Chapter 225: Chapter 217: On Fire?
The man glanced at Lu Yong, somewhat shrinking back, and whispered, "It’s Mr. Hu, bringing people from the village, they’re here."
Upon hearing these words, the entire assembly hall fell silent.
And Shang Ruyi’s heart sank as well.
Not...
From seeing Flower Child Ying practicing archery yesterday, to people around itching for action today, and then to just now Xiao Yuansui’s words "he will break in at any moment," an imperceptible sense of anticipation rose in her heart, expecting him to truly appear in the next moment.
Unexpectedly, the one outside the mountain gate is still not him.
Not him...
This reality was laid bare before her, though she had mentally prepared for it long ago, yet at this moment, it seemed to stab her particularly deeply.
But Shang Ruyi took a deep breath and tried her best to calm down. Raising her head to look around, some people’s expressions had visibly changed, whereas Lu Yong, who was ready to slaughter with his knife, laughed wildly, simultaneously inserting the knife back into its sheath, then pointing at Xiao Yuansui and saying, "Well, people from the village have arrived, let’s see what excuse you have this time!"
After speaking, he waved his hand, "Let’s go, bring them in!"
The people behind him immediately followed suit, swaggering out with great pomp.
Shang Ruyi stood at the doorway, watching them leave, then turned her head to glance at Xiao Yuansui still standing in the center of the hall. His expression changed several times, seemingly having thought of many things in that instant. Someone walked up to him from behind and whispered, "Boss, what do we do now?"
Xiao Yuansui steadied himself and said, "Since they’re here, we should receive them properly without losing decorum."
After saying this, he instructed someone to tidy up the hall and also led some people out.
Just as he reached the door, he caught sight of Flower Child Ying with Shang Ruyi. Suddenly, his eyes flashed as if he remembered something, then walked over to Flower Child Ying’s side, whispering two sentences to him. Flower Child Ying nodded in agreement and turned to leave.
Shang Ruyi was stunned for a moment, looking up to find Flower Child Ying’s figure had already disappeared into the noisy crowd.
Xiao Yuansui said, "Young Madam, would you like to come with us?"
Shang Ruyi smiled faintly and said, "If I don’t go along, Young Master Xiao won’t feel at ease, will you?"
Xiao Yuansui chuckled, seemingly very satisfied with her "wisdom and tact." Raising his hand, he led her out of the hall toward the city gates.
On this road, some people whispered among themselves, some faces looked sullen, but it was clear they weren’t very pleased with the sudden visit of this "Mr. Hu." Shang Ruyi walked a long way and couldn’t help but softly ask, "Who is this Mr. Hu?"
"Hu Jinfeng, the strategist of Wanggang Village."
"Strategist?"
Shang Ruyi slightly raised her brows, and immediately seemed to pick up on something.
A strategist often represents the leader of a place; what a leader can achieve depends not only on his decisions but also on the wisdom and vision of his strategist. However, judging from Wanggang Village’s style before Xiao Yuansui joined, Shang Ruyi couldn’t discern any wisdom or vision in that strategist there, to the extent she hadn’t heard the name Hu Jinfeng; rather, it was after Xiao Yuansui joined that Wanggang Village changed its former ways with ambitions toward the world.
So, clearly, these two aren’t on the same path.
Now, it’s crucial to see Mr. Hu Jinfeng’s attitude toward Xiao Yuansui.
If he is broad-minded and accommodating, then all is well; but if he is narrow-minded, envious, and jealous of the capable, then things become—
With these thoughts, she chuckled softly in her mind and continued walking forward.
Having walked this road once before, she was quite familiar with it; however, traversing mountain paths in heavy snowfall was bound to be a bit of a hardship, especially outside the Warehouse City, where the cold wind carried huge snowflakes that lashed against their faces, like an unprovoked assault, while the agitated mood among people gradually intensified.
After walking for quite a while, they finally reached the mountain gate.
At this moment, it was crowded with people, and the roaring noises seemed about to overturn the entire Huangtu Ridge.
Now, whether or not it should be a relief that Kou Junliang, due to that night’s incident, had already uprooted camp and left with the remaining troops, was uncertain. Though they had not gone too far, if they were still here, witnessing this chaos, who knew what trouble might arise.
With one glance, Shang Ruyi spotted Mr. Hu—Hu Jinfeng.
He was a very frail and somewhat sharp-featured middle-aged man, sporting a mustache, and because of his thinness, his mouth looked pointed, making him resemble a large wise rat, quite fitting for a place like the grain-storage city of Xingluo Warehouse.
At this point, he was leaning his ear towards Lu Yong beside him, listening intently, continuously stroking his mustache and nodding, his cunning little eyes occasionally glancing at them.
Once Lu Yong finished speaking, a look of surprise seemed to cross his face.
But immediately, Hu Jinfeng plastered a smile on his face, respectfully and warmly clasping hands in greeting to the already approaching Xiao Yuansui, saying affectionately, "Second Brother Xiao, it’s been a while."
