Fortune in Danger

After finding out which inn Lei Buji was staying at, Sun Yixie and Huang Donglai sent him on his way. Then the two returned to their respective rooms to wash up and instructed the waiter to prepare some food. About the time it took to drink a cup of tea, both men reconvened in Huang Donglai's room. By then, the meal had been delivered. They shut the door, took their seats, and began conferring over their food. "So that question is still unresolved..." Sun Yixie muttered with a trace of worry the moment he swallowed his first bite. "Yeah..." Huang Donglai knew exactly what he was talking about. "No matter what wild tales the streets and alleys are spreading about the two of us right now, every rumor has to come from a source." He paused, taking a bite of pickled radish. (Since they had eaten far too greasily the previous night, they had deliberately ordered only porridge, radishes, peanuts, pickled vegetables, and the like to cleanse their stomachs.) He continued, "Take the matter of Shen Youran 'specially inviting' you, for instance. Who do you think leaked that?" "There are plenty of possibilities," Sun Yixie replied. "First, Shen Youran himself, who's in the know, and that carriage driver of his, Lao Wu—either of them might have spread the word for some hidden agenda. "Second, as the host of this assembly, the Justice Sect naturally had to inform the other sects co-drafting the guest list about who was being specially invited beforehand to show fairness. Those in the know within those sects could have easily leaked it. "And besides... don't forget that both our families know about this too. We never told them to keep it a secret. What's more, it's not some shameful affair, so who knows if they casually mentioned it to someone... Once they let it slip, news travels much faster than people walk. It's entirely possible that before we even set foot in Luoyang, word of Shen Youran specially inviting me had already arrived..." Hearing this, Huang Donglai followed Sun Yixie's train of thought: "And then, when we first arrived yesterday, it actually hadn't caused that much of a stir yet—at least, it wasn't known to every man and dog... But then we went and showed off at Bugui Tower last night, and today the hype just exploded." "Exactly," Sun Yixie said. "Which brings us to another question..." He raised an eyebrow. "Who leaked what happened between us at Bugui Tower last night?" "That's also hard to say," Huang Donglai replied. "In Zhixian Pavilion last night, besides you and me, there were Mister Xue, Chef Yuan, and two cooks whose names I don't even know. Later, when we were eating, several runners came in to serve dishes and clear the table... And after we got hammered, it must have taken several people to carry us back to the inn. Who knows how many people were lingering around while we were 'clearing the three trials'? And would Mister Xue or Chef Yuan keep it from their colleagues? Even if those two didn't spread it directly, it could have leaked through other mouths." "Yeah..." Sun Yixie nodded. "It's really tough to verify..." "No kidding." Huang Donglai tipped his head back to take a sip of porridge and continued, "With stuff like this, even if you confronted them face-to-face, you wouldn't necessarily get a straight answer. Besides... even if someone outright admitted they spread it, what could you do? Bragging rights like that are things most people are dying to let everyone know about." "Sigh... I get all that." Sun Yixie sighed. "Fame and fortune—who doesn't like them? Fair's fair, right? But the problem is, while enjoying fame and fortune, you need enough strength to protect your own skin. Otherwise, you could get bumped off in a split second." "Hah, like I don't know that?" Huang Donglai remarked with feeling. "Damn it, it's not like I haven't been beaten half to death before. I'm just as worried that showing off so hard right after arriving will make us sitting ducks." He spread his hands. "Now that things are already like this, what are we supposed to do?" Sun Yixie fell silent for a moment. He took a few more bites, turned it over in his mind, and quickly came up with a wicked idea: "Hmm... at a time like this, it looks like we can only play 'Flowers in the Mirror, Moon in the Water' along with 'fortune in danger'..." "Oh?" Huang Donglai knew him far too well and grasped the point immediately. "You mean... we bluff even bigger, put on an enormous front, and scare everyone out of messing with us?" "As expected of Brother Huang—you get me the moment I say it." Sun Yixie grinned. "And how exactly do you plan to pull that off?" Huang Donglai asked. Upon hearing this, Sun Yixie curled one corner of his mouth and waved Huang Donglai closer. Then, he whispered a scheme into his ear... …… That very afternoon, without so much as a prior notice, the two headed straight for the Justice Sect headquarters the moment they left their inn. Stopped by the gatekeeper, they gave their names on the spot and stated they wished to see Sect Leader Shen. If any other jianghu newcomer had knocked on the door so brashly, the gatekeeper would probably have told them Sect Leader Shen was busy and ordered them to get lost, or at least demanded a calling card first. But Sun Yixie and Huang Donglai happened to be the talk of Luoyang today; even this gatekeeper had heard of them. And so, after a momentary hesitation, the underling at the gate decided to go inside to announce them, asking them to wait outside for a moment. At that moment, Shen Youran was sitting in his chamber listening to the sect's accountant deliver a financial report. When the gatekeeper entered and explained the situation, Sect Leader Shen was genuinely caught off guard... However, after a brief pause of several seconds, a smile soon spread across his face, and he thought to himself, *These two brats... actually came knocking on their own? What kind of move is this? Hmph... interesting.