Chapter 38: Arrival At Crimson Vale City III
Criiiik!
The heavy wooden wheels of the transport carriages continued to rumble smoothly and rhythmically against the broad, impeccably paved stone avenues of Crimson Vale City.
The vibrant, deafening noise of the bustling metropolis echoed from all sides, creating a chaotic, overwhelming symphony of street vendors shouting out their exotic wares, brass carriage bells chiming to warn pedestrians, and the steady, endless tramp of thousands of citizens, wandering cultivators, and greedy looking merchants moving along the wide sidewalks.
Inside the quiet, secluded cabin of their transport, Lu Feng shifted his posture slightly, leaning forward with a composed demeanor as he turned his gaze directly toward the loan shark who was still sharing the carriage with them.
"Master Lin," Lu Feng began, breaking the comfortable silence with a calm, conversational tone that cut cleanly through the muffled clamor outside. "Since we are completely new to this city and have zero connections here, we are looking to acquire a small manor in a relatively safe and quiet residential district of the city. Do you think that is something you could assist us with arranging?"
Lin Laifu blinked in genuine surprise, his eyebrows shooting upward for a split second before he quickly recovered and flashed a wide, practiced merchant’s grin. He smoothed down the front of his expensive embroidered tunic, settling himself more comfortably against the cushioned bench as his opportunist wheels started turning.
"A manor, young master Lu, you certainly aim for comfort right out of the gate," Lin Laifu replied smoothly, his voice carrying an easy, confident cadence born from years of high-stakes negotiating. "Finding a quiet, secure, and prestigious property in Crimson Vale is entirely possible. The real question, however, is what your actual intentions are. Would you prefer to rent the place for a few months while you get your bearings, or are you looking to purchase the deed outright?"
Lu Feng offered a casual, unbothered shrug, leaning his head back slightly against the wood-paneled wall. "I honestly don’t know yet. We haven’t decided on the long-term timeline for our stay, so purchasing or renting both have their merits depending on what’s available."
"Ah, the luxury of indecision," Lin Laifu chuckled softly, rubbing his chin as he mentally calculated the potential profit margins of real estate transactions. "No matter. We can easily keep in touch after we arrive at the main branch of the Grand Transport Agency here in the city. Finding you a few suitable options won’t be hard at all; I have ties with several major property brokers in the upper districts."
"That sounds reasonable," Lu Feng nodded approvingly.
Lin Laifu’s smile widened further, taking on a slightly sharper, more calculated manner as an entirely new idea struck him. He leaned forward a little closer, lowering his voice into a friendly pitch.
"In fact, since I already informed that garrison official outside the gates that you and your ladies are workers operating directly under my employment, why don’t you all just come along and stay at my private residence within the city until I can help you find a proper, permanent place of your own?"
In truth, the loan shark’s sudden, overwhelming hospitality wasn’t entirely altruistic or driven by simple kindness. Beneath his polished facade, Lin Laifu was playing a much deeper, far more desperate game of survival. His primary concern was his own safety, specifically the terrifying, unmatched presence of Ye Chenxue sitting quietly right across from him.
She had been the one to obliterate the strongest, most ruthless adversary they had faced on the treacherous journey to Crimson Vale City, displaying a level of cold, terrifying lethality that left a permanent, unshakeable impression on his mind.
Within the sprawling, cutthroat political landscape of the inner city, while Lin Laifu held a respectable level of wealth and merchant prestige, he was far from untouchable.
Being the proprietor of a prominent loan bank meant he was never, under any circumstances, short on enemies.
He was constantly hunted by desperate debtors who hated his merciless, crushing repayment terms, those he had systematically and legally swindled out of their ancestral possessions over the years, jealous business rivals eager to see his financial empire crumble to dust, and vengeful creditors he had brutally outmaneuvered in high-stakes market wars.
Having a walking, breathing calamity like Ye Chenxue close by his side was quite literally his safest bet against an assassin’s blade or a rival faction’s midnight raid. And since he wouldn’t be charging them a single copper coin for the roof over their heads, simply offering to accommodate them for free in exchange for unspoken, terrifying protection, he was entirely certain they wouldn’t dare turn down the offer.
Lu Feng was acutely and painfully aware of how the man’s paranoid mind worked. He could see right through the thinly veiled ulterior motives with crystal clarity. But what else could he do when someone was offering them a secure, high-end place to stay completely for free, complete with meals and staff, especially in a massive, totally unfamiliar city where they had zero footing or local intelligence?
He accepted the proposal without a single second of hesitation acting like he wasn’t aware of Lin Laifu’s intentions.
"That sounds like a remarkably generous arrangement, Master Lin. We certainly appreciate the hospitality," Lu Feng answered evenly, keeping any hint of amusement out of his voice.
However, Lu Feng didn’t put all his eggs in Lin Laifu’s suspicious basket. He had already quietly and firmly assigned Han Lin to secure an independent estate for them once they got settled, and he was completely certain she would dutifully, quietly, and efficiently carry out that assignment behind the scenes.
In the meantime, they would simply enjoy their temporary stay with Lin Laifu and his very nervous, deeply suspicious business partner. She was yet to speak a sentence to Lu Feng and he wasn’t in any way anticipating a conversation between them. She gave him an uncomfortable feeling.
Even as Lu Feng continued his casual, unbroken conversation with the loan shark, he caught Lin Laifu’s female companion staring intently at him more than once from across the carriage, her eyes narrowed in harsh, speculative judgment as she tried to figure out what kind of background he truly had.
She only snapped out of her rude, glaring observation when Ye Chenxue slowly turned her head and fixed the woman with a chilling, dead-eyed stare that scared her absolute shitless, causing her to instantly tear her gaze away, turn pale, and shrink back into the farthest corner of her seat in sheer terror.
The carriages rolled past several more grand trade pavilions, towering stone arches, and heavily guarded municipal squares before finally turning down a wider, exceptionally secure avenue lined with iron streetlamps and private estate walls.
Up ahead, the massive, iron-reinforced gates of the Grand Transport Agency’s main Crimson Vale branch came into view, bearing the soaring, intricate emblem of the continent-spanning merchant guild carved into a slab of pure white marble.
The entire convoy slowed down to a synchronized, orderly halt in the spacious, paved stone courtyard, and the drivers pulled back firmly on the reins as their long, grueling journey officially reached its final destination.
As the passengers inside the surrounding vehicles began to stir and prepare themselves to step down onto the cobblestones, the ride came to a definitive, quiet end with the lead guard’s call. "We’ve safely arrived at our destination. Welcome to Crimson Vale City!"