Chapter 495: 495. Sheng Yue, who takes his work seriously

Translator: 549690339

The news from Jiaye City came one after another, as Sheng Yue was constantly sending corpses there.

This was in line with Gu Ling and Su Liang’s understanding of Sheng Yue: he was a rational egoist. He decided to follow Gu Ling’s intentions because it was beneficial to his own safety and future under the current situation. Once the matter was handled, he had to let Su Liang and Gu Ling know without leaving any room for doubt.

Upon receiving the same news from Jiaye City that day, Su Liang laughed lightly, “I suspect that fellow Sheng Yue may have kept a ledger, recording who he killed on what day, how many women and children he settled, how much money he spent, and whether he was injured. He could show it to us later.”

Gu Ling nodded, expressing agreement, “There’s nothing wrong with that.” There was nothing wrong with being egoistic, but the important thing is not to “harm others.”

Two days after Feng Ming returned home, he was invited to visit Peng Mansion. He also wanted to see the children he had met on the island.

Feng Ming asked Zhu Zan to accompany him, but Zhu Zan refused, “I won’t accept undeserved benefits. They invited you, so you should go. The Master said we’re not servants and can make friends, and we can leave anytime. I’ll consider whether to leave after I start a family. Don’t think too much.”

Feng Ming shook his head and laughed, “I didn’t think too much, I just haven’t experienced this kind of thing.”

“You’re so smart, what are you afraid of? Hurry up and go.” Zhu Zan patted Feng Ming’s shoulder.

In the end, Feng Ming didn’t go alone, as he happened to see Zhengzheng and Ji Xiaoshu who had just finished their homework and came out to play.

Zhengzheng and Ji Xiaoshu were already familiar with the Peng Family. After saying hello to Su Liang, they went out with Feng Ming.

“Uncle Feng, what kind of girl do you like?” Ji Xiaoshu asked Feng Ming, riding her little horse and laughing.

Feng Ming coughed lightly, “Why do you ask this, Xiaoshu? I haven’t thought about it.”

“You can think about it now,” Ji Xiaoshu said. “I’m more familiar with the capital city than my senior brother, so I can help you find the right person.”

Feng Ming couldn’t help but smile, finding this matter strange and cute. These two kids actually wanted to help him find a girlfriend?

“We are serious. Senior brother, isn’t that right?” Ji Xiaoshu asked Zhengzheng.

Zhengzheng nodded, “If there’s someone suitable and we need to play matchmaker, we can indeed help.”

Truth be told, they were both not ordinary children. Nowadays, everyone knows that they are Gu Ling and Su Liang’s disciples, and they were raised by their side. They had a wide social circle in the capital city, even broader than Gu Ling and Su Liang’s, as the two did not like socializing.

Feng Ming smiled, “Well, thank you both in advance. I’ll think about it seriously.”

As they were talking, they arrived at the entrance of Peng Mansion and were quickly welcomed in.

Ale and Axin, who were sitting obediently in the front hall, immediately rushed out when they saw Zhengzheng and Ji Xiaoshu.

Peng Wei walked out with a laugh, greeted Zhengzheng and Ji Xiaoshu, then looked at Feng Ming and nodded secretly. Su Liang had previously praised Feng Ming for being brave, resourceful, and intelligent, and Peng Wu had mentioned that Feng Ming had previously helped their mother and son. Therefore, Peng Wei insisted on meeting Feng Ming and thanking him properly.

“General Peng.” Feng Ming saluted.

Peng Wei waved his hand, “I’m no longer a general. Please come in, Young Master Feng.”

“You don’t have to be so polite, just call me by my name.” Feng Ming was neither humble nor arrogant as he walked in with Peng Wei and saw Peng Wu. She looked drastically different from how she was on Xingluo Island.

In Feng Ming’s memory, Peng Wu always had a thin face, a melancholy expression, and a trace of sorrow between her brows that could never cover her inherent determination. Compared to the other women who had been captured on Xingluo Island, Peng Wu was indeed much stronger. Many girls had perished and couldn’t make it off the island alive.

