Chapter 80: The Free and Easy Young Marquis (13)
As the footsteps and voices drew near, the door to the ruined temple was pushed open, ushering in a gust of wind and snow.
The people outside met the gazes of the four inside. First, they were stunned, but immediately after, a man holding a battered woodcutter’s cleaver stepped forward, his eyes filled with greed. “Big Brother, fat sheep! Four of them!”
The “four fat sheep”: “……”
Huo Xian and his group had altered their appearances. Although their clothes looked simple, they were of excellent quality. However, the five newcomers hadn’t recognized the fabric; rather, their eyes lit up at the sight of the sleek, sturdy horses tied to the side and the gold crown Ning Chen was wearing.
The eyes of all five men began to shine. The leader, a man with a bushy beard and small eyes filled with cruel ferocity, looked at Huo Xian’s group of four viciously and licked the corners of his mouth. “Count yourselves unlucky to have met your granddaddies.”
With that, he strode into the ruined temple, selecting Huo Yuan, who was on the far edge, as his target and swinging his long-handled axe.
The others didn’t hesitate either. They raised their weapons to slash, clearly accustomed to killing and robbing.
Huo Xian pulled Huo Yuan behind him, ducking to avoid the axe strike. With a shift of his feet, he was instantly at the bearded man’s side. The bearded man’s pupils constricted, and he panic-strickenly attacked with his elbow. Huo Xian blocked with his right hand, locked the man’s arm with a backhand grip, and struck his carotid artery with his left palm. The bearded man opened his mouth, his eyes rolled back, and his body went limp.
Qingzhu easily dispatched one opponent. Ning Chen fought two without falling to a disadvantage. As for Huo Yuan… Huo Yuan tried to copy Huo Xian’s moves in real-time against his attacker. The angle of attack was identical, but unfortunately, he hadn’t mastered the control of force, so the first strike didn’t knock the man out.
Thud—
“Argh—”
The sound of knees hitting the ground rang out simultaneously with a scream. It came from the two attacking Ning Chen; one was kicked flying and landed on his knees, his cry drowned out by the scream of the one whose wrist Ning Chen had snapped.
“Young Master, are you unhurt?” Qingzhu stepped forward to ask concernedly.
Huo Xian shook his head. “I’m fine.”
This fight—no, it shouldn’t even be called a fight, but rather a one-sided beating—ended in the blink of an eye. Three lay on the ground, and two were injured, all begging for mercy.
“Why is everyone targeting me? Does this young master look easy to bully?” Ning Chen, not content with just breaking a wrist, feigned distress and mocked the people who tried to “bully” him.
“Because you look the richest,” Huo Yuan said seriously, staring at the gold crown on his head.
Ning Chen: “……” That was his pride as a noble son.
Unconscious people wouldn’t stay out for long. Huo Xian asked Qingzhu to tie them up. Qingzhu started weaving ropes from grass on the spot, but halfway through, Huo Yuan suddenly said, “You can tear their clothes into strips and use them as rope.”
Hearing this, Qingzhu’s eyes widened, staring at him with a look that said, Are you a devil?
One of the conscious bandits heard this and shouted hurriedly, “My lords, spare us! It’s freezing cold; without clothes, we’ll freeze to death!”
“When you killed people, did you ever consider if the victims were willing to die?” Huo Xian said coldly, looking at Qingzhu. “Qingzhu, use their clothes to bind them. If they don’t freeze to death, they’re lucky. If they do, they deserve it.”
Huo Yuan added, “Besides, if they’re frozen stiff, they won’t be able to sneak attack us when they wake up later.”
Qingzhu hesitated no longer. These men had clearly killed and seen blood; they were not good people and deserved death. It was already his Young Master’s mercy not to kill them on the spot.
Soon, the three unconscious men were tied together to a pillar of the ruined temple. Of the remaining two, one had likely suffered internal injuries from the kick and couldn’t stand while clutching his stomach, and the one with the broken hand was weeping, snot and tears flowing freely.
The interrogation work was handed over to Ning Chen. Ning Chen didn’t play around; he took a dagger from his boot and handed it to Qingzhu. His eyes were cold and thin as he said, “Answer whatever the Lord asks you honestly. If you can’t answer or refuse to answer, we cut off a finger.”
Qingzhu: “……” Is it really okay to make him do something so violent and bloody?
