Madmen don't keep diaries

Chapter 489 488 Departure from Fallen Cloud City
Feng Xiuhu sized up this philanthropist, Liu.

This man appeared to be around forty years old. He wore a long gown and a mandarin jacket over a thick fur coat, suggesting he was in poor health and sensitive to the cold.

He wasn't particularly tall, was slightly overweight, and had a hint of melancholy in his eyes, with a habitual slight frown.

Liu the Great Philanthropist first observed Shunzi for a moment, then looked at Feng Xiuhu and bowed, saying, "My name is Liu Weisen. May I ask your name, sir?"

This shows that Liu Dashanren's judgment was much better than that of the manager—he could tell at a glance that Feng Xiuhu was the one in charge.

Feng Xiuhu grinned and said, "Just call me Lao Ma."

Liu Weisen then looked at Shunzi: "Where is this brave man?"

Shunzi glanced at Feng Xiuhu and replied, "If he's Old Ma, then I'm Little Ye."

Liu Weisen nodded slightly: "Brother Ye."

"Butler Zhang has already explained the situation to me, so we will proceed as he promised. Brother Ye will receive ten silver plates a day, and if he successfully finds the treasure, he can keep ten percent of it."

Feng Xiuhu didn't care about that. He asked curiously, "Did you understand that poem? Can you explain it to me?"

"This one……"

Liu Weisen looked hesitant.

Feng Xiuhu knew that his question was somewhat abrupt. It was understandable that the person would be unwilling to tell him after only meeting him once and asking about such a big secret.

Feng Xiuhu thought for a moment and then changed his approach to a more tactful one: "We're on the same side now. Whether you find the treasure or not is your business. We brothers are just here to protect you. We'll take you to Fallen Cloud City first. If you trust us, then consider it satisfying my curiosity and tell me about it. If you still don't trust us when we get to Fallen Cloud City, then we brothers will just pack up and leave, and we won't bother each other."

"We will do as Mr. Ma says."

Liu Weisen nodded in agreement: "Then I'll have to rely on you two."

……

As the sun cast its last rays, the treasure hunt team finally set off, the convoy slowly driving out of the city gate, leaving a long line of people on the main road.

At the very front was Liu Weisen's carriage, followed by his own guards.

Further on, the flow of people was mostly on foot. These people were mostly porters and hunters who cleared paths into the mountains. A few skilled individuals were fortunate enough to occupy a seat on the cart, such as fortune tellers who knew geomancy and martial arts practitioners who carried weapons.

As for Shunzi, who had the highest daily wage present, he and Feng Xiuhu naturally belonged to the latter category.

At this moment, the two of them were sitting on the shaft of the cart that was following closely behind the carriage.

This vehicle was carrying a batch of food and cooking equipment, specifically for Liu Weisen's meals along the way. The rations for the rest of the group were on a vehicle further back.

The servant in charge of driving the carriage was from Liu Weisen's mansion. During their conversation, Feng Xiuhu learned that his name was Zhang Kuisheng.

"He shares the same surname as Butler Zhang?"

Shunzi asked curiously, "What's your relationship?"

Zhang Kuisheng was just a young man in his early twenties. He chatted with Shunzi for a few minutes and quickly became familiar with him. Hearing this, he proudly said, "That's my second uncle! I got the chance to work at the Liu family because of him." Feng Xiuhu turned his head and looked back. As night fell, torches were already lit in the procession.

He asked Zhang Kuisheng, "Why do we have to travel at night? It's just one more night. The road should be easier to travel tomorrow."

Zhang Kuisheng glanced at the carriage in front of him, shook his head and replied, "We servants can't interfere with what the master decides. But I heard my second uncle mention that the master has been urging us to leave a few days ago, saying that we must set off by tonight at the latest, otherwise it will be too late."

What time?
Feng Xiuhu was still puzzled—treasure hunting isn't like clocking in at work, why should he be afraid of being late?

Zhang Kuisheng voiced his speculation: "Old Ma, you don't know this, but the master's concerns are not unfounded. There are countless treasure-hunting teams now. What if we don't hurry and someone else beats us to it?"

Feng Xiuhu remained noncommittal, thinking to himself that it wasn't a matter of who could take half a day first and win the race. Whether or not one could find the treasure depended on two things: first, whether one had the ability, and second, whether one had the luck to do so.

However, Zhang Kuisheng's words also served as a reminder to Feng Xiuhu—there are so many treasure-hunting teams, but there is only one treasure. Although they are currently keeping to themselves, these people are ultimately in competition. When it comes to matters of interest, a bloody battle may ensue.

……

Having grown accustomed to sleeping in a spacious carriage, Feng Xiuhu felt extremely uncomfortable after spending the night curled up on a flatbed cart.

He was actually alright; Shunzi's burly physique made it impossible for him to sleep comfortably, and he didn't close his eyes all night.

Those on foot were also awake, so when the caravan reached a roadside inn at dawn, Liu the Great Philanthropist finally spoke, instructing everyone to prepare a meal and rest.

The so-called inn was actually a facility similar to the post stations of the past. However, post stations were government-run and mainly served officials and facilitated the delivery of documents for the government offices; while inns were privately owned and could provide services as long as money was paid, catering mainly to ordinary people such as porters and travelers who frequently traveled long distances.

Inns are usually located at intersections near the city gate, so there's a reason why Liu Weisen chose to stop here—he didn't have to worry about being targeted by bandits.

As the convoy stopped, the group, who had been traveling all night, found places to sit and rest. Many people didn't even wait for a meal; they simply lay down on the spot, closed their eyes, and started snoring.

Shunzi was also a little sleepy. After saying goodbye to Feng Xiuhu, he went to sit in the shade of a tree by the door, leaned against the tree trunk, and dozed off.

Actually, the inn had large communal sleeping quarters for lodging. The reason Shunzi could only sleep under the tree was because Steward Zhang had already spoken to the manager – it turned out they had come at the wrong time, as all the rooms available for sleeping were already occupied.

Is business really that good here?

Feng Xiuhu strolled over to Steward Zhang with his hands behind his back, pulled him aside, and asked him a question.

Steward Zhang looked around and whispered to Feng Xiuhu, "The treasure hunting teams staying inside are from other towns around here. Including us, there are three teams crammed into this inn."

Feng Xiuhu was taken aback: "So lively?"

Butler Zhang thought he was worried and comforted him, "Don't worry, we have the most people among the three families. They should be the ones who are worried. The master has already instructed that the guards take turns keeping watch. After you finish eating, you can go and rest. You don't need to do anything."

Butler Zhang's words were true. While eating from the communal pot, Feng Xiuhu noticed several unfamiliar faces coming over to inquire.

They either stood at a distance observing or approached with smiles to ask questions; they were all sent by the other two treasure-hunting teams.

Not long after, the other two treasure hunting teams set off one after the other, leaving the inn.

This is because they saw that there were many of them and were afraid that they would not be able to gain the upper hand in a conflict, so they avoided them in advance.

(End of this chapter)