Chapter 10  

Xue Feifeng watched Shen Qingran walk away before retracting his cane. With a light tap of his toes, his figure flickered like a shadow and vanished along the mountain path in mere moments.  

In the distance, a man sat astride a horse while another grazed leisurely beside it. The moment Chang Ming spotted his master approaching, he swiftly dismounted and adjusted the mane of Xue Feifeng’s warhorse, Yu Cong. “Master, you’ve arrived.”  

Xue Feifeng’s grip on the reins stiffened when he noticed the saddle on Yu Cong’s back. He shot Chang Ming a warning glare.  

What on earth went through his subordinate’s mind every day?  

Chang Ming: “This subordinate is merely preparing for all contingencies.”  

What if the master wanted to bring his wife along? Wouldn’t a double saddle be necessary then?  

Xue Feifeng patted the horse’s back and vaulted onto it in one fluid motion. “This is a bandit suppression mission. Do you think it’s a game?”  

Chang Ming’s expression tightened. “Of course, we can’t bring Madam along.”  

Xue Feifeng cast him a glance from his elevated position. “From now on, you are forbidden to speak. That’s a military order.”  

The chatterbox Chang Ming clamped his mouth shut, aggrieved, as he mounted his horse and trailed behind his master. After a few strides, he suddenly remembered something, his lips quirking into a grin as he fixed Xue Feifeng’s back with an intensely gossipy gaze.  

…  

Li Family Village lay within Minzhou, a southern region dotted with lakes of all sizes. Recently, a group of bandits led by Cao Tongfang had taken refuge on the waterways, colluding with the canal gangs and wreaking havoc. The local officials turned a blind eye, indulging in peace and pleasure as if living in a golden age.  

In a farmhouse courtyard on the outskirts, Xue Feifeng unfurled a map, studying the terrain of Minzhou. Accustomed to northern battlefields, he had never engaged enemies amidst lakes and rivers.  

Chang Bai nudged Chang Ming with his elbow, signaling with his eyes: Speak up, why so quiet?  

Chang Ming mouthed: “The master forbade me from speaking.”  

From the other side of the table, the cold-faced guard Chang Sui, who stood with arms crossed and sword in hand, spoke up: “General, the Crown Prince is searching everywhere for you. Now is not the time for large-scale operations.”  

The Crown Prince believed only Xue Feifeng had escaped and sought to eliminate him, unaware that the hundred thousand troops were also unharmed. If they were to suppress the bandits, with the local authorities inactive, the master would have no choice but to summon his old forces—exposing both the general and the army. If the Crown Prince found out, it wouldn’t just be covert investigations anymore.  

Xue Lifeng was paranoid, fearing someone might usurp his position as heir. It wouldn’t be beyond him to recklessly divert the Three Armies of Great Qi from the northern front and march them southward. Such absurdity was well within his capabilities.  

Xue Feifeng pointed to a mountain north of Minzhou. “If I recall correctly, the All Under Heaven Escort Agency is stationed at the border between two provinces. Recently, a shipment of goods from the South Seas is set to pass through Minzhou via waterways en route to Yangcheng.”  

Chang Sui: “Correct. The general ordered me to monitor shipments heading to Yangcheng. Two days ago, I discovered this South Seas cargo—mostly rare medicinal herbs and sulfur.”  

Chang Bai added, “This subordinate infiltrated Cao Tongfang’s hideout for days and found no signs of his intent to raid the shipment. Presumably, the All Under Heaven Escort Agency has already negotiated with him.”  

“Then we’ll make him raid it,” Xue Feifeng declared. “Cao Tongfang is lustful. Tell him there’s a beauty from the South Seas aboard the ship and forge a portrait for him. When the cargo ship passes through the waterways, he’ll demand to board and inspect the beauty. Once the escort agency fails to produce her and tensions rise, you’ll seize the moment to ignite the sulfur on board and blame it on Cao Tongfang’s threats.”  

“But why would Cao Tongfang readily believe there’s a beauty on the ship?” And how stunning would she need to be to capture his attention?

Xue Feifeng’s sharp phoenix eyes swept over them. “What do you think?”

Chang Ming and Chang Bai took a step back in unison. “Chang Sui and Chang Chan are the most similar.”

Chang Chan was their elder sister—a terrifying female demon known for her bewitching beauty and lethal skills, capable of killing within ten steps. Disdaining to be ranked alongside her three idiot brothers, she left Chang Ming as the eldest, Chang Bai second, and Chang Sui third. Among them, Chang Sui resembled her the most. With a light touch of makeup, he could pass as her double, even mimicking her icy expression flawlessly.

