Lu Yuanba, the leader of the guards, smiled and shook his head, one hand already resting on the long sword on the table.
“Little Yang, actually, we weren’t waiting for you.
The Family Head wanted us to see if Han Da would come.
It’s just bad luck that you ran into us.”
Han Yang was stunned, secretly cursing Han Da for being a sly fox, and deeply felt Han Haiyan’s profound schemes, but now was not the time to think about these things.
Seeing Lu Yuanba’s demeanour, he also put away the bitter smile on his Face, narrowed his eyes, and said,
“Uncle Lu, I remember your son is only three years old, right?
Your wife is also a local beauty, and you seem to have a younger brother.
If something were to happen to you, I’m sure your younger brother would take good care of your wife and son.”
“It’s just, I wonder if he’ll sleep with your wife and beat your child, or if it’s ‘the eldest brother is like a father, the eldest sister-in-law is like a mother’?”
“Uncle Mo, I remember your old mother is already 80, right?
Her eyesight isn’t very good now, and every time the Family letter I write for you arrives, the literate neighbour’s have to help read the letter.”
“Your mother truly had a child late in life, it wasn’t easy.”
“And Uncle Wu, your Family lives in Wujia Village, right?
Are you the only male heir in your Family?”
Han Yang rattled off the Family situations and residences of all eight people.
The eight people no longer held their previous playful expressions; each of them tightly gripped their long Sword, looking as if their blades were about to be drawn at any moment.
Lu Yuanba’s Face was icy cold, and the veins on his hands bulged.
“Han Yang, it’s a Martial world rule that misfortune doesn’t extend to Family.
Are you threatening us?!”
Han Yang said no more, pulled out a small pouch from his jacket, and with full Internal Energy, flung it directly at Lu Yuanba, numbing the latter’s hand.
Lu Yuanba was secretly astonished, never expecting Han Yang’s Internal Energy to have reached such a level.
He also lamented that Han Yang was truly a martial arts prodigy.
“Uncles, this is 1,000 taels of silver.
This is what This Yang hasn’t spent over the years.
You don’t earn much silver in a year; if you divide it, you can live peacefully for many years.
Why not just pretend you didn’t see me today?”
The guards were stunned by this, then a flicker of eagerness passed through their eyes.
The other seven looked at Lu Yuanba, their leader, calculating how much they could get.
This was 1,000 taels of silver!
They only earned a dozen or so taels a year, though that included food and lodging.
But even 100 taels of silver would be enough for them to marry a beautiful concubine.
Lu Yuanba’s Killing Intent slightly receded.
He looked at the others, frowned in thought, and involuntarily wondered if he should just take the money and run away.
Just move, then.
He wouldn’t serve the Han Family anymore!
This silver, divided among them, was worth ten years of salary.
At this moment, Han Yang truly didn’t want to engage in any pointless conflict.
After all, an immortal opportunity was at hand, and delaying it would be bad.
More importantly, what if he eliminated Lu Yuanba and the others?
These few guys couldn’t possibly drop equipment or treasures, could they?
He bet that the total silver on these few people wouldn’t exceed 100 taels, and silver was truly useless to him!
Han Yang saw Lu Yuanba still hesitating and grew a little displeased and said,
“Uncle Lu, you always said that Ma Dali of the Ma Family Martial Arts Hall is your Senior Brother.
You said your martial arts are better than his.
In my opinion, you are greatly inferior.
“When Lu Yuanba heard Ma Dali’s name and then Han Yang say his Martial art was not as good as Ma Dali’s, he seemed to have his tail stepped on and said agitatedly,
“You brat, what nonsense!
Even if I let him use one hand, he still couldn’t beat me!”
Han Yang shook his head and said,
“Uncle Lu, you once said that Ma Dali came to Jiayuan City with you, but where is he now?
You are just a guard leader, but his martial arts hall has been open for many years, his disciples number no less than a hundred, and he has a multitude of wives and concubines.”
“Today, I will comment on your two Martial art styles.
Listen and see if it makes sense.”
