has also joined the Heaven and Earth Society, and he has agreed to stay by my side. You two will have fewer opportunities to meet him. He is waiting in the room, go and say goodbye to him."

The two immediately got up to find Mao Shiba. Mao Shiba already knew about their situation, and the three of them reminisced for a while, feeling a bit sad as they recalled their recent times together. Soon, Chen Jinan was about to leave and sent someone to call Mao Shiba. The three of them wished each other well, and Feng Xiaoxiao and Wei Xiaobao watched Mao Shiba leave.

The next noon, Xiao Xiao, along with Guan Anji, Daoist Xuanzhen, and Li Lishi, and several other members of the Green Wood Hall, went to send Wei Xiaobao back to the capital, accompanying him for more than three miles until they could no longer see him. Feng Xiaoxiao then returned to the courtyard, leading the members of the Green Wood Hall to begin their evacuation. They prepared a memorial tablet and a eulogy for Ao Bai, and buried his remains in the vegetable garden.

After Wei Xiaobao met the young emperor, he would bring the soldiers to dig up these items. This was previously agreed upon to make the young emperor believe that Wei Xiaobao had been kidnapped by Ao Bai's remaining followers. Wei Xiaobao had done something similar to Suo Etu before, so he was quite familiar with the process. Moreover, Feng Xiaoxiao and the Green Wood Hall were helping him.

After the members of the Green Wood Hall returned to Beijing, they dispersed to various bases. Feng Xiaoxiao, along with a few key members and a dozen subordinates, went to live in a house on Sweet Water Well Lane in the eastern city, and began handling the affairs of the Green Wood Hall.

The main business of the hall turned out to be commerce. Seeing the pile of account books, Feng Xiaoxiao almost wanted to vomit. The businesses were not profitable, and most of the members of the Heaven and Earth Society were from the lower strata of society, dealing in things like slaughtering pigs and sheep, or selling dumplings and wontons. The better ones were pharmacies and blacksmith shops. After just one day, he handed everything over to Guan Anji, claiming he needed to seclude himself to practice his martial arts. Fortunately, most of these people had attempted to assassinate Ao Bai and knew of his high martial arts skills, so they held him in high regard and did not disturb him except for meals.

As autumn turned to winter, Feng Xiaoxiao's internal martial arts skills made great progress. The Tranquility Sutra naturally absorbed spiritual energy, and over these few months, Feng Xiaoxiao had been diligently practicing the Mixed Yuan Skill, which was twice as efficient as for ordinary people. Even if he were to fight Hai Dafu again, he could defeat him without getting hurt. Feng Xiaoxiao was very satisfied with his progress and thus had more free time, often going out to stroll, drink tea, and watch plays.

One morning, just after returning from a teahouse, Gao Yanchao came to find him in a hurry. Gao Yanchao was a man in his thirties, responsible for communication between the bases of the Green Wood Hall. His usually calm face was now filled with anxiety.

Feng Xiaoxiao asked urgently, "What happened?"

"Brother Xu was severely injured," Gao Yanchao replied hastily.

Feng Xiaoxiao immediately remembered that this was probably the work of the Mu王府. He got up and said, "Where is he? Take me to him."

After passing through seven or eight streets, they arrived at a small street, and Gao Yanchao led Feng Xiaoxiao into a pharmacy.

The two entered a secret room in the pharmacy, where four people were already seated, and another lay on a low bed.

Gao Yanchao said, "Brothers, Young Master Feng has arrived!" The five people in the room all cheered, stood up, and bowed, crowding together in the small room.

Feng Xiaoxiao waved his hand, "No need to bow, let me see Brother Xu first." He approached and saw that Xu Tianchuan's face, full of wrinkles, had no color left, his eyes were tightly closed, his breathing was weak, and his white beard was stained with blood.

Feng Xiaoxiao asked anxiously, "How is Brother Xu now?"

Daoist Xuanzhen, looking down at Xu Tianchuan, replied, "He is not in danger of losing his life, but he will need to rest for several months."

Feng Xiaoxiao nodded. Daoist Xuanzhen was a skilled doctor, so his assessment was likely correct. He then asked the others, "How did Brother Xu get here?"

Gao Yanchao slowly shook his head and said, "Brother Xu managed to return here today, and he said that the two young men who injured him were from the Mu王府, both surnamed Bai..."

Feng Xiaoxiao frowned, "The Bai brothers?"

Gao Yanchao quickly replied, "Yes, them."

Feng Xiaoxiao suddenly remembered that Xu Tianchuan would later be captured by Lu Yifeng. He turned to Daoist Xuanzhen and asked, "Daoist, go outside and see if anyone is watching the pharmacy."