“We’ll talk, we’ll say everything! Great Lord, please be magnanimous and spare…”
“Shut up.” Ning Chen snapped his folding fan shut. His voice wasn’t loud, but it was full of intimidation.
The two immediately fell silent as cicadas in winter. The one with the broken hand answered everything honestly. The one lying on the ground unable to get up, however, kept rolling his eyes, clearly having a more active mind, perhaps thinking of how to escape.
These five were bandits who called themselves the “Southern Mountain Five Tigers.” They made a living by robbing homes and waylaying travelers. Unfortunately, the mountain they had occupied for years was discovered by hunters, and government troops raided their den. Forced to flee, the five had to move to a new location—specifically, the Black Wind Stronghold on Black Wind Mountain.
Although being their own bosses was great, being bandits meant having no future and being constantly wanted by the government. If there was an organization that allowed them free rein, they didn’t mind being underlings.
So, these displaced bandits planned to defect to Black Wind Stronghold. The “Southern Mountain Five Tigers” had greater ambitions; they planned to prepare a grand gift for the Stronghold Chief before paying their respects. And this grand gift was Marquis Huo’s head.
Hearing this, a thick killing intent flashed in Huo Xian’s eyes. Ning Chen glanced at him, a trace of worry crossing his face, before kicking the man over and shouting sternly, “Audacious dogs! Is Marquis Huo someone you petty thieves can touch?”
The man wanted to defend himself, but opened his mouth only to spurts blood. Trying to speak again resulted in another mouthful of blood.
Huo Xian gave Ning Chen a look. Ning Chen nodded slightly, then stepped on the man who had been playing dead on the ground for a while. That man immediately grabbed Ning Chen’s ankle, trying to trip him, but Ning Chen was faster. He flipped his fan and struck the man’s wrist, causing him to bite his lip in pain, while the foot on his chest pressed down even harder.
“Cut the tricks, and this Lord might give you a quick death.” Ning Chen put away his cynical demeanor, his eyes turning dark and fierce.
The man seemed to finally sense the crisis and began to feel fear belatedly. He trembled and begged for mercy, “Lord spare my life! This lowly one failed to recognize Mount Tai. You…”
“Cut the crap. Answer the questions honestly,” Ning Chen said, playing the villain without ambiguity.
Ordinary bandits like the Southern Mountain Five Tigers—just five people—would at most rob one or two, maybe three passing travelers they could handle. Yet, they dared to plot to kill Marquis Huo and use his head as a stepping stone to enter Black Wind Stronghold. Either they were brainless, or there was another reason.
Under Ning Chen’s intimidation, “Fourth Tiger”—the bandit who had only been kicked once and could still speak—incoherently explained the reason for their “madness.”
Three days ago, a masked man found them. He informed them of Marquis Huo’s marching route and stated clearly that around a certain time, the Marquis’s team would be attacked. If they wanted to gain a foothold in Black Wind Stronghold, they could fish in troubled waters, cut off Marquis Huo’s head, and bring it to the stronghold.
The Southern Mountain Five Tigers were undoubtedly tempted. Unfortunately, they remembered the time and place, but after changing mountains, they didn’t know the way. They claimed they were looking for a good spot to ambush, but ended up getting lost as they walked. They happened upon the snowstorm and the ruined temple, accidentally crashing into Huo Xian’s group and getting wiped out.
Hearing Fourth Tiger say that the instigator accurately predicted the time and location of the attack, Huo Xian asked coldly about it.
Fourth Tiger was scared, but he also knew that falling into these people’s hands likely meant a dead end. He feared Huo Xian’s group, but he feared death more. So, he decided to gamble for a chance at life. “I’ll tell you, but you have to let me go. Otherwise, even if you beat me to death, I won’t reveal a thing.”
Ning Chen narrowed his eyes slightly. “Master Huo?”
Huo Xian stared at him coldly for a moment before slowly saying, “Speak, and I guarantee to let you go. But only you.”
A look of joy flashed in Fourth Tiger’s eyes. Just as he was about to speak, Huo Yuan, who was squatting beside the continuously vomiting “Fifth Tiger,” suddenly spoke up, “You seem to have something to say too?”
Fifth Tiger nodded and struggled to spit out a few words: “I’ll talk… I… know… everything…”
In the face of life and death, there are no brothers.