But now, as they met again, Peng Wu looked elegant, her face radiant and glowing, her brows relaxed, full of valor, her lips curled in a smile as she gracefully called out, “Young Master Feng.”

“Just call me by my name.” Feng Ming smiled and nodded, thinking to himself that this was indeed the temperament of a lady from a military family. She had been struggling with the oppression and abuse on Xingluo Island while trying to protect her child. Fortunately, their hardships had finally come to an end.

After sitting down, Feng Ming looked outside, and the children had already run far away.

“Don’t worry about them. Zhengzheng and Xiaoshu come here often, so they must have gone to the garden to play,” said Peng Wu.

After serving Feng Ming a cup of tea, Peng Wei inquired if he still had any living family members.

“I should have a few distant relatives,” Feng Ming replied, “but I’ve only heard about them from my parents when I was young. We lost contact after my parents passed away.” He managed to survive on his own, learn martial arts from a master, and grow up. If it weren’t for being targeted by an elder on Xingluo Island and captured as a slave, he had originally planned to join the army. At that time, the three countries’ situation was tense, and with his young age, outstanding martial arts, and wit, he could have achieved great things. If that had been the case, his life would be completely different by now.

After hearing the brief account of Feng Ming’s experiences, Peng Wei couldn’t help but sigh, “You are truly talented, but fate can be cruel.”

Feng Ming smiled, “Everything is fine now. It is my fortune to serve the master.”

“It’s because of your intelligence,” Peng Wei said with a laugh.

Just as Peng Fan was about to invite Feng Ming to sit with him, a servant came to report that his wife was feeling unwell. Peng Fan immediately rushed to her side.

Peng Wei also became worried and decided to ask about the situation, considering whether to invite the Imperial Physician or ask Su Liang to come and help. He left Peng Wu to attend to Feng Ming.

Seeing that Peng Wu was a bit uneasy, Feng Ming took the initiative and said, “If you’re busy, just arrange for someone to take me to the garden to find the children.”

Peng Wu shook his head and sighed softly, “It’s fine. My brother has already gone there, and my mother must be there, too. I don’t know medical skills, so I can’t help.” She then changed the subject, “I heard that you escorted Mr. Liu and his wife back to their home. Are they all right?”

Feng Ming nodded and recounted his experiences of sending the cook and the mute servant back home and helping them to find their son.

Listening to Feng Ming’s story, Peng Wu couldn’t help but empathize. Although the situations were not exactly the same, the pain of being separated from their loved ones was similar. Her parents and relatives had also suffered a great deal during those years.

“In any case, thank you – not just for saving us this time with Prince,” Peng Wu looked at Feng Ming with a serious and solemn expression, “but also for being one of the very few good men I knew on the island before that.”

Feng Ming sighed lightly, “The past is in the past. I believe that Miss Peng’s life will get better and better. The children will also grow up healthy and happy. In that case, everything I’ve done will be worth it.”

“I will live well,” Peng Wu nodded, “and I hope you will too.”

The two shared a smile before getting up and leaving the front hall for the garden.

On the way, they ran into Peng Wei, who looked very happy, so Peng Wu knew that Peng Fan’s wife must be alright.

“It was just a false alarm. However, I still want to invite Old Gao to check her pulse,” Peng Wei said, “Wu’er, please entertain Feng Ming well and invite him to stay for dinner. Don’t be too formal with us; we’re all not outsiders.”

Feng Ming quickly agreed.

After watching Peng Wei leave, the two went to the garden and saw four children standing in a line, all with the same face…

_p”>Peng Wu was stunned. Normally, she could easily tell her two sons apart, but at this moment, she was somewhat confused. Apparently, Zhengzheng and Ji Xiaoshu had disguised themselves as Axin and Ale. Of course, their clothes were different, but they might have swapped them on purpose, right?

The four children were about to go find Peng Wu and Feng Ming when they saw them coming. Not wanting to give themselves away, they remained silent. One of the children wrote on the ground with his foot, “Guess who we are?”