Xiao Yuansui stepped forward and also politely clasped hands, saying, "Mr. Hu, didn’t expect you to come."
"Why not? Second Brother Xiao has been out of Wanggang Village for several months now; the brothers have missed you terribly. They all asked me to send their regards when they heard I was coming."
"Thank you, Mr. Hu, please also extend my greetings to the brothers later."
"Of course, certainly."
Hu Jinfeng chuckled, "It’s just that—if they could meet once, it would be the best."
Xiao Yuansui’s eyes flickered as he said, "If the brothers are willing to come to this Xingluo Granary, I would naturally be pleased."
Hu Jinfeng said, "Coming here is not an easy task."
"How could it be?"
"We’ve been waiting outside the mountain gate for so long, we’re all nearly frozen, yet the people up the mountain are unwilling to let us through. I’m afraid the brothers wouldn’t have the patience to wait."
"Oh, so Mr. Hu blames me for being neglectful. It’s like this, recently we’ve been exchanging blows with the court several times, if we weren’t strictly guarding, I’m afraid this Xingluo Granary would have already changed hands."
"I see,"
Hu Jinfeng chuckled, "I thought there were so many people here to guard against us!"
Xiao Yuansui glanced at him, then looked at Lu Yong and others standing beside him with obviously provocative expressions, and still calmly said with a smile, "Mr. Hu, those words are unfriendly."
With that, he waved his hand, and the guards stationed on the mountain wall had no choice but to withdraw.
Only then did Hu Jinfeng and his group reveal satisfied smiles, and Xiao Yuansui said, "The wind and snow are fierce here, it’s better to talk inside the city."
So, with a raise of his hand, Hu Jinfeng led his people to follow Xiao Yuansui and others into the mountain.
Shang Ruyi naturally returned with the group, but as they left the mountain gate, she subconsciously glanced outside once more, but in the swirling snow, Luokou Ferry and the entire surrounding valley were already deserted, as silent as lifeless frozen earth.
Nothing she hoped for had occurred.
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In no time, they were back at the assembly hall.
Here, it had already been tidied up, and the tables and chairs that had been knocked over before were rearranged neatly. Xiao Yuansui led Hu Jinfeng and others inside to sit down, while the men they brought were temporarily lined up outside the door. Although their formation was orderly, they inevitably gave off a murderous aura, especially as each person wore a gloomy face, carried a deadly air, and had swords and daggers at their waists.
After entering the hall, Hu Jinfeng carefully examined the spacious assembly hall and looked at the clear leader’s seat at the uppermost position. At this moment, Xiao Yuansui slowly approached and sat down.
A hint of a cold smile appeared on his face.
Then he said, "I really didn’t expect that after leaving Wanggang Village, Brother Xiao would find another world. This place is indeed more magnificent than Wanggang Village."
After Xiao Yuansui sat down, he placed one hand flat on the table and said with a faint smile, "This place was originally where the court’s garrison troops stayed, so it’s naturally built differently from elsewhere. After we moved in, we’re just borrowing it temporarily."
"I see,"
Hu Jinfeng chuckled, "I’m afraid Brother Xiao will get accustomed to the grandeur here, and won’t be used to the smallness of the village in the future."
As soon as he said this, the expressions of many in the hall changed slightly.
But Xiao Yuansui remained calm, simply waving a hand, and immediately a group of people entered to serve hot tea and some snacks. Xiao Yuansui said, "Mr. Hu arrived in a hurry, and we could not prepare in time. Please have some hot tea and snacks first. Later, we’ll hold a banquet to welcome you and your brothers and cleanse the dust of your journey."
Hu Jinfeng looked at the items on the table and sneered, "Brother Xiao, you are indeed living well, but when I think about the brothers in the village still suffering, enduring hunger and cold, how could I possibly eat?"
Xiao Yuansui immediately furrowed his brow, "Mr. Hu, what do you mean by that?"
Hu Jinfeng stood up and said, "Three days ago, the grain storage in the village caught fire, and all the stored grains were burned to ashes. Seeing the brothers losing their food supply one after another, I suppose Second Brother Xiao wouldn’t leave us stranded, right?"
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yuansui’s expression immediately became serious, "What, the village caught fire?"
"Indeed."
"Did it burn anywhere else?"
"Fortunately not, only the granary caught fire, and it was put out in time, without spreading elsewhere."
"Oh..."
Hearing this, it seemed Xiao Yuansui thought of something but wasn’t sure. He cast a flickering glance at Shang Ruyi.
At that moment, Shang Ruyi’s hands, hanging at her sides, inexplicably broke into a cold sweat. She quietly pinched her coat’s hem, twisting it tightly around her fingertips.
Xiao Yuansui pondered for a moment and then asked Hu Jinfeng, "So, the grain sent back before was all burned?"
"Before?"
Upon hearing this, Hu Jinfeng seemed to hear a joke and sneered, "Second Brother Xiao, I don’t understand what you’re talking about. When did you ever send grain back?"
"What?!"
Startled, Xiao Yuansui suddenly stood up, "What did you say?!"