Despite Sheng Zhanku’s thorough handling of affairs in Kongheyuan, he was quite lazy in his personal life. He found even holding grudges against others to be tiring. Chu Dijiang, knowing this, had deliberately brought him here against his will through Gu Jinghong’s insistence.
As expected, Sheng sighed and said, “The Feng family only started their shipping business in Yangzhou three generations ago. Initially, they had just a few cargo ships to transport goods for others. At that time, the Song Dynasty didn’t have official docks, so the Feng family bought many places to build docks for their convenience, which led to their current wealth. This is what most people know about the Feng family.”
He continued, “But the Feng family’s history goes back much further, though I’m not sure exactly how many dynasties. It’s said their ancestors traveled to the Western Regions during the Han Dynasty. The men of the family were mostly long-distance merchants, brave and ambitious. They moved to Yangzhou during the Five Dynasties period. During the Tang Dynasty, when many foreign envoys came to pay tribute, many merchant families prospered through trade, including the Feng family. However, due to the tumultuous times and the dangers of long-distance trade, the Feng family’s lineage dwindled. After the current dynasty began, they stopped long-distance trading, and their influence gradually waned compared to before.”
“With docks spread across the Yangtze River region, it’s no wonder some still say the Feng family has declined,” Chu Dijiang remarked, surprised by how long the Feng family had been prosperous. If such a family truly had connections with Miaoyao Mountain Villa, it could be troublesome.
Pondering this, Chu Dijiang asked, “What do you know about the three heads of the Feng family?”
Sheng Zhanku looked at him resentfully and replied, “Feng Fang is the eldest grandson of the Feng family, but he lacks the daring and ambitious qualities of Feng men. He’s been weak-natured since childhood. His father kept him close and personally tutored him. In his early years, all his forceful decisions were guided by his father. Feng Hang, born to a second wife, is quite intelligent, but the late Feng patriarch favored his eldest son from his first wife more. Feng Hang grew up pampered, becoming willful and impulsive, often making rash decisions. He’s also known for his philandering and has six concubines. The third head of the Feng family is an outsider named Qin Zheng, a man of considerable talent…”
Sheng Zhanku went on to detail Qin Zheng’s background, which matched what Zhu Pianpian had said. His extensive knowledge, as if the Feng family lived next door to him, deeply impressed An Jiu.
The group changed course southward, taking the land route to Yangzhou.
Along the way, Chu Dijiang continuously questioned Sheng Zhanku about Miaoyao Mountain Villa. After two hours, Sheng was so exhausted that he collapsed in the carriage and couldn’t get up.
His last words before falling asleep were: “Chu Dijiang, you’re heartless.”
Only Gu Jinghong, Chu Dijiang, and An Jiu remained awake in the carriage. Gu Jinghong asked, “Brother Chu, are you well acquainted with Sheng Zhanku?”
“We’ve known each other for some years,” Chu Dijiang replied, not wanting to elaborate.
Gu Jinghong continued, “I’ve heard that Sheng Zhanku usually doesn’t like to get close to people. It’s quite surprising that you’re familiar with him, Brother Chu.”
Sheng Zhanku’s full name was Sheng Changying, with the childhood name Luzi. The Sheng family was also part of the Konghe clan, but Sheng Changying was the last of his line.
As a child, Sheng Changying struggled to make ends meet and had to join Kongheyuan with his family’s token. Unfortunately, he was born with weak meridians and could never become a skilled fighter no matter how hard he tried. Initially, he could only do menial tasks like sweeping in Kongheyuan. He worked at least seven hours a day, but not content with such a life, he spent an additional one to two hours studying. The prolonged lack of sleep took a toll on his health. Although Kongheyuan was generous with provisions, this mainly applied to those who risked their lives for the organization. For someone like him, with no prospects in martial arts and low status, it was difficult to obtain resources beyond basic food, clothing, and monthly wages.
Kongheyuan trained cold-blooded assassins with little human warmth. Sheng Changying’s rise from a lowly servant to his current position was solely due to his efforts and indomitable will. He appeared amiable and rarely refused others’ requests, a habit formed from years of menial work. However, he was quite aloof and detached. To date, Sheng Changying only had one friend from his hometown who entered Kongheyuan with him, Xu Zhi, and was only familiar with Chu Dijiang.
He and Xu Zhi had entered Kongheyuan together, but Xu Zhi was sent elsewhere to study mind-reading techniques due to his potential. They were separated for ten years. Chu Dijiang, on the other hand, had approached Sheng Changying deliberately after hearing of his reputation. He never pretended to be nice but openly showed his intention to use Sheng. Due to his frank and straightforward nature, and his persistent efforts over seven years, Sheng Changying gradually lowered his guard and now considered him a friend.
