Chapter 153: Big Feng Gets Into Trouble

Feng Da stared in terror at the man standing before him.

The man looked entirely ordinary, blending seamlessly into any crowd so that one would instantly forget him. Yet, such an unremarkable man had struck Feng Da speechless.

For the man possessed a pair of extraordinary eyes. The cold light shooting from them at that moment felt like a physical blade, piercing straight through Feng Da’s body.

Feng Da did not recognize this man, but he recognized those eyes—that murderous gaze.

It was the exact same gaze as those people.

Feng Da shivered violently. After casting one cold glance at him, the man walked past.

Once the man had gone far around a corner and disappeared from sight, Feng Da collapsed onto the ground, wiping away the beads of sweat pouring down his forehead.

With his legs trembling relentlessly and lacking the strength to stand up, Feng Da simply leaned sideways against the wall. With shaking hands, he pulled out a wineskin, unscrewed the cap, and tilted it toward his mouth. After draining nothing for ages, not a single drop of wine came out, infuriating Feng Da to the point where he hurled the wineskin far away, muttering a curse under his breath.

It was early morning, with the rosy dawn just breaking and the sky still dim. While other streets in Wucheng already bustled with lively morning markets, this alleyway saw almost no one pass by except for gamblers.

Feng Da leaned against the back wall of the gambling den, where shouts from within still drifted out from time to time. Normally the sweetest of sounds, today it failed to calm his mind; his thoughts had already drifted back to that day, to Liangzi Mountain.

How Feng Da, a resident of the Liu family estate outside the South Gate, ended up at Liangzi Mountain outside the North Gate was truly a bizarre matter. Even now, Feng Da remained baffled, left only to curse his own bad luck.

Drank to a stupor, Feng Da had mistakenly staggered in the completely wrong direction, sleeping away in a patch of wild grass on Liangzi Mountain. To his misfortune, waking up in the dead of night, he discovered that the desolate Liangzi Mountain flickered with ghost fires, and worse still, those ghost fires had discovered him.

Not until a cold, sharp weapon was pressed against his neck did the alcohol completely wear off.

He saw a group of men dressed in black. Though he could not make out their faces, he clearly saw their eyes—a cold, emotionless, and detached gaze. Just like the weapon at his throat, it could take his life at any moment.

Feng Da shuddered so violently that something leaked from his lower body, trickling down his trouser leg to drip onto the ground with a rhythmic, foul-smelling stench of urine.

The man in black holding the sword to his neck showed a look of disdain, pressing the blade down harder until it was on the verge of piercing his throat.

"Wait," someone shouted from nearby.

The sword movement paused and withdrew in an instant. By then, Feng Da had collapsed limply to the ground, knowing he had just walked through the gates of hell.

Someone walked up to him and asked, "Are you from Wucheng?"

"Yes..." His voice trembled like a blade of grass in the wind, rising and falling unevenly.

"We are looking for someone. Can you help?"

"Yes... yes..."

"As long as you do well, not only will we spare your life, but we will also give you silver."

A large, bulging money pouch hovered above Feng Da’s head. The crisp clinking of silver coins inside instantly made Feng Da’s eyes light up, laying bare his unmasked greed.

"Do you want it?"

"I want it."

"Very well. Take a look at this. If you can tell me where they are within three days, this silver is yours."

A portrait was unfurled before Feng Da, depicting two people: a man in his forties and a five-year-old child.

Feng Da had never seen the man, but the child gave him a strangely familiar feeling, as if he had seen him somewhere before.

Where had he seen him?

Feng Da racked his brains frantically, nearly breaking his head over it. Suddenly, he slapped his forehead, nearly jumping up with excitement. He remembered—wasn’t this the little young master who always stayed by the young mistress's side?

The look of excitement flashed past. He immediately came to his senses: these people were no benevolent figures. If he spilled the beans, it would be betraying his masters, an act of treason. Feng Da instantly covered his mouth and shook his head.

