Inside the thatched cottage.
Madam Zheng clutched the two yellowed IOUs, still in disbelief.
“Dalang... is our family's debt really completely cleared just like that?”
“It's completely cleared,” Shen Xiuhan said, nodding with a smile.
Madam Zheng held the IOUs, looking at them over and over again. Suddenly, she stood up and threw them into the hearth.
The flames licked the paper, instantly setting it ablaze. It reduced to specks of ash, drifting up into the air before slowly settling back down.
Madam Zheng stared blankly at the ashes. Her hunched back gradually straightened, as if the heavy burden on her shoulders had vanished along with the wisp of smoke.
“Big brother...”
A timid, childish voice came from the corner of the bed.
Shen Momo had curled herself into a tiny ball, looking like a startled quail. In a soft voice, she asked, “Have the big bad guys all left? He... he won't come to catch Momo anymore, will he?”
Shen Xiuhan's heart softened. He walked over and gathered her into his arms.
Whether the Bai family would return, he did not know. But they had better not...
Because next time, Shen Xiuhan would absolutely not let them leave unscathed.
“They've all left,” Shen Xiuhan said softly. “They will never come back.”
Pausing, he conjured up two candied hawthorn skewers like a magic trick and waved them. “Look, what did Big Brother bring for Momo?”
The translucent sugar syrup coated the bright red hawthorns, skewered on a bamboo stick. They gleamed temptingly under the dim lamplight.
“Candied hawthorns!”
The little girl's eyes instantly lit up, her fear instantly vanishing. She jumped up from his embrace, took a skewer, and took a big bite.
“So sweet...”
“Mother, the candied hawthorns are so delicious!”
Seeing her daughter's joyful face, Madam Zheng could no longer hold back. She turned her head away and quietly wiped her tears with the back of her hand.
“Mother, don't cry.”
Shen Xiuhan pointed to the pork belly he had bought and smiled. “Let's cook quickly. I've been practicing martial arts all day, and I'm absolutely starving.”
“Alright, alright. I'll get to it right away.” Madam Zheng wiped her tears, stood up, and busied herself with the cooking.
During dinner, a delicious aroma filled the room.
A bowl of meat congee paired with a cornmeal flatbread warmed them up from head to toe.
Having calmed her emotions, Madam Zheng asked softly, “Dalang, did things go smoothly at the martial arts hall today?”
“Don't worry, Mother, everything went well.”
Shen Xiuhan pulled out the pouch Mei Shuangfeng had given him from his robes and handed it over. “This is the remaining silver from selling the Precious Fish. Mother, keep it safe.”
“Your martial arts training takes a lot out of you. You should keep some money on you for yourself.”
“I kept some.”
Shen Xiuhan smiled. He had kept two taels of silver close to his person for emergencies.
Only then did Madam Zheng take the pouch and peer inside. The glittering silver ingots made her feel a bit dizzy. Her breath hitched, and without even putting down her chopsticks, she hurriedly hid the pouch under the bed.
Shen Momo, eating her meat congee, still wouldn't let go of her candied hawthorns. She mumbled with her mouth full, “Big brother, if I learn martial arts, does that mean I won't have to be afraid of those bad guys who want to catch me?”
“Of course.”
“Then... then when Momo grows up, I want to learn martial arts too, so I can help Big Brother beat up the bad guys!”
“Alright!”
Shen Xiuhan smiled, gently stroking her hair, which had already regained some of its healthy luster.
...
The next day, during the hour of Chen.
At the break of dawn, Shen Xiuhan went out as usual, carrying two flatbreads. Knowing that his martial arts training was physically demanding, Madam Zheng had specially stuffed them with meat filling.
As he stepped into the Inner City, Shen Xiuhan paused slightly, his gaze sweeping over a teahouse on the street corner.
Sitting by the window, the fat and thin lackeys were staring at him with sneers on their faces.
Oh?
They sure came early today.
Seeing Shen Xiuhan look over, the ox-like Tian Erhu glared at him with his fierce eyes and barked, “What are you looking at!”
Shen Xiuhan remained expressionless, not uttering a single word of nonsense. He calmly withdrew his gaze and walked straight toward the Mei Family Martial Arts Hall.
Before he had even walked half a street, the familiar sensation of being watched clung to him like a shadow.
Shen Xiuhan kept a steady pace and did not look back.
He knew very well that trying to avoid the Golden Dragon Gang's surveillance in the Inner City was completely unrealistic.
It would have been best if they didn't notice, but even if they discovered where he was going, it didn't matter.
The Mei Family Martial Arts Hall and the Tongbei Martial Arts Hall had never gotten along anyway.
He would use a powerful name to shield himself.