Chu Dijiang didn’t respond to Gu Jinghong’s comment, and the carriage fell silent.
An Jiu leaned against the carriage wall, resting her eyes.
About an hour later, Chu Dijiang noticed her suddenly sitting up straight and asked, “What is it?”
“Mo Sigui,” she replied.
An Jiu opened the window and looked back, seeing a person running towards them, panting heavily while leading a small tiger. The two small tigers, having been raised in Kongheyuan, were curious about everything outside, sniffing flowers and grass, much to their handler’s frustration.
“Stop the carriage,” Gu Jinghong ordered.
Mo Sigui, out of breath, was already attracting attention on the road with the small tigers. Unable to shout, he thought he wouldn’t catch up with the convoy, but was relieved when it stopped. He hurriedly grabbed the two small tigers under his arms and sprinted towards them with all his might.
As he approached, Mo Sigui immediately spotted An Jiu and smoothly climbed into the carriage.
The carriage, already cramped with four people, became extremely tight with the addition of another person and two small tigers. Unable to find a place, Mo Sigui sat directly on Sheng Changying’s lap, gently placing the two small tigers on his chest. “Oh? This person’s body is so weak, I hope I don’t crush him to death.”
Despite his words, Mo Sigui settled firmly on Sheng’s lap and pulled out a fan, fanning himself vigorously.
The black ice dragon brain fan bone exuded a cool sensation, clearing everyone’s minds and refreshing the entire carriage.
“How did you find our whereabouts?” An Jiu asked, her gaze drawn to the two small tigers.
The tigers were quite chubby, lacking the fierce appearance of typical tigers. Instead, they looked rather dull. Their unusual ink-blue eyes set them apart from other tigers. One of them wobbled down from Sheng Changying’s body and approached An Jiu, affectionately rubbing against her leg. The other seemed agitated, persistently pawing at Sheng Changying’s clothes.
An Jiu’s question echoed the thoughts of Gu Jinghong and Chu Dijiang, who wondered how their carefully concealed route had been exposed.
Mo Sigui snapped his fan shut and grabbed the tiger that was clawing at Sheng Changying’s clothes. “I followed them here. This great physician has created a new tracking fragrance. These two tigers are tracking tigers. Well, I accidentally overfed them a bit, so they run slowly. I couldn’t ride a horse and nearly died of exhaustion on the way! I’ve decided to punish these little creatures by not allowing them to eat meat for two days!”
Chu Dijiang noticed one of the small tigers being so affectionate towards An Jiu and frowned slightly. “Did you use the tracking fragrance on her?”
An Jiu, unfamiliar with this type of medicine, looked up at this remark. “When did this happen?”
“We have a life-and-death friendship, so using a tracking fragrance is normal,” Mo Sigui said. For him, it was a simple task that even someone as perceptive as An Jiu would struggle to notice. He smiled and answered An Jiu’s question, “It was when you said goodbye to me before leaving.”
Chu Dijiang glanced at An Jiu, feeling slightly annoyed: A life-and-death friendship… as if he didn’t have the same with Mo Sigui.
After this thought, Chu Dijiang paused, wondering why he was suddenly so concerned about this.
An Jiu said nothing more and focused on petting the small tiger.
“Doctor Mo,” Gu Jinghong greeted with a cupped-hand salute.
Mo Sigui finally remembered to exchange pleasantries with the two unfamiliar men. “Pardon my poor eyesight, you two are…?”
“I am Gu Jinghong, Deputy Commander of the Konghe Army’s Divine Strategy,” Gu Jinghong introduced himself.
Chu Dijiang added, “I am Chu Dijiang, Head Instructor of Kongheyuan.”
“Oh my, I truly am shortsighted,” Mo Sigui tucked his folding fan into the back of his collar and formally returned the greeting.
Mo Sigui was a carefree person with little sense of social hierarchy. Even if faced with the emperor, he probably wouldn’t flatter or curry favor.
In another carriage, Lou Mingyue had seen Mo Sigui. Her mind was in turmoil, she closed her eyes and pretended to be asleep.
On the fifth night, the group arrived at Yangzhou City.
Since Miaoyao Mountain Villa was built in Yangzhou City, they knew the city’s information like the back of their hand. Disguised entry was not an option, so everyone removed their disguises, scaled the city walls to sneak in, and gathered at a secret Konghe Army location.
Over the past two days, the Yu family had already negotiated shipment prices with the Feng family’s docks, just waiting for Chu Dijiang’s return to transport the goods to the docks.
In a courtyard in a corner of the city, a fox-eyed man wandered, sighing now and then.
Sheng Changying, having slept for several days, woke up feeling even more uncomfortable, as if he had been sleeping under a heavy weight. Moreover, he usually spent eight hours a day handling affairs, and this sudden lack of tasks left him restless.