Chapter 42: First Volume, Chapter 42: Spread Throughout Jingdu

First Volume, Chapter 42: Spread Throughout Jingdu

At first, Qin Feng thought the constable wanted a reward, and nearly slapped him right there—luckily, the constable spoke up in time, avoiding a misunderstanding.

"Young Master Qin, what if the Ministry of Works asks about this?"

Realizing it was fear of the Ministry of Works' reprimand, Qin Feng calmly put away his Iron Sand Palm, ignored the constable, and scanned the crowd of onlookers—regardless of whether any Ministry of Works men or imperial spies were among them—and declared loudly:

"This Young Master gives you one Jade-like Good Advice, more than enough to handle the Ministry of Works—remember well, eight characters."

"Get lost, or I'll fuck you to death!"

At these words, gasps of shock rose one after another; the constable turned pale.

The Ministry of Works youths hidden in the crowd sneered and slunk away.

Throughout all of Jingdu, only Qin Feng had the guts to publicly tell one of the Six Ministries— the Ministry of Works—to get lost.

No one in the crowd doubted the truth of Qin Feng's words—he not only had the arrogance, but also the means to back it up.

After all, even the High Cadre Children of the Ministry of Revenue had been thoroughly scammed by Qin Feng.

Now, aside from Imperial Relatives, no one dared provoke Qin Feng, this Ruffian.

Besides, the Ministry of Works had always been Neutral Faction; there was no need to anger Qin Feng, this Troublemaker, over some minor fellow named Lu Ming.

Otherwise, losing the forest for a tree and getting dragged into Court Intrigue would be a terrible loss.

With even Ministry of Works people slinking away, no one dared lay a hand on Lu Ming anymore.

Lu Ming clutched the Silver Note, trembling with excitement, his eyes blazing with fervor as he stared at Qin Feng—so much so he nearly knelt down to kowtow and swear eternal loyalty.

But before he could speak, Qin Feng had already turned and walked away.

Only then did Lu Ming understand: Qin Feng protected him not because of who he was, but because of his skill—doing his job well was the best repayment he could offer Qin Feng.

After walking a few steps, Qin Feng suddenly remembered something, turned back, and shouted at Lu Ming: "Hey, you there, where do you live now?"

Lu Ming's face flushed with embarrassment, but before he could answer, Qin Feng cut him off.

"Fine, I get it—you'll stay at the Wine House for now. I'll send someone with the blueprints tonight; start work as soon as possible."

Watching Qin Feng stride off with his Eight-Character Step, occasionally whistling at passing Good Family Girls, Lu Ming still knelt and banged his head hard on the ground.

He didn't care what others thought of Qin Feng—even if Qin Feng was a Rogue, a Wastrel, a bully, or even mentally ill—in Lu Ming's heart, Qin Feng was still a good man.

A great good man!

Back home, Qin Feng feared being caught by Liu Hongyan, and didn't dare pause a moment—he slipped straight into the Back Courtyard.

One moment he was a guilty thief, head bowed and back hunched; the next, as Xiao Xiangxiang shut the Gate, his spine straightened and his head shot back up to the sky.

Shu Feng, who had followed him in, couldn't help laughing, clutching her sides—she'd finally figured it out: Qin Feng, outwardly a fearsome avenger with a grudge, was strangely patient with those close to him, as long as they didn't cross his bottom line.

The longer she spent with Qin Feng, the bolder Shu Feng became, and the more she let herself go—she even teased outright: "Our Young Master is simply too amusing. In literary talent, strategy, policy, and wealth-making, he's peerless—perfect to become a National Pillar—why then is he such a… Rogue personality?"

When she said "Rogue," Shu Feng lowered her voice almost to inaudibility—even with her boldness, she dared not insult her Young Master to others' faces, yet she simply couldn't think of a better word to describe him.

Xiao Xiangxiang bit her lips lightly, watching Qin Feng's back, her eyes filled with both love and frustration: "Our Young Master is a good man, but…"

"Any woman who stays by his side must endure extreme psychological trials."

Shu Feng didn't understand what Xiao Xiangxiang meant, and asked curiously: "Psychological trials? What do you mean? Does our Young Master have some strange fetish?"

Xiao Xiangxiang's cheeks instantly flushed red, her voice dropping low: "He… likes women."

At this, Shu Feng burst out laughing, patting Xiao Xiangxiang's shoulder: "Our Young Master is a man—liking women is perfectly normal. Opposites attract, after all."

Xiao Xiangxiang shook her head, recalling recent events, her face burning again:

"Once you spend more time with him, you'll understand—his liking for women is unlike any other's. It's just… strange. Other Wanfu, if they lust after women, will stop at nothing to possess them. But our Young Master? On the surface, he's no different from a lecher—even worse—but at the final step, he always stops himself, never crossing the line."

This confession took every ounce of Xiao Xiangxiang's courage, leaving her physically drained.

Shu Feng stared, astonished, at Qin Feng as he walked into the Book Room: "So… our Young Master is both a shameless lecher and a virtuous gentleman?"

Qin Xiaofu, who had been eavesdropping the whole time, grinned smugly: "That's called Schizophrenia—our Young Master said it himself. I don't even know what Schizophrenia is, but he seems really satisfied with it and plans to keep it for life."

The two girls stared at each other, utterly baffled.

Little did they know, Schizophrenia was perfect—it was the most classic Mental Illness.

And in any era, Mental Illness was an Immunity Gold Medal: you could say any outrageous thing, do any outrageous thing, and bear no responsibility.

Of course, as long as you didn't kill anyone. The rule that a Mental Illness can kill without penalty only applied in Qin Feng's world.

At least in this era, if you killed someone, regardless of circumstances, you paid with your life.

Qin Feng shut the Book Room door and fetched paper and brush.

Since Qin Feng couldn't stand using a Brush, he had Qin Xiaofu fetch some Wood Charcoal from the Rear Kitchen, chipped it into sharp edges, and used it as a Pencil.

He laid out a Ruler and fashioned a makeshift Compass from Chopsticks, then began sketching the interior design of a Chinese-style hotel.

Drawing blueprints posed no challenge to Qin Feng—he'd majored in Civil Engineering in college, and only switched to sales because he couldn't find a decent job.

All afternoon, Qin Feng stayed in the Book Room, drawing, thinking, and—due to his habit of biting his pen—accidentally chewed on the Wood Charcoal.

Only when Nightfall arrived did Qin Feng finally finish the blueprints and sent Qin Xiaofu to deliver them to Lu Ming.

But when Qin Xiaofu pushed the door open and saw Qin Feng's face covered in black soot, he thought he'd been Poisoned and screamed: "Someone! Quick! Our Young Master's Yintang is dark—he's been Poisoned! Lock the Door—don't let the Assassin escape!"