Zhu Tian: A journey of spiritual practice starting from Joy of Life

Chapter 182 Fan Xian with a Headache, Xia Qifei Visits

Fan Xian didn't take Sang Wen's explanation to heart and quickly asked, "Sister-in-law, what brings you to Jiangnan?"

“Your brother asked Ruoruo to tell me that he needed to talk to me, so I came.”

As she spoke, Haitang Duoduo pulled a book from her lower back and said, "This is a wedding gift from my teacher, and it's also a way of returning it to its rightful owner!"

Fan Xian caught it and examined it closely, exclaiming, "The Heavenly Dao Heart Sutra!"

Upon hearing this, Li Chengping took over the conversation, saying, "Ku He's secret? I'll just give it to you, teacher!"

Fan Xian looked at Haitang Duoduo with utter confusion. Haitang Duoduo shrugged and said, "Who told you to be Ye Qingmei's son? The teacher said this cultivation technique was given to him by your mother. He's just returning it to you! And..."

Haitang Duoduo then took out a small cloth bag from her bosom and said, "This is what Si Lili asked me to give you, saying it's to wish you a long and happy marriage!"

Upon hearing this, Fan Xian's lips twitched slightly, he sighed silently, took the bundle and opened it, and found a pair of crystal-clear jade bracelets and a hairpin inlaid with pearls inside!
After checking it, Fan Xian handed the item to Lin Wan'er.

Seeing this, Lin Wan'er didn't say anything, but took the initiative to put on the bracelet and hairpin, and smiled gently, "Anzhi, does it look good?"

Fan Xian smiled and nodded, saying, "You look good in anything!"

Seeing the couple flaunting their affection, the others couldn't help but twitch their lips, all saying they couldn't bear to watch.

After lunch, everyone returned to their rooms to rest, except for Fan Xian and Leng Feibai, who went to the garden in the center of the inn together.

Seeing that no one was around, Fan Xian covered his head and asked, "Brother, do you think Si Lili's child could be mine?"

"Judging from the timeline, it must have been that night!"

Leng Feibai turned to look at Fan Xian and said, "Ninety-eight percent..."

"I don't think so!"

Fan Xian stubbornly said, "Before we left, Si Lili entered the palace. The young emperor of Northern Qi isn't a saint, how could he not... give Si Lili..."

Seeing Fan Xian's stubbornness, Leng Feibai decided not to tell him that the young emperor of Northern Qi was a woman.

Seeing Fan Xian clutching his head, Leng Feibai couldn't help but ask, "So, are you planning to confess to Wan'er? After all, you were also forced into it back then..."

"Don't mention it!"

Fan Xian growled in a low voice, his face full of grievance.

Seeing this, Leng Feibai changed the subject, asking, "Have you met Ming Qingda and Old Madam Ming?"

Fan Xian nodded after hearing this and said, "I have seen him. He knelt down and begged for forgiveness as soon as we met. The reason he gave was exactly the same as what you mentioned! He also asked me to come over at noon today to give him an explanation."

Leng Feibai's eyes remained extremely calm after hearing this. "Did Deng Ziyue, and the people from the Fourth Division of the Surveillance Bureau, contact you?"

"It's hard to contact them during the day, I guess it will happen tonight!"

After Fan Xian finished speaking, he stood up and said, "I'll go check on the Ming family in a bit, and I probably won't be back for dinner."

Just then, the inn's waiter suddenly ran in and said, "Young Master Fan, there are three burly men outside who want to see you."

Leng Feibai and Fan Xian exchanged a glance, and Fan Xian quickly asked, "What do those three people look like? Are they scholars or martial artists?"

"They must be martial arts practitioners!"

The waiter said with a hint of disgust, "Those three people have a bandit-like air about them; they don't look like good people."

As soon as he finished speaking, Leng Feibai guessed who the three people were and said in a low voice, "Do you remember Xia Qifei that I told you about?"

