Chapter 97

August 13th.

The night was tranquil.

The events unfolded so suddenly that Wu Fan only managed to rent a small courtyard not far from the Yingyang Eagle Guard Hundred Household Office, temporarily making it his home and a makeshift shrine. With Lin Xinshan's help, he bought two pear wood coffins, made a pair of incense wood memorial tablets, and purchased two pieces of white silk. From inside to out, he decorated the new home in a simple and solemn manner.

Wu Fan had not slept all night and had been busy until late tonight, leaving him utterly exhausted. His face, already paler than usual, now looked ghastly pale. Accompanying the three Tong brothers in the memorial hall, Wu Fan was coughing incessantly, feeling extremely uncomfortable and shivering.

Tong Rui's complexion was not much better. She was mainly still in shock but could still hold on. Seeing Wu Fan in such a state, she could not help but advise, "Go to sleep! I can stay here and keep watch."

Wu Fan shook his head, refusing Tong Rui's kind suggestion.

A gentle summer breeze blew, causing the flames of the white candles to flicker, making the memorial hall even more sorrowful.

"Thud!"

Tong Wu, only five years old, could not bear it and fell asleep, toppling over and hitting his head hard. With a large bump on his forehead and no parents to comfort him, Tong Wu felt wronged and began to cry loudly.

Wu Fan's brows furrowed, feeling agitated and frustrated, but he had to suppress his anger, feeling extremely stifled.

Tong Rui noticed Wu Fan's expression and knew something was wrong. She stood up, picked up Tong Wu, and comforted him repeatedly. She then woke up Tong Ying, who was also dozing off, and led the two children away to sleep.

Soon, only Tong Wei and Wu Fan were left in the memorial hall.

Wu Fan, unable to hold on any longer, leaned against a pillar and sighed, "Dalong! Uncle... perhaps if Uncle had gone alone, he could have saved them. But... Uncle didn't! Do you... blame Uncle?"

Tong Wei shook his head, looked at his bandaged hand, and clenched his fists tightly, saying, "If Uncle had gone alone, even Erlang and Sanlang might have met their end! Uncle, you... have done enough! I am deeply grateful! I... I only regret not having martial skills! Otherwise, I would have torn those scoundrels to pieces!"

His voice was young, but the deep-seated hatred was terrifying.

Wu Fan closed his eyes and said softly, "If you don't have martial skills, then learn! Xiong Tianwang is a hero of the world, and his abilities are among the best in the empire. Being his disciple is your fortune! Study hard! When you have learned, and when Uncle finds those scoundrels... come back! Kill them! Avenge your parents!"

Pausing, Wu Fan continued, "Tong Ying and Tong Wu are still young, and Uncle will take good care of them! You don't need to worry too much while you are learning. You... must be careful. Without Uncle by your side, although Xiong Tianwang will protect you, his temperament is too rough, and he won't consider things as meticulously as Uncle. Remember, the world is dangerous, and caution is never wrong! Do you understand?"

Tong Wei nodded and said solemnly, "I will remember Uncle's teachings!"

"Good! Remembering is good!" Wu Fan tightened his collar and murmured, "There's no need to wait until the seventh day for the funeral. Wait... until the 15th. On the 15th, you will leave with Xiong Tianwang! Uncle will take care of the other matters. When you have learned martial skills and achieved great things, bringing glory to your family, you can give them a proper funeral..."

Wu Fan sighed deeply, "Uncle is powerless! The Mid-Autumn Festival... a day for family reunions, yet it has turned into a day of eternal separation, with loved ones scattered far and wide. Ah! What a tragic affair!"

Although Tong Wei did not understand why Wu Fan did not want him to wait until the seventh day for the funeral before leaving, he would not go against Wu Fan's wishes and nodded to show his understanding.

"Cough, cough, cough...!"

After a fierce bout of coughing, Wu Fan felt his eyelids growing heavier and gradually lost consciousness.

Tong Wei silently wiped away his tears, deeply moved by Wu Fan's words.

Suddenly.

Tong Wei felt something was wrong and turned to see, his face turning pale with shock, "Uncle! Uncle! Uncle..."

...

When Wu Fan woke up again, it was already midday, and the sunlight streaming in from the window was blinding.

"Awake! Awake!"

The rough voice was more relieved than surprised.

Wu Fan rubbed his eyes, slightly opening them, and finally saw the people surrounding him, managing to force a bitter smile.