* With that in mind, he dismissed the accountant and gave an order: "Have someone prepare fine tea, and quickly invite the two young masters in." Shen Youran's reaction brought a sigh of relief to the gatekeeper, who had been dreading that his sect leader might snap, "What kind of nobodies are you bothering to announce? Do this again and I'll throw you out along with them!" Fortunately, Shen Youran had said no such thing. On the contrary, he had given orders with the attitude of welcoming distinguished guests, which made the gatekeeper hold Sun and Huang in even higher regard in his heart... To make a long story short, moments later, Sun Yixie and Huang Donglai were seated alongside Shen Youran in a medium-sized side room. Shen Youran had not invited them into the Justice Sect's grand reception hall for guests. Instead, he had chosen this private chamber, which signified... that he was not discussing public business with fellow martial artists as the sect leader, but receiving friends in a private capacity. The difference here was immense—would it mean the same thing if your superior called you into a conference room to talk versus inviting you into his home? Sitting for a spell in the Justice Sect's main hall was not hard; many had done so. But getting Shen Youran to invite you to the rear quarters for tea... was no easy feat. "Worthy brothers, it has been many days. I trust you have been well?" Shen Youran remained as refined as ever, his manners polished and his speech eloquent, exuding an air of scholarly grace in every gesture. "Thanks to your great fortune, Big Brother Shen, we've been doing well enough." Sun Yixie squinted, putting on a flattering expression, naturally shifting his address from the original "Sect Leader Shen" to "Big Brother Shen." Huang Donglai chimed in with a similar tone, his face plastered with a broad smile: "We originally wanted to pay our respects to you as soon as we reached Luoyang, Big Brother Shen. Unfortunately, it was already dusk when we entered the city yesterday, so we didn't dare disturb you. Later, we had a bit too much to drink during our late-night meal, which led to waking up late today, and that's why we only managed to come visit now." These words were seventy percent truth and thirty percent lie. The false part was that Huang Donglai and Sun Yixie had never harbored any intention of visiting Shen Youran upon arriving in Luoyang. But the true part consisted almost entirely of objective facts that could be seen by all. If Shen Youran had not been fully informed about their whereabouts, he might have harbored a sliver of doubt regarding those words. However... the reality was that he knew everything. From the moment the two entered Luoyang, Shen Youran had known every single move they made. The reason was simple: this was Luoyang, his home turf. While he wouldn't dare boast about other territories, within the borders of Luoyang—whether among officialdom, the martial world, or the common populace—there was virtually no news the Justice Sect could not uncover. Here, Shen Youran was a man of supreme influence with eyes and ears everywhere. Yet precisely because he was crystal clear on Sun Yixie and Huang Donglai's movements, he felt their words were completely genuine at this moment—everything they said matched the intelligence he had gathered. *Heh... so they're just two sycophants.* At that moment, Shen Youran's wariness melted away by more than half, and he inwardly mocked them with a sneer. Outwardly, of course, he replied with a warm smile: "Heh, why be so formal, worthy brothers? Yixie is someone I deeply admire, and Donglai even stepped in to save my life... The doors of my Justice Sect are open to you at all times." He shook his head slightly, his tone brimming with sincerity. "Never mind dusk—even if you came knocking in the middle of the night, I would rush out to greet you with unlaced shoes and treat you as honored guests." Shen Youran's acting was far from poor. What he did not know was that all the way back in Hangzhou, Sun Yixie and Huang Donglai had already pegged him as an intriguer with ulterior motives and kept their guard up against him. Right now, with premeditation facing off against an unwary heart, he had no chance of fooling them... "Splendid!" Sun Yixie had been waiting for those very words. "Since Big Brother Shen has put it that way, this brother won't beat around the bush..." Delivering the lines that followed was a job only someone with skin as thick as an ironclad ox like Brother Sun could pull off. "To tell you the truth, it's quite embarrassing... Last night at Bugui Tower, we had a bit too much to drink and ended up ordering more dishes than we realized. Although they put it on our tab for now and didn't press us to settle it right away, the two of us did the math, and with the traveling money we have left, I'm afraid we're falling a bit short..." He was lying through his teeth. How could he possibly be unable to afford a meal? One had to remember that before Sun Yixie set out, his mother had secretly slipped him a whopping six thousand taels in silver banknotes to keep on his person. What did six thousand taels mean? In modern terms, it was roughly enough to buy a forty-square-meter second-hand apartment within Beijing's Second Ring Road. Traveling with that kind of purse, never mind going from Hangzhou to Luoyang—if there had been land bridges connecting them, you could have walked from Hangzhou to Los Angeles and back several times... Although Sun Yixie had cashed out silver at various banks along the journey, he still had more than five thousand taels' worth of banknotes untouched on him. How much could a single meal possibly cost? A few dozen taels at the absolute most. Could he really not afford it? "Oh..." Hearing them plead poverty, the smile on Shen Youran's face grew even brighter, while his inner contempt deepened further. He thought to himself right then: *Hmph... In the end, he's just an illiterate, clumsy fishmonger who knows nothing of literature or martial arts... A petty peddler with eyes only for money. Even with a wealthy family, he still loves taking petty advantages like this. And that Huang fellow is cut from the exact same cloth—birds of a feather truly flock together... It seems the Huang Clan has genuinely fallen into decline, producing descendants this pathetic...