Liu Hengyi smiled nervously, not daring to sit properly in the chair opposite, his butt barely touching the edge as his eyes subtly sized up the notorious Hundred Households of the Black Banner Battalion in front of him.

So young—actually younger than the rumors said, probably not even thirty yet?

Handsome on the outside, with heroic spirit between his brows, but his eyes were sharp as knives and seemed to hide a shadow, making it hard for anyone to meet his gaze.

The aura on him was intensely oppressive; judging from Liu Hengyi’s feeling, this Lord Hundred Households was at least a Gathering Spirit Realm expert.

Combined with the bloody achievements under this Hundred Households’ feet, Liu Hengyi once again lamented that he was truly unlucky today—how did he have the bad luck to provoke this Evil Star?

Unapproachable, vicious and sinister, deep background, oblivious to the ways of the world, rebellious, young and capable, outstanding talent...these were the most common words used about the Black Banner Hundred Households in Fengri City since last autumn.

Since the new officer took office, besides Wu Changhe, it was Shen Hao—the Hundred Households—who got the most discussion among the upper-tier of Fengri City. Especially the nobles, who had no love at all for this Hundred Households of Shen that had stepped on their corpses since day one to climb up.

Looking now, this Hundred Households of Shen really wasn’t easy to deal with—his exposed, ruthless methods completely refreshed Liu Hengyi’s worldview. Say one wrong thing and he’d kill someone in the street, then still eloquently push all culpability onto the other party. Those tactics chilled Liu Hengyi to the bone.

So even with eyes everywhere, Liu Hengyi decided to grovel and apologize, in case a tiny misunderstanding turned into a grudge—just not worth it.

"Master Liu..."

"Oh, please, just call me Old Liu, Lord Shen, no need to flatter me with ’Master’." Liu Hengyi hurriedly waved his hand to interrupt; those two words, "Master," he sure didn’t dare let Shen Hao say too smoothly.

"Heh, alright then—Old Liu, what business are you in?" Shen Hao smiled cheerfully and asked casually. Since arriving at Fengri City, he’s been busy, only aware of the main official figures, unfamiliar with the merchants. He’d just overheard many calling Liu Hengyi "Master Liu" and giving him much respect, so his business must be sizable.

Liu Hengyi answered modestly, "Just running a carriage and horse shop, embarrassed to let Lord Shen laugh at me."

"Carriage and horse shop?" Shen Hao paused. As far as he knew, the only carriage and horse shop boss surnamed Liu in Fengri City was the largest—Hengshun Carriage and Horse Company.

"Old Liu, are you the Master of Hengshun Carriage and Horse Company?"

"Hahaha, Lord Shen is too kind—yes, that’s me."

Shen Hao’s interest was piqued, he smiled, "Hengshun Carriage and Horse Company is now the biggest in Fengri City’s jurisdiction; in all of Jingxi, I’d wager you’re top three?"

"Lord Shen flatters me. Our humble company is just behind the Tianxia Carriage and Horse Company in Jingxi, ranked second. We’ll need more of your guidance, Lord Shen."

Shen Hao laughed heartily, not even mentioning the earlier unpleasantness outside—those dead and crippled slaves seemed to have vanished into thin air. For Liu Hengyi, it felt like Lord Shen wasn’t as hard to approach as rumors had it—you handled him carefully and he seemed a pretty charming fellow.

The two chatted and drank together, the mood cordial, leaving bystanders who expected trouble slack-jawed.

Suddenly, Shen Hao turned to look downstairs; Zhu Shou, face stiff, entered through the front door, glanced at Shen Hao, and followed the madam upstairs.

Liu Hengyi had sharp eyes; he recognized Zhu Shou, knowing Shen Hao’s guest had arrived, so he quickly rose to take his leave.

But before leaving, Liu Hengyi heard Shen Hao say, "I may need to lean on you a lot more in the future, Old Liu."

What did that mean? Just polite words? Liu Hengyi hurried away, still not figuring it out.

As Liu Hengyi left, Zhu Shou came up to the second floor, nodded to Shen Hao, and sat where Liu Hengyi had been. The attendant quickly changed the cutlery and brought fresh food and wine.

"You’re early today, Lord Shen. It’s the big holiday—shouldn’t you be spending more time at home?"

"Lonely old man—home isn’t much different from outside. Besides, Hong’en Hall is lively today; coming early means getting a good spot."

The two kept their voices down, appearing to chat idly.

"About earlier—I went back and thought it over; here’s my proposal, take a look." Zhu Shou pulled a document from his Storage Bag and handed it to Shen Hao. Shen Hao took it and opened it directly; with no one around, there was no worry of prying eyes.

The plan was quite brief; Shen Hao finished quickly and handed it back to Zhu Shou.

After a moment’s silence, Shen Hao spoke: "You can send out expendable personnel first; just make ’infiltration’ the top goal, then adjust as needed. The kind of elite you want can be trained slowly. My people will join throughout the process."

"So I should get started as soon as I get back?"

"Yes, go ahead. I’ll have the funds delivered. Remember, half a year—if nothing comes of it in six months, I’ll replace you immediately."

"Understood."

Zhu Shou had little interest in sitting with Shen Hao; once business was done, he got up and left. The Song and Dance Ensemble was about to start, and Zhu Shou wanted a good mood for the festivities.

"Shen!"

"Haha, you’re early! Did you have lunch here?"

"Good day, brothers!"

Gan Lin and Zhang Qian arrived, calling up to Shen Hao as soon as they hit the stairs. Shen Hao replied just as loudly, making them grin even wider. To have the Hundred Households of Shen greet you as "brother" was no small feat—everyone couldn’t help but take notice.

The three sat together, switching to horn cups, drinking and chatting. The "good wine" at Hong’en Hall was low in alcohol; all three had high tolerance, so getting drunk was not a concern.

"It’s starting!"

The music kicked in, marking the official start of this year’s Blue Moon Association. The stage on the first floor sank, and about ten dancers rose up from below posed gracefully. Each wore flowing red skirts and had alluring figures—and since this was Hong’en Hall, the costumes were uniquely revealing, saving as much fabric as possible without sacrificing beauty, making the men in the audience grin from ear to ear.

"This kind of dance, gorgeous!"

Shen Hao smiled too, but this degree of costume didn’t wow him much. To him, they were still too conservative—after all, he was a man who’d seen countless bikinis; the scene before him was nothing wild.

But Zhang Qian and Gan Lin were different—their eyes nearly popped out, and they downed two gulps of wine to dampen their mounting excitement. It was still early after all; it wouldn’t do to drag a songstress into a room just yet. Sure, maybe you could, but at least keep some dignity. Being too horny—not a good reputation.

From the first opening dance, the tone of Hong’en Hall’s ensemble was crystal clear.