Rustling...
The drizzle fell gently, filling the silent courtyard with a tranquil ambiance. The room was bare, with walls showing signs of leakage, a situation far from optimistic.
Night Jing Tang opened an oil-paper umbrella to cover the roof's holes, then lay down with his sword, glancing sideways. Nestled beside him was the fluffy Bird Bird, sleeping with its head tilted, its sleeping posture unsightly.
Though Bird Bird was mostly mischievous and unreliable, it was quite diligent when it came to tasks like keeping watch and reconnaissance, having never failed during their escort missions.
However, now that there was only the two of them, Night Jing Tang couldn't have Bird Bird working shifts continuously, as it would be inhumane. So, he had slept for half the night and rose early in the morning to let Bird Bird rest.
In this era without entertainment devices, the quietness of the night, combined with the darkness, made lying in bed quite lonely.
At the age of eighteen or nineteen, coupled with years of martial arts training, it was natural for him to think about women at such times. Hence, just a short while after lying down, images of Pei Xiangjun leaning out of the window and the weighty curves of her clothes popped into his mind.
Thinking back now, they were really quite impressive...
In a half-awake state, he heard faint voices coming from beyond the rain curtain:
"Huh? Why is there someone living here? They must be really poor."
"I guess it's a scholar who came to the capital to take the imperial examination and couldn't afford to stay at an inn, so they sought shelter here... Yunli, let's go..."
Night Jing Tang suddenly snapped back to attention, listening carefully. The voices seemed to be coming from the alley entrance, not from the street, indicating that they were from the rooftops of nearby houses.
The voices sounded like those of two women—a young girl, no older than eighteen, and a mature woman, with a gentle and melodic voice that made it hard to determine her age. From their conversation, they seemed to be mother and daughter.
Night Jing Tang realized where the hair he found while tidying up came from. Shuanggui Alley was extremely remote and rarely visited, making it a suitable hiding place for people from the martial world.
With these two gone, the likelihood of encountering another wave of martial world individuals was extremely low, so he decided to stay.
This interruption meant that he couldn't resume his previous "fantasies".
After clearing his mind, Night Jing Tang got up and began practicing the "Red Wealth God's" spear technique, which he had learned earlier.
After busying himself for about half an hour, the sky gradually brightened.
Night Jing Tang tidied up his belongings, put on a raincoat, and a bamboo hat, then wrapped Bird Bird in the raincoat and led the horse out of the alley.
It was still early in the morning, and with the rain falling lightly, there were few people on the streets.
After eating a basket of meat buns, Night Jing Tang walked along the street for about two miles until he reached the Tian Shui Bridge.
The Tian Shui Bridge was all owned by the Pei family, with various shops such as rice shops, cloth shops, escort agencies, and taverns, all open for business.
Night Jing Tang arrived outside the Zhenyuan Escort Agency. Initially, he planned to inform the staff about his stay at the Pei residence. However, he noticed Three Madam's maid, Shuixu, waiting nearby, the same one he had seen yesterday.
"Master Night, you're here so early?"
Night Jing Tang was slightly surprised but approached her nonetheless: "Come over here. Why are you waiting here?"
"Last night, I heard Master Yang say that you were going to find something to do at home, so I waited at home for you. Let's go. I'll take you there."
Shuixu said, taking the reins and trying to take Bird Bird as well.
But Bird Bird, half-asleep, glanced at Shuixu's clothes... with no interest at all.
Night Jing Tang handed Bird Bird to Shuixu and followed her into the house. As soon as they turned the corner, they saw a group of maidservants staring curiously, chattering:
"Is this Young Master Night?"
"Yes, Young Master Night not only looks handsome but also has excellent martial arts skills. Yesterday, I saw him knock down Master Chen with just one move."
"Compared to the Young Master, it's like heaven and earth compared to the eldest young master..."
"No, no, according to what Shuixu said, Young Master Night is older. In the future, we should call the eldest young master the second young master..."
Night Jing Tang inquired from Shuixu and learned that his "uncle," Pei Yuanming, had passed away in an accident, leaving behind a son, Pei Luo, who was now studying at the academy, making him the sole male heir of the Pei family.
As they chatted along the way, they soon arrived at the Pei family's courtyard.
As Night Jing Tang entered the courtyard, he noticed that Third Madam was already waiting in the main hall. However, she wasn't alone; there were two elderly men sitting opposite her, their brows furrowed as if discussing troublesome matters:
"These ruffians, can't they be ignored..."
"Yeah, as long as you give them some benefits, they will continue to push for more..."
Night Jing Tang observed this scene and stopped in the corridor, waiting for Third Madam to finish her conversation.
However, Third Madam had already informed the family members in advance, so as soon as he appeared, the two elderly men stood up and greeted him from afar:
"Master Night."
Night Jing Tang didn't particularly like being recognized as a young master of the Pei family, but as Pei Yuanfeng's adopted son, he couldn't deny it. Thus, he nodded in response:
"You two are too polite. Third Madam, who are these two gentlemen?"
"They are the heads of the family's major businesses, both veterans of the family."
Third Madam greeted Night Jing Tang, then turned to the elderly men:
"You can go back now."
"Yes."
The two business heads immediately took their leave.
Bird Bird, seeing its mistress, suddenly became lively and flew onto Third Madam's lap, raising its head and using its bright black eyes to look cute.
However, its view
was blocked by Third Madam's clothes... much to its disappointment.
Bird Bird tilted its head curiously, tapping its head against Third Madam's clothes.
Thud thud...
