Chapter 68 Hu Xian: We have never existed in this world...

"That guy who fries fried dough cakes." Lou Cangyu sensed something, turned his head and glanced at him again, "Is he watching us? You two... know him?" After a long while without a response, Lou Cangyu looked suspicious, but did not ask any further questions.

In Xingguo Lane, Xiao Ma was indeed thoughtful and left food for the three of them. The food was reheated twice, but Guan Ye and A Jiu remained silent, worried that Lou Cangyu would cause trouble. At this moment, Lou Cangyu was eating heartily, but Guan Ye and A Jiu seemed to be possessed.

"Are they possessed?" Xiao Ma swallowed.

Lou Cangyu picked up some food with his chopsticks and said, "That's about right. We agreed to go buy fried cakes, from the shop you mentioned last time. Guan Ye ran away as soon as she got there; she must have seen a ghost."

Upon hearing the name "fried cake," Xiao Ma's eyes lit up. Rongdu had a place his father couldn't forget: the old fried cake shop on West Street. His father said that the fried cake was made with water-soaked glutinous rice flour and filled with sweet bean paste. It was rolled in hot oil until it was crispy on the outside and soft on the inside—it was absolutely delicious. His father spoke with longing in his eyes, and even though he was usually self-controlled, he unconsciously swallowed his saliva. When he got to the part where he was talking about how wonderful it was, his father took a sip of wild vegetable soup and chewed it with smacking sounds. He tasted the aroma of fried cracklings in the clear soup, which made Xiao Ma's mouth water.

Xiao Ma licked his dry lips, recalling the past. Over the years, he had been wondering how delicious a piece of fried dough cake could be. Last time, A Jiu forgot to buy some, and today, why did he miss out again? Xiao Ma glared at Guan Yan, annoyed, and opened his mouth but swallowed his words back.

“Little Ma,” Guan Ye suddenly spoke up, “You’ve never been to Rongdu, how do you know the fried cakes on West Street are delicious?”

"Even if I've never eaten pork, I've seen pigs run," Xiao Ma said casually. "I heard it from someone else."

Ji Fang interjected, "Little Ma and Thirteenth Young Master know everything. Last time we went to the Accord, they acted as if they had been there before."

Feng Shisan's face paled, and he glared at Ji Fang. "It's not surprising that Shi Yage has such a reputation. I heard about it from someone else."

Lou Cangyu, who was eating, stopped and swallowed the food in his mouth. His big eyes wandered over the two people's faces.

Guan Ye glanced at A Jiu, who seemed to know what Guan Ye was going to say and nodded slightly to indicate that she could speak freely. Guan Ye glanced at Xiao Ma and Feng Shisan's unnatural expressions and said in a low voice, "We met on Canglang Island. Although none of us explicitly said what we came from, we all knew in our hearts that, except for Lou Cangyu and Ji Fang, the rest of us came from outside the island."

"Why are you bringing this up out of the blue?" Ji Fang was timid and felt inexplicably uneasy when other people's backgrounds were mentioned. Last time, when he was eating stewed fish at home, he was already worried so much that he couldn't sleep for half the night before other people's grudges and affections had even begun to unfold. Now that Guan Ye had brought it up again, Ji Fang wished he could shut her up. "Since you're on the island, you're a person from Canglang Island. Blood alliance, have you forgotten?"

Guan Ye pretended not to hear him and stared straight at Xiao Ma. "If you won't speak, I'll speak first. I, Guan Ye, have been wandering since I was a child. I followed my parents through most of Jin State. My father suddenly passed away in Tangshui City. I couldn't find work and went hungry for a few days. A boatman named Hu Xian found me and asked if I would like to come with him and work as a handyman on his boat. He said there would be plenty of steamed buns."

Upon hearing the name "Hu Xian," both Xiao Ma and Feng Shisan frowned. Xiao Ma glanced at Feng Shisan and, seeing that he didn't intend to speak, his brows furrowed again.

