Kiyomi Tsuki and His Fox

Chapter 68

Chapter Twenty-Nine: The Handsome Brother is Back

At noon, the snow stopped, and the sun broke through the clouds, shining brightly on the earth. Around late afternoon, Lu Qingcheng personally led Chief Enforcer Cai Bo'an, Deputy Enforcer Fang Runmin, Grand Lord Qingfeng, Second Lord Lin Feng, Third Lord Lei Yongxiang, Seventh Lord Liu Xicheng, Chief Supervisor Bai Yiting, and Third Supervisor Zhou Peng to welcome Cai Zhonghe and his entourage, who were on a mission to Tianlong Fortress, into the castle. After they were seated in the council hall, a round of pleasantries ensued. Maids served tea and refreshments, then withdrew, leaving the council hall doors tightly closed.

Seeing Cai Zhonghe looking around, Qingfeng immediately guessed his intention and asked with a smile, "Are you looking for Jianyue?"

Cai Zhonghe asked curiously, "Why didn't I see Jianyue?"

“Young Master Jianyue is at the Su residence.” Bai Yiting replied. He stroked his short beard and smiled, “I was at the Su residence when Young Master Jianyue arrived. Fourth Lord, you’re probably going to be disappointed. This afternoon, your eldest mistress, Miss Zhou, the young mistress of the Third Lord’s family, and my Tu’er came to the Su residence to enjoy the snow, drink tea, compose poems, and paint with Madam Su and Miss Zhao. Of course, there were plenty of delicious snacks and dishes. Young Master Jianyue’s nose is even more sensitive than his fox; he could smell the aroma from the backyard in the living room. His mouth was watering, and he ran off without even saying hello.”

Everyone burst into laughter.

Qingfeng was also smiling when he suddenly noticed that Cai Zhonghe's head was slightly lowered, as if he were deep in thought. Qingfeng was surprised.

The laughter subsided, and Bai Yiting continued, "Lord of the Fortress, I am truly ashamed. I have failed to live up to your expectations. I tried to persuade him for a long time, but Haibo still declined, clearly still hesitant."

“I understand his feelings,” Lu Qingcheng comforted him. “Brother Yiting, there’s no need to worry. Just leave this matter to Jianyue. In this world, besides the pure-hearted boy, the only one who can make others easily lower their guard is him.”

Cai Bo'an said sincerely, "When I went to Tianyi Ranch to ask Yongxiang to come out of the mountains, the Lord sent Jianyue with me, which I didn't understand at all. Now, I understand completely. Jianyue does have an extraordinary charm."

Bai Yiting said, "And this time, the fact that the Fortress Lord and Lord Qingfeng were able to put aside their past grievances and work together to defeat the Sky Eagle Sect is also thanks in no small part to Young Master Jianyue."

Everyone nodded in agreement.

Just then, Qingfeng noticed Cai Zhonghe frowning, looking lost in thought. Qingfeng wondered to herself: What's wrong with this guy? Why does he always seem so preoccupied?

"Runmin, are those two people you assigned to Jianyue useless?" Lei Yongxiang asked Runmin in a slightly accusatory tone, "Why did Jianyue leave the inner fortress without anyone following her?"

Fang Runmin asked in surprise, "Why do you say that, Third Lord? Mao Ying and Guo Guo are elites handpicked by your subordinates, each capable of taking on ten men."

Lu Qingcheng asked with concern, "Brother Yongxiang, what happened?"

Liu Xicheng exclaimed, "Lord, you may not know this, but Jian Yue rode alone to the Great Parade Ground to find his subordinates today. Those guys saw Jian Yue and their eyes lit up as if they had seen a rare gem. It's really worrying that something might happen. But Jian Yue is as oblivious as a stone, completely unaware that he is being noticed."

Cai Bo'an said in a deep voice, "No one is with Jian Yue? Runmin, the two people you chose, even if they can take on ten people at once, are useless and are just as good as trash."

Fang Runmin solemnly replied, "It was my dereliction of duty."

Lu Qingcheng had already grasped the gist of the matter and pondered, "We can't blame Runmin. Jianyue has always been used to being alone. If he has to go everywhere with someone by his side, he will definitely feel inconvenienced and unable to do as he pleases. What can we do to protect Jianyue's safety without making him feel inconvenienced?"

Upon hearing this, Lin Feng laughed and said, "That's easy. You can leave it to me, Lord. However, it will require Runmin's cooperation."

Fang Runmin hurriedly replied, "I am willing to follow the Second Lord's orders."

"Zhonghe, are you alright?" Qingfeng asked suspiciously, "You seem to have something on your mind?"

"Huh?" Cai Zhonghe was taken aback and quickly covered it up with a smile, saying, "I was wondering what naughty things Jianyue did while I was away?"

Liu Xicheng laughed loudly, "Fourth Lord, Young Master Jianyue is getting married!"

