Chapter 34: Chapter 34
They moved to a fresh room.
Only Wen San and his two bodyguards remained, along with Li Suifeng and Yuan Hai.
Liu Sanmao had already left — an incident of this scale demanded his personal attention.
“I didn’t expect Brother Li to be a few years younger than me and already this formidable.”
“With a better background, the Human Rankings would have a spot for you.”
Wen San poured a cup of the fine wine he’d brought and raised it.
“Young Master Wen is too kind.” Li Suifeng shook his head and drained his cup. “Compared to the true prodigies on the Human Rankings, I’m still a long way off.”
“Take Ye Qingmei — only nineteen, already late seventh-rank, with the combat power to challenge sixth-rank fighters.”
“Ye Qingmei is certainly impressive.” Wen San nodded.
Yuan Hai kept his mouth shut the entire time.
He was busy savoring the wine on the sly.
The drinking lasted about an hour.
Li Suifeng still had no idea who Wen San really was.
When the food and wine were done, Li Suifeng made to leave.
Wen San smiled.
“Brother Li — stay the night. I’ve already made arrangements.”
He flashed a knowing grin. A handmaid appeared and led him toward the Lakeheart Pavilion’s top floor.
Two more attendants approached Li Suifeng and Yuan Hai.
“Honored guests, please follow us.”
“Your room is on the fourth floor, Boss Li. Elder Yuan’s is on the third.”
They bowed gracefully.
“Boss Li — I’ll go on ahead!”
Yuan Hai could barely contain himself as he followed the attendant toward the third floor.
Li Suifeng trailed his own guide up to the fourth.
The Lakeheart Pavilion had five levels. The fourth floor was second only to Wen San’s top-floor suite.
“Here we are, Boss Li.”
The attendant stopped before a door.
“You can go.”
Li Suifeng pushed the door open.
A strikingly beautiful young woman was already waiting inside.
“Tonight, I’m yours.”
“The Lakeheart Pavilion lives up to its name.” Li Suifeng tilted her chin up with one finger, appraising the face before him.
In terms of sheer beauty, this girl was scarcely inferior to Lin Zhixu. In Nanyang, she’d have been the most sought-after courtesan in the city.
She lacked Lin Zhixu’s air of refinement, perhaps — but she was more than worthy of his attention.
Before long, sounds of mutual enthusiasm drifted from behind the closed door. Trained in the Lakeheart Pavilion’s arts, the girl had the outward grace of a nobleman’s daughter but none of the reserve — yielding, responsive, spirited.
…
The next morning.
Li Suifeng stepped out of his room.
Despite the previous night’s indulgences, a martial artist’s constitution recovered quickly.
By the time he reached the ground floor, Yuan Hai was already waiting.
“Did Boss Li sleep well?”
Yuan Hai was all smiles — clearly satisfied with his own evening.
“Not bad.”
Li Suifeng nodded and sat down beside him.
Attendants promptly brought breakfast.
“Boss Li — Young Master Wen left early this morning.”
“Elder Liu came to collect him personally.”
Yuan Hai lowered his voice:
“Boss Li, why did you turn down Elder Liu’s offer to stay at headquarters?”
“With your ability, a few years here and you’d be set. Why go back to the branch?”
Li Suifeng shook his head. “I’d rather stay close to home. Headquarters may have more opportunities, but it also has more people you can’t afford to offend. And the competition is far fiercer — harder to stand out.”
“As long as I keep climbing at the branch, the day will come when I make my mark.”
Yuan Hai considered this. Once they returned, Boss Li would officially become a Nanyang Branch Elder. Above him sat only the Helmsman — practically untouchable. And now, with Liu Sanmao’s connection, a future as Helmsman was within reach.
If he returned to headquarters as a Helmsman, even a Grand Elder’s seat wasn’t out of the question.
…
After breakfast, Yuan Hai took Li Suifeng on a brief shopping trip through Tianhe Prefecture for local specialties. Then they headed for the docks.
