Madmen don't keep diaries

Chapter 427, 426: A Memento Left for Shunzi

Feng Xiuhu was chewing on a fishbone, and his speech was somewhat slurred.

"Food is worthless, and life is worthless. But since you're not planning to keep this life anyway, you might as well keep it for me; it might still be of some use."

Xu Liansheng fell silent.

Feng Xiuhu and his group will leave Qianyu City sooner or later, so what use is her life?
Therefore, Xu Liansheng knew in his heart that this was just Feng Xiuhu's excuse. In the end, he still didn't want Shunzi to have any lingering resentment.

Feng Xiuhu pointed at the corpse on the ground with his chopsticks: "Have you thought of a reason?"

Xu Liansheng nodded silently: "Wells' death crossed the church's bottom line, so they sent people to assassinate him. Mu Mu died while protecting me."

Feng Xiuhu thought for a moment: "Wei Su'e is in Taijing and doesn't know the situation in Qianyu City. It's not hard to fool her with this reason, but there is a marriage temple in Qianyu City. You have to dispose of the body as soon as possible to avoid the cultivators finding out anything."

Xu Liansheng replied, "That's easy. I'll notify Shi Dajiao tonight and have him drag the body outside the city to be burned."

She paused briefly, glancing at Feng Xiuhu: "Does Second Master mean that I should continue working under the Duchess?"

Feng Xiuhu shook his head: "This has nothing to do with me. It's just that if you don't continue to play along with Wei Su'e, you won't live."

Xu Liansheng remained silent for a moment before saying, "I can't get over the hurdle in my heart to continue working for her, but since this life now belongs to Second Master, I will obey all his orders."

After eating and drinking his fill, Feng Xiuhu picked up a fish bone to remove his teeth.

"I have nothing to tell you. I'll eat your meal in exchange for your life. I keep my word, and we're even now."

Xu Liansheng looked somber, her face devoid of joy.

Feng Xiuhu glanced at her: "But you have laid such a good foundation in Qianyu City, so why not make use of it? You can continue to be Mrs. Xu. When I need your help, I will write to inform you."

Feng Xiuhu was bound to go to Taijing sooner or later. The relationship between the President, the Duke of Daguo, and the Duchess of Daguo was very complicated. Any decision made by any of them could have a profound impact on the entire Daxuan. And this kind of intelligence was exactly what Feng Xiuhu lacked the most.

Right now, Xu Liansheng is the best informant.

Feng Xiuhu stood up and called to Shunzi and Fang Youliu, "Let's go."

Xu Liansheng didn't see them off, letting them leave.

……

The three returned to the rolling water dock.

As they passed through the shopping street, the teahouse owner saw them coming from afar and quickly took out a food box from the shop to greet them.

Before they even got close, the shopkeeper bowed repeatedly and said, "Second Master, Third Master, these are freshly baked mugwort buns. Take them home and eat them to ward off bad luck."

Feng Xiuhu was slightly surprised: "You know that Ye San just got out of prison?"

The shopkeeper forced a smile: "Second Master snatched someone from the church on the street. Quite a few people saw it, and the news has already spread far and wide."

He rubbed his hands together and lowered his voice: "Second Master and Third Master are very capable people. A few days ago, I was not careful and dared to accept your tea money. Today, I will return it in full. Please do not blame me, Second Master."

After saying that, he gently shook the food box, and the sound of silver plates clinking came from inside.

Judging from the sound, it was much more than the amount Feng Xiuhu had paid for the tea.

That's just how the world is; even if you haven't done anything wrong, you still have to "pay money to avoid trouble."

Feng Xiuhu is a reasonable person. Although he loves to make money, he won't make money that is unreasonable.

He pushed the food box back: "I'm not giving you money for tea, I'm giving you money for information. Your information is worth this much." Feng Xiuhu spoke seriously, and the shopkeeper did not refuse again, but bowed repeatedly to express his gratitude.

After shaking off the shopkeeper, the three crossed the bridge and returned home.

Once inside, Fang Youliu picked up a letter from the cabinet and handed it to Feng Xiuhu: "It arrived this morning. Since you weren't home, I'm accepting it for you."

Feng Xiuhu took the letter and saw that it was a reply from Fancheng.

He tore open the envelope and sat down at the table to read it carefully.

The letter was written in Xiyao'er's handwriting, and it contained mostly trivial details. The majority of the content was in response to the questions Feng Xiuhu had sent in his letter, such as the current situation at home, Xiong Guiyuan's business, and what Qian Guangtong was doing at the government office.

Knowing that Feng Xiuhu disliked being bothered, Xiyao'er didn't elaborate much on her longing in the letter, but her concern for Feng Xiuhu was evident in every word. She only left a small note at the bottom when she was almost out of space on the last page.

Everything is well at home, except for the absence of my master. I haven't gotten used to it for a long time, and I often dream of him returning home, crying tears of joy. When I wake up, I find my pillow wet with tears.

After reading the letter, Feng Xiuhu folded it neatly and went back to his room to put it in his suitcase.

When I came out of the room, I saw Shunzi waiting outside the door.

Shunzi counted on his fingers, lowered his head, and whispered, "Brother, thank you."

Shunzi wasn't stupid; he knew that Feng Xiuhu had spared Xu Liansheng's life because of him.

Feng Xiuhu patted his shoulder: "Don't take it to heart, and don't feel like you owe anyone anything. She didn't deserve to die."

This was indeed Feng Xiuhu's honest opinion. From Xu Liansheng's perspective, she hadn't done anything wrong—in the whole plan, she was dealing with the Duke of Daguo and the Church. Even Shunzi, who was framed, was an agent of the Church. She wouldn't feel any psychological burden in doing this "dog-eat-dog" situation.

Shunzi whispered, "I know that although Sister Asheng is using me, she doesn't intend to kill me."

Feng Xiuhu curled his lip—Is that really the case?

Of course not. You see, the person Xu Liansheng initially wanted to push out as a scapegoat was Shi Dajiao. If Shi Dajiao were captured by the church, she would definitely be dead. So Xu Liansheng is definitely not a kind-hearted person. It's just that Shunzi happened to be the proxy and gave Xu Liansheng a more suitable candidate. It's not that she was kind-hearted and unwilling to kill.

But Feng Xiuhu did not refute Shunzi. Since he had already decided to spare Xu Liansheng's life, he might as well leave a good impression on Shunzi and give her something to look forward to.

Back on the first floor, Fang Youliu was sitting on the sofa organizing the contents of his journal.

Feng Xiuhu asked him, "Have you gathered enough material? Shouldn't we be heading out soon?"

Fang Youliu replied with a smile, "Thanks to you, that's enough."

That's true. If it weren't for Feng Xiuhu, Fang Youliu really wouldn't have been able to learn so much about the secrets of Qianyu City in such a short time.

Fang Youliu nodded: "And we really should leave. In a few days we'll be collecting offerings and incense money. I guess you don't plan to pay, so to avoid more trouble, we need to leave before then."

While speaking, Fang Youliu couldn't help but glance at Feng Xiuhu's face.

Feng Xiuhu said irritably, "Is there something on my face?"

Fang Youliu chuckled twice: "No, I'm just a little worried about your condition."

Feng Xiuhu frowned: "What do you mean?"

Fang Youliu hesitated for a few seconds before saying, "What you did today has frightened me a little."

(End of this chapter)