Chapter 1385: Confrontation

## Chapter 1370: Confrontation

The boat foreman took out his money pouch and counted out their wages. "Alright, take your money and get out!"

Weng Su swallowed a bitter smile. Their diligent work had, ironically, cleared them of suspicion? What kind of situation was this?

Weng Xing counted the copper coins in his hand. "This little?"

The boat foreman spat on the ground with a disdainful "Pah!" "Do you want to be arrested by the guards too?"

Weng Su grabbed his brother and quickly got off the boat.

After disembarking, the two walked from the dock to the inn behind it. Only then did Weng Xing say, "How cunning. With those few arrested, the boat foreman doesn't have to pay their wages. He used their labor and didn't even have to pay them for it."

"Brother, what do we do now?"

"Buy two horses and chase them!" The Weng brothers were always persistent.

"Uh, do you know where this 'Xue' fellow is going?" They had already deviated too far from their original plan; now it seemed they were just taking things one step at a time. According to the original plan, they should have dealt with Xue Zongwu at Yanmu Cliff, or been dealt with by him. Ever since they got on the boat, they'd had to improvise. Improvising truly wasn't their strong suit.

"On his way to the capital, there's still a necessary stop." They had plenty of time on the boat. Besides carrying heavy items and doing physical labor, Weng Su had also been thinking deeply about their future direction. "We'll go to Mangzhou City!"

"First, let's get some food and wine!" They hadn't eaten a good meal in nearly ten days. The aroma of cooking oil wafted from the inn's kitchen, making Weng Xing's eyes go green with hunger, and his stomach rumbled. "I want a braised pig's trotter! It must be a trotter bigger than my face!"

He Lingchuan and Fan Shuang disembarked. The shore was a scene of bustling activity.

This dock hadn't been this lively in a long time.

"The inn behind us is terrible. If we go twenty li further, there's a very good inn," Fan Shuang directed. "I always stay there when I travel back and forth."

Before he finished speaking, a squad of guards rushed past, shouting, "Clear the way, clear the way! Urgent official business, bystanders move aside!" The pier was already narrow, and several people were pushed off by them, splashing into the water. The guards paid no heed and continued straight on their way.

He Lingchuan asked, "They act as if no one else exists. Whose subordinates are these?" He noticed that this squad of guards also held several commoners in chains, pushing and shoving them forward. They looked like ship laborers or ordinary citizens, all appearing terrified and miserable. Were these all suspects? Xue Zongwu had indeed made arrangements. He Lingchuan's heart stirred. He wondered if those men in black were among those arrested. Those men acted impulsively; they might have jumped into the trap without thinking. If so, it would be a real pity.

"General Xue's," Fan Shuang nodded his chin towards the shore. "That's General Xue Zongwu himself!"

He Lingchuan looked up, seeing the target's true face for the first time.

Xue Zongwu was in his early forties, with a slender build and handsome features. There was a mole at the end of his eyebrow, and his gaze was sharp and predatory, like a hawk or a wolf. Few dared to meet his eyes.

Dong Rui coughed. "He looks like someone you don't want to mess with." When he had assassinated Ke Jihai before, he felt the target had the demeanor of a great general. Xue Zongwu's aura seemed even more formidable than Ke Jihai's.

"General Xue is a high-ranking general of our country, a student of Qi Yunsheng from Qingnie Mountain, and also the son-in-law of True Person Qi!" Fan Shuang smiled. "He has led armies twice and is truly a pillar of the nation."

At this moment, naturally, no one would bring up the unpleasant topic of "massacre."

He Lingchuan let out a long "Oh." "I've long heard of him. Brother Fan, could you introduce me?"

Fan Shuang's smile froze slightly. Seeing Xue Zongwu striding forward, he said, "Ah, well, General Xue is in a hurry to travel. I'll see if there's a chance next time to introduce you two." He was just a low-ranking official; how could he get close to Xue Zongwu?

However, Xue Zongwu himself glanced over, saw the palace guards beside He Lingchuan, and walked over on his own.

"Commander Zhao?"

The head of the palace guards assigned to He Lingchuan by King Yao was named Zhao. He now bowed to Xue Zongwu. "General Xue." He was a palace attendant, clearly acquainted with Xue Zongwu.

"Commander Zhao, what is this mission?" Xue Zongwu asked Commander Zhao, but his gaze swept back and forth between He Lingchuan and Dong Rui, barely sparing a glance for Fan Shuang.

Fan Shuang shamelessly bowed. "Greetings, Great General Xue. Your humble subordinate is..."

Xue Zongwu waved him off, a look of impatience on his face.

Commander Zhao replied, "This is He Lingchuan, the master of Yangshan Chamber of Commerce. We are ordered to escort him to the capital."

"Oh, Yangshan Chamber of Commerce," Xue Zongwu said indifferently.

He Lingchuan understood immediately from his smile that he had no deep impression of Yangshan. For Xue Zongwu, causing trouble for Yangshan Chamber of Commerce was a trivial matter; he only needed to give an order. He harmed you, made you suffer immensely, and then simply forgot about you because he never considered you important in the first place. Nothing was more hurtful than this attitude.

He Lingchuan, however, smiled gently and politely. "A pleasure, a pleasure to meet you. Great General Xue has shown exceptional 'care' for the Yangshan Chamber of Commerce. I, He, am deeply grateful and always think of how I might repay your kindness one day."

The words "exceptional care" and "repay" were gentle yet lingering, making it difficult for others not to notice their underlying meaning.

Xue Zongwu paused, startled.

As soon as He Lingchuan spoke, Xue Zongwu remembered. Yangshan Chamber of Commerce had indeed been "looked after" by his people recently, to teach these foreign upstarts a lesson. But there were only minor casualties; after all, the King had also ordered all merchants to do business with it. It was just a small warning; he had already shown mercy, and his true methods hadn't been employed, otherwise, Yangshan Chamber of Commerce would have suffered more than just this small loss. But judging by this young man's demeanor, he still seemed quite unconvinced.

"Repay," he scoffed. How did he intend to repay? Just an insignificant foreign chamber of commerce, an arrogant young man who didn't know his place! So ungrateful. If not for the King still needing him later, Xue Zongwu would have killed him on the spot, and no one would dare object!

Xue Zongwu returned a smile of his own. "It's my duty, Island Master He, no need to be polite. Since my King has given instructions, I will continue to give Yangshan more 'care' in the future."

Dong Rui and the Soul-Gathering Mirror thought to themselves, "Holy crap!"

"More 'care'?" The threat was obvious. If He Lingchuan remained defiant, Xue Zongwu had more ruthless moves up his sleeve, until Yangshan Chamber of Commerce was completely subdued. Given Xue Zongwu's character and methods, this threat would surely materialize.

He Lingchuan remained pleasant, as if he hadn't detected the threat. "Then I thank General Xue in advance."

"Alleviating the King's worries is my duty," Xue Zongwu declared righteously.

"When you have time, I'd like to invite you for a drink and seek your personal advice."

Fan Shuang, completely missing the confrontation hidden in their words, thought they were genuinely being polite and couldn't help but interject, "Why put it off? General Xue, perhaps today we could..."

He Lingchuan, however, pointed in the direction where the boatmen had been led away. "What crime did these few commit?"

"Spies," Xue Zongwu uttered two words. "They're to be taken back for interrogation."