Ajiu followed up, saying, "I lost my parents when I was young and grew up eating food from many families. I heard that Tangshui City connects the north and south, making it convenient to go anywhere. I originally wanted to go to Rongdu to make a living, but I happened to meet Hu Xian's ship. He said that Rongdu is no longer the imperial city it once was, and since I have no skills, I would not have a chance to make a living there. I might as well go with him. Canglang Island has the only remaining large weapons workshop in Jin Kingdom. It is not impossible for me to be summoned back to Rongdu in the future. As long as I study hard, I will surely get what I want."

As Ajiu spoke, she looked at Guan Ye and said, "It was on that ship that I met Guan Ye."

"A large ship wouldn't just have the two of you on board. Where are the others?" Lou Cangyu asked in a low voice.

“Dead.” Feng Shisan’s voice suddenly rose, startling Ji Fang, who trembled again. “Since we have formed a blood oath, we all share one life. Smuggling people on Canglang Island is a serious crime. If it is exposed, none of us will escape. It’s no harm to tell you. I don’t believe anyone who doesn’t want to live would spread this around.”

"Are they all dead?" Ji Fang exclaimed in a low voice, then quickly covered his mouth.

“I am Feng Shisan. My father committed a crime and was beheaded and his family property confiscated.” Feng Shisan decided to speak frankly. “My mother told me that the three judicial departments convicted my father of accepting bribes. My father was an upright man who served the court for many years. Our family could not afford to eat meat for three to five days at a time. And yet, he still accepted bribes? My mother had never even seen the silver ingots that were confiscated. This injustice is so severe that even a frost in June would not be an exaggeration. Unfortunately, the evidence was conclusive, and my mother had nowhere to seek justice. She could only take me back to my maternal grandparents’ home. A few years later, my maternal grandparents’ home was afflicted by a plague, and everyone died one by one, leaving only me. I heard that Tangshui City was well-connected, and there were waterways that could take me to Southeast Asia and Japan. I was all alone, and it didn’t matter where I went. I was thinking of going out and making my way in the world. But before my mother died, she repeatedly told me that I must find an opportunity to return to Rongdu to seek justice for my father. She refused to believe that my father could do such a thing.”

When Feng Shisan spoke of his sorrow, his hoarse voice trembled slightly. He paused, then continued, "How can a man of heaven and earth disregard filial piety? To let my mother rest in peace, I went back to Rongdu before I left. I guarded the three judicial offices and the yamen gate for several days. The grievance drum was placed right outside the yamen gate. I could have rolled up my sleeves and banged it loudly. But how could I seek justice? Without any evidence, how could I rely on just my words? The silver ingots were found in my house. My mother didn't even know about it. How old was I then?"

“I understand,” Xiao Ma finally spoke. “If there is no hope of redress, then go to the mass grave and dig out your father’s remains. Rebury them according to the old customs of your hometown. That will be a small way of showing filial piety. Your parents in heaven will know your predicament.”

Hearing that he still remembered the old story he had told, Feng Shisan gave a soft hum, "There were so many abandoned graves in the mass grave. Luckily, my mother had someone mark my father's grave and buried his beloved big knife on the mound. I dug until all ten of my fingers were raw before I finally found his grave..."

"A broadsword?" Xiao Ma tilted his head. "Serving the imperial court, and you're using a broadsword? Could it be that your father is a military general?"

Upon hearing someone mention his father's glorious history, Feng Shisan grinned and said, "You're smart. My father was the gatekeeper of Rongdu City. He was quite a figure of prestige back then."

The guard at the gate of Rongdu. Guan Ye's heart skipped a beat—her father said that Rongdu was sealed off overnight. Fortunately, she had some connections with the guard and received the news half a day earlier. She managed to exchange some of her mother's most treasured gold jewelry for a chance to leave the city.

Feng Shisan said that his father was an upright man and would never accept bribes. Perhaps the four gates of Rongdu lead to different routes.

“Although there is nowhere to seek justice, Father is still a pillar of strength in my heart.” Feng Shisan’s eyes showed admiration. “I, Shisan Shao, wield a long sword. Even if I cannot serve the court like him, I will still be a hero and use this sword to protect everyone.”

