Chapter 12  

Shen Qingran picked up the overturned tables and chairs. The stool, already creaky, had half its leg broken after being kicked by those ruffians. He gestured for Chang Bai to make do by sitting on the wheelchair instead.  

Chang Bai: “This is the general’s throne! I dare not sit on it.”  

Shen Qingran poured him tea and went inside to change into women’s clothing. He didn’t know how this man perceived him, but since his true gender hadn’t been exposed, he might as well continue playing the role of a woman. As for the fleeting appearance of his “cousin,” those scoundrels, guilty and beaten, probably wouldn’t bring it up again.  

Chang Bai watched as the “madam” calmly entered the master’s room, then excitedly began repairing the broken stool.  

See? Their clothes are even kept in the same room!  

Once the stool was fixed, he waited for Shen Qingran to come out. Hinting that there was medicine in the master’s room, he then took his leave, striving to maintain his “chivalrous hero” persona. He didn’t dare stay longer, lest Shen Qingran grow suspicious.  

Not knowing how else to express his gratitude, Shen Qingran—unable to speak—could only offer gifts. Traveling the martial world required extra provisions, after all.  

Chang Bai held the cured meat and pastries with tears in his eyes—weren’t these the very things he had delivered just two days ago?  

Putting on a show of a carefree departure, he turned a corner and swiftly disappeared into the woods, making his way to the mountains behind Li Feng’s house to keep watch.  

……  

For once, Shen Qingran didn’t succumb to procrastination. Despite the discomfort all over his body, he began tidying up the house.  

Worried that Xue Feifeng might return early again and see the mess, leading to disappointment and eviction, Shen Qingran even taught himself to straighten the toppled fence.  

As he worked, he consoled himself—as long as the house was restored to its original state, today could still be considered productive. Those societal dregs getting their comeuppance had lifted his spirits.  

The next day, Aunt Zhang came to bid Shen Qingran farewell. She and her daughter-in-law had recently made dozens of shoes to sell in town and would be away for a couple of days. She wanted to check if Shen Qingran needed anything before leaving.  

“Yesterday, the Li Qiusheng brothers got beaten up by someone—faces swollen and bruised. Now they’re holed up at Cai Shi’s place, refusing to leave while they recover. Cai Shi’s cursing could be heard across the entire village this morning.” Aunt Zhang couldn’t resist gossiping. The Li brothers were idle troublemakers; no household had escaped their vegetable thefts, yet no one could do anything about them.  

Shen Qingran felt tempted to go out with Aunt Zhang. His reason for staying in the village was to guard the sugarcane field, but now that those ruffians had been thoroughly thrashed, they wouldn’t dare cause trouble again anytime soon.  

Yesterday’s incident also proved that, against unreasonable people, even if he camped in the sugarcane field, he posed no real threat—his tent might just get stolen along with everything else.  

Shen Qingran had his own considerations. Even if he guarded the five acres of sugarcane diligently, he’d eventually face the same plight as Sun Lao Er—no buyers, leaving the crop to rot in the field.  

So, he needed to venture out and find buyers.  

If he didn’t want to farm, he had to leverage his strengths elsewhere. Shen Qingran thought, *If I can sell the sugarcane and bring in some income, Xue Feifeng wouldn’t have to work so hard, and the villagers wouldn’t call him “henpecked.”*  

The challenge was how to communicate this to Aunt Zhang.  

Being mute, he couldn’t explain.  

Perhaps he’d have to follow secretly and act alone.  

……  

Xue Feifeng’s waterborne bandit-suppression operation proceeded as scheduled.

While the bandit leader Cao Tongfang was patrolling the river, a portrait of a stunningly beautiful woman, radiant as a celestial maiden, suddenly drifted down from the sky. In the lower left corner, a delicate hand had inscribed a short poem, dotted with tear stains as if the beauty had wept while painting, her sorrow palpable.

Cao Tongfang’s lust flared instantly. “Whose daughter is this? How dare they hide such a beauty from me?”

The fair maidens by the waterside who could flee had fled; those who couldn’t mostly fell victim to Cao Tongfang’s predations.

“My lord, we don’t know,” his subordinates replied.

After questioning several men to no avail, Cao Tongfang grew even more restless, wishing the beauty would descend from the heavens just like the painting.

“There’s a poem on the painting!” an inconspicuous underling suddenly exclaimed. “I recognize a few characters.”

“Speak!”

“The poem says this maiden admires peerless heroes who roam the rivers and lakes, willing to serve them in any capacity. But alas, she’s trapped against her will, sent aboard a cargo ship, doomed to spend her life within the fleet,” the underling marveled sincerely. “A hero? Isn’t our leader exactly such a peerless hero?”

Cao Tongfang swelled with pride, utterly convinced this celestial maiden’s admiration was meant for him.

According to the poem, the maiden was now aboard a fleet—and the nearest one was the All Under Heaven Escort Agency’s. Cao Tongfang brought the portrait to his nose, inhaling deeply in rapture.

