The Chief Steward took the fruit pit, examined it for a moment, then turned to Du Rufang with a chuckle. "You said General Sichen liked him and was being affectionate toward him. The way I see it, he was looking for a chance to frame the boy! Nearly got him killed. Though in the end, he didn't go too far — at the critical moment, he threw him a lifeline."
Du Rufang also smiled. "So that's how it is. I was wondering why the General would act that way — turns out it was all for today." He paused. "Now that the truth has come out, it's clear the missing spirit fruit had nothing to do with a worker stealing it. The General simply ate one on a whim. Chief Steward, what do you think about Yang Kai…"
The Chief Steward waved his hand, and the two Qiaodi disciples who had stepped forward promptly retreated.
Having gone through all this, the Chief Steward seemed to have lost interest in lingering. He turned and said, "Let's check the other places." Hands clasped behind his back, he stepped through the air and headed off into the distance.
A crowd of followers trailed after him as they departed. Before leaving, Du Rufang glanced at Yang Kai and transmitted a quiet message: "Take care of yourself!"
Yang Kai watched them go, his gaze fixed on Zhou Zheng's retreating back. When the General had spat out the fruit pit earlier, he had clearly seen a flash of surprise on Zhou Zheng's face. He couldn't help but frown. Who was behind today's affair? Was Zhou Zheng involved?
He carefully pieced together the sequence of events. The person who stole the fruit had clearly wanted him dead, and the theft must have happened today — a single fruit plucked from his orchard.
He and Fang Tai had been locked up in the market's prison cell, which meant they'd arrived late, giving the thief an opening. The culprit wasn't Fang Tai, but he'd only been arrested because of Fang Tai in the first place. Yesterday, Fang Tai had seemed to deliberately provoke him. And it was Zhou Zheng who had gotten them released…
His thoughts churned, his mind racing. Yang Kai felt as though he was peeling back layer after layer of fog to glimpse the truth!
But if his guess was right — how had the culprit ensured the Chief Steward would come inspect his orchard? Was it just because of General Sichen? That wasn't impossible either. Once the Chief Steward spotted the General, his curiosity would naturally be piqued. From there, whether or not the Chief Steward intended to come down for a closer look, the person behind it could nudge things along.
Unfortunately, today the Chief Steward had come down on his own, without anyone guiding him — otherwise Yang Kai could have confirmed whether his theory was correct.
He'd nearly been dragged into a life-threatening disaster over nothing. Yang Kai was furious. If General Sichen hadn't stepped in at the last moment to turn things around, there would have been no way to escape this catastrophe. Even Du Rufang probably couldn't have protected him — as evidenced by the fact that when Du Rufang had spoken up earlier, the Chief Steward hadn't cared to listen. A worker stealing called for severe punishment, while the General eating a fruit was treated as nothing of consequence.
He couldn't keep working as a mere laborer like this… In just a few short months, he'd nearly met his end. And there was still a long road ahead.
With that thought, Yang Kai hurriedly lifted the General off his head, cupped it in both hands, and held it in front of him for a close look!
When the bird had first started using his head as a nesting spot, Yang Kai had felt humiliated. Later, after witnessing the General's ability as a veritable god of wealth, he had simply let it slide. He never imagined that one day the bird would save his life! Now the more he looked at it, the more endearing it seemed. He pulled it into a tight embrace and ruffled its feathers mercilessly. "You really did it — found a way out of an impossible situation!"
The General's plumage bristled as it squawked desperately, struggling with all its might, but it couldn't break free from Yang Kai's grip no matter how hard it tried. The cries were positively pitiful.
After a good while, Yang Kai finally let go, plopped down on the ground, set the bird in front of him, and laughed.
The General was a far cry from its usual dignified bearing — its feathers were in complete disarray. The moment it was freed, it flapped its little wings and dove at Yang Kai, pecking away furiously.
Yang Kai raised his hands to shield himself. "All right, all right, all right — just vent a little and call it even."
After a bit of playful tussling, the General finally calmed down. It stood before Yang Kai, preening its ruffled plumage with its beak, occasionally tilting its head to shoot him a look of supreme arrogance.
Yang Kai rested his chin on his hand, propping himself up with his elbows on his knees, and asked curiously, "How did you end up with a Fire Spirit Fruit pit? Have you eaten Fire Spirit Fruit before?"
The General opened its beak and spat out a glow of golden light. Yang Kai caught it and discovered several fruit pits.
"So you really have eaten them!" Yang Kai exclaimed in surprise. That explained why the General had been able to save him at the critical moment today. "But why did you help me?"
What Yang Kai really wanted to know was why the General had taken a liking to him. Others who wanted Open Heaven Pills from the General had to hope it was in a good mood. Yet he alone could trade a single worm for a pill, and had even carved out an entirely new path for profit that way.
This couldn't simply be because they'd fought once before. Unfortunately, the General had never actually had a proper exchange with him to this day. The bird could clearly understand what he said — proof that it had the ability to communicate — but couldn't be bothered to do so.
Unable to figure it out, and too tired to dwell on it, Yang Kai picked up the General and placed it back on his head. He rose to his feet and declared, "You saved my life today. Should you ever need anything in the future, just say the word — Yang Kai will not hesitate, even at the cost of his life!"
He had no idea whether the General actually heard or understood him. In any case, it gave no particular reaction.
The orchard was vast, but the Chief Steward's inspection only took a single day. Yang Kai waited until the following day before Du Rufang finally showed up.
The moment they met, Du Rufang said, "Yang Kai, I did my best to argue on your behalf yesterday. Unfortunately, when it came to the matter of theft, there was little I could do. In the end, it was the General who stepped forward of his own accord — if not for that, things would have turned out terribly."
Yang Kai cupped his fists. "Lord Du, you flatter me. I saw how much you cared for this disciple yesterday, and I will remember it."
Du Rufang patted him on the shoulder. "I'm glad you see it that way. So — you specifically asked me to come. Is there something you want to discuss?" If Yang Kai hadn't sent him a message yesterday requesting the visit, he wouldn't have come today.
Yang Kai said, "There is, in fact." He gestured with his hand. "Lord Du, please!"