Master into Lover

Chapter 6 Head to the red-light district

Instantly, Fang Zhihai stood before the man and said in a local accent, ‌"Uncle, your uniform is fake. I'm a local."‌

The man nearly bumped his head against Fang Zhiyuan's stomach and looked up at Fang Zhihai in bewilderment. ‌"A local? A local, why are you wearing a northern military uniform... How could you move so fast? You were just on horseback."‌

‌"No one would dare bully me if I were wearing it!"‌ Fang Zhihai reached out to steady the man, preventing him from slipping.

The man's straw sandals looked neither slip-resistant nor warm, but his linen shirt, patched with more than a dozen patches, didn't look like someone who could afford cloth shoes. ‌"Officer, what do you want?"‌

Fang Zhihai politely replied, ‌"Uncle, we just want to have a bite to eat and a bowl of hot water, and then leave. We'll pay."‌

‌"Oh, so that's how it is! I was scared!"‌ The old man gestured: ‌"Please come in."

The old man's house was spacious, with four large rooms, but except for his own, all the doors were left open, and even a bed was missing from inside.

Seeing Fang zhihai's confusion, the old man glanced at the empty rooms and sighed sadly, ‌"I used to have three sons, but they were all taken to the battlefield. Two died, and one was taken north... Alas... My daughters-in-law all remarried. Officer, as long as you don't bully my old bones, I'll let you stay for two nights."‌

‌"Uncle, we won't stay,"‌ Fang Zhihai said, pulling a piece of silver from his pocket and handing it to the old man. ‌"We were in a hurry and didn't have anything to eat. We're really hungry now, so we'll leave after we eat."‌

‌"Huh? How dare I take your money, sir? Besides, I only have white flour and wild vegetable soup, nothing else. It's not worth that much."‌ The old man took two steps back in fear.

‌"It's all right."‌ As the old man stepped back, he accidentally bumped into Xu Shu, who had just dismounted. Xu Shu promptly shoved a larger silver piece into the old man's hand.

The old man took the silver and nodded. He walked to the corner and knocked twice on the ground where hay was piled.

Suddenly, a lid opened next to the hay pile, and from beneath it emerged an old woman—the old man's wife.

The old man said sheepishly, ‌"Don't laugh at me, Officer. She just hid inside. I asked her to make you some noodle soup."

The noodle soup was quickly served.

While eating, Fang Zhihai asked the old man, "Uncle, how far is it from here to Linhu Town? I've never been this way before."

"40 miles. You can make it before dark," the old man replied, swallowing.

Fang Zhihai felt a pang of sympathy for the old man."Uncle, why aren't you eating? Get a bowl—I'll share some of my noodle soup with you."

The old man waved his hand and stepped back. "Officer, don't be so polite. You paid, so eat your fill.I'm old, but I won't starve to death just yet.There's still food in the kitchen."

After saying that, the old man left the thatched hut and walked into the kitchen.

Noodle soup was thin as water, but the wild vegetable soup did contain plenty of wild greens.

After gulping down two large bowls of piping-hot soup, Xu Shu felt so warm he nearly broke into a sweat. To reach Linhu Town before dark, Fang Zhihai immediately dragged Xu Shu along and resumed their journey.

Just as the two men remounted their horses, the old man dashed out and mysteriously handed Fang Zhihai a small cloth bag.

"Officer,when you arrive in Linhu Town, please deliver this bag to a vegetable vendor named Huang Erya at the City God Temple Entrance. She's about as tall as this young man."

Fang Zhihai took the bag, hefted it, and grinned. "Uncle, is there money in here? It's heavy."

The old man scratched his head, slightly embarrassed. "Officer, don't laugh. My granddaughter and I can't read. I wanted you to deliver a message, but I feared she wouldn't believe it. These three stones inside were her childhood toys. Seeing them, she'll know I'm telling her to leave. Linhu Town isn't safe right now—I want her to go work in Tanxing Town."

Fang Zhihai opened the bag and saw the three stones. "I'll deliver them for you, no doubt," he said solemnly.

Before nightfall, the two arrived at Linhu Town. The town was situated by a vast lake—its name "Linhu" literally meaning "by the lake's edge."

Though the town's buildings appeared low and unassuming from afar, Xu Shu and Fang Zhihai found its streets bustling with crowds upon entering. A dozen or so people clustered near the city wall, staring at the calligraphy and paintings posted there while murmuring in discussion.

Letting Fang Zhihai lead the horse, Xu Shu slipped into the crowd. To his shock, the wall was plastered with wanted posters bearing their portraits.

Xu Shu hurried back to inform Fang Zhihai.

With a sneer, Fang Zhihai helped Xu Shu mount up the horse first. Then he drew his longsword and brandished it in the air, roaring, "You damned fools! Can't you see I'm walking? Clear the way—or I'll cut you down!"

The civilians recoiled at the sight of the hulking soldier's outburst, none daring to meet his gaze, let alone confront him.

Three soldiers failed to dodge in time and were kicked twice by Fang Zhihai. They scrambled up, shouting furiously, "Which battalion do you belong to? How dare you assault us?"

Fang Zhihai landed another kick too swiftly for them to evade.