* With that, Shen Youran's wariness dropped by another thirty percent, and he essentially looked upon Sun Yixie and Huang Donglai as the lowest sort of martial trash. "Haha... A trifle, a mere trifle." Yet Shen Youran maintained his pleasant smile, speaking with utmost courtesy. "When traveling abroad, everyone hits a tight spot now and then. In a moment, I will have someone deliver the silver to clear your tab. Consider last night's meal my treat." Before Shen Youran's words had even settled, Huang Donglai spoke up again: "Uh... actually, it's not just the matter of that meal." He paused for half a second, putting on an awkward expression, and continued, "We did the math. There are still about ten days left until the Mid-Autumn Festival, plus the Heroes Assembly itself will run for several days. All told, it'll take nearly half a month. With what little silver we have on us... I'm afraid we can't afford to stay at an inn for that long." Before he had even finished, Sun Yixie smoothly chimed in: "So we were thinking, since Big Brother Shen's Justice Sect is right here in Luoyang, and given the friendship between us, why not... come stay here under your roof for a few days? It would also give us a chance to get closer to you, Big Brother." If Sect Leader Shen knew English, a certain phrase would have perfectly captured his state of mind at that moment—*What... the... fuck?* Hearing Sun Yixie and Huang Donglai's request, even a man as poised and composed as Shen Youran couldn't help venting in his mind: *What friendship do I have with you two? We've only met once before! I was just spouting polite pleasantries, and you really took yourselves for my sworn brothers or something? After all that chatter... not only do you want me to pay off your tab, you actually want to sponge free food and lodging off my Justice Sect?!* And yet... he had no way out. He had spoken so grandly just moments ago; rejecting them now would make him look both hypocritical and stingy. "Heh... heheh..." Shen Youran kept smiling politely, though the smile was growing a bit stiff. "This... well... it's not impossible." Forcing himself to follow through, he replied, "My Justice Sect has plenty of vacant rooms, so accommodating two more people for meals and lodging is no trouble at all. It's just that I am often occupied with sect business, so I fear I won't have much time to keep you company..." "No problem, no problem!" Sun Yixie cut him off before he could finish. "Go ahead and attend to your business, Big Brother Shen. When you're busy, we won't disturb you in the slightest. We'll find things to do on our own—no need to worry about us feeling out of place." Shen Youran thought: *Of course you won't. How shameless can you two get? Just a moment ago, you were claiming you wanted to 'get closer' to me, and now it's instantly 'as long as there's food and shelter, it doesn't matter whether someone named Shen is around or not.' With that kind of mindset, how could you possibly feel out of place?!* "Very well..." After a breath, Shen Youran suppressed his surging anger, the corner of his mouth twitching as he agreed. He added, "I shall instruct the servants to make arrangements... Er... should I send someone to the inn to fetch your luggage...?" "Oh, we already brought our luggage with us. Just two bundles and a trident—easy enough to carry in hand, so we brought them along. We've already checked out of our rooms at the inn as well, so there's no need to trouble your brothers to make the trip." Huang Donglai was telling the truth. Before entering this room, they had already handed their bundles and weapon over to the gatekeeper for safekeeping; they were currently stored in the Justice Sect's storehouse. Hearing this, Shen Youran's face turned completely pale with anger. He thought: *You two came here planning to fleece me to death from the very start, didn't you? You never intended to leave today at all!* Yet no matter how much he loathed the pair right now, he could neither drive them out nor treat them cold-heartedly. The reputation of these two was currently spreading like wildfire across Luoyang, and everyone knew they were guests Shen Youran himself had traveled all the way to Hangzhou to "invite"... Today, they had strode openly through the Justice Sect's front gate, an act seen by countless pairs of eyes. If he threw them out or showed them poor hospitality, and they went around embellishing the story afterwards, what would that look like? Suppressing newcomers? Envying the worthy? Or that Shen Youran was so tight-fisted he begrudged an extra pair of chopsticks? What would their peers in the martial world think of him? What would they think of the Justice Sect? At this point, Shen Youran already regretted leaking the "intelligence" about these two. He had originally intended to use them as targets to divert attention so he could work in secret. Who would have thought that less than a day after the news got out, these two shameless bastards would march right into the Justice Sect to move in... And he couldn't even refuse them. Hadn't he just dug his own grave? Just as he was silently fuming, an even more unexpected turn of events occurred... "By the way, Big Brother Shen, I have two more things to mention to you," Sun Yixie chimed in again. "Worthy brother... feel free to speak." The veins on Shen Youran's temples were throbbing, but he held his composure, barely managing a pleasant expression. "Right, let's start with my own business first." As Sun Yixie spoke, he reached into his robe and pulled out a crumpled, folded sheet of paper. "I have... an internal cultivation method here, and I'd like to ask Big Brother Shen to take a look and give me some guidance..."