Chapter 10

Lei Laohu puffed out his belly and said, "Kid, you didn’t really kill that Jiumen Inspector from the capital, did you?"

Fang Xiaoyu chuckled and replied, "It’s just a Jiumen Inspector. If I killed him, so what? What’s the big deal?"

Lei Laohu couldn't help but curl his lips and grumbled, "Damn, this kid is really arrogant. That’s a powerful Jiumen Inspector, not some little chick. How can it sound like he’s just killed a chick?"

Fang De, hearing Fang Xiaoyu’s words, couldn’t help but stare at him in shock, "Xiaoyu, did you really kill the Jiumen Inspector?"

The Jiumen Inspector could be considered one of the most capable generals under Emperor Qianlong, always responsible for suppressing the Red Flower Society. Countless members of the Red Flower Society had died at the hands of E’erduo.

Because so many people had died at E’erduo’s hands, Fang De was very clear about his prowess. If it weren’t for Fang Xiaoyu’s own words, he would really doubt whether Fang Xiaoyu was lying.

Seeing that Fang De didn’t quite believe him, Fang Xiaoyu nodded and said, "I just got lucky, but E’erduo is indeed dead. This is a fact. I believe that with the Red Flower Society’s information-gathering capabilities, it won’t be long before they receive the news."

Fang De, excited, slammed his fist on the desk, unable to hide his joy, "Good, very good. This corrupt official is dead, and it’s a great revenge for our brothers in the society."

Lei Laohu pouted and said, "What’s good about it? Killing E’erduo has caused a big stir. We will all become wanted criminals by the court. Peace is best, peace is best..."

Ignoring Lei Laohu’s grumbling, Fang Xiaoyu held Lei Tingting’s hand and said to everyone, "Everyone, get some rest. If my guess is correct, the officials in Guangzhou will not dare to be negligent after E’erduo’s death. We must leave Guangzhou as soon as possible."

Fang De nodded heavily, "Right, we’ll head to the Red Flower Society’s headquarters tomorrow."

Everyone returned to their rooms to rest.

The next morning, it was still dim when Fang Xiaoyu, who had only slept for a few hours, woke up. He looked at the sky outside and then at Lei Tingting, who was snuggling in his arms.

Fang Xiaoyu couldn’t help but be captivated. Lei Tingting, just 17 or 18 years old, was a new bride, and the mix of her youthful innocence and mature charm, along with her stunning beauty, made Fang Xiaoyu feel a surge of passion.

Lei Tingting, wearing a moon-white robe, her eyes fluttered slightly as she opened them to see Fang Xiaoyu staring at her intently.

A glimpse of white flashed across her chest, and Lei Tingting’s face turned slightly red as she slowly got up and said, "Husband, why aren’t you resting?"

Fang Xiaoyu took a deep breath, suppressing his desires, and patted Lei Tingting’s shoulder, "Tingting, get dressed. We need to leave as soon as possible."

Hearing this, Lei Tingting was startled, and at that moment, Fang Shiyu’s voice came from outside, "Big brother, wake up. Get ready, everyone is about to leave."

Fang Xiaoyu, while dressing, said apologetically to Lei Tingting, "It’s our Fang family that has put you in this situation..."

Lei Tingting reached out to cover Fang Xiaoyu’s mouth, her face full of tenderness, "Husband, don’t say such things."

Fang Xiaoyu kissed her hand, and Lei Tingting’s face turned red, giving him a charming glance. Fang Xiaoyu laughed and said, "Tingting, hurry up and get ready. I’ll go check outside."

Soon, everyone was ready. In the courtyard, there were more than a dozen people, including the Fang and Lei families, and a dozen strong, sword-wielding men were scattered around.

These dozen men, if you looked closely, were all under twenty years old, with a hint of youth in their faces, but they exuded a fierce aura, the result of Fang Xiaoyu’s efforts over the past decade.

With the vast wealth that Fang Xiaoyu secretly controlled, it was easy to cultivate some loyal subordinates.

These dozen guards, though not individually formidable, when gathered together, could stand up to a company of a hundred Green Standard Army soldiers.

Fang De knew nothing about these men, but Fang Shiyu, who was always with Fang Xiaoyu, had a vague sense of something. However, Fang Shiyu never imagined that Fang Xiaoyu had gathered such a formidable group of subordinates.

Fang Shiyu, with his natural inclination for bravery and combat, was very satisfied with these subordinates. If the time and place were right, he would have challenged them.

There wasn’t much to pack. When the high horses were led out, even Fang De looked at Fang Xiaoyu with surprise.

If it weren’t for their previous experiences numbing them, everyone would have surrounded Fang Xiaoyu to ask what other plans he had that they didn’t know about.

Since the sudden events of the previous day, Fang Xiaoyu had revealed one shocking card after another, from the secret passage to the calm departure from the city, and the dozen strong guards. Everything exceeded Fang De’s expectations.

With a swift leap, Fang Xiaoyu mounted his horse, and with Lei Tingting’s cry, he pulled her up and into his arms, saying to the stunned crowd, "What are you all standing around for? Get on your horses."

The crowd reacted, each mounting their horses.

With Fang Xiaoyu’s nearly ten years of preparation, the journey was smooth, not at all like a flight.

In just a few days, they were close to the Red Flower Society’s headquarters.

The Red Flower Society was located in a remote town. As a force being suppressed by the court, its headquarters was not simple.

The entire town was made up of Red Flower Society members, who were extremely low-key, and even the local authorities would never have guessed that the famous Red Flower Society’s headquarters was hidden in a town.

On this day, the peaceful town was disrupted by the arrival of a dozen high horses.

Under a large tree at the entrance to the town, a dozen figures, led by a refined-looking man, were watching the approaching horsemen from a distance.

One of the figures, a one-armed Taoist, laughed, "They’re here, it’s Brother Fang De and his group."

The refined-looking man was Chen Jialuo, the leader of the Red Flower Society. Beside him, a bald man with a sinister look narrowed his eyes, staring at the rapidly approaching group with a cold smile. He was Yu Zhenhai, the descendant of the former leader of the Red Flower Society, Yu Wanting.

Chen Jialuo smiled at Yu Zhenhai and the others, "Everyone, let’s go welcome Brother Fang De."

"Whoa!"

With a long sigh, the horses came to a stop. Fang De dismounted, his face full of joy, and quickly approached Chen Jialuo, bowing, "Fang De greets the Grand Leader, all the leaders are well!"

Chen Jialuo held Fang De and smiled, "Brother Fang, no need for formalities. It’s my fault that your family’s identity was exposed, causing you harm..."

Fang De immediately straightened his expression, "Grand Leader, don’t say such things. I am a member of the Red Flower Society, and the exposure of my identity is understandable. How can it be the fault of the brothers in the headquarters?"

Yu Zhenhai said in a sarcastic tone, "It’s just a pity about that vast wealth. If you had transferred it earlier and let the headquarters handle it, now that your identity is exposed, that wealth will fall into the hands of the Qing court."

Fang Xiaoyu, after dismounting, observed everyone with interest. Chen Jialuo, played by Zheng Shaoqiu, was indeed refined and elegant, and Yu Zhenhai, as expected, was the major villain from the original story, immediately complaining about the loss of their family’s wealth.