Volume Two: Inheriting the Legacy, Blood on the Brocade - Chapter 155: The Rising Sun

Pearl’s eyes carried a trace of fear, yet she still walked over slowly. After taking just two steps, she felt a tightness around her wrist. Startled, she looked down and realized it was Yang Ning who had grabbed her wrist.

Just as Pearl was about to speak, Yang Ning already asked with a smile, "Lady Pearl, I'd like to ask, how is this pastry made? It tastes really good, and the presentation is lovely too. If possible, could you tell me the recipe? I might try making it myself later."

Pearl was taken aback. She hadn't expected that at a time like this, Yang Ning would care about the recipe for a pastry, and for a moment she didn't know how to respond.

The high-nosed man frowned, looked Yang Ning up and down, and then sneered, "Well, well! Does the stinking whore have a kept toy boy now? No wonder she hasn't made a move for so long."

Yang Ning turned his head, looked at the high-nosed man, beckoned to him, and smiled, "Come over here for a moment. I have something I'd like to ask you."

The high-nosed man said disdainfully, "What kind of thing are you, that I should go over just because you tell me to? Cut the crap. Pearl, come with us right now."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than he saw Yang Ning suddenly dart forward like a cheetah. The high-nosed man was stunned. Seeing that Yang Ning was young and in the company of Yuan Rong, he had assumed he was just some young dandy who discussed the wind and the moon. Such fellows talked big, but when it came to using their hands, they lacked any real weight. He never imagined the other party possessed such martial prowess.

Before he could recover from his slight shock, Yang Ning was already right in front of him. The high-nosed man reacted quickly enough, throwing a punch straight ahead, but suddenly felt his waist tighten. Before he could process it, a sharp pain flared in his lower abdomen, as if he had been struck hard in the gut by a solid stone. Following that, his body tilted, and Yang Ning heavily threw him to the deck.

The three big men behind him were all startled. Hastily stepping forward to throw punches, they suddenly felt a blur before their eyes. One of them immediately felt his body lift into the air, flying past the ship's railing like a soccer ball. With a splash, he plunged into the river, sending water droplets flying in all directions and drawing the attention of many onlookers nearby.

The remaining two men froze for a moment. Yang Ning did not hesitate at all. Taking advantage of their momentary distraction, he lifted his foot and kicked one of them squarely in the stomach. The man let out a miserable scream as his body flew backward, crashing heavily onto the deck where he struggled twice, unable to get back up for the moment.

The last remaining man felt a chill run through his heart. Seeing Yang Ning standing before him with his hands clasped behind his back, one foot resting on the chest of the high-nosed man, he couldn't help but take two steps back. Only now did he realize that this young-looking, and even slightly slender youth, was far more difficult to mess with than a Vajra guardian.

"Go back and tell your master that if he wants to find Lady Pearl, he should come and get her himself," Yang Ning said indifferently. "I'll be waiting right here for him."

Seeing that Yang Ning had knocked down three men almost in an instant, the man knew he was no match for him. He turned to leave, but Yang Ning frowned and called out, "Hold on!"

The man stopped, turned around in terror, and asked, "You... what other instructions do you have?"

"I told you to go pass a message, not just walk away like that," Yang Ning sighed. "If people who forcefully barge in can leave safe and sound, wouldn't even more people act without restraint in the future?" He pointed toward the ship's railing. "Jump!"

The man stood dumbfounded. Yang Ning frowned and asked, "Do you need me to help you?"

Seeing the chilling intent shrouding Yang Ning's eyes and knowing he had no other choice, the man walked over to the ship's railing. He hesitated for a moment, finally climbed over, and leaped down with a fierce jump. The sound of water splashing rang out, drawing the gazes of people in the vicinity once more.

Yang Ning lowered his head, looked at the high-nosed man pinned beneath his foot, and smiled, "Just lie here and wait for a while. Someone will come to take you away, and perhaps you'll have a chance to leave. Otherwise, I'm afraid you won't leave this boat alive."

