Chapter 51

Seeing Feng Jueyu lower his head in deep thought, beads of sweat forming on his forehead, Shangguan Ruomeng asked in surprise, "Big Brother Feng, what’s wrong?"

"Ahem, it’s just too hot today," Feng Shao mumbled, wiping the sweat from his brow. In his heart, he thought, "What the hell have I gotten myself into? I just wanted to help you guys, but now I’ve gotten myself into this mess. Getting on the bad side of the royal family is no small matter."

"Is it really that hot?" Shangguan Ruomeng lifted a strand of her hair, feeling a cool breeze, and said, "I don’t think so. It’s early spring, quite cool. Why don’t I feel the heat?"

Feng Jueyu felt like he was about to faint. "This is all your fault, you meddling busybody. If only I had just focused on developing my physical store, things wouldn’t have turned out like this. I’ll teach you a lesson, I’ll teach you a lesson..."

Feng Jueyu wanted to slap himself for getting involved in something so unexpected. "Uh, it’s nothing, nothing. Maybe I’m just wearing too much." Feng Shao quickly changed the subject. At this moment, even Shangguan Ruomeng’s most charming gestures couldn’t catch his attention. He needed to tell Xiaoyuanshan and the others to keep their mouths shut and not talk too much.

"Where are you going, Sister Ruomeng?" Feng Jueyu asked.

Shangguan Ruomeng, not suspecting anything, replied, "Oh, I’m preparing some gifts to visit a family. Big Brother Feng, do you want to come along?"

"Me? No, no, I’ll pass." Feng Jueyu waved his hands frantically. This must be a visit to the Jishi Fang. No way, if I go, I might blow my cover. I need to tell Li Yide to keep quiet.

With that, Feng Jueyu said, "I won’t disturb you, Sister. I’ll go for a walk."

"Big Brother Feng is going out again?" Shangguan Ruomeng was taken aback.

Feng Jueyu had already run out of the courtyard, as if fleeing from a disaster. Shangguan Ruomeng stood in the courtyard for a while, shaking her head helplessly. This guy is really a headache, always getting into trouble.

...

Feng Shao, running out of the courtyard, hadn’t even left the Shangguan residence when he was stopped by Shangguan Ruofan. "Brother-in-law, Brother-in-law, where are you going?"

"It’s you?"

Feng Shao hadn’t seen Shangguan Ruofan for a couple of days and didn’t know how his sword practice was going, but he didn’t have time to spare. "Why are you blocking me?"

Shangguan Ruofan chuckled, patted the white blade at his waist, and whispered, "Brother-in-law, I’ve mastered the few sword techniques you taught me. I’ve come to ask you to review them."

I don’t have time for this, Feng Jueyu thought, his mouth twitching. He lowered his voice, "Not today, I don’t have time. Go back and practice the techniques in reverse for a few days."

"Practice in reverse?" Shangguan Ruofan’s eyes widened. "How do I do that?"

Feng Shao was incredibly frustrated. "Can’t you figure it out yourself? Relying on me for everything, how will you ever become a master of swordsmanship? Remember, the key to swordsmanship isn’t just practice, but long-term cultivation to develop your own unique style. That’s how you become invincible. Do you understand?"

Feng Shao was so anxious that he revealed things he shouldn’t have. The ultimate truth of martial arts is exactly this, but it was too early to tell Shangguan Ruofan. He was so preoccupied with the Jishi Fang issue that he was just talking nonsense. However, he never imagined that this one sentence would create a world-renowned sword saint.

This young man, Shangguan Ruofan.

Shangguan Ruofan thought for a moment and said firmly, "Brother-in-law, I understand. I’ll go practice right away."

Feng Jueyu couldn’t foresee what would happen in the next few decades. He just needed to get rid of this kid and then head to the south of the city.

...

Outside the Shangguan residence, he found a rented carriage and climbed in, shouting to the driver, "South Ninth Street Alley."

The carriage started moving, and half an hour later, they arrived at South Ninth Street Alley.

On the carriage, Feng Jueyu quickly disguised himself before getting out. He didn’t rush into the Jishi Fang but stopped at the entrance to observe.

He had been to the Jishi Fang many times. The area where the poor lived was rarely visited by outsiders, and most faces were familiar.

As expected, a few unfamiliar faces appeared on either side of the Jishi Fang, casually glancing at the entrance.

Li Yide was busy in the shop, and Tong’er was helping out. Everything seemed normal, but the outside was eerie.

Damn, they really came...

Feng Jueyu’s eyes darted around, and he looked at the sky before heading to Xiaoyuanshan’s residence.

It was just past dawn, and Xiaoyuanshan and the Zhao brothers were still asleep. They lived in the Eighth Street Alley, where no one would be watching.

However, Feng Jueyu was still cautious, making sure no one noticed him before entering Xiaoyuanshan’s courtyard.

"Xiaoyuanshan, Zhao Lao San, get up now."

As soon as he entered the courtyard, Feng Jueyu sat on a millstone and shouted loudly.

"Who is it? Running to my place this early, do you want to die?" Zhao Bing, wearing loose, tattered pants and half-asleep, came out, rubbed his eyes, and saw Feng Jueyu. "Oh, it’s Young Master Feng. Brother Xiaoyuanshan, Big Brother, Second Brother, wake up, Young Master Feng is here."

