#138 - Chapter 138 He Wu

During the chat, Cheng Feng found the man he was talking to quite knowledgeable and asked curiously, "I see you have extraordinary conversation and great knowledge. How did you end up in this situation?"

The man clasped his fist and said, "My name is He Wu. I served as a soldier for several years, defending against the Southern barbarians. Back then, I was full of vigor, determined to protect my country and bravely kill enemies, repeatedly earning military merits. However, things are unpredictable. Later, my elderly mother became seriously ill, and we encountered the ravages of war. I had no choice but to take my mother and flee our hometown to escape the war. Alas, Heaven did not grant my wish. Despite my best efforts, my poor mother still couldn't make it to Lianshan Prefecture City and passed away on the way…"

Speaking of this, the young man named He Wu could no longer suppress the grief in his heart. Tears welled up in his eyes, and his voice became choked with sobs.

His story was like a sharp sword, deeply piercing the hearts of the people around him. The women gathered nearby also began to weep uncontrollably, lamenting their own miserable fates. They couldn't help but relate to their own experiences, feeling the same endless sorrow and helplessness in their hearts.

"You keep saying your mother died of illness, not starvation, so it seems you have some ability, at least enough to keep your mother from starving," Cheng Feng said softly, trying to ease the heartbreaking scene before him.

He Wu clasped his fist again, saying with gratitude and tears, "Thank you for your comfort, brother. It's just that now my mother has passed away, and I am penniless. I sold myself to bury my mother so she could rest in peace. I have nowhere else to go. May I ask, what does the master behind you want us to do?"

A man does not easily shed tears, but only when grief is overwhelming.

A trace of confusion and helplessness was revealed in He Wu's eyes, as if he had lost his way in this unfamiliar environment. He looked around and found no familiar faces, and a strong sense of unease surged in his heart. He didn't know what kind of fate and ending he would face, and could only silently pray that he would meet a good master.

Cheng Feng, who was about to blurt out the answer, came back to his senses and woke up. It had only been a few words, and he had almost been led by the nose by the other party.

After regaining his composure, Cheng Feng carefully observed He Wu and found that all of He Wu's performances seemed too deliberate. He keenly noticed He Wu's probing and couldn't help but sneer in his heart.

When did he become so easily led by the other party?

He calmed himself down and began to re-examine He Wu in front of him. After some observation, Cheng Feng found that although He Wu appeared somewhat confused and helpless, there was a firm light flashing in his eyes. It seemed that this He Wu was not really that weak, but was just looking for a suitable opportunity to show his strength.

So, Cheng Feng responded ambiguously, "If you have really been a soldier, your own strength should be quite good. With such conditions, you can completely work as a thug or guard for the master. If you have read some books and are literate, you might even be able to become a small leader."

He Wu was obviously not satisfied with Cheng Feng's answer. But he also understood that Cheng Feng had already given his advice, and it was out of good intentions. He couldn't directly refute it, so he could only hide this dissatisfaction in his heart.

He Wu took a deep breath and tried to calm himself down. He knew that now was not the time to reveal his true strength. He had to carefully observe everything around him and look for a suitable opportunity to show his value.

No longer paying attention to He Wu, Cheng Feng began to interact with the others.

The others were okay, more honest, without so many tricks.

Cheng Feng's communication with the others seemed relatively easy. His unique charm always allowed people to unconsciously lower their guard. However, for He Wu, this was an invisible pressure. He stood aside, quietly observing all of this, and couldn't help but begin to plan his next move.

Watching Cheng Feng talking with ease in the crowd, He Wu smelled an unusual aura. He noticed that between Cheng Feng's smiles and conversations, he always inadvertently mentioned some key information, such as the Red Lotus Society, each person's previous residence, what they did before, what they could do, and so on, as if testing the reactions of the people around him.

He Wu stood silently to the side, pretending not to care about all of this, but in reality, his ears were perked up, carefully capturing every detail.

In the seemingly casual inquiries, He Wu realized for the first time that the man in front of him was no ordinary person.

When ordinary people buy slaves, would they ask about human customs, geographical transportation, and other issues? Obviously not.

When encountering a beautiful woman, they would directly take her back to their room for pleasure. When needing male labor, they would buy them back and use them as hard labor.

When has anyone cared about these aspects of humanities and geography?

Judging from Cheng Feng's way of asking questions, He Wu seemed to see an ambitious person watching the changes in the situation.

Looking at Cheng Feng's sunny face, a chill surged in He Wu's heart. Indeed, there are hidden dragons and crouching tigers in the world, and experts are as numerous as clouds!

However, Cheng Feng didn't think too much. He just wanted to ask if there were many people who had difficulty surviving in your area?

Was the escape route blocked?

Are there any special things to pay attention to when communicating with local residents?

Cheng Feng was also worried about the Red Lotus Society attacking, and maybe he would have to flee this place in advance.

But facing the crowd's reaction of knowing nothing, Cheng Feng didn't think much else, thinking: "It's okay if you don't know, just consider it as a way to relieve boredom."

After asking everyone, Cheng Feng already knew everyone's name clearly. However, for this man, he didn't want to remember too many people's names. After all, here, all men must first go to the Hongmen training camp to receive training. This is the Cheng Mansion's rule. Through this method, their individual ambitions can be eliminated.

In comparison, those girls seemed a little inexperienced. Cheng Feng didn't have much interest in them, feeling that they were like bean sprouts, and still needed time to grow and be tempered.

However, two women who were already married caught Cheng Feng's attention. One was named Hong Niang, and the other was named Yu Niang.

Although time had already left some traces on their faces, one could still faintly see their former beauty.

Hong Niang is currently 25 years old, and her daughter Xiao Zhen is 6 years old.

Yu Niang is currently 26 years old, and her daughter Xiao Yu is 7 years old.

Among the women Cheng Feng had met, it was not uncommon to see beautiful women, and there were not a few women who could cook delicious meals.

However, there were very few women who could perfectly combine beauty and cooking skills.

Cheng Feng was not greedy for their bodies, but thought that buying such beautiful and affordable women was better than those sloppy and unattractive women.

However, being good-looking won't hurt you anywhere, will it?