It was late at night.
Feng Yuan lay in the bathtub emitting a strong medicinal scent.
The hot water and the medicine stimulated every wound on his body, causing both pain and itchiness.
Uncle Fang stood nearby, tears streaming down his face: "Young Master, why must you suffer like this! That Zhou Wu, he isn't teaching you, he's trying to take your life!"
"Uncle Fang," Feng Yuan's voice was somewhat hoarse, "I have already died once; I am not afraid to die again."
He closed his eyes.
In the morning, Zhou Wu taught him how to keep his eyes open when the blade was at his throat.
In the afternoon, Han Anmeng taught him how to find an enemy's weak spot from the slightest clues.
Studying and killing, it turned out, were the same thing.
Both required you to find the opponent's weakness, and then, in the fastest and cruelest way, strike a fatal blow.
Besides Jinling City, the Xue Family's silk was also sold in several large towns along the river; they had Shops in Yangzhou, Zhenjiang, and Changzhou, with the largest business supplying the high officials and nobles in the Capital City via the Grand Canal route.
The Southern Grain Transport Route that Han Anmeng discussed today was like a bolt of lightning, splitting the fog in his mind.
The Zhen Family could suppress the Xue Family's business in Jinling by relying on new Sexual Techniques and low prices.
But what about outside Jinling City?
The Xue Family's foundation lay in the channels they had managed for decades.
Especially the Grand Canal, that golden waterway.
He opened his eyes, and the water surface reflected his scarred face.
In those eyes, there was no pain, no resentment.
Only a kind of almost cruel calmness and focus.
"Uncle Fang," he suddenly spoke, "Go call Hou San."
Hou San arrived quickly and was startled when he saw Feng Yuan's condition.
"Master."
"Hou San."
"I am here."
"Find a few reliable and clever people, and spread some news at the docks in Yangzhou and Zhenjiang."
"What news?"
"Say that several batches of the Xue Family's silk have dye problems; wearing it causes skin rashes, especially for children—if they wear it, their skin rots."
Hou San's eyes widened: "Master, this... this is slander! This is a Lowlifes' tactic to ruin someone's reputation!"
Feng Yuan looked at him and slowly smiled.
"When Xue Pan beat me to death, did he observe any rules?"
"When the Zhen Family snatched his business, did they hold back?"
"In this world that devours people, tactics are not judged as low or base; they are judged only by whether they are useful."
"What I want is not slow erosion. What I want is for him to become infamous overnight."
He paused, his voice becoming lower and colder.
"Then find a few Ruffians—no need for many, three or five will suffice. Have them cause a scene outside the Xue Family's Shops everywhere."
"No need to smash things, just lie on the ground, smear some red pigment resembling rashes on yourselves, and cry while holding children, saying that the cloth from the Xue Family caused their child to nearly die."
"Remember, do not get into physical altercations with the shop staff. If the officials arrive, run away. Once the officials leave, come back and cry again."
Hou San felt a chill run down his spine.
This move was too vicious.
It wouldn't harm you physically, but it would leave you unable to defend yourself against a thousand mouths.
This was crueler than a knife.
"Oh, right, tomorrow, quietly slip those few scrolls of mine into the Zhen Family's silk shop. Let's make the Xue Family perish faster."
"Master, these are..."
"Just a few new Sexual Techniques for silk."
Hou San unrolled one scroll and became anxious, "Isn't this just giving money away to others?"
"I don't have the influence to negotiate cooperation with them, do I? Besides, I still need to give them and the Xue Family something to chew on."
"Go now." Feng Yuan waved his hand.
Hou San left.
In the Study Room, only Feng Yuan remained.
He got out of the bathtub, dried himself, and put on his clothes.
He walked to the desk and spread out the Military Map of Jinling that Han Anmeng had left behind that day.
His fingers, still smelling of medicinal wine, traced the rivers, streets, and shops on the map.
Finally, they stopped at the location of the Xue Family's largest Silk Shop.
"Xue Pan, did you think your only enemy was the Zhen Family?"
You were wrong.
Your enemy is a demon preparing countless ways for you to die in a place you cannot see.
And this is only the beginning."