Chapter 226: So Rude!

After finishing his secret discussion with Patrol Lieutenant Yang, Wen Gu left the post station and, accompanied by his guards and attendants, came to the street in the town to check on Shopkeeper Wu.

Most of the storefronts on the street, in addition to selling daily necessities, also sold medicinal slices.

So-called medicinal slices are medicinal herbs that have been processed and prepared to reduce toxicity and enhance efficacy, finally made into slices, chunks, or other forms. This makes them easy to transport and easy to decoct. Shopkeeper Wu's shop sold some commonly used medicinal slices.

The storefront was indeed small; one extra person made it impossible to turn around.

Shopkeeper Wu was very surprised by the arrival of Young Master Rong, and deep down, he felt a sense of disbelief and joy.

Perhaps...

Suppressing the surging emotions in his heart, Shopkeeper Wu pinched his slightly trembling hand and, controlling his facial expression, said, "The shop is cluttered; I ask that Young Master Rong please move to the inner room." Shopkeeper Wu then hurriedly lowered the shop sign, which also signified that the shop was temporarily closed for business.

His son-in-law Zhao Tieniu had gone to the mountain to report for duty, and his daughter was busy with the two little ones and couldn't manage everything. The hired clerk had gone to collect medicinal herbs, so there was no one guarding the front of the shop, but it wasn't about being stolen by others; compared to the matter weighing on his heart, this little bit of loss was affordable!

What he worried about was that with no one guarding the entrance, he feared someone might come in and eavesdrop!

Shopkeeper Wu hesitated about whether to close the door directly, but closing the door was too deliberate, and he had not yet determined Young Master Rong's intention for coming.

Just as he was thinking about it, Young Master Rong sent his guard over to guard the door.

"Much obliged!" Shopkeeper Wu wiped the sweat from his forehead, finished thanking him, and immediately headed to the inner room.

It was cold today, but Shopkeeper Wu felt hot inside at this moment; he was so excited he broke into a sweat.

Taking a deep breath to calm his emotions, he then stepped into the inner room.

At the shop entrance, Rong Yi held his sword, expressionless, standing there like a wooden stake.

In fact, he was pricking up his ears to listen to the movements around him.

"Rong Huan" had recently been making a big splash in Shenyi Gu; being recognized while walking on the street meant he was practically the center of public opinion!

Neighbors were gossiping behind his back, the older women and men using words without restraint, their mouths spewing harsh and wild remarks, which made Rong Yi laugh "crack, crack, crack" in his heart. After a while, he heard a few young voices make some unusual evaluations—

"What is this Rong Huan?"

"Before coming to Shenyi Gu, who had heard of him? Just a nobody who hadn't made a name for himself!"

"It's just that the Patrol Guard Division wants to foster the younger generation now, plus the push from the family behind him, that he has his current reputation!"

Rong Yi: You all overestimate the Rong family! If the Rong family had this ability, our Clan Leader would wake up laughing in his sleep!

Those voices continued:

"The Rong family calls itself a family, but actually they are just a bunch of border warriors; there are a few who have read some books, pushed out to be dogs for the Patrol Guard Division!" "Poor places are like this!"

"They brag endlessly despite having zero ability!"

Rong Yi: I'm not happy with you all saying that!

Those voices continued to evaluate Rong Huan:

"His archery is really average in the eyes of experts; it can only fool the ignorant commoners!"

"Ridiculous, he has actually become a famous young talent now!"

"Over in Xinzhou, after Wen Gu was assassinated, the young talents of Xinzhou all wanted to be the second Wen Gu, and Rong Huan is the same."

"Haha, he thinks he can be the second Wen Gu? Is he even worthy?!"

"Overestimating his own capabilities!"

Rong Yi: Hahahahaha!

"I heard..."

Those voices were still continuing to talk, chatting about all kinds of gossip and street rumors.

Rong Yi's face was expressionless, but his heart was like a melon-eating creature jumping in a melon field, taking a bite on the left and eating a piece on the right.

Until those people walked in front of the shop, the voices stopped abruptly.

