The Princess of Northern Land
Chapter 424 Threat (1)_1

Chapter 424: Chapter 424 Threat (1)_1

"It can’t be my second uncle," Ma Zhicai kept reminding himself. Perhaps, he had mistaken a stranger who resembled his uncle for him due to too much drinking.

After successfully reassuring himself, Ma Zhicai decided to sit down and continue drowning his sorrows in alcohol.

While drinking, Ma Zhicai still felt uneasy. The figure of that man indeed resembled his second uncle, Ma Erlang. Even if he had mistaken him due to blurred vision, that man and his uncle looked too alike.

Unable to shake off his anxiety, he immediately put down his liquor bottle and ran out of the tavern to check, yearning for another confirmation.

People were bustling to and fro outside. Where could he find the person what he was looking for?

Despite the vastness of the Northern Land and its scarce resources, Feng City, its center, remained very prosperous. Numerous shops lined both sides of the street, and merchants wearing various ethnic costumes were everywhere - coming from the south, heading to the north.

It was almost impossible for Ma Zhicai to find a single person in this overwhelming crowd.

He stood outside the tavern for a while, observing, until he confirmed that the person he was looking for wasn’t there. Then Ma Zhicai returned to the tavern to continue drinking, a bit disheartened.

After he drained another pot of liquor, his face reddened like a heated iron, "Waiter, I want to settle the bill, please."

He stood up unsteadily, took out some copper coins from his pocket, handed them to the waiter, and then staggered off.

Watching his retreating figure, the waiter sighed and went back to his chores. Usually, the ones who came to the tavern to drown their sorrows were the unfortunate ones, like that gentleman with fair and tender skin.

Admittedly, despite Ma Zhicai’s hard gaze, his countenance was still quite misleading.

Once outside the tavern, Ma Zhicai aimlessly shuffled along the street for a while until he grew bored then returned to the inn.

Back when his father Ma Dalang worked as a shopkeeper in town, Ma Zhicai mostly stayed in his father’s dedicated room behind their store. But now, being alone outside, he had to spend money for an inn.

As Ma Zhicai lay in bed, he felt utterly dispirited about life and uncertain about his future. He still stubbornly believed that he failed in the examination not due to a lack of ability, but because the Lin Family had intentionally sabotaged him.

The Lin Family had associated themselves with Prince Ling, who had business dealings with Lin Ziyin. As long as Lin Ziyin could earn silver for Prince Ling, Chu Suifeng would not let go of the Lin Family, also indicating that Ma Zhicai would never see the light of day again.

Why was it that after years of studying sage books, he now found himself in such distress? It was all because of that bastard Lin Ziyin. The more Ma Zhicai thought about it, the tighter he clenched his fists.

"The room is in the right wing of Tianzi Pavilion," a voice spoke from outside the door, carrying a hint of flattery.

"Hmm."

That was his second uncle’s voice! Ma Zhicai instantly sobered up from his anger. He was certain that he was not drunk or having delusions; he had indeed heard Ma Erlang’s voice.

Excitedly, he jumped out of bed intending to find Ma Erlang, but as he sat up, doubt set in again.

Ever since his second uncle Ma Erlang was discovered to have collaborated with outsiders to steal from the Lin Family and ran away, he hadn’t returned home even once during the last half-year. He had been wandering out there, and nobody knew his whereabouts, not even his wife from the Bao family. And yet, now he showed up in Feng City. Was he not afraid of being recognized and arrested?

The Lin Family had reported the case to the government offices. Though Ma Erlang had escaped and vanished, if he were ever discovered and returned, he would still be imprisoned.