Xiong Kuohai and Zhai Rang had also arrived and were in the room.

Dan Xiongxin walked in from outside, having just seen off the doctor. Seeing Wu Fan awake, he scolded, "Brother, you really treat yourself like an animal! With so many injuries, you still push yourself so hard... Fortunately, Tong Dalang noticed in time and carried you to the pharmacy in the middle of the night to find a doctor, who gave you some old ginseng soup. Otherwise... hmpf!"

A few days ago, Wu Fan had been defeated by Lan Xiner, leaving many wounds on his body. He had also risked his life by diving into the Grand Canal twice, early in the morning and late at night, to search for the sunken ship, inevitably catching a cold and running a high fever. He did not realize it, thinking it was just due to lack of rest. Later, with Tong Rui and others being captured, the stress and anger only worsened his condition.

Lying on the bed, Wu Fan stared at the ceiling, lost in thought.

"Bang! Bang!"

The sound of dense firecrackers came from outside.

Wu Fan's face changed, and he asked urgently, "What time is it? I mean, what day of August is it?"

Dan Xiongxin and the others exchanged glances and said, "It's the 15th of August, the Mid-Autumn Festival!"

"Oh no! Oh no!"

Wu Fan was greatly alarmed and struggled to stand up, but his body was weak, and he fell heavily.

Zhai Rang quickly helped Wu Fan up, saying, "What's wrong? Why are you in such a hurry?"

Wu Fan, wincing, said, "Don't ask so many questions! Three elder brothers, you must immediately take the decorated flower boats to the Grand Canal! Stop... near Menting Bridge! Hurry! Hurry! Hurry!"

Under Wu Fan's urgent urging, Zhai Rang had no choice but to go first to gather the men.

Looking at Xiong Kuohai, Wu Fan said, "Your Majesty, please help me up! We need to go to the canal!"

"Not so fast! Let's get things straight first!" Dan Xiongxin pressed Wu Fan back onto the bed, saying, "What are you trying to do, risking your life like this?"

Wu Fan, feeling weak all over, could not break free. He lowered his voice and said, "Didn't I say I would bring you all a great fortune? That fortune is at the bottom of the Grand Canal! The grain tax ship from Ji Prefecture did not disappear into thin air; it was sunk by the Mihetiao people, who then spread rumors to cover up the truth!"

Even though Dan Xiongxin had some suspicions, hearing the truth from Wu Fan's mouth still left him with his mouth agape, utterly surprised.

As for Xiong Kuohai... forget it! He probably didn't even know what two million meant! The grain tax ship from Ji Prefecture? If he understood what it meant, he wouldn't have been so foolish as to raid the empire's supply convoy, only to be chased by one of the empire's three great generals, fleeing in a panic.

"Is a fortune worth over two million taels of silver big enough?" Wu Fan narrowed his eyes and continued, "Today is the Mid-Autumn Festival, and according to the custom in Yingyang, no merchant ships will be on the canal, only various flower boats. What we need to do is mix our decorated flower boat among them, occupy the position of the sunken ship, and send divers to tie bags of coins to the ropes at the ship's stern, quietly taking everything from underwater! I estimate that a few trips back and forth will be enough to move most of it! Once it's out of Yingyang, you must immediately transport the coins to Jiangnan, Qingzhou, or Xuzhou. Remember! Exchange them for silver and gold in batches, never too much at once, to avoid drawing attention..."

"Wait! Hold on!"

Dan Xiongxin, still dazed by Wu Fan's rapid explanation, quickly stopped him. As for Xiong Kuohai, his expression was indescribable...

After much thought, Dan Xiongxin gestured, "So... the money on the grain tax ship... we just take it?"

"What else do you want? Take the ship too?" Wu Fan said strangely, then realized, "You're worried that the empire will find out and pursue us?" He sneered and shook his head, "As long as we keep the divers' mouths shut, there will be no leaks! The rest... I will blame it all on the Mihetiao! Hmpf! It's also a form of revenge, to get some interest back!"

Xiong Kuohai, though simple and rash, was now quite insightful, saying, "If it's there, we might as well take it? Is that what you mean?"

Wu Fan nodded firmly, "Exactly! That's exactly what I mean!"

[Once you take it, you'll realize that nothing comes for free. Hehehe...]

Wu Fan added this thought to himself and said urgently, "Quickly help me up! If I don't go, how will you know where the treasure is? Hurry! In a few hours, it will be dark, and we won't be able to retrieve it!"

...

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