La luna brilla intensamente sobre las montañas desiertas y las flores llenan el cielo

Capítulo 73

What were these assassins up to? Were they after the treasure, or to settle old scores with Fengfeng? He wasn't stupid; he vaguely sensed that these people were targeting Fengfeng. But Fengfeng rarely left her home, only staying with her maternal family and the Long family. What trouble could she possibly have gotten herself into? Could it be that the Long family had caused trouble that implicated Fengfeng? Furthermore, where did Fengfeng's martial arts skills come from? She had never shown any talent for martial arts; his teachings from a young age had only taught her some self-defense techniques. But today, in the face of her enemies, Fengfeng's performance was comparable to that of a martial arts master. Had she had some extraordinary encounter while away from home for over three years?

Feng Zhuojun was completely baffled and could only sigh repeatedly.

As night fell, Zhong Sheng and Shi Yulang returned, along with several helpers that Long San had brought. They gathered in a room to discuss matters, but Feng Zhuojun was not invited, which made him feel excluded and isolated. After thinking for a moment, he went to find Feng Ning.

Feng Ning slept for half a day. She was awake, but not in good spirits; her face was deathly pale from blood loss. She greeted Feng Zhuojun with a smile, without uttering a single complaint about her injury. This left Feng Zhuojun feeling conflicted. He pulled up a chair and sat beside Feng Ning's bed, keeping her company for a while. His mind was filled with unanswered questions, and he didn't know how to broach the subject. He thought and thought, realizing that Feng Feng had lost her memory, and perhaps she couldn't answer him anyway.

Feng Zhuojun hesitated again and again, but Feng Ning comforted him: "Father, don't worry, we will definitely find the treasures of our grandfathers. When the truth comes out and we resolve our differences, our two families will be able to live happily ever after."

Feng Zhuojun smiled wryly. Did he really value treasures more in his daughter's heart? He replied, "You need to get better quickly so that your father can rest easy."

Feng Ning chuckled, her eyes darting around, and suddenly lowered her voice, saying, "I have a way to get better faster, Father, you have to help me."

Feng Zhuojun became curious and lowered his voice, asking, "What method?"

"Dad, go and steal some good food for me. If I eat my fill, I'll recover faster."

Feng Zhuojun was taken aback: "Didn't you say that only by abstaining from food and taking medicine can the poison be completely removed?"

Feng Ning pouted and said coquettishly, "Dad, you don't know, I can't go hungry. If I go hungry, I'll get sick, and if I get sick, the poison won't be completely cured. You know, you can't just follow the books to treat patients, right? You have to take the patient's actual condition into account." She tugged at Feng Zhuojun's sleeve and shook it, "Dad, you love me, don't you? It's so uncomfortable when I'm hungry."

Feng Zhuojun was in a dilemma: "How about I go and ask that Doctor Shi what you can eat?"

Feng Ning let out a wail, pulled the blanket over her head, and mumbled, "If you go and ask him, I won't be able to eat anything. Father, you are so cruel."

"Huh?" Feng Zhuojun was surprised. The doctor had clearly given instructions, so how could he be so heartless? Feng Ning poked her head out and said pitifully, "Father, think about it, I'm in pain all over right now, which is already very pitiful, but I still have to go hungry. How miserable is that? I was quite energetic when I was first injured, right? That was because I wasn't hungry yet. Now I'm hungry, and I feel so weak. I'm about to die."

Feng Zhuojun felt a pang of heartache upon hearing this. He was troubled and hesitant, but finally gritted his teeth and said, "Then I'll go find you some food. You can only eat a little bit."

Feng Ning's eyes lit up, and she nodded vigorously. Feng Zhuojun couldn't help but be amused by her expression. He patted her head and walked out, but after taking only two steps, he was called back. He turned around and saw Feng Ning with her finger to her lips, looking like a thief: "Father, be quiet, keep it a secret." Feng Zhuojun chuckled, nodded, and walked away. Just as he reached the door, he heard Feng Ning say again: "Father, you must succeed! Your daughter is counting on you."

This time, Feng Zhuojun couldn't help but laugh. He was like a hero entrusted with an important mission, sneaking into the kitchen, a key area of the courtyard.

There were some leftover roast chicken and steamed buns in the kitchen. He thought these things weren't suitable for Fengfeng, so he rolled up his sleeves and cooked her some porridge. As he cooked, he was also thinking of an excuse for her. If Long San found out that Fengfeng had secretly eaten the food and scolded her, he would say that he had persuaded Fengfeng to eat it.

Just as I was deep in thought, I suddenly heard a voice at the door ask, "What are you doing?"

