Chapter 166: I Need to Visit Feng City
Seeing the joy in their eyes as they schemed, Chang Huilan had no choice but to bring up the harsh realities to remind them.
Before, she had merely ignored Yu Luo’s family. Later, because of her husband, she had tried to mend their relationship. But her daughter’s crippled leg had become an unshakable thorn in her heart—one she simply couldn’t get over.
She didn’t hate them enough to personally kill them, but if someone else did, and her family could benefit from it, she was more than willing to stand by and watch.
As expected, when she spoke, the smiles on the faces of Old Madam Chen and her granddaughters immediately vanished.
Especially Old Madam Chen—when she recalled the time Yu Luo had deliberately shot her in the arm, a wave of lingering fear washed over her.
She was certain that Yu Luo had done it on purpose.
Although she didn’t know why Yu Luo hadn’t just taken her life outright, she understood one thing—this family of wild bastards was no longer easy to deal with.
“Father, why are we even digging a reservoir? When it’s done, we can just take water from that wretched girl’s pool instead. Why waste our energy?”
Yu Xiaoxuan, who had been forced to work, had barely dug for a short while before he got fed up.
His hands were meant to wield a sword, not swing a hoe or shovel.
Even after months of exile, the arrogance ingrained in his bones as a young master of a noble family had not been worn away.
They had only just begun to shape the reservoir, yet he was already throwing down his hoe in frustration, sitting on the ground in anger.
He had thought he could at least enjoy a few idle months, waiting for people from the capital to come and take them back. But life here was even more exhausting than the journey of exile itself.
First, they had to dig caves into the mountains to make a home—fine, he could endure that, since they needed a place to live.
But once the caves were ready, his father made him go pick up stones and clear land for a vegetable patch.
Alright, he bore with it because he wanted to eat fresh vegetables.
But now, when the vegetables were finally planted, his father was making him dig a reservoir?
He had had enough. He threw his hoe aside, sat down on the ground, and looked at his father with a mix of confusion and anger.
“If you can’t handle even this hardship, what else do you think you’re capable of in life?”
Yu Zhengqing kept swinging his hoe, his forehead already dripping with sweat. The midday sun in the wilderness was warm, but for someone laboring under it, the heat was overwhelming.
“Father, let’s not talk about that for now. Didn’t you say that in a few months, there would be news from the capital? Why are we even bothering with this reservoir?”
Yu Xiaoxuan’s words finally made Yu Zhengqing pause. He looked at his son seriously.
“We’ve been in exile for over a month now, and there’s been no news. Our last contact with the capital was over three months ago. Lately, I’ve been growing more and more anxious. I fear that the political situation back home has changed.”
“Father, now that we’ve settled down here, why don’t we go back to check? With our light-footed skills, we can return quietly without anyone noticing.”
Seeing his father’s worried expression, Yu Xiaoran also put down his tools and spoke softly.
“I’ve been thinking the same thing. But if both of us leave, I wouldn’t feel safe leaving Xiaoxuan behind. He’s still young and impulsive. Besides, we can’t guarantee that others in Feng City haven’t already set their sights on us after we wiped out the Wanli Gang.”
Hearing his father’s concerns, Yu Xiaoxuan scoffed dismissively.
“Let them come! Didn’t we already take down over a hundred of them last time? Father, you’re worrying too much.”
The moment he said that, not just Yu Zhengqing, but even Yu Xiaoran frowned at him.
Annoyed, Yu Xiaoran shot his younger brother a glare and said seriously, “Father is right. Leaving Xiaoxuan to protect the family wouldn’t be safe. I think Father should stay, and I’ll go to the capital.”
Yu Zhengqing wasn’t surprised by Yu Xiaoran’s decision—it was the most logical one. But he didn’t want his eldest son to take the risk.
If anything went wrong, Yu Xiaoran could end up falling into the hands of the emperor or the rival factions opposing the second prince.
Yu Xiaoran was far more capable than Yu Xiaoxuan, and as his eldest son, he was the real hope of the Yu family. He couldn’t afford to lose him.
“Even if you go, those people may not acknowledge you. It’s better if I go. In the meantime, you need to watch over the family—especially your grandmother. Things may seem peaceful now, but she’s a wild card. I fear she might provoke your second uncle’s family. And if that happens, given how they are now, she could lose her life at any moment.”
Yu Xiaoran nodded solemnly. Just thinking about his grandmother gave him a headache.
“Let’s set aside the trip back to the capital for now. Actually, I was planning to visit Feng City in the next few days.”
Hearing this, both brothers looked concerned and immediately asked, “Why? What for?”
Seeing their worry, Yu Zhengqing sighed.
“I have some old acquaintances there. If they’re still around, they might be useful to us.”
“Then take Xiaoxuan with you. Even though he’s impatient, his skills aren’t bad. If you run into trouble, he can at least help. I’ll stay behind and take care of the family, so don’t worry.”
Yu Xiaoxuan wanted to protest.
He had heard plenty of stories about Feng City—it was like a lawless purgatory where only the strong survived.
He wanted to refuse, but he didn’t dare. If he spoke up now, his father and brother would look down on him.
“Alright, I’ll make the arrangements soon.”
Meanwhile, Yu Haojie had spent half the day overseeing the clearing of farmland. He returned with a group of women, who had gone back home to prepare meals for their men working in the fields.
But as they approached, they saw a group of around ten men from the stone houses working hard at digging with hoes and shovels near Yu Luo’s vegetable patch.
The more timid women quickly hurried back to their caves, while the bolder ones stood at a distance, watching curiously.
Hearing the commotion outside, Yu Luo, who had just finished preparing lunch, stepped out and saw her father and a group of women staring at the stone house men with suspicion.
“What’s going on here?”
Yu Haojie turned to Yu Luo, frowning in confusion. It was clear that, aside from his bewilderment, he was also wary of these men from the stone houses.