Yet the man opposite had been staring fixedly at him, catching every shift in his expression. His face sinking, the man said coldly, "It seems you neither want this bag of silver nor your life, hmmm?"

That single hum fell like a heavy drumbeat upon Feng Da’s heart.

*No, no. The Liu family has never shown me any great kindness; why should I risk my life for them?*

The thought flashed through his mind. Remembering his failed marriage arrangement with Sister Zhen, a trace of resentment flared in his eyes. *The Liu family showed no mercy first; how can they blame me for lacking loyalty afterwards?*

Having reasoned this out, Feng Da groveled on the ground without a shred of guilt, blurting out in a hurry, "Spare my life, heroes! This humble one knows where they are. I have seen that child; he currently lives in the Liu residence."

"The Liu residence? Could it be the estate of Prefect Liu?"

"Precisely."

"Are you lying?"

"No, no! How would this humble one dare to deceive the heroes? Every word I have spoken is true."

"Very well. This bag of silver is yours. Should there be half a falsehood in your words, we will certainly return to take your dog's life."

A bag of silver dropped onto Feng Da. Staring at this windfall of wealth, Feng Da was wild with joy. He hurriedly opened the pouch, poured the silver into his bosom, and counted the coins piece by piece. When he finally finished and looked up, there was no trace of the men in black left.

A single streak of dawn light shone across the horizon, making him feel as though he were in a dream. Had it not been for the heavy pouch in his hands, he truly would have thought he had experienced a pleasant dream.

Many days had passed since then. He had no idea whether those men in black had left, and no ripples had stirred within the Liu residence.

Feng Da had assumed the matter had ended there and would no longer entangle him. Who would have guessed that the person he ran into today had those same chilling eyes, identical to the men in black, leaving him utterly unable to find peace of mind.

After sitting for a good while, Feng Da forced himself to stand up, shook his head, and staggered back.

Passing by a small tavern—one that Feng Da frequented often, whose proprietor also shared the surname Feng—he noticed it had opened early today. Feeling the pouch in his bosom and recalling Proprietor Feng’s usual attitude, he initially wanted to bypass it, but his feet refused to obey and walked straight inside.

Upon seeing him, Proprietor Feng hurried over to greet him. "Brother Feng, you're up early."

Inwardly, however, Proprietor Feng curled his lip in disdain. *Could he be anything other than early? Looking at his pale, ashen complexion, who knows how many nights he's gone without sleep again.*

"Proprietor... Proprietor Feng, I didn't bring any money today. Could I ask for another tab? I will definitely bring it over in two days."

Feng Da was merely trying his luck, expecting Proprietor Feng to push him away as usual with a, "Go on, go on, who drinks without money?"

To his surprise, today Proprietor Feng acted like a completely different person, enthusiastically pulling him by the hand. "What kind of talk is that, Brother Feng? Come right in. Today I happen to have fine wine and good food, and I'll accompany Brother Feng for a few hearty drinks."

Hearing that there was wine to be had, Feng Da completely forgot about Proprietor Feng's uncharacteristic behavior. He was pressed down into a seat by Proprietor Feng, and before long, a table full of fine dishes and a pot of good wine were served.

There were no other customers in the tavern, and Proprietor Feng diligently urged him to drink. Before he knew it, Feng Da had consumed too much. By the time he stood up to leave, he was so drunk he could no longer tell east from west.

Sister Zhen stood before her doorway, craning her neck to gaze down the small path leading into the estate. Feng Da had left a few days ago with that bag of silver and never returned, only to stagger back dejectedly last night, ransacking every box and cabinet to steal the two taels of silver she had hidden away. Heedless of her tears and cries, he had turned around and left, and still had not returned.

Sister Zhen sighed. She had been living in terror these past few days; the manor would not let that matter go uninvestigated, and she herself no longer knew whether what she had done was right or wrong.

As she was lost in chaotic thoughts, someone came running from the entrance of the estate, shouting toward her as they ran, "Sister Zhen, it's terrible! Something has happened to Feng Da!" (To be continued.)