"You... you dare kill me?" The high-nosed man asked with defiant reluctance.

Yang Ning sighed, "You can try it and see." He turned and walked back. Seeing that both Yuan Rong and Pearl were staring at him in a daze, he smiled, "What is it?"

Yuan Rong finally sighed, "Qi Ning, the blood of the Qi family flows in your veins indeed. Truly extraordinary."

Pearl, however, smiled bitterly and said, "My Lord, actually... actually you didn't need to provoke them on my account. This will only bring trouble upon you."

"Lady Pearl, don't overthink it. I'm not doing this for you; I'm doing it for myself," Yang Ning said. "Those fellows were far too impolite to me, and I'm going to teach them some manners." Seeing the lingering, unmasked fear in Pearl's eyes, he comforted her, "Are you worried that my striking them will complicate matters further and even implicate you?"

Pearl shook her head and replied, "My Lord overthinks. A falling leaf has a cheap fate, it's nothing worth mentioning. I'm only worried about causing trouble for My Lord."

Yang Ning sat down and said, "I ate your pastries, so I ought to give something in return. Rest assured, I am not the kind of person who stirs up trouble and leaves it uncleaned. Since I ran into this today, I will see it through to a result." To himself, he thought: *I've always been someone who can't stand bullies picking on the weak. Besides, I now hold a peerage; am I, in this tiny Qinhuai River, supposed to swallow my anger and take abuse?*

Yuan Rong sat down as well, and Yang Ning asked, "Do you know these men?"

"I don't know them, but I know very well who stands behind them." Yuan Rong picked up his wine cup, drained it in one gulp, and Pearl refilled it for him.

"Which high-ranking official is so arrogant?"

Yuan Rong shook his head and said, "Not a court official. These men are all from the Sunrise Escort Agency."

"The Sunrise Escort Agency?" Yang Ning frowned.

He was exceptionally sensitive to escort agencies. Through Duan Canghai, he had long since learned that the three major escort agencies in the capital were the Sunrise, the Four Seas, and the Changping Escort Agencies.

Constable Xiao Yishui of Huize County had secretly colluded with both the underworld and official authorities to traffic humans, and the channel he used was an escort agency. Moreover, Xiaodie had also been taken away from Huize County by an escort agency.

To this day, Yang Ning could not confirm whether Xiao Yishui had colluded with the Four Seas Escort Agency or the Sunrise Escort Agency. Both agencies had recently suffered major incidents where one of their escort caravans had been waylaid and slaughtered.

He also knew that the Four Seas Escort Agency was composed primarily of men from the pugilistic world, whereas many of the guards and escorts of the Sunrise Escort Agency came from military backgrounds. From a certain perspective, the Four Seas Escort Agency had close ties to the martial world, while the Sunrise Escort Agency possessed military backing.

Being called the three major escort agencies of Great Chu, these three were naturally vastly different from ordinary transport bureaus. Their influence was formidable, and their network of connections was tangled and complex, making them far from easy to deal with. Yang Ning had previously thought of tracing the root of the matter and thoroughly uncovering that human trafficking channel, but lacking influence at the time, pulling back such a deep, dark curtain was no easy task.

However, having entered the Brocade-Clad Marquis's Mansion, he was now prepared to use the estate's power to launch an investigation into that dark web.

He simply had not expected that before he could make a move against those escort agencies, people from the Sunrise Escort Agency would actually provoke him first.

Among the three major escort agencies, the one most likely to be involved in human trafficking was the Sunrise Escort Agency.

Yuan Rong nodded and said, "Among the capital's three major escort agencies, the most powerful is the Sunrise Escort Agency. You should know at least a little about it."

"I've heard that the Sunrise Escort Agency has some connections with the military," Yang Ning said softly. "Is that true or false?"

