Fu Tian, under the scorching gazes, hurried into the study and pulled out the small booklet hidden inside to show Chu Xiangtian.
The handwriting in the booklet was neat and orderly regular script, clean and precise, just like the person who wrote it.
Chu Xiangtian furrowed his brows and carefully flipped through page by page. The earlier pages mostly recorded major events from Fu Tian’s memories.
Toward the end, the entries became a disorganized collection of fragmented memories—probably because even the author couldn’t recall them clearly and could only jot down vague notes.
At the very end, there was a separate section documenting the lives of about a dozen people.
Except for Li Qingnian, Chu Xiangtian didn’t recognize the others, so he asked curiously, “What is this for?”
“Li Qingnian and the others asked me to help figure out if there’s anything useful I can do,” Fu Tian scratched his cheek sheepishly.
“I just wanted to review my memories from the previous life and help as much as I can.”
“Are you close to them?” Chu Xiangtian’s gaze landed on the page about He Chengliang.
“We hung out a few times,” Fu Tian pretended to be mature and said, “Though he likes to play around, he’s not bad at heart. They’re all pretty easy to get along with.”
Chu Xiangtian chuckled and pinched his cheek. “This He Chengliang has piqued my interest. Bring me to see him someday. If he’s suitable, I’ll arrange a place for him.”
In times of war, anyone who could join the army and distinguish themselves was a promising talent. Chu Xiangtian didn’t mind lending a hand.
Upon hearing this, Fu Tian’s eyes curved into a gentle arc as he smiled warmly, vouching for He Chengliang.
Two days later, Fu Tian had Li Qingnian send people to arrange a meeting at a teahouse.
Chu Xiangtian went along.
Li Qingnian and his group entered the teahouse laughing and joking, but when they saw Chu Xiangtian, their smiles froze awkwardly before quickly becoming cautious as they took their seats.
Everyone knew Chu Xiangtian—they couldn’t not know the Bandit Chief of West Mountain Stronghold.
Li Qingnian sat next to Fu Tian and awkwardly gestured toward him with his eyes, whispering, “Why did you bring him along too?”
Fu Tian was already used to Chu Xiangtian’s status. Seeing everyone’s expressions now, he smiled brightly and said, “Let me introduce everyone—F…”
“This is Chu Xiangtian, former leader of West Mountain Stronghold, and now Protector of the Fu Family.”
The Young Masters present gasped softly, eyes filled with admiration for Fu Tian’s boldness in employing a former bandit chief as their protector.
Li Qingnian whispered, “You’re really brave. Didn’t he kidnap you before?”
Chu Xiangtian’s face darkened as his gaze suddenly fixed on Li Qingnian, eyes narrowing dangerously.
Fu Tian quickly explained vaguely, “That was a misunderstanding. I brought him here for business.”
The Young Masters quietly assessed Chu Xiangtian. Only He Chengliang, fearless like a newborn calf, stared directly at him without hesitation.
Chu Xiangtian met his gaze and frowned, noticing He Chengliang’s sturdier build compared to the others. “Are you He Chengliang?”
He nodded, somewhat confused why Chu Xiangtian knew him.
“Have you trained in martial arts?”
He Chengliang scratched his head sheepishly. “I’ve practiced a bit on my own.”
Chu Xiangtian showed no patience for others and was brief: “Want to spar?”
He Chengliang instinctively glanced at Fu Tian, who smiled encouragingly. “You’ve always wanted to join the army, right? He knows people there. If you qualify, maybe he can help make your wish come true.”
He Chengliang’s hesitation immediately turned to excitement.
He shrugged off his wide outer robe, rolled up his sleeves, and stood opposite Chu Xiangtian, his rough and uninhibited manner belying any scholarly background.
The teahouse’s private room was spacious enough to move tables and chairs aside, giving them room to spar.
“You start,” Chu Xiangtian said.
He Chengliang didn’t hold back—a punch shot toward Chu Xiangtian’s face just as Chu moved slightly aside and caught the fist with one hand.
“Good strength, but clumsy.”
Chu Xiangtian released him without expression. “Again.”
This time, He Chengliang feinted toward the face, then attacked low, but Chu Xiangtian didn’t fall or move. With one raised foot, he tripped He Chengliang to the ground.
He Chengliang landed heavily, wailing in pain.
A waiter outside, hearing the commotion, hurried in and anxiously asked what happened.
