Chapter 31: What I Fear Most Is When the Air Suddenly Goes Quiet

Bang!

Smack!

Once again, Zheng Fan was knocked to the ground by a wooden sword.

“Master, do you need a rest?”

“One more time.”

After panting for several breaths, Zheng Fan climbed back to his feet and gripped the wooden sword in both hands again.

Liang Cheng stood calmly with his own sword, waiting for Zheng Fan to attack once more.

Their training had already continued for three days.

In other words, Zheng Fan had effectively spent three days getting beaten.

It really was not a pleasant feeling.

Fortunately, Zheng Fan was still able to grit his teeth and endure.

“AAAAAHHHH!!!”

Zheng Fan launched another attack.

Their wooden swords clashed again and again. Every time Zheng Fan struck, he did so decisively, without holding anything back.

Liang Cheng, meanwhile, kept retreating, doing nothing but parrying.

At last, after a continuous chain of attacks, Zheng Fan’s momentum began to falter.

Liang Cheng immediately seized the opening as Zheng Fan drew breath. He stepped sideways and thrust his sword forward.

Zheng Fan hurriedly brought his own sword back to block.

But Liang Cheng changed moves again.

He turned, drove power through his waist, and kicked.

Bang!

Liang Cheng’s foot slammed into Zheng Fan’s sword.

Zheng Fan failed to dissipate the force.

He staggered backward several steps, tangled his own feet, and crashed to the ground.

“Huff... huff... huff...”

Zheng Fan lay there, his wooden sword fallen beside him.

“It’s getting late, Master. Let’s stop here for today.”

“Mm... all right...”

This time, Zheng Fan did not insist.

He lay on the ground a little longer before finally getting up and heading toward the inner residence.

Liang Cheng silently tidied up the training equipment, then went to the well in the courtyard.

Several female servants were washing clothes there.

“Make some room.”

Liang Cheng spoke.

“Brother, you wash yourself, we’ll wash the clothes. Doesn’t interfere with anything.”

“That’s right. Watching you bathe gives us more energy to scrub.”

These female servants had all been taken in from the Hyena Gang.

They were no longer young. In Feng Siniang’s words, they lacked any further “development potential,” so they had been kept on as servants instead.

They were all married women who had either been sold by their husbands or sold after their husbands died.

They had suffered plenty in life, and their personalities were accordingly blunt and carefree.

Liang Cheng said nothing.

He first hauled three buckets of water from the well in one go.

Then he turned around, removed his upper garment, and folded it neatly.

The women beside him stared without blinking.

“Move it, all of you. How are those clothes still not washed? There’s work waiting afterward. The household kept you here so you could gather around and slack off together?”

An older female servant walked over.

She first swept her gaze several times across Liang Cheng’s evenly defined muscles.

Then she cleared her throat and scolded the women washing clothes.

The women by the well could only pack up their basins and laundry and leave together.

At last, Liang Cheng’s surroundings became quiet.

At that moment, Zheng Fan, who had not yet changed clothes, happened to pass by.

Seeing Liang Cheng bathing beside the well, he stopped and called out, “There’s a hot pool in the rear residence. Why don’t we go soak together?”

The bathing pool in the Hyena Gang’s rear residence had originally been built by the gang leader.

Now, however, Zheng Fan had inherited the place.

Back when they still lived at the inn, land was limited and everyone’s rooms were packed together.

Now that they had more space, the two adjacent residences had effectively been divided so that the rear section of the back residence was almost entirely Zheng Fan’s private domain.

Every day, several young women worked shifts attending to Zheng Fan’s daily needs.

Under the Fourth Lady’s training, their skills were improving rapidly.

Feng Siniang had originally wanted to make a set of name plaques for Zheng Fan as well, so that at night he could simply flip over the plaque of whichever girl he wanted to attend his bed.

Zheng Fan had rejected the idea without hesitation.

The “little loli” type had an enormous market and audience in the comics world.

But Zheng Fan had never cared much for that style.

He preferred something a little richer, fuller, and more realistically drawn.

Something more...

Feng Siniang.

Besides, ever since returning from outside, Zheng Fan had spent every day getting beaten.

Most of his energy had already been burned away during the day.

At night, he would generally soak in the bath, get a massage, then fall straight asleep.

He had no interest in tormenting himself further.

Faced with Zheng Fan’s invitation, Liang Cheng directly shook his head.

“I don’t like hot water.”

Perhaps he felt the rejection had sounded too cold.

After hesitating, Liang Cheng added, “Thank you for your concern, Master.”

Zheng Fan shrugged.

Maybe it had something to do with Liang Cheng being a zombie.

He preferred cold things and disliked heat.

So Zheng Fan did not force the matter.

Besides, one man insisting that another man bathe with him always felt a little strange.

“Where’s the Fourth Lady?” Zheng Fan asked.

Every day after “instructing” Liang Cheng in martial arts, Zheng Fan would soak in the bath with Feng Siniang attending him, followed by a massage.

There was nothing inappropriate for children.

It really was only an essential-oil back massage and the like.

There were simply too many bruises on his body.

