Chapter 114

Wan Boping exclaimed in surprise: "What's the matter?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "I saw black clouds shrouding the courtyard of the widowed third daughter-in-law, resentment shooting to the sky, vengeful spirits entwining the courtyard, gathering there and not dispersing for a long time."

Wan Boping sucked in a breath of cold air, he lowered his voice and said: "You mean she is the root of all these misfortunes?" Hu Xiaotian is certainly not the first person to say that Le Yao is ominous.

Hu Xiaotian silently cursed, you old dog are quite good at pushing blame onto others, Le Yao is so innocent, harassed by you three father and son, bullied by the Wan Family up and down, and now you still want to pin all responsibility on her head. Hu Xiaotian shook his head and said: "In my view, that vengeful spirit was a man in life, and the reason it lingers is likely because some wish remains unfulfilled."

Wan Boping's forehead beaded with sweat, he suddenly thought of his recently deceased young son; not doing wicked deeds, one need not fear ghosts knocking at the door. After his son's death, he lusted after his daughter-in-law's beauty, always wanting to possess her, but the daughter-in-law was strong-willed and resisted unto death, so he has never succeeded thus far. Could it really be that Hu Xiaotian is right, that his son's vengeful spirit lingers, seeing what they have done, and thus takes revenge on the household?

Hu Xiaotian said: "Second young master, I hope you will frankly tell me how you were injured last night."

Wan Boping, even at this point, still speaks evasively about his second son's injury, merely sighing and saying: "I myself am not clear on the specifics!"

Hu Xiaotian said: "Please, Wan Yuanwai, fetch my three hundred gold!"

Wan Boping blinked slightly: "What do you mean, Mr. Hu?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "It's nothing special; I've already cured your son's illness and helped summon his spirit; the money is what I deserve, and from now on we part ways, with no further ties."

Wan Boping hurriedly said: "Mr. Hu, don't be rash; it's the middle of the night, one can't just say they're leaving and go."

Hu Xiaotian sneered: "Wan Yuanwai, you're not trying to welch on the debt, are you?" He had no trust whatsoever in this swindler before him.

Wan Boping gave a bitter smile: "Mr. Hu, you misunderstand; you saved my son's life. Not to mention three hundred gold, even if it were much more I wouldn't frown." After all, he's a businessman who doesn't lightly make big claims—how much more? Even a little extra is a lot. Wan Boping's words were watertight, fearing Hu Xiaotian would find a loophole.

Hu Xiaotian said: "I'm not someone who cares about money either; I just prefer to be straightforward in my dealings. Since Wan Yuanwai is being evasive and unwilling to tell the truth, my staying here wouldn't help much."

Wan Boping sighed: "Mr. Hu, it's not that I'm unwilling to speak; it's just that this matter is truly embarrassing to mention." He hesitated whether to reveal the truth of the matter.

Hu Xiaotian yawned and said: "I'm tired; I'll stay here temporarily tonight and leave early tomorrow morning."

After everyone had dispersed, Hu Xiaotian rested in the Qingzhu Garden; this fellow originally intended to take off his clothes and go to sleep, but he saw Murong Feiyan standing outside in the moonlight, alone guarding the courtyard. Hu Xiaotian felt a surge of emotion; having come all the way from the capital, if it weren't for Murong Feiyan's companionship, he feared he could never have made it here.

He took his outer robe, tiptoed outside, intending to drape it over Murong Feiyan's shoulders, but before he could approach, she turned around, her eyebrows furrowed, and said: "What are you doing?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "I wasn't planning to do anything; I just feared you were cold and wanted to help you put on a garment."

Murong Feiyan laughed, charming as a spring breeze: "You silly thing, it's summer now!"

Hu Xiaotian said: "Expressing concern knows no season."

Murong Feiyan said: "Wear it yourself; I'm afraid I'll get a heat rash if I'm bundled up."

Hu Xiaotian looked around, assured no one was eavesdropping, then lowered his voice: "Feiyan, we've got money!" This fellow wore a petty triumphant expression, his face full of smug satisfaction.

Murong Feiyan teased him: "Making this money is truly no easy feat—you're both a doctor and a charlatan, jumping about, feigning mysticism; it's surprising anyone actually falls for it, earning such ill-gotten gains—aren't you afraid of divine retribution?"

Hu Xiaotian hehe laughed: "The Wan Family, rich but unkind, runs rampant and domineering; I am doing heaven's work, robbing the rich to aid the poor!"

Murong Feiyan warned him: "The Wan Family's money might not be so easy to take."

Hu Xiaotian said: "Others may not be able to take it, but I insist on taking it; I saved his son's life, and yet they think a mere three hundred gold can send me packing—our future food, drink, and expenses in Qingyun will all come from them."

Although Murong Feiyan felt Hu Xiaotian's methods weren't entirely upright, she had no fondness for the Wan Family either; if Hu Xiaotian really wanted to go after the Wan Family, she wouldn't oppose him. Murong Feiyan lowered her voice: "What do you plan to do?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "Why was Wan Ting Sheng injured? They're all being evasive; there must be something fishy. You say if we uncover this secret……hehe……"

Murong Feiyan said: "Where should we start investigating?" Upon saying this, she suddenly stopped, pulling Hu Xiaotian to hide behind a nearby flowerbed.