Feng Zhuojun was startled, and the spoon in his hand fell to the ground with a thud. He turned around and saw that it was Long San. Long San walked in, looked at the porridge cooking on the stove, and then turned his eyes to Feng Zhuojun.

Feng Zhuojun felt a little guilty and mumbled, "I just... I just was hungry..." He saw Long San's eyes and shut his mouth, feeling somewhat resentful that he, as the father-in-law, was acting so cowardly. He gritted his teeth and said again, "If Feng Feng is hungry and uncomfortable, let her have some porridge. It shouldn't be a problem."

Long San stared at him, making him feel uneasy, and then actually asked him, "Do you really care about Feng'er?"

"Of course, I'm her father. What father doesn't love his daughter?" Feng Zhuojun finally snapped, his voice rising. "I just wanted to make some porridge for my daughter, and I don't need to worry about your attitude."

Long San, neither angry nor annoyed, looked at him and suddenly said, "Since you truly love your daughter, then things will be easier. This attack wasn't for the treasure, but to kill Feng'er. The poison is deadly, and the assassins' killing moves are also deadly. You've been fighting them for a long time; you should have noticed the difference between them fighting you and them fighting Feng'er."

Feng Zhuojun was taken aback. Why was he talking about making porridge, but Long San was talking about assassins? However, since this was mentioned, he also had something to ask: "I also have to ask you this. Feng Feng has always stayed at home and rarely goes out. How could she have any enemies? Is it your Long family that brought this trouble upon her?"

“It’s not the Long family, that’s why it’s troublesome.” Long San was very serious, making Feng Zhuojun extremely wary. Long San then asked, “Father-in-law, there’s something I might not be able to ask, but since it concerns Feng’er, I have to be frank. Feng’er is your own child, isn’t she?”

Feng Zhuojun's face darkened immediately: "You really shouldn't have asked that question."

Long San completely ignored his emotions and asked again, "Is it yes or no?"

"Of course!" Feng Zhuojun roared in fury.

"And what about my mother-in-law?"

“When…” Feng Zhuojun paused abruptly, then quickly replied, “Of course.”

Long San blinked and said, "Since she is my own flesh and blood and I truly love her, for her safety, I have a suggestion that I hope my father-in-law will consider."

Feng Zhuojun was a little nervous: "Tell me about it."

"I will entrust the treasure hunt to my friends to distract those who covet the treasure, while the three of us will pretend to set off on the treasure hunt, but in reality, we will investigate the truth behind the assassination of Feng'er."

"Entrust it to a friend?" Feng Zhuojun exclaimed anxiously, "How can such an important matter be entrusted to an outsider?"

"If someone is trustworthy, there is no distinction between insiders and outsiders; and those with ulterior motives are not limited to outsiders, are they?"

Feng Zhuojun narrowed his eyes: "You and your friends discussed it all night, and this is the decision you came to? What results did you find out about those who attacked today?"

“Those people retreated quickly, and their exact whereabouts cannot be found. However, the poisonous Heart-Suffocating Grass comes from the Xia Kingdom and is rarely seen here.”

Feng Zhuojun was taken aback: "Xia Kingdom?"

Long San stared at him: "Father-in-law is no stranger to the Xia Kingdom, is he?"

"Twenty years ago, I did live in the Xia Kingdom for a period of time."

"Does your father-in-law have any enemies in the Xia Kingdom?"

"I have no enemies."

"Does your father-in-law know anyone in the Xia Kingdom?"

"We had no prior acquaintances."

Long San didn't ask any more questions, only saying, "The treasure hunt and the capture of the enemy must be done separately. We are outnumbered, and we can't afford to deploy a large number of guards and helpers to avoid attracting attention, so we can't worry about that now. Father-in-law, please consider whether the treasure or your daughter is more important. We'll stay here temporarily until we understand the situation before continuing our journey."

Feng Zhuojun pursed his lips and remained silent. Long San glanced at the porridge on the stove and said, "Doctor Shi instructed that Feng'er cannot eat for the next two days. Father-in-law, you must be ruthless when necessary." After Long San finished speaking, he nodded, turned around and left. When he reached the door, he turned back and added, "Some things, dragging things out and looking back and forth will only do no good to others."

Long San left, and Feng Zhuojun finally relaxed, leaning against the wall and closing his eyes, his mind churning. The Xia Kingdom... was it actually related to the Xia Kingdom?

Author's Note: Solving the mystery is a real challenge. The answer is in my head, but I don't know how to write it in a compelling way. My brain cells are seriously insufficient...

That darn Jinjiang system! I've tried posting this chapter three times, and each time it says I'm illegally accessing the site and won't let me post it. I have to go back into the backend, reformat it, and post it again. If it doesn't work this time, I'll... I'll try posting it a fourth time...