He would let these two watch him step through the gates of the Mei Family Martial Arts Hall with their own eyes.
Perhaps...
It would make them hesitate to act, keeping them from doing anything rash before Ma Xianyang returned.
...
“What did you say?!”
In the inner courtyard of the Tongbei Martial Arts Hall.
Upon hearing A-Zhe's report, the flesh on Feng Xiaobao's face quivered. His fierce eyes went wide, and his tower-like body stood up with a crash.
“Second Senior Brother... it's all my fault for failing to handle this properly.” A-Zhe shrunk his neck, cold sweat drenching his forehead. “That kid... somehow managed to join the Mei Family Martial Arts Hall!”
“Are you sure you didn't see wrong?”
“I'm sure...”
A-Zhe hurriedly added, “I deliberately went closer to take a look and saw with my own eyes that he called Xu Chuan 'Senior Brother'.”
“You useless piece of trash!”
Feng Xiaobao was furious. He slammed his palm onto the table, sending the teacup flying three inches into the air. The flesh on his face contorted in anger. “What use are you if you can't even keep an eye on a mud-legged peasant from the Outer City?”
“Please calm down, Second Senior Brother!”
A-Zhe shivered in fear, prostrating himself on the ground as he trembled. “I've been thinking about this all the way here. He's just a poor tenant farmer. Where would he get eight taels of silver to pay the tuition fee?”
Feng Xiaobao froze, his eyes narrowing slightly as a sharp light flashed within them.
“You mean...”
“The Precious Fish!”
A-Zhe gritted his teeth and said urgently, “Second Senior Brother, that little beast must have caught the Precious Fish!”
“He vanished for two days. He probably used some method to sell the Precious Fish for cash, which is how he paid the tuition and joined the Mei Family Martial Arts Hall!”
Whoosh!
Greed and murderous intent erupted in Feng Xiaobao's eyes. He snatched a thick-backed broadsword from the weapon rack and stormed outside, radiating a menacing aura.
“What nerve!”
“A Precious Fish caught with my junior brother's fishing rod rightfully belongs to our Tongbei Martial Arts Hall!”
“Let's go! Bring our men to the Mei Family Martial Arts Hall to settle this account!”
But just as he stepped out of the inner courtyard, he heard a commotion and cries of distress coming from outside.
Feng Xiaobao's brow furrowed, and he barked, “What are you wailing for? Everyone, grab your weapons...”
But midway through his shout, the words caught in his throat, and his face instantly turned incredibly grim.
“Who did this?!”
Several outer courtyard disciples, who were responsible for guarding their territories in the Inner City, were stumbling through the entrance, supporting one another.
Every single one of them was black and blue, and some even had broken arms hanging limply. They were covered in blood.
“It was the constables from the Fast Squad who beat us!”
“Second Senior Brother, you have to get justice for us!”
“Even after we gave them the name of our martial arts hall, they didn't listen. Instead, they hit us even harder, and they even sealed up both of our gambling dens in the South Market!”
The disciples wailed and cried, their voices filled with indignation and resentment.
The Fast Squad?
Sealing the gambling dens?!
Feng Xiaobao's eyelid twitched.
For the Tongbei Martial Arts Hall to establish itself in Changyun County, it relied on far more than just the tuition fees of its disciples; the martial arts hall also owned various businesses under its name.
In the South Market alone, they had two gambling dens, a restaurant, and a weaponsmith shop.
Their hall master, Yan Xiao, had reached the late Anjin stage several years ago, making him one of the prominent experts in the entire Changyun County.
Ordinarily, the county magistrate's office minded its own business, accepting monthly bribes to keep the peace.
Why would they suddenly tear down all pretenses today, beating up their men and sealing their shops?
“The Fast Squad...”
Feng Xiaobao's brow furrowed. “If I remember correctly, the head constable of the Fast Squad... is the second young master of the Bai family, Bai Xiuan, right?”
“That's him!”
“Bai Xiuan personally led the men to seal the doors!”
“The Bai family... Damn it...”
Feng Xiaobao clenched his fists until they popped, the veins on his temples bulging.
Yet, he didn't dare to utter any harsh threats.
The Bai family was the true local tyrant of Changyun County.
Not only did their businesses span the entire city, but the family head also concurrently held the post of County Defender.
Not to mention, the Bai family was backed by an old monster who had entered the Huajin stage many years ago—
Bai Qingcang!
And for the Bai family to suddenly strike at the Tongbei Martial Arts Hall without any warning...
This was absolutely unusual!
Cold sweat broke out on Feng Xiaobao's forehead. Forgetting all about the Precious Fish, he carried his blade and ran straight toward the main hall in the backyard.
“Something big has happened. I must report to Master immediately!”
...
Rate on N.U.
