From a tuberculosis patient to a martial arts master

A clear blue sky.

It's far too early for the flower boats to be decorated with red plaques to welcome guests.

At the entrance to the spacious and luxurious cabin, only two burly men stood guard. They were still drowsy from the alcohol they had drunk the night before, leaning against the mast, their heads nodding and drool almost dripping down their faces.

Suddenly.

"Boom!"

A series of rapid and rhythmic hoofbeats caused the floating planks on the pier to tremble violently.

The two were startled, rubbed their eyes, and looked up.

On the other side of the pier, horses neighed, and a group of officials had already reined in their horses and were marching towards them.

"Gentlemen, gentlemen."

The two men's expressions changed drastically, and they sobered up considerably. They hurriedly put on smiles and said, "The pleasure boats haven't opened yet at this hour. Perhaps... perhaps you gentlemen could come back later?"

Before he could finish speaking, the man in front had already dismounted.

Zhu Hong didn't even glance at them, only saying indifferently, "The yamen is investigating a case, get out of the way." As he spoke, he walked straight away without pausing.

Just as he was about to reach the gate, he suddenly lifted his leg.

"boom!"

With a muffled thud, the door shattered and wood flew everywhere.

The two gatekeepers felt a sudden darkness before their eyes, and were so frightened that they stumbled backward, lost their footing, and fell to the ground with a thud. When they looked up again, the group of people had already filed in.

"What, what should we do?"

Their lips trembled as they looked at each other.

stop?

They would never dare to entertain such a thought.

The sight was quite intimidating, so the two of them scrambled to their feet and quickly hid behind the boat, not daring to show their heads again.

Even if the sky falls, the tall ones will hold it up.

"The government is investigating."

Those in charge, come forward and answer!

Zhu Hong shouted with all his might, making the floorboards vibrate.

In a short time.

The upstairs area immediately erupted into chaos.

Those men and women who had been entwined all night and had only slept for a few hours suddenly sat up with a start from under their quilts, embracing their partners and asking:

"What's wrong? What happened?"

creak-

One after another, the carved wooden windows on the third floor were pushed open.

Seven or eight disheveled girls peeked out, oblivious to how thin their clothes were, their white flesh exposed. A few young men, still hungover, rubbed their sleepy eyes, muttering, "Who's this? What's all this howling about so early in the morning…"

Inside a large pavilion.

Mom was sleeping soundly.

In her dream, she was counting piles of gleaming silver, so many that she couldn't count them all, and her smile stretched from ear to ear.

Several handsome young men stood nearby, addressing her respectfully:

"Mom," "Mom."

It made her overjoyed.

To her surprise, a sudden howl came from below, startling her so much that she jumped up and almost rolled off the bed.

She was stunned for a while before she came to her senses.

"Is someone causing trouble?!"

She pounded the pillow hard, ignoring the pain in her hand, grabbed a light purple coat and threw it on, not even bothering to comb her hair. She slipped on her shoes and stumbled down the spiral wooden staircase from the second floor.

As I ran, my heart pounded with anxiety.

"Who dares to act wildly on my turf?"

They've got some nerve!

Before even reaching the bottom of the building, they peeked downstairs.

A group of constables stood there, a dark mass. The one in the very center had a cold face and a large, dark knife tucked into his waistband.

That face...

Why does it look so familiar?

When Sai's mother looked closely, her heart jumped into her throat.

"It's that jinx!"

Her heart skipped a beat, and her face changed. "Oh no, they're probably here to settle scores." She mentally cursed Zhu Hong's ancestors for eighteen generations.

"That night happened so long ago."

The money has been sent, so why is this kid still holding onto it?

"His heart is smaller than the eye of a needle!"

But despite the criticism, they dared not stop moving.

As she descended from the third floor to the corner of the second floor, she grabbed a passing servant and whispered in his ear, "Quickly go and fetch Steward Ma. Tell him that people from the yamen have arrived, and they don't mean any harm!"

The servant understood and ran off in a flash.

As she descended the last step, Mom Sai took a deep breath and a smile spread across her face.

"Hey, gentlemen!"

The sound arrived before the person even got downstairs.

She held a pink handkerchief in her hand, waving it in the air. The fragrance of the handkerchief filled the cabin. "Why didn't you send someone to let me know beforehand so I could prepare?" She swayed over, her face beaming. "It's so early in the morning, the girls haven't even washed their faces yet, I'm so sorry. But..."

Her eyes darted around, and she gave everyone a flirtatious wink:

"As long as the gentlemen don't mind."

I'll call out all the prettiest girls to serve me!

Each one is more beautiful than the last.

As he spoke, he turned to call for help upstairs.

"No need."

Zhu Hong coldly cut her off, saying, "I'm here today on official business."

The words that were on Sai's mother's throat suddenly caught in her throat, and the smile on her face froze, making her extremely embarrassed.

Business?

"oops……

"Sir, please speak plainly!"

Her eyes darted around, suspecting she was up to no good over the money, so she probed, "Is it because that brat Li Han is being unreasonable and the money didn't reach you?"

"Don't worry, I'll inform him to apologize later!"

He hadn't finished speaking.

Zhu Hong led his men directly to their seats in the high positions of the hall.

He wasn't in a hurry. He sat down steadily and then stared coldly at her. "Not about that trivial matter. Today, I have new questions and new issues."

New thing?

Before Sai's mother could even think of what to say...

Gu Shu, the junior officer standing behind Zhu Hong, frowned, took off his junior officer badge from his waist, and slammed it onto the pear wood table with a "bang".

"When an adult asks a question, stop rambling."

He glared at him coldly and said, "Quickly call out the person in charge. If you keep arguing, I'll dismantle your dilapidated ship today!"

"..."

Mom was startled by the blow.

But upon seeing the words "Xiao Jia" on the waist tag, and then imagining the word "Sir," the color drained from his face.

Xiao Jia addressed the boy as "Master"?

Her mind went blank, and she was speechless. What kind of person must Xiao Jia be to command such respect?

"Yes, yes, sir, please calm down."

The more she thought about it, the colder she felt, and a layer of cold sweat seeped out from her back. She quickly bowed and smiled apologetically, "I will go right away, I will go and ask the boat owner to come out."

After saying that, he hurriedly ran up the stairs.

Ignoring the fact that I had already arranged for someone to inform them, I felt it would be better to go and explain in person.

As she ran, her heart pounded with anxiety:

"Just who is this kid?"

Why?

This time, it's really big trouble.

The girls who had been peeking out from upstairs, seeing Mother Sai's disheveled appearance, dared not look any longer, quietly withdrew their heads, and closed the windows.

Those wealthy young men were originally perched on the windowsill watching the commotion, their heads sticking out like geese.

You can look down below:

Seeing the constable turn around, he quickly shrank back.

In a short time.

Silence reigned.

……