Those people looked toward the shop, and Rong Yi looked at them indifferently.

The ones who came over were a few young people who had just entered the valley.

There was also one person acting as a guide for these young masters and young ladies. This person was none other than one of the street guards of this street, Zhang Dalang.

Before coming, Zhang Dalang was recommending to the young people: "The medicinal slices from this shop are very good!"

These young masters and young ladies, although born into great clans, were in troubled times now, and even the landlord's family had no surplus grain; their abilities were average, and they had just spent a sum of money in vain, so now they wanted to be frugal. But in front of others, they couldn't appear too stingy.

The good thing was that this street guard was quite capable of handling things.

Along the way, buying things at several shops, the prices were all quite affordable. The goods were not bad, and the prices were not high.

Even those who hadn't planned on shopping couldn't help but buy more when they heard the price. They were here for advanced studies and would stay in this Shenyi Gu for at least a year; they would have to buy eventually. Anyway, the things they bought were carried by guards and attendants, so they didn't need to exert themselves.

However, upon arriving at this shop, they found the shopkeeper was not there, and standing inside was a person who looked like a guard.

The shop sign was lowered, and it was in a state of being temporarily closed.

Zhang Dalang asked in surprise: "Who are you? Where is Shopkeeper Wu?"

Rong Yi was expressionless and did not speak.

"Whose guard are you? So rude!"

Rong Yi remained expressionless and continued to be silent.

A young master said angrily: "I'm asking you a question! Are you a mute?"

At this moment, Zhang Dalang cupped his hands: "Brother, I am well-acquainted with the shopkeeper here; although we have some arguments on weekdays, as a street guard of this street, I bear the responsibility for public security. May I ask, is Shopkeeper Wu's family safe?" Rong Yi continued to stand there like a wooden stake.

He looked like he wasn't very bright.

Zhang Dalang said: "Pardon me!"

He lifted his foot to walk into the shop.

However, the person who had been as dull as a wooden stake suddenly moved at this moment.

The sword left its sheath too fast!

Only a "Clang!" was heard, and the sharp edge was already before their eyes.

The trembling sound of metal ringing seemed to still be echoing in their ears. The cold winter wind blew, and it seemed to have become a bit more biting.

The crowd looked at the blade blocking the doorway and froze instantly.

If they had really made a move, they would likely have been silenced before they could even react!

Zhang Dalang was the one who felt it most deeply; the blade was closest to him, and if it had moved forward just one more step, it would have sliced his throat!

Zhang Dalang was filled with shock and uncertainty.

The guards accompanying the young masters and noble ladies hurriedly stepped in front of them.

One of them looked at Rong Yi and quickly whispered a few words to their employer.

That young master gave a light cough: "So it is a guard of the Rong Family; does that mean the person inside is Rong Huan?"

Upon hearing this, the others felt even more indignant, yet they also grew quieter.

They had long heard that the Rong Family of Xinzhou was not very particular and played quite dirty; if they acted recklessly, they really might resort to violence!

A young lady advised at this moment: "Forget it, forget it, harmony is precious, and this isn't the only shop that sells medicinal slices."

Another person added sarcastically: "Exactly, let's go buy from another shop. This shop is busy entertaining an honored guest, that famous young talent, so they look down on us!" "I wonder if the shopkeeper here was lucky enough to find a backer, or unlucky enough to encounter a brute!"

As they spoke, the group turned and left.

Zhang Dalang was responsible for guiding these people today, so naturally, he followed them away.

After walking a short distance, he looked back.

The guard in the shop had already sheathed the sword silently. His expression was calm, unmoved by external affairs.

Zhang Dalang continued to lead the young masters and noble ladies to shop and play on the street; before long, they cast aside their earlier unpleasantness and threw themselves into the fun. Once they left this street, it was no longer within their scope of responsibility.

Having finished his guide duties, Zhang Dalang was not idle and continued to patrol the streets with several other street guards.

In truth, it was just walking around, chatting along the way, and occasionally getting some benefits from the shops they passed.

It was not until evening that Zhang Dalang returned home.

His house was not spacious; it was very ordinary, and he lived alone.