"Actually, quite a few people are well aware of this," Yuan Rong said. "Ding Yitu, the chief escort of the Sunrise Escort Agency, used to be a deputy general in the Qinhuai Army."

"The Qinhuai Army?"

Yuan Rong nodded. "Ever since its founding, the Qinhuai Army has always been commanded by your Qi family. The old Marquis of Brocade-Clad and your father were two successive generations of commanding marshals of the Qinhuai Army, and Ding Yitu was precisely a deputy general under your father's command back then."

"If he was a deputy general of the Qinhuai Army, how did he become the chief escort of an agency?" Yang Ning frowned.

Yuan Rong glanced around before lowering his voice. "Back then, Ding Yitu violated military law and was almost beheaded. Someone pleaded on his behalf, and since he truly had rendered great military exploits and people at court spoke up for him, he managed to spare his life, though he was expelled from the military."

"You mean, after being expelled, he opened an escort agency?" Yang Ning frowned. "Was his family background very good?"

Yuan Rong replied, "Whether his family background was good or not, I don't know. I only know that he was conscripted into the army back then and had no particular background, nor did he come from any illustrious clan. Although he received a military stipend in the army, he was a chronic gambler and couldn't save a single coin." He paused before adding, "At the very least, he certainly didn't have the money to start an escort agency."

"If that's the case, how was he able to open an escort agency, and even make it one of the three major escort agencies of Great Chu?"

With an air of unfathomable mystery, Yuan Rong said, "If someone provides financial backing from behind the scenes, opening an escort agency is not difficult. Furthermore, your late father governed the army with strict discipline. Every year, there were soldiers dealt with for violating military law—while those beheaded weren't extremely numerous, those expelled from the military were hardly few." He picked up his wine cup, though he didn't drink, swirling the wine as he spoke. "Those men who were expelled from the military yet still possessed martial skills naturally became the most welcome talent for the Sunrise Escort Agency."

Yang Ning fell into deep thought. Only now did he realize that the Sunrise Escort Agency seemed even more formidable than he had imagined; it was by no means merely an escort agency.

"In less than ten years, the Sunrise Escort Agency went from being penniless to becoming the most powerful escort agency in Great Chu today. Naturally, it couldn't be that simple," Yuan Rong said. "As for how much trickery lies behind it, I am not clear either." He smiled faintly, "However, that the Sunrise Escort Agency is close to the Ministry of Revenue is something many people at court know."

"You mean Dou Kui?"

Yuan Rong said, "The Ministry of Revenue manages the nation's finances and taxes, and the transport of goods and materials every year is countless. Yet sometimes the Ministry of Revenue lacks manpower, and the Ministry of War won't dispatch extra men, so they have no choice but to utilize escort agencies. The supplies transported for the Ministry of Revenue account for a massive share of the Sunrise Escort Agency's annual revenue. The rapid expansion of the Sunrise Escort Agency's influence over the years owes a tremendous amount of help to the Ministry of Revenue at the very least." He smiled, took a light sip of wine, and said, "Or rather, the Dou family helped them a great deal."

"Ding Yitu!" Yang Ning softly murmured the name.

At that moment, he suddenly realized that while the Marquis of Brocade-Clad had once been infinitely glorious, the grudges and enmities he had left behind seemed equally numerous. Earlier, he had already learned that Dou Kui of the Ministry of Revenue was on bad terms with Qi Jing, and now Ding Yitu, the chief escort of the Sunrise Escort Agency, was also someone who had been expelled from the military by Qi Jing. These two factions had happened to come together, and this combined force undoubtedly viewed the Brocade-Clad Marquis's Mansion as a thorn in their side and a thorn in their eye.

Suddenly, footsteps were heard coming from the stairwell. This time, the footsteps were very slow, but every step taken was full of force and extremely heavy.

Yang Ning had already noticed that Pearl's eyes were filled with terror, and her beautiful face had turned sheet white.