Liang Cheng had already restrained himself greatly, but some bruising and pooled blood were unavoidable.

So after Feng Siniang massaged him each evening, he could sleep much more comfortably.

Just now, when Zheng Fan had gone back, he discovered that the Fourth Lady was not waiting for him inside as she had been the previous few days.

So he came out to look for her.

“She may be in the front courtyard,” Liang Cheng said.

“All right. I’ll go look.”

Zheng Fan left.

Just after crossing the covered corridor ahead, he saw Feng Siniang and A’Ming walking side by side.

A’Ming held a cloth bundle in his hands.

The two were discussing something as they walked.

“Let’s launch this first and make a wave of money. As for adding fragrance, we can wait until the industry is established. Once we produce alcohol and make perfume, we can pair it with scented soap and develop a new product line.”

“No. Either we don’t do it at all, or we do it as well as possible.

“We’re in Tiger Head City. This place is too remote and unsuitable for widespread distribution.

“Although the emperor is far away and authority is loose here, that doesn’t mean we can be completely left alone to build the business slowly.

“So either we don’t enter the market, or we go straight for the high end.

“Only that way can we maximize income in the shortest possible time.”

“Fine, fine. But what about later?

“This world has battle qi and magic. The natives here aren’t stupid.

“No matter how many new things we make, it won’t be difficult for them to imitate us.”

A’Ming still believed they should develop gradually and release products one step at a time.

That way they could maximize profits.

“Once we’re strong enough, why would we still bother doing business?”

Feng Siniang rolled her eyes at A’Ming.

Hearing that, A’Ming smiled.

“Right. I’ve been researching this stuff so much lately that my brain has gone numb.”

Exactly.

Once their faction became powerful enough, who the hell would still bother doing business for money?

They could just rob people!

At that moment, Feng Siniang noticed Zheng Fan standing not far ahead.

She immediately covered her mouth, then glared at A’Ming in annoyance.

“It’s all your fault. You made me forget I was supposed to massage Master!”

A’Ming suddenly envied the Blind Man Bei.

The Blind Man Bei could effortlessly spend the entire day rolling his eyes at someone without growing tired.

“Master, I’m coming! I’m coming...”

Feng Siniang lifted her skirts and ran toward Zheng Fan.

A’Ming placed his right hand over his chest and bowed toward Zheng Fan from afar.

Only after Zheng Fan and Feng Siniang had gone did A’Ming continue forward carrying the cloth bundle.

Splash...

Liang Cheng was still bathing.

A’Ming leaned against the railing and called over, “You’re a zombie. What are you acting shy for? You even keep your underwear on while bathing.”

Liang Cheng ignored him.

The reason he chose to bathe here was because a faint trace of baleful qi lingered in the well water.

When the ancients built houses, they paid attention to feng shui.

The ground beneath this well happened to be a place where baleful qi gathered.

That amount of baleful qi was useless to Liang Cheng, but it felt comfortable.

It was like how everyone knew smoking was harmful to health, yet most smokers responded to the warning label by lighting a cigarette to calm their nerves.

“Has the baleful qi in your body increased?” A’Ming asked.

Liang Cheng shook his head.

“I’ve tried injuring myself many times, but my recovery speed still hasn’t changed.

“I think the problem may not lie with us.”

Splash...

Liang Cheng dumped another bucket of water over himself.

After setting the bucket down, he said, “It truly doesn’t lie with us.

“I’ve tried going to graveyards to absorb baleful qi, but every time there’s a limit.

“Once I reach that point, the baleful qi in my body refuses to increase any further.”

“Tsk, tsk. See? Looks like we’re all the same.

“If we want to recover our strength, relying on our own cultivation seems impossible.

“At least, there’s a high probability that path won’t work.

“I think we need to try another road.”

“Another road?”

“Yes. For example...”

Plop!

The cloth bundle in A’Ming’s hand suddenly tore open.

A bar of freshly developed soap slipped out.

It fell onto the wet ground beside the well.

Because the ground was covered in water, and because of the soap’s own momentum, it slid quite a long way.

All the way... until it came to rest at Liang Cheng’s feet.

“...”

Liang Cheng.

“...”

A’Ming.

What I fear most... is when the air suddenly goes quiet.

A’Ming broke the brief silence.

Perhaps to ease the inexplicably awkward atmosphere, he added, “I just developed it. Pick it up and use it.”

Liang Cheng bent down to pick it up, then suddenly froze halfway.

What I fear most... is sudden concern from a friend.

“You two really have a good relationship.”

The Blind Man Bei’s voice suddenly came from a nearby corner.

Liang Cheng silently picked up the soap.

He raised his head and looked toward the Blind Man Bei.

“Something wrong?”

The Blind Man Bei nodded.

“Meeting at the pavilion tonight.”

Then he raised a hand, gesturing toward them.

“All right. I’ve said what I came to say.

“You two can continue.

“I didn’t see anything.”

As he walked away, the Blind Man Bei’s leisurely sigh drifted back toward them, carrying a hint of relief.

“Good thing I’m blind.”

---

(End of Chapter)