Madmen don't keep diaries

Chapter 313, Section 312: Settling the Family
The butler had barely left when he quickly returned.

He bowed to Feng Xiuhu and said, "Sir, someone is looking for you... Judging from the clothes, he is a priest from the church."

Feng Xiuhu nodded to indicate that he understood. He spread his arms, rubbed his left hand on the slender waist's thigh, and rubbed his right hand on Gu Zhili's sleeve.

Then, amidst the coquettish complaints of the slender waist and Gu Zhili's grumbling, she stood up and walked towards the door.

It turned out to be a deacon from the main hall.

The deacon respectfully said to Feng Xiuhu, "Father Feng, Elder Findlay wants to see you. Please go see him immediately."

What kind of trouble is Findlay Zhou causing now?

Feng Xiuhu's eyes darted around—could it be that he had changed his mind and agreed to transfer Shunzi back?
Thinking of this, Feng Xiuhu quickly agreed: "Okay, I'll go right away."

……

Arriving at the church by carriage, Feng Xiuhu met Findlay Zhou in the study.

This is actually a point that shows the difference between Findrejo and Vadragio.

Vadracho spent most of his time meditating in his quiet room, leaving the many tedious church affairs to Archbishop Toverson Zhao; while Findlay Zhou insisted on doing everything himself. He was a person with a strong desire for control, and this was also the reason why he was so particular about etiquette and rules.

Feng Xiuhu couldn't wait to push the door open and come in: "Old Zhou, I knew you were a good person. Hurry up and give me the authorization letter. Since you've been understanding this time, I'll give you 10% of next month's tribute money."

"What do you mean by 'I get one-tenth of the offerings'?"

Findlay Zhou was taken aback for a moment, then realized what he meant: "Wait, when did I say I was going to give you an authorization letter?"

Feng Xiuhu was also stunned: "Then why did you call me here?"

Findlay Zhou glared at Feng Xiuhu, but remembering Vadracho's instructions before leaving, he suppressed his temper and got down to business.

"Tomorrow is Friday, so you must attend the afternoon prayer service."

He paused for a moment, then added, "Bring your family along too."

Feng Xiuhu instinctively refused: "I don't have time, I'm still trying to get my brother back."

Boom!
The scepter struck heavily, producing a dull thud.

Feng Xiuhu's eyelids twitched, and he stared intently, meeting the stern gaze of Findlay Zhou.

Findlay Zhou's entire body surged with magical power, his elder's robes billowing without wind, revealing his cultivation level, which represented the stage of mastering destiny, without any concealment.

His tone left no room for argument: "This is not a notice, it is an order. You—must come."

An invisible pressure was exerted on Feng Xiuhu, but he felt nothing at all.

But the next second, he suddenly felt ice-cold all over.

"I see……"

Feng Xiuhu murmured.

Findlay smiled with satisfaction. He gently smoothed the wrinkles on his chest, and the magic quickly subsided.

Feng Xiuhu didn't even say goodbye before rushing out of the study.

This time, Fender Zhou did not delve into Feng Xiuhu's rudeness, thinking it was normal behavior and that Feng Xiuhu must have been frightened.

……

Feng Xiuhu was indeed terrified.

He boarded the carriage and hurried home, urging the driver to go faster.

Just now, Feng Xiuhu suddenly understood the implied meaning in Fender Zhou's words.

Why did he force himself to attend prayers? And why did he specifically emphasize bringing his family along?
Some things might seem abrupt if it were Fenderez's doing, but if it was Valdragho's intention, then it makes sense.

The Seven-Colored Scales are coming, tomorrow.

But what truly chilled Feng Xiuhu to the bone was another reason.

The church actually knew exactly when the seven-colored scales would arrive.

Just like it was arranged beforehand.

It was only at this moment that Feng Xiuhu finally understood—who was the fisherman and who was the fish.

Initially, the Goddess of Wind and Rain and the God of Mist conspired to lure out Seven-Colored Scales to make fish soup. However, the God of Mist cleverly turned the tables, cooperating with the Goddess of Wind and Rain to gradually erode her faith, while secretly joining forces with Seven-Colored Scales. Afterwards, the spoils were divided: Seven-Colored Scales got her revenge, and the God of Mist seized the faith—wasn't this a perfect win-win situation?
Should we tell the Empress about this?

of course yes.

But things must be done in order. Compared to the goddess, Feng Xiuhu must first take care of his own affairs.

When she got home, Xiong Guiyuan was there too, and Xiyao'er was getting ready to go out with her.

