I was truly foolish. My concern had clouded my judgment.
Qin Shousheng not knowing who Feng Xinghua was didn’t necessarily mean Feng Xinghua was an untouchable big shot. On the contrary, it might mean that Feng Xinghua was so insignificant that he wasn’t worth knowing. If that were the case, then the matter would be much easier to handle.
“I’ll look into it for you. He’s probably a minor player,” Qin Shousheng said, noticing my silence.
Sure enough, Feng Xinghua wasn’t a prominent figure; otherwise, things would’ve been much harder.
I smiled and said, “Thank you, Uncle Qin.”
“It’s a small matter!” Qin Shousheng chuckled and then asked, “How’s your training going?”
“That, huh?” I hesitated before replying, “I’ve come to genuinely appreciate how blissful it is to just be alive.”
“You and your sharp tongue!” Qin Shousheng scolded me playfully, then added, “Senior Long is a master of the ancient martial arts world. Make sure not to upset him!”
“I know.” I said so, but inwardly I wondered. Ancient martial arts? Had the cultivation world changed its name? Or was it that Old Long Qingyang had no connection to the cultivation world at all?
“The information on Feng Xinghua has arrived!” Qin Shousheng’s voice pulled me out of my musings.
I blinked and quickly asked, “So, what’s the situation?”
“Feng Xinghua is a real estate developer in your city. He’s somewhat well-known, which explains why I’ve never heard of him,” Qin Shousheng said with a tinge of exasperation.
“You’re not from this city, Uncle Qin?” His statement left me puzzled.
Qin Shousheng chuckled at my question. “Of course not. I’m from the capital.”
The capital?! So Qin Shousheng was from the capital. No wonder people in the political circles went out of their way to curry favor with him. But since he was from the capital, why was he here? And why did he choose me as a bodyguard? Moreover, why did he go to the trouble of setting up a training base for me in this city?
Could he have discovered my identity?! That thought sent a chill down my spine. But on second thought, if Qin Shousheng had really figured out who I was, he wouldn’t have asked me to be his bodyguard or trained me. Instead, he would have sent me straight back to the old man.
Since Qin Shousheng was from the capital, could the person he wanted me to protect be someone I knew?
“Xia Tian, Xia Tian!” Qin Shousheng’s repeated calls brought me back to reality. I hurriedly replied, “Yes, I’m here!”
“Did you hear what I said?” Qin Shousheng asked, sounding doubtful.
“Uncle Qin, uh, what did you say?” I replied, confused.
“You! I really don’t know what to say about you!” Qin Shousheng sighed helplessly. “I’ll have my secretary send Feng Xinghua’s information to your email.”
“Alright, sounds good!” I ended the call and sat on the couch, deep in thought.
It wasn’t surprising that Qin Shousheng already knew my email address, considering he had investigated me.
“Xia Tian, does it look good?” Mei’er’s voice suddenly interrupted my thoughts about Feng Xinghua.
Turning around, I saw that Mei’er had changed her clothes.
White suited Mei’er’s pure and youthful appearance perfectly. Paired with jeans, she looked much more spirited. Despite her innocent nature and clean looks, Mei’er exuded an inexplicable charm. The contrast between purity and allure was striking, yet it was a real part of her.
Mei’er was like a lily, but this lily was a vivid, seductive red.
“Of course, you look amazing. My Mei’er is the best-looking!” I said, pulling her into a hug.
“Ugh, Xia Tian, you’re teasing me again!” Mei’er muttered, lowering her head as her cheeks turned crimson.
I chuckled. “I wouldn’t tease anyone else.”
After playfully bantering with Mei’er for a while, I sat down in front of the computer to check the information Qin Shousheng had sent me.
Feng Xinghua was a well-known real estate developer in the local area, with some fame. The main reason for his notoriety was his brother-in-law, a deputy mayor. Several workers had died on Feng Xinghua’s construction sites, but the incidents were always swept under the rug.
With the deputy mayor backing him, even Zhao Tianfang, the city mayor, would find it difficult to remove him from power. People like Zhang Dong and Li Zhijun, whom I knew, wouldn’t be of much help either. But I couldn’t let this guy roam free without consequences.
