A Sword of Frost - Chapter 4

A Theft In The Palace (1.4)

There was a street side stall selling sugared hawthorns, where an imposing big iron pot was shaking them. Yun Yifeng had never seen that before, so it was inevitable that his eyes lingered on the stall. One of the Ji’s attendants had already bought two big bags and gave them to him with a smile. Since there was no Blood Ganoderma Lucidum, they’d have to be more diligent and thoughtful with these trivial matters, for their own peace of mind.  

Ji Yanran, “…”

“What’s that?” Yun Yifeng asked, eating the hawthorn, as his gaze fell on a low platform. “There is a large chair with lots of colorful flowers and lots of people.”

Ji’s attendants explained that the chair belonged to Old Master Qi, a wealthy man in the northeast who, every year at this time, would bring out the chair so that everyone could obtain some luck to get rich. As long as they had five cents to spare, they could sit in the chair for a bit. It sounded like quite a bargain.

Perhaps, in order to bring up the atmosphere around this lucky chair, every time someone sat on it, the Qi family’s servant would chant “Promoting Good Fortune!”, which then evoked cheering and applause from the surrounding people watching. Yun Yifeng said, “For only five cents, you can be humiliated in full view. It’s really a good deal.”

Ji Yanran was amused when he heard those words, “People want some good luck, that’s all. Master Yun’s words are harsh.”

“Let’s go back to the inn.” Yun Yifeng was uninterested, “It’s too crowded and chaotic here.”

Ji Yanran used his arms and shoulder to make way through the crowd for them, as he glanced around again. There were many commoners at this market fair, along with many armed members of the pugilistic world. It wasn’t clear why they were gathered there, since the only martial arts school in Han Wu City was Yue’s Escort Bureau,  but he did not want to cause any trouble. 　　 

They got an answer to their question when they arrived at the inn; the waitstaff told them that the head of  Yue’s Escort Bureau was celebrating his 50th birthday that month, so he had invited a lot of his friends, and the event was incredibly extravagant..　　 

“You are the Master of the Feng Yu Sect, right?” The waitstaff smiled, “Chief Yue just sent a message to say that Master Yun should stay at the Yue Residence, there’s no need to stay at the inn. The carriages are ready outside.”

Ji Yanran tsked, “That was fast.”　　 

“If it wasn’t fast, then wouldn’t it be unworthy of Your Highness’ painstaking arrangement?” Yun Yifeng brushed the sugar residue on his hands, “Please..”　

The residence of Yue’s Escort Bureau was not far from the inn. By the time the group arrived, Chief Yue Mingwei had already led several people to wait at the main door. The most important thing when operating an armed escort organisation is to be amicable and have great relations with others. The more friends one had, the smoother the escort’s operations would be. Naturally, since Yun Yifeng was quite famous in the pugilistic world, Yue Mingwei would not be neglectful. In fact, he was very enthusiastic when they met, as if they were old friends reuniting after a long time. 　　 

“And this is?” Yue Mingwei looked at Ji Yanran again.　　 

Yun Yifeng said, “A client of Feng Yu Sect. I accepted his business proposal and so we travelled up northeast together.”　　 

Ji Yanran clasped his hands in salute and said, “My surname is Ji. I hope my hasty visit to your residence won’t disturb Chief Yue?”

“What are you talking about?” Yue Mingwei smiled, “There’s no such thing as too many friends. Besides, if Young Master Ji can entice the Master of Feng Yu Sect to come out of his mountain, then he must be a remarkable figure. It is my good fortune, that you are willing to stay at my humble abode. The accommodations have already been cleaned up. Gentlemen, this way please.”　　

The residence of  Yue’s Escort Bureau was constructed with a lot of thought. The front yard was used for business and the backyard was used for housing. Because of Chief Yue’s birthday celebration, almost every guest room was occupied. There were guests with loud voices who would shout out greetings, some with bad tempers who would quarrel, and those who dragged their sons and daughters to join the festivities —there were even little babies crying and screaming, causing others to feel both pain and irritation. 　

Yun Yifeng sat at the table and poured himself a cup of tea, “Yue’s Escort Bureau has joined us. How does Your Highness plan to continue with the investigation?”　　 

Ji Yanran said, “There is an assassin named Mu Chengxue, does Master Yun know of him?”　　 

“I have heard of him, but I don’t know him.” Yun Yifeng said, “He has no allegiance to any sect or martial arts school. He is very highly skilled and his whereabouts are very unpredictable. No one knows if he is good or evil, and he doesn’t have friends. He only values money.”　　

“He once inquired about the relic.” Ji Yanran said, “and not long after that, the pagoda was broken into.”　

Yun Yifeng speculated “So Your Highness suspects him?”

Ji Yanran said, “At the very least, he is more suspicious than others, and three day ago, he came to stay with Yue’s Escort Bureau.”

“No wonder when Your Highness received a secret report a few days ago, you suddenly wanted to travel straight here, without stopping.” Yun Yifeng said, while rubbing his forehead, “The only problem is that I had to suffer for it. I couldn’t eat well or sleep well… Even now, when I cough, my chest hurts.”

“Master Yun, you should rest well.” Ji Yanran stood up, “I will do the rest.”

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