Third Madam's clothes trembled slightly, creating a picturesque scene.
Third Madam hurriedly pressed Bird Bird down and held it in her arms, feeding it sunflower seeds:
"Why are you so mischievous?"
Night Jing Tang pretended not to see this scene and sat down at the tea pavilion, asking:
"Third Madam and the two business heads don't seem too happy. Are there troubles in the shops?"
"Sigh..."
Last night's tough and capable Third Madam had turned into Lin Daiyu, sighing softly with melancholy:
"In business, there are always ups and downs. With no men in the family to take charge, those hooligans from outside take advantage of the Pei family's widow and orphan status and cause trouble from time to time..."
"Oh?"
Night Jing Tang sat on the other side of the tea table, frowning:
"What kind of trouble?"
"The ruffians from Jiang'an Wharf want us to pay 'tribute' at Tian Shui Bridge. We, the Pei family, run legitimate businesses under the Emperor's nose, so naturally, we cannot comply. As a result, they cause trouble regularly. Today they say our vegetables are rotten and cause sickness, tomorrow they claim our fabrics are inferior. It's one disturbance after another, making it impossible for the shops to do business..."
Night Jing Tang suddenly understood. Having worked at the escort agency before, he was very familiar with such situations:
"The Pei family does business in the capital. Don't you have any connections with the officials? Or do the troublemakers have background support?"
"The troublemakers are from the Qinglian Gang at Jiang'an Wharf and have connections with the officials. As businessmen, our relationship with the government is built on real money and silver. It's not worth it to use it for such trivial matters. Solve it yourself; you saw Master Chen yesterday. If we can't deal with it, we can only let it be."
Third Madam rubbed her forehead, looking at Night Jing Tang with a melancholic expression:
"They're just disturbing the shops from doing business; they wouldn't dare to do anything serious in the capital. It's just a bit of suffering for my aunt. Endure it, and it will pass. You don't need to worry..."
The melancholic gaze almost spelled it out.
Night Jing Tang naturally understood the implication, stood up, and said:
"I'll go take a look. Well... I'm new to the capital and don't know the way around yet. After dealing with this matter, I'll work as a guard at the Pei family. You can decide my salary, Third Madam..."
Third Madam had already discussed this with Night Jing Tang the previous night, so she didn't waste any words and approached him, helping to straighten his clothes:
"A young man wants to be self-reliant, and I naturally won't force money on you. But when you go out to do things, you still have to carry yourself as the young master of the Pei family. You are, after all, my second brother's adopted son. I'll treat you as a hired guard. You can leave when you see fit."
Approaching him, her fragrant breath brushed against his face, quite enticing. Her face was naturally beautiful, enhanced with rouge on her lips, and her teeth were just visible when she spoke. Coupled with her gentle and mature temperament, she resembled a red-sleeved swordswoman who specialized in cutting down young men.
Night Jing Tang had decent self-control, but it had its limits. Unable to withstand Third Madam's "soft dagger," he stepped back and adjusted his clothes:
"Understood, then I'll go handle the matter first."
"Change your clothes first. Your current appearance doesn't look like a young master from a wealthy family. Shuixu, have someone take Young Master to change clothes and inform Chen Biao and the others to prepare. We'll follow later."
"Alright..."
...
A moment later, outside the Pei family's gate.
Old Escort Head Yang Zhao, accompanied by two skilled guards, stood beside a carriage, waiting.
Chen Biao also brought two men and chatted with Yang Zhao:
"The leader of the Qinglian Gang, who is related to you, is called Yang Guan. He has a formidable master, 'Eternal Immortal Lin,' have you heard of him?"
"Eternal Immortal Lin, the master who claims to have received enlightenment from the officials in Fengguan City?"
"That's him..."
The young guard, Xiao Liu, who followed behind Yang Zhao, was young and curious:
"Just being enlightened by someone, and they can boast like that? Isn't a martial arts master worth more than this?"
"What do you know?"
Yang Zhao stroked his beard and explained: "Fengguan City is recognized as the best in the world. He's invincible once he leaves it, and he stands alone in the world. It's not just anyone who can meet him in person..."
As they were talking, the sound of chattering maidservants came from inside the gate:
"Wow..."
"Young Master, don't walk so fast..."
Several guards turned to look, only to see a figure hurrying out from behind the shadow wall, holding an umbrella.
The figure was dressed in a black scholar's robe, both inner and outer garments black. The fabric was a thousand taels of water cloud brocade, and as he walked, the robe flowed like clouds, with a silky smoothness visible to the naked eye. His long hair was meticulously styled, tied up with a jet-black jade hairpin. Overall, he looked spotless and refined, but the only flaw was the sword he carried, slightly tarnishing his scholarly appearance.
The guards, including Xiao Liu, didn't recognize him at first. Even Old Escort Head Yang Zhao was stunned, carefully examining him:
"Young Master, your appearance is truly extraordinary. If you said you were a prince in disguise, I'm afraid few would doubt you."
Night Jing Tang quickly entered the gate and jumped onto the carriage:
"Let's go, let's go. These girls, sigh..."
As soon as the words left his mouth, a group of maids chased after him, peeking out from behind the shadow wall, almost asking if they should accompany him.
Chen Biao chuckled, boarded the carriage, sat outside the carriage to drive, and reminded:
"Young Master, please speak more elegantly. It's not a pleasant sight for Madam and Miss to hear."
"Yeah, dressed like this, you shouldn't carry a sword but a fan."
As they joked, the carriage, followed by six horses, departed from the Qing Shi Alley...