Hu Xiaotian's hearing, of course, cannot compare to Murong Feiyan's; after waiting a while, he indeed saw a servant poking his head in, looking uneasy and glancing around; in the moonlight, Hu Xiaotian recognized this servant as one of the two Murong Feiyan had just pointed out to him.

The servant, seeing no one around, tiptoed toward the room where Wan Ting Sheng was staying.

Hu Xiaotian rose from the darkness, coughed once, and said: "Who goes there?"

The servant startled, turned to see Hu Xiaotian, and hastily bowed: "Mr. Hu, I am Guo Biao, sent by the eldest young master to inquire whether the second young master's condition has improved."

Hu Xiaotian glanced up and down at the servant; Wan Qing appeared somewhat uneasy, his gaze never daring to meet Hu Xiaotian's. Hu Xiaotian said: "It's rare that the eldest young master cares for his brother; you go tell him the second young master is already asleep, and tell him not to send anyone to disturb him."

Wan Qing acknowledged with a sound and turned to leave.

After he left, Murong Feiyan emerged from the darkness, standing shoulder to shoulder with Hu Xiaotian as they watched Wan Qing's retreating back, full of suspicion: "This servant is very suspicious; he's come over several times tonight."

Hu Xiaotian said: "The Wan Family's affairs are truly as obscure as viewing flowers through mist; Wan Ting Sheng's injury certainly didn't come from a simple fall."

Murong Feiyan said: "You mean someone dealt Wan Ting Sheng a vicious blow?"

Hu Xiaotian smiled narrowly: "You're a constable, after all—in this area you're the expert."

Murong Feiyan said: "You want to investigate this case?"

Hu Xiaotian said: "Investigate! It's definitely necessary, but we can't just work for nothing."

Seeing his crafty expression, Murong Feiyan sensed his thought and lowered her voice: "You're thinking of using the investigation as a pretext to really hit Wan Boping hard, aren't you?"

Hu Xiaotian sighed: "In your heart, do you really see me as someone who will stop at nothing, a total villain?"

Murong Feiyan said: "Even thieves have their code; it's still good to have some principles in life."

Hu Xiaotian said: "When dealing with the rich and unkind, I never talk about principles—only methods."

Hu Xiaotian slept soundly that night; upon waking at dawn, he opened the window to see the sun rising in the east, rays of light spreading everywhere, bathing everything in a golden hue; the willow branches outside swayed gently in the morning breeze, and the early-rising cicadas had already begun their restless chirping.

Murong Feiyan sat quietly in the courtyard, and indeed she hadn't slept all night.

Hu Xiaotian stretched and walked out; as he left, Liang Da Zhuang happened to be yawning as he went out as well; Wan Ting Sheng had passed the night peacefully, so Hu Xiaotian first went to his bedside to check on him, found nothing abnormal, and then relaxed.

Wan Changchun had also been waiting outside; hearing the commotion, he hurried over. After Hu Xiaotian washed up, he arranged for Wan Ting Sheng's wife and maidservants to attend his bedside, and taught them some basic nursing methods.

The entire Wan Family, high and low, were worried about Wan Ting Sheng's safety; Wan Boping and his wife also came early. They even had a servant bring Hu Xiaotian three hundred taels of gold. Given Wan Boping's miserly nature, parting with such a large sum truly pained him, but Hu Xiaotian's medical and spirit-summoning skills had already won his deep trust; moreover, Hu Xiaotian had dangled the bait of their family's bad feng shui, so Wan Boping now treats Hu Xiaotian with utmost care, hoping to ask him to examine their feng shui, yet Hu Xiaotian keeps putting him off, never giving a clear answer. In fact, Hu Xiaotian knows nothing about feng shui; he's just spouting nonsense to swindle some gold for fun, and incidentally to protect the poor widow Le Yao.

Hu Xiaotian had Liang Da Zhuang take the gold; as for the payment he deserved, he couldn't even be bothered to be polite about it.

Wan Boping originally wanted to detain Hu Xiaotian until after breakfast, but Hu Xiaotian had no intention of staying and insisted on leaving. Wan Boping had never been this courteous before; he personally saw Hu Xiaotian to the gate, chatting along the way and steering the conversation toward his family's feng shui.

Hu Xiaotian said to Wan Boping: "Wan Yuanwai, feng shui is no trifling matter; yesterday I merely glanced at the Wan Family's overall layout, and though I saw their feng shui was poor, figuring out how to remedy it still requires me to go back and think it through carefully."

Wan Boping, seeing him speak earnestly, believed him somewhat, and respectfully said: "Mr. Hu, is there anything you wish to instruct?"

Hu Xiaotian stopped in his tracks and said: "There are two things you must remember!"

Wan Boping adopted an attentive, receptive posture: "I, Wan, listen respectfully."

Although I have removed the second young master's intracranial hematoma, restoring him to full health will still take time; those caring for him must be carefully selected, and once he resumes eating, his entire diet must be strictly supervised.

Wan Boping nodded.

Hu Xiaotian said: "The Second Young Master's head injury is absolutely not a fall injury, but was caused by a heavy blow."

Wan Boping was exposed by Hu Xiaotian on the spot, his expression became somewhat embarrassed, he coughed once, wanting to explain something, Hu Xiaotian raised his hand to stop him, saying: "No need to say more, I have no interest in meddling in your family affairs. The second thing you need to remember is the residence of the widowed third young mistress."

Wan Boping's heart jumped in shock: "How?"