Free Web NovelChapter 72: Chapter 34: Unexpected Event 2
Fang Rui felt a jolt, as if shocked by electricity. He instinctively sat up straighter and shook his legs.
’Yes, a pure heart keeps the body righteous.’
Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family, however, didn’t notice their subtle exchange. As for the blush on Third Lady’s face? The buns, fresh out of the steamer, were piping hot—one only had to look at the two little girls, Fang Ling and Nannan, to know. Their little faces were flushed from eating.
That said, the buns were indeed incredibly fragrant. Both Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family and Third Lady ate them with smiles creasing the corners of their eyes, clearly enjoying them immensely.
In the past, when it was just the three of them—Fang Rui, Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family, and Fang Ling—gathered around the table, it felt a little quiet. But today, with the addition of Third Lady and Nannan, the five of them sitting around the table made things much livelier.
Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family and Third Lady chatted about household matters, while Fang Rui would occasionally chime in with a witty remark to liven up the atmosphere.
The two little girls, Fang Ling and Nannan, also made an outstanding contribution. They ate with their heads bowed, humming in contentment, creating a joyous symphony that served as the perfect background ambience.
It was incredibly cheerful and relaxed.
The sounds of laughter and conversation, and the clinking of bowls and chopsticks, drifted out the window with the white steam, dispelling the silence of the night. In the sky above, the countless stars twinkled, as if watching with envy.
A wonderful dinner came to an end in just such an atmosphere.
...
After dinner.
Third Lady helped Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family wash the dishes and clean up before taking Nannan home.
Before they left, however, Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family firmly insisted on giving Third Lady half of the remaining buns to take with her.
After Third Lady and Nannan left, it was still early. Under the light of an oil lamp, Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family sorted medicinal herbs with Fang Ling helping at her side, while Fang Rui prepared medicine packs.
Of course, he wouldn’t tell them the truth about his plan to ambush Gao Yao and needlessly worry Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family and Fang Ling. He just made an excuse: he needed to stockpile more herbs, which meant he had to sell more medicine packs to improve his cash flow. Therefore, he would have to keep going to the Black Market for the next few days...
The excuse was perfectly reasonable and justified, so Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family naturally supported him.
"Mom, Ling’Er, I’m heading out!"
When it was time, Fang Rui led Mrs. Xue of the Fang Family and Ling’Er to the cellar before heading out.
Of course, to make his cover believable and avoid difficult questions from his mother, he brought the medicine packs with him, planning to sell them while he was there.
Outside, he saw Jiang Ping’an and another governmental officer in position. Fang Rui gave them a nod from a distance, then sped off, heading straight for the Black Market.
Upon arriving at the Black Market, he found that even though it wasn’t his usual sales day, which was once every three days, business was still brisk. There were slightly fewer customers, but since he had brought even fewer medicine packs, it didn’t take him long to sell them.
However, he didn’t see his main target: Gao Yao.
Fang Rui asked around and learned that after a recent recruitment drive, the Black Market’s patrol schedule had changed to a daily rotation.
In other words, after being on duty yesterday, Gao Yao’s next shift would be tomorrow.
’Do villains just have tough lives? Or do good things simply take time? Fine. I’ll let Gao Yao live one more day. I’ll wait for tomorrow...’
Fang Rui muttered to himself as he left the Black Market and headed back.
...
「The next day was peaceful and uneventful.」
...
That night, Fang Rui returned to the Black Market.
Just like two nights before, even though it wasn’t his regular sales day, there were still plenty of customers. Business was booming.
In the time it takes to drink half a cup of tea, he had already sold more than half of his small supply of medicine packs.
Just then, Gao Yao approached him. Beside him was another man, Yuan Da, his hand resting on a Horizontal Saber.
As Fang Rui was trying to figure out what was happening, Gao Yao spoke, a smirk playing on his lips. "Lord Fang, Young Master Lin invites you. Please come with me."
Though it was supposedly an invitation, his tone was dripping with sarcasm, enough to make anyone’s blood boil.
Any other renowned expert, faced with such a provocation from vermin like Gao Yao, would have likely lost their temper on the spot and slapped him across the face.
But Fang Rui wasn’t one to care about the so-called dignity of an expert.
A glint flashed in his eyes. ’Young Master Lin? The Lin Family from Changshan County?! Setting that aside for a moment... Gao Yao isn’t a fool, so why would he provoke me like this?’
’Is he... trying to deliberately infuriate me? To make me attack him? Or has he already sensed my hostility?’
’That’s it. Right now, Gao Yao is inviting me on behalf of Young Master Lin, so he represents Young Master Lin’s honor. If I strike him, it would be a slap in the face to Young Master Lin... In that case, even if Yuan Da didn’t want to get involved, he’d be forced to make a move!’
The realization actually put Fang Rui at ease.
Because Gao Yao still needed to provoke and enrage him, to use a "borrowed knife to kill," it meant the man didn’t have overwhelming power on his own!
As long as he restrained himself and made no mistakes, he wouldn’t be in any danger. He could avoid this crisis and then... settle the score later!
"Alright!"
With these thoughts flashing through his mind, Fang Rui agreed without hesitation.
Seeing Fang Rui agree so readily, without a hint of anger or annoyance, a flicker of panic actually crossed Gao Yao’s eyes.
It meant that this enemy... was patient, restrained, and extremely difficult to handle—a hundred times more dangerous than Cao She had ever been!
Fang Rui’s guess was completely correct.
Gao Yao’s earlier actions were indeed intended to provoke Fang Rui into fighting Yuan Da.
The reason?
For one, he simply didn’t like Fang Rui. For another—and Fang Rui had guessed this part too—Gao Yao sensed that Fang Rui might be planning to make a move against him.
Two nights ago, when leaving the Black Market, Gao Yao had vaguely sensed an unfamiliar gaze on him. Today, upon arriving, he learned that someone had been asking about his schedule. He also found out about Fang Rui’s unusual behavior: two nights ago, he had left the Black Market later than usual, and then, uncharacteristically, he had come to sell medicine two days in a row...
All these anomalies made Gao Yao deeply uneasy. With Young Master Lin happening to arrive tonight, he had instigated things a little, hoping to find an opportunity to strike Fang Rui first.
"Lord Yuan, would you mind if I packed up my things? Of course, if Young Master Lin is in a hurry, I can just leave these medicine packs and go right now. That’s fine too."