Chang Chan wasn’t around lately, and even if she were, unless their lord ordered it, the three brothers wouldn’t dare ask for her help even if they banded together.

That left Chang Sui.

The older brothers wore expressions of schadenfreude.

But Xue Feifeng shook his head. Though Chang Sui looked the part, when it came to disguising as a captive songstress on a cargo ship to sow discord and incite a brawl between two factions, he was nowhere near as skilled as Chang Chan.

Pointing at Chang Ming, he commanded, “Summon Chang Chan back within a day.”

Chang Ming’s face twisted in misery, convinced the general was retaliating for the double-horse saddle incident. Why couldn’t he just write a letter to call her back? Why did he have to risk a beating from his sister by delivering the message in person?

Silently, Chang Ming mouthed, “Understood.”

After Chang Sui accompanied Xue Feifeng to the Miracle Doctor for his injury treatment, Chang Bai gave Chang Ming a puzzled look. “What’s with that expression?”

Three parts misery, seven parts smugness—a bit schizophrenic.

Chang Ming opened his mouth, then said, “The boss forbade me from speaking aloud today.”

Chang Bai wasn’t surprised.

“But think about it—Madam is mute…” Chang Ming’s eyes suddenly gleamed with wisdom. “The general wants me to pretend to be mute so I can learn lip-reading and communicate with Madam when we return.”

A true master of logic. Chang Bai was impressed.

“Makes sense.”

So the next day, Xue Feifeng discovered that all his subordinates had mysteriously lost their voices.

…

Shen Qingran returned home alone, suddenly feeling the emptiness of the house. There wasn’t even anyone to talk to.

Not that he could talk in the first place.

But with Xue Feifeng gone, it meant he could finally let his guard down and let out a few shouts. He’d been stifled for so long he could barely remember what his own voice sounded like.

After cleaning up, the original owner’s appearance closely resembled his own, though much frailer—proof of how drastically lifestyle could alter one’s looks.

Shen Qingran called out his own name. His voice, unused for so long, came out like a feeble fawn’s bleat, weak and listless.

He shouted a few more times, gradually reclaiming his voice. It didn’t matter—his house was at the foot of the mountain, and no one usually passed by.

While preparing lunch, Shen Qingran habitually scooped two portions of rice into the pot before remembering Xue Feifeng wasn’t here. He didn’t need to cook so much.

Guiltily, he covered the pot. Maybe Xue Feifeng’s concerns weren’t entirely unfounded?

Mixing the leftover rice with wheat bran, Shen Qingran poured it into the white goose’s trough. “Eat up. Once that Li Feng returns, your luck will run out.”

Kneeling beside the barely-alive Green Du Sapling, he muttered, “When will you recover?”

It sounded like a question for the sapling—or perhaps for someone else.

Maybe it was because, deep down, he believed that when the Green Du Sapling matured into medicine, Xue Feifeng’s leg injury could finally be treated. That was why Shen Qingran devoted such care to this lone sprout, checking on it three times a day.

“Stop thinking about Li Feng, just take a nap first.” Shen Qingran yawned boredly. The quilt had been aired in the morning, so an afternoon nap would surely be comfortable. He glanced at the original owner’s room—he hadn’t stepped foot in it since the first day he left it, and had no idea how dirty it had become.

Li Feng’s house at the foot of the mountain was small, with one main hall and two bedrooms. The front door led directly into the hall, with a bedroom on either side. A narrow space was partitioned off between the hall and the back wall with wooden planks, where a few descending steps led to a small cellar. The kitchen stood independently to the left of the house, housing only a stove, with the remaining space piled with various farming tools.

The backyard was for raising chickens, while the front yard was cultivated. Overall, the area under the roof wasn’t large. With the original owner’s room abandoned, Shen Qingran had been sleeping on the floor in Xue Feifeng’s room every day, until gradually Xue Feifeng ended up being the one sleeping on the floor.

Judging by size, the original owner’s room was more spacious. It seemed unreasonable for Shen Qingran to waste one room and force Xue Feifeng to sleep on the floor. And as the weather grew colder, this arrangement wouldn’t do.

Should he prove to Xue Feifeng that he’d turned over a new leaf, perhaps starting with tidying up a room? If he could even butcher pigskin, was this really any harder?

Struggling internally, Shen Qingran closed his eyes and made up his mind. “Fine, I’ll clean it.”

“Hmm, but today I’ll just sleep in Li Feng’s room first.” Shen Qingran coaxed himself.