"It's him!" Fan Xian raised an eyebrow upon hearing this, then turned to the waiter and said, "Please prepare some tea and snacks, and take them to a private room to wait for me."

After Fan Xian finished speaking, he turned to Leng Feibai and asked, "Brother Feibai, are you coming or not?"

"Let's go!"

Leng Feibai also wanted to see how Fan Xian would deal with Xia Qifei, this underworld tycoon.

In a private room on the second floor of the Jixiang Inn, Xia Qifei and his two guards sat quietly.

Looking at the tea and snacks in front of him, Xia Qifei had no intention of moving, but simply waited quietly for Fan Xian to arrive.

"Snapped"

Fan Xian and Leng Feibai pushed open the door and entered. Xia Qifei, who was waiting inside, stood up, clasped his hands, and said, "Xia Qifei, the leader of the Twelve Linked Fortresses of Jiangnan. Greetings, Lord Fan, and Young Master Leng!"

Fan Xian returned the greeting with a cupped hand and said calmly, "Chief Xia, you're too kind. May I ask what brings you here, Chief Xia?"

Seeing Fan Xian's expression, Xia Qifei tentatively said, "Young Master Fan is deeply concerned about the disaster victims in Jiangbei. He would rather pay out of his own pocket to send them back to their hometowns. I admire him greatly and have come to pay my respects."

Hearing that Xia Qifei was leaving first, Leng Feibai suddenly said, "Chief Xia, let's get straight to the point. Since we're going to cooperate, let's get rid of all this nonsense."

Hearing Leng Feibai's words, Xia Qifei was speechless for a moment and turned to look at Fan Xian.

"What Brother Feibai means is what I mean!"

Fan Xian picked up the teacup in front of him and said, "I need to go and ask the Ming family for an explanation. If Chief Xia has no intention of cooperating, then I will take my leave."

After saying that, Fan Xian got up and was about to leave.

"and many more!"

Upon seeing this, Xia Qifei quickly said, "Lord Fan, since you put it that way, I'll be frank. I've come to you both to seek cooperation in dealing with the Ming family, so I can avenge my mother!"

Fan Xian, intrigued, replied directly, "I am well aware of the feud between Chief Xia and the Ming family. I just wonder how Chief Xia plans to cooperate with me!"

Xia Qifei was taken aback upon hearing this, but quickly relaxed.

After all, Fan Xian is the Director of the Supervisory Council, which is known for its all-pervasiveness. It wouldn't be difficult for them to find out about his feud with the Ming family.

"Don't hide it from Mr. Xiao Fan!"

Xia Qifei said in a low voice, "I heard that Lord Fan recently issued a treasury debt to fill the deficit of more than 20 million in the inner treasury?"

Upon hearing this, Leng Feibai and Fan Xian exchanged a glance.

Fan Xian asked calmly, "Chief Xia's intelligence is quite good, you even know about things that are happening far away in the capital!"

"The Imperial Treasury, which holds all the wealth of the nation, has suddenly incurred a deficit of over twenty million taels. This is no small matter!"

Xia Qifei calmly stated, "I can tell Lord Fan definitively that this deficit has accumulated over many years, not overnight. Ever since my father, the former patriarch of the Ming family, took over the inner treasury, he has allocated a large sum of silver from it every year and distributed it to various dignitaries within the Qing Kingdom. These transactions are all recorded in ledgers and stored in a secret room within the Ming family compound!"

Upon hearing this, Fan Xian felt as if he had been given a shot of adrenaline, and couldn't help but ask, "Is Chief Xia certain?"

"Of course!"

Xia Qifei said with a sneer, "The reason my cheap older brother, Ming Qingda, wanted to kill me was because my father had taken me to that secret room back then. My father also said that once the account books in the secret room were leaked, the entire Ming family would be destroyed! Many powerful and influential people in the capital would also be buried with the Ming family!"

(End of this chapter)