Chapter 750: Tang Manor and the Two Misters

Master Jin San paused. "You know about this, Mister?"

Cao Fa was taken aback as well.

He hesitated before asking, "Did... the Young Miss tell you, Mister?"

"The Young Miss?" Chen Changsheng asked.

Cao Fa collected himself and said, "Our owner, Miss Yun."

"What does this have to do with Yunxiang?" Chen Changsheng asked.

Cao Fa and Master Jin San exchanged a glance.

Both men were somewhat confused.

If the Young Miss hadn't told Mister Chen, then who had?

The Young Miss was the only one who knew about this. There was another person, of course, but she had passed away long ago.

Cao Fa opened his mouth to speak, but a sudden realization struck him.

If it was the Mister...

Perhaps it wasn't so strange after all.

Even if no one had told him, the Mister would likely still know.

When he first met the Mister many years ago, Cao Fa had harbored exactly this suspicion. Although so many years had passed and the Mister's hair had turned white, his face still hadn't grown a single wrinkle.

This was clearly not normal.

Master Jin San had traveled far and wide over the years, picking up a fair share of rumors along the way.

He had occasionally heard the name Mister Chen. The most memorable instance was that time in Donglin Ward, when he heard the demon City God mention it.

"Mister, Master Jin San and I both work for the Tang Manor," Cao Fa said.

Chen Changsheng thought for a moment before saying, "Tell me about it in detail."

Cao Fa nodded and proceeded to tell Mister Chen about what had happened back then.

Back in those days, Cao Fa had spent his time drinking, neglecting his storytelling work entirely. Under any other manager, he would have lost his position long ago. Though Shopkeeper Zhuang was willing to make allowances out of friendship, the tea house did not belong to him alone. It was the owner who, upon hearing of the situation, had insisted on keeping him.

Chen Changsheng was part of the reason for that as well.

And the owner who had stepped in on Chen Changsheng's account was not Yunxiang, but Tang Mingjing. Although he rarely visited Qingshan City, he paid close attention to affairs there.

Later on, Cao Fa's trip to the Capital City was no coincidence either.

It was Tang Mingjing who had asked him to go.

This matter was incredibly important to the Tang Manor.

The trading firm had been in a state of crisis at the time. A merchant's greatest hope is to accumulate immense wealth, but...

"Possessing too much wealth isn't necessarily a good thing either."

Cao Fa said, "The owner anticipated what might happen, so he sent the two of us to Shangjing. Firstly, to connect with the nobility through storytelling, and secondly, to keep a constant eye on the political currents in Shangjing."

"A year later, the owner traveled to Shangjing himself. Relying on the network we had built up over that year, he successfully acquainted himself with key court ministers, paving the way for the trade routes to open."

Cao Fa looked up. "Actually, it wasn't just the two of us. People were sent from all over, scattered throughout Shangjing City. There must have been hundreds of them in total. Some entered noble households as servants, while others set up small businesses in the streets and markets. Under normal circumstances, no one would ever notice them."

"Out of all those people, Master Jin San and I frequently caught the eye of the nobility and grew quite close to them. Because of that, we rarely returned. Except for a brief trip back right before the Ghost Festival, we spent almost all our time in the Capital City."

Master Jin San added, "It was only after an incident occurred later on that we were forced to return. We had no other choice."

Chen Changsheng was somewhat surprised by these words.

"So that's what happened..."

He had been wondering why the two of them would suddenly run off to Shangjing for no apparent reason.

Having known them since their early years, Chen Changsheng was well aware that neither of them harbored deep ambitions for fame or fortune.

Cao Fa let out a breath and said, "The owner invested a lot of effort into the two of us back then. When Master Jin San went south to dive for pearls years ago, the owner actually helped him in secret. Otherwise, I fear he would never have returned."

"We kept these debts of gratitude firmly in our hearts, which is what led to our journey to Shangjing."

Master Jin San nodded. "We actually guessed the owner's intentions early on. But even knowing it had all been orchestrated, we never felt any resentment. The owner may have had his motives, but he undeniably helped us. If not for him, Cao Fa wouldn't be Mister Cao today, and who knows which ditch I would have died in while heading south."

One after the other, the two men revealed secrets known only to themselves.

This was a secret between the two of them.

From start to finish, no one else had known about this save for the owner and the Young Miss.

It was only because they were before Chen Changsheng that they spoke of it, baring everything in the manner of students.

"This Chen never imagined there was such history behind all this."

Chen Changsheng could not help but think of Tang Mingjing.

The boy had grown older, and his mind had grown far more complex.

Still, for the Tang Family Trading Firm to reach its current heights, it must have employed countless schemes. The methods he was hearing about today were likely some of their most gentle.

One could only say that Tang Mingjing truly grasped human nature.

Cao Fa paused. "Please understand, Mister, this wasn't some cold calculation on the owner's part. He sought us out very early on, back when he truly had no one by his side whom he could trust."

Master Jin San nodded. "The Young Miss also came to us. Neither of them ever mistreated us or forced our hands."

Chen Changsheng nodded. "This Chen understands."

"That is why we were so curious about how you knew of my injury, Mister," Cao Fa said. "After all, no one else knows about it aside from the owner and the Young Miss."

"It was..."

Chen Changsheng paused for a moment's thought. "Hong Jin told This Chen."

"Yu Hongjin?"

Master Jin San stared blankly.

Chen Changsheng nodded.

At the mention of Yu Hongjin, both Master Jin San and Cao Fa's expressions grew a little strange.

Truth be told, they were both incredibly curious about Yu Hongjin.

"Mister, Yu Hongjin... she must be a demon, right?" Master Jin San asked.

Having encountered his fair share of spirits and monsters, he naturally had his suspicions. Not to mention, Yu Hongjin's nature was fairly obvious.

Chen Changsheng nodded. "She is a red fish from the Lotus Pond who attained sentience. She is a spirit, not a demon. There is a vast difference between the two."

Master Jin San nodded. He had heard a thing or two about the distinctions between demons, spirits, and monsters.

He wasn't overly surprised. He had already harbored his own suspicions; he just hadn't been able to pinpoint exactly what kind of entity she was.

"Let us return to the matter of you performing operas for ghosts and spirits," Chen Changsheng said. "This Chen is rather curious—right at the feet of the Emperor, which demon would dare to steal a person's Lifespan?"

Cao Fa's expression grew solemn. "To be honest with you, Mister, this student also finds this matter incredibly bizarre. Master Jin San went with me to investigate previously, and we even called upon the City God Lord of Shangjing City. That night, my Lifespan was drained by another fraction, yet the City God Lord was unable to detect which demon was at work."

Unable to find the culprit, they could only suffer the loss in silence.