After laughing and sending the waiter away, a tall, thin young man helped He Chengliang up.
Though it was his first serious defeat, He Chengliang was reluctant to give up and wanted to spar again, but Chu Xiangtian refused coldly.
“You have potential. I can arrange for you to train in the army.”
He Chengliang’s eyes lit up instantly. “Really?”
Chu Xiangtian nodded and sat back down next to Fu Tian, sipping the tea the Little Marquis had poured for him earlier.
“But what about my family?” He Chengliang frowned, worried they wouldn’t agree.
Chu Xiangtian thought for a moment, then decided to spare Fu Tian some trouble and handle it himself. “I’ll have someone talk to your family.”
He Chengliang’s worried expression immediately turned bright. He filled a cup of tea and raised it to Chu Xiangtian. “I can’t repay such kindness. Let me toast you with tea instead of wine!”
“When I’ve finished training, I’ll come back and challenge you,” he said boldly, downing the cup in one go.
The others immediately cheered loudly. Chu Xiangtian twitched the corner of his mouth, took a measured sip of tea, and gave He Chengliang a look like he’d lost his mind.
With He Chengliang’s future arranged, the excitement died down, and everyone turned to Fu Tian expectantly.
Li Qingnian squinted his small eyes squeezed together by chubby cheeks. “Yoling, what about us?”
Fu Tian, meeting their hopeful gazes, slowly spoke, “I’m planning to buy land and open a rice shop in Xingdong Commandery soon. Do you want to invest?”
He had already made up his mind before coming, but wasn’t sure if these Young Masters would join him.
He had thought about it long and hard. The Fu Family had been stuck in this small Sifang Town for too long. He wanted to expand the family business into neighboring commanderies.
Right now, the priority was buying land to stockpile grain. Before knowing Chu Xiangtian’s identity, he didn’t have such grand ambitions. Living a peaceful life in Sifang Town was fine.
But Chu Xiangtian was the War God of Great Chu, the emperor’s own brother. Their fates were intertwined—if one prospered, both did; if one fell, both fell.
Even if Fu Tian didn’t understand much about court politics, he knew that with the famine erupting, if unrest broke out, Chu Xiangtian couldn’t remain safe.
As a general of Great Chu, he would have to head to the battlefield once war started.
Fu Tian silently calculated that by growing the business bigger, when the great disaster came next year, he could help more.
He also vaguely worried that with Zhaowang’s rebellion snuffed out early, the future was unpredictable. He wasn’t sure if war would break out again like last time.
But it was always better to be prepared.
Since he planned to buy land in the neighboring commandery, Fu Tian thought he could take these friends along and help them.
Some were puzzled, “Why buy so much land? And a rice shop isn’t the most profitable. Opening a tavern or inn would make more money.”
Fu Tian shook his head. “Those are for later. For now, we need to get the rice shop up and running. If you trust me, you can invest and receive dividends every year.”
Their faces showed hesitation, but Li Qingnian pounded the table decisively. “I trust you, Yoling. I’ll give you all my secret savings!”
With his lead, several others were persuaded and willing to join. A few still hesitated, probably embarrassed since most had already joined.
“I… we need more time to think.”
Fu Tian didn’t object and kindly reminded them, “It’s okay if you don’t invest, but I suggest you stockpile more grain in your estates and don’t rush to sell it.”
These Young Masters all came from wealthy families with estates that produced rice. Aside from what their families consumed, the rest was sold to support household expenses.
That was fine under normal circumstances, but after next year’s famine, crops would wither, grain merchants would hike prices, and grain prices would soar to levels ordinary people couldn’t afford.
Even wealthy families might struggle to hold on.
If they listened, they would get through the disaster more smoothly.
By the time all matters were settled, the sun had already begun to set.
Li Qingnian, now firmly attached to Fu Tian, cheerfully proposed, “Let’s go! I’ll treat everyone to drinks. The girls at Spring Breeze Pavilion learned new songs…”
He was about to drop it, but then pulled Fu Tian along. “Come on, last time we didn’t get to play dice with you. Let’s have a round this time.”
Fu Tian hurriedly brushed his hand away, feeling guilty and avoiding looking at those around him. “I’m not going. You guys go on without me.”
“Girls at Spring Breeze Pavilion?” Chu Xiangtian ground his teeth, his expression darkening. “Looks like a lot has happened while I wasn’t around.”