Chapter Sixty-Five: A Fright Without Harm

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Hu Xiao landed on the roof of the Sage Temple. Peering through a gap, she looked inside and immediately spotted Fat Zhang and Zhao Qingxue lying unconscious within the temple, a faint green mist lingering on their faces.

Hu Xiao was startled; she hadn’t expected to find these two here in the middle of the night. Judging from the pale green aura on their faces, they had clearly been attacked by a demon.

She sniffed the air, carefully surveyed the temple, but found no trace of any demon. Swiftly, she rose and flew back to Feng Yuan.

“How is it? What’s the situation inside? Is there an evil spirit causing trouble?” Feng Yuan asked anxiously as Hu Xiao returned.

Hu Xiao shook her head and said, “Young Master, I saw two people inside—your plump friend Zhang Zhen, and Miss Zhao’s eldest daughter, Zhao Qingxue. Both are unconscious, tainted with demonic energy. They must have been brought here by a demon. Judging from the aura, it’s the same as the wolf demon that attacked you the other night. It must be someone from the Zhang household.”

Feng Yuan’s face changed dramatically. “No wonder I didn’t see Fat Zhang today. He must have run into trouble on his way here. The people Zhang’s family sent to find me must have attacked them, left them there, and then went to ambush me at my house. Looks like Ergou was right—there really are wolf demons lying in wait at home. If not for him, we’d be dead by now!”

A chill ran down Feng Yuan’s spine. Without delay, he dashed toward the Sage Temple, Hu Xiao close behind.

They entered the temple and Feng Yuan immediately spotted Fat Zhang and Zhao Qingxue lying on the ground. He hurried over, calling, “Hey, Fatty! Miss Zhao! Wake up, wake up!”

He shook them as he called, but neither stirred, as if they’d been drugged into a deep sleep.

“What’s going on? Are they all right?” Feng Yuan asked Hu Xiao nervously.

“They should be fine. Young Master, step aside and let me try.”

Feng Yuan quickly moved away. Hu Xiao spat out a golden pearl, releasing two beams of light that entered Zhang Zhen and Zhao Qingxue. Instantly, wisps of green light were drawn out of their bodies, dwindling until they vanished.

Hu Xiao retrieved her inner core and told Feng Yuan, “It’s done, Young Master. They should wake up soon.”

Feng Yuan nodded and shook them gently. Soon, both began to stir. Fat Zhang was the first to open his eyes, staring blankly at Feng Yuan before blurting out in panic, “Feng, what are you doing? I’m a man, a fat one at that—you can’t do such shameless things to me!”

Slap!

“Ow...!”

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Before Fat Zhang could finish, Feng Yuan smacked him hard, leaving him wailing in grievance. “Why did you hit me?”

“No reason. I just wanted to make sure you were really awake.”

“And?”

“Seems you’re awake. Hitting you feels quite satisfying, too—plenty of cushion. Now move aside,” Feng Yuan said, pushing him away.

At that moment, Zhao Qingxue awoke. Seeing Feng Yuan, she sat up in alarm, glancing around anxiously. “Where am I? What happened?”

“I was about to ask you,” Feng Yuan replied, then explained, “This is the Sage Temple behind my house. We found you two here, unconscious. Do you remember what happened to you?”

Both fell silent, thinking. Then Zhao Qingxue said, “I remember now. I went to look for you today, but couldn’t find you. On my way, I met Young Master Zhang, who offered to help me. Then, halfway there, we were attacked. After that, I can’t recall anything.”

“I remember too. We were ambushed and knocked out,” Fat Zhang added.

“Do you remember who attacked you?” Feng Yuan pressed.

“No, I was hit from behind. I didn’t see anyone,” Zhao Qingxue shook her head, her memory blank.

Fat Zhang frowned, thinking. “I didn’t see either, but before I lost consciousness, I think I heard someone called Steward Qiao or something like that?”

“Steward Qiao! Are you sure?” Feng Yuan’s eyes sparkled with urgency.

“Yes, I think so. That’s right!” Fat Zhang nodded after a moment’s hesitation.

Feng Yuan exchanged a glance with Hu Xiao, both nodding slightly. It was clear now—the Zhang family was behind this, and Steward Qiao must be Qiao Si.

The three wolf demons lurking at his home must be Steward Qiao and his companions.

With that, Feng Yuan explained, “Here’s what happened: I offended the Zhangs of Feng City. They couldn’t find me, so they sent people to follow Fat Zhang, since he knows where I am. Miss Zhao happened to be with him, so when they found you both, they knocked you out and left you here.”

The two finally understood. Zhao Qingxue looked at Feng Yuan nervously. “Feng Yuan, are we in danger now?”

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“For now, we should be safe. The Zhangs’ people are hiding at my house, waiting for me to return. As long as I don’t go back, we’ll be fine,” Feng Yuan reassured her.

“That’s a relief,” Zhao Qingxue sighed, then added, “Our family does business with the Zhangs. We know them well. Master Zhang may seem fierce, but he’s actually quite amiable. Why would he do such a thing? How did you offend him?”

“He wanted me to write a novel for him. I refused,” Feng Yuan replied.

“That’s it? That hardly seems enough reason,” Zhao Qingxue said incredulously.

“I thought so, too. But here we are,” Feng Yuan replied helplessly.

“Wait, something’s not right!” Fat Zhang interjected. “If the Zhangs’ people just wanted to get rid of us, they could have dumped us anywhere. Why go to all the trouble of bringing us up the mountain? Isn’t that too much effort? Could there be a trap?”

“Yes! Could they have used us to lure you here and ambush you, Feng Yuan?” Zhao Qingxue added, suddenly alert and glancing around warily.

“No,” Feng Yuan shook his head. “We found you two here entirely by chance, not because they lured us. They probably didn’t dump you just anywhere to avoid being discovered by the villagers, which would ruin their plan. Here, nobody would notice, especially since several people died here a few days ago. It’s considered unlucky—nobody comes here. In fact, five people died here just this morning. That black stuff on the ground is their blood.”

“Ah!” Zhao Qingxue turned pale with fright. She threw herself at Feng Yuan, clinging to him in terror.

“I want a hug too! I’m scared!” Fat Zhang wailed, lunging toward Feng Yuan.

Thunk!

“Ow! Why did you kick me...”