“Uncle Lu, your sword technique is fierce and overbearing, while Ma Dali’s sabre technique is about human relations and worldly wisdom.”
“When you draw your sword, you only see blood, but when Ma Dali draws his sabre, every strike yields silver.”
“Also, how many more years can you fight?
In a few more years, you’ll be old and weak, probably unable to even defeat his disciples.”
“Just like being a servant, among those in the mansion who can produce 1,000 taels of silver, which one doesn’t rely on their brains?
Is it by enduring hardship?”
“Have you ever seen me do a single strenuous task?”
“So your sword technique isn’t good; you still need to go back and practice hard.”
Lu Yuanba trembled all over, unable to utter a complete sentence, his Face alternating between green and pale—a mix of shame, remorse, and dejection, his expression as varied as a changing mask.
Han Yang, on the other hand, appeared calm and composed, sipping his tea and continuing to speak.
“Uncles, I is not talented.
I started learning martial arts at the age of 7, and it has been several years now.
While I may not be able to defeat you, the surrounding area is all forest.
It won’t be an easy task for you to kill me.”
“Today, if you try to block my path to survival, and if I can’t escape, I will naturally take one or two of you uncles with me on the journey.”
“But if I escape, hehe.”
“The enmity of obstructing one’s Dao is irreconcilable,” Han Yang said, a chilling coldness emanating from his eyes, then continued, his voice cold and deliberate, “I will exterminate your Family to repay it.”
The eight people were startled by Han Yang’s demeanour.
They truly hadn’t expected that the young Han Yang could utter such words.
The former Han Yang was always cheerful to everyone he met, respectful to everyone in the mansion, as if he regarded everyone as an elder, and he often helped them write Family letters.
And whenever they gave Han Yang a pointer on his Martial art, even if it was just a casual remark or two, Han Yang would treat them to a good meal and drinks.
Furthermore, because he was deeply favoured by the Young Miss, he genuinely had silver in his pockets and spent it without a second thought.
They had only been able to visit the famous large and small restaurants in the city thanks to Han Yang; otherwise, they would never have afforded to go even once in their lives.
And now Han Yang had taken out silver again, addressing them as ‘uncle’ one by one, which gave them ample Face and substance.
To continue pestering him would truly not end well.
They had no doubt that if they couldn’t kill Han Yang today, there would undoubtedly be endless trouble in the future.
At that point, let alone being a guard in peace, they would have to live in constant fear even just guarding their homes every day.
There was no such thing as guarding against a thief for a thousand days!
As for whether they could kill Han Yang, they thought they probably could, but whether there would be any casualties?
After looking at the forests on both sides of the official road, they felt there was indeed a possibility that a desperate Han Yang could kill one or two of them in retaliation.
Sometimes, not being able to defeat someone doesn’t mean you can’t perish together.
You stab me, and I, without dodging, return a stab; there are countless instances of people going on the same path together.
At this moment, the eight people exchanged glances, and for a time, no one spoke again about sending Han Yang on his way.
The other six looked at the two guard leaders, and though they didn’t speak, it was as if they were saying, “Big brothers, you usually get the most silver, so why don’t the two of you go?”
They all had elders above and children below; if they died, it would only benefit others.
Crucially, with the silver right in front of them, they really couldn’t bring themselves to act.
After some deliberation, the other six made a decision: if they absolutely had to make a move, they would pretend to be overwhelmed, creating an opening for Han Yang to escape.
If anything truly happened, it would be the two big brothers who took the fall.
They believed that with Han Yang’s intelligence, he would surely understand their good intentions.
Thinking of this, the others were no longer in a hurry.
They each began to drink tea, occasionally winking at Han Yang.
Han Yang saw this, understood, and his smile deepened.
Lu Yuanba cursed inwardly upon seeing this.
They were actually intimidated by a mere servant of the Wang Family.
With this kind of demeanour, when Han Da arrived, they might as well just make way!
Just as Lu Yuanba was hesitating, a burst of bell-like laughter from the roadside broke the tense atmosphere inside the tea stall.