Although I wasn’t someone brimming with a sense of justice, this matter involved my brother Zhang Yu, and I had heard about Xiao Kun’s situation firsthand. Ignoring it would weigh on my conscience.
As Mei’er mentioned, if I didn’t resolve this, it could become my inner demon.
Moreover, I’d long wanted to help Zhang Yu with his troubles.
The law couldn’t hold Feng Xinghua accountable, so I would. However, taking him down on my own wasn’t feasible.
At that moment, I thought of someone—Zhang Yu’s elder brother, Zhang Peng!
He had once said he wanted to take down Feng Xinghua using his own power. Though he might not have been strong enough back then, he must have gained some influence over the years. He could definitely lend a hand.
But I’d need a solid reason to convince him. Taking a deep breath, I deleted the email and said to Mei’er, “Mei’er, I’m heading out. Stay home for a while.”
“Stay home alone?” Mei’er looked upset. I casually said, “You could go find Sister Lin…” I paused, realizing that Sister Lin had already returned to her academy.
“Well… just turn into a necklace for now,” I said, feeling a bit helpless.
I didn’t want Mei’er to know about this matter since it wasn’t safe. Even if Feng Xinghua was a minor player in Qin Shousheng’s eyes, he wasn’t simple from my perspective.
Plus, what I intended to do was risky.
Since I didn’t have Zhang Peng’s contact information, I decided to ask Liu Zhanqian for help. He knew Zhang Peng and might have a way to reach him.
“You’re here, benefactor!” As soon as I arrived at the barbecue stall, Liu Zhanqian hurried out to greet me.
Scratching my head in exasperation, I said, “Uncle Liu, if you keep calling me ‘benefactor’ with all these formalities, I won’t come here to eat anymore!”
“But…” Liu Zhanqian hesitated. I patted his shoulder with a smile. “No buts. Just call me Xia Tian from now on!”
“Alright, Xia Tian it is!” Liu Zhanqian shook his head in resignation and then asked, “What would you like to eat this time?”
“I’m not here for food today. I wanted to ask if you have Zhang Peng’s contact information,” I said, cutting straight to the point.
Hearing this, Liu Zhanqian froze and frowned. “Could it be that Zhang Peng is still holding a grudge over last time?”
“Uncle Liu, you’re overthinking it!” I said, shaking my head helplessly.
Relieved, Liu Zhanqian replied, “I don’t actually have Zhang Peng’s contact information.”
“Damn!” I cursed under my breath. Without a way to reach Zhang Peng, my plan couldn’t move forward. I only had a few days left in this city. If I didn’t settle this for Zhang Yu, I wouldn’t have peace of mind for the rest of my life.
“But Zhang Peng and his crew usually come here for barbecue on Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. Today’s Thursday, so he should show up soon!” Liu Zhanqian said with a smile.
Damn it, Uncle Liu, why didn’t you say so earlier?!
I ordered a few small dishes and waited for Zhang Peng.
After finishing a glass of draft beer, Zhang Peng still hadn’t arrived. Could he have decided not to come?
“Uncle Liu, do you think Zhang Peng won’t show up?” I handed my empty glass to Liu Zhanqian.
Liu Zhanqian smiled at me wryly. “Don’t worry. He might…” As he was speaking, he suddenly pointed behind me. “Look, there he is!”
Get More Chapters on Patreon: From now on, FSM Level 2 will become the CN WN Bundle. The price will remain the same which is $10. Also, the price for the KR WN Bundle will also be decreased to $10 to match this bundle.
With this I have gotten rid of the level system. The reason I am doing this, is because I plan to add more chapters to the $5 Patron tiers. Previously the readers got 2 advance chapters when they became a $5 Patron, but now I’ve increased the chapters they will get to at least 5 chapters and more. So the current updated tier system will work like this:
The Individual Tiers ($5) will give you access to 5 chapters or more. The Bundle Tiers ($10) will give you access to all the chapters of CN or KR webnovels. The Supreme Patron ($30) will give you access to all the webnovel chapters on Goblinslate.