Madmen don't keep diaries

Chapter 525, Section 524: Abbott's Explanation
Yan Huaizheng was still in a daze when he saw Shunzi and Fang Youliu squeeze in as well.

Seeing Shunzi's distinctive figure, Yan Huaizheng finally remembered. He pointed at Feng Xiuhu: "Hey, hey! Aren't you that guy—"

Feng Xiuhu ignored him and walked to the sofa.

This was a luxurious reception room, spacious but with only a few people—if you exclude the row of Divine Guards standing against the wall, there were only four people in the room.

Abbott is also easily recognizable; he is the only foreigner among the four, sitting on a solitary sofa in the very center.

Perhaps it was the presence of the Divine Guard that gave them confidence, but none of the people present showed any nervousness when faced with the intrusion of Feng Xiuhu and his two unfamiliar faces.

Abbott was a middle-aged man, neither fat nor thin, but rather quite robust. His face was somewhat square, and his bright eyes gave him a rather kind demeanor.

It is worth noting that he had a white flower pinned to the pocket of his dress.

Abbott looked calmly at Feng Xiuhu: "Who are you?"

In fact, as the door opened, the sight of the bound Divine Guards in the corridor came into everyone's view. Inside the room, the Divine Guards had already blocked the doorway and formed an encirclement, each with their hands on their waists, ready to fight at the slightest provocation.

At this moment, the steward bent over and crawled out, carefully explaining, "Mr. Abbott, this..."

He pointed at Shunzi: "This is the winner of tonight's ring. As you wished, I brought him here to pay his respects, but there was a small misunderstanding along the way..."

Abbott smiled and glanced at the door: "This misunderstanding is no small matter."

Feng Xiuhu nodded in agreement: "I think it's not a small matter either. You've infringed on my right to reputation. How do you think this should be settled?"

Abbott paused, then said, "This should be the first time we've met."

Feng Xiuhu sneered: "If it were someone I knew, I would have slapped you long ago."

Abbott's face darkened: "Let's make things clear."

Feng Xiuhu pointed to the ground: "There are two imposters on the first floor using my name to swindle people—do I need to make myself clearer?"

A knowing glint flashed in Abbott's eyes.

He looked at the other two people on the sofa and said apologetically, "Mayor, Admiral, let's end our conversation here for today. I have some personal matters to attend to."

Mayor Cheng Ruoqian quickly stood up and cupped his hands in greeting: "It's alright, it's alright. Mr. Abbott's private matters are important, so we won't disturb him any longer."

Shen Tiankuo, the commander of the Great Xuan Army opposite, also stood up and looked at Feng Xiuhu with a curious gaze.

The two did not linger. After they left, Abbott smiled at Feng Xiuhu and invited him to sit on the sofa: "Mr. Ma, please sit down."

Feng Xiuhu didn't stand on ceremony with him and invited Shunzi and Fang Youliu to sit down together.

Abbott opened the empty cup and poured tea for the three of them, saying, "Please allow me to apologize. It was indeed my mistake to use Mr. Ma's name without permission."

Abbott admitted his mistake quickly, but Feng Xiuhu wasn't there to hear his apology.

Feng Xiuhu sneered: "Fine, so you admit you knew all along that those two downstairs were fakes?"

Abbott smiled faintly: "That's right, but impersonating 'Ma Erye San' was not my idea, but their own initiative."

Feng Xiuhu was puzzled: "What do you mean?"

Abbott explained, "Actually, I didn't know them at first. After those two swindlers came to Fornes City, they called themselves 'Ma Er Ye San' and used this name to attract many gangsters to join them, thus swindling them out of food and drink."

“I recently ran into some trouble, so I reached out to ‘Ma Erye San’ hoping the famous ‘Ma Erye San’ could help me solve my problem. But when I saw those two people in person, I immediately saw through their fraudulent nature.”

Feng Xiuhu asked curiously, "How did you see through them?" Abbott maintained his reserved smile, "They don't have the air of important people."

Feng Xiuhu was most susceptible to this kind of talk, and his eyes lit up when he heard this: "You've heard my story too?"

"Uh……"

Abbott wasn't sure what specific story he was telling, so he just continued telling it at his own pace.

"The outlaws of the martial world are, in the end, just ordinary people. Even if they have heard of the reputation of 'Ma Er Ye San', it is just empty rumors without any real substance. They can't explain exactly how 'Ma Er Ye San' is so powerful or what makes him so formidable."

“But I am different from them. I know more than they do—for example, Ma Erye is actually a cultivator and has intricate connections with the temple, etc.”

Hearing this, Feng Xiuhu understood something. He said with dissatisfaction, "So, you knew those two were counterfeit, but you still chose to cooperate with them—that's even more unethical."

Abbott shrugged: "That's why I apologized immediately."

Feng Xiuhu glanced at him sideways: "What if I don't accept?"

Abbott laughed and said, "I can offer some monetary compensation."

Feng Xiuhu slapped his thigh: "So you really have heard my story!"

Abbott opened his mouth, but couldn't say anything for a long time.

Feng Xiuhu realized he had spoken too quickly and tried to make amends: "Actually, I'm not a money-loving person."

Abbott chuckled dryly and agreed, "I can see that Mr. Ma treats money like dirt."

Feng Xiuhu quickly waved his hand: "It's not that bad."

The conversation stalled again, and Abbott didn't know how to continue.

Feng Xiuhu waved his hand: "Don't rush into compensation, let's get down to business first—"

He glared at Abbott: "Those two swindlers are about to ruin my reputation. Shouldn't you shut up?"

Abbott pursed his lips: "I have a better idea. Why don't we cooperate? The real Ma Erye San is right in front of me. Why should I continue to cooperate with a swindler?"

Fang Youliu finally couldn't hold back any longer: "You've been talking about Ma Er and Ye San for so long, can't you mention Fang Liu even once?"

Abbott stared at him in astonishment: "Who is Fang Liu?"

Fang Youliu clenched his fists and turned away angrily.

Feng Xiuhu changed the subject: "Never mind him. Let me clarify, I didn't agree to that. I'm just curious—what exactly is the trouble you're facing?"

Abbott hesitated, his gaze lingering for a couple of seconds: "...Someone wants to kill me."

A thought flashed through Feng Xiuhu's mind: "Black Third Sister?"

Abbott was surprised that Feng Xiuhu knew about this: "Where did you get this information?"

Feng Xiuhu found the question absurd: "The Copper Whistle Gang bombs your railway all the time, and you also consider her a thorn in your side. The two of you have a long-standing feud. Who else could it be but her?"

Abbott suddenly realized, then smiled helplessly: "In Da Xuan's words, Mr. Ma, you only know one side of the story, not the other."

(End of this chapter)