Feng Ming pointed at the child who had written the words, smiling brightly, “I guess, you are Xiaoshu. This must be your idea.”

The child shook his head in silence and wrote another line with his foot, “Xiaoshu knew you would think so. I’m not him.”

Feng Ming looked at Peng Wu, knowing that the subtle differences between her two sons’ original appearances had also been modified by Zhengzheng and Ji Xiaoshu. However, as their mother, she was confident that she could recognize her own children. “I will be responsible for distinguishing between Axin and Ale. Then, Feng Ming, you can discern which one is Zhengzheng and which one is Xiaoshu.”

Feng Ming agreed that their division of labor was reasonable, and soon Peng Wu began to carefully observe the four children. Before long, she pulled out Ale because he had a subconscious small gesture he didn’t even realize he had.

Then it was Axin’s turn, who was also successfully identified by Peng Wu. One of them was dressed in Zhengzheng’s clothes, and the other in his own clothes.

Peng Wu looked at Feng Ming, “It’s your turn.”

With only Zhengzheng and Ji Xiaoshu remaining, they stood silently and wore the exact same expression on their faces. They were used to playing this game.

Feng Ming gave it a try, but ultimately gave up. “I really can’t recognize them.” Actually, he had only stayed in Su Mansion for a few days until now, and had quickly left after recognizing Su Liang as his master, so he didn’t understand Zhengzheng and Ji Xiaoshu very well.

In the end, it was Peng Wu who was able to recognize the two based on their subtle changes in their gazes.

“Aunt Peng, you’re amazing!” Ji Xiaoshu gave a thumbs up. “We play this game at home, and our master often gets it wrong too!”

Peng Wu and Feng Ming went to eat fruit with the children. As they walked, Ji Xiaoshu asked, “Aunt Peng, what kind of man do you like?”

Peng Wu was taken aback, “Why are you asking this?”

Feng Ming simply smiled, and Ji Xiaoshu said that he could help Peng Wu find a match.

Peng Wu smiled and said, “Thank you, Xiaoshu, but it’s not necessary. I am quite content like this, and I don’t plan on getting married anymore.”

“Of course, that’s fine too,” Ji Xiaoshu said. “I’m just asking. Aunt Peng, you’re still young, there’s nothing wrong with pursuing happiness! Look at my master and mistress, they’re so sweet!”

Peng Wu nodded, “They are a perfect couple, truly enviable.”

“Everyone will find their most suitable partner, and I will definitely have mine in the future!” Ji Xiaoshu spoke confidently.

Ale once again looked up admiringly, “Brother Xiaoshu, you know so much!”

With that, the topic came to a close.

Peng Wu thought that Ji Xiaoshu was innocent and cute, but his words still left her feeling a bit melancholic. Before her tragedy, she had been betrothed to a prince. They had met a few times, and he hadn’t left a deep impression on her. Now when she thought back, his face was blurry, and she only remembered a name. The Situ Imperial Family had long been destroyed, and the man had married another young lady soon after Peng Wu’s calamity, but he couldn’t withstand a bout of cold and passed away.

Time had passed quickly, and now when Peng Wu looked back, she felt reluctant to recall those seven years on Xingluo Island. Aside from her children, everything else seemed to be a blank. If it weren’t for her children, Peng Wu would have wished for time to turn back and give her a more ordinary life, but now, even that hypothesis didn’t hold true.

Peng Wei invited Master Gao, the Imperial Physician, to come. They often visited each other and became close.

Master Gao checked Peng Family’s young mistress’s pulse and said there was nothing to worry about.

After lunch, Master Gao invited the children to his house to see the koi, a special treasure that Gao Jiabao had found from another region.

So, Feng Ming and Peng Wu took the five children to visit the Gao Family. Previously, Lady Xiaoyue had been caring for the Peng Family, so Peng Wu could entertain guests.

When they left the Gao Family, the sun was almost setting.