Not long after the tipsy Zhang Dalang lay down, someone came looking for him.

The visitor was a shopkeeper from a medicine hall. This medicine hall was not on the scale of the small Wu family shop.

The shopkeeper sat down and asked right away: "I heard you nearly had a conflict with Rong Huan's guard today?"

Zhang Dalang replied: "Yes, the young masters and noble ladies have quite a few complaints about Rong Huan."

The medicine hall shopkeeper sneered: "That's not called having complaints, that's called having strong opinions! What is Rong Huan? He's just a fox borrowing a tiger's might!" As the medicine hall shopkeeper spoke, he gave Zhang Dalang a meaningful look: "I don't have to worry myself, as I don't usually see him, but you need to be careful!" Zhang Dalang frowned: "Why do you say that?"

The medicine hall shopkeeper suppressed his smile and said: "This is also why I came today. The Hall Master asked me to inquire if the Su Family really didn't hide any other goods?" Zhang Dalang looked stunned, then gave a bitter smile: "Even if the Su Family really hid things, they wouldn't tell me!"

As if suddenly realizing something, he stared at the other person with wide eyes: "The Hall Master suspects me?!"

The medicine hall shopkeeper said indifferently: "The Hall Master just asked me to inquire."

Zhang Dalang said somewhat agitatedly: "If I really had goods, how could I still be just a street guard?"

The shopkeeper thought to himself: That's true, Zhang Dalang is an ambitious man; if he really had that many goods in his hands, he wouldn't be content with just being a street guard. The expression on the medicine hall shopkeeper's face relaxed, and he said amicably: "The Hall Master is also concerned about you, which is why he asked me to inquire a bit more. At the same time, it is to remind you that the Zhao Fa Xunweis are very interested in the matter of the Su Family being struck by the Evil Plague, and they are currently investigating."

Zhang Dalang's hanging hand twitched, his face showing confusion: "Zhao Fa Xunweis? Why would they be interested in the Su Family?"

The medicine hall shopkeeper said: "Who knows. For now, it seems they are just very curious about 'how exactly the Su Family members were struck by the evil'. Xinzhou's research into the Evil Plague is unmatched by other factions; perhaps it is that Huang Dashi in Xinzhou who is curious, and the Patrol Guard Division is just following orders."

Zhang Dalang said very puzzled: "Everyone says the Su Family's principals were just drunk and negligent back then; even we, the hired guards, are still confused about it to this day. If we locals can't figure it out, can they outsiders really investigate it?"

The medicine hall shopkeeper sighed: "It's hard to say, after all, they are the Patrol Guard Division known as the Xinzhou Hounds!"

He reminded Zhang Dalang again: "That kid Rong Huan might find you to fish for information at any time. To be favored by the Patrol Guard Division, that kid is not as vain as he appears on the surface!" The medicine hall shopkeeper was reminding Zhang Dalang not to reveal a single word about the details of the transaction with the medicine hall when facing that kid Rong Huan. The medicine hall shopkeeper knew that Zhang Dalang was not the generous and righteous person rumored to be, but it didn't matter; as long as it didn't involve their medicine hall, he could be whatever he wanted in private. The neighbors only heard that Zhang Dalang had received benefits from the Su Family back then and used medicinal materials to trade for his position as a street guard, but they didn't know what Zhang Dalang had actually produced. What Zhang Dalang had given the medicine hall master back then was a precious medicinal herb from overseas!

The quantity was small, but the Hall Master liked it very much and even hid it away privately. Even when those famous doctors offered rewards for medicinal materials for their research, he hadn't been willing to take it out. This matter had better not be known by others.

In this day and age, everyone hides their good things tightly. The Hall Master also didn't want to anger those famous doctors.

The medicine hall shopkeeper delivered the message and probed Zhang Dalang once more before leaving satisfied.

Inside the room, Zhang Dalang sat by the table, as if thinking about things quietly.

The airflow from his breathing caused the candlelight to flicker.

A face that clearly looked very calm and steady, under the shifting light and shadow, actually appeared twisted and ferocious.