This jade bracelet, my sister-in-law loves it dearly. She has never taken it off.
Now, suddenly saying it’s uncomfortable to wear? This lie is told without any finesse.
My sister-in-law isn’t adept at lying either; her face is all red, and her eyes flicker, she doesn’t dare to look at Chu Feng.
"Since it’s uncomfortable to wear, naturally it should be put away!"
Chu Feng doesn’t expose her but suddenly slaps his forehead, "Ah, I’ve been following Alchemy Master Niu to learn alchemy these past few days, so busy that I’ve been dizzy and almost forgot the important stuff."
"On my way back, I happened to meet a general who said he was an old friend of my father. Knowing our Sword King Mansion hasn’t had it easy these years, he insisted on giving me ten thousand silver taels."
"He also repeatedly instructed me to tell no one, lest the royal family finds out and causes him trouble."
Chu Feng had already thought of this excuse last time; now he says it as if it were the most natural thing, with a very natural expression.
The Sword King Mansion has been suppressed by the royal family for a long time, seen by many as off-limits and untouchable.
Whoever gets close to the Sword King Mansion might be suspected by the Emperor, and their end would be very miserable.
"Ten thousand silver taels in one go!"
"Who would be so generous?"
Chu Jianlan’s hands tremble as he receives the silver note from Chu Feng; his face shows a complex expression of excitement, thrill, and gratitude.
He checks the silver notes one by one; they are all redeemable silver notes from Wanbao Bank.
A thousand taels each, exactly ten notes.
"Senior brother, you’d better not ask. That general made it clear, forbidding me to mention him to anyone."
"Our Sword King Mansion is crowded and has many ears; a slight mishap could bring trouble upon him."
Chu Feng deflects completely, dispelling Chu Jianlan’s intention to continue probing.
"Husband, now that we have so much silver, it’s like a weight lifted off our shoulders. We can use it to pay the Sword King Mansion’s land tax." The sister-in-law’s face lights up with joy.
The Sword King Mansion occupies a vast area, and its annual land tax is a substantial sum of silver.
This time, Prince Liu Mansion wanted to have a marital alliance with the Sword King Mansion but was rejected. Who knows what kind of underhand tactics they used, but it led to the land tax of the Sword King Mansion to increase by more than threefold.
That’s excessively cruel.
The sister-in-law and senior brother have limited ability to make money; they really can’t afford to pay such a large sum of silver.
"Senior brother, sister-in-law, if there’s nothing else, I’m going back to my room to rest!" Chu Feng solves a major problem for the mansion and feels very happy in his heart.
As for the underhanded tactics by Prince Liu Mansion to increase the land tax of the Sword King Mansion, this matter cannot be rushed.
It must be settled slowly.
Back in his room, Chu Feng first asks a servant to bring in some food. The thing he’s most worried about after being away for a few days is that the black-clothed woman might be starving.
Who knows what serious offense the black-clothed woman committed in the Imperial Palace; despite so many days passing, the entire Royal Capital is still under martial law.
Outside, there are troops patrolling the streets from time to time, searching everywhere for traces of the black-clothed woman.
After the servant delivers the food, Chu Feng carefully locks the door from the inside and confidently heads towards the secret chamber.
Hiding a beautiful young woman in his own room made him feel somewhat peculiar.
If senior brother and the others found out, one could only guess what kind of misunderstanding might arise.
He operates the mechanism of the secret chamber, and the heavy stone door rumbles open.
But as soon as Chu Feng enters, he immediately feels a chilling, stabbing pain on his neck.
He is rather vexed; this black-clothed lass is so violent.
Almost without turning his head, he knows that what’s resting on his neck must be a sharp sword.
The black-clothed woman snorted coldly and moved the sword away.
"I’ve been a bit busy these past few days and didn’t take good care of you, I’m sorry!" Chu Feng hastily apologized to her.
After all, he had inconvenienced her, and she was also the lifesaver of his second elder sister.
"There’s some food prepared outside, I don’t know if it’s to your taste!" Chu Feng slowly turned around, quietly watching her.
Still wearing a mask, only her fair and slender neck and pointed chin were visible.
Chu Feng could feel that her expression must be very cold, somewhat displeased.
"You should go out and eat quickly, else the food will get cold and not taste good!" She remained silent, so Chu Feng could only thicken his skin and try his best to convey his goodwill. "If you find eating alone dreary, I can join you!"
A hint of blush uncontrollably rose on the beautiful face of the black-clothed woman.
Sharing a room with a man was one thing, but dining at the same table was far too intimate. Probably only a married couple would do such a thing.
Fearing that Chu Feng would say more things to tease her, the black-clothed woman walked out of the secret chamber, sat at the table, served herself some food, and began to eat.
She ate slowly, her movements graceful and lovely.
"Do you want to take off the mask? It’s not very convenient for eating!"
He had always wanted to see the true face of the black-clothed woman. Although he knew she must be very beautiful, he still longed to see her in person.
The black-clothed woman continued to eat, ignoring him.
Chu Feng, feeling bored, suddenly remembered something and said, "Right, you haven’t had a change of clothes in many days, how about I have the servants bring some hot water in for you. Then we can figure out some clothes for you..."
Unable to bear it any longer, the black-clothed woman shouted in anger and embarrassment.
It was one thing to share a room with Chu Feng, but for her to do that... how could she stand it?
If it weren’t for Chu Feng’s serious demeanor, she would really think he was a libertine, intentionally making lewd comments.
Moreover, the two had close contact when they hid under the God’s case in the Land God Temple that day.
This made her feel even more uneasy.
"What’s the situation outside? If the security isn’t as tight, I’m thinking of leaving tonight," the black-clothed woman asked coldly.
"The streets are filled with soldiers searching for you, the city gates are tightly guarded, and many with suspicious identities have been captured. How do you plan to leave?"
"As soon as you step out of the Sword King Mansion, you’ll be discovered. By then, it might not be possible to return to the Sword King Mansion to hide."
Learning that she intended to leave, Chu Feng actually felt a bit reluctant to let her go.
During these days, their cohabitation had been somewhat enjoyable, and her strength was immense; having her in the Sword King Mansion was like having an ace up his sleeve.
Recalling how, a few days earlier at the auction, Prince Liu had sought out Bloody Beard for business, Chu Feng became inwardly vigilant.
If the Blood Sword Gang truly infiltrated the Sword King Mansion to kill him, the strongest in the mansion was his second sister Jian Lan, with her Intermediate Sword Master cultivation. She likely couldn’t withstand the enemy.
"You’re not trying to deceive me, are you?" the black-clothed woman’s bright phoenix eyes stared at Chu Feng as if trying to see right through him.
"Believe it or not! With such a huge trouble like you, do you think I would go out of my way to keep you in the Sword King Mansion? I can’t wait to rush you out of here!" Chu Feng said with a sneer on his face.
After accompanying the black-clothed woman to finish her meal, Chu Feng still had the servants bring hot water. As for a change of clothes, that was indeed a problem to solve.
He brought in one of his own robes.
"You might be staying for a while longer, it’s better to wash up!" Chu Feng said very sincerely.
The black-clothed woman only felt particularly embarrassed.