Chapter 58

Tuniu'er didn’t get angry; he patted his buttocks and said with a smile, "I’m just worried about you. You, who refused my sister, such a gentle lady, and instead took in an assassin at home. Isn’t that asking for trouble? You went through so much trouble to finally get rid of the Hus, and now you’ve brought the fire back to yourself."

"Is my sister really that gentle?" Liang Xiao said irritably. His eyes darted around, and he suddenly remembered the father and daughter, Liang Fen and Liang E, his mother had mentioned. "Hey, Tuniu'er, I have a question for you. Do you remember last year when a father and daughter surnamed Liang stayed at our house? The father was called Liang Fen, and the daughter was called Liang E."

"Remember." Tuniu'er glanced at Liang Xiao. "You had a crush on Liang E and took her out to play every day. Tell me, did you take advantage of her while playing? If so, I’ll look down on you. It’s not right to do that with someone of the same surname..."

Liang Xiao was both angry and embarrassed. "Get lost! Am I that kind of person?"

Tuniu'er curled his lips, almost to his ears.

"Do you know what happened to them later?"

"No idea. They didn’t stay at our house, and you wouldn’t let me have Liang E. Why should I care?" Tuniu'er clicked his tongue regretfully. "Actually, Liang E and I would have been a good match, but Liang Fen was too materialistic. He asked for hundreds of thousands in dowry. Tsk tsk."

The two chatted idly as they walked westward.

Gaoyangli was in the north of the city, where people usually didn’t bury their dead on Jinkuishan but in a place called Wuwangchi. Wuwangchi was a large lake connected to the Hangou Canal. It was said that King Fuchai of Wu had stationed his navy there, but no one knew if it was true. North of Wuwangchi was a hill that wrapped around the lake in a semi-circle, resembling a grand armchair, making it a prime feng shui spot.

Liang Xiao didn’t go directly to the north of the city but first took the route to Jinkuishan. He walked leisurely, stopping and looking around. Tuniu'er grew impatient and kicked down two small trees as thick as bowls.

"Ao Xiao, what are we really doing here?"

"You don’t understand. I’m checking if anyone is following us."

"Following?" Tuniu'er perked up, rolling up his sleeves. "Would anyone follow us? Is there going to be a fight? I’ve been beaten by my master every day for months; it’s time for me to beat someone else."

"I don’t want that chance." Liang Xiao snorted. "With Hu Lai’s life involved, it’s not just a fight. It could turn into a life-or-death battle. No matter how skilled you are, how many can you take on?"

Tuniu'er raised an eyebrow, hesitating. "Three or four older than me, and a dozen or so younger."

"You’re really shameless, beating up those younger than you." Liang Xiao mocked mercilessly.

"Hehe, Ao Xiao, you don’t know. Kids these days are really bad, worse than when we were young..."

The two chatted aimlessly as they turned to Jinkuishan. They stayed there until nightfall before heading to Wuwangchi. Liang Xiao was very cautious, almost paranoid, which made Tuniu'er roll his eyes in disdain again and again.

When they reached Wuwangchi and climbed the hill to the north, seeing the graves, Tuniu'er finally shut up. Although he had robbed many tombs and slept on graves countless times, he firmly believed in ghosts and gods, bowing at every grave and muttering incantations.

Following the directions given by Li Rongqing, Liang Xiao found Li Yunming’s grave. It was a simple earthen mound with a stone tablet in front, inscribed with a few seal characters. Without a torch, Liang Xiao could only feel with his hands. After a while, he felt something was off. He touched the characters for "Yun" and "Ming," but the character for "Li" seemed strange, with an extra stroke, making it "Ji."

Liang Xiao was unsure. He was familiar with Han script but not with seal script. He circled the grave, confirming he had the right one. Li Rongqing had said her father died a violent death and the villagers wouldn’t let him be buried nearby, so she had to bury him in a low position in the northeast corner, with no other graves around.

Just as Liang Xiao was puzzled, Tuniu'er, bored, called out, "Ao Xiao, I’m going to take a leak."

Liang Xiao was startled and hurried over, sternly scolding, "If you need to go, just go. Why shout? Afraid no one can hear?"

Tuniu'er shrugged. "Who’s around? Not even a ghost. Ao Xiao, I think you’re getting more and more timid."

"Better safe than sorry..."

Before Liang Xiao could finish, Tuniu'er strode down the hill, stood by the lake, and unbuttoned his pants, urinating loudly. Liang Xiao, speechless, followed and also urinated. After finishing, Liang Xiao didn’t leave but broke off a reed and tested the water depth.

The water felt soft, indicating a lot of silt.

Liang Xiao walked along the lake, examining the surrounding terrain.

After they left, the water rippled, and a dark head emerged. The man spat out the reed pipe in his mouth and cursed, "Two little brats, why did you have to urinate on my head? You urinate, and you poke my butt. Ouch, you even broke my hemorrhoids. It hurts like hell."

...

The Hu family.

Hu Lai’s father, Hu Ying, stood in the corridor with his hands behind his back, looking at Feng Ji, who was bowing. His face was dark, and his eyes were unfriendly.

Feng Ji bowed and lowered his head. "Master, please be at ease. This time, we will catch them all and avenge Young Master."

Hu Ying’s tone softened. "Are you sure? Do you need help to ensure everything goes smoothly?"

"Master, too many people mean too many mouths. If one of them leaks information, it could be disastrous. I will handle this myself. Even if Huan Yuan and Zhongli Qi come, they won’t return alive."

Hu Ying nodded. "Very well. Feng Ji, you are indeed a top-notch warrior. If you can handle this, I will not let you down. Your future is bright, but don’t make a mistake."

"Thank you, Master." Feng Ji bowed again and left.

A petite figure emerged from behind, watching Feng Ji disappear through the door, and sighed. "Grandfather, is Ao Xiao really involved in Brother’s death?"

Hu Ying turned to look at his daughter. "Chengguang, although Liang Xiao didn’t kill him directly, he is involved. As a prominent family in Guangling, we cannot let the murderer go unpunished. Whether he conspired with that lowly woman or not, he must die."

"But this will surely offend the King of Huainan."

Hu Ying sneered. "Chengguang, I have my own judgment. If we offend the King of Huainan, we can still seek the King of Jiangdu. Your brother is already dead, and the hope of marrying the princess is gone. Why should we go out of our way to court the virtuous king?"

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