Dream of the Red Chamber

Chapter 60 Gift of Knife
What was the danger? If the people behind the scenes set their sights on Chen Siyuan, they might link him to Sun Guangcheng, Hu Mang, and others. Once the lies were exposed, how could Chen Siyuan survive?

Where is the opportunity? Sun Guangcheng has indeed set his sights on the Qin family! Hu Mang has already been targeted by those behind the scenes. Who knows when he will break a taboo and die in an unclear manner. By then, with the other two obstacles gone, only Liu Yan'er will be left, which will be easy to deal with.

Chen Siyuan wanted to investigate carefully, but he knew that now was not the right time.

Liu Da'er still knew how to throw the child, so Chen Siyuan naturally followed suit!

Chen Siyuan slapped the edge of the kang and said in frustration, "I almost killed my brother. I really regret it. Well, I'll go get a doctor and get some good medicine. I have to get my brother treated first."

Qian Feihu was immediately displeased and pulled Chen Siyuan aside, saying, "We're brothers, so why are you so unfaithful, Brother Chen? Besides, this minor injury will heal in three to five days. Why bother looking for a doctor? It's a waste of money!"

Ma Panlong also said, "Although it was dangerous, Feihu avoided a vital injury. It's just a few minor injuries, not a big deal. Brother Chen, there's no need to make a fuss."

Chen Siyuan finally stopped walking upon hearing this, but when he glanced at Qian Feihu, his eyes immediately reddened. This move naturally angered Qian Feihu, the boss, who said that Chen Siyuan was too meticulous - meaning that he was a bit effeminate.

Chen Siyuan knew that if he continued to act out, he would be going too far. He stopped talking and just looked around, wondering, "Why can't I see Brother Xu?"

Qian Feihu said, "I can't be the only one being tailed, can I? Da Biao has been waiting nearby. Since I'm injured, I'll ask him to keep a close eye on the thief and find out his background."

"No, this is too dangerous. I'll go and call Brother Xu back now!"

Ma Panlong grabbed Chen Siyuan and said, "Brother Chen, don't worry too much. Da Biao may not be as good as the two of us in terms of martial arts, but when it comes to stalking and investigating, the two of us combined can't match him. With him watching, we'll be safe."

After hearing him say this, Chen Siyuan finally felt relieved.

Ma Panlong then prepared some wine and meat, and while the three of them were eating and drinking, Qian Feihu talked about what had happened in the past few days.

After a few days of following behind, Hu Mang contacted three people in total. One of them was that at night, when no one was around, he stuffed something into the dog hole in the back wall of Rongguo Mansion. It was probably a letter or something, but it was hard to see clearly because it was dark.
Secondly, Hu Mang waited in a teahouse for half a day, then whispered something with a white-faced, beardless man in his forties. That man was then spotted by Xu Dabiao. He was seen going to the residence of the old Prince Yizhong with a rough-looking man in his twenties. The next day, he put on a beard and changed his appearance to deliver a letter to the Rongguo Mansion. He then ran into the Jia family and entered the black oil-painted gate.

Third, Hu Mang, concealing his face, went to the Zhejiang Guild Hall last night. Since it was not advisable to enter without permission, Qian Feihu asked someone to listen in and found out that Hu Mang had gone into the room of a Mr. Sun in the back.

As for the rest of the situation, Hu Mang first stared at Qin Ye, the construction officer, for a day, and then stared at Qin Zhong for several days in a row.

While Chen Siyuan was toasting with the two of them, he was thinking to himself.

This first one finally explains how Liu Yan'er communicates with the outside world. It turns out she uses the dog hole in the back wall. I need to take a closer look to see if the dog hole is in Lixiangyuan or somewhere nearby.
Second, Sun Guangcheng did have external help! This man was so audacious that he deceived Xue Pan and then disguised himself to visit Jia She! It's possible that the extra money he paid came from Xue Pan.

Moreover, this man has a fair complexion and no beard, and is about forty years old... Why does he sound like a eunuch?

Finally, there was Hu Mang's whereabouts. Apart from the communication, most of the remaining time was spent on watching Qin Zhong. Could it be that Sun Guangcheng felt that he couldn't deceive Qin Ye and simply planned to kidnap Qin Zhong to force Qin Ye?

