Han Yang rode his horse quickly toward the West Gate, only slowing down when he could visually spot Xiao Hei again.
There was no need to worry about losing track of her; he had tested it long ago.
Xiao Hei could fly in the sky for three days without any issue, and she could replenish her food supply by catching birds and beasts directly in the air.
He stopped and went along the way.
Along the road, there were small vendors carrying shoulder poles and shouting sales, small in stature but with incredibly loud voices.
There were Brothel girls dressed colourfully, calling out and attracting customers from the second floor.
Their voices were sweet and cloying, their eyes seductive, and one cry of “Young Master” made people feel hot all over.
Han Yang glanced over, thinking that if he had followed those Young Masters back then, he might have gained some insight.
He was quite curious about ancient Brothels.
Unfortunately, after living for thirteen years, he had never seen what a courtesan looked like.
There were women carrying baskets buying vegetables, who insisted on grabbing an extra handful of greens for a single copper coin, making the vendor’s heart ache immensely.
There were laborers pulling flat carts, sweating profusely, practically treating themselves as oxen.
There were small beggars kneeling and pleading, every one of them missing an arm or a leg.
Han Yang stopped, sighing internally.
If he hadn’t been picked up by Han Xinghua back then, but instead by a beggar leader, he probably wouldn’t be much different from these small beggars.
There were Young Masters and Young Misses dressed in fine silks and satins.
Among them, there might be a Fairy of the Immortal Dao and a Devil Head of the Demonic Path in the future.
There was a woman selling herself to bury her father.
Han Yang stopped and glanced at the wooden sign the woman had placed on the ground.
Only twenty taels of silver—that was truly cheap!
Han Yang grew a little expectant.
If he achieved Major Achievement in cultivation in the future, shouldn’t he also find a few maidservants?
Just looking at them would probably be very pleasing to the eye, right?
Or perhaps get a flying pleasure boat, filled entirely with Fairies surrounding him, playing music and singing.
As Han Yang watched all this, a sudden realization dawned in his heart: perhaps one’s birth was not something one could decide, but the final outcome was definitely derived from one choice after another.
If Young Master Gao doesn’t go to the Immortal Sect today, he might become the family head in the future.
If Young Master Gao goes to the Immortal Sect, he might become another cultivator who gets bitten to death by a Demon Beast in the future.
What about him?
Han Yang began to reflect on his past important choices.
In fact, he had originally planned to leave the Han Family two days earlier, but he ended up staying for various reasons.
Perhaps he was subconsciously hoping that the Young Miss would take him along to cultivate immortality.
But if he had left two days earlier, he wouldn’t have run into Han Da in the backyard today.
If it weren’t for his decent martial arts skills.
If it weren’t for Han Da being old and having no help.
If it weren’t for the poisoned hidden weapons he prepared that made Han Da wary.
Maybe he would have died in the Han Family Manor today!
Thinking of this, Han Yang suddenly broke out in a cold sweat.
He absolutely must not harbor any wishful thinking in the future, and even less should he pin any hope on others!
Moreover, he needed to prepare many backup plans.
He hadn’t even started cultivation yet, and he almost died violently in the Han Family Manor.
The people he would meet in the future would be much more ruthless than Han Da.
If he wasn’t careful, he might end up inside the Myriad Souls Banner!
Strength is certainly important, but if one’s mind isn’t sharp and one isn’t cautious enough, one will eventually die!
For the rest of the journey, Han Yang became more cautious, paying attention to the people coming and going around him from time to time.
The journey was uneventful.
Han Yang exited the West Gate and got onto the official road.
The pedestrians on the road began to thin out, appearing in small groups.
The crowd only thickened when he passed a roadside tea stall located between two mountain peaks, which was used for travellers to rest their feet.
Han Yang was currently wearing a straw hat with a lining, covering his face completely.
After dismounting, he tossed the reins to the waiter who came to greet him and said.
“Feed the horse, and prepare a few small dishes for me.”
The waiter bowed and said, “Coming right up!”
Han Yang walked under the tea shed used for shade by the roadside, preparing to take off his straw hat, but after a quick scan, he was startled, and his hand movements paused.
