Chapter 288 - 240: Tastier Than Dumplings

Chapter 288: Chapter 240: Tastier Than Dumplings

Zhao Zhe’s manor was close to the Black Water Gang Headquarters.

Before Tang Wen could even ask, Liu Bing took the initiative to report, "Young Master, I’ve investigated the matter that Lady Shui Yun assigned."

Only then did Tang Wen recall that Shui Yun had wanted him to look into portraits of Lin Shi’s family.

"Lin Shi indeed does not come from a fallen Martial Arts Family. Her parents are both alive and well, and she has three older brothers."

At this, he gritted his teeth and laid everything bare. "Young Master, this lowly one dares not hide it. I... I followed Lin Shi’s instructions before and secretly sent some things to her family."

Tang Wen stopped in his tracks, his gaze sharp as he stared at him.

Liu Bing’s heart pounded with panic. "It was just some money and food! When I delivered the items, I only knew they were Lin Shi’s relatives. I had no idea they were the family she was hiding! Young Master, please see the truth!"

After his hurried explanation, he gave a deep bow.

’Hmm, from his expression and attitude, he seems sincere enough.’

’But is that what I wanted you to confess?’

’This Lin Shi... why did you help her? She couldn’t be a ’public mount’ too, could she?’

"Lead the way."

Tang Wen’s tone turned cold.

Liu Bing’s heart was filled with anxiety. ’These young masters are each more difficult to serve than the last.’

’Serving a lord is like living with a tiger!’

’It would probably be easier to be sent outside the city to watch over the mines and eat dust.’

’But I’m already on thin ice. Even if I were exiled to the mines, my old mother couldn’t come with me.’

’Forget it!’

’I’ll just have to endure it a little longer.’

Zhao Zhe’s estate covered a full hundred acres.

In the past, it had been bustling with maids and servants scurrying about, full of life and activity.

Now, the maids, servants, Guards, and protectors had all been exiled outside the city to farm crops or dig sand in the mines.

With no one to tend to it, in less than a month, the grounds were covered in withered leaves, and the first signs of decay had appeared.

Occasionally, one or two stalks of Black Death Grass could be seen sprouting from the cracks between the bricks or in the corners of the walls, their Life Force stubbornly resilient.

Early winter was ending; the bitter cold was about to arrive.

Not a soul could be seen in the empty courtyard.

Tang Wen slowed his pace and looked up at the northern sky.

Women grieve the spring, men lament the autumn.

The desolation before him strongly resembled the late autumn woods outside Flame Camp.

But in his memory, the forest there was even more desolate. There were never any fallen leaves on the ground.

Because the leaves were edible. After being boiled in hot water and stripped of their tough veins, the flesh of the leaves, though a bit bitter, was quite filling.

’I wonder how the camp is doing.’

Liu Bing didn’t know why the high and mighty Seventh Young Master had stopped.

He didn’t dare to remind him, much less disturb him.

He also looked at the distant sky. It was a cloudless, vast expanse of azure.

It was beautiful, but not welcome.

No clouds meant the great drought would continue.

With no rain in late autumn this year, the common farmers had already missed the window for autumn planting.

The coming year was sure to be one of disaster.

There would certainly be a huge number of refugees next year; it was feared things would descend into cannibalism.

Tang Wen didn’t let himself linger for too long. The moment he stopped, thoughts flooded his mind: his sister, Sister Bing, the Queen, the Bai Family’s exploration team, the Purple Pearl Honey from Giant Rock Martial Arts Hall, Huang the Seventeenth Lang...

Countless matters came rushing in.

It was too much to even think about.

’There’s no use thinking about all these people and things. I just have to handle them one by one.’

"What are you thinking about?" Tang Wen asked, looking at Liu Bing.

The latter jumped in fright and blurted out, "The disaster next year... I mean, this lowly one means that next year there will definitely be a large number of people from outside the city willing to sell themselves to us as slaves! The gang’s power will grow even stronger!"

"Heh. Does our Black Water Gang rely on slaves to grow strong?"

Liu Bing didn’t know how to answer.

Then he heard Tang Wen add, "Also, from now on, you are my subordinate. Just refer to yourself as ’your subordinate’. No matter who you’re facing, don’t ever call yourself ’this lowly one’ again!"

Liu Bing was stunned. His back, which had been bent like a cooked shrimp, straightened slightly. He stared at Tang Wen’s retreating back, somewhat dazed.

"Keep up."

He quickly trotted a few steps to catch up.

The small building where Lin Ya Huan lived.

Now, Lin Shi was being held here.

Next door was a small, single-story courtyard where the servants lived, which was also where Zhao Zhe was being held.

As they walked, Liu Bing explained, "Zhao Zhe was subjected to the Heart Stone. It damaged his spirit fundamentally. He’s now semi-conscious and can’t even speak. Also, Soft Fragrance Powder has been added to both of their meals."

"You don’t need to go in." Reaching the entrance, Liu Bing stepped aside, and Tang Wen stepped into the small courtyard.

The Guards in the courtyard stood ramrod straight and greeted him one after another.

Tang Wen nodded and walked directly through the door.

"Seventh Young Master, you’ve come!"

Lin Ya Huan called out.

The sound of hurried footsteps followed, and Lin Shi emerged from an inner room. She was dressed in a white top and white skirt, her black hair cascading like a waterfall, and her face was bare of any makeup.

Confined here under house arrest, her gentle, fair, oval face looked a bit haggard, which only made her seem more pitiable.

She didn’t look like a Peak Martial Artist at all.

She seemed just like a heartbroken beauty from a prominent family, her pair of phoenix eyes, tinged with sorrow, looking calmly at Tang Wen.

Lin Ya Huan sensibly retreated outside the door.

Tang Wen was the first to speak. "Madam Zhao, what did you want to see me about?"

Biting her lower lip with her pearly teeth, Lin Shi gracefully approached until she was about a meter away. Then, her knees suddenly buckled, and she knelt directly on the floor.

The collar of her white top was slightly open, and a stunningly pale, soft pair flashed before Tang Wen’s eyes.

"I beg you, Young Master, save my entire family!!"

"What do you mean by that? Get up first."

Unmoved, Lin Shi instead shuffled forward two steps on her knees, reached Tang Wen’s feet, and threw her arms around his leg. She pressed her body tightly against him and began to sob.

She truly looked like a beautiful woman at her wit’s end, begging Tang Wen to save her life.

As a high-ranking member of the Black Water Gang, how could Tang Wen withstand such a test?

He almost had to ’salute’ her on the spot.

The woman held on tight. He took the opportunity to sit down on a sofa, his voice turning slightly cold. "If you have something to say, say it. No more crying!"

Lin Shi’s sobs didn’t stop, but she quickly released Tang Wen’s leg, wiped her tears, and began to speak.