Chapter 929: Chapter 538: Zhao Douan’s Money-Saving Method (5k)
This gave the "Foodie Prince" caught in the middle a chance to catch his breath.
Of course, there is also the possibility of a trap... Zhao Douan wasn’t that naive. After pondering for a moment, he said, "Alright. When I need you, I’ll come here to contact you again."
He planned to delay for a while.
If Feng Xiaolian was truly sincere, he could indeed use this opportunity later.
If this contact was a trap, Zhao Douan’s words could also stabilize the person behind the scenes, making them not rush to close the net.
However, he leaned towards believing that there was no conspiracy behind this encounter, as there seemed to be no need for one.
Given Zhao Douan’s current status, catching him directly was far more profitable than letting him go to catch bigger fish because he was already the big fish.
Feng Xiaolian nodded, and immediately laughed heartily, acting drunk, joking with Zhao Douan, then left the spot, returning to the company of women.
Their conversation was brief, appearing to outsiders as nothing more than a few idle chats between patrons making friends over drinks.
After sitting for a while, Zhao Douan feigned being too drunk to stand, rose to leave, and Supervisor Wang Qi had not yet departed when he left.
Upon leaving Yunshao Courtyard, a squad of soldiers was indeed waiting outside, their eyes sharp and fierce.
Zhao Douan pretended to be timid as he left, realizing that the gang members tracking him had disappeared. He wandered outside for a bit, ensuring there was no tail, before returning to Red Mud Lane.
Could those following him have been sent by Feng Xiaolian?
Zhao Douan pondered, thinking it was unlikely—it shouldn’t be so poorly executed by Prince Huai’s men.
It was more likely to be the thugs from the Red Snail Gang, as warned by the landlord’s daughter.
Zhao Douan had no interest in these ant-like small characters and walked down the street towards the resplendent fiery clouds at the west horizon, thinking:
"The Shadow Guards should have established themselves by now."
...
...
Within a grand mansion in Yongjia City, all doors and windows were tightly closed. Song Jinxi placed a chair on the ground with a heavy thud.
He sat gracefully, with a gentle and sinister face, gazing down from above at the trembling, richly dressed middle-aged man kneeling on the floor.
He chuckled sinisterly:
"Night Fragrance Sect... Haha, a gang monopolizing Yongjia City’s manure business. The gang leader certainly knows how to enjoy himself—not a hint of filth or stench about him."
The Night Fragrance Sect was one of several major underground factions in Yongjia City.
Though monopolizing manure might seem an eyesore, considering the Beggar Sect in martial arts stories could dominate the Martial World, it’s quite reasonable for the Night Fragrance Sect to build a gang with a group of dung shoveling workers....
The Shadow Guard unit led by Song Jinxi infiltrated the city a day before Zhao Douan. Due to having more personnel and to avoid drawing attention, this Inner Court Tributor chose the Night Fragrance Sect as their base.
A gang full of mixed individuals posed a natural cover; furthermore, Night Fragrance Sect’s city-wide monopoly meant they had extensive access to information—Zhao Shixiong, as powerful as he was, still had to relieve himself, and the camps couldn’t do without latrine workers.
"You should recognize the pill I just fed you; it is a famous poison in the Martial World. From now on, you’ll receive an antidote to delay its effects daily. If you disobey, not even the best doctor in the city will save you."
Song Jinxi said calmly.
The Night Fragrance Sect leader kowtowed repeatedly: "This humble one will follow orders without daring to disobey!"
There were several others in the room, among whom one man and woman stood out.
At that moment, a pale scholar holding a handkerchief coughed, then smiled:
"From now on, we just have to disguise ourselves as Night Fragrance Sect members, and it’ll be easier to act."
Beside him, a woman dressed like a heroine with a Longsword on her back and half her face covered with a bronze mask, said coldly:
"With so many eyes on us, we can’t hide for long."
The two were Linfeng Road’s Gold Shadow Guards, codenamed "Scholar" and "Hong Ye."
The latter was suspected to be a descendant of Pei Niannu, a relative of Lu Yaner.
This time, they were also transferred here by Zhao Douan.
Song Jinxi said calmly: "No matter, we weren’t here for a long-term infiltration. Now that we have a foothold, we should await the next orders from above. However, before that, we ought to support this gang and use it for our purposes."
Song Jinxi used his toe to lift the kneeling man’s chin, looking down with an air of superiority: "I heard your gang is currently in a turf war? Many casualties? Who’s your opponent? We’ll clean them out for you."
The Night Fragrance Sect leader was taken aback for a moment and stammered: "Red Snail Gang."
...
...
As the sun set, the stone bridges throughout Yongjia City basked in a light red glow, and the river beneath seemed to be extinguishing.
When Zhao Douan returned to the "Fourth House" on Red Mud Lane, he saw a budding teenage girl sitting atop the courtyard wall.
Du Shishi’s dusty gray skirt hung down, with half her body seemingly leaning against a clump of green bamboo sprouting from along the wall’s base.
Her prematurely mature face was bathed in rosy light, and a strange bell hung at her waist, stuff with ragged cloth. Even when her legs swung over the wall, there was no sound.
"What are you doing in my house?" Zhao Douan looked up with interest at the girl on the wall.
Du Shishi seemed to just realize something, glanced down at him, and corrected: "This is my house."
"But during the rental period, it belongs to me." Zhao Douan took out his key, unlocked the door, and entered the courtyard, seeing a ladder leaning against the inside wall—how the girl climbed up: "A girl climbing up and down, don’t your parents care?"
Du Shishi frowned at the reprimand, unhappily retorting: "None of your business. You better take care of yourself. I’ve warned you, the Red Snail Gang might be targeting you."
Zhao Douan calmly walked to the well and drew a bucket of cold water, finding a watermelon soaking in it.
He rolled up his sleeves and patted the watermelon, saying: "Want some watermelon?"
Du Shishi frowned deeply, showing a "hating iron for not becoming steel" expression: "Are you stupid? Or just careless? Do you have no sense of vigilance at all? You’re living a life of comfort, unaware of the sinister nature of people, thinking it’s peacetime during times of chaos?"