A whiff of sulfur—the scent of the All Under Heaven Escort Agency’s fleet.

That night, when the fleet passed by, Cao Tongfang blocked their way without warning, refusing to let them proceed unless they handed over the beauty.

The All Under Heaven Escort Agency conducted trade across the land, and the master of World Manor was renowned for his formidable influence and vast wealth. Naturally, their men carried an air of arrogance.

The escort agency had already paid their dues, and Cao Tongfang had accepted his bribes. How dare this insignificant river bandit block their way? There were no women aboard—this was clearly greed masquerading as provocation to extort more.

As tensions mounted, a small window on the cargo ship’s second deck slowly opened. Cao Tongfang looked up—and there she was, the celestial maiden from the painting!

The maiden was enchanting and tender, though her face was etched with sorrow. The moment she saw him, her eyes sparkled with adoration.

Blood rushing to his head, Cao Tongfang demanded to board and seize her. But when the crew followed his gaze, they saw nothing.

Cao Tongfang’s underlings clamored to set the ship ablaze if the maiden wasn’t surrendered. Then, abruptly, a great fire erupted aboard the cargo ship, plunging everything into chaos.

A massive fleet traversing these turbulent times would never lack enforcers. With a wave of the captain’s hand, a group of burly black-clad fighters surged from the ship’s hold.

Cao Tongfang was incensed. They had agreed no armed escorts were allowed in his territory—all cargo ships were to pass through defenseless, letting him take his cut. Yet the escort agency had kept fighters in reserve. Furious, both sides clashed.

Amid the flames, the escort agency’s fighters felt divinely aided. Though outnumbered several times over, they fought evenly, soon surging with the confidence to take on a hundred men each. They crushed Cao Tongfang’s forces, driving them back relentlessly until they were utterly routed.

By dawn, when the battle ceased and casualties were counted, the All Under Heaven Escort Agency’s men stood bloodied but victorious, while Cao Tongfang’s forces were annihilated.

The fighters, their bloodlust cooling, found it hard to believe—had they really been that formidable last night?

The captain, coming to his senses, sensed something amiss. He questioned each man about what they’d witnessed.

One crewmember, standing at an angle similar to Cao Tongfang’s, said with a haunted expression, “I think I really did see a beautiful woman on the ship…”

“Vanished in the blink of an eye!”

“It was a man!” another crew member shouted. “When I went upstairs to check, a fight broke out below. I saw a man fly off the stern.”

“A woman! She was watching the whole time Cao Tongfang killed someone!”

Was this a ghost?

The captain felt a chill down his spine as a genderless specter fought fiercely with Cao Tongfang. The manor lord had warned him that Cao Tongfang had powerful backing. Thinking of this, he immediately wrote a letter and had it delivered posthaste to the manor lord.

…

By the reedy marsh, amidst withered grass, Xue Feifeng wiped the blood from his sword and asked, “Where’s Chang Chan?”

Chang Ming replied, “She said she had other matters to attend to and left first.” Last night, she had batted her eyelashes and left Cao Tongfang utterly spellbound before slipping away. As for the one who had stood “lovingly” on the cargo ship—actually expressionless while watching Cao Tongfang—it was Chang Sui, dragged there by her sister to stand guard.

“The All Under Heaven Escort Agency has contributed to quelling the unrest. They should be rewarded by the authorities.” Xue Feifeng left it at that; his subordinates would handle the rest.

“Understood.” They had burned the escort agency’s fleet and ought to compensate, but the payment shouldn’t come from the general—it should come from the authorities who had refused to suppress the bandits. This credit would be forced upon the All Under Heaven Escort Agency whether they wanted it or not.

Xue Feifeng asked, “Is the current Minzhou governor Yang Huo?”

Chang Ming thought for a moment. “That’s correct.”

Xue Feifeng frowned. He had once seen Yang Huo at court—an inflexible but well-meaning official who had been exiled for failing to navigate the political intrigues of the capital.

This man lacked the capability to suppress bandits, but he would never stand idly by while Cao Tongfang wreaked havoc.

Unless someone had ordered him not to interfere.

“Chang Ming, we must be even more cautious,” Xue Feifeng said, tightening his grip on the reins. “Li Family Village cannot be exposed.”

“Understood.”

“Good.” Xue Feifeng glanced at Chang Ming coolly, as if to say, *So why are you still here?*

Chang Ming said, “This subordinate will escort you back.” His elder brother Chang Bai had gone to protect the madam, while he—having gone to find Chang Chan—had been scolded by that ruthless elder sister.

Only by witnessing the general and his wife’s affectionate moments could his wounded heart be soothed!

Xue Feifeng replied, “Unnecessary.”

He had ruined Shen Qingran’s dudou and originally intended to have Chang Chan buy a whole chest as compensation. But Chang Chan had left too quickly, and he hadn’t had time to give the order.

Xue Feifeng shot Chang Ming a look that clearly said, *What use are you?*

Naturally, he wouldn’t let Chang Ming buy undergarments for Shen Qingran.