Everyone was shocked. Daoist Xuanzhen, puzzled, said, "Young Master Feng, what do you mean?... I'll go right away."

Feng Xiaoxiao's gaze slowly swept over the group and asked, "What exactly happened? Does anyone know?"

Gao Yanchao hurriedly replied, "Brother Xu said that they were arguing about supporting Tang or Gui, and the argument became more intense until they started fighting. Brother Xu could not withstand the four hands against his two, and he was severely injured."

Feng Xiaoxiao asked, "Supporting Tang or Gui?"

Gao Yanchao briefly explained, and Feng Xiaoxiao finally understood. The Mu王府 was under the former Ming Gui King, while the Heaven and Earth Society was under the Tang King. Xu Tianchuan must have argued with them over titles, leading to a verbal dispute that escalated into a fight.

Feng Xiaoxiao, touching his earlobe, felt a headache coming on. Just as he was about to speak, Daoist Xuanzhen came in and bowed, saying, "Young Master Feng, you are truly wise. I saw several people watching the pharmacy as soon as I went out. They were dressed as ordinary people, but one of them was wearing official shoes."

Everyone was shocked and looked at Feng Xiaoxiao.

Guan Anji asked urgently, "Young Master Feng, what should we do now?" He was responsible for the base's operations, so he was the most anxious about any trouble.

Feng Xiaoxiao thought for a moment and asked, "How many of our people are here?"

Guan Anji immediately replied, "Including us, there are sixteen people."

Feng Xiaoxiao calculated in his mind and said, "Daoist and Brother Fan, go to the front door to draw their attention. Brother Guan, lead the others to retreat through the hidden back door. After you get out, form pairs, one in the open and one in the shadows, one in front and one behind. Watch for any followers. Once you confirm it's safe, meet at our iron shop in the southern city. Two hours later, if you are sure no one is following you, return to Sweet Water Well Lane. Brother Gao, you carry Brother Xu and go back with me."

Seeing everyone nod, Feng Xiaoxiao said sternly, "Everyone, pay attention! Don't start a fight in crowded places, as it will make it hard to escape. In secluded areas, be ruthless and leave no survivors, understood?"

Everyone responded in unison.

The members of the Heaven and Earth Society, seeing Feng Xiaoxiao's calm and clear command, all nodded in approval, secretly praising him as worthy of the General Commander's trust. Any lingering dissatisfaction disappeared.

Feng Xiaoxiao and Gao Yanchao successfully returned to Sweet Water Well Lane with Xu Tianchuan, and then instructed, "Brother Gao, go to the street to find Chief Wei. We need him to negotiate with the Mu王府."

Two hours later, everyone returned one by one.

Gao Yanchao also brought Wei Xiaobao to the location, and everyone greeted him warmly.

Wei Xiaobao bowed and turned to ask, "Brother Feng, what happened? Why did you urgently call me here? If I hadn't happened to have business outside the palace and found Brother Gao, we wouldn't have met."

Feng Xiaoxiao said, "Brother Xu Tianchuan was severely injured by the Bai brothers from the Mu王府. We are planning to go and seek justice."

Wei Xiaobao exclaimed, "The Bai brothers?"

Feng Xiaoxiao nodded and said, "One of them you have met before, the one who helped you and Brother Mao against Wu Sangui's lackeys. I was there too."

The members of the Heaven and Earth Society, who did not know this, exchanged puzzled looks.

Wei Xiaobao asked, puzzled, "I heard Brother Shiba talk about the Mu王府. Aren't they on our side? Why would they severely injure Brother Xu?"

Feng Xiaoxiao waved his hand and said, "There must be a reason, but since they have severely injured Brother Xu, we need to demand an explanation. Our people cannot be beaten without a reason."

The four members of the Green Wood Hall were delighted, knowing that Feng Xiaoxiao was willing to stand up for them, and their worries were alleviated.

Wei Xiaobao was also happy. He hated taking responsibility and was glad that Feng Xiaoxiao was willing to take the lead. He asked, "Brother Feng, what should we do now?"

Feng Xiaoxiao, seeing his thoughts, was somewhat displeased but still patiently said, "Xiao Bao, we should first understand what happened before deciding how to resolve it." He then turned to the others and continued, "Brother Xu is skilled in martial arts and has practiced agile techniques and excellent lightness skills. The Bai brothers' martial arts skills, which I have seen, are not enough for the two of them to defeat him. Given that Brother Xu is now severely injured, the most likely scenario is..."

Daoist Xuanzhen, shocked, interjected, "They fought to the death."

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