Chapter 151 - 128: Blind Eye
"I don’t accept rewards for things I haven’t done. Please forgive me, but I can’t accept."
Fang Yue refused, crisply and decisively, without even looking to see what was inside the brocade box.
Then, without waiting for them to say another word, he turned and left.
He still had to get breakfast. Any more delays and he’d be late.
"Pah! What a piece of work. Utterly shameless!"
"He’s drunk with power and completely unforgiving. People like him are the worst. Sooner or later, he’ll come crawling to us for help. We’ll make him pay then."
"Sigh, what’s the use of saying that now? If we can’t get that shipment back, we’re going to take a massive loss."
The men from Sanfu grumbled amongst themselves, their expressions growing uglier by the second.
"Gentlemen, did you just have a run-in with that Fang Yue? As it happens, I have a score to settle with him as well."
Just then, a grim-faced young man approached from the side. He stopped beside the men from the Sanfu Trading Team and spoke, his words laced with insinuation.
"Who are you? And what do you want?" The leader of the Sanfu Trading Team frowned. Instead of answering the man’s question, he asked one of his own.
They couldn’t afford not to be cautious with a stranger who spoke like that.
If they weren’t careful, they could easily be used as a pawn. Then, if things went south, they’d have no one to turn to.
"Heh heh. No need to be so tense, gentlemen. As a show of good faith for our potential cooperation, I’ll help you get your merchandise back."
Liu Chuanzhi gave a faint, enigmatic smile, looking utterly inscrutable.
"You? You have that kind of pull? We’ve never heard of anyone like you in Shanyang Prefecture."
The manager of the Sanfu Chamber of Commerce sized Liu Chuanzhi up. The man was a complete stranger, not one of the young masters from the great families of Shanyang Prefecture he was familiar with.
’How could someone like him have the power to get our goods back? He’d probably be thrown out the moment he showed his face at the City Guard Army headquarters.’
"Heh heh. All you gentlemen need to know is that I work for Eldest Young Master Xue."
Liu Chuanzhi chuckled. Even though the early spring weather was still chilly, he waved a folding fan, the very picture of a man who had everything under control.
Sure enough, upon hearing this, the expressions of the men from the Sanfu Chamber of Commerce changed completely.
Clearly, the name of Xue Bing, the Eldest Young Master Xue, carried significant weight.
Besides, who in Shanyang Prefecture City didn’t know that Eldest Young Master Xue and Eldest Young Master Bai were rivals?
The two often clashed, but that was a battle between titans. Under normal circumstances, the chamber of commerce would never get involved.
But now, with their goods confiscated and Eldest Young Master Bai clearly unwilling to let them off easy...
...their only option was to side with Eldest Young Master Xue.
At the very least, the enemy of their enemy was their friend.
"So you work for Eldest Young Master Xue! Please, forgive our disrespect."
Instantly, the managers from the Sanfu Chamber of Commerce were all smiles, bowing with their hands clasped.
"This is no place to talk. Please, follow me."
Liu Chuanzhi returned their courtesy with equal enthusiasm before leading the men from the Sanfu Chamber of Commerce away.
~~~~~~
Meanwhile, Fang Yue was strolling down the main street of Shanyang Prefecture, looking for an authentic local spot to grab some breakfast.
He soon turned off the main thoroughfare and into an alley, where the clamor of the city marketplace washed over him. The cries of hawkers rose and fell in a ceaseless rhythm.
Children chased each other playfully, and street performers entertained the crowds. It was a lively scene.
Soaking in the rare, vibrant atmosphere, Fang Yue felt himself relax for no particular reason. He strolled at a leisurely pace, eventually following an enticing aroma to a small stall selling scallion pancakes.
"Proprietor, ten scallion pancakes, two bowls of soft tofu pudding, and two eggs."
Just then, a clear yet bold female voice rang out from beside him, accompanied by the TAP-TAP-TAP of a bamboo stick striking the ground.
The voice was crisp and self-assured. Fang Yue couldn’t help but turn to look.
And bumped right into a fair-skinned, capable-looking young woman.
She was a blind girl, leaning on a bamboo cane. She had large, beautiful eyes, but they were unfocused.
"I’m sorry, I didn’t know anyone was..."
The blind girl instinctively held her bamboo cane in front of her, on guard. She was as cautious and wary as a young fawn.
Fang Yue quickly replied, "It’s all right. I wasn’t watching where I was going either."
His clear voice and deferential tone instantly eased the tension between them.
The blind girl patted her chest, visibly relieved. She gave an instinctive nod and a faint smile in Fang Yue’s direction before turning and deftly making her way to the stall owner.
"Miss Bai, with your eyes... you shouldn’t come all this way by yourself every time. When I’m not busy, I can bring it to you," the stall owner said with a sigh as he prepared her order.
"It’s no trouble, really. The children are waiting."
The blind woman took the breakfast, turned carefully, and extended her bamboo cane in the direction she had come from.
But after only a few steps, she nearly walked into a wall.
She reached out a slender, pale hand to touch the wall, seeming to reorient herself. Then she slowly turned again. But now, with her hands full of breakfast, she had to be even more careful as she walked.
She had twisted her ankle earlier, and now it was obviously difficult to walk.
Anxiety immediately flickered across her delicate features.
Seeing this, Fang Yue found himself stepping forward. "Where are you headed?" he asked. "Can I help you?"
Hearing his voice, the blind girl’s expression became guarded. "No, it’s alright. I can manage on my own."
She then forced herself to take two steps forward, but the uneven path nearly sent her stumbling.
"Hold out your cane," Fang Yue said in a gentle voice. "We can each hold one end, and I’ll lead you. If you go by yourself and fall, you’ll spill the breakfast you just bought."
Sure enough, as soon as he finished speaking, he felt the tip of a bamboo cane timidly extending toward him.
Fang Yue took hold of one end of the cane. Following the blind girl’s directions, they wound their way through streets and alleys, soon arriving before a quiet, secluded residence.
Green vines crawled over the courtyard walls, and faded, peeling murals on the mottled plaster seemed to whisper of the residence’s former glory.
Reaching the main gate, Fang Yue looked up at the sign hanging above. The two words on it read: Bai’s Clinic.
"Miss Bai’s back! Miss Bai’s back!"
They had just reached the door when several older children ran out to greet them.
"Who are you? Why did you come back with Miss Bai? Are you an orphan too? No, you’re a grown-up, you can take care of yourself. You’re just following Miss Bai to get a free meal! Shameless!"
A little girl with braided pigtails looked at Fang Yue, her initial confusion turning into a look of disdain.
Fang Yue couldn’t help but rub his nose. ’Alright then,’ he thought. ’Getting looked down on by a little girl.’
’I don’t think I look like a freeloader, do I?’
She was just a child, after all. Fang Yue wasn’t going to hold it against her.
"Don’t be rude," the blind girl quickly explained. "I twisted my ankle. If this... this big brother hadn’t guided me home, you’d all be going hungry."