Feng Ming first escorted Peng Wu and her children to the entrance of the Peng Mansion, watched them enter, and then took Zhengzheng and Ji Xiaoshu back home.

As soon as they reached the entrance of their house, they heard the sound of horseshoes coming from another direction.

“It’s definitely another messenger from the south,” said Zhengzheng. Recently, there had been soldiers delivering messages almost every day.

But this time was different. The man approached, dismounted, and there was a sack on the horse’s back. From its shape, it seemed to contain a person.

It was indeed a soldier from Jiaye City, who had seen Feng Ming beside Qiao Jing before, and explained the situation. “All the others were corpses and just this one alive, unconscious, and with their hands and feet bound, was thrown at the back door of the Lian Mansion. There was even a note on their body, written in blood, asking to have them be bound and sent to the capital city to be handed over to the prince and princess.”

Feng Ming’s expression darkened slightly, and he guessed who it might be. He asked Zhengzheng and Ji Xiaoshu to take the messenger to see Su Liang and Gu Ling first, while he took care of the horse and the sack on its back.

Ji Xiaoshu wanted to take a look first but was stopped by Feng Ming and didn’t insist.

Feng Ming brought the horse in, locked the gate, unloaded the sack, untied the tightly sealed bag, and saw a face that was not unfamiliar. He recognized the man; he was the biological father of Axin and Ale.

Feng Ming dragged the sack straight to the dungeon and threw the man in.

On the other side, Su Liang met the messenger and learned that a living person had been brought this time. She was somewhat surprised and immediately thought about who would be singled out by Sheng Yue to be kept alive.

Sheng Yue was also the kind of person who, once he decided to do something, would try his best to do it perfectly. Since he wanted to show his sincerity and achievements, he would kill what needed to be killed, spare what shouldn’t be killed, and specially save the one that could be killed by someone else later.

Sheng Yue had known about Peng Wu’s background early on. She could be regarded as the only woman among those abducted from Xingluo Island that had any connection with Su Liang, as Su Liang had a good relationship with the Peng Family.

Therefore, when Sheng Yue killed the Zhong family members, he purposely spared the man who had tortured Peng Wu for several years and sent him as a gift.

Of course, this was an excellent “gift”. If Su Liang and Gu Ling had gone to eliminate the remnants, they would have also kept this person and handed him over to the Peng Family for disposition.

As soon as Feng Ming entered Yuanming Pavilion, he heard Su Liang ask, “Is it a man with the surname Zhong?”

Feng Ming nodded, “It’s that man.”

“Then please make another trip and inform Mr. Peng to see how he intends to deal with it,” said Su Liang.

Feng Ming then rode his horse out of the mansion and went to the Peng Family again.

Shortly after, Peng Fan arrived with two guards, following Feng Ming back to the mansion to take away the man in the dungeon.

As for how the Peng Family eventually dealt with that man, Su Liang and Gu Ling didn’t inquire further.

In Jiaye City, late at night.

Recently, corpses had been repeatedly appearing behind Lian Mansion, and the junior officer in charge probably knew what was going on; he hadn’t arranged for anyone to keep watch, but when new corpses appeared, he would send people to report to the capital and if there were living people, he would send them directly to the capital.

A shadow entered the alley with a sack on their back.

They walked to the back door of Lian Mansion, threw the sack on the ground, dragged the corpse out of it, placed it in its usual spot, then sat on the doorstep.

The moon was moving through dark clouds, and Sheng Yue looked up at it before taking out a booklet and a charcoal pencil. Turning to a new page, he wrote a few lines by moonlight and then put the items back into his chest.

“Only two left,” Sheng Yue murmured to himself. “How did I end up like this… like a psychopath who fights evil and protects the innocent? I used to hate people like that.”

After a while, Sheng Yue got up, patted the dirt off his body, and returned the way he had come. “Only two left, so hurry up and finish them off and head to the capital. If that magic treasure can’t even control Su Liang, let’s see what that Gu Family member can do.”