FW (Eng)

Chapter 34: Lady Vixen

When Zhou Zishu walked into the bank once more, it wasn't only the shopkeeper who came out to welcome him.

Upon hearing of his arrival, a plump, fortunate-looking man strode out to welcome him. This man had thin brows, thin eyes, and a fleshy nose, his face like a fluffy white bun that had just been taken out of the steamer; it was a pleasing, affable face. Bowing slightly, the shopkeeper very respectfully followed two steps behind this man.

Once he saw Zhou Zishu, he first froze for a moment, before asking, probing, "Are you...Lord Zhou?"

Zhou Zishu smiled, saying, "Why, does Pingan no longer recognise me?"

This man who had come out to welcome him was Boss Song of the "Pingan Bank", Song Pingan. Rumour had it that this man was originally the housekeeper of the Nanning Manor, who came out into the world to start a trading business with some of his savings after his master had passed. Not even a few years had passed, and his business was thriving.

His ventures were everywhere across the country; he never stopped shuttling from one place to another, and no one knew where he would be. Many traders knew that this Boss Song was shrewd at business, but was a rare sort who was righteous and not cunning. Gradually, with great testimonies and ambition to spare, the Song business prospered.

Extremely excited, he ordered the shopkeeper to close up shop, dismissed the assistants, cleaned the place, and invited Zhou Zishu to sit, saying, "This servant was originally near Yangzhou, but I hurried over once I heard the news. Have my subordinates ever given my lord unsatisfactory service? My master has been missing you for a good few years!"

Right after, Pingan lowered his voice. "Many thanks to Lord Zhou, for concealing the news about my master leaving the capital all those years ago, so we can have these few years of peace."

Zhou Zishu took a sip of tea, smiling. "It's no trouble at all, is Seventh Lord faring well?"

Yet he was thinking, trouble only stops when your master dies; if he scrams earlier, everyone can live peacefully.

Pingan smiled. "He's very good, very good, thank you, my lord, for keeping him in your thoughts. This servant sent a letter once he had received the news, and only just received the master's reply yesterday. He says that he's coming this way with the shaman, and can probably arrive in about ten to fourteen days..."

Hearing this, Zhou Zishu's calm face spasmed once. He thought, the pugilist world of the Central Plains was in enough chaos, and this troublemaker still wanted to add to it--truly a year of bad fortune it was, accumulating all sorts of natural disasters and human catastrophes. Yet, he was still courteous in speech as he said, "How could I possibly trouble Seventh Lord and the shaman?"

Pingan said, "It's nothing, my master has been extremely free with nothing to do after taking up permanent residence at the Southern border, and this is a perfect chance for him to get some exercise. Master has said that he still promised my lord all those years ago to find him a beautiful, slender-waisted Nanjiang lady to be his wife."

Zhou Zishu broke out in a sweat, and said hastily, "I kid, I was just kidding..."

Yet, he inexplicably recalled the previous day in the abandoned courtyard, and the serious manner in which Wen Kexing had said, "I want to live out the rest of my life with you". It felt like the chair underneath his ass had grown nails, making him uncomfortable and feel odd all over.

Pingan exchanged a few niceties with him, before moving onto the topic proper, saying, "This servant has ordered his subordinates to be on the lookout for news about the Lapis Armour my lord has come to ask about. They've found some things these past few days--does my lord know that a man called Shen Zhen appeared at Dongting with a Shaolin reverend yesterday, and brought a piece of Lapis Armour with him?"