"Good, good!"
The fat man took a step back, still smiling at Nan Shiying. "Then I wish you, sir, safe boarding."
The bone fan lightly tapped his temple, and Nan Shiying tilted his head, looking at the fat man.
"Are you threatening me?"
The fat man waved his hands with a smile, denying it. "Not at all, sir, you are mistaken. I had no such intention!"
Nan Shiying turned his head and looked at the cargo ship the fat man had pointed to. A flag with the Hengyuan Chamber of Commerce trademark was planted on the ship.
He asked in an unreadable tone, "Are you a hall master of the Hengyuan Chamber of Commerce?"
Seeing that the other party didn't respond, the fat man thought he had softened under his threat. The smile on his face grew wider. He tilted his head slightly, speaking humble words, but his face showed a smug expression. "I am but a small figure in the Hengyuan Chamber of Commerce. I merely have some standing because the brothers value me."
Nan Shiying turned back and smiled. "So, if I kill you, at most, it will just mean compensating the Hengyuan Chamber of Commerce with some money?"
"You... I..."
Upon seeing the killing intent in the other party's eyes, the fat man shivered all over, his mind instantly going blank, stammering incoherently.
Having been in this border town for so many years, this was the first time someone dared to threaten him back.
No, the other party wasn't threatening; they were genuinely considering the feasibility of it, truly intending to kill him!
"Do you know what you're saying? Money? If you kill me, you'll be offending our Hengyuan Chamber of Commerce. Do you think this is something that can be resolved with money?"
The fat man retreated several steps. The wind stirred the river water of the Jade River, and the damp air wafted into his nostrils. Smelling this familiar scent, the fat man's flustered heart finally calmed down a little.
On his own territory, why should he fear this pretty boy?
"How much is face worth?" Nan Shiying smiled, amused by the fat man's naivety. "One hundred taels of gold for your life, is that enough?"
"If not enough, then two hundred taels, three hundred taels, four hundred taels... Guess how much you are worth in the eyes of your Hengyuan Chamber of Commerce hall master?"
Hearing him raise the price by a hundred taels at a time, the fat man "gulp"ed. If he were to kill himself, would that money go to him?
As this dangerous thought emerged, the fat man shivered violently and shook his head vehemently, as if hearing the sound of waves in his head.
"You... you... I am a law-abiding citizen. Illegally killing a law-abiding citizen is a grave crime!"
The fat man didn't doubt whether the other party had that much gold. If he hadn't seen the jade bone fan in her hand earlier, he wouldn't have thought he had met a fat sheep. Who could have foreseen that this sheep was actually a wolf in sheep's clothing!
The other party spoke so casually about buying a life with money. If she hadn't taken a life before, he would have his head chopped off and used as a ball for her.
Nan Shiying smiled, two dimples appearing at the corners of her mouth. "A life can be bought with money, and household registration can also be changed with money."
"I recall that Wucheng is not far from Ningguta, right?"
The Hengyuan Chamber of Commerce carriages entered the inner gate, and the fluttering chamber flags could be seen from afar. The fat man, as if seeing a lifesaver, turned and ran towards the convoy.
Nan Shiying glanced at Situ Kong. Situ Kong leaped forward, appeared in front of the fat man, and grabbed him by the neck, lifting him up.
The fat man, weighing over two hundred jin, was lifted directly into the air. For the first time, he felt what it was like for a body as stout as a pig to be airborne!
However, before his thoughts could wander, he felt dizzy from lack of oxygen.
The fat man's face turned from red to purple. His squinted eyes finally developed 'outlines.' Due to the surge of blood from lack of oxygen, his eyeballs bulged out, almost falling from their sockets.
"I... I..."
He found it difficult to speak, like a fish out of water, struggling powerlessly on the bank.
"Head, Deputy Hall Master!"
The escorts of the Hengyuan Chamber of Commerce, seeing the struggling fat man, rubbed their eyes vigorously. After confirming that the figure, which resembled a ball after putting on robes, was indeed their Deputy Hall Master, their faces changed drastically.
Although Hall Master Li... was somewhat greedy and lustful, he was, after all, their Deputy Hall Master. Since they had seen it, they had no reason not to intervene.
A sharp gust of wind reached his ears. Situ Kong stopped his feet and, carrying the fat man, retreated backward. A hidden weapon embedded itself in the ground not far from where they had just stood.
Before Situ Kong could get a clear look at the assailant, several whistling sounds reached his ears again.
The sounds were extremely fast. In an instant, they approached Situ Kong from all sides, targeting his back of the head, spine, and the back of his ankles.
The assailant was a master and skilled in hidden weapons!
Unfortunately, the assailant held back, concerned about the life of the fat man in his hands!
Therefore, the hidden weapons only came from behind.
Situ Kong nimbly turned and slid diagonally backward. The hidden weapon grazed the fat man's ear, shearing off a piece of his earlobe.
The fat man was on the verge of tears.
"Sir, is there some misunderstanding?"
Seeing the opponent's skillful movements, the chief escort of the Hengyuan Chamber of Commerce, with a cold expression, paused for a moment. He then put away his hidden weapon. With the opponent's agility, if he truly intended to kill the Deputy Hall Master, he would have used the Deputy Hall Master as a human shield when the hidden weapons came flying, instead of stepping back and merely allowing the hidden weapons to shave off a small piece of the Deputy Hall Master's earlobe.
The assailant stopped, and Situ Kong's grip on the fat man's neck loosened slightly. The fat man's complexion eased, and the air that entered his nose filled his almost shriveled lungs.
Situ Kong looked at the person who spoke. The man was dressed in short martial attire, and his blood surged with each breath, indicating he was a master of external strength. Situ Kong had initially thought he was only skilled in hidden weapons, but now, it seemed his external strength might even surpass his skill with hidden weapons.
Situ Kong then glanced at the Hengyuan Chamber of Commerce emblem embroidered on his waist belt. He pointed at the fat man's nose and said, "He intended to frame my young master and even issued threats!"
Young master?
Where did this young master come from?
Seeing the other party looking hesitant, Situ Kong turned his head. Within a hundred meters, he couldn't see anyone.
He looked around and finally spotted Feng Luan and his sister at a herb stall. His mouth twitched slightly. When did they get there?
The chief escort followed his gaze and saw the tall figure holding the jade bone fan.
His gaze paused on the jade bone fan in her hand for a second, and he understood why Li Dazui had taken a fancy to her. This person practically had the words "Rich!!!" written all over them!
The chief escort's mouth twitched, and he said to Situ Kong, "Your young master is indeed swift!"
Situ Kong no longer wanted to converse. What could he say? Explain that she had walked far away simply because she saw herbs she was interested in, not because she was fleeing from the confrontation that had occurred here?
Oh, perhaps that阴b did it on purpose!
Situ Kong still remembered the way this fellow bowed politely and apologized, but what was the final outcome? Young Master Xun had almost passed his seventh-day mourning period.