Feng Xiuhu blocked the doorway, his expression grave: "Call everyone and come with me."

The woman with the slender waist, still smiling, said, "Master, the measurements have all been taken. It's just about buying clothes. Why invite everyone?"

Xiong Guiyuan noticed Feng Xiuhu's seriousness and asked him earnestly, "Where are you going?"

Feng Xiuhu glanced at her: "Didi City."

In fact, Feng Xiuhu had been considering this matter for a long time.

If the Seven-Colored Scales attack, how should we deal with the people around us?

He had considered the Mist Grand Hall, but the idea had just been rejected—no one knows who the winner will be until the very end, and if the Mist were to lose, the Grand Hall would be in danger.

He had also considered the goddess's courtyard, but that was even more impossible, because Shi had said that it belonged to the goddess of wind and rain's divine kingdom, and that ordinary people who entered would have their spirits dissipate.

Finally, he came up with the safest solution—Sail City not only has the Goddess of Wind and Rain and the God of Mist, but also Mr. Gray.

Although Mr. Gray is not as powerful as the Goddess of Wind and Rain or the God of Mist, he is still a true god. Protecting a few mortals should not be a problem.

Slender Waist belatedly realized that Feng Xiuhu wasn't joking, and she panicked: "Master, what happened? Has the incident of robbing the church last time come to light? Is the church going to settle scores with us? We still have money. Can't you go and talk to them properly and we'll give them the money to make up for it?"

Feng Xiuhu touched her earlobe and comforted her, "You're so thoughtful. I almost forgot if you hadn't mentioned it—remember to bring the money. Did you exchange it all for gold vouchers last time? Don't worry about the junk you can't carry. We're just going to stay in the bottom city for a few days. We'll come back after things have calmed down."

After saying that, he looked at Xiong Guiyuan and asked, "Do you want to come along?"

Xiong Guiyuan swallowed hard: "If we don't go together... will we get implicated?"

Feng Xiuhu shook his head: "No."

Just as Xiong Guiyuan was about to breathe a sigh of relief, she heard Feng Xiuhu say, "But you will die."

Xiong Guiyuan nearly choked on her words. She glared at Feng Xiuhu and demanded, "Why should I die?"

Feng Xiuhu was silent for a moment: "I can't say, but if you trust me, come with me."

Feng Xiuhu's silence was not without reason.

He has people around him who want to protect him, Xiong Guiyuan also has people around her, and Xiong Guiyuan's people around her have people around her.

If the truth were told, would Feng Xiuhu have the ability to protect everyone?
It serves no purpose other than creating panic.

If it's just panic, that's one thing, but if it spreads from one person to ten, and from ten to a hundred, and everyone knows about it—how will Feng Xiuhu explain where he got the information from?
With no time to waste, Feng Xiuhu told Xiong Guiyuan to think it over herself, then called her family, packed her things quickly, and headed out.

The group first went to Coconut Tree Street, where Feng Xiuhu quickly gathered all his brothers and led a large group of people to the lower city.

The steps on the white stone wall are almost finished; they're only about two stories high, so it should only take a day or two.

Unfortunately, it's too late now.

Let's get through this first.

The brothers helped each other and lowered the people down one by one.

Feng Xiuhu secretly called Er Mazi aside, took out a letter from his pocket, and handed it to him.

He solemnly instructed, "Slim Waist and the others have never been to the lower city. Please take good care of them for me and make sure they don't wander off. Once you're down there, go find Little Braid immediately and give her this letter. Tell her... it's for Mr. Gray, and ask her to deliver it as soon as possible."

Although Er Mazi didn't understand how there was any connection between this and Xiao Biao (a nickname), he knew the matter was important, so he didn't ask any further questions and readily agreed.

Gu Zhili, who had been unable to get a word in edgewise, finally found an opportunity. Taking advantage of Er Mazi's absence, she grabbed Feng Xiuhu and asked, "Tell me the truth, what happened that made you so anxious?"

Feng Xiuhu smoothed the strands of hair that were stuck to her forehead with sweat: "Ali, don't ask too many questions. You are the only one here with cultivation. Take good care of the women after you go down. I will give you a gift after this is over."

"Who wants your gift!"

Gu Zhili asked anxiously, "What do you mean by that? You're not going down?"

Feng Xiuhu replied with a smile, "Of course I'll come down! After I've settled you all in, I'll go get Shunzi and then we'll come down to find you together."

(End of this chapter)