When Qian Feihu ran into that man today, was he staring at Qin Zhong or Hu Mang?
The mystery was so complex, but now at least there were some clues. However, Chen Siyuan knew that he couldn't keep an eye on Qin Zhong anymore, as that would be tantamount to seeking death!
Chen Siyuan immediately said, "My two brothers, when Brother Xu comes back, you must persuade him to stop staring at my enemy." Seeing that Qian Feihu didn't care at all, Chen Siyuan said seriously, "I dare not be vague about this matter. My two brothers must remember it."

Seeing his serious expression, Ma Panlong and Qian Feihu looked at each other and then agreed.

After three rounds of wine and five dishes, Chen Siyuan, feeling satiated, suddenly stood up and said he had almost forgotten something. He quickly rode away. Ma Panlong and Qian Feihu were left behind. Ma Panlong frowned and said, "I didn't expect to offend the powerful. I think Brother Chen has big plans. We must be more careful from now on."

Qian Feihu didn't think too much and said, "Brother Chen treats us sincerely, so what if he has ulterior motives? If it weren't for Brother Chen's help, we brothers would probably be living on coarse food now!"

Ma Panlong shook his head and said nothing.

An hour later, he heard the sound of hissing outside again. Ma Panlong opened the door and saw Chen Si coming back with something wrapped in red cloth in his hand.

Chen Siyuan called out and walked straight into the room. When he reached Qian Feihu, he spread out a red cloth, revealing a goose-wing knife inside.

"I feel really bad for causing my brother to get hurt. I just happened to finish my work when I saw someone buying a knife. I don't know whether it's good or bad. Come and take a look at this knife."

Qian Feihu curled his lips and said, "I don't need a knife, so give me this thing--" As he spoke, he pressed the spring and the knife came out of the sheath with a clang. Then he saw that it was covered with cloud patterns, and it was dazzling and bright!
Qian Feihu's eyes widened instantly! Even Ma Panlong beside him couldn't help but gasp!
For martial artists like them, a magical weapon is sometimes more important than life.

"This...this...this...a wrought iron knife?"

Chen Siyuan laughed heartily and said, "Brother, you don't know. Someone in Quanzhou said that he melted down the family heirloom iron knife and forged it into a goose-wing shape. Now he's down and out in the capital and has to sell his knife on the street to make money to go back home. I think this is really a piece of gold that can break jade, so I bought it and gave it to you. As the old saying goes, a sword is given to a hero."

"You...I..." Qian Feihu's heart was pounding. He glanced at the iron cloud pattern and couldn't say anything to refuse.

Chen Siyuan smiled and said, "Brother, are you satisfied?"

"I agree, I agree!" As he spoke, he drew his sword from its sheath and made some casual sword moves. Suddenly, the house was filled with a flash of cold light.

Chen Siyuan said, "As long as you agree. But we can't delay any longer. We have to go get my sister-in-law's indenture—" He looked at Ma Panlong and said, "Brother, wait a minute. I will definitely send the indenture over tomorrow or the day after tomorrow."

Ma Panlong immediately forgot his previous caution and said with a red face, bewildered, "There's no need to rush. As long as we can get it, it's good. As long as we can get it, it's good."

Chen Siyuan said, "In that case, brother, you will go ahead and we will meet again someday."

The two of them wanted to send Chen Siyuan out together. If Chen Siyuan hadn't stopped them, they would have sent Qian Feihu, who was wrapped in his wounds, out as well.

Mounting his horse again, Chen Siyuan headed straight back to Rongguo Mansion.

You have to be completely honest with people and not let them down. That iron knife is only three hundred taels of silver, so it's worth it if it can soothe people's hearts! You have to know that Chen Siyuan has nothing now, and he can only rely on these three brothers.

They were silent all the way. When he returned to his own courtyard, Hongyu came forward and said, "Master, Nanny Lai came just now and kept asking when you would be back."

Madam Lai? Why is she here too?

　I've been posting three chapters in a row these past few days, and I've been running out of 2,000-word chapters. Since then, I've been posting 4,000-word chapters. Sure enough, I'm still better suited to writing long chapters. With these short chapters, I've already reached the word count before I even start writing...

　　
　
(End of this chapter)