Huang Yulang frowned slightly and glanced at the group.
He had a vague impression of them—a few playboys from the major families of Huaiyin City who were known for bullying and harassing people.
Looking around the restaurant, he saw that no one dared to sit at the tables near them, clearly afraid of offending the scoundrels.
Huang Yulang couldn’t be bothered with them and continued to eat and drink heartily.
“Heh, did you hear?
The Huang Mansion’s fleet, the one shipping goods to the Capital City, was hijacked by River Bandits.
The losses are huge.
I heard Master Huang himself went to ransom his men with silver.
The Huang Mansion is going to take a huge hit this time.”
“For real?
Damn, those River Bandits have some balls.
They even dare to mess with the richest merchant in Huaiyin City.
You don’t think Master Huang offended someone important, do you?”
“Offended someone?
Heh, when your business gets that big, isn’t it normal for people to get jealous?”
“I heard that a few of the River Bandit leaders are top-notch fighters.
The local Government Office has sent troops after them many times but never managed to wipe them out.
I wonder if the Huang Mansion’s few guards can handle it.”
“Hahaha, don’t forget, the Huang Mansion has a Cultivator, doesn’t it?
What’s some martial arts master compared to a Cultivator?
They’d be toast!”
“Hahaha, a Cultivator!
Hahaha, that Huang Yulang is a total lunatic.
I heard the kid even set up a special cave-abode in the mountains outside the city to practice his ‘cultivation’?”
“I heard that too.
It’s true.
I even sent my servants into the mountains to look for it, but they couldn’t find it, unfortunately.”
“Hahaha, the kid really is crazy.
He’s become the laughingstock of Huaiyin City.
This is killing me.”
The group continued their taunts, and the other patrons in the restaurant struggled to stifle their laughter.
Huang Yulang’s expression, however, turned ugly.
His family’s fleet being hijacked by bandits was no small matter.
He didn’t even know if his father was in danger.
Already vexed, Huang Yulang felt a surge of rage as he heard them mocking him.
With a backhand motion, Huang Yulang grabbed a pot of freshly cooked, braised chicken and hurled it directly at the bastards.
CRACK!
The porcelain pot smashed against the head of the man who had been laughing the loudest, shattering on impact.
The man let out a bloodcurdling scream and collapsed, his head split open and bleeding.
The hot oil scalded his face, causing it to bubble up instantly.
The others were also splattered with hot oil to varying degrees.
They scrambled back, cursing furiously.
“Bastard, are you looking to die?” Except for the one screaming on the floor with a bloody head, the other playboys grabbed chairs and stools and charged at Huang Yulang.
The other customers shrieked and scattered.
“You sons of bitches, you dare gossip about me behind my back?
I’m going to teach you all a lesson today!” Seeing Huang Yulang’s face clearly, the playboys glanced at each other in shock.
“Huang Yulang?
It’s you?”
“Surprised?
Shocked?” The playboys were several years older than Huang Yulang.
Though they knew who he was, they rarely interacted.
“Huang Yulang, damn you!
How dare you hit me!
Get him!
Beat him to death!
If anything happens, my Xu Family will take responsibility!”
Like the Huang Family, the Xu Family were merchants, but their business was much smaller.
However, one of the Xu Family’s daughters had married the Prefect of Huaiyin City, so their influence in the city was by no means weak.
The other playboys were good friends with the one surnamed Xu.
Pressured by his family’s backing, they gritted their teeth and charged toward Huang Yulang.
In terms of power and backing, their families combined had no reason to fear the Huang Mansion.
His father had single-handedly built a business that spanned both banks of the Huai River in Yun Country.
It wasn’t just due to his wits but also his methods.
Outsiders didn’t know that his father’s martial arts skills were also first-class.
Though Huang Yulang had transmigrated here less than a year ago, he was well aware of the Huang Family’s strength.
Now that he was practicing the Superior Martial Arts his master had given him and had sparred plenty with the mansion’s guards, why would he be afraid of a few playboys?
“Since you’re asking for trouble, I’ll be happy to oblige.”
A stool came whistling toward him.
Huang Yulang dodged it and kicked its wielder squarely in the stomach.
The playboy cried out and was sent flying backward.
Huang Yulang then grabbed a wine jug and smashed it against another approaching playboy.
The man couldn’t dodge in time, and the jug connected with his forehead.
BANG!
The jug shattered, and the man clutched his head, screaming in pain.
The last one attacked from behind, trying to wrap his arms around Huang Yulang’s waist.
Huang Yulang struck the top of the man’s head with a backhand palm.
There was a dull THWACK.
The man’s eyes rolled back into his head, and he collapsed unconscious without even letting out a cry.
The crowd outside the restaurant gasped in astonishment, seeing how the young Huang Yulang had taken down three young men in the blink of an eye.
Playboy Xu, his face covered in bloody blisters, was also terrified by Huang Yulang’s skill.
His expression changed drastically.
Ignoring his friends and his own injuries, he scrambled to his feet and fled out the door.
“Huang Yulang, you just wait!
I’ll get you back for this sooner or later!”
Huang Yulang snorted coldly and bolted out of the restaurant.
Just as he was about to catch up to the playboy, a familiar figure blocked his path.
“Young Master, Master Huang has returned!
He ordered me to bring you back to the mansion immediately.”
Huang Yulang’s expression changed.
He couldn’t be bothered to chase the bastard anymore.
He and the guard turned and ran toward the Huang Mansion.
