In Song Renqiang’s heart, a sudden, indescribable fear emerged.
Because the words of that Manor Guard reminded him.
If... Li Chunfeng was indeed killed by Zhao Ya, then won’t the next target be me?
In recent days, the reason Song Renqiang has been so fawning over Zhao Ya, to the point of obsequiousness, is because of a strong sense of crisis.
It’s important to know that Zhao Ya was personally recruited into the manor by Tan Ziwang. Now, as he skyrockets, it also means Tan Ziwang, who has always been suppressed, now has the potential to advance further.
That is something Song Renqiang does not want to see.
But if it’s not him, then who could it be?
Song Renqiang’s mind was in turmoil.
At this moment, the crowd suddenly stirred, and then Zhao Ya and Tan Ziwang parted the crowd and walked over.
Upon seeing the corpse on the ground, Zhao Ya’s face was full of surprise as he said, "Isn’t this Leader Li? What’s going on?"
Seeing the two of them approaching, Song Renqiang became even more uneasy.
At this moment, the death of his godson had long been forgotten, leaving only fear.
But he still forced a look of sadness.
"Yes, it’s that child Chunfeng. After drinking last night, he somehow ended up here, drunk and fell into the water, resulting in this outcome."
Song Renqiang voluntarily characterized the incident as an accidental drowning while drunk, carefully observing Zhao Ya’s reaction.
But he was disappointed.
Aside from shock, Zhao Ya’s face revealed nothing.
It was Tan Ziwang who sighed upon seeing this.
"I have long pointed out that this pond is dangerous, but no one paid attention, and now something has finally happened."
If it were in the past, Song Renqiang would certainly argue with Tan Ziwang, but now he no longer had the heart for it.
"The dead cannot be revived; Steward Song, please do not dwell on it too much," Zhao Ya comforted.
It was just a common phrase to comfort someone, but in the crowd, Xia Hongyu was suddenly shaken to her core, then looked at Zhao Ya in great astonishment.
That night, the masked hero had also said these exact words before leaving her.
And both the tone and the voice were so alike.
Could it be... him?
Xia Hongyu’s heart was in tumult.
"Thank you, Commander Zhao, for your comfort, but how can I not be sad?"
Song Renqiang sighed, wiped non-existent tears, and then had Li Chunfeng’s body collected, leaving unsteadily.
After he left, Zhao Ya glanced at the female workers not far away and smiled slightly.
"You all should disperse as well."
After saying this, Zhao Ya also left.
After he left, the female workers gathered excitedly to discuss.
"Wow, this Escort Commander is so young!"
"I heard he single-handedly repelled a group of bandits and saved the young lady. Truly impressive."
"He’s quite handsome, and he even smiled at me!"
"Stop dreaming, he smiled at me!"
Amidst the chatter, Xia Hongyu gradually regained her composure, then quietly turned and returned to her work.
However, throughout the day’s work, Xia Hongyu remained somewhat distracted.
Evening.
After dinner, Xia Hongyu didn’t continue working but instead asked the managing granny for leave.
This managing granny was quite fond of her.
After all, Xia Hongyu worked diligently and never complained, so it’s hard not to like such a worker.
Thus, after asking a few simple questions, the managing granny gave her a pass.
The Song family rules were strict, and servants needed a pass to enter or exit.
Holding the pass, Xia Hongyu went to the back corner door, the usual exit for hired laborers like her.
The guards at the door recognized her, and after glancing at the pass, kindly reminded her.
"Try to return early; it’s quite unsafe outside now."
Xia Hongyu gratefully nodded in thanks, then left the Song house.
First, she went to the pharmacy and spent all her money to buy some healing ointment, then exited under the pharmacist’s gaze, which was either helpless or sympathetic.
After walking a bit along the street, Xia Hongyu turned into a small alleyway, navigating through twists and turns until she reached a small courtyard door.
The door was ajar, and Xia Hongyu pushed it open. Inside, an elderly voice came.
"Is that you, Hongyu?"
"Yes, Grandpa!" Xia Hongyu replied, lifting the curtain and entering the room.
The room was very dark and filled with a strong stench.
Xia Hongyu lit an oil lamp.
Lying on the kang was a skinny old man.
The old man’s chest bore deep wounds, visible to the bone, as if clawed by some fierce beast.
Despite the cold weather, without proper medical treatment, the wounds were still infected and festering.
Xia Hongyu tidied up the room first, then changed the bedding for the old man, and then cautiously took out a small bottle.
The bottle contained some black ointment, and Xia Hongyu carefully applied a little to the old man’s wounds.
But with wounds so large, this bit of ointment was far from enough.
It was nothing more than a psychological comfort.
Seeing Xia Hongyu’s clearly gaunt chin, the old man sighed, "Good child, it’s all because of me that you’re suffering."
"Don’t say that, Grandpa. Without you, I wouldn’t be alive today," Xia Hongyu said very calmly.
Then she suddenly thought of something and couldn’t help but ask, "Grandpa, do you know the Changlong Escort Agency?"
"Changlong Escort Agency? Why are you asking about it?" the old man asked, puzzled.
"It’s nothing, just someone from Changlong Escort Agency joined the Song family recently."
"Of course, I know Changlong Escort Agency. I used to have a good relationship with their Chief Escort Meng Lei. Sometimes, when the escort was too large for them, they would call us. After all, our Jinsheng Escort Agency was also a prominent name in Wuxiang City back then."
The old man showed a hint of reminiscence, and there seemed to be a glint in his eyes.
But that glint soon dimmed, and the old man said in a low voice, "It’s a pity, they are all gone. Jinsheng is no more, and Changlong has fallen too. Among those old friends, except for a few who joined the Hong family, very few are still alive."
Xia Hongyu remained silent.
The room was exceptionally quiet.
After a while, the old man finally came out of his somber state.
"What’s the name of that person who joined the Song family, and what level of skill does he have now?"
"His name is Zhao Ya. He was originally just a handyman at Changlong Escort Agency, but now he’s reached the third realm of martial arts, and shortly after joining the Song family, he was promoted to Commander of the Guards."
Xia Hongyu recounted what she knew but kept that night’s events to herself.
In reality, she didn’t quite understand the concept of the ’third realm.’ Although she came from an escort family, her father thought that a girl only needed to learn sewing, so he never taught her any martial arts.
When the Hong family suddenly attacked and the escort agency faced drastic changes, both her parents died in battle. It was thanks to her grandfather, Xia Feiying, that she managed to escape.
But because of that, Xia Feiying was severely injured and became half-paralyzed.
Upon hearing his granddaughter’s account, Xia Feiying’s eyes shone brightly.
"Oh? You say this person isn’t even eighteen yet and has already reached the third realm of martial arts?"