"Ask my battalion?" He saluted Xu Shu with exaggerated deference. "Young Master, these three blind worms offend your presence. Shall we execute them?"

Xu Shu stifled a laugh and shook his head impassively.

On cue, Fang Zhihai spun and slapped all three soldiers simultaneously with the back of his hand. "Consider yourselves spared by the Young Master's mercy. Now—your names and barracks numbers! General Li will see you receive twelve cane strokes tonight."

In the barracks, twelve strokes were a nominal punishment, but in winter, it meant standing naked in the snow overnight—a death sentence. When General Li wished to discreetly eliminate a soldier, he would order "twelve nightly strokes." Investigators would later find only a frozen corpse, the paperwork citing "hypothermia."

The soldiers noticed the boy's fur collar peeking from his robes—a mark of nobility—and his handler's lethal skill. This man knew General Li's methods, even the dreaded "Twelve Nightly Strokes." They dropped to their knees, kowtowing before Xu Shu. "Spare us, Master! The canes mean death!"

Xu Shu snorted from horseback. "Answer truthfully, and you might live."

"Yes, yes, Master!"

"Where are the monks now? Have they caught the fugitive?"

"Reporting to Master," stammered the kicked soldier, "the monks are combing house-to-house. They just finished West Street—likely reached East Street by now. The fugitive... remains at large. Squad Leader Liu, who leads the arrest, is growing desperate."

Xu Shu didn't dare ask any more questions, afraid he'd expose himself. He exchanged a glance with Fang Zhihai, who signaled for them to leave. Xu Shu waved his hand and cursed, "You can go now! But if I ever see you again, your heads will roll!"

"The three soldiers, clutching their bruised ribs, scrambled away in a panic."

Xu Shu and Fang Zhihai then made their way toward West Street, their presence so intimidating that no one dared to meet their gaze.

West Street was just around the corner.

As the two men searched for an inn, they suddenly spotted several monks approaching—their leader none other than Jingchen.

Xu Shu quickly turned, pulling Fang Zhihai and his horse into a narrow alley, then ducked into a woodshed behind a residential building.

The monks, noticing the suspicious movement, pursued them to the alley entrance.

"Did you see two people—one tall, one short—just now?"

"I think so, but they looked like soldiers!"

"Split up and search. You take this side... You... cover that area. I'll check this alley. The rest of you hold the middle of the road for support." The commander was Jingchen himself.

A moment later, Jingchen entered the alley alone and found Xu Shu in the woodshed.

Fang Zhihai reached for his sword, but Jingchen raised a silencing finger.

"Stay quiet," Jingchen whispered. "After we leave, go to Zuihualou on West Street. Many northern soldiers stay there—they frequent the brothels, so you'll blend in. At dawn, over 200 men will be sent after you. Leave before then."

Xu Shu trusted Jingchen and nodded.

Just as Jingchen was about to leave, Xu Shu called him back. "Brother Jingchen."

"What is it?"

"There's an old man who asked us to deliver a small bag of stones to a girl selling vegetables at the City God Temple entrance. She's about my height—Huang Erya. Could you do this for me?"

"Of course."

Fang Zhihai thrust the bag into Jingchen's hand just as the monks outside impatiently shouted, "Brother Jingchen, what's taking you in there?"

"Nothing, just taking a pee!" Jingchen yelled back, then feigned adjusting his pants and slowly emerged, legs akimbo.

Xu Shu and Fang Zhihai stayed in the shed for a long time, until certain Jing Chen and the others had left the area before heading to Zuihualou, the town's famous pleasure house.

Xu Shu noticed Fang Zhihai didn't even need to ask directions—as if he could find it blindfolded. Could Master be a regular here? Well, it seems normal for rich people to frequent brothels.

When he realized he was scrutinizing his Master too closely, Xu Shu inwardly cursed: "Xu Shu, you b*st*rd! Didn't you juggle three girlfriends in college? And didn't you have affairs with female colleagues after work? You're a b*st*rd too!"

Zuihualou was a three-story wooden structure with a walled courtyard at the entrance, where several carriages belonging to wealthy people were parked.

"Zuihua" means getting a man drunk among women. So, wouldn't Master, a grown man, be spending time with a p********e tonight?... Xu Shu didn't dare think any further. The more he thought, the dirtier his thoughts became.

He and Master led their horses into the Zuihualou courtyard. An old woman, heavily made-up and with a chrysanthemum in her hair, immediately came out with a smile. "Waiter, come quickly, help the general with the horses. My two generals, our two young ladies at Zuihualou, Qiuxiang and Chunlan, are free. Do you need their company?"

Fang Zhihai, upon hearing this, also laughed and called out, "Qiuxiang and Chunlan? Why haven't I seen these two before? Are they new here? Great! Great! They're here. Have them wash up and wait for me in the room."

"Huh?" the old woman covered her mouth with her hand, a look of surprise on her face. "General, are you guys so impatient? Why don't you eat something to recharge your batteries? Don't overwork yourself, hee hee."

"That's right, that's right. Let's eat first. As the saying goes,' there's no such thing as a hoeed field, only an overworked ox! 'Let's eat first." Fang Zhihai said this and headed straight for the side hall of Zuihualou, where the word "restaurant" was written.