I Have A Dual World Seal-Chapter 471: The Probing in Leping Building

The next day, early in the morning, Lu Zheng was woken up by the crowing of roosters outside his door.

"What’s going on?"

"Young Master, there’s a man outside with two hens. He says they were sent by order of North City Landlord Wang from Feng City."

Lu Zheng donned his inner garment and stepped outside, just as Uncle Li came to report from the back courtyard.

"Old Wang is quite courteous, starting to send gifts already today." Lu Zheng said softly, then nodded, "Got it, accept them."

Of course, Uncle Li didn’t know anything, he listened to Lu Zheng’s instructions, agreed, and then prepared to leave.

"By the way, from time to time, they might send some chickens over, just go ahead and accept them." Lu Zheng reminded.

"Yes, understood!" Uncle Li replied, having a bit of understanding now, he went out, took the hens, and gave the man a few coins in return.

"Keep one at home and send the other to the Liu Family." Lu Zheng said, then went out, heading towards Leping Building.

Indeed...

"Young Master Lu, good morning!" Old Master Wang also arrived at Leping Building.

"Good morning, Landlord Wang!" Lu Zheng greeted with a smile, "Thank you, Landlord, seems there won’t be a shortage of chickens at home in the future."

"I have a chicken farm at home, there are more chickens than we can eat. If you’re interested, it’s my honor!" Old Master Wang laughed.

Several familiar patrons nearby were a bit puzzled; previously, Young Master Lu and Old Master Wang’s seats were quite far apart, how had they suddenly become so familiar?

However, from their speaking attitude just now, it seemed Old Master Wang owed Lu Zheng a favor, but since they didn’t mention it, the others refrained from prying, simply greeting them and then sitting in their own seats.

Old Master Wang, feeling at ease, sat next to Lu Zheng and asked the waiter for fragrant tea and snacks.

Out of the corner of his eye, Lu Zheng noticed that the thick-browed, big-eyed middle-aged man from yesterday had also appeared in Leping Building.

Lu Zheng saw him, and he saw Lu Zheng too. They nodded to each other before the waiter led him to a seat slightly behind Lu Zheng.

Lu Zheng’s gaze flickered, he turned slightly and said with a smile, "I have met this gentleman before. I am Lu Zheng. May I know your name?"

The middle-aged man waved his hands repeatedly, "Oh no, I don’t deserve to be called a gentleman. My surname is Fan, Fan Boyu."

Lu Zheng smiled slightly and asked, "Mr. Fan seems unfamiliar. Have you just moved to Tonglin County? Or are you accompanying family here for some exams?"

"Neither, I run some merchant business. I’ve caught a bit of rheumatism, so I figured I’d stay in Tonglin County for half a month to recuperate." Fan Boyu replied with a smile, then added, "Young Master Lu seems familiar with the doctors at Renxin Hall?"

Lu Zheng nodded, "We are neighbors."

Fan Boyu nodded and smiled, "Neighbors should indeed help each other."

Old Master Wang glanced over and his eyes twinkled. He joined the conversation, "I don’t know what kind of business Mr. Fan is in, but I’d love to hear about it. Maybe we could cooperate?"

Fan Boyu was startled at the words, then immediately said, "It’s just dealing with some mountain goods, a bit of everything: herbs, furs, wild game, and such. The quantities are not large, they’re just sold off piece by piece."

"Oh?" Lu Zheng smiled, "This business must depend on the mountains. Mr. Fan, you should be from near the Ling Mountain Range. Are you from Rongzhou or Lingnan Dao?"

"Liling County in Rongzhou." Fan Boyu replied with a smile.

"Oh? What a coincidence, I’ve been to Liling County a few times. The mountain delicacies from Mountain View Tower there are indeed exquisite." Lu Zheng smiled.

Fan Boyu nodded, "The most famous dish is a stewed assortment called ’Hundred Flavors’, blending over ten kinds of mountain game like boar, deer, tiger, and dog. It’s the signature dish of Mountain View Tower."

Old Master Wang chimed in, "I visited there once ten years ago, but I wonder if the most famous spot on the street in Liling County is still Luoxia Building in the South Street Market?"

Fan Boyu shook his head, "Not anymore. Now, the largest brothel is called Phoenix Perch Pavilion."

He paused, then continued with a laugh, "The old gentleman might have misremembered, Luoxia Building is located on North Street."

Old Master Wang patted his forehead, "I’m really getting old, my memory isn’t what it used to be."

As his words ended, the storyteller invited by Leping Building entered from behind the curtain.

The gavel struck, and he took a sip of fragrant tea.

"Continuing from yesterday, the tale speaks of that amorous scholar Mr. Wang bidding farewell to the talented lady Qin Hongyu, setting off to the capital for the exams. One day along the official road, he happened upon a Mountain God Temple..."

The storyteller was narrating on stage, while everyone listened below, enjoying tea and snacks leisurely.

"Hey there, storyteller, you just said that ghost lady devoured all travelers with cruel intent, so why did she, all of a sudden, show compassion towards a wild hare by the road? Isn’t this nonsense?" A man in the audience interrupted.

"Not at all." The storyteller wagged his head, "The ghost lady was cruel to humans because she was wronged and killed, but she pitied the wild hare because her intrinsic nature wasn’t bad."

"Then why was she so cruel to humans but didn’t kill Wang Haoran?" 𝓯𝙧𝓮𝓮𝒘𝓮𝙗𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒆𝓵.𝓬𝓸𝒎

"That’s because Mr. Wang also showed pity for the wild hare, which softened her heart towards him." The storyteller explained again, then continued his story.

Fan Boyu nodded, "Interesting, this story is compelling; it’s rare to have a character that’s both good and evil, neither wholly righteous nor pure wicked."

Normally in stories, characters are often stereotypical for easy understanding and relatability. This tale intriguingly has a ghost woman who is ruthless yet soft-hearted in some aspects, making her stand out.

Lu Zheng couldn’t help but curl his lips, "The ’The Story of the Two Sisters’ is quite renowned. What, Mr. Fan, you’ve never heard it before?"

Fan Boyu’s expression froze for a moment, then his countenance unchanged, he only laughed and said, "In the past I was too busy with business and really never had the leisure to listen to storytelling. It wasn’t until this rheumatism hit and I couldn’t run around that I have time to wander around and listen."

"According to Doctor Du, actually, the rheumatism in Mr. Fan’s leg is still in its early stage. It’s nowhere near affecting walking or jumping, and the symptoms aren’t even noticeable on rainy days." Lu Zheng inquired, "It seems Mr. Fan’s family is quite well-off, merely having some symptoms, you decided to rest entirely?"

Fan Boyu took a deep breath, "Mainly, after years of running around, I’ve grown tired, and I’ve saved some family savings, so I’m not in a hurry anymore."

"I see..."

Lu Zheng nodded, looking at Fan Boyu, who also turned to look at Lu Zheng.

The storyteller narrated passionately on stage, but the two fell into a momentary silence, and the surrounding atmosphere became somewhat tense. Old Master Wang swallowed and couldn’t help but lean slightly outward.

"You..." Fan Boyu narrowed his eyes, taking a deep breath.

"So your family really is quite well-off, you’re not harboring any intentions towards Doctor Du, are you?"

Lu Zheng frowned, speaking coldly, "She’s blooming at eighteen, beautiful as a flower, and her family isn’t short of money. She wouldn’t leave her home and go to Rongzhou for the sake of gold or silver."

Fan Boyu: ???