…

Aunt Zhang, remembering Xue Feifeng’s request, dropped by occasionally to check on Shen Qingran, afraid he’d turn into a pile of garbage left alone at home.

Standing outside the fence, she had just placed her hand on the gate when she heard Shen Qingran’s scandalous remarks inside, leaving her utterly stunned.

She didn’t know whether to knock or leave.

“Once Li Feng returns, you won’t be so lucky… Stop thinking about Li Feng, just take a nap first… Today I’ll sleep in Li Feng’s room…”

Aunt Zhang clearly heard an unfamiliar male voice. Though the tone was pleasant, carrying an air of scholarly refinement, it couldn’t disguise the repeated mentions of “sleeping.”

Had another man come to the house so soon after Fengzi left? In broad daylight, no less… and sleeping!

Shocked by her own speculation, Aunt Zhang had thought Shen Qingran had changed, but it seemed he was still the same.

But what if… it was Shen Qingran’s relative?

Not wanting to jump to conclusions, Aunt Zhang called out loudly, “Qingran, are you there?”

Shen Qingran, who had just lain down, hurriedly straightened his clothes and rushed out. To him, Aunt Zhang was like a high school dean who loved patrolling the campus at 5 a.m. to supervise cleaning duties.

Aunt Zhang’s presence demanded full alertness.

Seeing Shen Qingran still adjusting his clothes, Aunt Zhang smiled and asked, “Do you have a guest? I thought I heard something earlier.”

Damn. Shen Qingran’s scalp prickled. Of all times for his first words to be overheard. He shook his head in denial, his eyes flashing with just the right amount of confusion, as if he had no idea what Aunt Zhang was talking about.

An Oscar-worthy performance.

Aunt Zhang took a step back, feeling dizzy. Why was he denying it? Could the man really not be seen?

“Oh… well, maybe I misheard. I came today to see if you could cook. If you’re struggling, you should tell me.”

Afraid Aunt Zhang might try to train him into a royal chef, Shen Qingran quickly shook his head. He dashed inside, pulled out a string of cured meat from the cupboard, and handed it to her.

Xue Feifeng, worried that he couldn’t cook, somehow procured a pile of cured meat for him to steam with rice—simple yet thoughtful. The only issue was the quantity; Shen Qingran felt it would take him at least half a year to finish it all, so he decided to share some with Aunt Zhang.

“How can I accept this?” Aunt Zhang refused, unwilling to take it. The cured meat was made from premium pork, meticulously smoked pound by pound. Its quality surpassed what ordinary households could achieve, clearly requiring considerable effort.

Shen Qingran scratched his head, unsure how to convey the concept of “having too much to eat” to Aunt Zhang.

If only Xue Feifeng were here.

“Did Fengzi buy this?” Aunt Zhang reluctantly accepted and casually asked.

Shen Qingran thought about how Xue Feifeng had spent so much money buying sugar cane for him. He had faintly overheard people cursing him as a fool, a henpecked husband, and a wastrel. Even Aunt Zhang probably thought the same.

He couldn’t let her believe it was Xue Feifeng’s doing. Kindly, Shen Qingran decided to uphold Xue Feifeng’s dignity in front of Aunt Zhang.

He smiled and shook his head. No, the wastrel here is me.

Aunt Zhang was stunned. The cured meat had clearly been brought from outside, yet Shen Qingran hadn’t left home, and no peddler in their right mind would bring such fine goods to their impoverished village.

Could it have been that man from earlier?

Aunt Zhang’s thoughts grew complicated. Was Shen Qingran so naive he didn’t know to hide it, or was he reverting to his old ways without restraint? She scrutinized him closely. Since washing his face clean, his looks had improved day by day—rosy lips, pearly teeth, a slender willow-like waist, and eyes so bright and cunning they seemed to speak. Once the village outcast, he now rivaled the noble ladies of the city in beauty.

Clutching her sleeves anxiously, Aunt Zhang worried for Fengzi, who was away from home.

Behind the haystack, Cai Shi watched the cured meat in Aunt Zhang’s hands with envy and disdain. Li Feng wasn’t around, but Aunt Zhang visited frequently, and Shen Qingran showed no intention of inviting others to eat. Those hoping to freeload had suppressed their greedy impulses.

Especially her two useless nephews, who, after failing to get anything from Shen Qingran, came to her house daily to mooch meals. Cai Shi could do nothing about them. She had also heard the unfamiliar male voice in Shen Qingran’s house. Gnashing her teeth, she thought bitterly—so it’s all going to outsiders!

Cai Shi briskly walked away with her vegetable basket. She needed to tell Chun Sheng and Qiu Sheng immediately.