Cai Zhonghe asked curiously, "Marrying a wife by the moon? What's going on?"

A strange smile appeared on everyone's face at the same time.

Bai Yiting laughed, "It seems that if we can't satisfy Zhonghe's curiosity, we won't even be able to talk about serious matters." He then briefly recounted the forced marriage incident. After listening, Cai Zhonghe burst into laughter, "My God! Making Jianyue get married!" He repeated it three times, laughing loudly, tears streaming down his face.

Everyone laughed along.

Cai Zhonghe wiped away the tears of laughter from the corners of his eyes with a handkerchief, and after calming himself down slightly, he said, "This trip to Tianlong Fortress was all thanks to the hairpin Jianyue gave me, which allowed me to meet Master Kang and Young Master Long. Things turned out quite unexpectedly. Kang Boying made it very clear that Fengyue Manor would never ally with the Tianying Sect, and neither would Tianlong Fortress. As for Feng Piaoxiang's marriage to Li Hongxiu, that was purely Feng Piaoxiang's private matter and had nothing to do with Fengyue Manor. Then, Master Kang said that even if I hadn't come this time, they would have sent someone to visit the Fortress Master. Of course, their purpose in visiting the Fortress Master was different from mine; they wanted to discuss matters concerning Baishi Manor."

Lu Qingcheng frowned, "White Stone Manor?"

“Indeed, White Stone Manor.” Cai Zhonghe said with a serious look, “If this matter is not handled properly, it will be the second biggest crisis for this manor after the Eagle Sect.”

In an instant, everyone's gaze became both calm and cold.

"More than twenty years ago, after the all-out battle between White Stone Manor and Tianlong Fortress, White Stone Manor was almost destroyed. Old Master Tong, who is also your maternal grandfather, died by the sword of Lord Long in that incident. Madam, who is also your mother, married you as quickly as possible, so that our fortress and White Stone Manor could be united by marriage, thus saving White Stone Manor. For twenty years, White Stone Manor has been biding its time, hoping to make a comeback."

"To make a comeback," Cai Bo'an murmured.

"For the past twenty years, White Stone Manor has been secretly training assassins in black, whose main targets are the Long family, including the First Master and his wife, the Second Master Long, the Master Kang, and the Young Master Long. Over the past twenty years, there have been ten assassination attempts against the First Master Long, eight against the Second Master Long, seven against the Master Kang, ten against the Young Master Long, and the most against the First Madam Long, with twenty-five."

The shock effect of these words was comparable to a flash flood; everyone was horrified.

"Because this assassination group is very mysterious, they would immediately commit suicide by poison after each failed assassination attempt, or they would be silenced without leaving any clues. It took Lord Long and his team twenty years to uncover the organization behind this assassination group in the last three years."

Sweat beaded on Cai Bo'an's forehead, and his hands, resting on his thighs, trembled slightly. "What evidence do they have to prove that White Stone Manor is the mastermind behind this?"

"Actually, the reason why Lord Long was able to find out the mastermind was because of what happened to Brother Yongqing three years ago. Brother Yongqing was chased to Baishi Manor by Lord Kang because he disrespected Madam Long. At Baishi Manor, he met someone and fought with him. I know that person, Brother."

Everyone immediately looked at Cai Bo'an.

Cai Bo'an was shocked and exclaimed, "You mean Xu Lan?"

“Yes, it’s him.” Cai Zhonghe said with unwavering certainty: “Xu Lan, the number two assassin in the Dark Eagle Organization.”

A sharp, cold glint flashed in Lin Feng's eyes. "Hmph, that guy really is no good."

“Dark Hawk Organization. Number Two Assassin,” Qingfeng repeated.

"Four years ago, Xu Lan was sent to assassinate Madam Long. At the time, Master Kang happened to be protecting Madam Long. The assassination, of course, ended in failure. However, Xu Lan was also the only assassin in twenty years to escape unscathed. Therefore, Master Kang had the deepest impression of him. Even without seeing his face, Master Kang could recognize him immediately after a fight. Perhaps Madam valued Xu Lan's talent, and although the assassination failed, she did not kill him to silence him." Cai Zhonghe sighed slightly at this point. "Madam probably never dreamed that Brother Yongqing would, by some strange twist of fate, lead Master Kang to Baishi Manor. At Baishi Manor, Master Kang would meet Xu Lan again."

"No wonder Fengyue Manor is so close to the Sky Eagle Sect?" Bai Yiting couldn't help but wonder. "Huh?"

Lei Yongxiang said in a deep voice, "Brother Yiting, you don't mean to say that the Tianying Sect was able to attack our fortress with such confidence because Tianlong Fortress and Fengyue Manor must have secretly provided support."

"How is this possible?" Liu Xicheng exclaimed in shock. "If Tianlong Fortress and Fengyue Manor were secretly helping the Tianying Sect, why did they stand by and watch the Tianying Sect fall into our hands without offering any assistance?"