Free Web NovelChapter 43: Chapter 43: Being Low-Key Isn’t Bad Either
And so, accompanied by Lu Chao and Cheng Yunsu, Fan Jinhua strode to his seat.
Wu Caicai and Uncle Leng followed behind the three of them.
Their gazes never left Cheng Yunsu, their minds filled with the stories they had heard about her over the past few days.
’How did she make a full recovery?’
In the end, Lu Chao and his group sat at the table at the very front.
On the table, there was wine and meat.
Lu Chao and Cheng Yunsu, the newlyweds, naturally took the seats of honor. Beside them sat Cheng Chuming and Fan Jinhua, followed by Wu Caicai and Uncle Leng. No one else in the entire Cheng Mansion main hall dared to join the six of them at the table.
At that moment, Lu Chao and Cheng Yunsu raised their cups to Fan Jinhua. "Master Fan, we’d like to propose a toast to you."
Fan Jinhua gazed deeply at Lu Chao, then smiled and drained his cup.
Afterward, Lu Chao turned to Wu Caicai, finally asking for her name before sharing a toast with her as well.
The six of them ate and drank as if no one else existed...
Outside the main hall, a commotion had long since erupted. All the guests were crowded outside, some even pressing against the windows, all of them staring at Cheng Yunsu and discussing how she could possibly be fine—how had she recovered? freeωebnovēl.c૦m
Wu Xin ground her teeth furiously, staring daggers at Cheng Yunsu. She suddenly shouted, "Cheng Weishan, are you putting on a show for me?"
Now, Wu Xin once again suspected that the entire Cheng Mansion had conspired to make a fool of her.
"Cheng Yunsu was never crippled, and she wasn’t burned, was she?" Wu Xin’s voice was squeezed through gritted teeth.
At her words, the uproar died down.
All eyes turned to Cheng Weishan, every single person now looking at him with suspicion.
Cheng Weishan trembled and hurriedly explained, "No, Miss Wu! How could I possibly be acting? If this was a show, I wouldn’t be standing out here. I should be sitting in a seat of honor, receiving their toasts!"
’Damn it, I don’t know anything either!’
The crowd heard this and thought it made sense. No matter how good the act, the dignified Patriarch of the Cheng Mansion wouldn’t be left standing outside to watch others eat.
But Cheng Weishan was more panicked than anyone...
With a miserable look on his face, he asked, "Miss Wu, Cheng Yunsu has joined Tiger Flame Academy. What am I supposed to do?"
It wasn’t just Cheng Weishan; everyone in the Cheng Mansion felt the same way.
Whether it was her recovery or her joining Tiger Flame Academy, it all meant she had completely turned the tables. Thinking about all the harsh treatment and insults they had dished out to her recently, the legs of everyone in the Cheng Mansion went weak.
And looking at the corpses of the knights in the Cheng Mansion courtyard, they were about to piss themselves in fear.
Wu Xin finally believed Cheng Weishan and squeezed out, "We’ll talk after my father arrives."
Hearing this, a violent chill ran through the hearts of the crowd...
Today’s events were far from over. With so many of the City Lord’s Mansion knights dead, the City Lord himself was bound to arrive.
Suddenly...
From within the main hall of the Cheng Mansion, Fan Jinhua’s voice rang out. "Little Brother Lu, aren’t you going to kill that young miss from the City Lord’s Mansion?"
The moment he said this, the hairs on Wu Xin’s body stood on end, and she scrambled back behind Han Shu in terror.
The crowd outside the hall gulped loudly. Wu Xin was the main target today; she was the source of everything. Logically, this Life-taking Bone Calamity Star, who slaughtered people like flies, should have killed her.
But he hadn’t.
At the banquet table, Lu Chao looked back at Fan Jinhua. "To kill her, all I need is your word, Master Fan."
"How so?" Fan Jinhua asked with a smile.
Lu Chao replied, "With you here, Master Fan, the City Lord’s Mansion won’t tear away all pretenses of civility. But if Wu Xin dies, the City Lord’s Mansion will surely seek revenge at any cost. At that point, would you still be able to lead us out of Yangzhou City?"
