Chapter 16: I Will Surely Reward You Handsomely Afterwards

“Two days,” Zhao Mingshan said coldly, “You promised the money would arrive within that time. Yet today, when I sent my steward to urge you, you still haven’t delivered it. Where is the money?”

He had entrusted a full eight thousand taels of silver to Liang Shucheng to launder.

Such a large sum, delayed this long—how could he not be anxious?

Liang Shucheng’s forehead broke out in sweat, his eyes darting nervously.

“You have served me steadily for years, and I trusted you enough to hand over the money. Yet you keep stalling—what’s the meaning of this?” Zhao Mingshan rose slowly.

The overwhelming pressure made Liang Shucheng struggle to breathe.

Suddenly, he dropped to his knees, repeatedly exclaiming, “Sir, it’s not that I have delayed deliberately—it’s that that bastard Li Baofu ran off with the money!”

Liang Shucheng showed one face before Zhao Mingshan, and a completely different one in front of others.

“What?” Zhao Mingshan’s fury erupted, and with a single palm strike, he shattered the heavy wooden table.

“Sir, I was deceived by Li Baofu too! I’ve searched the entire city for him but can’t find him. I can’t recover your money—I’m even more desperate than you!” Liang Shucheng said, tears streaming uncontrollably.

Indeed, he was far more anxious than Zhao Mingshan.

If this matter was resolved, he would become a favored retainer before Zhao Mingshan, destined for rapid advancement.

But if it failed, Zhao Mingshan would not only abandon him without hesitation but might even take the lives of his entire family.

“You’re saying my silver has vanished?” Zhao Mingshan’s anger deepened.

He strode over and kicked Liang Shucheng to the ground.

“Do you know how many lives eight thousand taels can buy for your entire family?”

Liang Shucheng hurriedly flipped himself over and knelt properly.

“Please, sir, calm your anger! I will immediately investigate the whereabouts of the silver and give you a satisfactory answer!” he pleaded.

“If I don’t see that silver within three days, you will bear the consequences.” Zhao Mingshan swept his sleeve and strode out, vanishing into the night.

Liang Shucheng slumped to the ground, feeling as if his soul had fled, utterly lost.

“Shucheng, what on earth happened? Why did you take the deputy commander’s silver?” Liang’s father asked anxiously.

But Liang Shucheng had no mind to answer his father.

His thoughts were consumed with where the problem lay and how to solve it.

Did Li Baofu truly have the nerve to abscond with seventeen thousand taels?

From what he knew of Li Baofu, the man lacked such audacity.

Then where had the money gone?

After much pondering, he found no reasonable explanation.

He quickly rose and set off overnight to Jinhuaxuan.

By now, Jinhuaxuan had closed, but Liang Shucheng forced open the door.

Jinhuaxuan was an asset of the Xu family, and since Xu Shuanyi had already arrived in Liangzhou, Liang Shucheng gave some small silver coins to the shop assistant to fetch the new owner for a meeting.

At the Xu residence, Xu Mu had just finished a medicinal bath and was keeping vigil at the spirit hall.

This was his third medicinal bath; his vitality had grown, and his body felt stronger.

Xu Mu’s talent truly astonished Xu Shuanyi.

It seemed the adopted father’s decision to exile Xu Mu from the family had been a grave mistake.

He was a hidden dragon of extraordinary talent.

Repeatedly bathing in tenfold-strength body tempering elixirs had not backfired but instead made him more radiant.

Such innate talent and character was a one-in-a-million existence.

“The assistant from Jinhuaxuan just reported that Liang Shucheng is requesting an audience,” someone said.

By Xu Shuanyi’s nature, she would never personally meet a lowly footman like Liang Shucheng.

But Xu Mu was in charge now, so she explained the situation to him.

“The money has disappeared, and Liang Shucheng is anxious, trying to get money from us,” Xu Mu said grimly.

Xu Shuanyi nodded without comment, waiting for Xu Mu’s decision.

“We’ll keep vigil here tonight and not go out—let him stew overnight. Tomorrow morning, you and I will see him,” Xu Mu decided.

“Understood.”

Xu Mu sat quietly in a corner, closing his eyes to rest.

After a night of recuperation, he successfully transformed all the medicinal power.

After three body temperings, Xu Mu had finally reached the initial stage of the Body Refining Realm, becoming a martial artist.

The next morning, Xu Mu and Xu Shuanyi arrived at the entrance of Jinhuaxuan by carriage.

They dismounted one after the other, spotting Liang Shucheng seated on the doorstep.

He immediately stood up.

He had dared not return home the night before and waited here all night.

Seeing the passengers alight from the carriage, his heart leapt.

The woman—was she not the same who had slapped Su Hanwei at Jinhuaxuan a few days ago?

Could she really be Xu Shuanyi?

“Are you Miss Xu Shuanyi?” Liang Shucheng asked cautiously.

“What do you want with me?” Xu Shuanyi asked coldly.

It really was Xu Shuanyi!

Why was Xu Mu so close to him, even sharing the same carriage?

Had Xu Mu taken up with a new patron and thus abandoned Su Hanwei?

“Miss Xu, three days ago, a sum of money was deposited into Jinhuaxuan’s account. Could you assist in investigating it?” Liang Shucheng asked.

Xu Shuanyi looked utterly disinterested, saying nothing.

If not for Xu Mu’s orders, she wouldn’t have bothered to meet him.

Her silence clearly implied that Jinhuaxuan’s accounts were none of his concern.

“Miss Xu, this sum is no small amount—seventeen thousand taels,” Liang Shucheng said anxiously.

If not forced, he would never have revealed himself.

But this was a matter of his future, and he had no choice.

Xu Mu sneered coldly, “You have such wealth and still cheat Su Hanwei into spending for you?”

Caught in Xu Mu’s scrutiny, Liang Shucheng’s expression darkened.

Their Liang family had made some money acting as middlemen for noble families.

But they dared not squander it openly, maintaining a facade of poverty.

“This money is not mine. Miss Xu, could you help me recover it? I promise a generous reward,” Liang Shucheng pleaded.

“What reward?” Xu Mu asked quietly.

“What does it concern you?” Liang Shucheng retorted.

Xu Mu regarded him like an insect—pathetic to the end, yet unaware of his fate.

“If I don’t speak up, she won’t help you check the accounts,” Xu Mu said coldly.

After hearing this, Liang Shucheng looked at Xu Shuanyi in shock.

She showed no reaction—did she also have to heed Xu Mu?

“If you help me recover the lost money, I’ll pay five hundred taels as a reward,” Liang Shucheng offered.

“You tampered with Jinhuaxuan’s profits to steal more than five thousand taels,” Xu Mu said coldly.

“Then how much do you want as payment?” Liang Shucheng asked.

Xu Mu raised a finger.

“Ten thousand taels.”