At that moment, he only wanted to turn around and ride his horse away, but he felt that was inappropriate.
After forcibly suppressing the discomfort in his heart, he scanned the area for convenient escape routes, then found a remote corner and sat down sideways.
The people in the tea shed all sized up Han Yang as he approached, but most only glanced over and then ignored him.
However, two tables of men dressed as guards, carrying swords and drinking tea, looked carefully at Han Yang for a while.
Seeing that Han Yang still wore his hat after sitting down, they scrutinized him even harder, as if trying to see the face underneath through the straw hat’s lining.
Han Yang cursed inwardly.
Han Haiyan was truly insidious, actually placing eight Wang Family guards here at the tea stall on this unavoidable route.
This probably wasn’t just targeting Han Da and his two sons, right?
Or perhaps it was targeting people like him who secretly followed, intending to kill any servant boy or maid from the estate they encountered?
Han Yang took a deep breath, observed the terrain, and began calculating a way to escape in his mind.
As for whether he could defeat them, fighting two or three wouldn’t be a big problem, but eight of them was a headache.
Even if he could win, he would inevitably be injured, and if his luck was bad, he might die.
Soon, the waiter came up with a tray carrying dishes and tea.
Seeing this, Han Yang felt an even greater headache.
He regretted not just passing by; why stop to rest?
He had been careless again!
He also deeply felt the cunning of these old fellows.
Han Yang pretended to stare at the dishes, then glanced at the Han Family guards.
After forming a plan in his mind, he calculated his escape route, then quietly pulled out a handful of fine needles, flicked his hand, and the needles silently embedded themselves straight into the ground.
Han Yang chuckled inwardly.
If these guards chased him later, someone was definitely going to step on them.
After that, Han Yang slightly lifted the hat lining and began eating by himself.
One of the eight guards saw Han Yang’s chin, and a smile appeared on his lips as he said.
“Look, you guys, doesn’t this fellow look like that boy Han Yang?”
The others looked carefully for a moment, and one of them said with a laugh.
“I thought he looked a bit like him when he first came in.
If you hadn’t mentioned it, I probably wouldn’t have recognized him for a while.”
Another guard also chuckled and said.
“This kid used to spar with us often; we taught him plenty about sword techniques.”
“Today will probably be the last time we instruct him on sword techniques.
Hmm, later I’ll show him my unique ultimate skill.”
“Lest he keeps saying we hide our skills!”
“Right, what do you guys say?
Should we wait until he is full before sending him on his way, or should we send him on his way now?”
Seeing the men smiling and whispering about him, Han Yang knew he had probably been recognized.
Since he was familiar with these men, he simply took off his hat and tossed it onto the table.
“Uncle Lu, Uncle Mo, what a coincidence!
Are you guys also here drinking tea?”
Lu Yuanba, the head guard, and Mo Zhifang, along with the other men, laughed heartily in response when they saw Han Yang’s demeanour.
“Xiao Yang, it’s not a coincidence.
Your Uncle Lu is specially waiting for you here.”
“Why don’t you come over and eat something with us?”
Guard Mo Zhifang stroked his thick beard and beckoned with a laugh.
“Little Yang, come on.
Your Uncle will treat you to your last meal today.
Eat as much as you want.
Don’t make a fuss later; Uncle’s hand is very fast.”
“You’ll be gone with a blink of an eye.”
“I guarantee it won’t hurt too much.”
The eight men looked at Han Yang, chatting and laughing, as if elders were inviting a Junior to a meal, but the words coming out of their mouths stunned the surrounding people.
Some people dressed as farmers or vendors quickly stood up, paid their bills, and left.
There were also a few who, believing themselves fearless, wanted to stay and watch the show.
Han Yang said with a wry smile.
“Uncle Lu, Uncle Mo, you are just long-term laborers who don’t earn many copper coins in a month.
Why bother making trouble for this boy?”
“Can I skip this last meal?”
Also, if you spot any mistakes or have suggestions for the story, feel free to share them in the comments.
I’m always looking to improve my writing!