Zhao Bing’s loud voice woke up Xiaoyuanshan and the others, who rushed out in their clothes...

"Master, you’re here. We haven’t seen you for two days, we missed you so much." Xiaoyuanshan, with his black chest hair, walked over, reeking of alcohol. It seemed he had a good night, drinking a lot.

Looking at Zhao Jia and Zhao Yi, they were also swaying, each holding a silver ingot like a walnut. Real money-grubbers.

"Snap out of it, I have something for you to do." Feng Jueyu was furious. He had fought a bloody battle for Tianan outside the city last night, while they had sold three editions of poetry and drank themselves into a stupor. His words had been in vain.

Seeing Feng Jueyu’s displeasure, Xiaoyuanshan immediately sobered up, quickly dressed, and scolded the Zhao brothers, "Wake up, damn it, Master is going to speak."

"Uh, uh, uh..." The Zhao brothers didn’t dare to be careless, quickly pulling up their pants and putting on their clothes, standing in a row like soldiers waiting for inspection, standing straight and tall.

Feng Jueyu scanned the four of them, his gaze landing on Xiaoyuanshan. "Xiaoyuanshan, I’m not blaming you, but what did I tell you the day before yesterday? Have you forgotten?"

"What... what?" Xiaoyuanshan, seeing Feng Jueyu’s stern face, was nervous.

"What?" Feng Jueyu snorted, thinking he needed to remind this guy. "First, tell me what happened last night."

"Last night?" The four of them were confused, looking at each other.

Zhao Bing said, "The Talent Gathering?"

"Rubbish." Feng Jueyu spat, startling the four. They had never seen him so angry before.

Feng Jueyu recounted what he had heard from Shangguan Ruomeng, then stared at Xiaoyuanshan. In his view, Xiaoyuanshan was smart but lacked awareness, still a ruffian. This guy needed to be trained to shine.

After listening to Feng Jueyu, the four realized the magnitude of the events that had transpired overnight, breaking out in cold sweat and trembling...

Feng Jueyu sternly said, "Such a big event, and you knew nothing? How can you talk about expanding the gang and making a name for yourselves? Xiaoyuanshan, did you forget what I told you?"

Xiaoyuanshan lowered his head in shame, gritting his teeth. "Master, I was wrong. I shouldn’t have drunk."

Feng Jueyu’s face was cold. "Your mistake isn’t in drinking, but in lacking awareness."

He stood up and scolded, "You were the ones who discovered the Shangguan family’s spies. I told Lao San to send a message, and you should have realized that last night would be turbulent. Selling three editions of poetry is one thing, but why didn’t you send two people to gather information and track things down? This was a great opportunity."

"Now the capital has been thoroughly purged by the emperor. How many officials have fallen? How many have been implicated but not punished? Who is backing them? Are those who were punished spies, or did they take the fall for others? These are important matters, don’t you think?"

"And what about the new officials who have taken their places? What are their backgrounds? Who recommended them? Which faction do they belong to? Are any of them related to the Xu family, and what proportion?"

Feng Jueyu’s words came in rapid succession, his voice growing louder. It didn’t seem like something a teenager could say. Xiaoyuanshan and the others were ashamed, feeling unworthy and incredibly guilty, almost wanting to bury their heads in their laps.

Especially Xiaoyuanshan, who had recently promised Feng Jueyu to turn over a new leaf and be a better person. How could he face Feng Jueyu’s earnest advice?

Xiaoyuanshan bowed deeply, feeling utterly ashamed. "Master, you are right. I was wrong."

Feng Jueyu glanced at Xiaoyuanshan, nodding inwardly. This guy wasn’t completely useless. At least he remembered not to kneel, choosing another way to admit his mistake.

Part of his frustration was also due to the fact that he was being watched by the emperor’s men, and logically, if Xiaoyuanshan had gathered information, he would have notified him last night.

However, it was unfair to expect a ruffian who spent his days stealing chickens and fighting in the streets to suddenly have a national political awareness in just two days.

Seeing Xiaoyuanshan’s realization, Feng Jueyu didn’t continue. He said earnestly, "Scolding you isn’t the point. If you want to be successful, you need to have self-awareness. Talking big and being smooth-talking is useless. What matters is action. If you act, you will get results and rewards."

Everyone listened and nodded, feeling the truth in his words. They looked at Feng Shao with even more admiration and gratitude.

After all, everyone else saw them as scoundrels, hopeless cases, and dregs. Only Feng Jueyu didn’t look down on them and went out of his way to teach and guide them, showing them the principles of life, methods of handling affairs, and the keys to success. This was a great kindness.

"Alright, this is the first and last time. Now, with the empire in turmoil and the various departments unstable, it’s not too late to gather information. Come here, I’ll tell you what to do. Xiaoyuanshan, go to the Jishi Fang now and tell Li Yide what to say..."

PS: Due to a lack of inspiration and a change in my work schedule, the updates have been inconsistent, causing inconvenience to everyone. I apologize deeply. However, I am working hard to write more and faster. Whenever I have time, I sit in front of the computer and put my heart into every chapter. Please believe in me. I will write more exciting plots and improve the speed while ensuring the quality of the book. Thank you for your support.