They’d arranged with the Nanyang brothers to reconvene at noon for the return voyage.
The two arrived at the wharf just before midday.
But the moment they stepped onto the dock, Li Suifeng’s expression turned black.
“What’s going on?”
Their Nanyang Branch brothers had been disarmed and were standing on the dock under guard — watched by a contingent of Canal Gang enforcers.
“Well, well!”
“The man himself.”
The dock steward who’d processed their cargo yesterday approached with nearly twenty Canal Gang disciples at his back, sneering at Li Suifeng and Yuan Hai.
Yuan Hai stepped forward immediately, clasping his fists.
“Manager Ma — what is the meaning of this?”
Manager Ma barely glanced at Yuan Hai. His gaze was fixed on Li Suifeng. His voice was cold:
“What’s the meaning? I’d like to know that myself.”
“The medicinal herbs you delivered yesterday — the bottom layers were packed with wild grass. I suspect you swapped the real goods during transit. Quite the audacity.”
“If I hadn’t run a second inspection this morning and caught the discrepancy, I’d be the one taking the blame.”
Yuan Hai’s face went dark.
“Manager Ma — you personally inspected and accepted every crate yesterday. Now you’re trying to frame us?”
He’d handled the handover alongside Manager Ma himself. Everything had checked out perfectly.
One night later, suddenly there was a problem?
This was clearly Manager Ma trying to set them up.
He’d accompanied the previous Helmsman to headquarters twice before. Nothing like this had ever happened.
“I say it’s short, so it’s short.”
Manager Ma ignored Yuan Hai entirely and walked straight toward Li Suifeng.
“Come with us to the Disciplinary Hall. We’ll find out soon enough whether it was you two who made the swap, or one of your men.”
The Disciplinary Hall!
Every Nanyang Branch disciple went pale.
The Canal Gang’s Disciplinary Hall was feared across all of Nanzhou.
Not just because its master was one of only two fourth-rank Grandmasters in the entire Canal Gang — but because the methods of interrogation practiced inside those walls were the stuff of nightmares.
Anyone who went in came out missing at least a layer of skin. If they came out at all.
“Boss Li!”
“Boss Li — we can’t go to the Disciplinary Hall!”
“Boss Li, save us!”
The brothers’ desperate pleas filled the air.
“Framing people in broad daylight — you’ve got some nerve.”
Li Suifeng fixed Manager Ma with an icy stare.
Manager Ma sidled close, dropping his voice to a whisper at Li Suifeng’s ear:
“That’s exactly what I’m doing. And what are you going to do about it?”
He stepped back two paces, voice rising again:
“Take them all to the Disciplinary Hall!”
“Yes, sir!”
“Yes, sir!”
Two eighth-rank Canal Gang enforcers grinned and reached for Li Suifeng’s wrists.
WHAM!
WHAM!
Two dull impacts.
PFFT!
PFFT!
Both men were sent flying, crashing through stacked cargo and scattering crates across the dock.
“Oh?”
“Someone’s actually making trouble on a Canal Gang dock?”
“This should be good.”
The dock was busy. Every eye turned toward the commotion.
Manager Ma’s smirk vanished. He watched Li Suifeng advance, step by step, and his face drained of color.
“Li Suifeng — assaulting fellow gang members! Are you trying to start a mutiny?”
Canal Gang enforcers from the dock’s perimeter closed in, surrounding Li Suifeng and Yuan Hai.
“You’re the one framing people for no reason.” Li Suifeng’s voice was cold. “I’ve never been to headquarters before. Why are you targeting me?”
“Was this the Helmsman’s idea… or was it Qi Hu?”
At the name “Qi Hu,” Manager Ma’s expression flickered — barely, but enough for Li Suifeng to catch.
Manager Ma’s eyes darted to an approaching column of men. A smile returned to his face.
“Don’t you dare make baseless accusations!”
“You embezzled herbs meant for headquarters and then attacked your own people. Today, you’re going to the Disciplinary Hall whether you like it or not!”