Everyone looked in the direction of the sound, only to see that while they were gathered around Han Yang and the others, several more teams of carriages had unknowingly arrived by the roadside.
There were at least 5 carriages by estimation, and more than ten guards accompanying them.
The entire entourage probably numbered no less than 30 people.
The leading carriage displayed a sizable flag with the characters ‘Duanmu’ inscribed upon it.
A few people around the tea stall whispered,
“Oh, isn’t that the Duanmu Family, the ‘Family of a Hundred Virtues’ from the city?”
“What ‘Family of a Hundred Virtues’?”
“You must be new here.
Let me tell you, this Duanmu Family is extraordinary.
All the medical clinics in the city are run by them.
If you have a headache or fever, or truly have no money, they can give you credit.
Even if you don’t pay it back, they won’t come after you.”
“That good?
Then they truly deserve to be called the ‘Family of a Hundred Virtues.’ How many lives must they save!”
“Of course!
Who in our Jiayuan City doesn’t praise the Duanmu Family when they see them?”
“If the Duanmu Family only practiced medicine and didn’t want to be the City Lord, with their prestige, no one would dare to say a word against them being City Lord.”
“It’s just, what day is it today?
Why are all the big Families in the city heading out?
Is there something good happening?”
Amidst the whispers, a pair of fair, small hands lifted the curtain of one of the carriages, revealing a young girl dressed in a plain-coloured dress.
Although the girl was beautiful, she was still a bit less stunning than Han Xinghua’s peerless beauty.
However, she possessed an elegant, natural, and lively aura that added an unusual charm, making her more captivating the longer one looked at her.
Especially her eyes, which seemed to speak.
“Brother Yang, I remember when I was 8 years old, I asked Sister Xinghua for you, but you refused.”
“You said at the time, ‘A loyal subject serves no two masters.’ Little sister was truly astonished,” Duanmu Xi said, her eyes wide with surprise, then continued, “It’s just that little sister has never understood the meaning of that phrase.”
“Brother Yang, can you explain it to me?”
Han Yang looked at the mischievous young girl in front of him, his Face reddening, and his mouth twitching as he said,
“Young Miss Duanmu, what a coincidence.
Are you out for a stroll?”
Duanmu Xi covered her mouth and chuckled again.
“Brother Yang, why don’t you come over here?
The story you told about ‘thirty years to the east of the river, thirty years to the west of the river’ isn’t finished yet.”
“What happened to the Young Miss and the servant in the story in the end?”
“Did they get married?”
“I’ve been waiting for the ending of that story for many years.”
Han Yang grew even more awkward upon hearing this.
Han Xinghua naturally interacted with the Young Misses of the wealthy Families in the city, and as her personal servant, he had naturally met these Young Misses as well.
And when he was young, he was a good storyteller, so he naturally told stories to these Young Misses often.
Han Xinghua also liked to show him off when she was young, feeling proud.
Duanmu Xi was one of those listeners.
She seemed even happier seeing Han Yang’s embarrassment, and she waved her hand again, saying,
“Brother Yang, come over here!
I want to hear the story!”
Han Yang looked at the Duanmu Family’s convoy, then at the Han Family’s eight guards.
If he could safely escape with the help of the Duanmu Family, that would naturally be good.
But the question was, could the Duanmu Family be trusted?
He had almost died twice in less than a day.
He truly felt no sense of security now, suspecting everyone he met of wanting to harm him, and deeply felt that everyone he encountered had very deep schemes.
He increasingly felt that he should be low-key and cautious in the future, and even more, he should strengthen himself.
After all, not everyone was as unprofessional as these eight Han Family laborers.
If these eight guards hadn’t listened to his blabbering and just charged in, ignoring everything and hacking with their swords and sabres, he might really have died miserably on the street.
Duanmu Xi saw a hint of wariness in Han Yang’s eyes, her small mouth pouting, and said with a sad expression,
“Brother Yang, do you think Duanmu Xi would harm you?”
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!