Chapter Twenty-Nine: A Forceful Strike, a Humiliating Retreat

Zuo Jincheng’s face flushed and paled in turns, his inner thoughts impossible to discern.

With the Old Master returned home safe and sound, Feng Yumian had reverted to her usual carefree self, a smile gracing her face; for a girl of her age, this was a time that should be free of all worries.

"Let’s go. I have no intention of lingering here to chitchat with them all night. Take me back to rest; I’m exhausted."

Feng Yumian had been consistently speaking up for Xu Feng, but unfortunately, no one took her words to heart.

As Xu Feng departed, he felt a gaze fixed intensely upon his back. He didn't need to guess to know it was Zuo Jincheng. He understood that the man likely harbored a sliver of suspicion, even if he dared not confirm the truth just yet.

He had expected the matter to conclude there, but at noon the following day, Old Master Feng summoned everyone together once more.

"Father, the imperial court knew you were abducted by bandits, yet they deliberately make things difficult for us. Could it be that someone is targeting you?"

"That must be it. Otherwise, why would the court set such a strict deadline for me to return the grain?"

One wave had barely subsided when another began to rise. Through the conversation between Feng Yuzhi and the Old Master, Xu Feng had deduced the general situation: although the Old Master had been rescued, a portion of the grain supply had indeed been lost. Now, the court was demanding that he recover the missing shipment.

"We don't have much grain left in storage. Even if we handed it all over, it wouldn't be enough. Is there truly no other way?"

"There’s no time to worry about that now. Evacuate the people from the household as soon as possible, so that they won't be implicated when the time comes."

This, it turned out, was the real reason Old Master Feng had gathered everyone. Wise with age, he understood that since someone was deliberately targeting him, the matter was far from simple. Unless he could scrape together the required grain, he would not escape this catastrophe. He could only try to minimize the losses while the situation was still within his control.

Noticing Xu Feng, the Old Master spoke with a blank expression.

"Xu Feng, you should leave now. Go to the storeroom and collect some silver. I assume you have no desire to stay and face this hardship with us; no one will hold it against you."

Xu Feng opened his mouth, unsure of what to say. Feng Yuzhi had frequently spoken ill of him in front of the Old Master, which had left the old man with a poor impression of him. Of course, Xu Feng could not leave; he was not the type to be ungrateful or to abandon his companions when faced with danger.

"Things have not yet reached that point, Old Master. Why make such final plans?"

"Besides, the grain was merely lost. It is highly probable that it remains in the hands of other bandits. As long as we can recover it, we can naturally overcome this crisis."

His meaning was clear: he was willing to step forward and retrieve the grain himself.

"You? If you don't wet your pants the moment you see those bandits, that would already be considered a display of courage. If we truly relied on you to get the grain back, the imperial court’s reprimands would have fallen upon our heads long ago."

Zuo Jincheng launched into mockery the moment he arrived. The others had already begun to view him as their mainstay, and seeing Zuo Jincheng, they stopped paying any attention to Xu Feng; no one cared what he had to say.

"There is no need for everyone to worry. I will resolve the issue of the grain. I will certainly not let the court find any leverage against us."

Upon hearing this, Old Master Feng was overjoyed and stepped forward to pat Zuo Jincheng on the shoulder.

"I knew my nephew would not let me down."

Xu Feng, however, was not so optimistic. He felt that this was not a matter Zuo Jincheng could resolve. How could he possibly conjure up such a large quantity of grain in such a short time? Surely, Jianfeng Mountain would not subsidize it themselves. Zuo Jincheng did not hold a high enough position in Jianfeng Mountain for that; he was likely just making grand, empty promises.

"How do you intend to resolve the shortage of so much grain? You can’t just conjure it out of thin air, can you?"

Faced with Xu Feng’s questioning, Zuo Jincheng’s expression stiffened.

"Nephew, could you disclose to me where you intend to acquire so much grain?"

"There are still quite a few bandits in the vicinity. They have stockpiled a large amount of grain, and I suspect the missing shipment is related to them. As long as we can take them down, the crisis will be resolved."

There was a clear streak of dishonesty on Zuo Jincheng’s face, but the attention of the others had been entirely captured by his words; no one but Xu Feng noticed his shifting expression.

"Good, very good! If my nephew can wipe out Qixia Mountain, then eliminating other bandits will be a mere trifle. We shall wait here for your good news; we will hold a victory banquet for you upon your return."

"Old Master, just prepare the banquet. Allow me to go and return shortly."

Zuo Jincheng was full of confidence, as if he had truly claimed the credit for destroying Qixia Mountain as his own. Xu Feng watched coldly, ignoring him.

As he passed Xu Feng, Zuo Jincheng poked his chest with his sword scabbard.

"You just stay here and wait for me to return. Watch how I procure all the grain the Old Master needs. When the time comes, I will toss you out myself and make you leave in total humiliation."

"Very well. As long as you have the ability, I will leave. I only fear that not only will you fail to procure the grain, you might not even be able to escape the bandits yourself."

"Stop cursing me. No matter what, I am far better than a piece of trash like you."

It was unclear where Zuo Jincheng derived his confidence. One had to realize that while the other bandit groups lurking around Gusu City might not match the overall strength of Qixia Mountain, they were not to be trifled with either. They were all fierce and brutal, and they maintained connections with one another. To attack them rashly without proper preparation would never lead to an easy victory.

Xu Feng seemed to have anticipated Zuo Jincheng’s crushing defeat. Sure enough, Zuo Jincheng took a large group of men to stir up trouble with the bandits, only to be sent back by the afternoon, covered in wounds and hanging by a thread.

"Master Zuo, this... what on earth happened? Why are you so severely injured?"

Seeing Zuo Jincheng covered in blood, the members of the Feng family were shocked, especially Feng Yuzhi. Even Old Master Feng panicked; if anything happened to Zuo Jincheng, the Feng family would truly lose all hope.

"Nephew, are you alright? Who injured you like this? Could it be that someone you took with you betrayed you?"

"We underestimated the strength of the bandits. We walked straight into their ambush."

Zuo Jincheng spat out blood with every word. Clearly, his injuries were not feigned. Seeing this, Old Master Feng hurriedly arranged for a physician to treat him.

"Spare no expense. You must ensure my nephew recovers as quickly as possible."

After learning of the situation, Xu Feng did not offer any sarcastic remarks. He was considering how to help the Feng family survive this ordeal.

"Perhaps I must take action myself."

After much thought, this was the only solution he could see. Xu Feng rubbed his aching head. He wanted peace and tranquility, not this constant running about and busyness.

"Fine. Let this be the last time. If I do not intervene, the Feng family will certainly not escape this calamity."

Xu Feng still could not bring himself to stand by and watch. The entire Feng household was once again shrouded in gloom, and even the servants and maids, who were usually boisterous, lowered their voices significantly.