"If you say you can, Master Fan, then I will... kill!"
Having said this, Lu Chao looked at Fan Jinhua, waiting for his answer.
Lu Chao’s original plan was... to kill Wu Xin, then take Cheng Yunsu and his father-in-law and fight their way out of Yangzhou City.
However, Fan Jinhua’s appearance, and the fact that everyone believed Wu Caicai had been the one to help him, made Lu Chao change his mind.
If he were to kill Wu Xin now, it would inevitably implicate those three.
Conversely, if Fan Jinhua replied that he wasn’t afraid of being implicated, then he would kill her.
As Lu Chao spoke, a chilling wind seemed to blow outside the Cheng Mansion’s main hall.
Everyone’s gaze was fixed on Fan Jinhua... Wu Xin, meanwhile, wanted to flee. She was terrified Fan Jinhua would utter the word "kill."
"HAHAHA..."
Suddenly, Fan Jinhua let out three loud laughs. "I still have business in Yangzhou City for a few more days. My apologies, Little Brother Lu."
He couldn’t leave Yangzhou City for the time being, which meant Wu Xin’s life had to be spared.
Shaking his head gently, Lu Chao suddenly looked at the pale-faced Cheng Chuming beside him and nodded. "In that case, I might as well stay in Yangzhou City too. After all, my dear father-in-law still has some lingering ties to resolve."
If they killed Wu Xin, they wouldn’t be able to stay in Yangzhou City. For Lu Chao and Cheng Yunsu, that wouldn’t matter.
However, it would be difficult for Cheng Chuming. If he stayed at the Cheng Mansion, he would surely be killed.
Therefore, Cheng Chuming’s only option would be to leave Yangzhou City with Lu Chao. But he still had a son.
Both were his flesh and blood...
No matter how wicked Cheng Yunxiang was, he was still his son.
For example, what if the City Lord’s Mansion used Cheng Yunxiang’s life to coerce Cheng Chuming? Would Cheng Yunsu watch her father return to his death, or would she desperately hold him back, preventing him from returning?
This would also put Cheng Yunsu in an impossible situation...
Since they now had Fan Jinhua’s protection, Lu Chao decided to stay for the time being and help his father-in-law resolve this burden.
Only by resolving it could he and Cheng Yunsu completely sever their ties with the Yangzhou Cheng Mansion.
Fan Jinhua heard this and nodded as well. "Go and resolve whatever you need to. As long as I am in Yangzhou City, no one will dare to touch you."
He guaranteed Lu Chao that he would protect him and his companions until he left in a few days.
And so, the matter was settled.
Then, Fan Jinhua asked in a low voice, "Little Brother, I took the credit for cutting off Han Shu’s arm. You don’t mind, do you?"
Lifting his eyelids slightly, Lu Chao said, "Keeping a low profile isn’t a bad thing."
Of course, Lu Chao didn’t mind. He was long accustomed to the uselessness of empty fame, so why would he care what others thought of him?
Whether people called him powerful or said he was just borrowing someone else’s strength, it wouldn’t hurt him in the slightest.
Seeing Lu Chao’s genuinely nonchalant expression, a flash of admiration flickered in Fan Jinhua’s eyes, and he said no more.
As the six of them continued to eat and drink...
Outside, Wu Xin let out a long breath of relief. She gritted her teeth and waited for her father to arrive.
The entire Cheng Mansion was also caught in a state of suspense, until a thunderous "THUD, THUD, THUD" suddenly echoed from outside.
It was the City Lord! He had arrived with the troops of the City Lord’s Mansion!
A portly, middle-aged man strode into the mansion, surrounded by a large entourage. He was none other than the Yangzhou City Lord, Wu Wei.
Seeing Wu Wei appear...
Wu Xin immediately let out a "WAHHH!" and ran over, crying, "Father, I was almost killed!"
Cheng Weishan and the others also rushed forward, each of them pointing toward the main hall of the Cheng Mansion.
Inside the Cheng Mansion’s main hall...
Fan Jinhua slowly rose to his feet and said, "Little Brother Lu, you all head back to your rooms first. Caicai and I will go handle this."