“Then why don’t you talk too? I’ll see if your answers match. If they match, it proves you didn’t lie. If they don’t, you two can go to hell with your other three brothers. How about it?” Huo Yuan used the most innocent and harmless tone to say something bone-chillingly terrifying, and the key was that his smile was very sincere.
Fourth Tiger and Fifth Tiger trembled. They didn’t care to confirm if they would survive after answering; right now, they just wanted to answer the question before their “brother” did.
Ning Chen nudged Huo Xian with his elbow and whispered in his ear, “The one you’ve set your sights on is a Tangyuan (glutinous rice ball), isn’t he?”
Tangyuan: white on the outside, black (filling) on the inside. Usually used to describe someone who looks innocent and harmless but is actually full of dark schemes.
Huo Xian: “……”
Described that way, he really was a bit like one.
With a mix of grace and intimidation, the two tigers took the bait and quickly spilled everything. When Huo Xian heard the time and location, his expression changed. It was tomorrow, and the place his father and the thousand elite soldiers would pass was called Giant Peak Canyon. The peaks on both sides of the canyon were extremely easy for an ambush. If large rocks were thrown down, the army would be in peril.
Huo Xian couldn’t care less about resting. He had to intercept his father before the army reached Giant Peak Canyon tomorrow.
Huo Yuan, Ning Chen, and Qingzhu didn’t covet the rest time either. They simply ate some food and hurried on in the dark. Saying “in the dark” wasn’t quite accurate; Huo Yuan was, after all, a high-dimensional consciousness. Even if his power was limited in a human body, spending a minuscule amount of points allowed him to move swiftly through the night.
Although Huo Xian couldn’t bear to let him brave the wind and snow, right now, only Huo Yuan could lead them safely forward.
[Yuanyuan, thank you,] Huo Xian thanked him via consciousness.
Huo Yuan glanced back at him. Although the night was deep, Huo Xian could feel him smile. Immediately after, he heard Huo Yuan’s smiling voice: [No need to say thanks. I’m very happy to be able to help you.]
He was very happy, even a bit proud. In the past two worlds, he had been carried to victory by Huo Xian. The missions were completed beautifully, but the Administration Bureau didn’t give Huo Xian any rewards, which had always made him feel guilty. Now that he could help Huo Xian, he was naturally full of joy.
After traveling for half the night, the four finally reached a small village near Giant Peak Canyon. The village was pitch black. Huo Yuan led them to an uninhabited, dilapidated straw hut to temporarily shelter from the wind and snow.
Having traveled in the biting wind and snow for so long, all four were freezing. Ning Chen’s teeth chattered as he stammered, “Huo, Huo Xian, this time you… you owe me b-big time.”
Huo Xian smiled at him. “I’ve noted it down. I will definitely repay you in the future.”
“G-good to say.”
Huo Xian ordered, “Shake the snow off your heads and bodies, otherwise you’ll catch a cold when it melts.” Then he instructed Qingzhu, “Start a fire first and boil some hot water.”
Qingzhu was a quiet but agile youth with a calmness beyond his years. This was one of the main reasons the original host wasn’t used to the change of servants later on.
“Huo Xian, are you cold?” Huo Yuan stood on tiptoes and brushed the snow off his hair, secretly using his own power to dry Huo Xian’s hair.
Huo Xian grabbed his hand. Unlike his own hands, which were numb from the cold, Huo Yuan’s hands were gradually warming up. Still, he asked, “I’m not cold. What about you?”
“I’m not cold either.” Huo Yuan shook his head, then spoke to him via consciousness: [The constitution exchanged with points is really good. But you guys traveled half the night in the snow; I’m afraid you’ll catch a cold.]
Huo Xian frowned slightly. [I forgot to ask Doctor Du for some medicine before leaving…]
Huo Yuan said: [Medicines need to be boiled now. After catching a chill, they’re not as effective as a bowl of ginger soup.] He paused, thought of something, and hurriedly said: [Huo Xian, we have the spiritual spring! I’ll secretly fill the water skin and let Qingzhu boil it. Drinking it will be somewhat useful.]
Huo Xian slapped his forehead. [I forgot all about the spiritual spring… Ning Chen and Qingzhu probably had snow melt on their heads. Yuanyuan, I have to trouble you to help remove the dampness from them as well.]
[No problem!] Huo Yuan agreed readily, only realizing afterward that he seemed to have inadvertently exposed something…
Recommended Reads