In a room in the back courtyard of the Huang Mansion, Huang Yulang learned from the guard on the way that his father was injured.
Anxious, he ignored all decorum and pushed the door open to see his father sitting there, his face slightly pale.
“Father, are you all right?” Huang Yulang rushed forward to check on his father’s condition.
Seeing his son’s attire, Master Huang’s eyes showed clear displeasure, but he didn’t scold him.
He placed a large hand on Huang Yulang’s shoulder, his expression grave.
“My son, I’m fine.
It’s just a minor injury; a few days of rest will be enough.
However, our Huang Family has offended some people, and I’m afraid there will be significant trouble ahead.
You need to lie low for the next few days.
You must not leave the mansion again.”
Seeing that his father’s injuries didn’t look too serious, Huang Yulang felt a little relieved.
But the gravity in his father’s tone made him worried all over again.
“Father, who were they?
Who could possibly have injured you?” His father shook his head, a cold glint in his eyes.
“Don’t worry.
Your father is no pushover.
The Huang Mansion isn’t a place that any riffraff can just mess with.
Go back and rest.
Tonight, if you hear any commotion, don’t come out, understand?”
Huang Yulang’s face fell.
His father’s meaning was clear: enemies were likely to attack the Huang Mansion tonight.
However, seeing that his father didn’t seem overly concerned, Huang Yulang relaxed slightly, trusting that his father had already made arrangements.
He nodded.
“I understand, Father.”
Huang Yulang returned to his own small courtyard to find Fu pacing anxiously by the door.
Seeing him return, Fu ran over excitedly.
“My little ancestor, Young Master, you’re finally back!
The master, he…” Seeing Fu’s terrified expression, as if he was afraid of being beaten, Huang Yulang gave a faint smile.
“Relax.
Father doesn’t have time to deal with you.
Go back and get some rest.” Fu finally breathed a small sigh of relief, though he still looked at his master with a pained expression.
“Young Master, if the master wants to beat me, you have to plead for me, please?”
“Alright, enough nonsense.
I already gave you five hundred taels of silver.
Taking a beating isn’t such a bad deal.” Fu’s face turned green.
Seeing his master’s impatience, he could only retreat with a miserable look.
Huang Yulang shook his head, changed back into his own clothes, and slung the Peach Wood Sword his senior brother had given him onto his back.
He then sat down cross-legged and began to regulate his breath by circulating the One Qi Primordial Skill.
Huang Yulang had made up his mind.
If someone really dared to attack the Huang Mansion tonight, as a member of the Huang Family, he would absolutely not stand by and do nothing.
He had now stepped onto the path of a Cultivator.
In the future, fights to the death would be inevitable.
He had long been prepared for this day.
The moon hung high in the sky.
Besides a few scattered lights, the whole of Huaiyin City was shrouded in darkness.
A dozen or so figures in black appeared silently on the walls of the Huang Mansion’s courtyard.
They leaped down and crept toward the rear courtyard.
But just as they reached the center of the rear courtyard, before they could spread out, torches suddenly flared to life from behind the rockeries and under the eaves.
Dozens of burly men dressed as guards appeared, staring intently at the dozen or so intruders.
Seeing that the Huang Mansion was prepared, the intruders were all startled.
They quickly gathered into a circle, brandishing their long sabers and warily scanning their surroundings.
“You certainly have some nerve, daring to attack my Huang Mansion.
Your deaths will not be mourned.” The door to Master Huang’s room creaked open, and he stepped out with several trusted aides.
“Huang, I didn’t expect you to be prepared.
It seems we underestimated you.
But do you really think these good-for-nothings can stop us?” The guards were enraged by the insult.
Master Huang couldn’t be bothered to waste words on them.
With a cold sneer, he waved his hand.
“Kill them.
Leave no one alive.” The dozens of expert guards, armed with sabers and other short weapons, surged forward.
“Kill!” The dozen or so men in black showed no intention of retreating.
With a furious roar, they met the charge head-on.
CLANG!
CLANG!
CLANG!
Weapons clashed as the two groups descended into a chaotic melee.
The Huang Mansion’s guards were all experts, but those who dared to infiltrate the mansion at night were certainly no slouches either.
Facing an assault from dozens of experts, the intruders showed no fear.
Their long sabers slashed with ruthless precision, their Body Techniques were elusive as they darted left and right, and even while surrounded, they didn’t lose any ground.
The two leaders, in particular, were formidable.
Their long sabers swung in wide, powerful arcs, and they handled the assault of three or four guards with ease.
Huang Yulang, who was meditating and regulating his breath, snapped his eyes open at the sound of fighting.
He leaped off his bed and rushed out of his room, heading straight for the commotion, but a figure blocked his path—it was the same guard from earlier in the day.
“Young Master, the master ordered you not to go over there.” Huang Yulang glared at the guard and snapped irritably.
“The enemy is at our door!
How can I just stand by and do nothing?
If my father’s side can’t hold them off, do you think the enemy will spare anyone else in the mansion?”
“But…” The guard felt that Huang Yulang had a point, but he still wanted to stop him.
“Enough.
I trust my father has the situation under control.
You can come with me and we’ll just take a look.
Don’t worry, I know my own limits.
I won’t act rashly.” Before the guard could think further, Huang Yulang executed a footwork technique, darted past him, and rushed out.
“Young Master!
Young Master, you…” Caught off guard, the guard’s face fell.
He had no choice but to hurry after Huang Yulang.