Chapter Twenty-Five: Master Feng Meets with Disaster

After the medicinal bath, Xu Feng felt refreshed and invigorated, and he had even made a breakthrough in his cultivation. He wasn't sure how many precious herbs Miss Rong had used for his benefit, and he felt a deep sense of gratitude.

Xu Feng had intended to thank her in person, but Zhao Yuyan informed him that Miss Rong had to go out on urgent business. He had no choice but to take his leave for the time being, intending to return another day to express his appreciation.

He had been away for quite some time; it was three days before he finally returned home. The medicinal bath had been a time-consuming process, and he had spent almost every moment, even his rest periods, submerged in the pool.

Upon returning to the Feng residence, Xu Feng immediately sensed that something was wrong. The servants were gathered in small groups, whispering to one another, and most of them wore expressions of panic.

"Could something have happened to the Feng family?"

Xu Feng had no real ties to the Feng family, save for Dong'er and, more recently, Feng Yumian. As long as those two were safe, he wouldn't panic even if the sky were to fall. His only regret was that this excellent hiding spot might no longer be viable, which meant he would have to be more cautious when operating as the Masked Ghost.

"Dong'er, what happened? Why is everything in such disarray?"

Because of her personality, Dong'er generally kept out of trouble with the other maids, and she was always very well-informed.

"Master, something terrible has happened! Where have you been? Old Master Feng was attacked by mountain bandits while transporting grain. He is now trapped in their clutches, his life hanging in the balance."

"The whole household is in chaos. The eldest and second young misses are trying to find someone to help."

The Old Master had indeed gone on a long journey recently. In these times, transport was a dangerous business, requiring constant vigilance against bandits and outlaws. Strategic supplies like grain were particularly tempting targets. Since Dong'er knew nothing more, Xu Feng realized he would have to seek information elsewhere.

"What are you panicking for? If the sky falls, there are taller people to hold it up. Don't go out for now; just stay safely at home. I'll go and see what's going on."

Xu Feng found Feng Yumian in the main hall. She had clearly been crying for a long time; her eyes were red and swollen, and she looked utterly dejected. Only upon seeing Xu Feng did she show a glimmer of spirit.

"You certainly know how to lie low. I thought you were hiding at Tianxiang Pavilion and would never dare to come back."

Her tone was clearly laced with resentment. Xu Feng stepped forward and patted her head, signaling her to be calm; worrying was of no use. He needed to find a way to rescue the Old Master as soon as possible, lest things take a turn for the worse.

Feng Yuzhi was pacing back and forth, sighing incessantly. She clearly couldn't come up with a good plan and could only urge the servants to notify the local authorities. But what good would that do? If the government had any intention of eradicating these bandits, they wouldn't have allowed them to remain entrenched outside the city for so long. It was entirely possible that they were in collusion—one could never be sure. The current imperial court’s grip on the realm was growing weaker by the day.

"Has a physician been arranged for Grandmother?"

"Yes, Eldest Miss. Two groups of physicians have already been sent to the Old Madam’s quarters. Please do not worry, there will be no mishaps."

Hearing this, Xu Feng frowned again. No wonder the entire household was in chaos—even the Old Madam had fallen ill, which meant there was no one left in the Feng residence capable of taking charge. While Feng Yuzhi managed some of the family business, she was indecisive; she could handle minor matters, but she was likely out of her depth in a crisis like this.

Just then, Zuo Jincheng walked in with a group of men.

"Brother Zuo, how is the situation? Has the court given any response?"

Seeing Zuo Jincheng, Feng Yuzhi greeted him warmly, clearly looking to him as her pillar of strength. Xu Feng didn't find this surprising; it was human nature to seek reliance in times of crisis. He merely felt it was a pity that such a prominent household had no one to take the lead in a critical moment, forcing them to rely on an outsider. This was the tragedy of the entire family; their decline was only a matter of time.

Evidently, Feng Yuzhi had not yet realized this. It was no wonder the Old Master had insisted on bringing a son-in-law into the family; he must have sensed the fragility of the Feng house.

"No need to worry. I have already contacted people from the court. We will coordinate a rescue mission, and we will surely bring the Old Master back as soon as possible," Zuo Jincheng said with confidence. He felt he could use this opportunity to completely win over Feng Yuzhi.

"Thank heavens, the authorities are finally willing to step in."

"Naturally. They cannot ignore the reputation of Sword Wind Mountain. Furthermore, I am uniting other fellow warriors from the jianghu; we will surely eradicate these bandits once and for all."

It was this aura of a jianghu hero that appealed so strongly to Feng Yuzhi.

Xu Feng had been standing silently on the side, but when Feng Yuzhi turned and saw him, he was suddenly caught in the crossfire.

"Look at you! What use is it to be capable of small things if you can't help the family when it counts? In a crisis, we have to rely on Brother Zuo. Even if you wrote a hundred or a thousand poems, you couldn't save Father."

The Old Master hadn't even been rescued yet, and she was already singing Zuo Jincheng’s praises. If he actually succeeded, there was no telling what she might do. Xu Feng couldn't be bothered to argue, but Feng Yumian couldn't stand it any longer.

"Sister, why are you saying such things? Father was captured by bandits; that is ultimately the fault of the court’s incompetence. It has nothing to do with Xu Feng—he didn't arrange for the bandits to be there."

"If someone in our family were as capable as Brother Zuo, would the bandits have dared to target us?" Feng Yuzhi retorted, refusing to yield. In truth, she knew Xu Feng had little to do with the situation; she simply wanted to lash out at him.

"If he were truly that formidable, couldn't a single word from Sword Wind Mountain make the bandits release Father? Why would he even need to go in person?"

As the two sisters bickered, Zuo Jincheng looked at Xu Feng with a cold sneer, as if to tell him that only he was qualified to be Feng Yuzhi’s protector, while Xu Feng would forever be nothing more than a useless son-in-law.

"I’m going to rescue him. We cannot delay any longer." Zuo Jincheng made a show of taking his leave.

Feng Yumian had no heart to continue arguing with her sister; she pouted and returned to her room in a huff.

When night fell, and after making sure Dong'er was sound asleep, Xu Feng took to the air, shrouded in the darkness, and slipped out of the Feng residence. Although Zuo Jincheng had seemed confident in the afternoon, Xu Feng felt his approach was unreliable. He had to act personally to be at ease.

After all, it was the Old Master of the Feng family in danger. Even if he didn't care about Feng Yuzhi’s opinion, he had to consider Feng Yumian’s feelings. She had grown up the way she was because of the Old Master’s doting love; if something were to happen to him, there was no telling if she could withstand the blow.

It was safer to act himself. Furthermore, his strength had increased significantly, and he hadn't had a chance to test it. He would use this opportunity to see just how much he had improved.