"Tell me how you got to the island." For some reason, Ji Fang was also engrossed in listening, and his heart began to itch with curiosity. "Yeah, that guy named, Hu Xian?"

Feng Shisan was interrupted while he was speaking with great enthusiasm. He glared at him in displeasure, frowned, and said, "It's him."

Guan Ye closed her eyes, recalling Hu Xian's appearance. He looked middle-aged, with a tall and straight figure and a small mustache. That day, she was so hungry that she was seeing double, and somehow Hu Xian appeared in front of her, scrutinizing her still-growing figure and stroking his mustache, seemingly lost in thought. Hearing her voice, which sounded like a girl's, he seemed somewhat regretful, but still lingered in front of her, asking, "How old are you?"

Recalling Hu Xian's various actions, he knew Pei Bi well and they must be old acquaintances. Xiao Ma and Feng Shisan had come to the island on their own long ago, which meant that Hu Xian had smuggled teenagers for Xingguo Fang more than once. There were both men and women on the ship. The teenagers were chosen as swordsmen, and the girls... if he wasn't mistaken, they were left on the island to increase the population, and after they grew up, they would bear children for Canglang Island and continue to thrive.

Lou Shitou is stupid. Pei Chu was born disabled... all because the population on the island is decreasing. They... are mostly the product of inbreeding. This is why Pei Yuan risked everything to find someone to smuggle the boy. If this continues, let alone whether Xingguofang can return to Rongdu, I'm afraid that before they even get there, the entire clan will have been wiped out on Canglang Island and extinct from the world.

"I reburied my father and went to Tangshui City all by myself," Feng Shisan continued. "I originally planned to go to Southeast Asia. I am strong and healthy, so I will never go hungry. Hu Xian saw me looking for a boat at the dock, asked where I was going, and said that he was going south. He offered me a ride on his boat, not only free of charge but also with food."

Xiao Ma couldn't help but laugh. "Going south, it's not like we're going to Southeast Asia. Hu Xian is a shrewd man. When you come to settle accounts with him, he'll say he didn't lie to you. The ship is heading south. Canglang Island is just to the south. Besides, he really didn't charge us any money. We get plenty of steamed buns for every meal. He kept his word and really did provide meals."

"How did you know?" Feng Shisan's eyes were like copper bells. "The ship sailed for ten days. When I got off the ship, I felt something was wrong. Everyone said that Southeast Asia was prosperous, and the ships at the dock could stretch for more than half a mile. Hu Xian's ship was just moored alone on the sand. Only Manager Pei was waiting on the shore. The other people on the ship refused to leave. They insisted that Hu Xian was lying to them and that they had to be sent back to where they came from. Originally, I didn't want to get off the ship either, but the journey was too turbulent. I was seasick for seven or eight days during the ten-day journey. If I had to go back, I was afraid I would die. Everyone is just trying to survive. I saw that Pei Bi was dressed in fine clothes and seemed to have some status, so I volunteered to stay and not let Hu Xian's efforts go to waste."

"Luckily you got seasick and refused to walk any further," Xiao Ma chimed in. "If you had insisted on going back, you really wouldn't have survived."

Feng Shisan seemed to recall that day, his face tightening as he said, "I was a little reluctant to part with my companions who had been on the ship for so many days, so I turned back to call out to them again, only to see Hu Xian pushing everyone in the cabin into the sea one by one. Those people... they were like little chicks, splashing around a few times and then disappearing from sight..."

"Just like that... dead?" Ji Fang gasped, suddenly feeling a chill of fear. Ji Yuan was a good swimmer; she probably wouldn't have died if pushed overboard. Ji Fang, on the other hand, only knew a few dog paddles; he was the one who would have been thrown overboard...

Feng Shisan calmed himself down and glanced coldly at Xiao Ma. "What, are you planning to tell us too? It seems you also know about Hu Xian's tricks."

Seeing that everyone had opened up, Xiao Ma no longer needed to hide anything and smiled, saying, "Hu Xian really knows how to pick people. He only takes a liking to us who have no relatives or friends in the world. Whether we are trapped on the island or die at sea, no one cares. It's as if... we have never existed in this world."