Xue Feifeng led his horse toward the market, his steps unhurried—though upon closer inspection, the tips of his ears were slightly red.

…

Shen Qingran arrived alone in the town. The longest road he had walked in both lifetimes was that mountain path. He had spent the night in a cave by the roadside and only emerged from the mountains the next day.

Chang Bai followed behind him, repeatedly tempted to rent a carriage for the madam.

Shen Qingran went from shop to shop, still pretending to be mute. If anyone wanted to buy, they would inevitably visit, and once they spoke with Xue Feifeng, his secret would be exposed.

At home, he had written down his requests on paper to show the shopkeepers.

After visiting several shops with poor results, Shen Qingran considered just speaking up.

Chang Bai watched as the madam prepared to sell the snacks the general had bought for him and hesitated over whether to intervene.

The madam was frugal, but those were the general’s gifts! Who would dare sell the tokens of affection our general gave? Our general isn’t short on money!

Chang Bai’s mind went blank for a moment, and he turned into the shop Shen Qingran had just inquired about, trying to gauge the owner’s intentions. If the owner was interested, should he stop it or not?

…

By the time he came out, Chang Bai was drenched in cold sweat.

Where was Madam?

…

Shen Qingran was genuinely startled when an elderly woman suddenly pulled him into an inn. Before he could react, he saw the woman looking at him with a complicated expression: “Xiao Bao, what are you doing here?”

Xiao Bao?

Shen Qingran was utterly confused. After a long pause, his intelligence kicked in—could this be his mother?!

His heart skipped a beat. In Li Family Village, he was a newlywed bride. No matter how much his personality changed, others wouldn’t notice anything amiss. But his mother was different—she knew the original owner’s temperament better than even Xue Feifeng.

Shen Qingran forced a smile of reunion. “Mother?”

Shen’s mother smacked his head lightly. “My poor child, no need to pretend in front of me. Say whatever you want to say.”

“Mother,” Shen Qingran called out cautiously, not daring to say more. Seeing his mother’s guilty expression, he was equally puzzled. Though Shen’s mother had made him cross-dress to marry into Li Family Village, given the original owner’s temperament, she had already done her best. The only thing she should feel guilty about was Xue Feifeng.

Little did Shen Qingran know that the Shen family had decided to relocate—tomorrow—and had no intention of informing their only son.

When Shen’s mother saw Shen Qingran on the street, she almost thought he had been kicked out and would have to follow the family again. She was torn—on one hand, she didn’t want to take care of him, but on the other, he was her flesh and blood, raised with care for over twenty years. Pretending there was no maternal bond was impossible.

“Xiao Bao, you look thinner. Does Li Feng not feed you?” Shen’s mother probed.

“No, he treats me well.”

“That’s good.” Shen’s mother visibly relaxed and pulled Shen Qingran to sit in the inn’s main hall. “Order whatever you want. It’s on me.”

This was likely the last meal they would share as mother and son. Shen’s mother sighed inwardly, looking at Shen Qingran with a mix of relief and reluctance.

Shen Qingran felt goosebumps under her gaze, unsure what was going on with her.

Mimicking the original owner’s preferences, he deliberately ordered several meat dishes, observing his mother’s reaction.

Shen’s mother wore an “I knew it” expression. When the food arrived, she urged Shen Qingran to eat quickly, piling his plate with dishes.

The inn, affordable for ordinary farmers, clearly had limited standards. The greasy chicken leg on the table had a layer of skin nearly a finger thick, mottled yellow and white—a rather unappetizing sight.

Shen Qingran would rather go hungry than eat something so unrefined. Xue Feifeng had spoiled him with all sorts of delicacies, making his palate increasingly picky.

But this was in front of his mother! Being picky would blow his cover!

Shen’s mother looked puzzled. “Why aren’t you eating? Isn’t this your favorite?”

Struggling, Shen Qingran replied, “I’ll eat.”

Under his mother’s doting gaze, Shen Qingran took a bite of the chicken leg. The sticky, greasy texture hit his tongue, and he couldn’t help but spit it out.

The commotion stood out among the other diners, drawing stares.

The waiter had never seen such a finicky eater—dressed in coarse cloth but with a refined palate.

Shen’s mother, noticing the attention, grew anxious. If any acquaintances were present, her plans to move might be exposed.

She quickly forced a smile and said, “It’s nothing, nothing, just… I’m pregnant! Pregnant women tend to vomit easily.”

Shen Qingran froze, thinking his mother could really lie through her teeth.

Since when can your son get pregnant?

But he also knew that vomiting in front of the waiter would be too disrespectful to the restaurant.

So he cooperatively smiled and nodded.

Admitting pregnancy in public was too embarrassing!

Shen Qingran hung his head, his face burning red.

…

Xue Feifeng stood frozen at the doorway, his expression blank. After a long pause, he took the reins from the waiter’s hand and went to another inn.